House narrowly backs allowing troops, Pentagon workers to carry personal guns on military bases
The House voted 215-214 Tuesday night to make approval the default when qualified service members and Pentagon civilian employees ask commanders for permission to carry personal firearms on military installations. Three Democrats joined most Republicans to approve the measure, while three Republicans and independent Rep. Kevin Kiley of California opposed it. The amendment from Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo., would not automatically authorize personnel to carry firearms on military property. It would establish a presumption that installation commanders approve requests from qualified service members and civilian employees. The vote came less than a year after an Army sergeant allegedly used a personal handgun to shoot five fellow soldiers at Fort Stewart, Georgia, in August 2025. Other soldiers tackled and disarmed him, and all five victims survived. Personal firearms were prohibited on post at the time, military officials said. MAJOR APPEALS COURT DECLARES NEW JERSEY AR-15 BAN UNCONSTITUTIONAL IN LANDMARK SECOND AMENDMENT RULING The National Defense Authorization Act has become law every year for more than six decades and is traditionally one of Congress’ most bipartisan major bills, but the firearms and transgender-policy provisions adopted Tuesday threatened to erode Democratic support, potentially forcing Republican leaders to rely on their narrow majority for final passage and creating new sticking points in eventual negotiations with the Senate. Lawmakers approved an amendment from Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., prohibiting TRICARE from covering transition-related hormones, puberty blockers and surgeries for service members and military dependents. The provision passed 219-208, with five Democrats voting yes and one Republican voting no. It would broaden existing Trump administration restrictions and write the prohibition into federal law. SENATE REPUBLICAN PUSHES MERIT-BASED MILITARY PROMOTIONS, TARGETS BIDEN-ERA DEI POLICIES The House also voted 221-203 to approve a second Mace amendment barring transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports at Department of Defense Education Activity schools serving military families. But lawmakers rejected a separate amendment from Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., that would have codified President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order barring transgender troops from military service and requiring personnel to serve according to their biological sex. The amendment failed 217-212, with four Republicans joining all voting Democrats in opposition. Lawmakers also rejected an effort from Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., to largely eliminate funding for the Pentagon’s Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. The amendment would have permitted funding only for security at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. Seventy-six Republicans supported the proposal, highlighting continued opposition within the GOP conference to military assistance for Ukraine. The House rejected another proposal that would have barred foreign nationals from attending U.S. military academies in a 360-61 vote. The amendment would have ended longstanding programs that train officers from allied and partner nations at institutions including West Point, the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy. Among other amendments, lawmakers voted to eliminate a proposed pilot program that would have used voice-based risk-assessment technology to identify service members for drug testing. The House also narrowly approved language intended to ensure the continued operation of California’s Santa Ynez Pipeline System, which transports crude oil to refineries supplying military installations. That measure passed 215-214. The votes came as lawmakers began working through amendments to the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. The House made 320 amendments eligible for consideration, eight more than were included in the procedural package that collapsed last month amid a Republican revolt over the SAVE America Act. Amendment debate is expected to resume Wednesday, with a vote on final passage after lawmakers finish considering the remaining proposals. The underlying bill would authorize roughly $1.15 trillion for national defense, about $252 billion more than Congress appropriated for defense programs in fiscal year 2026. It would provide pay raises ranging from 5% to 7% for service members, expand weapons and munitions production and accelerate investment in missile defense, autonomous systems, hypersonics and other emerging technologies. The NDAA sets defense policy and authorizes spending levels, but it does not provide the money itself. Congress must separately pass defense appropriations legislation to fund the programs and priorities included in the bill. The legislation would also formally change the Department of Defense’s name to the Department of War, deeming references to the defense secretary and department in federal law to mean the secretary and Department of War. Consideration of the legislation had been delayed for three weeks by a separate Republican fight over the SAVE America Act, Trump’s election legislation requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and identification to cast a ballot in federal elections. The House approved the SAVE America Act in February by a 218-213 vote, but the measure stalled in the Senate, where Republicans lacked the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. Republican leaders initially sought to revive the election legislation by directing the House clerk to merge it with the NDAA after the defense bill passed but before the combined package was sent to the Senate. That approach would transmit the two measures as a single bill without making the SAVE America Act part of the NDAA text debated on the floor. But the procedural rule authorizing that plan failed 198-224 on June 30, when 13 Republican holdouts joined Democrats in opposition. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., also voted against the rule for procedural reasons. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., argued that attaching the election measure through the procedural maneuver would make it easier for the Senate to remove and demanded that lawmakers add it directly to the NDAA. Luna later accepted the original approach after Speaker Mike Johnson committed to attaching the SAVE America Act to appropriations and other must-pass legislation. The House approved a replacement rule Tuesday that again directed the clerk to merge the election legislation with the NDAA before sending it to the Senate while expanding the number of defense amendments eligible for consideration from 312 to 320. The SAVE America Act was still expected to face opposition in the Senate and could be removed when lawmakers reconcile the House and Senate versions of the defense bill. The
Ex-NFL star backed by Trump wins battleground state primary: ‘True America First Conservative’
Former NFL kicker Jay Feely won the Republican primary for Arizona’s 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, giving the GOP a Trump-backed nominee in a competitive open-seat race that will help determine which party controls the House. Feely, who received President Donald Trump’s “complete and total endorsement” in the final stretch of the race, defeated former state lawmaker Joseph Chaplik and businessman John Trobough in the GOP contest to replace Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., who is running for governor but lost in his primary Tuesday night. Arizona’s 1st Congressional District is a Phoenix-area battleground that both parties see as competitive heading into November. The district includes northeastern Maricopa County and large parts of Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Fountain Hills, according to Arizona PBS’ candidate forum. ARIZONA GOVERNOR VETOES CHARLIE KIRK MEMORIAL LICENSE PLATE, SPARKING GOP OUTRAGE: ‘THIS BILL FALLS SHORT’ Trump endorsed Feely in a video message days before the primary, calling him a “true America First conservative” and urging voters to support him in the July 21 election. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) also placed Feely in its “MAGA Majority” program, which the committee says is aimed at supporting America First candidates in battleground districts. The GOP primary became increasingly personal in its final weeks when Chaplik accused Feely on X of having “imported Haitians,” a remark Feely described as racist and directed at Haitian men he considers family, according to Axios Phoenix. “This tweet had NOTHING to do with your two family members and everything to do with your history of bringing large numbers of Haitian migrants to NGOs in an attempt to get amnesty here,” Chaplik shot back on X. “You have a history of opposing Trump on TPS for Haiti.” MASS SHOOTING ROCKS CROWDED DOWNTOWN TUCSON DISTRICT, LEAVING 10 WOUNDED Feely, who has spent years doing nonprofit relief work in Haiti after a devastating 2010 earthquake there, has defended his work as humanitarian, not political, telling Axios Phoenix that he helped two young Haitian men — a translator he worked with and the translator’s brother — come to the U.S. Feely said he considers them members of his family and has also tried to assist several of their relatives in relocating. Feely will advance to a general election in one of the most closely watched House races in the country, as Republicans try to hold Schweikert’s seat and Democrats look to capitalize on an open race in a district that has remained competitive in recent cycles. The Democrat candidates for Arizona’s 1st Congressional District include former state lawmaker Amish Shah and former television news anchor Marlene Galán-Woods, the two leading Democrats in the race, along with Rick McCartney and Jonathan Treble.
Ex-sheriff backed by Trump storms to victory in race to replace longtime GOP firebrand
Mark Lamb, a sheriff with the backing of President Donald Trump, won a GOP primary on Tuesday evening to fill the seat of outgoing Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., in the Grand Canyon State’s fifth congressional district. The victory puts Lamb on a trajectory to win the seat in November which, in the past, has heavily leaned Republican. Lamb has framed his race as part of a larger effort to protect the cultural fabric of the country, championing “God, family freedom.” TRUMP-BACKED NOMINEES DOMINATE PRIMARY CONTESTS AS PRESIDENT TIGHTENS PARTY VICE GRIP “That’s why I’m running for Congress. We gotta make sure our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren have the same freedoms that we have,” Lamb said in a campaign video. The seat came open when Biggs, R-Ariz., announced he would run for governor last year. “Arizona has a bright future, but we will need strong leadership to reach its full potential,” Biggs said in a press release. “I have been honored to serve Arizona at the state and federal levels and will bring my experience home to my native state to help fulfill its tremendous capacity.” The seat is one of the state’s most reliably Republican — and became more so after the state’s redistricting in 2022. Biggs last won reelection in 2024 in a 60.4% to 39.6% victory over Democratic challenger Katrina Schaffner. During his time in office, Biggs was one of Trump’s most prominent backers, pushing for aggressive conservative stances on areas like federal spending and border enforcement. TRUMP-BACKED AIR FORCE VETERAN WINS GOP RUNOFF IN NEWLY-REDISTRICTED HOUSE DISTRICT For his own part, Lamb has echoed many of Biggs’ priorities. “The Joe Biden administration came in, and immediately, overnight, we started seeing hundreds of thousands of people — the majority of these men were military-age men from all over the world. Many of them didn’t love America,” Lamb said in a campaign video. “We stood by as our government not only allowed them to come in but rolled out the red carpet for people that broke our law.” Lamb’s campaign came under scrutiny earlier this year when an Arizona investigation found that Lamb allegedly had a track record of sending sexual images to women outside of his marriage. Janel Lamb, Mark Lamb’s wife, has called the accusations a political stunt. TRUMP DOESN’T CARE ABOUT THE MIDTERMS? WHY THAT MISSES THE MARK “Politics can be dark and ugly, but if you know us, you know that’s not how we roll. The only way to dispel darkness is not with more darkness, only light. After all we’ve been through, a massive smear campaign is certainly not going to stop us from doing what we know is right,” Janel Lamb said in a post to Facebook. Having cleared the primary, Lamb will head to the general election on Nov. 3.
Trump-backed firebrand wins Arizona GOP governor primary, setting up high-stakes showdown
President Donald Trump’s kingmaker status in Republican primaries was on the line Tuesday in Arizona’s GOP gubernatorial nomination showdown – and the president easily passed the test. Rep. Andy Biggs, a former House Freedom Caucus chair who landed the president’s endorsement, captured the GOP nomination for Arizona governor with more than 70% of the vote, the Associated Press reported with just under 50% of the votes counted Tuesday night. He was beating his nearest competitor by more than 50% at that point. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Biggs topped Republican Rep. David Schweikert, who had 17% of the vote with just under 50% of the total counted, as well as concrete pumping contractor Scott Neely, 7%, who was making his second straight run for governor, and business owner Ken Miceli, 5.4%, to win the nomination. Biggs will now face off in the general election with Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, a former Arizona Secretary of State who narrowly defeated then-GOP nominee Kari Lake four years ago. Hobbs was unopposed as she ran for re-nomination in the southwestern battleground. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER The Republican primary turned combative and expensive. Schweikert earlier this year went up with campaign mailers accusing Biggs of associating with white supremacist and antisemitic groups. Responding, the Biggs campaign labeled the move as “a desperate tactic by our opponent.” Biggs, who was also backed by the political wing of the conservative powerhouse Turning Point USA, mostly ignored his rivals and only joined them on the stage at one of the multiple debates. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Trump’s endorsements in a handful of key races, including in a top swing congressional district, could impact the midterm battles for the House majority and control of governors’ offices.
Vulnerable Republican wins GOP primary in Arizona toss-up district Dems aim to flip blue
Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., clinched the GOP primary nomination in a battleground district Democrats see as key to retaking the House. Ciscomani, a moderate Republican seeking a third House term, ran unopposed with President Donald Trump’s endorsement. The southeastern Arizona district, which spans Tucson’s suburbs and stretches to the U.S.-Mexico border, is one of the most hotly contested House races in the country. Trump carried the swing seat by less than 1 percentage point in 2024 after losing it by roughly the same margin in 2020. JoAnna Mendoza, a Marine veteran and political consultant, also ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. She has faced several scandals that could undermine her House bid heading into November. BATTLEGROUND DEMOCRAT SAID TRADITIONALLY WHITE OUTDOOR SPACES ‘WILL NO LONGER BE WHITE’ The Democrat hopeful has come under recent scrutiny for following several OnlyFans models and self-described witches on her official campaign Instagram account. The sexually explicit accounts included one belonging to a transgender socialist activist who posted pictures in BDSM gear, the New York Post first reported. Mendoza, who is openly bisexual, has also faced GOP attacks after remarks resurfaced from 2020 in which she said she would decriminalize prostitution in response to a question from Equality Arizona, an LGBTQ advocacy group, about the struggles of “trans women of color.” “It’s important to ensure that there’s access to the resources, the support networks, the social services, access to healthcare,” Mendoza said in the interview, adding, “We need to stop criminalizing people for their situations.” ‘FLIP FLOP’: DEMOCRAT FIREFIGHTER IN TIGHT HOUSE RACE BLASTS POPULAR TRUMP POLICY HIS NATIONAL UNION SUPPORTS “Far-left lobbyist Mendoza is a risk working Arizonans literally cannot afford,” NRCC spokesman Ben Petersen said in a statement. Democrats view Mendoza as a strong recruit and have added the political newcomer to their flagship “Red to Blue” candidate program. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates Ciscomani’s re-election bid as a “toss-up.” Ciscomani, who previously served as a senior advisor to former Gov. Doug Ducey, R-Ariz., and the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, is likely to highlight his bipartisan credentials as he seeks a third House term. He is a member of the centrist Problem Solvers Caucus and the Main Street Caucus, which identifies as “pragmatic” conservatives. Ciscomani defeated former state Sen. Kirsten Engel, D-Ariz., by more than 3 percentage points in a 2024 rematch. He first won the seat in 2022, defeating Engel by fewer than 6,000 votes and becoming the first naturalized citizen from Mexico elected to Congress.
Democrats re-nominate Arizona governor, setting stage for high-stakes November battle
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs cruised to re-nomination in battleground Arizona. That’s because the incumbent governor was unopposed in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. Hobbs, a former Arizona Secretary of State who narrowly defeated then-GOP nominee Kari Lake four years ago, now heads to the general election in the key southwestern battleground state. “I’ve never lost an election, but I’ve also never won one alone. This will be a close race, but I’m excited to be in this fight with all of you to keep Arizona moving forward,” the governor told supporters in a social media post minutes after polls closed. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Hobbs will face off against the winner of the Republican gubernatorial primary. Rep. Andy Biggs, a former House Freedom Caucus chair, is backed by President Donald Trump and by the political wing of the conservative powerhouse Turning Point USA. Also on the GOP ballot are longtime Republican Rep. David Schweikert, concrete pumping contractor Scott Neely, who’s making his second straight run for governor, and business owner Ken Miceli. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Hobbs, who has assembled a formidable campaign war chest, spent roughly $7 million during the primary to run ads, even though she faced no competition. “We are running the race we need to win, and it is going to take a lot to get there. We know it’s going to be a close race,” Hobbs told reporters on Monday. “I’m proud of the support I’ve garnered and, you know, I’m not raising campaign money to haul it away. I’m raising it to spend.” The governor’s ads, aimed partially at independent and Republican voters, showcased what she said were Arizona’s economic wins during her tenure, and her bipartisan efforts working across the aisle with the GOP-controlled legislature. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, chair of the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), said in a statement that “Arizona is always an incredibly competitive battleground and the DGA is all-in to make sure Gov. Hobbs wins so she can continue putting Arizona first.” The Libertarian Party, the Green Party, and No Labels are also running candidates on the general election ballot in the race for Arizona governor. Fox News’ Olivia Palombo contributed to this story
House GOP votes to punt government shutdown battle to after November midterms
The House of Representatives voted on Tuesday night to punt the threat of another government shutdown until after the November midterm elections. House lawmakers passed a bill to extend the current fiscal year’s funding levels until Dec. 4 via a measure called a continuing resolution (CR). It would extend several weeks into fiscal year (FY) 2027, which begins on Oct. 1. The legislation passed in a 220 to 205 vote. Just six House Democrats supported the measure compared to 204 who voted against. All but one House Republican supported the bill. It’s a victory for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Republicans, who are looking to avoid a messy federal spending fight right before what’s expected to be an uphill battle to retain their razor-thin majority. SENATE WEIGHS NEW, PAINFUL LEVERAGE TACTIC AS FEARS OF ANOTHER GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN GROW House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the No. 3 House GOP leader, ripped the Democrats who opposed the measure. “As the marxists and communists battle it out for control of the Democrat party, House Republicans are proving yet again that we are the party that governs and works for the American people. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are the party of commonsense. The other side — led by Commie Mamdani — is the party of chaos and destruction. A majority of Democrats just voted for another damning Schumer Shutdown,” he said in reference to New York City’s self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The current fiscal year saw the longest government shutdown in history, lasting from Oct. 1, 2025 until Nov. 12, 2025, as Senate Democrats blockaded GOP-led funding priorities for weeks in protest of spending cuts to federal healthcare programs. And Republicans are warning that Democrats would almost certainly cause another government shutdown right before the election if the fight is not punted until after the early November midterms. “Unfortunately, given that Democrats have already forced the two longest government shutdowns in American history in this Congress, one of them for 78 days, they’ve already demonstrated they don’t care what kind of pain they inflict on the American people,” Johnson told reporters on Tuesday. “They’ve shown there’s nothing they’d love more than a government shutdown as tens of millions of Americans head to the polls in November.” House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., told reporters Tuesday that he would vote against the bill along with the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, the panel tasked with overseeing yearly federal spending. “I think that there are some drafting errors within the CR that give Customs and Border Patrol flexibility to move money around. The administration said that all of that was funded within reconciliation 2.0. and I think they’re creating other opportunities to transfer funds,” Aguilar said. But even with the House’s victory, it’s not clear that the fight will be over before September. HOUSE GOP PUSHES BACK ON SENATE’S ‘SKINNY’ PLAN TO END RECORD-BREAKING DHS SHUTDOWN The GOP-led Senate is working on its own course on funding extension, with sources familiar with the process telling Fox News Digital that appropriators were crafting their own CR. They believe the House’s product lacked key extensions to certain programs that are expected to run out of funding come the Sept. 30 deadline. Those programs, known as anomalies, were shipped to the Senate from the White House on Monday. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told Fox News Digital that Republicans and Democrats, for the time being, were working together to thwart a shutdown. He hoped to get the CR onto the floor as soon as this week, given that the House is set to leave Washington, D.C., by the end of the week for a long August recess. “Look, we appreciate the House moving forward with theirs. It’s, you know, very clean,” Hoeven said. “There are just a few issues that we think need to be the rest. Because, obviously, we need to get Democrats on board with us, right now, they’re working with us.” The move has the full blessing of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. “I think it’s going to be really important that we figure out a path forward to get a bipartisan agreement to fund the government that will keep government open and ensure that government employees are getting paid,” Thune said. “And that is something that I intend to bring to the floor for a vote before the August break.
Mamdani goes back on campaign promise, says NYC can’t arrest Netanyahu
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani acknowledged Tuesday that he can’t have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested despite promising to do so during his mayoral campaign. But he called on the federal government to execute an International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant if the Israeli leader visits New York. In a video posted on X, Mamdani called Netanyahu a “war criminal” while conceding that New York City could not enforce the ICC warrant on its own. “As I’ve said, I agree with the ICC that Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his crimes, as I do for anyone else charged by the ICC,” Mamdani said. NETANYAHU FIRES BACK AT NYC MAYOR MAMDANI’S VOW TO ENFORCE ‘BOGUS ARREST WARRANT’ “My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here,” he continued. “It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant.” Mamdani’s comments underscored that a New York City mayor lacks the authority to enforce an International Criminal Court warrant or create a New York arrest warrant by executive order. Mamdani nonetheless said Netanyahu would not be welcome in New York City. MAMDANI’S ‘DERANGED’ ISRAEL TAKE RESURFACES AS HE TARGETS NETANYAHU “I want to be equally clear: Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large,” he said. The remarks marked a reversal from Mamdani’s 2025 campaign pledge that New York City would arrest Netanyahu if the Israeli prime minister came to New York. Mamdani’s comments came two days after he told The New York Times that the city’s Law Department was reviewing whether New York had the legal authority to arrest Netanyahu if he visited the city. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TOUTS MORE THAN $1B IN UN BUDGET CUTS AS REFORM PUSH GAINS MOMENTUM Netanyahu is expected to travel to New York in September for the United Nations General Assembly. “I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” Mamdani told the Times. “He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court.” Netanyahu’s office dismissed the comments Sunday, calling the ICC a “kangaroo court” with “no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis.” “Instead of backing Khan’s criminal behaviour, Mr. Mamdani should focus on fixing the damage his policies have caused New York,” Netanyahu’s office said. The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity tied to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Justice Department and Netanyahu’s office for comment. Fox News Digital’s Ashley J. DiMella, Eric Mack and Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
‘Jumping ship’: House Dem finds exit strategy after SCOTUS ruling shifts advantage to GOP
Democratic Rep. Cleo Fields of Louisiana announced Tuesday he will not seek re-election to Congress after a Supreme Court ruling and new Louisiana congressional map reshaped his district in Republicans’ favor. Fields said in a statement announcing his plans he will instead run to fill the unexpired term for the state Senate in Louisiana’s 14th District, saying he feels his “calling to serve the people is better put to use back home than here in D.C.” “I intend to answer that call,” Fields added. LOUISIANA SUSPENDS CONGRESSIONAL PRIMARIES IN WAKE OF SUPREME COURT GERRYMANDERING RULING Fields is seeking to return to the state Senate seat he held before winning election to Congress in 2024. State Sen. Larry Selders won a 2025 special election to fill the vacancy Fields left, but his death earlier this month opened up the seat once again. The National Republican Congressional Committee took advantage of the announcement, arguing Fields was “jumping ship” shortly after the committee added Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District to its target list. The NRCC announced Monday that LA-06 was among seven additional Democratic-held seats it was targeting, saying President Donald Trump carried the newly drawn district by 32.1 points in 2024. SUPREME COURT RULES ON KEY VOTING RIGHTS ACT RULE AS REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS WAGE REDISTRICTING WAR Fields has had a long career in elected office, first being elected to the Louisiana State Senate in 1987, then running for Congress unsuccessfully in 1990. Fields tried again and eventually joined Congress in 1992, during which he also ran for governor and lost. Fields left Congress after two terms, returned to the state senate for a decade and then was elected back to Congress in 2024 after a prior congressional redistricting effort created a second majority-Black district. The current redistricting fight in Louisiana dates back to the state’s post-2020 census map, which included one majority-Black congressional district before a federal court found the map likely violated the Voting Rights Act and ordered the state to add a second. Louisiana lawmakers then adopted a 2024 map that turned Fields’ 6th Congressional District into a second majority-Black seat favorable to Democrats, but the Supreme Court later ruled in Louisiana v. Callais that the district was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, prompting state lawmakers to approve new lines that reduced the state back to one majority-Black district and five Republican-favored districts.
IRS in the hot seat over potential cash grab from Spain’s World Cup winnings: ‘It’s a rip-off’
As reigning 2026 FIFA World Cup champions, Spain won $50 million in prize money, but a large portion of that could be subject to federal taxes in the United States — potentially up to 30%. “I think it’s a rip-off,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital. “I’m not a fan of it, but Americans have to do it. American professional athletes do it, so they knew that when they came over here.” SPAIN BEATS ARGENTINA TO WIN 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP BEHIND FERRAN TORRES’ EXTRA-TIME GOAL Income earned from activities performed in America is generally, in almost all instances, taxable by the IRS. Under tax law in the U.S., certain payments to nonresident foreign athletes are generally subject to a 30% federal withholding unless reduced by a tax treaty or a different exception. “It’s wrong, and that kind of highlights something bigger,” Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., said about the potential high tax rate on Spain’s prize. Burchett argued the potential tax burden sends the wrong message as the U.S. prepares to host more major international sporting events, saying the country should be encouraging foreign athletes and visitors to spend money domestically rather than subjecting them to steep tax obligations. US LIFTS COSTLY VISA BOND REQUIREMENT FOR SOME WORLD CUP TRAVELERS, TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SAYS “I’m not a big fan of the IRS,” Burchett said. “They made that money over here, I guess, but I don’t like all that. We want to encourage these people to come over here and spend their money, and then we take a big chunk of it. “We’ve got to get a better tax system.” The World Cup’s prize pool totaled $871 million, with $655 million of that total relying on performance in the tournament. All teams that participated in games in the U.S., even if the only payment received was for participation, will have the earnings taxed at some amount. ON FILING DEADLINE, GOP BLASTS DEMOCRATS FOR OPPOSING TRUMP TAX CUTS, ‘MAKING LIFE MORE EXPENSIVE’ Jackson also criticized the broader U.S. tax code, arguing that corporations should be paying more in taxes rather than workers. He referred to it as a “classic example of what’s wrong with our taxation system.” “They should be paying the taxes as opposed to having tax loopholes,” Jackson said. “The people, the laborers that are working, they should not have to pay 30% of their income on taxes.” Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, agreed with his colleagues that the potential 30% tax on the prize is “too much,” but he used the opportunity to touch on the importance of hosting the World Cup in America. As a retired NFL player, he shared how the experience drew him to soccer, a sport he never had any interest in prior to the World Cup. “I have such an appreciation for soccer now,” Owens told Fox News Digital. “I think it’s going to be a game changer for so many of our kids. And, so, I want to congratulate the president, everyone who made this happen. “It is what it is here, unfortunately, in our country of taxes.”