GOP lawmakers rebuke Elon Musk’s primary threats, say Trump’s legislation ‘something we’ve got to do’
As lawmakers march toward a vote on President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” House Republicans aren’t too worried about primary threats from tech billionaire Elon Musk. Musk, who once served as the head of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has been highly critical of the president’s legislative agenda. He had remained quiet about the bill until earlier this week when Senate Republicans were making strides to pass it. “We don’t take threats lightly up here,” Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., told Fox News Digital. “And, you know, Elon, we appreciate all the work he did with DOGE — and he did some fine work, some great work — but at the same time, this is something we’ve got to do.” JEFFRIES STALLS TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ FOR HOURS AFTER HOUSE GOP MUTINY BREAKTHROUGH Musk again returned to bemoan Republicans for supporting the legislative behemoth for its staggering $3.3 trillion price tag and the impact it would have on the nation’s already massive, $37 trillion debt. He went so far as to threaten to back primary challengers against any Republican that voted for the bill. It wouldn’t be the first time that Musk has been involved — he dumped millions into Trump’s campaign last year. Now, House Republicans are gearing up to vote after hours of delays, negotiations and a near record-breaking amount of open floor time in the lower chamber. Additionally, many don’t care about Musk’s threats. TRUMP CALLS OUT REPUBLICAN HOLDOUTS AS HOUSE PROCEDURAL VOTE ON MEGABILL REMAINS OPEN: ‘COSTING YOU VOTES!’ Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mi., told Fox News Digital that he was focused on doing the best “we could do, which is, frankly, better than what Elon Musk did.” “I don’t worry about Elon Musk,” he said. “I do know that DOGE found some good things that we needed to remedy in this government. But the $2 trillion that Elon said he was going to find, he didn’t.” Musk took particular issue with the Senate’s changes to the bill, too, and slammed it for adding trillions to the deficit. Rep. Brad Knott, R-N.C., noted that the bill cuts north of $1.5 trillion in an effort to help offset the cost of extending or making permanent Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ STALLS IN HOUSE AMID CONSERVATIVE MUTINY THREATS “I appreciate Mr. Musk’s motivation,” he told Fox News Digital. “I appreciate his focus on debt reduction, and I hope he’ll take a step back and realize that we’re still all on the same team here.” While the Senate’s changes, particularly to Medicaid and a reduction in the rollback of green energy subsidies from former President Joe Biden‘s Inflation Reduction Act, among other cost-driving issues, gave fiscal hawks in the House heartburn, House Republican leadership is confident that the bill will pass.
He’s not running again in 2028, but Trump’s returning to this crucial presidential nominating state
President Donald Trump returns to Iowa Thursday evening. But his stop in the state that for half a century has held the lead-off contest in the race for the Republican presidential nomination is about 2026 rather than 2028. Trump will headline a Fourth of July eve event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines to kick off America250, a series of yearlong celebrations surrounding the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Longtime Iowa GOP chair Jeff Kaufmann told Fox News it’s no surprise that the president picked Iowa to kick off celebrations of America’s independence. TRUMP ANNOUNCES HE’LL KICK OFF INDEPENDENCE DAY WEEKEND WITH ‘VERY SPECIAL’ PATRIOTIC EVENT “We’ve always had a special relationship with the president,” Kaufmann told Fox News Digital, as he noted that Trump carried the one-time general election battleground turned red state in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections. Kaurfmann said Trump’s stop in Iowa “is very symbolic, but it’s also very telling of what is important to him and I really believe he’s starting here because not only does he love Iowa, but he believes in the heartland. I think this is a huge message that he’s sending to everyone that he hasn’t forgotten who brought him to the dance.” TRUMP WHITE HOUSE RELEASES VIDEO SERIES LEADING UP TO AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY: ‘ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE’ Veteran Iowa-based Republican consultant Nicole Schlinger said “it’s no surprise” that the president has “chosen to kick off America 250 at the best state fairgrounds in the country.” “From the day his helicopter first landed here in 2015, Trump has had a special connection with Iowa. He’s straight-talking, hardworking and unapologetically proud of our country – just like Iowans,” Schlinger added. “Starting America’s 250th in Iowa is a reminder that the road to our future runs through the heartland.” Trump is no stranger to the fairgrounds. Presidential candidate Trump walked through the crowds at the famed state fair in 2015 and 2023, and he held large rallies at the fairgrounds just ahead of the 2016 Iowa caucuses and again in October 2021. Trump’s trip will also spark speculation about 2028. “Trump 2028” hats are available for $50 and T-shirts that read “Trump 2028 (Re-write the Rules),” sell for $36 on the Trump Organization’s website. But the rules are quite clear: The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution restricts presidents to two terms in office. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THESE SIX REPUBLICANS AS 2028 TALK STARTS TO HEAT UP And after months of flirting with running for a third term in the White House, Trump appears to be ruling out another campaign. Despite touting strong support in the MAGA world for a 2028 run for re-election, the president in a May interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” said, “I’m not looking at that.” “I’ll be an eight-year president,” Trump added. “I’ll be a two-term president. I always thought that was very important.” But Trump’s 2028 flirtations, which he said weren’t a joke, and his sweeping moves since the start of his second tour of duty in the White House are keeping the spotlight firmly on him, averting any lame-duck talk and putting a damper on any early moves by those in the Republican Party hoping to succeed the president. The race for the next GOP presidential nomination won’t get underway until Trump’s ready to share the spotlight, and he recently said it’s “far too early” to begin holding those discussions. But Trump also added, “I’m looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally a great Republican, a great Republican, to carry it forward.” Vice President JD Vance is presumed to be the extremely early frontrunner in the race to be the next GOP standard-bearer. But other Republican politicians, with a likely eye to 2028, already have made stops in Iowa. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who ran unsuccessfully for the 2016 GOP nomination, and Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, already have visited Iowa in 2025. And Govs. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas stopped in the Hawkeye State in July. Kaufmann, pointing to Vance, noted, “I’ve said on multiple occasions that the vice president certainly has a standing invitation.” And Kaufmann, addressing the early 2028 trips to Iowa, highlighted that “it’s 24-7 here, 365 days a year. It’s exactly how we want it and I think our folks are ready for the challenge yet again.”
Jeffries sparks social media firestorm with ‘low energy’ pic holding baseball bat opposing Trump bill
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., was mocked by conservatives online after posting a picture holding a baseball bat and promising to push back against President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” “House Democrats will keep the pressure on Trump’s One Big Ugly Bill,” Jeffries posted on Instagram on Wednesday, along with a photo of himself holding a Louisville Slugger and standing in his office. The post was widely criticized by conservatives. “Low energy,” Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., posted on X. HAKEEM JEFFRIES SAYS NYC HOPEFUL MAMDANI NEEDS TO ‘CLARIFY’ HIS POSITION ON ‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’ “I guess, ‘union thug,’ is a vibe choice,” author Chad Felix Greene posted on X. “Nah, we beat the Dems at that too,” Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., posted on X along with a photo of him helping the Republicans beat the Democrats at the annual congressional baseball game. “I don’t think it’s hyperbolic to say he may be the worst congressional leader in modern history,” GOP communicator Matt Whitlock posted on X. PELOSI’S STOCK TRADING LEGACY HAUNTS DEMOCRATS AS JEFFRIES SLAMS GOP FRESHMAN’S ‘THIEVERY’ “Incitement to violence is all they have left,” Security Studies Group President Jim Hanson posted on X. “What exactly does he mean by this? Is this a threat?” White House deputy press secretary Abigail Marone posted on X. “Beta,” Rep. Tony Wied, R-Wis., posted on X. “The gap between how much charisma he has and how much he thinks he has could fill the Grand Canyon,” Targeted Victory President Matt Gorman posted on X. “Sir, please put the Louisville Slugger DOWN,” Sean Southard, communications director for Montana GOP Gov. Greg Gianforte, posted on X. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Jeffries’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. After posting, Jeffries appears to have changed the photo’s caption to, “Protecting your healthcare is as American as baseball, motherhood and apple pie.” Republicans and Democrats debated Trump’s signature reconciliation package all night on Wednesday, and the discussions continued into Thursday morning, where Republicans are expected to have the necessary votes to pass the legislation. Jeffries gave a marathon speech on the House floor that was given a standing ovation from Democrats but criticized by Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance, who posted on X that the speech was actually driving undecided Republicans to support the bill. “GOP Congressman just texted me: ‘I was undecided on the bill but then I watched Hakeem Jeffries performance and now I’m a firm yes,’” Vance posted. Fox News Digital’s Kiera McDonald and Olivia Patel contributed to this report.
Noncitizens get ‘only limited’ due process rights: Conservative legal expert
FIRST ON FOX: Courts have repeatedly stymied President Donald Trump‘s efforts to quickly remove noncitizens living illegally in the country, but a conservative think tank is warning that the judiciary branch could, at times, be overstepping. The Heritage Foundation’s Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the organization and a former Department of Justice official, detailed in a new memorandum how noncitizens’ due process rights are minimal when they are facing deportation. “As provided by Congress and by some court decisions interpreting the Constitution, aliens have only limited due process rights in immigration proceedings,” von Spakovsky wrote in the document, reviewed by Fox News Digital in advance of its publishing. The document makes clear that noncitizens, including illegal immigrants, have the same rights as citizens when it comes to criminal proceedings. If a noncitizen has been charged with a crime, that person is entitled to a lawyer, just like a citizen would be, for example. SEN CHRIS COONS: YOU MIGHT GET DEPORTED IF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SUSPENDS DUE PROCESS Outside of that, the legal processes for noncitizens facing deportation vary widely depending on their circumstances. These cases are often handled in immigration courts rather than federal courts. Heritage’s document suggests how due process, a contentious topic at the heart of many of the Trump administration’s immigration-related court cases, should apply to noncitizens in various scenarios. “Those rights differ depending on the status of the aliens and whether they are outside the United States and trying to enter this country or are already in the country, either legally or illegally, as well as their visa or other status,” von Spakovsky wrote. Immigration law allows for near-immediate deportations in cases when a migrant has crossed into the country illegally but is apprehended within two years. “That alien can be removed without a hearing or any other proceeding,” von Spakovsky said. However, he added a caveat that has become a major source of frustration among border control advocates: “unless the alien requests asylum or asserts a credible fear of persecution if returned to his or her native country.” If a migrant requests asylum, a form of protection for a person who fears they will be persecuted if sent back to their home country, an immigration officer, immigration judge, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and even the federal circuits and Supreme Court could all end up having a say in that migrant’s case before their asylum claim is fully vetted. Critics of the asylum system say it has been roundly abused and that migrants making bogus asylum claims is common practice. They say such claims allow migrants to be released into the country and fall off the government’s radar.” That concern came to a head on Wednesday, when a federal judge in Washington, D.C., issued a 124-page order blocking the administration from severely limiting asylum claims. The judge said Trump attempted a “wholesale rewriting” of immigration laws. Attorney General Pam Bondi has signaled an appeal is imminent. TRUMP CLAPS BACK AT COURTS FOR ‘INTERFERING’ WITH JOB, ASKS ‘HOW YOU CAN GIVE DUE PROCESS’ TO ILLEGAL MIGRANTS The Heritage Foundation has been a presence in Republican politics for decades and has significant influence over government policy. The organization creates playbooks for presidential administrations, called the “Mandate for Leadership” series, and its most recent one, Project 2025, became a source of controversy during Trump’s campaign. Heritage’s new memorandum comes as due process has become the bane of the administration as it attempts to deliver on Trump’s vows to deport all illegal immigrants. Stephen Miller, Trump’s immigration adviser and White House deputy chief of staff, has been railing against the courts and immigration rights groups, who he claims have overplayed their hand and are illegally derailing Trump’s agenda. “The only process illegals are due is deportation,” Miller wrote online in May. The topic has cropped up in numerous heated, high-profile court cases, many of which remain pending. Kilmar Abrego Garcia alleged he was wrongly deported to El Salvador despite an immigration judge forbidding it. A group of deportees bound for Sudan, but held up in inhumane conditions in Djibouti, argued in court that they got no due process. Additionally, numerous men deported under the Alien Enemies Act to a Salvadoran megaprison have claimed in courts that they were not afforded a chance to contest their removal. Von Spakovsky indicated that the Supreme Court would ultimately continue to decide where lower courts were, or were not, overstepping. JUDGE DENIES REQUEST TO KEEP KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA IN CUSTODY “Federal courts that assume jurisdiction over banned, prohibited, or limited claims by aliens are violating federal law, and the Supreme Court should tell them so,” he wrote. The Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed noncitizens are entitled to some form of due process. “It is well established that the Fifth Amendment entitles aliens to due process of law in deportation proceedings,” Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in Reno v. Flores in 1993. In an order in April, the Supreme Court cited Scalia’s words when it directed the Trump administration to give “reasonable” notice to the alleged transnational gang members at risk of being deported under the Alien Enemies Act. The high court said those who are subject to the Alien Enemies Act must be given a chance to “seek habeas relief” before they are deported. Habeas corpus petitions are a form of legal recourse for those who believe they have been wrongly detained.
How the Justice Department carried out a $14.6B healthcare fraud takedown
The Department of Justice’s unveiling this week of sweeping charges against more than 300 defendants who allegedly defrauded Medicare and other taxpayer-funded programs came as part of the department’s annual “takedown” event. The healthcare fraud takedowns have been a practice at the DOJ for more than a decade, but officials touted this one as the largest on record. It stood out not only for its size but also because it focused on transnational criminals and broached artificial intelligence. “This takedown represents the largest healthcare fraud takedown in American history,” DOJ Criminal Division head Matthew Galeotti said. “But it’s not the end. It’s the beginning of a new era of aggressive prosecution and data-driven prevention.” This year’s operation led to 324 defendants being charged for submitting billions of dollars in allegedly fraudulent healthcare claims, including for medical care that patients never ended up receiving or that they received unnecessarily. MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR HEALTHCARE FRAUD SCHEME INCLUDED GIVING PEOPLE ‘UNNECESSARY’ SKIN GRAFTS: DOJ A DOJ official told reporters after the announcement that the work was “strategically coordinated” so that the takedown involved “all new indictments, complaints, [and] informations.” Charges were brought across 50 federal districts and, according to the official, all were brought or unsealed during a three-week period leading up to the takedown announcement. Galeotti said the intended false claims totaled $14.6 billion. The actual losses reached $2.9 billion, he said. Another DOJ official told Fox News Digital the purpose of the annual takedowns is “to raise public awareness and deter wrongdoers from engaging in this crime.” The official noted that Operation Brace Yourself, a 2019 takedown, led to an estimated reduction of $1.9 billion being charged to Medicare for certain types of orthotic braces. “Every fraudulent claim, every fake billing, every kickback scheme represents money taken directly from the pockets of American taxpayers, who fund these essential programs through their hard work and sacrifice,” Galeotti said. The charges announced this week spanned the globe, and DOJ officials said that in addition to four arrested in Estonia and another seven arrested at airports or the U.S.-Mexico border, the department was working to extradite others overseas who are accused of crimes. FEDS BUST ARMENIAN FRAUD RING ACCUSED OF STEALING $30M IN COVID, SMALL BUSINESS LOANS Those defendants were part of an alleged scheme coined “Operation Gold Rush,” which resulted in at least 20 members of a transnational criminal organization, including defendants based in Russia, being charged as part of a Medicare and money laundering operation that centered on catheters. The group behind the scheme allegedly used foreign ownership entities to buy dozens of medical supply companies and then used stolen identities and confidential health data to create and file $10.6 billion in claims with Medicare. “We are seeing a disturbing trend of transnational criminal organizations engaging in increasingly sophisticated and complex criminal schemes that defraud the American healthcare system,” Galeotti said. Two owners of Pakistani marketing organizations were among those charged in an alleged $703 million scheme in which they used artificial intelligence to create fake recordings of Medicare recipients consenting to receive medical supplies. “We are concerned about the criminals’ advancement in technology here, obviously,” Galeotti said. Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator who oversees the Medicare program, was pressed by a reporter about why fraudsters were so easily able to penetrate the Medicare payment system. Oz said CMS is working to meet the moment. The agency has “already launched a model. It is designed to use artificial intelligence and other more cutting-edge tools to address the fraud that exists in healthcare,” Oz said. Investigating and prosecuting fraudsters is work that relies heavily on data. The DOJ’s healthcare fraud unit has since 2018 had its own in-house team that analyzes data, one of the DOJ officials told Fox News Digital. The team’s techniques include identifying “aberrant billing levels” and other suspicious billing patterns, as well as fraudulent practices that appear to move from one region to another. The team’s ability to spot emerging trends, such as medical care professionals using skin grafts for wound care, also helps. FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL HAILS RECORD DRUG BUST; DRUGS SEIZED COULD HAVE KILLED NEARLY 50 MILLION One set of charges in the takedown involved three defendants in Arizona who allegedly purchased these types of skin grafts, known as “amniotic wound allografts,” and unnecessarily applied them to elderly Medicare recipients, including hospice patients in their final days. The defendants allegedly reaped millions of dollars from the practice. “Patients and their families trusted these providers with their lives. Instead of receiving care, they became victims of elaborate criminal schemes,” Galeotti said. DOJ officials said they plan to use a “fusion center” as part of their healthcare fraud crackdown. The center will combine data across agencies and is designed to create a more efficient analysis process. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is also involved in healthcare fraud work. A DEA official said during the takedown announcement that the agency’s investigations included doctors, pharmacists and pharmacy owners. Fifty-eight cases involved the illegal distribution of an estimated 15 million pills of opioids and other controlled substances, he said. “These pills ended up on our streets in the hands of dealers and in the path of addiction,” the DEA official said. Overall, dozens of medical care professionals, including 25 doctors, were charged in the takedown.
White House reveals highest-paid staffers – and 8 taking no salaries
President Donald Trump‘s administration released its annual report revealing the salaries for every staffer inside the White House on Thursday. The report shows employees’ earnings in a range of $59,070 at the lowest to $225,700 at the highest, though a few aren’t accepting salaries at all. The top-paid staffer at the White House is Jacalynne Klopp, a senior advisor and the sole staffer earning $225,700. Behind her is Edgar Mkrtchian, an associate counsel, making $203,645. Behind them comes a group of 33 staffers making $195,200, which includes many well-known names. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt takes in this level of salary, as does border czar Tom Homan, chief of staff Susan Wiles, trade advisor Peter Navarro, communications director Steven Cheung and police chief of staff and homeland security advisor Stephen Miller. ‘ONLY THE BEGINNING’: TRUMP ADMINISTRATION RELEASES DATA SHOWING FEDERAL WORKFORCE SLASHED SINCE JANUARY The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. According to the report, there are 108 employees who make between $59,000 and $80,000, while Trump’s speechwriters earn between $92,500 and $121,500. Eight employees do not receive salaries at all, though some of those are due to overlapping roles in other sections of government. ELON MUSK’S FORMER FRIEND WARNS EX-DOGE HEAD WILL DO ‘EVERYTHING’ TO DAMAGE TRUMP Secretary of State Marco Rubio is chief among these, not receiving any compensation for his White House role as national security advisor. Special envoy Steve Witkoff also receives compensation from the State Department rather than the White House. Trump’s own compensation is not listed in the report, but the pay scheme for the president is laid out in federal law. As president, Trump earns a base salary of $400,000, as well as a $50,000 expense allowance, $100,000 for travel and $19,000 for entertainment. INTERIOR CANCELS $14 MILLION ANNUAL FISHING GRANT CITED IN FOX REPORT AFTER DOGE HIGHLIGHTS DISNEY ADS, SALARIES Trump donated his salary to government agencies during his first term in office and said he will do the same during his second term. The White House did not immediately respond when asked about Trump’s compensation. READ THE FULL LIST – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:
ACLU sues to block ICE raids in Southern California, alleging constitutional violations
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of California has filed a class-action lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) demanding an immediate halt to what it describes as unlawful immigration raids across the Los Angeles area targeting migrants with “brown skin.” The non-profit accuses Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of carrying out unconstitutional raids and then keeping migrants in inhumane conditions without beds and deprived of food and legal counsel. Homeland Security has denied all the claims in the lawsuit, saying that any accusations of racial profiling are “disgusting and categorically false.” ICE has carried out sweeping raids since June 6, arresting around 1,500 immigrants, including Latino day laborers, car wash workers, farmworkers and vendors – all in a bid to meet certain arrest quotas, the habeas petition states. ICE FLIPS SCRIPT ON LOS ANGELES MAYOR AFTER TELLING AUTHORITIES TO ‘GO HOME’ “The raids in this district follow a common, systematic pattern. Individuals with brown skin are approached or pulled aside by unidentified federal agents, suddenly and with a show of force and made to answer questions about who they are and where they are from,” the lawsuit reads. “If they hesitate, attempt to leave, or do not answer the questions to the satisfaction of the agents, they are detained, sometimes tackled, handcuffed, and/or taken into custody. In these interactions, agents typically have no prior information about the individual and no warrant of any kind.” The lawsuit accuses the federal government of keeping detainees at an overcrowded holding facility, referred to as “B-18,” inside windowless rooms that are extremely cramped. “In these dungeon-like facilities, conditions are deplorable and unconstitutional,” the lawsuit reads. LA MAYOR BASS CLAIMS IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT CREATING GHOST TOWN EFFECT COMPARABLE TO COVID LOCKDOWNS As well as seeking to block the raids, the suit demands that ICE refrain from using the B-18 center, as it is supposed to be a short-term ICE processing site, and that the federal government be held legally accountable for systemic racial profiling and due process violations. The defendants include Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, Attorney General Pam Bondi and multiple regional ICE, CBP, and FBI officials operating in Los Angeles. The lawsuit was filed by a coalition of individual immigrants and immigrant advocacy organizations, led by the ACLU and the non-profit Public Counsel as well as other legal partners. Los Angeles has become a battleground in resisting President Donald Trump’s election promise of carrying out the largest deportation raids in U.S. history. Protests in the City of Angels last month descended into riots as masked agitators burned driverless cars, damaged other property and threw rocks at moving law enforcement vehicles. The lawsuit comes as an estimated 150 to 200 anti-ICE protesters shut down the Sixth Street Bridge in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon. The bridge links downtown Los Angeles and Boyle Heights early. The protesters carried signs with messages reading: “Sick of ICE!” and “Eviction moratorium now!” while others chanted “ICE out of L.A.” “This bridge has been the entry to Boyle Heights to kidnap community members and take them who knows where,” organizer Christian Alcaraz told Fox 11. The protest was one of several rallies in the county on Tuesday as part of a day of action against immigration raids. In Koreatown, another rally was held. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin refuted the claims made in the lawsuit. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Any claims that individuals have been ‘targeted’ by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically false,” she told Fox 11 via a statement on Wednesday, adding that the lawsuit’s claims were “garbage.” She also denied the claims about poor conditions at ICE facilities. “Any claim that there are subprime conditions at ICE detention centers are false,” McLaughlin said. “In fact, ICE has higher detention standards than most US prisons that hold actual US citizens. All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with lawyers and their family members.”
Trump $3.3T megabill sets House record for longest vote in history
President Donald Trump’s $3.3 trillion “big, beautiful bill” has reportedly set the House record for the longest vote in the history of the lower chamber of Congress. The procedural vote on the Senate-amended version of the bill lasted for more than seven hours. In 2021, the House spent seven hours and six minutes voting on former President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” legislative package. Wednesday night’s voting surpassed the previous record at 9:15 p.m. ET Wednesday by at least 15 minutes, according to Axios. Assistant House Minority Leader Joe Neguse, D-Colo., goaded House Republicans by claiming the protracted voting period Wednesday violated House rules, Axios reported. HOUSE ADVANCES TRUMP’S MASSIVE AGENDA BILL AFTER FISCAL HAWKS CAVE The extended voting period came as House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., wrangled with members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. They pushed back on the Senate’s version of the megabill over its projected increase to the federal deficit, as well as what they deemed insufficient Medicaid reforms and spending cuts. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, took issue with Senate revisions reintroducing green energy tax credits despite House efforts to roll back such programs. With the Democrats united in opposition, the future of the more than 800-page, Trump-backed legislative package depends on a handful of GOP holdouts. Following the overnight session, Johnson said Thursday he was determined to get the Senate-amended bill passed by the House and to the president’s desk by the Independence Day deadline on Friday. TAX CUTS, WORK REQUIREMENTS AND ASYLUM FEES: HERE’S WHAT’S INSIDE THE SENATE’S VERSION OF TRUMP’S BILL Lawmakers voted to proceed with debate on the Trump agenda bill in the early hours of Thursday – a mechanism known as a “rule vote” – teeing up a final House-wide vote sometime later Thursday morning. Speaking to reporters Thursday morning, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said that beyond the House Freedom Caucus, some moderate Republicans also have final questions about how the megabill would be implemented. “Some of them wanted to talk to some of the different agencies about, you know, how they’re planning on implementing it, which obviously the agency heads have been planning for months on these changes,” Scalise said. “So they walk through those things and that was helpful to members just to at least get a good idea of what to expect once the bill becomes law. Of course, none of it happens if the bill doesn’t become law. So the focus has always been, let’s get this bill passed.” The Senate passed the “big, beautiful bill” by a razor-thin, 51-50 margin last week, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. Fox News’ Liz Elkind and Tyler Olson contributed to this report.
‘Disappointing’ DOGE: Federal workforce shrinking by just 1% shows bureaucracy’s entrenchment, experts say
Data indicating the federal workforce shrank by just 1% over the first few months of President Donald Trump’s second term shows a “disappointing effect of DOGE” and the level of bureaucracy’s entrenchment in America, experts told Fox News Digital. Figures released by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) show that the United States employs 2,289,472 federal workers as of March 31, which is down from 2,313,216 on September 30, 2024. The reduction of more than 23,000 positions “reflects the administration’s early efforts to streamline government and eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy,” OPM said in a press release. “That’s just through the end of March. So I suspect those numbers will be higher by the end of September this year, which is when a lot of the early retirement packages– and buyouts – go into effect,” Alex Nowrasteh, the Cato Institute’s vice president for economic and social policy studies, told Fox News Digital. “Regardless of what those numbers are, this is not enough people having been terminated. It is not enough shrinkage in the federal workforce. And it is a disappointing effect of DOGE that it wasn’t able to increase the size of the decrease in the federal workforce,” he added. ‘ONLY THE BEGINNING’: TRUMP ADMINISTRATION RELEASES DATA SHOWING FEDERAL WORKFORCE SLASHED SINCE JANUARY Trump signed an executive order in February instructing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to coordinate with federal agencies and execute massive cuts in federal government staffing numbers. That order is reflected in the new data, OPM said, showing that agencies averaged 23,000 new monthly hires from April 2024 to January 2025 but dropped by nearly 70% to just 7,385 per month once the hiring freeze was fully implemented. Peter Morici, an economist and business professor at the University of Maryland, told Fox News Digital that “Basically, Elon Musk poured a few teacups of ice water into the ocean to combat its rising temperature.” “It’s very hard to get rid of people unless you get rid of functions. See, he was able to decimate USAID because he took away all their money,” Morici said. “It’s very, very hard to cut down the Commerce Department unless you, for example, don’t want the numbers collected.” “It takes more than four years,” Morici also said. “Look at the problems they’re having just with Medicare reform, how all the special interests come out. Over the years, the federal bureaucracy is not just in Washington, but it’s been spread throughout the country.” “And as you talk about cutting it down, you’re talking about affecting local economies, the interests of congressmen, and so forth,” he added. ELON MUSK’S FORMER FRIEND WARNS EX-DOGE HEAD WILL DO ‘EVERYTHING’ TO DAMAGE TRUMP DOGE did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. David Hebert, an economist with the American Institute for Economic Research, said the reduction reported by OPM “is certainly a start.” “The real challenge that President Trump is facing is the fact that the federal government has taken upon itself far too many responsibilities,” he added in a statement to Fox News Digital. “If the President and Congress are serious about streamlining government, they need to move beyond ‘waste, fraud, and abuse’ and look to shedding responsibilities that the federal government ought not have in the first place.” INTERIOR CANCELS $14 MILLION ANNUAL FISHING GRANT CITED IN FOX REPORT AFTER DOGE HIGHLIGHTS DISNEY ADS, SALARIES OPM said “hundreds of thousands more workers” will drop from the rolls in October 2025, when more workers depart via the Deferred Resignation Program that was offered to employees in an effort to trim the workforce. Tens of thousands of employees who are in the process of being terminated remain on the government payroll due to court orders that are currently being challenged by the administration, according to OPM. “The American people deserve a government that is lean, efficient, and focused on core priorities,” Acting OPM Director Charles Ezell said in a statement. “This data marks the first measurable step toward President Trump’s vision of a disciplined, accountable federal workforce, and it’s only the beginning.” Trump’s effort to shrink the federal workforce has faced stiff resistance from Democrats and various courts, with opponents saying that the administration is cutting critical jobs. Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
Rep. MTG to introduce bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote, new census that only counts citizens
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., plans to introduce a bill that would require a new census that only counts U.S. citizens, the results of which would be utilized in determining how many House seats each state is allotted. The upcoming measure, which is still being drafted, would also require proof of American citizenship to vote in federal elections, the lawmaker told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. Greene says she has spoken to President Donald Trump about her proposal and that he supports it. When the president was asked about the proposal this week, he said that he loved it. The congresswoman called the issue a “matter of national security,” asserting that Democrats “would love non-citizens to have the right to vote,” would “love amnesty for all,” and would essentially allow for a “world takeover” of the country. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE LAUNCHES PROBE INTO PLANNED PARENTHOOD’S USE OF TAXPAYER FUNDS Currently, the U.S. Census Bureau notes that unauthorized immigrants are included in decennial census population counts used in determining how many seats each state gets in the House of Representatives. “Apportionment is the process of dividing the 435 memberships, or seats, in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states based on the apportionment population counts from the decennial census,” census.gov notes. REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE AIRS FRUSTRATIONS, WARNS THAT SHE REPRESENTS A ‘NOT HAPPY’ REPUBLICAN BASE The 14th Amendment to the Constitution reads, in part, “Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed.” Counting only citizens in the census would likely reshape the nation’s political landscape, with some states getting fewer House seats than they currently have, and other states getting more seats. 4 STATES SUE TO BLOCK ILLEGAL MIGRANTS FROM CENSUS COUNT USED TO ASSIGN CONGRESSIONAL SEATS, ELECTORAL VOTES That would impact presidential elections, because each state’s number of Electoral College votes is determined by the total number of seats it holds in both chambers of Congress.