Dem bill blames LA wildfire damage on fossil fuel emissions, holds oil and gas industry liable
California Democrats are attempting to make state oil and gas companies pay for damage caused by the Los Angeles wildfires, claiming that fossil fuel emissions are to blame for the deadly disaster. A new Democrat-introduced bill, the Affordable Insurance and Climate Recovery Act, if passed, would allow for “victims of climate disasters,” such as the L.A. fires, and insurance groups to sue oil and gas companies for damages under the claim that their emissions fueled the raging fires. Democrat state Sen. Scott Wiener, who introduced the bill this week, said that fossil fuel companies should pay for fire damage, because they are “driving the climate crisis.” “Californians shouldn’t be the only ones to pay the costs of devastating climate disasters. From last year’s floods to the fires in LA, we know that the fossil fuel industry bears ultimate responsibility for fueling these disasters,” state Sen. Scott Wiener wrote in a post on X announcing the legislation. TRUMP MEETS WITH CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS, FIRE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS TO SEE LA WILDFIRE DAMAGE FIRST HAND The bill, which received the backing of several state lawmakers, comes as Democrats have attempted to blame the recent fires on climate change rather than state and city policies, which have faced heightened criticism in the weeks following the deadly blaze. Just months before the wildfire, the city of Los Angeles slashed the fire department funding by over $17 million. The L.A. fire chief said that there are “not enough firefighters in L.A. County to address four separate fires of this magnitude.” NEWSOM THANKS TRUMP FOR COMING TO CALIFORNIA TO TOUR FIRE DAMAGE IN TARMAC FACE-OFF “We pay the highest taxes in California. Our fire hydrants were empty. Our vegetation was overgrown, brush not cleared. Our reservoirs were emptied by our governor because tribal leaders wanted to save fish. Our fire department budget was cut by our mayor. But thank god drug addicts are getting their drug kits,” actress Sara Foster wrote in a post on X. “@MayorOfLA @GavinNewsom RESIGN. Your far-left policies have ruined our state. And also our party.” Trump used the power of his pen this week to sign an executive order to override the state’s environmental policies in order to create more water availability in the L.A. area. In the executive order issued on Sunday, Trump called on federal agencies to override regulations potentially limiting water availability in the area, such as the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which seeks to minimize water infrastructure to protect certain fish species, such as the Delta smelt. The order comes just weeks after Trump accused Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., of caring more about protecting an endangered fish species than the state’s residents amid the wildfires.
Trump official travels to Venezuela to negotiate deal for deporting Tren de Aragua gang members
President Donald Trump’s envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, has traveled to Venezuela to deliver an in-person message to socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro about accepting violent criminals deported from the United States. On a call with reporters Friday, Mauricio Claver-Carone, the U.S. special envoy to Latin America, said Grenell will tell Maduro to take back all the Venezuelan criminals and Tren de Aragua gang members that have been “exported to the United States, and to do so unequivocally and without condition.” Grenell will also demand that Veneuzeula immediately release American hostages being held in that country, Claver-Carone said. TRUMP TAPS RICHARD GRENELL AS PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR SPECIAL MISSIONS, EDWARD S. WALSH AS IRELAND AMBASSADOR The trip “focuses on two very specific issues. That we expect that Venezuelan criminals and gangs will be returned, as they are, to every country in the world, without conditions, and two, that American hostages need to be released immediately, unequivocally,” he explained. “This is not a quid pro quo. It’s not a negotiation in exchange for anything. President Trump himself has made that very clear.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Friday that Grenell had arrived in Venezuela on orders from the president. ‘WEAPONIZED MIGRATION’: US FACES DEADLY CONSEQUENCES WITH MADURO IN POWER, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION WARNS Despite widespread belief among Venezuelans and much of the international community that Maduro lost the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election to opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, he was sworn into his third six-year term earlier this month. The U.S. does not recognize Maduro as the legitimate head of state of Venezuela. Opposition leader María Corina Machado has called on Venezuelan citizens to protest the Maduro regime and demand that González be installed as the rightful president of Venezuela. DETAILS OF VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER’S POSSIBLE ARREST REMAIN UNCLEAR AMID MADURO INAUGURATION RESISTANCE As many as 10 Americans are currently detained in Venezuela, although the State Department has not declared them wrongfully detained. Three are U.S. citizens who allegedly participated in a plot to destabilize the country, according to Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello. The State Department has denied any U.S. involvement with a plot to overthrow Maduro. It remains unclear how many Americans are currently held in Venezuela following the significant prisoner swap in 2023 when Washington and Caracas negotiated the release of dozens of prisoners, including 10 Americans, in exchange for Colombian businessman Alex Saab, a close ally of Maduro. Saab was arrested during the first Trump administration on charges related to a $350 million bribery scheme.
Trump official travels to Venezuela in push for Maduro regime to take back Tren de Aragua gang members
President Donald Trump’s envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, has traveled to Venezuela to deliver an in-person message to socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro about accepting violent criminals deported from the United States. On a call with reporters Friday, Mauricio Claver-Carone, the U.S. special envoy to Latin America, said Grenell will tell Maduro to take back all the Venezuelan criminals and Tren de Aragua gang members that have been “exported to the United States, and to do so unequivocally and without condition.” Grenell will also demand that Venezuela immediately release American hostages being held in that country, Claver-Carone said. TRUMP TAPS RICHARD GRENELL AS PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR SPECIAL MISSIONS, EDWARD S. WALSH AS IRELAND AMBASSADOR The trip “focuses on two very specific issues. That we expect that Venezuelan criminals and gangs will be returned, as they are, to every country in the world, without conditions, and two, that American hostages need to be released immediately, unequivocally,” he explained. “This is not a quid pro quo. It’s not a negotiation in exchange for anything. President Trump himself has made that very clear.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Friday that Grenell had arrived in Venezuela on orders from the president. ‘WEAPONIZED MIGRATION’: US FACES DEADLY CONSEQUENCES WITH MADURO IN POWER, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION WARNS Despite widespread belief among Venezuelans and much of the international community that Maduro lost the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election to opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, he was sworn into his third six-year term earlier this month. The U.S. does not recognize Maduro as the legitimate head of state of Venezuela. Opposition leader María Corina Machado has called on Venezuelan citizens to protest the Maduro regime and demand that González be installed as the rightful president of Venezuela. DETAILS OF VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER’S POSSIBLE ARREST REMAIN UNCLEAR AMID MADURO INAUGURATION RESISTANCE As many as 10 Americans are currently detained in Venezuela, although the State Department has not declared them wrongfully detained. Three are U.S. citizens who allegedly participated in a plot to destabilize the country, according to Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello. The State Department has denied any U.S. involvement with a plot to overthrow Maduro. It remains unclear how many Americans are currently held in Venezuela following the significant prisoner swap in 2023 when Washington and Caracas negotiated the release of dozens of prisoners, including 10 Americans, in exchange for Colombian businessman Alex Saab, a close ally of Maduro. Saab was arrested during the first Trump administration on charges related to a $350 million bribery scheme.
Since taking office, what are the legal challenges launched against the Trump admin?
Since taking office, President Donald Trump and his administration have become the target of multiple lawsuits over the president’s agenda and policies. The Trump White House has faced numerous legal challenges, including deportation policies, an executive order to end birthright citizenship and a directive to freeze federal funding. On the day of his inauguration, Trump signed an executive order ending birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants, with many legal experts arguing that the right is enshrined in the Constitution under the 14th Amendment. BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS “The privilege of United States citizenship is a priceless and profound gift,” Trump says in the order, titled, “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship.” The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration that same day “on behalf of organizations with members whose babies born on U.S. soil will be denied citizenship under the order.” The ACLU also claimed the order is unconstitutional and against congressional intent and Supreme Court precedent. Eighteen Democrat-led states then launched their own lawsuit, also claiming the order is unconstitutional and “unprecedented.” “The President has no authority to rewrite or nullify a constitutional amendment or duly enacted statute. Nor is he empowered by any other source of law to limit who receives United States citizenship at birth,” the lawsuit reads. TRUMP COULD BE ON VERGE OF LEGAL VICTORY AGAINST CBS AS SETTLEMENT SPECULATION HEATS UP Attorneys general from New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine and others signed on to the suit, along with the city and county of San Francisco, Calif., and Washington, D.C. A U.S. district judge also temporarily blocked Trump’s order in a separate lawsuit filed by the states of Arizona, Illinois, Oregon and Washington, describing the action as “blatantly unconstitutional.” Several Chicago sanctuary city groups filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its mass deportation policy, saying it violates their First Amendment rights. The suit, filed by Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Organized Communities Against Deportations, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights Inc., and Raise the Floor Alliance, states that “the threat of ICE agents flooding into communities has already impacted Chicagoans and chilled their rights to freely exercise their religion and assemble.” Trump also signed an executive order ending all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. On Monday, the president signed an order stating that the “adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life.” TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDERS STRIPPING FEDERAL FUNDING FROM SCHOOLS THAT TEACH CRT, SUPPORTING SCHOOL CHOICE Six transgender military members filed suit against the Trump administration, arguing that the order is unconstitutional and violates the Equal Protection component of the Fifth Amendment. “Rather than being based on any legitimate governmental purpose, the ban reflects animosity toward transgender people because of their transgender status,” the suit claims. The Office of Management and Budget issued a memo on Monday with a directive to pause all federal grants and loans aiming to eradicate “wokeness” and the “weaponization of government” in an effort to improve government efficiency. The memo claims that nearly $3 trillion was spent in 2024 on such assistance programs. The White House shortly thereafter insisted that the freeze did not affect programs such as Social Security, Medicare or other entitlement payments. Alongside Senate Democrats announcing a coordinated response with Democratic governors, blue state attorneys general, along with advocacy and non-profit groups, filed their own suits over the directive. On Tuesday, New York Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of 22 other attorneys general suing to stop the implementation of the memo. Likewise, a handful of non-profit organizations and health associations, including a LGBTQ+ advocacy group, filed a lawsuit Tuesday over the directive. A federal judge on Tuesday imposed a stay on Trump’s action, delaying it until Monday. Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw, Breanne Deppisch and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
Dems dismiss calls for apology after Jeffries vows ‘fight’ against Trump agenda ‘in the streets’
Congressional Democrats are dismissing the White House’s demand for an apology after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., urged people to “fight” President Donald Trump’s agenda “in the streets.” “Right now, we’re going to keep focus on the need to look out for everyday New Yorkers and everyday Americans who are under assault by an extreme MAGA Republican agenda that is trying to cut taxes for billionaires, donors, and wealthy corporations and then stick New Yorkers and working class Americans across the country with the bill,” the Democrat said during a press conference. “That’s not acceptable. We are going to fight it legislatively. We are going to fight it in the courts. We’re going to fight it in the streets,” he continued. ELIZABETH WARREN GRILLED RFK JR ON DRUG COMPANY MONEY, BUT RECEIVED OVER $5M FROM HEALTH INDUSTRY A spokesperson for Jeffries, Christie Stephenson, told Fox News Digital, “The notion that Leader Jeffries supports violence is laughable. Republicans are the party that pardons violent felons who assault police officers. Democrats are the party of John Lewis and the right to petition the government peacefully.” She also referred to the comments as promoting “nonviolent protest” on X. ‘OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC’: BIPARTISAN SENATORS TARGET FENTANYL CLASSIFICATION AS LAPSE APPROACHES “You should really get a quote from one of the violent criminals President Trump just let on the streets. Or the one who immediately got picked up on child pornography charges,” a spokesperson for House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., told Fox News Digital. The lawmakers were likely referencing Trump’s recent move to pardon nearly all defendants with charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. TENSION BUILDS AROUND TULSI GABBARD’S CONFIRMATION WITH KEY GOP SENATORS UNDECIDED Jeffries’ remark was quickly shared by the Trump White House’s rapid response team Friday on X before Republicans began calling for an apology. A senior White House official told Fox News Digital, “Hakeem Jeffries must apologize for this disgraceful call to violence.” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., also demanded an apology, writing on X, “House Minority Leader [Jeffries] should promptly apologize for his use of inflammatory and extreme rhetoric. “President Trump and the Republicans are focused on uniting the country; Jeffries needs to stop trying to divide it.” SCOOP: KEY GOP SENATOR WHO HESITATED ON PETE HEGSETH PUSHES KASH PATEL FOR FBI Senate Republican Conference Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., told Fox News Digital in a statement, “The Democratic Leader’s comments are deranged but not unexpected. Senate Republicans are fighting to make America safer and more prosperous while the Democrats remain obsessed with protecting criminal illegal aliens, identity politics, and unhinged attacks on President Trump.” On social media, rank-and-file Democratic lawmakers remained silent on the comment from Jeffries.
White House to impose tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China due to ‘invasion of illegal fentanyl’
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump will execute tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China starting Saturday. Trump’s economic plan during his campaign called for extending the 2017 tax cuts and imposing tariffs ranging from 10% to 20% on all imported goods. For countries like China, that number could go up to 60%. TRUMP TREASURY PICK: EXTENDING TRUMP TAX CUTS ‘SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ECONOMIC ISSUE’ These countries will face these tariffs because they have allowed an “unprecedented invasion of illegal fentanyl that is killing American citizens,” according to Leavitt. “The president will be implementing tomorrow a 25% tariff on Mexico, 25% tariffs on Canada, and a 10% tariff on China for the illegal fentanyl they have sourced and allowed to distribute into our country, which has killed tens of millions of Americans,” Leavitt told reporters at a Friday White House press briefing. “These are promises made and promises kept.” CANADA READIES TRUMP TARIFFS RESPONSE: ‘IN A TRADE WAR, THERE ARE NO WINNERS’ While Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that Canada was prepared to respond to any tariffs executed, Leavitt said that the tariffs are not expected to spark a trade war with Canada and that Trump would respond to Trudeau in “due time.” “The president is intent on doing this,” Leavitt said. “And I think Justin Trudeau would be wise to talk to President Trump directly before pushing outlandish comments like that to the media.” When asked if Mexico, Canada or China could offer any concessions to remove these new tariffs, Leavitt said Trump would decide at a later date. “If the president at any time decides to roll back those tariffs, I’ll leave it to him to make that decision,” Leavitt said. “The president is intent on ensuring that he effectively implements tariffs while cutting inflation costs for the American people.” HOUSE DEMS THREATEN TO BLOCK TRUMP’S BIG TARIFF PLANS: ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ House Republicans moved to reintroduce the U.S. Reciprocal Trade Act on Jan. 24, a measure that would permit Trump to unilaterally impose trade taxes on both adversaries and allies. Trump previously praised the measure in 2019, claiming it would “give our workers a fair and level playing field against other countries.” Meanwhile, House Democrats Reps. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., and Don Beyer, D-Va., have also introduced their own legislation in January that would block Trump from using emergency powers to implement tariffs, amid concerns that American consumers would end up footing the bill. “The American people have clearly and consistently said that the high cost of living is one of their top concerns,” DelBene said in a statement on Jan. 15. “Not only would widespread tariffs drive up costs at home and likely send our economy into recession, but they would likely lead to significant retaliation, hurting American workers, farmers, and businesses.” Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Trump White House demands apology after Jeffries calls for Dems to fight president’s agenda ‘in the streets’
FIRST ON FOX: The White House is blasting House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries after pledging to fight Republicans’ agenda “in the streets.” “While President Trump remains focused on uniting our country and delivering the mandate set by the American people, the House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, incites violence calling for people to fight ‘in the streets’ against President Trump’s agenda,” White House deputy press secretary Kush Desai told Fox News Digital. “This unhinged violent rhetoric is dangerous. Leader Jeffries should immediately apologize.” Republicans are hammering Jeffries for his comments at a press conference in Brooklyn on Friday. ‘DOGE’-MEETS-CONGRESS: GOP LAWMAKER AARON BEAN LAUNCHES CAUCUS TO HELP MUSK ‘TAKE ON CRAZYTOWN’ The Democratic leader appeared beside Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., to criticize Trump’s handling of the recent deadly aircraft collision in Washington, D.C., and his administration’s policies freezing federal funding. At one point, Jeffries was asked about Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ lack of pushback against Trump, and whether it made him a “good fit” to lead the Big Apple. Jeffries avoided weighing in directly on Adams, however, responding, “I’ll have more to say about the future of the mayorship of the city of New York at the appropriate time.” DOGE SENATOR SEEKS TO ENSURE FEDS CAN CONTINUE PURSUING COVID FRAUDSTERS, DEBTORS AS IG SOUNDS ALARM “Right now, we’re going to keep focused on the need to look out for everyday New Yorkers and everyday Americans who are under assault by an extreme MAGA Republican agenda that is trying to cut taxes for billionaires, donors, and wealthy corporations and then stick New Yorkers and working class Americans across the country with the bill,” Jeffries said. “That’s not acceptable. We are going to fight it legislatively. We are going to fight it in the courts. We’re going to fight it in the streets.” When asked for clarification, Jeffries spokesperson Christie Stephenson told Fox News Digital, “The notion that Leader Jeffries supports violence is laughable. Republicans are the party that pardons violent felons who assault police officers. Democrats are the party of John Lewis and the right to petition the government peacefully.” She posted similar comments on X where she signaled the comments were referring to “nonviolent protest.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP But GOP lawmakers immediately called on Jeffries to apologize, accusing him of using inflammatory language in an already-tense political environment. “House Minority Leader [Jeffries] should promptly apologize for his use of inflammatory and extreme rhetoric. President Trump and the Republicans are focused on uniting the country; Jeffries needs to stop trying to divide it,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., wrote on X.
‘Newsom-proof California’: Lawmaker proposes bill to strengthen fight against illegal immigration, trafficking
While legislators in the Democratic trifecta are trying to pass bills to “Trump-proof” the state, California Republican Kate Sanchez plans to introduce a bill that would crack down on what may be a “sanctuary state” loophole protecting criminal illegal immigrants involved in sex-trafficking minors. “It would eliminate all of the unnecessary restrictions for local law enforcement to cooperate with federal law enforcement in order to go after those that have been accused or convicted of sex trafficking of minors, and currently there is a clause that they cannot communicate as openly as possible,” Sanchez told Fox News Digital in an interview. NEWSOM BILL COULD SPEND TAX MONEY TO DEFEND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM TRUMP DEPORTATION PUSH: CA LAWMAKER These restrictions are part of California’s “sanctuary state” policies, which are designed to limit state and local law enforcement’s involvement in federal immigration enforcement. For her part, the specific provisions that Sanchez wants to amend are found in the California Values Act (SB 54), which was enacted in 2017, that restricts local law enforcement agencies from using resources to investigate, interrogate, detain, detect or arrest individuals for immigration enforcement purposes. There are exceptions in SB 54 for individuals convicted of certain serious or violent crimes. However, sex trafficking is not always classified as a violent felony under California law – making it so that some convicted sex traffickers may not meet the criteria for local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities – potentially thwarting deportation efforts. Sanchez argues this creates a loophole that could allow illegal immigrants who are involved in sex trafficking to remain in the U.S. after serving their sentence. In 2023, Newsom signed Senate Bill 14 (SB 14), reclassifying the trafficking of a minor as a “serious” felony, but other forms of human trafficking may still not be considered violent felonies under state law. “So, we want to make sure we remove that piece of the penal code and allow them to communicate and do their job fully,” Sanchez said. ‘DEVASTATING’: CALIFORNIA HAD RECORD RAINFALL LAST YEAR, BUT LACKED INFRASTRUCTURE TO STORE IT Sanchez’s bill may align well with President Donald Trump‘s mass deportation plan currently underway, but it faces an uphill battle in her state legislature, which is dominated by Democrats. Currently, Democratic assemblymembers – in collaboration with Newsom – are trying to pass a series of bills that would bolster the state’s legal defense against the Trump administration. The State Senate already passed the bills last week. Democrats were set to pass the $50 million special session bill Thursday, but Assembly lawmakers reportedly blocked the package over concerns that there may be changes that need to be made to the immigration-related proposal. At issue is Newsom’s $25 million allocation for nonprofit organizations to defend illegal immigrants from deportation, and whether those funds would be used as well for criminal illegal immigrants. Newsom’s office told Fox News Digital previously that no funds would go to criminal illegal immigrants. NEWSOM PROPOSES $25M FROM STATE LEGISLATURE TO ‘TRUMP-PROOF’ CALIFORNIA Newsom called a special legislative session quickly after Trump’s electoral victory to secure additional funding for the state’s legal defense against the administration. Reacting to the development on his TruthSocial account at the time, Trump said, “He is using the term ‘Trump-Proof’ as a way of stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to ‘Make California Great Again,’ but I just overwhelmingly won the Election.” Sanchez – who says she has been shut out of the legislature’s Hispanic Caucus because she’s a Republican – said the legislature should be focusing on “fireproofing” the state, or rather, “Newsom-proofing California.” “Take it for what it’s worth, but I genuinely feel like there are victims and there are people in need that we should be advocating for protecting our most vulnerable, protecting the innocence of our children,” Sanchez said. “It is an uphill battle in Sacramento, but I do feel the tide is turning, and I know we will be looking to our federal counterparts to be helpful in this matter as well.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Newsom’s office for comment.
Trump to sign memo lifting Biden’s last-minute collective bargaining agreements
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump is expected to sign a memo Friday to lift the collective bargaining agreements (CBA) former President Joe Biden put into effect before leaving office, Fox News Digital has learned. The president’s memo will direct federal agencies to reject last-minute collective bargaining agreements issued by the Biden administration, which White House officials said were designed to “constrain” the Trump administration from reforming the government. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFERS BUYOUTS TO FEDERAL EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING REMOTE WORKERS: ‘DEFERRED RESIGNATION’ The memo prohibits agencies from making new collective bargaining agreements during the final 30 days of a president’s term. It also directs agency heads to disapprove any collective bargaining agreements that Biden put through during the final 30 days of his term. The White House said collective bargaining agreements enacted before that time period will remain in effect while the Trump administration “negotiates a better deal for the American people.” Biden’s Social Security Administration Commissioner, Martin O’Malley, in December 2024 came to an agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees guaranteeing that the agency’s 42,000 employees would not have to work in office during the Trump administration. The White House told Fox News Digital that the new policy “ensures the American people get the policies they voted for, instead of being stuck with the wasteful and ineffective Biden policies rejected at the ballot box.” ‘GET BACK TO WORK’: HOUSE OVERSIGHT TO TAKE ON GOVERNMENT TELEWORK IN 1ST HEARING OF NEW CONGRESS “The outgoing Biden administration negotiated lame-duck, multi-year collective bargaining agreements—during the week before the inauguration—in an attempt to tie the incoming Trump administration’s hands,” a White House fact sheet on the memo obtained by Fox News Digital states. The White House pointed to the Biden administration’s Department of Education’s agreement that prohibited the return of remote employees and agreements for the Biden Small Business Administration and Federal Trade Commission. “These CBAs attempt to prevent President Trump from implementing his promises to the American people, such as returning Federal employees to the office to make government operate more efficiently,” the fact sheet states. “President Biden’s term of office ended on January 20th. Under this memorandum, he and future Presidents cannot govern agencies after leaving office by locking in last-minute CBAs.” WHITE HOUSE OPM ORDERS ALL DEI OFFICES TO BEGIN CLOSING BY END OF DAY WEDNESDAY The president’s new memo is also aimed to ensure that federal government agencies operate under similar rules as private sector unions and employers. The memo comes after the White House Office of Personnel Management (OPM) directed agency and department heads to notify employees by the new return to in-person work order. That order required employees to work full-time in the office unless excused due to disability or qualifying medical conditions. TRUMP WILL FIGHT BIDEN REMOTE WORK DEAL; UNION VOWS TO FIGHT BACK Additionally, OPM sent emails this week to the full federal workforce offering the option of resignation with full pay and benefits until Sept. 30 if they do not want to return to the office. Those workers have until Feb. 6 to decide. The federal workers who did not get that option include postal workers, military immigration officials, some national security officials and any positions agencies decide to carve out.
Top DOGE lawmaker says Trump ‘already racking up wins for taxpayers’ with efficiency initiatives
The Senate’s lead “DOGE” lawmaker said Friday her quest for government efficiency is beginning to come full-circle, as the Agriculture Department instituted a return-to-work mandate she said was first spurred by a 2024 whistleblower who contacted her office. “The Trump administration, DOGE, and I are already racking up wins for taxpayers,” Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, told Fox News Digital on Friday. “Growing up on a farm, I know what working from home really means.” President Donald Trump too, highlighted the difference between telework in white-collar jobs and Americans in agriculture and manufacturing who don’t have the luxury of working from a desk. In remarks to reporters, Trump said federal workers appear less productive when working-from-home and that the dynamic is “unfair to the millions of people in the United States who are in fact working hard from job sites and not from their home.” ‘DOGE’-MEETS-CONGRESS: GOP LAWMAKER AARON BEAN LAUNCHES CAUCUS TO HELP MUSK ‘TAKE ON CRAZYTOWN’ He also warned federal workers they would have to report to the office or, “you’re fired.” In that regard, Ernst looked back on a whistleblower who came to her and alleged USDA’s District of Columbia offices were largely vacant. That, she said, spurred her to outline policy proposals that eventually became “DOGE” – a term popularized by Trump ally Elon Musk. “When I first discovered that the Department of Agriculture was a ghost town, I took action to end federal employees’ abuse of telework and get the agency working for Iowa farmers,” said Ernst. “I have put bureaucrats on notice that their four-year vacation is over, and we are just beginning to get Washington back to work and serving the American people.” A memo from Acting Agriculture Secretary Gary Washington obtained by Politico on Thursday ordered senior staff “with assigned duty stations” to work from their offices full-time. Additional guidance would follow for workers without a preassigned workstation. Ernst characterized the memo as that full-circle moment. DOGE SENATOR SEEKS TO ENSURE FEDS CAN CONTINUE PURSUING COVID FRAUDSTERS, DEBTORS AS IG SOUNDS ALARM Ernst reportedly brought up her early concerns about teleworking bureaucrats and unused Washington office space running up tabs on the federal ledger during a meeting with Trump and Musk at Mar-a-Lago last year. She previously compiled a report following an investigation into government waste and abuse through which $2 trillion in savings could be realized if the issues were attended to. In a December statement highlighting that report, the House Budget Committee – now led by Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas — said the Biden administration’s condoning of mass telework “generated complacency in the workforce while costing taxpayers billions in unnecessary maintenance and upkeep costs.” “Early success means there is much more to come,” a person familiar with the Senate’s DOGE work added. According to a report from the Government Accountability Office, only 11% of the USDA’s office space was occupied in the first quarter of 2023, and 75% of available space across 17 federal agencies has remained empty since the pandemic. Ernst built her initial pre-formal-“DOGE” probes off of the USDA whistleblower, which is why she believes the latest development mandating return-to-work for agriculture bureaucrats is the issue now coming full-circle. Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., – the chairman and founder of the DOGE Caucus – praised Ernst’s work and said taxpayers deserve to have a government operating at “full capacity.” “President Trump’s executive order requiring federal employees to return to work is the first step in improving government efficiency.” “This is just common sense, and the exact type of waste DOGE will continue to crack down on,” Bean said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Ernst’s first DOGE “win” came with the passage of an otherwise Democrat-favored bill named for former President Joe Biden’s longtime friend Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., and signed as both Delawareans were departing public service. Within the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act was a provision to compel the General Services Administration to sell the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building. The block-long “stripped classicist” building southwest of the U.S. Capitol was designed by Philadelphia architect Charles Z. Klauder in the 1930s, and originally hosted the Social Security Administration. However, its total occupancy dwindled to 2% — largely Voice of America workers – by 2025. Another “DOGE” amendment sponsored by Ernst that requires agency oversight and reporting regarding telework was successfully added to a major appropriations bill passed in December. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment for purposes of this story but did not receive a response by press time.