Federal appeals court sides with Trump on firing head of watchdog agency
A federal appeals court cleared the way for President Donald Trump to fire Hampton Dellinger, the head of the Office of Special Counsel, on Wednesday. Dellinger, appointed to the role by former President Joe Biden, sued the Trump administration in Washington, D.C., federal court after his Feb. 7 firing. D.C. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson had argued in a filing last month that Dellinger’s firing was “unlawful.” The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia sided with the Trump administration in a Wednesday ruling, however. Dellinger is likely to appeal the case to the Supreme Court. SUPREME COURT PAUSES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S EFFORT TO FIRE HEAD OF WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION AGENCY FEDERAL JUDGE HINTS SHE WILL CONTINUE BLOCKING TRUMP FROM FIRING HEAD OF WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION AGENCY Jackson claimed that the court “finds that the elimination of the restrictions on plaintiff’s removal would be fatal to the defining and essential feature of the Office of Special Counsel as it was conceived by Congress and signed into law by the President: its independence. The Court concludes that they must stand.” Dellinger has maintained the argument that, by law, he can only be dismissed from his position for job performance problems, which were not cited in an email dismissing him from his post. Earlier in February, liberal Supreme Court justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson voted to outright deny the administration’s request to approve the firing. Conservative justices Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito dissented, saying the lower court overstepped. They also cast doubt on whether courts have the authority to restore to office someone the president has fired. While acknowledging that some officials appointed by the president have contested their removal, Gorsuch wrote in his opinion that “those officials have generally sought remedies like backpay, not injunctive relief like reinstatement.”
Fetterman calls out Dems’ ‘unhinged petulance’ after Trump speech: ‘We’re becoming the metaphorical car alarm’
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., called out his own party the day after President Donald Trump’s address before a joint session of Congress, warning that the Democrats are becoming like a blaring car alarm that people ignore. “A sad cavalcade of self owns and unhinged petulance. It only makes Trump look more presidential and restrained. We’re becoming the metaphorical car alarms that nobody pays attention to—and it may not be the winning message,” the senator said in a post on X. Some lawmakers held signs up during Trump’s speech with messages including “FALSE,” “SAVE MEDICAID,” “PROTECT VETERANS” and “MUSK STEALS.” ‘COULDN’T CLAP FOR A 13-YEAR-OLD BOY’: GOP SLAM ‘CHILDISH’ DEM SILENCE ON SUPPORTING CANCER SURVIVOR Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was removed from the chamber after being disruptive. Some Democrats opted not to attend the address and a few others who did attend chose to walk out. “The Democrats should lose the Midterms based on their behavior at last night’s Joint Address to Congress,” Trump declared in a Wednesday post on Truth Social. Trump declared that “Republicans should utilize the footage provided on the total disrespect they showed to all of those that were honored that night, including young ladies who were killed by illegal migrants, people with terminal cancer, etc. They didn’t even have the common courtesy to stand, smile, or applaud. This could be, on analyzing the full tape of this Historic Event, your full CAMPAIGN TO VICTORY! In other words, Republicans can take what happened last night, and win any Race in the Country.” BILL TO PREVENT MALES FROM WOMEN’S SPORTS RECEIVES NO SUPPORT FROM SENATE DEMS: WHO WERE THEY? Fetterman on Wednesday agreed with Trump’s strong warning toward the terror group Hamas. “You can choose. Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you,” Trump declared on Truth Social. “I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say.” “This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance. Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!” Fetterman, a staunch supporter of Israel, approved of Trump’s warning. “Free all the hostages or start killing Hamas members again. I fully agree with @POTUS,” the senator tweeted. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP An agreement between the terror group and Israel called for negotiations regarding a second phase during which hostages would be freed in exchange for additional Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire and Israel pulling out of Gaza, according to the Associated Press. Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua said that the “best path to free the remaining Israeli hostages” is via negotiations regarding that phase, the AP reported.
Casey DeSantis calls CDC ‘utter disgrace’ for keeping COVID-19 vaccine on its recommended list for children
Casey DeSantis, wife of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, called out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday for continuing to recommend the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for babies and children, describing it as an “utter disgrace.” DeSantis, who has three young children, was advocating for the state legislature to pass a permanent ban on COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Florida, as some of the current protections are set to expire in June. “It is absolutely ridiculous and unconscionable that at this point, with what we know about the mRNA COVID vaccine, and frankly, what we don’t know about the COVID mRNA vaccine, that the CDC would still put this on … the shot, still on their recommended vaccine list for our children,” she said. According to the CDC’s recommended schedule on its website, babies are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine at 6 months old. The World Health Organization updated its guidance about 16 months ago and listed healthy children aged 6 months to 17 years old as “low-priority” targets for the vaccine. RAND PAUL HITS ‘BIDEN/HARRIS CDC’ OVER COVID-19 VACCINE GUIDANCE FOR 6 MONTH OLDS “Modelling shows that the public health benefit of vaccination is lowest for healthy children and adolescents,” the WHO said in a study on the vaccine, which also noted that the initial push to vaccinate healthy children was to “avoid school closures.” The first lady of Florida said vaccine recommendations should be “evidence-based, not agenda-driven.” “The CDC loses further credibility when their recommendations are not justified by all of the available evidence that we are seeing,” DeSantis said. WHO UPDATES COVID VACCINE RECOMMENDATIONS, DEEMS HEALTHY KIDS A LOW PRIORITY She also said she would like to see vaccine status not being used “as a way to discriminate against our fellow Floridians,” describing instances of mothers being kicked out of pediatricians’ offices and medical patients being denied care over COVID-19 vaccinations. Her remarks came during a news conference in Tampa where Gov. DeSantis was endorsing legislation that would make vaccine mandate protections permeant in Florida. “I’m here as governor endorsing making these protections permanent,” the governor said. “You should not be forced to take an mRNA shot against your will, and that should be the right of every Floridian.” The governor also thanked his wife for standing with him in seeking permanent protections against vaccine mandates and for “her righteous anger at the CDC pushing the mRNA shots on our kids.” Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, who has advocated for halting the use of the COVID-19 vaccine, was also present at the conference, as well as a young man negatively impacted by the vaccine.
Trump says DC Mayor Bowser ‘must clean up’ homeless encampments in the capital
President Donald Trump said he has notified Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser that she needs to “clean up all of the unsightly homeless encampments” within the city or the federal government “will be forced to do it for her.” In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, the president specifically referenced areas near the State Department and the White House that are populated with homeless encampments that need to be removed, adding that the nation’s capital “must become CLEAN and SAFE!” “If she is not capable of doing so, we will be forced to do it for her!” Trump wrote, in part. “We want to be proud of our Great Capital again. Thank you Mayor Bowser for your efforts on behalf of the Citizens of our Country. Hopefully you will be successful!” TRUMP THROWS SUPPORT BEHIND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TAKING OVER DC Trump has previously stated that he supports the federal government taking over the nation’s capital if it cannot be managed correctly, adding that the city cannot remain as it is when foreign leaders come to town. “They’re not doing the job,” Trump said last month, arguing that there is “too much crime” and “too many tents on the lawns – these magnificent lawns.” Despite his criticism of the city, Trump has said he likes the Democratic mayor personally. The two met in December to discuss their shared priorities for Washington, D.C., a moment that was described by Bowser as a “great meeting.” “President Trump and I both want Washington, DC to be the best, most beautiful city in the world and we want the capital city to reflect the strength of our nation,” Bowser said in December. DC BLACK LIVES MATTER PLAZA TO GET NEW LOOK, REPLACE STREET MURAL AS PART OF ‘EVOLUTION’ Trump’s social media post on Wednesday also comes one day after Bowser announced the city will be replacing its controversial Black Lives Matter Plaza with murals by students and artists as part of DC’s America 250 project ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary next year. When the plaza was constructed in 2021, Bowser said it would be a permanent installation. “The mural inspired millions of people and helped our city through a painful period, but now we can’t afford to be distracted by meaningless congressional interference,” Bowser’s statement said, referencing a recently-introduced bill that calls for changing the plaza. “The devastating impacts of the federal job cuts must be our number one concern.” Details surrounding a date for the plaza’s transformation were not given.
DNC hires new top exec with long history of pushing racial grievances, leftist ideology
As calls continue to grow for the Democratic Party to moderate following a disappointing performance in the November election, the Democratic National Committee announced the hiring of an executive director with a history of promoting far-left ideologies. The DNC announced the hiring of Roger Lau as executive director in a press release highlighting his long career, which includes working on campaigns for Sen. Elizabeth Warren. A Fox News Digital review found multiple instances of Lau associating with progressive causes, including signing onto a letter in 2020 that claimed the United States is built on “racism” and “genocide.” “Our country was built on the foundation of racism, ranging from the genocide of indigenous people, chattel slavery, racial profiling of young men of color, and a criminal justice system that tears families apart,” the letter signed by Lau and over 100 other AAPI community leaders in June 2020 stated at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement as rioters were attempting to burn down cities across the country. LEFT-WING STREAMER WALKS BACK COMMENT ABOUT KILLING RICK SCOTT FOLLOWING TWITCH SUSPENSION The letter announced support for a “10-point plan” to address “police violence” and “racial justice” which contains measures that include a commission on “structural racism” and declaring racism a “public health crisis.” Lau’s adherence the Black Lives Matter platform at the time made its way into one of Sen. Warren’s speeches according to an ABC News report in 2020 that said Lau was behind putting hidden BLM messages into the senator’s DNC speech. MEET THE FAR-LEFT GROUPS FUNDING ANTI-DOGE PROTESTS AT GOP OFFICES ACROSS THE COUNTRY Lau can be seen taking part in a video posted on the YouTube page of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who recently sparked controversy by offering condolences to the family of a man shot while trying to stab innocent bystanders in a Chick-fil-A, that warned about “white supremacy culture.” Lau’s resume also includes opposition to a resolution that condemned the Chinese Communist Party for misleading the world on the origin and spread of coronavirus. “The DNC is laser-focused on equipping Democrats across the country with the tools they need to win, and I am honored to support Chair Martin in this critical work,” Lau said in the press release that announced his hiring. “When we’re in the opposition party, the work of the DNC is more important than ever. This team will leverage the vast infrastructure that we’ve built within the DNC and our state parties while meeting this moment by deepening our partnerships, strengthening grassroots organizing, and turbocharging messaging to win elections.” Fox News Digital reached out to the DNC for comment. The DNC has already faced criticism over some of the other new faces it has brought in to lead the party into the midterms, including new Vice Chair David Hogg, whose old social media posts went viral as conservative activists sounded the alarm about his past policy positions and rhetoric against conservatives. Conservatives on social media also had a field day mocking the DNC for featuring a handful of “beyond parody” moments during its leadership vote earlier this month, which critics said underscores that Democrats have “learned absolutely nothing” from their 2024 election losses. Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Heavey and Emma Colton contributed to this report
Trump guest shares special message to president after address to Congress
January Littlejohn, a mother and one of President Donald Trump’s guests at his address to Congress on Tuesday night, shared a special message to the president in an interview with Fox News Digital. During his address, Trump recognized Littlejohn and thanked her for advocating against transgender ideology, which he called a “form of child abuse.” “My administration is also working to protect our children from toxic ideologies in our schools,” said Trump. “A few years ago, January Littlejohn and her husband discovered that their daughter’s school had secretly socially transitioned their 13-year-old little girl. Teachers and administrators conspired to deceive January and her husband while encouraging her daughter to use a new name and pronouns, they-them pronouns actually, all without telling January.” Trump touted his recent signing of an executive order that he said bans public schools from “indoctrinating our children with transgender ideology.” During his address, the president urged Congress to pass a bill “permanently banning and criminalizing sex changes on children and forever ending the lie that any child is trapped in the wrong body.” DEMOCRATS AT TRUMP’S SPEECH SHOWED HOW ‘OUT OF TOUCH’ THEY ARE WITH AMERICANS, EX-NFL KICKER SAYS “This is a big lie and our message to every child in America is that you are perfect exactly the way God made you,” said Trump. Littlejohn told Fox News Digital that she was “extremely grateful” to the president but that the fight is far from over. Regarding Trump, Littlejohn said, “I would just like to thank him and continue to speak truth that there are two sexes, male or female, and no matter what one does to their body, that can never change. Sex is binary.” “It’s really important that parents understand how destructive in nature social transition of children is,” she said. “It’s the first step toward medical intervention, and it makes the child less likely to desist.” PENTAGON SAYS TRANSGENDER TROOPS ARE DISQUALIFIED FROM SERVICE WITHOUT AN EXEMPTION She explained her daughter as a 13-year-old in middle school and some friends became fixated on their gender identity. “The school took it upon themselves to intervene and socially transition my child. And this goes way beyond name and pronouns. They sit the child down, and in our case it was behind closed doors with three adults that consisted of the school counselor, the assistant principal and a social worker I had never met, and they did an official ‘gender support plan.’” Littlejohn said that in this session, the school staff asked her daughter what bathroom and locker rooms she wanted to use, which sex she wanted to room with during overnight trips and whether she wanted her parents to be notified or not. “They put the burden on her as to whether or not my parental rights would be honored by deciding she was the sole decision maker as to whether or not my husband and I would be notified of the meeting,” she explained. BILL TO PREVENT MALES FROM WOMEN’S SPORTS RECEIVES NO SUPPORT FROM SENATE DEMS: WHO WERE THEY? Littlejohn said that when she made inquiries about the session to the school she was told “they could not give me any information about that meeting” and “that my daughter was now protected by a nondiscrimination law.” Today, Littlejohn says her daughter has worked through her gender confusion. But she said the school’s actions created a “huge wedge between us and our daughter” that “took many years to repair.” “If you give these children the gift of time, if you allow them to go through their natural puberty, the vast majority of these kids will resolve their distress naturally, just like my daughter did,” she said. “My daughter is a shining example of that, although she still does grieve the time that she lost, years that she lost, dedicated to the lie of this ideology to become something that she could never become. So that part is really tragic.” Despite all this, Littlejohn said she was “humbled and honored” to be invited to attend the address as the president’s guest. AMERICANS REACT TO TRUMP DECLARING THERE ARE ‘ONLY TWO GENDERS’ DURING JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS “I felt the weight of not just representing my family and what we’ve been through but of all families who have been harmed by this gender identity ideology,” she said. “And it’s still happening. I get phone calls weekly from parents whose children are being seduced by the false idea that they were born in the wrong body.” Though she said the experience left her feeling “filled with such hope,” she said, “executive orders alone will not change this, because this ideology has infected every institution, including our schools.” “There are still 21,000 school districts across our country that have these secret social transition plans. And it’s really sad … because these children, this identity crisis is being forced on them. It’s creating confusion where no previous confusion would have existed,” she said. “But the bottom line is, is we have truth and reality on our side. And I’m very grateful that we are moving in the right direction.”
New York City Council speaker Adrienne Adams launches run for mayor: reports
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is facing a new Democratic challenger in his bid to replace Eric Adams as New York City Mayor, according to reports. New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, 64, will officially launch her campaign with a rally over the weekend, per reporting from FOX 5 NYC. With the Democratic primary just four months away, Adams is expected to immediately petition to secure ballot access. In a statement to media outlets, Adams said New Yorkers couldn’t afford to live in the city, that City Hall was “in chaos,” and alleged that President Donald Trump was “corrupting our city’s independence.” NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS, AN EX-COP, HAS ‘UPPER HAND’ OVER OTHER SANCTUARY CITY MAYORS: BLUE LIVES MATTER FOUNDER “It’s time to stand up. I never planned to run for Mayor, but I’m not giving up on New York City,” Adams said in the statement, first shared with Politico. NYC GIVES MIGRANTS MORE WAYS TO OBTAIN CITY ID MAKING IT EASIER FOR THEM TO GET BENEFITS, HOUSING: REPORT First elected to the city council in 2017, Adams went on to become the first Black council speaker five years later. Adams is the latest high-profile figure to throw her hat in the ring, challenging the front-runner, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to replace embattled NYC Mayor Eric Adams. Cuomo resigned in 2021 after a report released by the state attorney general concluded that he had sexually harassed nearly a dozen women. Cuomo has apologized for having “offended” the women with remarks he said were intended to be collegial, and admitted that he had sometimes been “too familiar” with people, but he denied touching anyone inappropriately and said the investigation of his conduct was flawed and politically motivated. The race comes after Mayor Eric Adams was indicted in September on federal corruption charges. He is now dealing with a tempest of criticism after Trump’s newly installed Justice Department leaders asked a court to drop the case, so Adams could assist with the federal government’s immigration crackdown. Fox News Digital has reached out to Speaker Adams’ office for comment.
Draft of Trump order seeks to eliminate Department of Education: report
President Donald Trump is expected to issue an executive order, possibly Thursday, aimed at abolishing the Department of Education, The Wall Street Journal reported. The newspaper cited several people briefed on the matter and reviewed a draft of the order. It directs newly sworn Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Education Department” based on “the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.” DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CANCELS ANOTHER $350M IN ‘WOKE’ SPENDING FOR CONTRACTS, GRANTS “The experiment of controlling American education through Federal programs and dollars—and the unaccountable bureaucrats those programs and dollars support—has failed our children, our teachers, and our families,” the draft order reads. Shortly after taking her position, McMahon said she would “send education back to the states.” Trump has long talked about dismantling the Department of Education, saying it has failed America’s students. “It’s a big con job,” the president said in November. “They ranked the top countries in the world. We’re ranked No. 40, but we’re ranked No. 1 in one department: cost per pupil. So, we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, but we’re ranked No. 40.” DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LAUNCHES ‘ENDDEI’ PORTAL FOR PARENTS, STUDENTS, TEACHERS TO REPORT DISCRIMINATION In a letter to Democratic members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), McMahon said that she “wholeheartedly” agreed with Trump’s plan to abolish the department. With around 4,500 employees, the department is the smallest cabinet-level agency, the Wall Street Journal reported. It is currently offering an incentive of up to $25,000 to the majority of its staff to resign or retire by Monday evening ahead of rumored work force reductions. “President Trump believes that the bureaucracy in Washington should be abolished so that we can return education to the states, where it belongs. I wholeheartedly support and agree with this mission,” McMahon wrote. Under McMahon, the department will work from three base convictions, according to her letter: that parents are the primary decision makers in their children’s education, that taxpayer-funded education should refocus on “meaningful learning in math, reading, science, and history—not divisive DEI programs and gender ideology,” and that post-secondary education should be a path to a well-paying career aligned with workforce needs. Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.
Hunter Biden’s financial woes revealed in new motion to drop lawsuit: ‘Significant debt’
Hunter Biden’s legal team recently filed a motion to drop his lawsuit against the ex-White House aide who published the contents of his infamous laptop, citing financial issues. The motion, filed in Los Angeles Wednesday, pertains to the former first son’s lawsuit against Garrett Ziegler. The court documents, obtained by Fox News, illustrate the financial and personal issues Biden has experienced in the new year, including being a victim of the wildfires in the Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles. Biden first filed the lawsuit in September 2023 but “does not have the resources to continue to litigate this matter,” according to the filing. “Plaintiff has suffered a significant downturn in his income and has significant debt in the millions of dollars range,” the document states. WEISS REPORT: HUNTER’S DRUG USE CAN’T EXPLAIN AWAY NOT PAYING TAXES ON MONEY EARNED BY ‘LAST NAME’ The house Biden rented in Los Angeles is now “unlivable” according to the filing, which says Biden has “had difficulty” finding both a new home and a new job. “Moreover, this lack of resources has been exacerbated after the fires in the Pacific Palisades in early January upended Plaintiff’s life by rendering his rental house unlivable for an extended period of time and, like many others in that situation, Plaintiff has had difficulty in finding a new permanent place to live as well as finding it difficult to earn a living,” the document states. “So, Plaintiff must focus his time and resources dealing with his relocation, the damage he has incurred due to the fires, and paying for his family’s living expenses as opposed to this litigation.” DOJ RELEASES SPECIAL COUNSEL DAVID WEISS’ REPORT ON HUNTER BIDEN In another document filed Wednesday, Biden penned a letter explaining that his income “has decreased significantly” and revealed what he earned for his artwork. “In the 2 to 3 years prior to December 2023, I sold 27 pieces of art at an average price of $54,481.48, but since then I have only sold 1 piece of art for $36,000,” Biden wrote. “Similarly, for my book sales, in the six month period before the statements (April 1, 2023 through September 30, 2023), based on the September 30, 2023 statement, 3,161 copies of my book were sold, but in the six months after the statements, only approximately 1,100 books were sold.” Selling 27 pieces of art for an average price of $54,481.48 means he could have earned nearly $1.5 million on the artwork. The Yale Law School grad also wrote that he expected to land paid speaking engagements and appearances after the success of his book, “but that has not happened,” Biden wrote. “This significant decrease in revenue has also impacted my ability to pay off my significant debt, which as has been reported in the press as being several million dollars. As a result of this, I am not in a position where I can borrow money.” Fox News Digital reached out to Hunter Biden’s team for additional comment.
Elon Musk strategizes $1 trillion spending cuts with House DOGE panel in closed-door meeting
Elon Musk met with a small group of House Republicans on Wednesday evening where he discussed avenues for cost savings in a quest to find as much as $1 trillion in government waste, people familiar with the discussion told Fox News Digital. “The executive DOGE team is confident, they think they can get $1 trillion,” one lawmaker familiar with the meeting told Fox News Digital. “Now, we’ll see, right? And the thing is, he acknowledged that we’re going to make mistakes, but we’re going to correct them very quickly.” The GOP lawmaker said some concerns were raised about whether other government offices like the Treasury Department “have the bandwidth to do” what Musk is detailing. “And he says, ‘We’re gonna help them,’” the lawmaker said. Multiple sources said Musk met with the House DOGE subcommittee led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., for about 45 minutes before a wider meeting with the House GOP Conference. DOD TELLS CIVILIAN WORKFORCE TO IGNORE ELON MUSK’S REQUEST TO REPORT PRODUCTIVITY Several people said Musk pointed to areas where the government could be made more efficient, including an audit of how many dead people were de-listed off some federal benefits like Social Security but still had taxpayer dollars going into their accounts for unemployment or other programs. “A lot of this is cross-referencing databases, making sure they’re talking to each other,” Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, a member of the subcommittee, told Fox News Digital. Two lawmakers present for the meeting also said the idea of a congressional rescissions package was floated as another way to claw back excessive government spending, as Republicans and Democrats battle over giving President Donald Trump leeway to spend less money than Congress appropriates. Rescissions authority is granted to Congress to allow for the cancelation of some planned government spending. MUSK TELLS CABINET THAT DOGE EMAIL WAS ‘PULSE CHECK’ FOR WORKERS, WARNS US WILL ‘GO BANKRUPT’ WITHOUT ACTION It’s also among the special cases where the Senate only needs 51 votes to pass a bill, rather than 60 – meaning Senate Republicans can pass it without Democratic support. Greene confirmed the sit-down to reporters but did not mention talk of congressional spending authority. “We had a very lengthy meeting, just my DOGE committee with Elon Musk and his team, and learned a lot of valuable information. The collaboration is going to be fantastic and it needs to happen,” Greene said. Also present at both of Musk’s House meetings was his adviser Steve Davis, people told Fox News Digital. After the smaller-scale meeting, Musk had a wider discussion with House Republicans where he spoke for roughly 15 minutes and then took questions. “What we were doing was getting a deeper insight into what Elon Musk is doing and kind of being able to strategize with him, how we can coordinate what we’re doing,” Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, who is also on the DOGE subcommittee, told reporters. Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital that “systematically there were no checks in order to make sure the taxpayer dollars were spent correctly.” He said Musk did not discuss other fiscal battles ongoing in Congress, and that Musk “was just trying to outline what they are finding in a very short period of time and how little accountability exists in the operating system of our government.” “It made me laugh and it made me sick all at the same time,” Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., told Fox News Digital. “The level of waste and what they are finding is mindblowing.” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said Musk was “just getting started.” “He just says, ‘I’m investigating and finding things that you really can’t argue with.’ He said he’s making mistakes, he’ll correct them, but his mission is to uncover where our tax money is. Let the chips fall where they may,” Norman said. It comes as some House Republicans have faced contentious town halls or demonstrations related to Musk and DOGE in their home districts. GOP lawmakers previously shared frustrations with Fox News Digital that they were often left somewhat in the dark on Musk’s work. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., told reporters he aired similar concerns in the closed-door meeting. Musk was receptive to those issue, he added. “I spoke to Elon specifically about this. There are our veterans and our farmers. So there’s a lot of angst going right now because people don’t understand what’s going on,” Van Orden said. “And I expressed very clearly the concerns of our veterans community. And Mr. Musk was explicitly clear that we will make sure that we have no degradation of the benefits for our veterans that they have earned.” The back-to-back House meetings for Musk came after he spoke with Senate Republicans in a similar closed-door setting.