4-H federally funded camps under fire for cabining kids, adult counselors by ‘identity’
EXCLUSIVE: Some federally supported youth programs still have policies in place permitting attendees and adult camp counselors to stay in overnight housing based on their self-identified gender rather than their biological sex – despite the fact that the policy these rules are derived from has since been rescinded by the Trump administration, according to one nonprofit group. The Washington-area Center for Practical Federalism is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees 4-H youth programs that federally funded public universities across the country administer, to evaluate the programs’ gender ideology standards. The 4-H programs offer a host of activities for youth through more than 100 public universities across the country in areas including health, science, agriculture and civic engagement. HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS IN TAX MONEY GOES TO CONTRACTS FOR DEI GROUPS, WATCHDOG FINDS The Center for Practical Federalism is an arm of the nonprofit organization the State Policy Network, and seeks to provide resources to the American public and policymakers to educate them about federalism, and the balance between state and national politics to prevent government overreach. The issue originated in 2017, when the National 4-H Council and USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture shared a “4-H Guidance for Inclusion of Individuals of all Gender Identities, Gender Expressions, Sexual Orientation and Sexes” on a USDA-managed website. That guidance has since been rescinded, and the Trump administration issued an executive order in January instructing agencies to take “appropriate action to ensure that intimate spaces designated for women, girls, or females (or for men, boys, or males) are designated by sex and not identity.” THE ‘GRADING FOR EQUITY’ PROPOSAL IS ABOUT LOWERING STANDARDS FOR STUDENTS, EXPERT SAYS But policies that allow 4-H attendees and adult chaperones to stay in overnight accommodations based on their gender ideology – rather than their biological sex – remain in place in multiple states, according to the Center for Practical Federalism. “Now that the Trump administration has rescinded all prior federal policies advancing gender ideology and replaced them with a clear biological framework through Executive Order, it is essential to ensure that federal grantees, including land-grant universities running 4-H programs, bring their practices into alignment with the law,” Tony Woodlief, the Center for Practical Federalism’s senior executive vice president, said in a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, obtained by Fox News Digital. Specifically, the Center for Practical Federalism pointed to several instances where states have prioritized gender identity over biological sex for their 4-H programs. For example, the group alleged that, in 2022, the Rock Springs Ranch 4-H Camp in Kansas housed a person who was born a male but identified as a female in a cabin with preteen girls – without alerting the parents beforehand for consent. The Sentinel, a nonprofit news site that is a subsidiary of the free market think tank Kansas Policy Institute, also reported on the incident. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Kansas 4-H Foundation has not updated its gender policy online since then, which claims to ban gender discrimination based on “gender identity” in areas including housing, according to the Center for Practical Federalism. “The persistence of gender identity-based policies in 4-H programs shows how rescinded guidance can continue to shape policy and practice in violation of current federal directives,” Woodlief said in the letter. “The situation at Rock Springs Ranch 4-H Camp in Kansas is a clear example of how these policies can conflict with parental rights and children’s safety.” The Kansas 4-H Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. MAHA REPORT RAISES CONCERNS ABOUT CHILDHOOD CHRONIC DISEASE Other states have similar policies, according to the Center for Practical Federalism. For example, California and Oregon both espouse policies in official documents or in training materials for their 4-H programs that place participants and adult chaperones in overnight housing based on their gender identity, rather than biological sex, the group said. The University of California’s 4-H Youth Development Program did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital, nor did Oregon State’s 4-H Youth Development Program. As a result, the Center for Practical Federalism is requesting that the USDA conduct a review of all federally funded 4-H programs, land grant institutions and 4-H facilities to determine where rescinded gender ideology policies are still being enforced. Likewise, the group urges the USDA to institute formal standards “to prevent subregulatory guidance from circumventing lawful rulemaking.” “We also recommend that the Department use this case as a springboard for a broader, agency-wide audit of existing guidance documents, rescinding those that bypassed the regulatory process or are no longer necessary,” Woodlief said in the letter. The USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Federal judge drops case against Trump adviser Peter Navarro
A federal judge has closed the case against White House trade adviser Peter Navarro over his alleged use of a private email for government business and mishandling of presidential records while serving in the first Trump administration. Navarro, a current senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, had been under investigation by former President Joe Biden’s Justice Department, with the lawsuit accusing Navarro of using at least one “non-official” email account — a ProtonMail account — to send and receive emails. The civil case alleged that by using the unofficial email account, Navarro failed to turn over presidential records to the National Archives and Records Administration. FORMER TRUMP ADVISER PETER NAVARRO, HOURS AFTER RELEASE FROM PRISON, APPEARS AT RNC: ‘I AM YOUR WAKE-UP CALL’ The decision to dismiss the case, filed in 2022, comes after the Trump Justice Department asked the court to do so. The joint filing by the Justice Department and an attorney for Navarro doesn’t explain why they are abandoning a case. The one-page filing says each side will bear their own fees and costs. Navarro served four months in prison after being convicted in a separate case for refusing to cooperate with the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. He maintained his refusal to testify was protected by executive privilege. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Trump-led Justice Department is reconsidering Navarro’s conviction, potentially seeking to overturn it, the Washington Post reported last month. This move aligns with a broader pattern of the administration revisiting prosecutions against Trump allies. He took the stage on day three of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, just hours after being released from a Miami prison. He said that the Jan. 6 case was politically motivated by Biden and that “if they can come for me, if they can come for Donald Trump, be careful. They will come for you.” Fox News’ Jake Gibson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
GOP lawmaker vows to ‘close’ controversial Biden-era ‘side door’ on key issue
New legislation aims to set a limit on the number of immigration parolees allowed into the United States annually. The “Preventing the Abuse of Immigration Parole Act” would cap parole admissions into the U.S. at 3,000 people a year starting in fiscal year 2029. It would also “establish congressional findings” that parole for people trying to enter the country should only be conducted “case-by-case.” It would also not allow those from “a country of concern” like Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Syria, and Russia to be given parole unless there is special permission granted by the Department of State. TRUMP FREEZES APPLICATIONS FOR BIDEN-ERA MIGRANT PROGRAMS AMID FRAUD, NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS “Biden’s open-border bureaucrats abused immigration parole to serve their free-lunch agenda—exposing the United States to one of the greatest national security vulnerabilities we’ve seen in years,” North Carolina Republican Rep. Addison McDowell, the bill’s sponsor, said in a statement on Wednesday. “When vetting procedures are ignored and the floodgates are opened, it’s hard to believe it wasn’t deliberate. They showed no regard for the American families left to deal with the fallout of their failed policies. My bill, the Preventing the Abuse of Immigration Parole Act, caps parole entries and closes the side door that’s been exploited to bypass our borders,” the Republican continued. McDowell’s bill was inspired by the congressional U.S. House Homeland Security Committee, Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations & Accountability’s finding that 2.8 million individuals were given parole while former President Joe Biden was in office under the purview of former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. ‘RESTORE ORDER’: BILL TO LIMIT BIDEN-ERA IMMIGRATION POWERS GETS RENEWED PUSH UNDER TRUMP “The systemic abuse of parole for aliens outside the United States is a threat to national security and future abuse should be prevented,” the bill text states. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE The 2.8 million figure includes the roughly half a million Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans admitted under a parole program that the Trump administration seeks to end. A recent stay by the Supreme Court indicates that they could ultimately be successful in the effort to end the CHNV parole program, as the Department of Homeland Security can deport people while the legal battle continues, DHS said in a news release. BIDEN ADMIN FACES MOUNTING PRESSURE TO DISMANTLE MIGRANT PAROLE PROGRAM AMID ‘STRESS’ ON SMALL TOWNS “Today’s decision is a victory for the American people. The Biden Administration lied to America,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement on May 30 about the Supreme Court’s decision. “They allowed more than half a million poorly vetted aliens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela and their immediate family members to enter the United States through these disastrous parole programs; granted them opportunities to compete for American jobs and undercut American workers; forced career civil servants to promote the programs even when fraud was identified; and then blamed Republicans in Congress for the chaos that ensued and the crime that followed,” she added. The proposal comes as the House recently passed the reconciliation bill, which includes additional funding for immigration enforcement – and it’s currently on the Senate side before it could hit President Donald Trump’s desk.
Schumer warns Trump budget bill Medicaid cuts could jeopardize GOP senators: ‘We Are All Going to Die Act’
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Wednesday renamed President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” the “We’re All Going to Die Act,” slamming the package over cuts to Medicaid. The Senate Minority Leader said Republican senators who support Trump’s budget bill are “tenured at best, suicidal at worst,” implying a vote for the legislative package will have negative consequences at the ballot box. “For many Americans, health care coverage is the difference between life and death,” Schumer said. His new name for Trump’s budget bill comes from a recent remark by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. In response to jeers from a crowd about how cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would cause people to die, Ernst retorted at a recent town hall event, “Well, we’re all going to die.” TRUMP CRITICIZES RAND PAUL OVER TAX BILL OPPOSITION: ‘VOTES NO ON EVERYTHING’ “According to Ernst, ‘Fear not. We’re going to die anyway.’ Tell that, the American people have heard. Let me be clear. Democrats are ready. We are ready to fight,’ Schumer said. “We are doubling down. We’re ready to show Americans what’s really at stake here, because this fight won’t be won in just the Capitol. As Abe Lincoln said, public sentiment is everything. And when public sentiment hears about this ‘We’re All Going to Die Act,’ they’re going to hate it, and they’re going to tell their senators they hate it. And if the senators think they can get away with a yes vote and explain it, they’re sadly mistaken. The cuts are too deep. The cuts are too real. The cuts are too devastating for people.” He continued, “Why are they being so mean? Why are they being so cruel? And why are they being so politically tenured at at best, suicidal at worst? All to give tax breaks to billionaires. They are in total obeisance. Donald Trump is, and his colleagues are to very very, the small group of very wealthy, greedy people who say, ‘I don’t care what you do to everyone else, cut my taxes. And by the way, get rid of any regulations.’” Schumer said that the Congressional Budget Office found that the estimated number of people who would lose their health insurance coverage if Trump’s budget bill passes could increase from 13.7 million to up to as many as 16 million people. STILL A NO: RAND PAUL SAYS $5T DEBT INCREASE IN ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ A DEAL-BREAKER “New calculations show Medicare is under the knife,” Schumer said. A handful of Republican senators have expressed hesitation to Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” over concerns it will increase the national debt and budget ceiling, but Senate Majority Leader John Leader said the upper chamber remains on track to pass the package by a July 4 deadline as negotiations are ongoing. Trump and the White House, meanwhile, insist the bill will evoke massive growth for the nation. Schumer alleged Trump “is just lying about the bill.” “We’ve been told 11 million people cut off from affordable food tax cuts for billionaires. “We’re All Going to Die Bill.’ And that shows the callousness, the callousness of this Republican majority in the House and the Republican majority in the Senate. Repeal and replace. It’s that by another name, that by another name.” Schumer addressed Republicans’ pledge to fight waste, fraud and abuse by making the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts permanent through the bill. “Now, Trump and the Republicans claim they want to fight fraud. Bull, bull,” he said. “Let me tell our Republican Senate colleagues what will be enacted is not Donald Trump’s soothing words, but the actual reality of harsh cuts where people lose health care, where people’s premiums go up, where hospitals close, nursing homes close, and people are laid off,” Schumer claimed. “So anyone who thinks they’re voting for the nice words of Donald Trump will face a harsh reality when this is implemented.”
Scandal-plagued school district referred to DOJ after another transgender locker room controversy
A Virginia school district at the center of a transgender bathroom controversy two years ago has been referred to the feds after the state’s attorney general completed a separate probe this week. Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, announced the closing of his investigation into Title IX violations, unlawful retaliation and viewpoint discrimination by Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) after three boys were allegedly investigated for complaints made in regard to a female student – who identifies as male – in the men’s locker room. Miyares referred LCPS to the Justice Department and the Department of Education. “The investigation reveals a disturbing misuse of authority by Loudoun County Public Schools, where students appear to have been targeted not for misconduct, but for expressing their discomfort for being forced to share a locker room with a member of the opposite sex,” Miyares said in a Tuesday statement. “Title IX was never meant to be used as a weapon against free speech or religious convictions. Every student in Virginia deserves the right to speak openly, think freely, and live according to their conscience without fear of retaliation. Protecting those rights is not political—it’s foundational to who we are as Americans.” FATHER OF VIRGINIA STUDENT ALLEGEDLY ASSAULTED BY BIOLOGICAL MALE IN RESTROOM SPEAKS OUT In response to the referral, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon told Fox News Digital that “sex-based discrimination and student safety are both top priorities of this Department of Justice. We will investigate these facts thoroughly, and go where the investigation leads us.” “‘Transgender’ policies in Loudoun County schools are stripping countless students of their fundamental rights,” Dhillon added. Miyares’ probe found that LCPS allegedly began a Title IX probe into the three male students at Stone Bridge High School, who had also expressed religious objections to a policy allowing students to use sexually binary facilities based on their gender identity. The boys also reportedly voiced concerns about the biological female student who had purportedly been recording them in the locker room, according to the Washington, D.C., ABC affiliate. LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA, PARENTS DEMAND SUPERINTENDENT RESIGN OVER ALLEGED SEXUAL ASSAULTS IN SCHOOLS The father of one of the boys told the outlet in May that his son was being formally investigated for sexual harassment after he expressed his own concerns about the situation. “Furthermore, there are persistent reports that LCPS and the school board take adverse and potentially unlawful action against parents, teachers, and public speakers,” Miyares’ office wrote in its announcement. In response to an inquiry from Fox News Digital, a representative for LCPS said “first and foremost [the district] continues to focus on following applicable law and ensuring all students are safe.” “LCPS is not in a position to provide comment on the attorney general’s investigation or its purported findings at this time.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The district said it never received official communication from Miyares beyond what was announced in the press pertaining to the investigation being launched and was unable to “meaningfully participate” in it. “To date, no findings have been shared with LCPS,” the representative said. Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Education, which said it doesn’t confirm complaints. LCPS previously made national headlines after a father of a student accused the school board of covering up his daughter’s sexual assault at the hands of a biological male who wore a skirt.
CA bill would allow inmates sentenced to life without parole to seek early release if crime was before age 26
The California Senate approved a measure Tuesday that would allow inmates sentenced to life without parole the opportunity to request an early release if their crimes were committed before the age of 26. Senate Bill 672, the Youth Rehabilitation and Opportunity Act, passed the Senate by a 24-11 party-line vote. The proposal now heads to the Assembly. The bill, introduced by Democratic Sen. Susan Rubio, was amended to exclude criminals convicted of certain offenses the chance to seek parole, including those who killed a law enforcement officer or carried out a mass shooting at a school, among other offenses. Republicans criticized their Democratic colleagues for passing the bill, saying the “soft-on-crime” proposal helps criminals and ignores victims. CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATS UNCERTAIN ABOUT KAMALA HARRIS’ POTENTIAL RUN FOR GOVERNOR Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones said Democrats “just opened the prison gates for over 1,600 cold-blooded killers.” “Democrat lawmakers across the aisle have proven time and time again they don’t care about the victim or their family,” he said in a statement. “They don’t care about keeping the public safe. They care about defending killers.” “This bill isn’t about second chances for petty offenders. It grants opportunity for release to some of the most violent criminals,” Sen. Kelly Seyarto said. “These individuals were sentenced to life without parole for crimes so extreme that the justice system deemed them beyond rehabilitation. Instead of weakening our justice system, we should be focusing on strengthening public safety and protecting Californians.” Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil said the people who committed these “depraved” crimes have “earned their sentence,” and it is “simply wrong for Democrat legislators to think they know better than the judges and juries who heard these cases.” “We’re not talking about children who committed a ‘youthful indiscretion’; these are adults who committed planned murders with special circumstances,” she said. “We say kill this bill, not free these killers.” In a post on X, State Assembly Republican Caucus press secretary George Andrews labeled the legislation a “get-out-of-prison plan” for people convicted of murder before age 26. Crime Victims United, in a letter to Rubio, wrote that the bill “threatens public safety and ignores the rights of crime victims and their families, as well as the efforts of local law enforcement, district attorneys, jurors, and the legal processes and resources that resulted in their conviction and sentence.” The bill notes that existing law states that victims’ rights at a parole hearing will not be changed with this proposal. TRUMP VOWS ‘LARGE SCALE’ FINES ON CALIFORNIA AFTER TRANS ATHLETE WINS GIRLS’ TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher, a Republican, has vowed to attempt to kill the bill when it reaches the Assembly. “This is what happens when soft-on-crime activists make the rules,” Gallagher told Fox News Digital. “They’re bending over backwards to help murderers while families are still grieving. These aren’t kids. They’re violent adults who earned life without parole. We’re going to kill this bill in the Assembly and make sure California doesn’t become a sanctuary for violent offenders.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the offices of Rubio and Democratic co-authors Josh Becker, María Elena Durazo, Caroline Menjivar and Sasha Renée Pérez for comment.
SCOOP: Trump admin escalates pressure on Columbia as Ed Dept questions university’s accreditation
EXCLUSIVE: The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights sent a notice to the accrediting body that audits Columbia University on Wednesday, notifying it that the Ivy League school is currently failing to meet its standards for accreditation. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), which is a recognized accrediting body for degree-granting higher education institutions across the Mid-Atlantic, ensures that its member schools – such as Columbia – meet established standards of academic quality, integrity, institutional effectiveness and more. MSCHE is one of several accrediting institutions across the country that the Department of Education deems reliable. Only institutions accredited by Department of Education-recognized accreditors are eligible to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs, such as Pell Grants and federal work-study or student loan programs. The notice to MSCHE marks the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to hold Columbia accountable for failing to tamp down antisemitism on its campus. ANTI-ISRAEL STUDENT PROTESTER REPORTEDLY HAD CONTACT WITH HAMAS “Accreditors have an enormous public responsibility as gatekeepers of federal student aid. They determine which institutions are eligible for federal student loans and Pell Grants. Just as the Department of Education has an obligation to uphold federal antidiscrimination law, university accreditors have an obligation to ensure member institutions abide by their standards,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said. “We look forward to the Commission keeping the Department fully informed of actions taken to ensure Columbia’s compliance with accreditation standards, including compliance with federal civil rights laws.” After launching an investigation into Columbia in February, the Trump administration opted to cancel $400 million in federal grants over the university’s “failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment.” Subsequently, Columbia agreed to make changes in an effort to prevent the funds from being canceled. The school took steps to overhaul its policies around protests, safety and security, while also reorganizing its Middle Eastern studies department. The changes also included adopting a new campus-wide definition of antisemitism. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LAYS OFF AROUND 180 STAFF AFTER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION REVOKES GRANTS Meanwhile, last month, Columbia said it would be cutting around 180 staff members in an effort to “preserve [the university’s] financial flexibility.” “Across the research portfolio we have had to make difficult choices and unfortunately, today, nearly 180 of our colleagues who have been working, in whole or in part, on impacted federal grants, will receive notices of non-renewal or termination,” acting Columbia University President Claire Shipman said last month. “This represents about 20% of the individuals who are funded in some manner by the terminated grants.” CLICK HERE FOR STORIES FROM OUR ‘ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED’ SECTION “In the coming weeks and months, we will need to continue to take actions that preserve our financial flexibility and allow us to invest in areas that drive us forward,” Shipman continued. “This is a deeply challenging time across all higher education, and we are attempting to navigate through tremendous ambiguity with precision, which will be imperfect at times.” Fox News Digital reached out to Columbia for comment, but did not receive a response by publication deadline.
Pelosi’s stock trading legacy haunts Democrats as Jeffries slams GOP freshman’s ‘thievery’
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is accusing House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of “hypocrisy” for slamming freshman GOP Rep. Rob Bresnahan’s stock trading despite the same issue having plagued the Democratic Party for years. “It’s rich for Hakeem Jeffries and national Democrats to suddenly care about stock trading when their real leader, Nancy Pelosi, and members of their own caucus make traders on Wall Street look like amateurs at a penny arcade. This political pandering is lame,” Mike Marinella, NRCC spokesperson, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. The New York Times and Business Insider reports this year revealed Bresnahan has continued trading stocks since joining Congress, despite vowing to ban stock trading if elected. And since introducing legislation to ban stock trading and vowing to form a blind trust, the Pennsylvania Republican continued trading stocks. “Enough with the thievery. This guy is getting richer while everyday Americans struggle to live paycheck to paycheck. When we take back the House, we will put an end to this blatant corruption,” Jeffries, D-N.Y., said on X. MACE SOUNDS OFF ON STOCK TRADING IN CONGRESS, PELOSI REMAINS SILENT: ‘SOMETHING DOESN’T ADD UP’ Politicians on both sides of the aisle have benefited from trading stocks while serving in office. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., reintroduced legislation this year to ban members of Congress and their spouses from trading stocks while in office. Hawley first introduced the “PELOSI Act” in 2023. HOUSE REPUBLICANS TAKE STEP CLOSER TO BANNING CONGRESSIONAL STOCK TRADING Perhaps no representative has faced more scrutiny for stock trading than Jeffries’ predecessor, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. In one such example, Pelosi’s husband sold 2,000 Visa shares last year for at least $500,000, a few months before the federal government sued the company. Such trades must be legally disclosed under the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act. This year, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, slammed President Donald Trump’s tariffs on “Liberation Day,” then purchased $100,000 and $250,000 in Apple stock, according to his financial disclosures reported by Southeast Politics. He has also purchased Tesla shares since Trump’s inauguration. And as the stock market was fluctuating around “Liberation Day,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., bought 23 stocks, worth between $23,023 and $345,000, and sold two stocks, worth between $2,002 and $30,000, Sun Sentinel reported. But they weren’t the only Democrats who cashed in on Trump’s “Liberation Day.” Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas, sold dozens of individual stock holdings in the hours before April 2, according to NOTUS. Justin Chermol, spokesperson for Jeffries, told Fox News Digital, “House Democrats will not be lectured by a Republican Party that has openly embraced corruption in the Trump administration, the Supreme Court and the Congress.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “If MAGA extremists actually cared about the stock trading issue, House Republican leaders would immediately bring a bill to the floor that will ban stock trading by current members of Congress. They have refused to do it,” Chermol added.
Speaker Johnson surprised by Musk’s criticism of ‘big, beautiful bill’: He’s ‘flat wrong’
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters he was “surprised” by Elon Musk’s criticism of the “big, beautiful bill” after the two of them discussed the legislation. While the speaker expressed confidence in the bill, he acknowledged that it took Congress “decades” to reach a point where the national debt has crept past $36.2 trillion and that it would take more than one bill to fix the situation. “The Trump administration needs four years to do all this reform, not two years. The Biden administration, Biden-Harris, made such a disaster of every metric of public policy, it’s going to take us more than one bill to fix it all,” Johnson said. NATIONAL DEBT TRACKER: AMERICAN TAXPAYERS (YOU) ARE NOW ON THE HOOK FOR $36,214,400,664,854.53 AS OF 6/3/25 ELON MUSK WARNS EXCESSIVE SPENDING WILL PLUNGE US ‘INTO DEBT SLAVERY’ The Republican House leader said he and Musk, whom he considers a “friend,” had a “great conversation” about the “big, beautiful bill” on Monday. The tech billionaire apparently joked that the bill could not be “big and beautiful,” to which Johnson replied, “Oh, yes it can, my friend. It’s very beautiful.” “Elon and I left on a great note. We were texting one another — you know, happy texts,” Johnson told reporters. The speaker added he was surprised when Musk came out against the bill the next day. “I think he’s flat wrong,” Johnson said. “I think he’s way off on this, and I’ve told him as much.” Johnson also praised the “obviously brilliant” tech billionaire for his work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut government waste. GOP SENATORS EXPRESS ‘CONCERNS,’ ‘SKEPTICISM’ OVER TRUMP’S SPENDING BILL AFTER MUSK RANT Despite seemingly ending his tenure with the Trump White House on good terms last week, Musk came out swinging against the “big, beautiful bill,” calling it a “disgusting abomination.” “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it,” Musk tweeted. Musk also retweeted multiple pleas from Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, for the Senate to improve the bill and avoid saddling Americans with more government spending. On Wednesday, during a weekly press briefing, House Republican leadership advocated for the “big, beautiful bill,” saying it was necessary for funding the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Multiple leaders, including Johnson and House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., cited the antisemitic attack in Colorado allegedly carried out by an illegal immigrant as an example of why the bill’s funding is needed. “We need to go find the other Solimans and get them out of America,” Johnson said in reference to suspected Boulder, Colorado, attacker Mohamed Soliman, the Egyptian national accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a group of people calling for the release of hostages being held in Gaza. Now that the bill has passed the House, it’s up to Senate Republicans to meet President Donald Trump’s July 4 deadline.
Duffy moves to defund California high-speed rail after blistering federal review
It could be the end of the line for the “train to nowhere.” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has released a scathing report exposing what he said is the unfeasibility of California’s long-troubled high-speed rail project – threatening to pull the plug on a plan that already has the federal government on the hook for $6.9 billion while Californians are underwriting an additional $9 billion. Duffy said that the federal government is moving to terminate around $4 billion it has currently obligated to the project unless the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) can prove it is tenable. ‘WHO BENEFITED?’: BLUE STATE LAWMAKER DEMANDS FBI INVESTIGATE BULLET TRAIN ‘BOONDOGGLE’ He blasted it as a “boondoggle,” as zero miles of high-speed track have been laid since ground was broken 10 years ago, and the cost continues to balloon. The 300-page report, released by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on Wednesday, examined the project and found delays, missed deadlines, mismanagement, waste, skyrocketing costs, budget shortfalls and overrepresentation of projected ridership. The report states that despite the money already plowed into the project, there is a $7 billion funding gap to complete a subset of the first phase in the Central Valley from Merced to Bakersfield, known as the Early Operating Segment (EOS). “This report exposes a cold, hard truth: CHSRA has no viable path to complete this project on time or on budget,” Duffy said Wednesday. “CHSRA is on notice — If they can’t deliver on their end of the deal, it could soon be time for these funds to flow to other projects that can achieve President Trump’s vision of building great, big, beautiful things again. “Our country deserves high-speed rail that makes us proud – not boondoggle trains to nowhere.” President Donald Trump has also referred to the project as a boondoggle and said last month that it is “the worst cost overrun I’ve ever seen. It’s like, totally out of control.” The project was initially touted as a two-phase visionary system connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco, and later north to Sacramento, and south to San Diego. Since then, the project’s footprint has been dramatically reduced from an 800-mile segment to a 171-mile segment. BLUE CITY’S UNDERGROUNDING PROJECT TO TAKE HUNDREDS OF YEARS TO COMPLETE The FRA estimates the EOS section of Phase 1 will now cost between $35.4 billion and $37.8 billion excluding financing costs, significantly higher than the CHSRA’a own estimate of $28.8 billion, creating a funding gap of $6.6 to $9 billion. The full cost of Phase 1 is in the range of $106 to $128 billion, per the report. Duffy said he promised the American people that the Trump administration would be good stewards of their tax dollars with the report focusing on two grants awarded to the project: a $929 million cooperative agreement from 2010 and a $3.07 billion cooperative agreement from last year. Cooperative agreements allow the federal government to retain substantial involvement in how a project is carried out. Other key findings revealed that the project faces ongoing—and likely increasing—contractor cost overruns due to delays and that the CHSRA failed to finalize contracts for its high-speed trainsets on time. Additionally, the FRA concludes there is no viable path for CHSRA to complete the EOS by the promised 2033 deadline and that the authority’s reliance on volatile, non-federal funding sources — like cap-and-trade revenue — poses significant financial risk. Despite substantial federal support and funding, the FRA said that the CHSRA does not have the capacity to deliver the full CHSR System, nor close the $7 billion funding gap. “CHSRA has not learned from its mistakes and mismanagement and has therefore failed to create an organization capable of effectively and efficiently managing project delivery,” the report reads. “Despite the substantial scope reduction, the CHSR Project still continues to face numerous delays and cost overruns. At this rate, CHSRA will never complete the CHSR System.” The FRA also accused the CHSRA of not acting in good faith in making representations to the FRA regarding its ability to complete the EOS with a reasonable budget and schedule. The FRA wrote to the CHSRA and said it has up to 37 days to respond, after which it could seek repayment of the two collective agreement grants totaling $4 billion. California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office directed Fox News to a press conference he held last month, when he discussed a revised budget plan for the state. He said the state was committed to completing the project and that the revised plan would allocate $1 billion each year for the next 20 years using funds from the state’s cap-and-trade program. Fox News Digital reached out to CHSRA for comment but did not immediately receive a response.