Trump says he’s ‘totally against’ proposed continuing resolution bill
President-elect Trump said Wednesday he is “totally against” the continuing resolution (CR) being debated by the House to keep the government from shutting down through March. Trump spoke with “Fox & Friends” co-host Lawrence Jones Wednesday, telling him the “fight starts now.” “I just spoke with President-elect [Trump], and he is ‘totally against’ the proposed CR,” Jones wrote in a post on X. In another post, the morning show co-host wrote, “The President-elect [Trump] believes that the ‘fight starts now,’ rather than waiting until he is sworn in. ‘WE’RE GOING TO GUT THE FISH’: REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY Jones later wrote, “The President-elect [Trump] acknowledged [House Speaker Mike Johnson’s] challenging situation but emphasized that this approach is not the appropriate course of action.” Congressional leaders in Washington, D.C., released the text of their 1,547-page CR Tuesday evening after last-minute negotiations delayed its original planned release Sunday. A source familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital more specifically that the deal was largely struck between the top two Democrats and Republicans in each chamber. Since its release, the CR has seen strong opposition from conservatives and House GOP hardliners, many of whom are frustrated with unrelenting policy riders attached to the legislation, rather than a “clean” extension of government funding. KEY TRUMP ALLY COMES OUT AGAINST MASSIVE EMERGENCY SPENDING PLAN: ‘THIS BILL SHOULD NOT PASS’ While the bill would avert a partial government shutdown through March 14 if passed, it also includes provisions on health care and ethanol fuel, along with $100 billion in disaster aid funding and measures to fund the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The bill also includes the first pay raise for lawmakers since 2009. Republican congressional leaders have defended their plan for a stopgap spending bill, arguing it would allow Trump to have a greater influence on spending when the question comes up again in the spring. Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance released a statement on the spending bill Wednesday. DANIEL PENNY TO BE TAPPED FOR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL BY HOUSE GOP LAWMAKER “The most foolish and inept thing ever done by Congressional Republicans was allowing our country to hit the debt ceiling in 2025. It was a mistake and is now something that must be addressed,” they wrote. “Increasing the debt ceiling is not great but we’d rather do it on Biden’s watch. “If Democrats won’t cooperate on the debt ceiling now, what makes anyone think they would do it in June during our administration? Let’s have this debate now. And we should pass a streamlined spending bill that doesn’t give Chuck Schumer and the Democrats everything they want. “Republicans want to support farmers and pay for disaster relief while setting the country up for success in 2025. “The only way to do that is with a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling. Anything else is a betrayal of our country,” they said. “Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH. “If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF. It is Schumer and Biden who are holding up aid to our farmers and disaster relief. THIS CHAOS WOULD NOT BE HAPPENING IF WE HAD A REAL PRESIDENT. WE WILL IN 32 DAYS!” GOP SENATORS ‘VERY IMPRESSED’ WITH MUSK, RAMASWAMY DOGE FRAMEWORK AMID MEETINGS ON CAPITOL HILL Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who was appointed co-chair of Trump’s newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), also came out in opposition to Johnson’s proposed bill to keep the government funded on Wednesday. Musk turned to his social media platform X to argue that the 1,547-page document is full of “pork.” “This bill should not pass,” he wrote. MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT The other co-chair of DOGE, Vivek Ramaswamy, expressed skepticism of the bill on Tuesday, though he did not outright oppose Johnson’s solution. “Currently reading the 1,547-page bill to fund the government through mid-March. Expecting every U.S. Congressman & Senator to do the same,” Ramaswamy wrote on X. The GOP holds a one-seat majority in the House, meaning Johnson will likely have to rely on Democratic votes to pass the bill. The legislation must also pass the Senate by the Friday deadline to avoid a shutdown. Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
‘No choice’: DOGE leaders rally House conservatives against 1,500+ page ‘pork-fest’
The co-leaders of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have circled the wagons against a stopgap spending bill that has drawn the ire of conservatives in Congress. “Unless @DOGE ends the careers of deceitful, pork-barrel politicians, the waste and corruption will never stop,” Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk posted on X on Wednesday afternoon as Republican lawmakers mulled the best way forward for the CR to fund the government. “Therefore, there is no choice but to do so. I wish there was another way, but there is not.” Former Republican presidential candidate and DOGE co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy has also been a vocal critic of the legislation and suggested in an X post on Wednesday that Republicans should put forward a simple 1-page resolution. SPENDING BILL TO FUND STATE DEPARTMENT AGENCY ACCUSED OF CENSORING, BLACKLISTING AMERICANS “Yes, it *is* possible to enact a simple 1-page Continuing Resolution, instead of 1,500+ page omnibus pork-fest,” Ramaswamy wrote. “Here it is.:” Ramaswamy continued, “This is what a clean CR looks like. I still don’t love it because it permits the historical spending excesses to continue, but at bare minimum, we shouldn’t be stacking even more waste on top.” Musk, who posted a video of Ramaswamy railing against the bill urging Americans to call their representatives to “stop the steal of your tax dollars,” spent part of the afternoon re-posting comments from elected Republicans who voiced their opposition to the bill. “Thank you!” Musk posted in response to GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna saying she will not vote for the “Cramnibus bill” due to “billions to Ukraine, mask and vaccine mandates, Deep State immunity.” DOGE CAUCUS FOUNDING MEMBER DEBUTS 2 BILLS TO KICK-START WASTE CUTS IN TRUMP TERM “I will still fight for a standalone disaster relief bill,” Luna wrote. In an earlier post on X, Musk wrote, “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” Musk wrote on X. Congressional leaders released the text of their 1,547-page CR on Tuesday evening after last-minute negotiations delayed its original planned being release Sunday. Since then, it’s seen fierce pushback from conservatives and House GOP hardliners, many of whom are frustrated at the unrelated policy riders attached to the legislation – rather than a “clean” extension of government funding. The final package extends existing government programs and services at their current operating levels for a few more months, through March 14, 2025. The stopgap measure is needed because Congress has failed to pass its annual appropriations bills to fund all the various agencies in the federal government, from the Pentagon and national security apparatus, to the health, welfare, transportation and other routine domestic services. When the fiscal year ended on Sept. 30, Congress simply punted the problem by passing a temporary funding bill that expires Friday. Fox News Senior Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram reported on Wednesday afternoon that there is “talk now of pulling the CR and trying to do a ‘clean’ bill. but it is “unclear if that also means no disaster aid.” Stopping the 1,500 page spending package and forcing a vote on a clean bill would mark a significant victory for DOGE and its supporters, who have been vocally pushing for changes in the way that government spending bills are handled. “This bill is contrary to the very existence of @DOGE,” GOP Rep. Chip Roy’s press office posted on X. “The @HouseGOP should vote NO. Miss Christmas if we must.” Pergram posted on X on Wednesday after that the bill was “bleeding support from Republicans.” “As to Elon Musk weighing in, telling lawmakers that all should be voted out in two years, a member of the House Republican leadership told Fox that Musk ‘is not helping. He has bigger fish to fry than picking a fight with House Republicans,’” Pergram wrote. Johnson’s difficulty coming to an agreement with his razor-thin majority in the House has resulted in names being floated to possibly replace him in the next Congress, Fox News Digital reported. Fox News anchor Lawrence Jones reported late Wednesday afternoon that President-elect Trump is “totally against” the CR although he “acknowledged” that Johnson is in a precarious position. During an appearance on Fox & Friends on Wednesday morning, Johnson shared that while government debt and deficits are a concern, Republicans must approve “short-term stopgap funding measures” while Democrats still control the White House and Senate. “We’ve got it in our central focus and when we start the new Congress in January, when Republicans are in control and DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency) is working on all six cylinders, we’re going to be able to scale back the size and scope of government,” he said. Johnson also said the move would ensure Republicans can control spending for 2025, describing it as an “impossible position.” “This is the sausage-making process,” he added. The House Speaker also revealed that he has been on a text chain with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who will helm DOGE. “Remember, guys, we still have just a razor-thin margin of Republicans. So, any bill has to have Democrat votes. They understand the situation.” Johnson said, referencing the text exchange. If Republicans are unable to rally the necessary votes or receive enough support from Democrats to push it through despite the vocal opponents within the party, the country would face a government shutdown on Friday night. “What does President Trump want Republicans to do: vote for the CR or shut down government? Absent direction, confusion reigns,” said retiring Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, in a sly post on X. Late Wednesday afternoon, Trump said in a statement, “If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF.” Musk addressed the shutdown possibility on X writing that “shutting down the government (which doesn’t actually shut down critical functions btw) is infinitely better than passing a horrible bill.” Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom, Liz Elkind,
Fox News Politics: Open Up the Gaetz
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Congress unveils bill to avert Friday government shutdown with over $100B in disaster aid –Supreme Court to take up challenge to TikTok ban -Biden sinks to all-time low, while Trump’s numbers rise, in new national poll The House Ethics Committee has decided to release its report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. Lawmakers on the secretive panel voted to make the report public after the final votes of this year – which are slated for Thursday. The House Ethics Committee’s multi-year investigation into Gaetz, involving allegations of sex with a minor and illicit drug use, came to an abrupt halt last month after he resigned from Congress hours after President-elect Trump tapped him to be his attorney general…Read more COAL BURN: WV Democrats say Biden’s ‘egregious’ pardon choices are ‘what we would expect from Trump’…Read more ‘WRONG-HEADED’: Energy industry leaders blast Biden admin report on natural gas exports…Read more ‘RECKLESS’ SCOTUS: Justice was wrong to appear in ‘queer’ musical as court weighs trans case, expert says… Read more 11th HOUR FUNDING DEAL: Renewal of counter-drone authority, China crackdowns in last-minute government funding extension…Read more 51ST STATE: Trump says US subsidies to Canada make ‘no sense,’ suggests Canadians want to joint he Union…Read more TWO MORE AMBASSADORS: Trump names Herschel Walker, Nicole McGraw to ambassador positions before issuing warning to GOP senators…Read more ‘NOTHING’: Pete Hegseth says he hasn’t heard from West Point since employee ‘error’ denying his acceptance…Read more FARMING FRUSTRATION: Farm state Republicans appear skeptical about RFK amid his quest for HHS confirmation…Read more NEW GAMEPLAN: New mission for longtime Trump ally and friend Herschel Walker…Read more ‘SHOULD NOT PASS’: Key Trump ally comes out against massive emergency spending plan…Read more CALMING FEARS: Senator says RFK told him that he agrees with Trump on abortion, will have light touch regulating farmers…Read more ON THE HILL: Spate of health scares and violent threats highlight growing vulnerabilities for lawmakers on Capitol Hill…Read more ‘HOUSE IS ON FIRE’: Massie drops colorful analogy opposing foreign aid, mocks Speaker Johnson with AI-generated image…Read more BRIDGE TOO FAR?: Congress agrees to fully fund Baltimore Key Bridge rebuild in plan to avert government shutdown…Read more DOGE HOUSE: Lawmakers eye ‘low hanging fruit’ for government efficiency after first DOGE Caucus meeting…Read more ‘NOT BUYING THE ANSWERS’: Johnson demands Biden admin ‘do its job’ on New Jersey drone sightings…Read more ‘BAD DEAL’: Republican lawmakers savage spending bill as Mike Johnson defends it: ‘We gotta get this done’…Read more ‘AMERICA FIRST ACT’: Mike Lee angles to halt welfare for illegals going on under Biden with key budget process…Read more ‘IT’S MY JOB’: Fetterman meets with Trump nominees, pledges ‘open-mind and an informed opinion’ for confirmation votes…Read more MYSTERY THICKENS: Drones spotted over Camp Pendleton in California posed no threat to operations…Read more ‘UNLAWFUL’: EPA grants California permission to ban new gas car sales by 2035…Read more PATTERN OF DISREGARD’: Red states seek court action against Biden admin’s ‘shameful’ border wall disposal…Read more RULING BLOCKED: Montana judge temporarily blocks rules banning transgender people from changing sex on state documents…Read more BOOK WORM: UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect could see most serious charge downgraded: defense attorney…Read more ‘POSSIBLY DEADLY’: FBI warns New Jersey residents not to shoot down drones or point lasers at aircraft…Read more ‘GETTING OUR BUTTS KICKED’: Democratic Party chair frontrunner acknowledges ‘we’re getting our butts kicked right now’…Read more ‘FALSE MEDIA NARRATIVE’: DeSantis slams media bias on illegal immigration response as report shows Florida saw economic growth…Read more ‘MAGA’VENUE: Lawmakers prep legislation to name several heartland highways after Trump…Read more Get the latest updates on the Trump presidential transition, incoming Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Sen. Tim Kaine ‘very frustrated’ by lack of answers on drone incursions at Langley Air Force Base
Nearly one year after mysterious drones hovered near a top-secret military base in Virginia for 17 days, Sen. Tim Kaine says he is “very frustrated” with “so many unanswered questions” that remain. The Virginia Democrat said his state delegation will get a classified briefing on the situation Thursday. For more than two weeks in December 2023, the mystery drones flew into restricted airspace over the installation, home to key national security sites and the F-22 Raptor stealth fighters. The Pentagon has said little about the incidents other than to confirm they occurred after a Wall Street Journal report in October. If officials know where the drones came from or what they were doing, they haven’t shared it with Congress. RENEWAL OF COUNTER-DRONE AUTHORITY, CHINA CRACKDOWNS IN LAST-MINUTE GOVERNMENT FUNDING EXTENSION “We’re kind of at the year anniversary of these incursions at Langley. And I’m very frustrated with the fact that there’s still so many unanswered questions,” Kaine told Fox News Digital. Lack of a standard protocol for such incursions left Langley officials unsure of what to do, other than allow the 20-foot drones to hover near their classified sites. As defense-minded lawmakers sought more answers, Langley officials referred them to the FBI, who referred them to Northern Command, who referred them to local law enforcement, one congressional source said. “I’m going to keep pushing the federal agencies to get their act together and have a clear agency that’s responsible for answering rather than all pointing their fingers at each other and telling us that you got to go to some other agency to get an answer,” said Kaine. The drones over Langley “don’t appear to be armed, but they are there for at least surveillance purposes. And they interrupted training exercises at Langley.” And during the recent drone phenomenon in New Jersey, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have been spotted near Picatinny Arsenal and over President-elect Trump’s golf club in Bedminster. Trump said he canceled a trip to his golf club due to the drone sightings. Drone incursions at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio prompted the base to close its airspace Friday night, and UAS sightings have occurred at U.S. military bases in the United Kingdom and Germany. A spending bill that must pass before the end of the week includes a reauthorization of the government’s counter-drone authorities. But it is a simple reauthorization of a program many drone experts say is outdated. National security-minded lawmakers and experts have implored Congress to take up legislation that would grant the government greater detection capabilities and give state and local law enforcement the authority to deal with unauthorized drones. U.S. capabilities offer many different ways to take down a drone, including shooting them, zapping them with heat lasers and jamming the frequencies so they stop working and fall out of the sky. Whether Congress needs to change laws is a point of contention, but one thing that is clear is incursions like the one at Langley prompt confusion over legal authority. “This is a little bit of a problem of too many cooks. And it’s not clear who is the chef,” said Kaine. “The FAA is looking at it. The FBI is looking at it. DOD looking at it. PLANES, STARS AND HOBBYISTS: LAWMAKERS INSIST NOTHING ‘NEFARIOUS’ IS HAPPENING IN NJ SKIES “This is a lot clearer if there’s a drone incursion over a base in a war zone like Syria, for example, or Iraq at a base where U.S. military personnel are positioned. The authorities to knock these drones down in that setting are much clearer than if there’s a drone incursion over a base on domestic soil. OK, not going to drone down over the city of Hampton, where the debris might fall into neighborhoods. The authorities on that aren’t so clear.” When drones encroach near bases overseas, the rules of engagement give service members more leeway to engage with them. However, U.S. law does not allow the military to shoot down drones near its bases unless they pose an imminent threat. While Langley has the authority to protect its coastal base, the Coast Guard has the authority to protect the waters and the Federal Aviation Administration has authority over U.S. airspace, some of the most congested with commercial airliners in the world. Last week, a Chinese national was charged with flying an unauthorized drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. In October, Chinese national Fengyun Shi was sentenced to six months in prison for capturing drone footage over Huntington Ingalls Industries Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia, 10 miles from Langley Air Force Base. Two months prior to Langley, in October 2023, five drones flew over the Energy Department’s Nevada National Security Site, which is used for nuclear weapons experiments. U.S. authorities were not sure who was behind those drones either. A Chinese surveillance balloon traversed over the U.S. for a week last year before the Air Force shot it down off the coast. The U.S. Air Force’s Plant 42 in California, home to highly classified aerospace development, has also seen a slew of unidentified drone incursions in 2024, prompting flight restrictions around the site.
US slaps sanctions on companies tied to Nord Stream 2 in bid to squeeze Russia
The U.S. on Wednesday issued fresh sanctions against several Russian-linked entities and individuals involved in the building of Nord Stream 2, the massive undersea gas pipeline linking Russia to Germany. The State Department said it has re-imposed financial penalties against entities and individuals involved in the construction of Nord Stream 2, including project operator, Nord Stream 2 AG, and a Russian-based insurer that worked with companies involved in the pipeline’s construction. Others included in the sanctions were a Russian-owned maritime rescue service, a Russian-based water transport logistics company, and more than a dozen vessel owners that were either formerly under sanctions designations or were being sanctioned for the first time. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters Wednesday that the U.S. remains opposed to Nord Stream 2 as well as any efforts to revive it. ‘WRONG-HEADED’: ENERGY INDUSTRY LEADERS BLAST BIDEN ADMIN REPORT ON NATURAL GAS EXPORTS Officials also cited Russia’s ongoing efforts to weaponize its energy resources, including throttling its piped gas supplies to Europe shortly after the start of its war in Ukraine in 2022. “We’re going to continue to work and ensure that Russia is never able to weaponize its energy resources and its energy positioning for political gain,” Patel said of the new sanctions. News of the new sanctions designations comes after both the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines linking Russia to Europe were hit by a series of explosions in late September 2022. To date, no one has taken responsibility for the blasts, which U.S. and other Western leaders have described as an act of potential “sabotage.” Russia has dismissed suggestions that it would blow up its own pipeline, with Russian President Vladimir Putin describing such a move as “idiotic.” PENTAGON ANNOUNCES NEW COUNTER-DRONE STRATEGY AS UNMANNED ATTACKS ON US INTERESTS SKYROCKET Though neither pipeline was operational at the time, both lines were filled with gas under pressure. Prior to Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Nord Stream 1 pipeline had supplied roughly 35% of the European Union’s total Russian gas imports before Moscow halted supplies indefinitely citing “maintenance” needs. Nord Stream 2 was expected to double that capacity. In the years since Russia’s war in Ukraine began, the EU has scrambled to offset its reliance on Russian energy supplies, including by purchasing more liquefied natural gas from the U.S. and other suppliers, by devoting more resources toward nuclear power and by building more regasification terminals, among other things.
Five more migrants detained in Aurora, Colorado, home invasion possibly linked to brutal Venezuelan gang
Police in Aurora, Colorado, have detained five more migrants in an armed home invasion and kidnapping that occurred early Tuesday morning. This brings to 19 the number of migrants detained in the incident, which involved two victims being beaten, bound and kidnapped in a Denver suburb A spokesperson for ICE told Fox News Digital 16 of those in custody have been identified as Venezuelan nationals in the U.S. without authorization and “are suspected of being members or associates of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.” Tren de Aragua, or TdA, is a violent international criminal group that has been terrorizing Aurora residents for over a year. TREN DE ARAGUA ARE IDEOLOGICAL TERRORISTS DISGUISED AS A STREET GANG WARNS FORMER MILITARY OFFICER The ICE official said the 16 suspects “will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings or hearings before an immigration judge.” Aurora Police Department Chief Todd Chamberlain said Tuesday the home invasion was “without question a gang incident.” However, Joe Moylan, a representative for the Aurora Police Department, told Fox News Digital police are still working to identify the suspects and have not yet been able to officially confirm whether the incident was gang-related. Police were called to an Aurora housing complex, The Edge at Lowry Apartments, just before 2:30 a.m. Tuesday in response to a reported armed home invasion in which victims were assaulted and taken to another apartment in the same complex. COLORADO VIDEO SHOWS TREN DE ARAGUA GANG BEATING APARTMENT COMPLEX WORKER IN EXTORTION BID, COMPANY SAYS One of the victims, a man, sustained a stab wound but is expected to survive. Both victims are still at a hospital for treatment. Moylan said Aurora police served an additional warrant at the apartment complex late Tuesday afternoon, resulting in their taking in the five additional migrants for questioning. He said police are working in conjunction with federal authorities, including Homeland Security Investigators who are helping to identify everyone involved. Moylan said the Aurora police chief will likely address the incident further in another press conference once more details are confirmed. BLUE STATE FACES SPIKE IN MIGRANT SEX CRIMES AS TOP CITY PLEDGES RESISTANCE TO TRUMP DEPORTATIONS CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Roger Hudson, a city council member in nearby Castle Pines, Colorado, who has had contact with the apartment owner, told Fox News Digital most people in the area believe Tren de Aragua is behind the incident. In recent months, the gang has only become “more powerful, more dangerous and more desperate,” he said. Hudson bashed the sanctuary policies passed by Colorado and the City of Denver, which he said have made it more difficult for state and local law enforcement to protect Coloradans from the likes of TdA. “These policies make all of our communities less safe,” he said. “This is lawlessness in the West, and you can’t have that. That’s not who we are as a country. That’s not who we are as a state.”
Newsom removes college degree requirement for 30K state government jobs
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that he plans to double the number of state jobs that will no longer require a college degree — joining states like Minnesota, Virginia and Pennsylvania, which have already dropped degree requirements for most public jobs. Newsom unveiled his Master Plan for Career Education framework on Monday, which included eliminating the college degree requirement for 30,000 jobs in the state. The Democratic governor plans to double the number by removing the requirement for an additional 30,000 in the coming years in an overall effort to “help Californians translate their skills and knowledge into real progress toward a degree or career.” “Every Californian deserves the opportunity to build real-life skills and pursue a fulfilling career — including those that don’t require college degrees,” Newsom said in a statement. “California is working to ensure that every person has what they need to get a well-paying, long-lasting job so we can build an economy for the future that supports all families.” ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP LAUNCHES SIX-FIGURE AD BUY AGAINST NEWSOM’S ‘CLIMATE LEADERSHIP’ The framework also includes plans to establish “Career Passports” for citizens that will create a digital record of their skills and abilities for job applications. Veterans will also see new benefits, with the plan allowing them to gain college credit for their military experience. EPA GRANTS CALIFORNIA PERMISSION TO BAN GAS CAR SALES BY 2035 Reducing the emphasis on needing a college degree to secure a career has been endorsed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a close ally of President-elect Donald Trump. Musk recently stated that he believes “the value of a college education is somewhat overweighted.” “Too many people spend four years, accumulate a ton of debt and often don’t have useful skills that they can apply afterwards. I have a lot of respect for people who work with their hands, and we need electricians and plumbers and carpenters and that’s a lot more important than having incremental political science majors,” Musk said while on the campaign trail for Trump. “I think we should not have this idea that in order to be successful you need a four-year college degree.” Newsom’s framework was released just months after a report found that the majority of students at for-profit colleges never graduate, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. The report found that only 36% of students graduate in four years at California State University, while 62% graduate within six years. The elimination of college degree requirements for state jobs has received bipartisan support in recent years. Maryland, under Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, became the first state in the nation to eliminate degree requirements for most state jobs in 2022, setting the stage for more than a dozen other states to follow in his footsteps with similar orders. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro issued an executive order in 2023 to establish that 92% of state government jobs would no longer require a college degree, a move that received praise from Republican state lawmakers who said the decision was “a step in the right direction.” Additionally, the 2024 GOP platform framework, released during the presidential campaign cycle, stated that “Republicans will support the creation of additional, drastically more affordable alternatives to a traditional four-year college degree.”
Rand Paul blocks bill responding to drone sightings: Shouldn’t rush to grant ‘sweeping surveillance powers’
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., blocked a Senate bill Wednesday that would have authorized resources for state and local authorities to track drones that have mystified residents across New Jersey and the Northeast in recent weeks. Paul objected to the passage of the bill, citing his long-standing concerns over expanding governmental powers. “This body must not rush to grant sweeping surveillance powers without proper consideration and debate by the committees of jurisdiction,” he said. ‘DRONE’ SIGHTINGS IN THE NORTHEAST SPARK ‘UNFOUNDED’ PANIC, SAYS EXPERT Paul said the bill would “expand federal authority to intercept communications and disrupt drone activity – powers that raise serious concerns for Americans’ privacy, civil liberties, and Fourth Amendment protections against unwarranted search and seizure.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., sought to speed a bipartisan bill through the Senate by seeking unanimous consent on the floor before it was blocked by Paul. “The people in New York and New Jersey have a lot of questions, and they’re not getting good enough answers,” said Schumer. “The utter confusion surrounding these drone sightings shows that the feds can’t respond all on their own.” NJ DRONE SIGHTINGS COULD BE A ‘CLASSIFIED EXERCISE’: FORMER CIA OFFICER In addition to giving local authorities the ability to track drones, the proposed legislation would expand some federal agencies’ authority to start a pilot program to allow states and local authorities to disrupt, disable or seize a drone without prior consent of the operator. The drone sightings across the Northeast have worried some local and state officials, but the Biden administration has said the drones don’t appear to be a sign of foreign interference or a public safety threat. However, they have not determined who is responsible for them. President-elect Trump last week called for the administration to release information on the drones or shoot them down. Paul, who has often called for limiting governmental powers, said he objected to the bill because it wasn’t clear that urgent action was needed. “We’re being told that this legislation is urgent, that it is needed to address an imminent drone threat,” he said. “Yet the government itself admits no such threat exists.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
MAGAvenue: Lawmakers prep legislation to name several heartland highways after Trump
Multiple Missouri lawmakers are reportedly preparing legislation to name several highways after President-elect Trump in the new year. The most expansive reported bill would bestow Trump’s name on carriageways of the Missouri state highway system not yet designated otherwise before next August, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. That bill, from state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, however, exempts roadways in counties encompassing St. Louis, Columbia and Kansas City, the paper reported. Coleman previously floated a bill to rename a portion of Interstate 55 in her district the “Donald J. Trump Highway” in 2021, but the effort failed in the Republican-majority legislature. TRUMP PICKS BILLY LONG TO LEAD IRS Under both the defunct and current proposals, MoDOT would erect and maintain the commemorative signage, but private donations would foot the bill for the signs. A separate proposal from state Sen. Nick Schroer, R-St. Charles, would designate a portion of MO Route D west of St. Louis the “President Donald J. Trump Highway.” “It’s time to Make Missouri Roads Great Again,” Schroer said in a social media post announcing his bill. The post included an inset of Trump doing his viral “Y.M.C.A.” dance on the shoulder of a freeway beside a “President Donald J. Trump Highway” sign. Attempts to reach both Schroer and Coleman for further comment were unsuccessful. FLASHBACK: TRUMP SPEAKS TO SUPPORTERS IN MISSOURI Fox News Digital also reached out to Missouri Senate President Pro-Tempore Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia. In announcing her 2021 bill, Coleman said Trump deserved the honor for “strengthening Missouri’s economy, defending our values, and making America great again during his historic first term.” Missouri lawmakers have also tried to commemorate other national conservatives, including the late radio host Rush Limbaugh – who was born and raised in Cape Girardeau. Language to commemorate Jan. 12 as “Rush Limbaugh Day” did not make it to the final text of a 2021 designations bill, according to the Columbia Missourian. Trump’s name has made it onto a handful of highways outside the Show-Me State, including in some politically-unfriendly areas. In 2019, a man “adopted” portions of Burke Lake Road and Fairfax County Rte. 620 in the deep-blue Washington, D.C., suburb of Springfield, Virginia, in Trump’s name. The man also successfully had the incoming president’s name festooned on VDOT adopt-a-highway signage on heavily-trafficked Ox Road in nearby Lorton, according to the Washingtonian. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In 2021, Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed legislation designating a 20-mile stretch of U.S. 287 in the state’s panhandle after Trump. Meanwhile, Hialeah, Florida, Mayor Esteban Bovo joined Trump at a 2023 rally in the Miami suburb and offered him a commemorative sign after an avenue near a casino in the city was renamed Donald J. Trump Avenue. In Trump’s home state, a controversial 430-acre tract of parkland also bears his name. Donald J. Trump State Park in Putnam Valley came into being in 2006 after he donated the parcel to New York state. After Trump was unable to successfully develop a golf course on the site due to town permit roadblocks and the like, he passed the land on to Albany after originally purchasing it in two pieces in 1998 for about $2.5 million. Donald J. Trump State Park soon fell into disrepair and remains largely unmaintained. New York Democrats have attempted to pass legislation stripping Trump’s name from the park, including a 2019 bid to rename it after the woman killed during the 2017 Charlottesville riot. After Trump’s May conviction in his hush-money trial, New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal told The New York Times he hopes it “primes the pump” to restart talks to rename the park. Hoylman-Sigal, a Democrat, indicated he has visited the park and has seen “some improvements” since Trump gifted it to the Pataki administration.
Johnson hit with possible speakership rivals as conservatives rebel over government funding plan
EXCLUSIVE: House GOP critics of how Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is handling government funding talks are already beginning to float names of possible challengers, people told Fox News Digital. Two GOP lawmakers told Fox News Digital that House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., were all mentioned in early talks about alternatives. A source close to Donalds told Fox News Digital in response, “At this time, the Congressman has not made any statements regarding the future of House leadership.” A spokesperson for Emmer told Fox News Digital, “Whip Emmer supports Speaker Johnson and is focused on doing the job he was elected to do.” Fox News Digital also reached out to Donalds, Jordan and Johnson’s offices for comment. MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT One of the lawmakers said they had not heard from any of the three, adding, “That would be suicidal.” But discussions about potential rivals to Johnson in the Jan. 3, 2025 House-wide speaker vote represent the latest warning shot from Republican lawmakers who are vehemently opposed to the short-term spending bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR). Congressional leaders released the text of their 1,547-page CR on Tuesday evening after last-minute negotiations delayed its original planned release Sunday. Since then, it’s seen fierce pushback from conservatives and House GOP hardliners, many of whom are frustrated at the unrelated policy riders attached to the legislation – rather than a “clean” extension of government funding. In addition to averting a partial government shutdown through March 14, the bill also includes provisions on health care and ethanol fuel, plus more than $100 billion in disaster aid funding and measures to fund the rebuilding of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge and the first pay raise for lawmakers since 2009. Multiple GOP lawmakers signaled Tuesday that Johnson could face a challenge to his leadership over the CR. DANIEL PENNY TO BE TAPPED FOR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL BY HOUSE GOP LAWMAKER “The speaker definitely has some ‘no’ votes and some people considering their options,” a third House Republican granted anonymity to speak candidly told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital when asked if Johnson could see blowback on Jan. 3, “There’s always consequences.” When previously asked about any potential speakership challenges, Emmer, Jordan and Donalds have all said they back Johnson. A source close to Jordan told Fox News Digital that the Ohio Republican is “not interested in challenging Johnson.” But all three ran for House Speaker last year after ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted. Johnson ultimately won after a messy three-week fight. The Louisiana Republican, who Republicans chose unanimously to be their candidate for speaker last month, is also backed by President-elect Donald Trump, which is likely to keep a significant amount of backlash at bay. He’s also still expected to get a large share of GOP lawmakers to vote for his plan, with most in Congress in agreement that a partial government shutdown over the holidays would have a negative political and economic impact. But his CR plan is also under attack by members of Trump’s orbit – both Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy blasted the bill on Wednesday. “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” Musk wrote on X. Johnson himself dismissed concerns about his job as the blowback began to build on Tuesday. “I’m not worried about the speaker vote,” he said. “We’re governing. Everybody knows we have difficult circumstances. We’re doing the very best we can under those circumstances.” The speaker and his allies have argued that they won the most they could while controlling one half of one third of government, and promised that Republicans would be in a better position to handle federal funding when the CR expires at the beginning of Trump’s term.