Republican military vets in Congress are on a mission to get Hegseth confirmed
FIRST ON FOX – More than 30 House Republicans who are military veterans are expressing their “strong support” for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump’s nominee for Defense Secretary. In a letter to Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the incoming Senate majority leader, and Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, the current majority leader, the House GOP lawmakers “call on the Senate to honor its constitutional duty of advice and consent by conducting a fair, thorough confirmation process.” The letter, shared first with Fox News on Wednesday, was written by Rep. August Pfluger of Texas. He urges that senators evaluate Hegseth’s nomination “solely on its substantive merits— his distinguished military service, academic credentials, and a bold vision for revitalizing our national defense.” TIDE TURNS FOR HEGSETH AS TRUMP’S DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINEE GOES ON OFFENSE Hegseth, an Army National Guard officer who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and who until last month was a longtime Fox News host, has been the focus of a slew of reports spotlighting a series of drinking and sexual misconduct allegations, as well as a report alleging he mismanaged a veterans nonprofit organization that he once led. Trump’s defense secretary nominee has denied allegations that he mistreated women but did reach a financial settlement with an accuser from a 2017 incident to avoid a lawsuit. He has vowed that he won’t drink “a drop of alcohol” if confirmed as defense secretary. WHAT PETE HEGSETH TOLD FOX NEWS’ SEAN HANNITY While Hegseth’s confirmation is still far from a sure bet, a very public pronouncement of support from Trump late last week, behind-the-scenes efforts by Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance to persuade his GOP Senate colleagues to support the nominee, and Hegseth’s own determination, seem to have resuscitated a nomination that appeared to be teetering last week. Pfluger, in the letter, emphasizes that Hegseth’s “ability to communicate across institutional landscapes—with military leadership, congressional representatives, and frontline troops—will set him apart. His media expertise and transparent communication style will be crucial in executing a clear vision that cuts through bureaucratic inertia.” WHAT SEN. ERNST SAYS ABOUT THE HEGSETH NOMINATION “Mr. Hegseth represents the strategic reset our defense infrastructure requires: an unorthodox yet qualified leader who can streamline the defense bureaucracy, accelerate modernization, and ensure America remains the world’s most formidable military power,” Pfluger argues. Pfluger, an Air Force Academy graduate who served as a pilot on active duty for two decades and flew combat missions in Iraq and Syria. He later served on the National Security Council during Trump’s first term in office before winning election in 2020 to the House in Texas’ 11th Congressional District. The letter is co-signed by Rep. Michael Waltz of Florida – Trump’s pick to serve as his national security adviser in his second administration. Waltz, a colonel in the National Guard, received four Bronze Stars while serving in the Special Forces during multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa. In 2018, he became the first “Green Beret” elected to Congress. The fellow veterans putting their signatures on the letter are – in alphabetical order – Republican Reps. Mike Bost of Illinois, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Elijah Crane of Arizona, Jake Ellzey of Texas, Scott Fitzgerald of Wisconsin, Scott Franklin of Florida, Mark Green of Tennessee, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Wesley Hunt of Texas, Ronny Jackson of Texas, Trent Kelly of Mississippi, Nick LaLota of New York, Barry Loudermilk of Georgia, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Morgan Luttrell of Texas, Brian Mast of Florida, Richard McCormick of Georgia, Max Miller of Ohio, Cory Mills of Florida, Barry Moore of Alabama, Troy Nehls of Texas, Zach Nunn of Iowa, Guy Reschenthaler of Pennsylvania, Keith Self of Texas, Greg Steube of Florida, William Timmons of South Carolina, Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin, Brandon Williams of New York, Ryan Zinke of Montana, and Dan Crenshaw of Texas.
Nation’s largest labor union for federal employees rebukes GOP’s efforts to end telework
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the country’s largest labor union for federal employees, is fighting back against GOP criticisms that government employees are abusing the use of remote work. With the incoming Trump administration, Republicans have gone on the offensive when it comes to challenging remote-work and work-from-home policies that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic and have been maintained for years later. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., unveiled a package of bills last week that she plans to introduce, aimed at holding the federal government more accountable for its use of taxpayer dollars. One of the bills seeks to require federal agencies to submit a report on the impacts of expanded teleworking since the pandemic, as well as details about how they plan to implement remote-work policies going forward. Blackburn’s bills coincide with a report penned recently by Sen. Joni Ernst, R–Iowa, chair of the new Department of Government Efficiency caucus, which posits ways to reduce the level of government employees working remotely, such as by tracking their individual productivity and tying it to their ability to work-from-home. TO BE REMOTE OR NOT TO BE? THAT IS THE BURNING FEDERAL WORKPLACE QUESTION Meanwhile, AFGE, which represents roughly 800,000 civil servants, is rebuking these efforts, deriding them as “a deliberate attempt to demean the federal workforce and justify the wholesale privatization of public-sector jobs.” AFGE put out a press release Friday to “set the record straight” on what the group described as an exaggeration from GOP politicians about the misuse of telework. “AFGE believes that facts matter, and that lawmakers should be guided by the facts when making decisions that affect the lives of their constituents,” the press statement said. The document laid out a handful of “myths” about federal employee telework. Several they named came from Ernst’s report that she presented to President-elect Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last week, including one that claims “nearly one-third” of the federal workforce is “entirely remote.” According to AFGE, only 10% of federal civilian workers “were in remote positions where there was no expectation that they worked in-person,” citing an August 2024 report to Congress from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). SENATE DOGE LEADER ERNST TO TAKE ON GOVERNMENT TELEWORK ABUSE AT FIRST MEETING WITH MUSK, RAMASWAMY The labor group also challenged Ernst’s claims from her report that “most federal workers are eligible to telework and 90% of [them] are,” as well as her claim that only 6% of the federal workforce goes into the office every single day. Citing the same OMB report to Congress, AFGE argued that actually fewer than half – roughly 46% – of federal workers are eligible for telework, while adding that 54% of the federal workforce have jobs that require them to be in-person every single day. In response to AFGE’s challenge of her claims, Ernst said “the real myth” was that bureaucrats are showing up to work. “Federal employees are already squealing, and the unions representing them are shamelessly fighting tooth and nail against returning to the office,” the Iowa senator told Fox News Digital. “I invite public sector unions to support my legislation to track their productivity during the workday. This will show how hard they are working for the American people and settle this debate once and for all. In the coming days, I will be highlighting more profiles of ‘working’ from home. The tips from whistleblowers just keep coming into my office.” Other “myths” the labor union sought to debunk included claims from Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, both tapped by Trump to lead DOGE, and Russell Vought, Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget. One claim AFGE focused on from Musk argued that when you exclude federal personnel who cannot work remotely due to their day-to-day responsibilities, such as “security guards and maintenance personnel,” the number of federal workers going into the office for at least 40 hours per week is around 1%. A similar claim was also backed up by a source familiar with the data used in Ernst’s report, who said the numbers used by AFGE are cherry-picked because they rely on federal workers who could not work remotely if they wanted to, such as Border Patrol officers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents. Last week, AFGE secured a deal with the Biden administration’s Social Security Administration to set current levels of telework at the agency through 2029. The move will impact roughly 42,000 federal workers, according to Bloomberg News, and will serve to protect the ability to do remote work until the agreed upon contract expires in five years. Fox News Digital reached out to AFGE for comment, but did not receive a response by publication time.
Fani Willis declines to share Jack Smith, Jan 6 records, in a blow to conservative watchdogs
The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office declined this week to turn over any new communications between District Attorney Fani Willis and outgoing special counsel Jack Smith, asserting in a new court filing that the documents either do not exist or are exempt from disclosure under Georgia law. The update was shared Tuesday by Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group that sued Willis in March after her office denied having any records of communication between Willis and Smith or between Willis and the House January 6th Committee. HOUSE JUDICIARY INVESTIGATING WHETHER FULTON COUNTY DA FANI WILLIS ‘COORDINATED’ WITH JAN 6 COMMITTEE Both Smith and the House Select Committee had been investigating alleged efforts by President-elect Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election—putting their investigations directly in the crosshairs of Judicial Watch and other conservative activists. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ordered Willis last Monday to produce any records of communication with either Smith or the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 within five business days, siding with Judicial Watch in determining that Willis had indeed violated the state’s open records act by failing to respond to the lawsuit. Willis, for her part, claims she was not properly served by the group. The Fulton County Open Records Department appears to disagree. In a new court filing this week, they said that their staff conducted a “diligent search” but had not uncovered any records of documents or communications between Willis and Smith, the special counsel tapped by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 to oversee two investigations into the alleged actions of former President Donald Trump. Additionally, staff for the Open Records Department asserted any records or documents between Willis and the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 are still “legally exempt” or “exempted from disclosure” to Judicial Watch under the Georgia Open Records Law, which itself protects against the release of documents or records that arose from an investigation, subsequent indictment, or prosecution in the ongoing case against Trump and his allies. The filing comes as Willis’s actions have come under scrutiny by Republican lawmakers and conservative nonprofit groups. Members of the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee have said Willis asked the House Select Committee on January 6th to share information with her office, prompting additional scrutiny into those communications. TRUMP BOOKED AT FULTON COUNTY JAIL AFTER CHARGES STEMMING FROM 2020 ELECTION PROBE Trump and 18 others pleaded not guilty in Fulton County last year to all charges stemming from a sweeping racketeering indictment brought by the DA’s office, which accused them of attempting to overturn the results of the presidential election. The charges against Trump in Georgia had been on hold after his attorneys filed an appeal to have Willis disqualified from the case, citing alleged conflicts of interest. Importantly, the charges against Trump in the state have not yet been officially dropped, despite his status as president-elect. The case’s status comes as Smith has wound down all federal court proceedings against Trump following his victory in the 2024 election and longstanding Justice Department policy that prevents U.S. prosecutors from bringing federal criminal charges against a sitting president. Fox News Digital’s Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.
‘DeSanta Claus’ strikes again: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announces extra days off for state workers
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that state workers will get three extra days off this month. “In addition to Christmas Day and New Years Day, our state workers will get three extra days off—December 23, 24 and 31—to spend more time with their families and loved ones this holiday season,” the governor declared in a post on X. State offices will be closed on all five of those days, according to a press release from the governor’s office. “Florida is in great shape, and we want to reward our state employees,” DeSantis said, according to the press release. “After a full year—including three costly hurricanes—we hope these extra days off allow for state workers to spend more time with their families and loved ones during this holiday season.” Last month “state workers were given off for November 27,” the day before Thanksgiving, Dan Barrow of the Florida Department of Management Services confirmed to Fox News Digital via email on Wednesday. The department’s website lists nine dates “observed as paid holidays by state agencies,” in 2024, including, New Year’s Day, Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans’ Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Friday following Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. “Full-time employees are entitled to one personal holiday each year,” the site also notes. Last year, DeSantis announced that state offices would be closed Nov. 22, Dec. 26, December 29, and Jan. 2, on top of regular closures during the holidays, according to a November 2023 press release. “Our state employees have worked tirelessly throughout the year to aid and assist Florida families,” DeSantis said, according to the release. “Over the past few months, they have selflessly responded to Hurricane Idalia and the State of Florida’s Israel Rescue Operation. Closing state offices on these additional days will provide state employees with some much-deserved time with their families and loved ones while enjoying the holiday season.”
‘Game on’: Trump border czar fires back after House Dem promises ‘resistance’ to deportations
FIRST ON FOX: Incoming border czar Tom Homan is not backing down from his plans to lead President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation operation in Chicago after a Democratic congresswoman told him to “be ready to meet the resistance.” “Message received. Please review 18 USC 111 and also see 8 USC 1324 (iii),” Homan told Fox News Digital in an interview on Wednesday. “Game on.” He was referring to two laws prohibiting impeding a federal law enforcement officer and the other prohibits the harboring or concealing of illegal immigrants from immigration officers. “So, message received, please review this statute and that statute and game on,” he said. TRUMP’S INCOMING BORDER CZAR REVEALS HE’S ALREADY MAKING PLANS FOR 1,400 ACRES OF LAND OFFERED BY TEXAS Homan had spoken in Chicago this week and told local Republicans he wanted Illinois Democrats to “come to the table” but if not, to “get the hell out of the way.” That comment sparked a fiery response from Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill. “Tom Homan, the next time you come to #IL03 —a district made stronger and more powerful by immigrants — you better be ready to meet the resistance,” she warned. “You may think Chicago needs to get out of the way of Trump’s plans for mass deportation, but we plan to get ALL UP IN YOUR WAY.” CALIFORNIA COUNTY VOTES TO RAMP UP SANCTUARY POLICIES AHEAD OF TRUMP DEPORTATION PUSH: ‘RADICAL POLICY’ Ramirez’s comments are the latest in a slew of comments by Democratic lawmakers and officials across the country who have promised either not to co-operate with the incoming Trump administration’s plans for mass deportations or to resist them entirely. Last month, the mayor of Denver said he was willing to go to jail over the opposition to the deportations. Homan had responded to the statement by the mayor by saying he was willing to jail him, noting the same statutes he pointed to when speaking to Fox Digital. On Wednesday, he described Ramirez’s opposition as opposition that would stop the arrests of public safety threats. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS “President Trump and I have been clear on every interview I do, that right out of the gate, we’re going to be prioritizing public safety threats,” Homan said. “Any elected official who wants to prevent the removal of public safety threats from their communities, especially if they’re illegal aliens, is not doing their job. Because their job, their number one responsibility to their communities is protection of that community, the safety of that community.” “No one should be arguing against removing public safety threats, and I find it just incredible that she supports more criminals, especially in Chicago for God’s sake,” he said. He said that the administration will also be prioritizing the bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which has spread across the country and has established a presence in Chicago along with other gangs. “I would not say every criminal in Chicago is an illegal alien, but some are, many are. So let’s not only take them out of the community. Let’s take them out of the country.” “So, game on,” he said.
Bragg pitches post-presidency Trump sentencing in renewed push urging Judge Merchan to keep conviction alive
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office filed a legal brief calling on Justice Juan Merchan to not toss President-elect Donald Trump’s guilty verdict in the Manhattan criminal case, offering alternative options to keep the case on ice until after Trump’s second administration. “President-elect immunity does not exist. And even after the inauguration, defendant’s temporary immunity as the sitting President will still not justify the extreme remedy of discarding the jury’s unanimous guilty verdict and wiping out the already-completed phases of this criminal proceeding,” the Tuesday court filing from Bragg’s office states. Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the Manhattan case in May. Bragg’s office worked to prove that Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to quiet her claims of an alleged affair with Trump in 2006. Trump has maintained his innocence in the case and repeatedly railed against it as an example of lawfare promoted by Democrats in an effort to hurt his election efforts ahead of November. NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES SAYS SHE WON’T DROP CIVIL FRAUD CASE AGAINST TRUMP Trump’s sentencing in the case has been repeatedly delayed. Trump’s lawyers had asked Merchan to overturn the former president’s guilty verdict after the Supreme Court ruled in July that former presidents have substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts in office, but not for unofficial acts. Merchan has not yet ruled on the immunity argument. PROSECUTORS REQUEST STAY IN TRUMP NY CASE UNTIL 2029 AS DEFENSE PLANS MOTION FOR DISMISSAL ‘ONCE AND FOR ALL’ Bragg’s office acknowledged in its Tuesday filing that Trump cannot be sentenced as president but argued Merchan has various options to keep the case on ice until 2029 and sentence Trump following his second presidential administration. “[N]o principle of immunity precludes further proceedings before defendant’s inauguration. And even if judgment has not been entered at the time of defendant’s inauguration, there is no legal barrier to deferring sentencing until after defendant’s term of office concludes,” the filing said. BRAGG CASE ‘EFFECTIVELY OVER’ IN ‘MAJOR VICTORY,’ TRUMP OFFICIALS SAY The DA’s office argued that a stay of proceedings in the case would exempt the former and upcoming president “from any immediate obligations in this case during his time in office, while at the same time respecting the public interest in upholding the rule of law and preserving the meaningful aspects of the criminal process that have already taken place.” The DA’s office had already called for a stay in the case following the election, with Tuesday’s filing doubling down on that argument. “To be sure, the People do not dispute that presidential immunity requires accommodation during a President’s time in office. But the extreme remedy of dismissing the indictment and vacating the jury verdict is not warranted in light of multiple alternative accommodations that would fully address the concerns raised by presidential immunity,” their filing said. TRUMP DEMANDS NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES DROP CIVIL FRAUD CASE ‘FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF THE COUNTRY’ Bragg’s office also floated that Merchan could use a legal procedure known as abatement, which is a practice used in states such as Alabama when a defendant dies after a conviction, but before sentencing. In those cases, the state can preserve the conviction but halt other court proceedings. TRUMP LAWYERS DEMAND BRAGG CASE BE ‘IMMEDIATELY DISMISSED,’ SAY ELECTION ‘SUPERSEDES’ POLITICAL ‘MOTIVATIONS’ Trump spokesman Steven Chueng slammed the filing Tuesday as “a pathetic attempt to salvage the remains of an unconstitutional and politically motivated hoax.” Following Trump’s win over Vice President Kamala Harris last month, Trump officials exclusively told Fox News Digital that the case was “effectively over” as Bragg requested a stay until 2029. “Prosecutors are trying to save face,” a Trump official told Fox News Digital. “They know this case will soon be thrown out.” Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Former Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner, convicted of illicit contact with minor, files to run for NYC Council
Disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., whose once-promising career was seemingly destroyed by sexting scandals, is eyeing a political comeback and exploring a return to New York City Council. Weiner, 60, who resigned from Congress in 2011 after admitting to sending women explicit photos, has filed to run for a seat on the council where he previously served for six years in the 1990s representing Sheepshead Bay and Brighton Beach in Brooklyn. Campaign finance records list a campaign committee that was set up on Friday for Weiner called Weiner 25, in addition to listing him as a candidate for a council seat in Lower Manhattan. ANTHONY WEINER MULLS RETURN: DISGRACED EX-POL SAYS NEW YORK CITY NEEDS NEW LEADERSHIP In a phone conversation Tuesday with The Associated Press, Weiner said he is “still exploring” whether to actually campaign for the office. He said he opened the committee late last week so he could participate in a forum held by the Downtown Independent Democrats later this week. He said on his weekly radio show that he hasn’t fully decided on a run just yet and is considering the personal dynamics of a return to politics. Responding to calls from reporters and listeners to his 77WABC radio program last month, Weiner said he wasn’t done with politics and that people in his neighborhood have approached him about returning to office. “The way I always unpack these things is ‘What does it mean for me and my neighbors?’ The city has always been the way that I have looked at service. And, you know, we are Democrats. We stand up… for each other… we don’t like people being victimized by bullies,” Weiner said. Weiner said New York City should always be the “shining laboratory” of Democratic Party ideals and said that “for years we had Republicans running this town.” From 1994 to 2002, Republican Rudy Giuliani served as mayor. He was succeeded by Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Independent Michael Bloomberg until 2013. ANTHONY WEINER SPARS WITH WATTERS, DEFENDS BIDEN, DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM: ‘CRIME IS DOWN’ The City Council, however, has historically been a supermajority of Democrats and currently has just six Republicans compared to 45 Democrats. Weiner blamed part of the homeless and migrant problem on a 1979 class action suit brought against then-Gov. Hugh L. Carey and Mayor Ed Koch that resulted in the “Callahan Decree” – which instituted a right-to-shelter for homeless men. He continued through a litany of things he would like to see improved about the city, such as being able to walk into a Duane Reade with his son and not find most of the store’s goods locked up. Weiner was once seen as then-Rep. Chuck Schumer’s protégé and had a close relationship with his fellow Brooklynite. When Schumer gave up his House seat and successfully won the Senate seat of retiring Republican Al D’Amato, Weiner replaced him in 1999 and served 12 years before resigning in disgrace after sending lewd photos. After his resignation, Weiner continued sexting under the pseudonym “Carlos Danger.” The main recipient, Sydney Leathers, who was 22 at the time, claimed the former lawmaker referred to himself as “an argumentative, perpetually horny middle-aged man.” He tried to make a comeback in 2013 to run for mayor but was damaged by new revelations of explicit photos Weiner had sent under the pseudonym. A few years later, in 2016, he was embroiled in another sexting scandal during which he separated from his wife, longtime Hillary Clinton confidante Huma Abedin, who is now engaged to Alex Soros, the son of left-wing billionaire George Soros. In one image Weiner sent, he was lying in bed with his young son. Later that year, claims surfaced again, this time that Weiner had sexted a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina and his laptop was seized. Investigators found emails pertinent to Clinton’s classified documents scandal that preceded her upset loss to President-elect Donald Trump. Weiner later checked himself into rehab for sex addiction and in 2017 was sentenced to 21 months in his federal sexting case – which imploded his then-bid for mayor. He was released in 2019 and was ordered to register as a sex offender.
House GOP fiscal hawks warn Trump tax cuts in danger of expiring under new Senate-backed plan
Republican tax hawks are worried that key Trump administration tax policies could expire at the end of 2025 if congressional leaders follow through on a plan to break up a massive conservative budget bill into two parts. Reconciliation is a way to fast-track legislation on issues like taxes, the debt limit and federal spending by bypassing the Senate’s 60-vote threshold for passage, instead lowering it to a simple 51-vote majority. It is a process normally used once per year, but incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., floated a plan earlier this month to split Republicans’ reconciliation priorities into two bills – one dealing with the border and defense and a second aimed at implementing President-elect Donald Trump’s tax policy. The plan was also backed by top Trump adviser Stephen Miller. However, Republicans on the House Ways & Means Committee, including Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., are concerned it could put their goals – such as preserving Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act – out of reach. REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY “I think because we’ve already had some of the provisions expire or sunset, and the remainder of the legislation expires at the end of 2025, that waiting toward the second half of the year puts a lot of it at risk. And there’s no way we can allow these rates to expire,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital. “Americans across the board will see a tax increase, and it really jeopardizes our quest to bring manufacturing home.” She pointed out that Republicans are set to have a razor-thin majority in the next Congress. “I do get nervous that, you know, one person can hold it up, or two people could hold it up, and I think it’s best to try to do it as early as possible,” she said. “I think that’s a belief that’s shared by many of the members on Ways & Means.” Smith pointed out to Fox Business’ “Mornings With Maria” that Congress has not passed two reconciliation bills into law in one year since 1997. DANIEL PENNY TO BE TAPPED FOR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL BY HOUSE GOP LAWMAKER “I am saying we need a reconciliation bill that has border, energy, permitting and tax. You put all four of those things together, we can deliver on that,” Smith said. He told Fox News Digital on Tuesday, “My focus all along is to make sure that we are best positioned to deliver on President Trump’s tax proposals and policies.” The debate is putting top Republicans who will be in charge of crafting fiscal policy next year at odds, while both argue they are fighting for Trump’s agenda. Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., said Smith was doing an “excellent job” and echoed concerns about a slim margin. “I think it is a big challenge. We have a very slim majority, and there are at least, I believe, two people, if not three of the Republicans, who voted against it are still here,” he said. Thune and other Republicans who support the two-track plan argued that taxes are more complex of an issue and would take longer to hash out. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told “Special Report” host Bret Baier on Tuesday night, “There probably will be at least two reconciliation packages. So, the determination right now is where does the tax piece fit and do we do that first out of the gates, or do you wait a couple of months to get all that done? Because it can be very complicated.” MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., similarly argued, “I think we need to prove to the American people that we can actually defend our borders… The bottom line is I think they need to be on almost parallel tracks. But I do believe that taxes are much more complicated.” However, a senior House GOP aide asked what was complex about extending tax provisions that were already put in place in 2017. “It’s confusing — given that extending the Trump tax cuts has been on the agenda for seven years and is a central campaign promise of [Trump’s], how can including them in a reconciliation bill require extra time and consideration by Senate Republicans, many of whom have already pledged their support?” the aide posed. The discussion is a preview of what Washington will look like next year when Republicans hold the White House and both congressional chambers. If Republicans are unable to harness enough momentum to pass a tax bill next year, Americans across the country could see their taxes rise. Ways & Means member Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., said it “could be more difficult” to pass a tax bill if it’s separated from the first reconciliation bill, but said he was “not at all concerned” about Republicans coming to an agreement. Another member of the committee, Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kan., agreed with Smith that one bill “would be a much better solution for us to work and get that process done.” However, Rep. Drew Ferguson, R-Ga., also on the panel, did not give insight into his stance but said he was optimistic. “I think this reconciliation process will be very different than what we did back in 2017, because I think members are better prepared, committees are better prepared, and I think the president’s going to be much better prepared,” he said. “So I wouldn’t get too worked up over a division of the plans right now.”
Biden flip-flop on pardoning son Hunter is wildly unpopular with Americans, poll finds
President Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter after previously vowing he would not give his son a pass has the approval of only 20% of Americans, according to a new poll released Wednesday. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found about half of adults disapprove of the pardon, which came after Hunter was convicted on felony gun and tax charges. About 18% of adults neither approved nor disapproved of the decision, while 8% said they didn’t know enough to say one way or the other, according to the poll. While Democrats were more likely to approve of the pardon than Republicans and Independents, the poll showed just 38% of Democrats approve compared to 27% who said they disapproved of the about-face. DEM REP. DEAN PHILLIPS BLASTS BIDEN AFTER HUNTER PARDON, SAYS SOME PEOPLE ‘ARE INDEED ABOVE THE LAW’ About 80% of Republicans and 51% of Independents disapproved of the pardon, according to the poll. Biden issued a sweeping pardon for Hunter on Dec. 1 after he stated on record multiple times that he would not pardon him should a jury convict his son. MOTHER OF HUNTER BIDEN’S DAUGHTER DEFENDS PARDON, SAYS HE’S ‘TARGETED BECAUSE OF WHO HIS DAD IS’ The first son had been convicted in two separate federal cases earlier this year. He pleaded guilty to federal tax charges in September, and was convicted of three felony gun charges in June after lying on a mandatory gun purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs. The president argued in a statement that Hunter was “singled out only because he is my son” and that there was an effort to “break Hunter” in order to “break me.” Reporters grilled White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre a day after the pardon, asking whether Biden and his surrogates lied to the American people. Jean-Pierre responded, “One thing the president believes is to always be truthful with the American people,” and repeatedly pointed to Biden’s own statement on the matter. Fox News Digital’s Alexander Hall contributed to this report.
Outgoing Treasury Sec. Yellen ‘sorry that we haven’t made more progress,’ believes deficit must be decreased
Outgoing Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen said that she’s “concerned about fiscal sustainability” and thinks the deficit must be decreased. She made the comments during the Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit after Greg Ip, chief economic commentator for the outlet, noted that President Joe Biden and Yellen are leaving behind a big budget deficit. “Are you sorry you couldn’t make more progress on that?” he asked. Ip also asked Yellen how much risk the issue presents to the economy. “Well I am concerned about fiscal sustainability. And I am sorry that we haven’t made more progress. I believe that the deficit needs to be brought down, especially now that we’re in an environment of higher interest rates,” Yellen replied. BIDEN SAYS TRUMP INHERITING ‘STRONGEST ECONOMY IN MODERN HISTORY,’ SLAMS TARIFF PLAN AS ‘MAJOR MISTAKE’ Yellen helmed the Treasury Department during President Joe Biden’s White House tenure, but will soon step down as Biden’s term ends next month. In that time, the already-massive national debt continued soaring to new heights, and has now surpassed $36 trillion. “Today, the U.S. economy is in strong shape, with a robust labor market and solid economic growth. Tune in as I join @Greg_Ip at the @WSJ CEO Council Summit to discuss the economic progress we have made under the leadership of @POTUS and @VP,” Yellen declared in a post on X. US NATIONAL DEBT HITS A NEW RECORD: $36 TRILLION Trump decisively defeated Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential contest, winning both the Electoral College and the popular vote. The president-elect tapped Scott Bessent to serve as Treasury Department secretary in his upcoming administration. “Scott is widely respected as one of the World’s foremost International Investors and Geopolitical and Economic Strategists,” Trump said in a statement last month. YELLEN TOUTS IRS ENFORCEMENT AS HELPING CLOSE THE BUDGET DEFICIT Yellen previously served as chair of the Federal Reserve Board of governors from early February 2014 through early February 2018.