Pentagon fails 7th audit in a row, unable to fully account for $824B budget
The Pentagon failed its seventh consecutive audit on Friday as the agency was unable to fully account for its massive $824 billion budget, though officials were confident the Department of Defense “has turned a corner” in understanding its budgetary challenges going forward. The audits resulted in a disclaimer of opinion, which means auditors were provided with insufficient information to form an accurate opinion of the accounts. Of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) 28 reporting entities that had standalone audits, 9 received an unmodified audit opinion, 1 received a qualified opinion, 15 received disclaimers, and 3 opinions remain pending, the Pentagon said. But with the goal of achieving a clean audit by 2028, Michael McCord, Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer, said the agency “has turned a corner in its understanding of the depth and breadth of its challenges.” MILITARY SUICIDES WERE ON THE RISE LAST YEAR, DESPITE A MASSIVE INVESTMENT IN PREVENTION PROGRAMS “Momentum is on our side, and throughout the Department there is strong commitment—and belief in our ability—to achieve an unmodified audit opinion,” he said in a statement. The objective of earning an unmodified audit opinion is mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act. McCord told reporters at a briefing on Friday that he would not say that the agency “failed” as it had “about half clean opinions.” “So if someone had a report card that is half good and half not good, I don’t know that you call the student or the report card a failure,” he said. US DEPLOYS ADDITIONAL MILITARY FORCES TO MIDDLE EAST AMID INTENSIFYING REGIONAL TENSIONS: PENTAGON Independent public accountants and the DoD Office of Inspector General closely examined the financial statements for the audit. McCord emphasized in a statement that the path to a clean audit is clear. “Significant work remains and challenges lie ahead, but our annual audit continues to be a catalyst for Department-wide financial management reform, resulting in greater financial integrity, transparency, and better-supported warfighters,” he said.
Virginia attorney general expects ‘a lot more common sense’ during Trump presidency
Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said he anticipates “a lot more common sense to come out of Washington” with a Trump presidency ahead. With President-elect Donald Trump heading to the Oval in January, Miyares said he looks forward to the administration rolling back “the overly burdensome regulations that have impacted so many Americans these last four years.” “Everything from the OSHA vaccine mandate . . . to a pretty radical interpretation of Title IX to essentially say that now biological boys are allowed to be on women’s sports teams,” Miyares told Fox News Digital. “So I anticipate you’re going to see a lot more common sense to come out of Washington and come out of the administration.” Miyares said he anticipates lots of new developments with the new Republican administration, and “we look forward to seeing it.” VIRGINIA AG CHEERS SUPREME COURT RULING AS ‘HUGE WIN’ FOR ELECTION INTEGRITY Following his win, Trump and his team have already started to announce various Cabinet nominations and policy expectations. Among them have included Trump’s announcement that he would be nominating Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to be the next attorney general. Miyares did not directly comment on Gaetz as the potential head of the Justice Department, but clarified that he also looks forward to working with the new AG. “We’re going to work with the attorney general,” Miyares said. “I know that’s why we have the Senate to advise and consent.” “But this is what I would say — the new administration and who they’re going to put in elevated leadership is, again, I think, going to be fundamentally different than I think some of the real left-wing ideology that we’ve seen pushed down by the Biden administration,” Miyares continued. TRUMP’S SPEEDY CABINET PICKS SHOW HIS ‘PRIORITY TO PUT AMERICA FIRST,’ TRANSITION TEAM SAYS Miyares recently made headlines after challenging a lower court’s ruling ordering the state to restore the names of approximately 1,600 potential noncitizens to its voter rolls ahead of the Nov. 5 election. Miyares, along with Gov. Glenn Youngkin, remained steadfast after the Department of Justice initially sued them over the voter removals, arguing that the state’s process was “individualized” and conducted in accordance with state and federal law. Miyares is up for re-election in 2025 but has yet to announce any formal plans for running again. Two Democrats have already announced their plans to run for the post, including former Virginia delegate Jay Jones and Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor. Both have voiced their criticisms of Gaetz’s nomination on social media. “When I am Virginia’s next Attorney General, you better believe I’ll be taking on Matt Gaetz’s overreach in court. We are going to hold this Administration accountable for Virginia families,” Jones wrote on X. MATT GAETZ FACES GOP SENATE OPPOSITION AFTER TRUMP SELECTION FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL “Matt Gaetz, who was investigated by law enforcement for sex trafficking and who has been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee (a Republican-led committee in a Republican-majority House) was nominated by President-Elect Trump as the next US Attorney General,” Taylor wrote on X. “I call on Attorney General Miyares @JasonMiyaresVA who is the highest legal officer in our Commonwealth, to oppose this appointment and to call on President Elect-Trump to instead nominate an Attorney General who is above reproach as opposed to a man under ethics investigation himself.” Trump first announced his intentions to nominate Gaetz as AG in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, saying Gaetz “has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice.” Gaetz then confirmed the nomination on the social media site X, adding, “It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!” Shortly after the announcement, Gaetz resigned from his post in Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced. Republicans have already signaled concerns over Gaetz’s potential appointment. He was previously under a yearlong DOJ investigation stemming from accusations that he had had a sexual relationship with a minor, but the department ultimately did not press charges. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and Kelly Phares contributed to this report.
Trump flanked by top allies, cabinet picks at UFC 309: ‘USA, USA’
President-elect Trump was flanked by cabinet picks and elected officials during his appearance cageside at the UFC pay-per-view card in New York City on Saturday night. Trump was joined by top supporters turned cabinet picks as he entered Madison Square Garden to raucous cheers and chants of “USA, USA.” Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who were both picked by Trump to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, and Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s choice for director of national intelligence, joined the president-elect. He was also joined by his pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy Jr. Along with cabinet picks, the president-elect was joined by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. DONALD TRUMP ARRIVES AT UFC 309 AT MSG; CROWD ROARS FOR PRESIDENT-ELECT WEEKS AFTER HISTORIC RALLY Trump was also accompanied by UFC President Dana White – a longtime fan of the president-elect from before his political aspirations. DONALD TRUMP HEADS TO UFC 309, EXPECTED TO RECEIVE RAUCOUS CHEERS AFTER ELECTION WIN White, who has frequented campaign events with Trump, hosted a 2001 UFC battle at Trump Taj Mahal, a former casino-hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Trump has attended UFC matches since – including during his 2024 campaign. The stop at the historic Madison Square Garden comes after Trump made rapid-fire choices to fill his cabinet in the weeks after winning the Presidential Election on Nov. 5. On Saturday, President-elect Trump announced that Chris Wright, the CEO and founder of Liberty Energy, will lead the Department of Energy in his new administration. “I am thrilled to announce that Chris Wright will be joining my Administration as both United States Secretary of Energy, and Member of the newly formed Council of National Energy,” Trump said in a statement released Saturday. WATCH: Trump’s nominees and administration picks during his second administration are being publicly announced at a much faster pace than during his first administration in 2016, which the transition team attributed to Trump’s commitment to putting “America first.” “The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin, giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail, and his Cabinet picks reflect his priority to put America First. President Trump will continue to appoint highly qualified men and women who have the talent, experience and necessary skill sets to Make America Great Again,” Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital when asked about Trump’s speedy rollout of Cabinet picks. Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.
Debt-ridden Harris campaign spent $2.6 million on private flights for staff in October: FEC documents
Vice President Harris’ debt-ridden presidential campaign spent $2.6 million on private flights in the last few weeks of the election season, documents show. The release of the findings comes as the debt-saddled campaign, which spent $1 billion on the trail, is being scrutinized for the financial decisions it made before losing the Nov. 5 election to President-elect Trump. The campaign is believed to be $20 million in debt. The eyebrow-raising expenses were listed in a Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing obtained by Fox News Digital. According to the FEC filing, in the month of October alone, the Harris campaign spent $2,626,110 on private flights. The costs ranged from $3,500 to $940,000 per disbursement, with $2.2 million going to a company named Private Jet Services Group, while $430,000 went to Advanced Aviation Team, a charter flight broker. TRUMP APPOINTS TULSI GABBARD AS DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: ‘FEARLESS SPIRIT’ In September, campaign staff spent $3.1 million on private flights, which brings the flight-related expense total to more than $10 million since July. The expenditures are just a few of several financial decisions for which the campaign has been intensely scrutinized. For example, Harris’ team paid Oprah Winfrey’s production company $1 million after the TV star spoke at a rally Oct. 15. Harris staffers also gave $4 million to Village Marketing Agency, a company that connects clients with social media influencers. Additionally, FEC records show the campaign spent at least $15 million on “event production.” HERE ARE THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT CANDIDATES FOR TOP POSTS IN TRUMP’S ADMINISTRATION The campaign’s use of private jets has been criticized in recent weeks for both financial and environmental reasons. Private jets emit more greenhouse gases per passenger than commercial flights do, and Harris previously said climate change was an “existential threat.” “There’s no question we have to be practical. But being practical also recognizes that climate change is an existential threat to us as human beings,” Harris told CNN in 2019. “Being practical recognizes that greenhouse gas emissions are threatening our air and threatening the planet and that it is well within our capacity as human beings to change our behaviors in a way that we can reduce its effects.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment. Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller and Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.
Gov. JB Pritzker vows Illinois will boost sex changes after decisive Trump victory
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker pledged Saturday to keep his state open to transgender treatment after the issue, particularly regarding minors, became a bone of partisan contention during the presidential election. The billionaire governor, whose family is deeply involved in the transgender movement, posted the tweet to mark Transgender Awareness Week. “This Transgender Awareness Week, I want you to know that I see you and have your back as governor,” wrote Pritzker. “Illinois has enshrined protections for gender-affirming care to meet this moment — and because of that, you will have a home here always.” OHIO SENATE PASSES BILL THAT WOULD RESTRICT TRANSGENDER STUDENT ACCESS TO SCHOOL BATHROOMS His state is one of several, including Minnesota and California, critics say foster a climate that encourages some children to seek so-called “gender-affirming care.” Pritzker’s cousin, Jennifer, was born a male but now identifies as a female and is an outspoken proponent of transgender treatment. Jennifer (née James) Pritzker was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army National Guard and is a father of three. Jennifer Pritzker also leads the Chicago-based Tawani Foundation, which awards grants to organizations that support “gender and human sexuality,” according to its website. The Pritzker family fortune was made in Hyatt Hotels. “Continuing my family’s tradition of putting personal philanthropy into service for the public good, the Tawani Foundation strives to make grants that empower the organizations we support to realize and build on their missions,” Jennifer wrote on the foundation’s website. TRUMP HHS COULD REVERSE BIDEN-HARRIS POLICIES ON GENDER TREATMENTS FOR MINORS Illinois is one of the most progressive states in the nation when it comes to minors who identify as the opposite sex. Gov. Pritzker enacted guidance through the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHR) in December 2021 about non-discrimination protections for “transgender, nonbinary and gender nonconforming students” under the Illinois Human Rights Act of 1979. “Ensuring every Illinois student has access to a safe, validating learning environment where they can be their true self is a top priority for my administration,” Pritzker said in a release. “This guidance from the Illinois Department of Human Rights will provide students, caregivers, and educators another tool to ensure classrooms are welcoming, affirming, and inclusive for all students.” In Illinois, biological males can compete with females under Pritzker’s guidance in school or club sports. Additionally, “use of restrooms, locker rooms and changing rooms may not be restricted based upon a student’s physical anatomy or chromosomal sex. A student must be permitted to access restrooms or bathrooms, locker rooms and changing rooms that align with their gender-related identity and without having to provide documentation or other proof of gender,” according to the IDHR. Pritzker’s policy clarifies that “discomfort or privacy concerns of other students, teachers, or parents” are “not valid reasons to deny or limit the full and equal use of facilities based on a student’s gender-related identity.” The 2024 presidential election’s nationwide GOP mandate is giving Democrats who publicly supported “gender-affirming” policies for minors pause. In a February 2023 video, President-elect Trump said, “I will then ask Congress to permanently stop federal taxpayer dollars from being used to promote or pay for these procedures and pass a law prohibiting child sexual mutilation in all 50 states.” In Illinois, Medicaid can cover gender transition surgeries and drugs for those who are 21 years or older under Gov. Pritzker. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Pritzker’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Biden awkwardly stands in back of APEC photo with China’s Xi Jinping front and center
President Biden awkwardly stood in the back corner of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) family photo on Saturday, as other prominent world leaders were spotted front and center. Chinese Premier Xi Jinping was placed in the front-center of the photo, next to Peruvian president Dina Boluarte. Boluarte hosted the world leaders in Lima for this year’s APEC summit. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was seen in the front row on Xi’s right, along with Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Pictures show Biden smiling and laughing with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra of Thailand while the family photo was being taken. This weekend, Biden had closed-door meetings with a variety of leaders, including Boluarte and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. TRUMP APPOINTS TULSI GABBARD AS DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: ‘FEARLESS SPIRIT’ The photograph’s placement of Biden, who is leaving office in January, departs from where American leaders typically stand. Last year, Biden was center in the 2023 APEC family photo, which was hosted in San Francisco. Trudeau and Xi were on Biden’s right. In 2017, former President Trump stood towards the front-center of that year’s APEC family photo, along with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. HERE ARE THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT CANDIDATES FOR TOP POSTS IN TRUMP’S ADMINISTRATION The conference came nearly two weeks after the 2024 presidential election, where Vice President Harris lost to Trump in a huge upset victory. Biden met with the Republican leader this week to discuss the transition process. “I look forward… to having a smooth transition. We’ll do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated, what you need,” the Democratic president said to Trump during the meeting. “I appreciate very much the transition that’s so smooth,” Trump replied. “It will be as smooth as it can get, and I very much appreciate that.” Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Trump lawyer William Owen Scharf picked for ‘crucial’ White House assistant role
President-elect Trump announced that William Owen Scharf, one of his lawyers, will serve as assistant to the president and staff secretary in the upcoming administration. “I am pleased to announce that William Owen Scharf will serve as Assistant to the President and White House Staff Secretary,” Trump’s statement read. “Will is a highly skilled attorney who will be a crucial part of my White House team.” The Republican leader added that Scharf, a former federal prosecutor, “has played a key role in defeating the Election Interference and Lawfare waged against me, including by winning the Historic Immunity Decision in the Supreme Court.” “Will is going to make us proud as we Make America Great Again,” Trump added. GOV KRISTI NOEM REFLECTS ON TRUMP WIN, SAYS DEMOCRATS ‘TRY TO PUT WOMEN IN A BOX’ Scharf, who received an undergraduate degree from Princeton University and a law degree from Harvard University, has clerked for two federal appeals court judges. The former prosecutor was also employed by CRC Advisors, a conservative public relations firm, and has also worked for Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens. Scharf also worked as an assistant U.S. Attorney in St. Louis. HERE ARE THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT CANDIDATES FOR TOP POSTS IN TRUMP’S ADMINISTRATION The lawyer recently ran for Missouri attorney general, but lost in the Republican primary to incumbent Andrew Bailey. Bailey won against Democrat Elad Gross earlier in November. Trump posted about Scharf’s appointment shortly before he announced his pick for secretary of energy, Chris Wright, on Saturday night. Wright, the CEO of Liberty Energy, “was one of the pioneers who helped launch the American Shale Revolution that fueled American Energy Independence, and transformed the Global Energy Markets and Geopolitics,” Trump wrote. Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Trump taps Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright for Department of Energy: ‘Leading technologist and entrepreneur’
President-elect Donald Trump announced that Chris Wright, the CEO and founder of Liberty Energy, will lead the Department of Energy in his new administration. “I am thrilled to announce that Chris Wright will be joining my Administration as both United States Secretary of Energy, and Member of the newly formed Council of National Energy,” Trump said in a statement released Saturday. The newly-elected president wrote that Wright “has been a leading technologist and entrepreneur in Energy.” “He has worked in Nuclear, Solar, Geothermal, and Oil and Gas,” Trump’s statement read. “Most significantly, Chris was one of the pioneers who helped launch the American Shale Revolution that fueled American Energy Independence, and transformed the Global Energy Markets and Geopolitics.” The key Cabinet position announcement comes after Trump made independent energy and bolstering oil and gas production a cornerstone of his campaign. While on the campaign trail, Trump pledged to expand fracking and lift a pause on liquefied natural gas exports, which marks a sharp contrast with his predecessor. LEAVE THE OIL TO ME: TRUMP VOWS TO UNLEASH US ENERGY, UNDO KEY BIDEN RULES IN 2ND TERM “They annihilated your steel mills, decimated your coal jobs, assaulted your oil and gas jobs and sold off your manufacturing jobs to China and other foreign nations all over the world,” Trump said of the Biden administration during a campaign event in Pennsylvania last month. BIDEN ADMIN TOUTS JOB WELL DONE REPLENISHING OIL RESERVES DESPITE DEPLETING THEM BY HALF OVER LAST 4 YEARS The president-elect has also vowed to use his second White House term to re-exit the Paris climate accord, undo strict emissions standards for vehicles and power plants, and bolster production of U.S. oil and gas, including through fracking. Trump’s nominees and administration picks during his second administration are being publicly announced at a much faster pace than during his first administration in 2016, which the transition team attributed to Trump’s commitment to putting “America first.” EPA’S NEW RULE TO CHARGE OIL AND GAS COMPANIES FOR EMISSIONS COULD FACE A TRUMP RECKONING “The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin, giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail — and his Cabinet picks reflect his priority to put America First. President Trump will continue to appoint highly qualified men and women who have the talent, experience and necessary skill sets to Make America Great Again,” Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital when asked about Trump’s speedy roll-out of Cabinet picks. Under his first administration, Trump tapped former Texas Gov. Rick Perry for the position, before Dan Brouillette took the position over in 2019. Trump did not announce his choice of Perry until Dec. 14, 2016, putting him ahead of his first term’s nomination process. On the energy front, Trump also reportedly plans to install an “energy czar” to scale back energy and climate regulations implemented under the Biden administration, and also already named former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch and Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
Schumer now pleads for bi-partisanship having promised to railroad Democrat agenda through
With Republicans sweeping to a red trifecta in last week’s elections, stunningly capturing the White House and majorities in the House and Senate, Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is cutting a different tone, compared to his pre-election hype where he posited a Democrat win in the Senate and then potentially getting rid of the filibuster, among other radical proposals. Ending the filibuster rule – which requires 60 votes to pass bills – would have made it easier for Democrats to supercharge their agenda and essentially railroad any Republican opposition. Schumer and the Democrats tried to kill the filibuster in 2022 when they had 50 votes – the vice president could have broken the tie – but Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema refused to toe the Democratic party line. They eventually became Independents. FILIBUSTER: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE POLITICAL DELAY TACTIC With Manchin and Sinema leaving the Senate, Schumer was confident of having at least 50 Senate seats after this year’s election with a then-potential Vice President Walz breaking the tie on a filibuster vote. “We got it up to 48, but, of course, Sinema and Manchin voted no; that’s why we couldn’t change the rules. Well, they’re both gone,” Schumer told reporters on the Tuesday during the week of the Democratic convention, according to NBC News. “Ruben Gallego is for it, and we have 51. So, even losing Manchin, we still have 50.” The result would have essentially meant one-party rule in the Senate, with Schumer also toying with expanding voting rights nationwide by passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. He also discussed a potential rule change to codify abortion rights in federal law, a party priority after Roe v. Wade was overturned, which would have faced staunch Republican opposition and lacking a path to 60 Senate votes. Schumer also posited reforming the Supreme Court by slapping 18-year term limits on justices and touted reversing the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling, which determined that presidents are immune from prosecution for some “official acts.” He has previously announced his intention to move legislation that would expand the Supreme Court from nine to 13 members. But this week, he went to the floor of the Senate to tell Republicans to essentially go easy on their legislative colleagues on the other side of the aisle, since Republicans will have a 53-to-47 majority. WHAT TRUMP’S REPUBLICAN TRIFECTA IN HIS FIRST ADMINISTRATION ACCOMPLISHED, AND WHERE THEY FAILED: FLASHBACK “To my Republican colleagues, I offer a word of caution in good faith,” Schumer said. “Take care not to misread the will of the people, and do not abandon the need for bipartisanship. After winning an election, the temptation may be to go to the extreme. We’ve seen that happen over the decades, and it has consistently backfired on the party in power.” “So, instead of going to the extremes, I remind my colleagues that this body is most effective when it’s bipartisan. If we want the next four years in the Senate to be as productive as the last four, the only way that will happen is through bipartisan cooperation.” Schumer’s about face wasn’t lost on Byron York, chief political correspondent for the Washington Examiner and a Fox News contributor. “The short version of that is: Please don’t do to us what we were going to do to you,” York writes in the Washington Examiner. “Schumer is obviously concerned that Republicans might embrace a scheme to eliminate the filibuster and pass all sorts of consequential legislation with no Democratic input at all. That wouldn’t be bipartisan!” “Fortunately for Schumer, Republicans have been more principled than Democrats when it comes to the legislative filibuster, and to the filibuster in general. Republicans realize that even though they will have the majority for the next two years, they might be back in the minority at any time after that. So Schumer will not get it good and hard the way he planned to give it to Republicans.” York writes that Schumer’s “brand of hypocrisy is particularly egregious” since he was advocating changing Senate rules on a partisan basis to eliminate the minority party’s ability to demand a higher standard of approval for controversial legislation, as opposed to advocating to get a particular bill across the line. “He was. And then, when Schumer’s party loses, he instantly turns around and becomes Mr. Bipartisanship. For that, there should be a word that goes beyond mere hypocrisy.” Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., will replace Schumer as Majority Leader and is planning to make ushering in President-elect Trump’s immigration agenda the first item on his to-do list when he succeeds. He has not indicated that he intended to vote on the filibuster rule. He said repairing the economy is also near the top of his list. As crucial elements of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 passed by Trump are set to expire in 2025, Thune said Republicans will take action through the budget reconciliation process to renew them. The trifecta will make Trump’s agenda easier to pursue without opposition from a Democratic majority. Republicans held a governing trifecta from 2017 to 2019. The GOP achieved much of their agenda, including sweeping tax reform and confirming justices to achieve a conservative majority in the Supreme Court. But Thune said he would protect the filibuster rule, even if it stands in the way of the Trump agenda it hopes to advance. Fox News’s Jamie Joseph, Julia Johnson and Tyler Olson contributed to this report.
North Carolina Democrat floats ‘shadow cabinet’ to take on Trump administration
With President-elect Trump headed back to the White House and Republicans in the majority in Congress, Democrats have few options to push back against the GOP agenda. But one enterprising North Carolina lawmaker thinks his minority party should look across the pond to the United Kingdom for the answer to “go toe to toe” with Trump. Rep. WIley Nickels, D-N.C., has proposed that Democrats create a “shadow cabinet” to organize the opposition and challenge each decision by the government. “Across the Atlantic, the British have something we don’t: a team from the opposition that mirrors the government’s cabinet members. They watch the cabinet closely, publicly challenging, scrutinizing and offering new ideas. It’s another form of checks and balances — a quiet guardrail that keeps power accountable,” Wiley argues in an op-ed for the Washington Post. His proposal is to appoint 26 Democratic leaders in Congress to mirror Trump’s Cabinet-level officials and challenge each initiative of the incoming administration. Sen.-elect Adam Schiff, D-Calif., for instance, could be a shadow attorney general who would call out Trump’s efforts to replace career Justice Department attorneys with those loyal to the president. Or Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, D-N.Y., might be a shadow Secretary of State who would loudly oppose potential action by the Trump administration that would decrease support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. ‘ALL THE OPTIONS’ ARE ON THE TABLE TO GET TRUMP’S CABINET PICKS THROUGH CONFIRMATION, SAYS SEN. JOHN THUNE “We have to step up our game. We have to go toe to toe with Trump. And it’s not just about saying, you know what, what we’re against. It’s about saying what we’re for and putting our best messengers out there,” Nickel told CNN’s Laura Coates in a recent interview. In the U.K., a shadow cabinet is a team of opposition leaders that reflect the ruling party’s cabinet members. The shadow cabinet has a counterpart for every minister in the ruling coalition’s government. It’s a system Nickel argues has worked for a century. “They watch the Cabinet closely, publicly challenging, scrutinizing and offering new ideas,” Nickel wrote in his op-ed. “It’s democracy’s insurance policy. And it strengthens the government, too: There is no room for lazy ideas when rivals stand ready.” TRUMP’S PICKS SO FAR: HERE’S WHO WILL BE ADVISING THE NEW PRESIDENT There are key differences between the U.S. and U.K. governments that might complicate this idea. The most obvious being that the U.K. uses a parliamentary system, where multiple parties form coalition governments as opposed to the dual party system Americans have. The U.K. prime minister is the head of government and leads the Cabinet, which exercises the executive power. The American founders intentionally created a different system. The U.S. Constitution invests the legislative power in Congress and the authority to enforce laws in the Executive Branch, which is led by the president. The president’s cabinet officials each head different executive agencies, which are created by Congress but not administered by lawmakers. WHAT TRUMP’S REPUBLICAN TRIFECTA IN HIS FIRST ADMINISTRATION ACCOMPLISHED, AND WHERE THEY FAILED: FLASHBACK Members of the cabinet are nominated by the president and confirmed with the “advice and consent” of the Senate. Nickels’ proposed shadow cabinet officials would not be subject to similar checks on power. In addition, in the absence of a definite constitutional authority, it is unclear what powers a “shadow cabinet” might exercise, or what purpose it would serve other than to voice objections to Trump’s policies – which every member of Congress can already do during legislative debate. In an interview with LiveNow from FOX, Nickel clarified that his idea is a “communications push.” “It’s about putting out our positive message to counter what we’re seeing from Trump. And if Trump or his Cabinet secretaries step out of line we’ve got somebody ready to go and answer, and be accountable to the American people on things we care about,” he explained. “This is about putting a point person for advocacy groups, for the public, a lead messenger … we need to organize our opposition,” Nickel said. “We can do our own American version of a [shadow cabinet] that will help Democrats do the thing we didn’t do, which is get out our positive message and talk about the things that folks are rightly concerned about.”