NC Senate showdown escalates as Trump rallies behind Whatley to keep GOP seat
President Donald Trump heads to battleground North Carolina on Friday as he aims to keep an open Republican-held Senate seat in GOP hands in next year’s midterm elections. Trump will hold an evening event on affordability as he teams up in the crucial southeastern state with Michael Whatley, a former Republican National Committee (RNC) chair and clear frontrunner for the GOP Senate nomination in the 2026 race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. Whatley is likely to face off next year against former two-term Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in what’s expected to be one of the most expensive and crucial Senate battles in the country, as the GOP works to hold its 53-47 majority in the chamber. And rising prices will be a top issue on the campaign trail. “President Trump won North Carolina all three times. 2016, 2020, and 2024… because he connects directly with the people of North Carolina, talking about the issues that they care about. So it is very important to have him on the ground,” Whatley emphasized this week in a Fox News Digital interview. TRUMP-BACKED RNC CHAIR JUMPS INTO ‘MARQUEE’ SENATE BATTLE Low propensity MAGA voters and other Trump supporters don’t always head to the polls in elections when the president’s not on the ballot, which is a major concern for Republicans heading into next year’s midterms. That’s why Whatley, a former state GOP chair whom Trump handpicked in 2024 to run the RNC and urged this summer to run for the Senate, would love to see the president return to North Carolina numerous times next year. GOP SENATE CAMPAIGN CHIEF AIMS TO EXPAND 2026 MAP IN THIS BLUE-LEANING STATE “He is fantastically popular in North Carolina,” Whatley said of Trump. “He has a real affinity for the state. The voters…love him, and it’ll be very, very good to get him back in North Carolina.” But more importantly, Whatley and other Republicans are aiming to frame the 2026 elections as a referendum on Trump and his agenda. “We’re certainly going to need him to be on the ballot,” Whatley emphasized. “When you think about what happens if we lose the House, if we lose the Senate, if the Democrats take over, and they go right back to investigations and hoaxes and impeachments, that is really, truly the president and his legacy are going to be on the ballot.” With inflation remaining persistent this year, Democrats have stayed laser focused on the issue of affordability, which fueled them to decisive victories in last month’s 2025 elections and over performances in a slew of special elections this year. THE GOP’S TAKE ON HIGH-PROFILE SENATE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES: ‘THEY’RE IN SHAMBLES’ And the same issue that boosted Trump and Republicans to sweeping ballot box victories in 2024 is now dragging the president’s approval ratings on the economy to record lows. Whatley argued that the president “is fighting right now to bring down gasoline prices… We’re fighting, you know, every day against the Fed, trying to get them to lower interest rates and make housing more affordable. And you know, there’s, there’s a fight every day with this administration to try and bring down the prices for everybody.” And looking ahead to next year, Whatley said, “We’re seeing signs already that the economy is starting to tick up and is starting to take hold as the President’s policies are getting in place. We need to make sure that we have the trade policies, the tax policies, the regulatory policies from this administration that are going to help our small businesses, our manufacturers and our farmers across North Carolina.” But Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin sees Trump and Republicans headed for a ballot box disaster. “Donald Trump has lost the economy, is losing his mind, and is going to lose the midterms,” Martin said in a statement ahead of Trump’s stop in North Carolina. Whatley has been busy crisscrossing North Carolina and highlighted that “we’re talking to every single community. We will be in all 100 counties across North Carolina, and we’re fighting for every single family.” And he plans to hold tight to Trump. “Our voters know Donald Trump, and they know me. I’ve worked on his campaigns since 2016. President Trump won North Carolina in all three election cycles. So we know how to win, and we have the policies that are going to win,” Whatley emphasized. And pointing to Cooper, who won election and re-election four times as attorney general before becoming governor, Whatley charged that “Roy Cooper is on the wrong side of every 80-20 issue. He has fought harder for criminals, for illegal aliens, men who want to, you know, play in women’s sports and be in women’s locker rooms. Those are issue sets that he’s going to have to defend.” But Cooper’s campaign countered, saying in a statement to Fox News Digital that the former governor “has spent his career fighting for North Carolina families by lowering health care costs and keeping their communities safe while Michael Whatley spent decades at the beck and call of DC politicians delivering for billionaires and special interests at the expense of the middle class.”
North Carolina’s longest-serving governor dies at 88 after serving 4 terms in office
The longest-serving governor of North Carolina, Jim Hunt, died Thursday at the age of 88. His daughter, Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt, announced the Democratic leader’s death in a statement on X. “It is with deep sadness that I share the passing of my beloved daddy and hero, former Governor Jim Hunt,” she wrote. “He devoted his life to serving the people of North Carolina, guided by a belief that public service should expand opportunity, strengthen communities, and always put people first. His leadership and compassion left a lasting impact on so many across our state.” CONGRESS TO HOLD CRIME HEARING IN CHARLOTTE FOLLOWING DEADLY LIGHT RAIL ATTACK Hunt served a total of 16 years as North Carolina’s governor, holding office from 1977 to 1985 and again from 1993 to 2001. He was the only governor in state history to be elected to four terms, following a constitutional change allowing consecutive service. Hunt was widely regarded as the state’s education-focused governor who made schools and early childhood learning the centerpiece of his administration. He is widely known for launching “Smart Start,” a 1993 initiative that provided health and education services to children under age five to help prepare them for school. He also successfully lobbied to raise North Carolina teacher salaries above the national median, expanded access to full-day kindergarten statewide, and established the nation’s first public residential high school focused on science and math. DESANTIS WARNS GOP FACES ‘ISSUE’ KEEPING TRUMP VOTERS ENGAGED IN FUTURE ELECTIONS “I can think of no one who shaped North Carolina’s recent successes as much as Governor Jim Hunt,” North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said in a post on X. “Governor for 16 years, he was a visionary who founded Smart Start, raised teacher pay, protected air quality, and created the NC Biotech Center. On a personal level, he was a mentor and dear friend. Anna and I are keeping Carolyn, Rachel, and the entire Hunt family in our thoughts and prayers. May Governor Hunt’s memory be a blessing. He certainly was for North Carolina.” CHARLOTTE BRACES FOR FEDERAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT AS MURDER RATE RISES 200% IN UPTOWN AREA Former North Carolina political figures also shared their condolences online following Hunt’s death. “Not only was he the greatest Governor in North Carolina history, he brought a caring and committed purpose to everything he did, especially our children and our schools,” former Gov. Roy Cooper wrote in a post on X. “I don’t know anyone who worked harder and had a greater positive effect on the people of North Carolina than Jim Hunt. He was a great friend and mentor and I will miss him.” Former Republican Gov. Pat McCrory added in another post on Facebook: “Jim Hunt was ‘The Governor’ and was the greatest salesperson ever for our state,” he said. “For me personally and despite our political differences, he was a mentor and friend during my tenure as Mayor, Governor and as a former Governor. He will be missed but his spirit and passion for public service will remain forever.”
US military strikes narco-terrorist vessels in latest Eastern Pacific drug trafficking operation
Joint Task Force Southern Spear forces struck two alleged narco-terrorist vessels moving along a major drug corridor in the Eastern Pacific on Thursday, killing five militants without suffering any U.S. casualties. U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) released a video on X showing the opening strike and the aftermath, with the targeted boat engulfed in flames. “On Dec. 18, at the direction of [Secretary of War] Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted lethal kinetic strikes on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters,” the post read. “Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations. HEGSETH DEFENDS LETHAL STRIKES AGAINST ALLEGED DRUG TRAFFICKERS: ‘BIDEN CODDLED TERRORISTS, WE KILL THEM’ “A total of five male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions — three in the first vessel and two in the second vessel,” SOUTHCOM added. “No U.S. military forces were harmed.” Joint Task Force Southern Spear was established to help unify Navy, Coast Guard, intelligence and special operations assets to rapidly strike time-sensitive targets at sea. TRUMP ATTENDS SOLEMN DIGNIFIED TRANSFER FOR IOWA GUARDSMEN, CIVILIAN KILLED IN SYRIA ISIS ATTACK The Pentagon has not released the identities of the four narco-terrorists killed or the specific terrorist organization involved. The U.S. has conducted dozens of strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean to dismantle narco-terrorist networks, targeting groups such as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and Colombia’s Ejército de Liberación Nacional. LETHAL US STRIKE SINKS NARCO-TERRORIST VESSEL ALONG MAJOR PACIFIC DRUG ROUTE, PENTAGON CONFIRMS The campaign began Sept. 2 with a strike that killed 11 alleged members of Tren de Aragua, followed by additional operations that reportedly eliminated dozens more across known trafficking routes. U.S. forces have reportedly hit various types of vessels, including submersibles, fishing boats and high-speed vessels. Earlier this month, the Trump administration launched its “Fentanyl Free America” plan, with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reporting that strikes on suspected Caribbean drug vessels are helping curb the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. Fox News Digital’s Bonny Chu contributed to this report.
Maria Shriver slams Trump over Kennedy Center name change decision: ‘Beyond comprehension’
Maria Shriver slammed President Donald Trump on Thursday after the Kennedy Center’s board voted unanimously to rename the institution to the “Trump-Kennedy Center,” accusing him of trying to attach his name to a memorial dedicated to her uncle, President John F. Kennedy. Shriver, a high-profile member of the Kennedy family, said it is “beyond comprehension” to change the center’s name, accusing Trump of staining JFK’s legacy in art, culture and education. “It is beyond comprehension that this sitting president has sought to rename this great memorial dedicated to President Kennedy,” Shriver wrote on X. “It is beyond wild that he would think adding his name in front of President Kennedy’s name is acceptable. It is not.” Kennedy Center vice president of public relations Roma Daravi told Fox Digital Thursday that the unanimous vote “recognizes” Trump’s work to pull the center out of financial straits while working to also update the building originally constructed in the 1960s, and opened in 1971. TRUMP ADDS HIS BIRTHDAY AS FREE NATIONAL PARK DAY WHILE AXING MLK DAY AND JUNETEENTH Shriver argued that adding Trump’s name was not “dignified” or “funny,” and “is way beneath the stature of the job.” “Just when you think someone can’t stoop any lower, down they go,” she said. The former First Lady of California quipped that Trump might want to rename JFK Airport or make other changes, including the “Trump Lincoln Memorial,” “Trump Jefferson Memorial” and “Trump Smithsonian.” TRUMP’S KENNEDY CENTER HONORS OVERHAUL DELIVERS STAR-STUDDED LINEUP, NEW MEDALLION AND HISTORIC HOSTING ROLE “Can we not see what is happening here?” Shriver said. “C’mon, my fellow Americans! Wake up!” President Trump said on Thursday he was “honored” and “surprised” by the update. “We’re saving the building. We saved the building. The building was in such bad shape, physically, financially, in every other way. And now it’s very solid, very strong. We have something going on television, I guess on the 23rd December. I think it’s going to get very big ratings and the Kennedy Center is really, really back strongly,” he told reporters. EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP-LED KENNEDY CENTER NEARLY DOUBLES FUNDRAISING FROM BIDEN ERA, SMASHING RECORD WITH $23M HAUL Other members of the Kennedy family, including JFK’s great-nephew, Joe Kennedy III, weighed in on the name change, arguing that federal law protects the center’s name from being changed. “It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says,” he wrote on X. The name change follows recent precedent, a Kennedy Center official told Fox News Digital, noting that the State Department’s decided earlier this month to add Trump’s name to the U.S. Institute of Peace and to past presidential administrations that have renamed military bases. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment. Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan and Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Trump quietly signs sweeping $901B defense bill after bipartisan Senate passage
President Trump signed into law a nearly $1 trillion defense policy bill Thursday and approved what looks to be the largest military spending package in U.S. history. The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act authorizes $901 billion in military spending, roughly $8 billion more than the administration requested, according to Reuters. It also delivers a nearly 4% pay raise for troops, provides new funding for Ukraine and the Baltic States and includes measures designed to scale back security commitments abroad. In a release shared online, Rep. Rick Allen, R-Ga., said, “With President Trump’s signature, the FY2026 NDAA officially delivers on our peace-through-strength agenda with a generational investment in our national defense. TRUMP ADMIN ANNOUNCES $11B TAIWAN ARMS SALES DEAL “Not only does this bipartisan bill ensure America’s warfighters are the most lethal and capable fighting force in the world, but it also improves the quality of life for our service members in the 12th District and nationwide.” As previously reported by Fox News Digital, the Senate passed the NDAA Wednesday, sending the compromise bill approved with bipartisan support to the president’s desk. Trump signed it quietly Thursday evening, according to Reuters. The NDAA includes $800 million for Ukraine over the next two years as part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which pays U.S. firms for weapons for Ukraine’s military. It also includes $175 million for the Baltic Security Initiative, which supports Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. TRUMP TOUTS BRINGING COUNTRY BACK FROM ‘BRINK OF RUIN’ The bill prohibits reducing U.S. troop levels in Europe below 76,000 for more than 45 days without formal certification by Congress. The legislation also restricts the administration from reducing U.S. forces in South Korea below 28,500 troops. Trump ultimately backed the bill in part because it codifies some of his executive orders, including funding the Golden Dome missile defense system and getting rid of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, per Reuters. TRUMP TO HAND OUT $2.6B IN ‘WARRIOR DIVIDENDS’ — AND THE SURPRISING POT HE’S PULLING THE MONEY FROM “Under President Trump, the U.S. is rebuilding strength, restoring deterrence and proving America will not back down. President Trump and Republicans promised peace through strength. The FY26 NDAA delivers it,” House Speaker Mike Johnson had said in a statement Dec. 7 on the new measures. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
Justice Department prepares to drop trove of Epstein files as deadline looms
Department of Justice officials are in their final sprint to assemble by Friday a tranche of records related to Jeffrey Epstein, but the extent of material that will be made public remains unknown. The DOJ could withhold large portions of the material under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bill passed last month requiring the government to release within 30 days all unclassified material in its possession related to Epstein and associate Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking cases. The law allows the DOJ to omit or redact any references to victims and files that could jeopardize pending investigations or litigation, such as a probe Attorney General Pam Bondi recently opened in New York into Epstein’s ties to Democrats. Information could also be left out “in the interest of national defense or foreign policy,” the law says. Friday’s release is expected to contain hundreds of thousands of pages, two sources familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital. The sources said information protected by attorney-client privilege or other standard privileges would also be redacted. WHITE HOUSE SLAMS HOUSE DEMS RELEASING EPSTEIN PHOTOS SHOWING TRUMP, CLINTON, WOODY ALLEN The DOJ’s effort has involved collecting records from multiple entities, including the FBI and the Southern District of New York, and then reviewing them for responsiveness to the transparency law and making redactions. The National Security Division was tasked with reviewing the material and was still receiving new files as of this week, the sources said, meaning more files could be made public after Friday’s deadline. Bondi is facing intense pressure to adhere to the bill’s deadline from victim advocates and members of Congress, who have been warning nearly daily that the attorney general will face legal and political consequences if she does not deliver. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., threatened the administration not to withhold documents or abuse “narrow exemptions to hide the truth.” Meanwhile, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., one of the leading Republican voices supporting the transparency bill, posted on social media a 14-minute video on Thursday laying out his expectations. He said he anticipated seeing new names of at least 20 men, a claim that comes after the DOJ said in a memo this summer that it had reviewed all the files and found nothing that would warrant further investigation or prosecution of anyone. “If we get a large production on Dec. 19, and it does not contain a single name of any male who’s accused of a sex crime or sex trafficking or rape or any of these things, then we know they haven’t produced all the documents,” Massie said. JEFFREY EPSTEIN ACCOMPLICE GHISLAINE MAXWELL MOVES TO VACATE CONVICTION DAYS BEFORE DEADLINE TO RELEASE FILES He suggested Bondi could face legal repercussions, including possible prosecution from a future, hostile administration if the transparency law is not followed. Friday’s expected release marks the culmination of a matter that has roiled the administration all year, beginning with Bondi enraging Trump’s base by hyping up a rollout of the case files and then failing to produce anything new. Other DOJ leaders, including FBI Director Kash Patel, had accused the government of hiding a damaging list of sexual predators affiliated with Epstein prior to joining the administration, but those claims have not panned out. The issue has been one of the most divisive within the Republican Party, as President Donald Trump, who was formerly among Epstein’s many wealthy friends, also downplayed the files’ significance, upsetting a faction of his supporters. The president for months resisted signing the transparency bill, which had bipartisan support, but he relented as its passage became inevitable. Alex Miller contributed to this report.
Top Mamdani appointee dramatically quits after antisemitic posts resurface
Zohran Mamdani’s newly named director of appointments abruptly resigned Thursday after resurfaced social media posts showed she made antisemitic remarks, according to reports. Catherine Almonte Da Costa, tapped to serve in the incoming New York City mayoral administration, stepped down after the Anti-Defamation League of New York/New Jersey raised concerns about her past online activity. The posts, reportedly made between 2011 and 2012 on a now-deleted X account, included references to “money hungry Jews” and “rich Jewish peeps” and called a Far Rockaway train “the Jew train.” “Her social media footprint includes posts from more than a decade ago that echo classic antisemitic tropes and otherwise demean Jewish people,” the ADL wrote on X. MAMDANI SAYS NYPD COMMISSIONER APOLOGIZED AFTER HER BROTHER CALLED HIM ‘ENEMY’ OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE AT GALA “Tweeting about ‘money hungry Jews’ is indefensible. We appreciate Da Costa has relationships with members of the Jewish community, but her posts require immediate explanation not just from Ms. Da Costa, but also from the mayor-elect,” the post said. Da Costa deleted her account and offered her resignation. “I spoke with the mayor-elect this afternoon, apologized and expressed my deep regret for my past statements,” Da Costa told the Judge Street Journal Thursday. “These statements are not indicative of who I am. As the mother of Jewish children, I feel a profound sense of sadness and remorse at the harm these words have caused. As this has become a distraction from the work at hand, I have offered my resignation“. MAMDANI’S NEW SAFETY ADVISOR CONFESSED SERIOUS PILL ADDICTION, TURNED TO EX-NBA STAR FOR HELP Mamdani accepted the resignation, telling the Judge Street Journal, which first reported the posts, “Catherine expressed her deep remorse over her past statements and tendered her resignation, and I accepted.” Mamdani had said that Da Costa would be in charge of bringing “top talent into this administration.” Da Costa previously worked for former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration on its census team. NYC RABBI URGES MAYOR-ELECT MAMDANI TO CONDEMN ‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’ PHRASE IN WAKE OF SYDNEY ATTACK In addition to the antisemitic remarks, other resurfaced posts revealed derogatory comments toward the NYPD, including references to “NYPD piggies,” according to the New York Post. The resignation came less than two weeks before Mamdani is to be sworn in as New York City mayor. Fox News Digital reached out to Zohran Mamdani, Catherine Almonte Da Costa and the ADL, who said they had no further comment.
Trump gets 417 nominees confirmed by Senate in 2025, surpasses Biden’s first-year total in record pace
Senate Republicans confirmed nearly 100 of President Donald Trump’s nominees, leapfrogging previous administrations and his own first term in the process in their sprint to finish off the year. The confirmation of 97 of Trump’s picks Thursday with a 53-43 vote marked one of the final bits of floor action in the upper chamber following a blistering pace set by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., once Republicans gained control of the Senate in January. Senate Republicans overcame several obstacles throughout the year, including mending intraparty rifts to pass the president’s signature legislation, the “one big, beautiful bill,” and reopening the government after the longest shutdown in history. SENATE GOP MOVES 97 TRUMP NOMINEES CLOSER TO HISTORIC MILESTONE But it was confirming Trump’s nominees that proved near impossible within the confines of Senate rules, given that Senate Democrats laid out a blanket objection to even the lowest level positions throughout the government. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., noted that Republicans kicked off the year by confirming Trump’s Cabinet at a breakneck pace, but they soon slammed into a wall of “unprecedented obstruction from the Democratic minority.” “We began the year by confirming President Trump’s Cabinet faster than any Senate in modern history,” Barrasso said. “And by week’s end, President Trump will have 417 nominees confirmed by the Senate this year. That’s far more than the 365 that Joe Biden had in his first year in office.” DOJ FACES FRIDAY DEADLINE TO RELEASE EPSTEIN FILES AS LAWMAKERS PUSH FOR TRANSPARENCY In response, Republicans turned to the nuclear option in September and changed the vote threshold for confirming sub-Cabinet level positions and have since confirmed 417 of Trump’s picks. Thune argued that Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., were engaging in “nothing more than petty politics,” not allowing nominees through the typical fast-track processes, like voice votes or unanimous consent, to install low-level presidential nominations. “Democrats cannot deal with the fact that the American people elected President Trump, and so they’ve engaged in this pointless political obstruction in revenge,” Thune said. DEM ATTEMPT TO THWART TRUMP NOMS BACKFIRES, REPUBLICANS TEE UP NEARLY 100 FOR CONFIRMATION With the latest batch of confirmations, Senate Republicans have nearly cleared the backlog of nominees that over the summer had ballooned to nearly 150 picks awaiting lawmakers’ decisions. Now, there are only 15 picks left to be confirmed. Among the list of confirmed nominees are former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., to serve as inspector general at the Department of Labor and two picks for the National Labor Relations Board, James Murphy and Scott Mayer, along with several others in nearly every federal agency. Lawmakers will tee up another nominee, Joshua Simmons, who Trump tapped to be the CIA’s special counsel, before the night is over. And they’re still working to move forward with a colossal spending package that ties five appropriations bills together. But some Senate Democrats are objecting to the minibus spending package, jeopardizing its chances of hitting the floor before lawmakers flee Capitol Hill. Conversations between Republicans and Democrats are ongoing and could go deep into the night. Thune, as he walked onto the Senate floor Thursday night, said the plan was to at least knock out the nominees package first. “We’ll see where it goes from there,” he said.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: House Dems drop Epstein images before release deadline
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Magnitude ‘cannot be overstated’: feds say Minnesota fraud may be half of $18B total –Democratic National Committee flip flops, pulls plug on its 2024 election ‘autopsy’ -HHS unleashes sweeping crackdown on child ‘sex-rejecting procedures,’ threatens hospital, Medicaid funding Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released 68 more photos related to late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein as the committee continues to work through tens of thousands of files the Department of Justice (DOJ) has made available to lawmakers in collaboration with their investigation into Epstein’s crimes. “Oversight Democrats will continue to release photographs and documents from the Epstein estate to provide transparency for the American people,” ranking member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said in a press release. Like a previous set of images released last week, the new photos have a mix of locations, images of Epstein in meetings and images of women with faces redacted by the committee…READ MORE. DOWN WITH DEI: Federal watchdog urges White men to report possible workplace discrimination; Vance boosts message REBRAND: Board votes Kennedy Center to be renamed Trump-Kennedy Center, Leavitt says BIRTHDAY BASH: Trump launches massive ‘Freedom 250’ push to ignite America’s 250th birthday celebration ‘THANK YOU’: Dan Bongino replies to Kash Patel’s praise following departure announcement: ‘honor of a lifetime’ NEW WEED RULES: Trump signs order to reclassify marijuana a less dangerous drug amid GOP backlash $11B FIREPOWER: Trump admin announces $11B Taiwan arms sales deal SAY HER NAME: Mom praises House for passing key immigration bill, bashes Crockett for dismissing daughter’s murder DUELING PRIORITIES: GOP, Democrats clash on Capitol Hill as Republicans target cartels and Dems push to curb ICE partnerships TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE: DOJ faces Friday deadline to release Epstein files as lawmakers push for transparency POT POLICY: House Republicans demand Trump reverse course after ‘strongly considering’ marijuana executive order TAFOYA TILT: Once a Super Bowl sideline star, Tafoya now at the center of GOP’s bold play for Minnesota Senate seat MISSION CONTINUES: Turning Point USA holds AmericaFest conference following Charlie Kirk assassination Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Home for the holidays on the Hill: ‘Fighting’ in the House Republican ‘family’
Many families fight around Christmastime. House Republicans are no exception. You’ve been at the dinner table about to enjoy a slab of pumpkin pie when Uncle Somebody or Cousin Someone enters the dining room on a bender, thanks to Santa dropping a little too much bourbon in their Christmas stockings. You know what happens next. THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO WHERE WE STAND WITH A HEALTHCARE PACKAGE: CHRISTMAS OR GROUNDHOG DAY? “Fighting” inside the House Republican “family” didn’t go like that this year. But some Republicans are frustrated with how things have gone lately. There is particular frustration with the party’s efforts to address healthcare but also about whether House Republicans “wasted” their majority when House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., recessed the body for nearly two months during the government shutdown. Here’s the latest intrafamily fight: The decision by four House Republicans to bolt from their party and align with Democrats in their effort to renew expiring Obamacare subsidies for three years. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.; Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa.; Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa.; and Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., are all centrist GOPers representing battleground districts. The quartet hoped the House Rules Committee would make in order one of four plans they supported to temporarily renew expiring Obamacare credits. But the panel blocked them from offering their legislation on the House floor. “I tried very hard over the last several weeks and even through the weekend and as late as yesterday trying to engineer a way for them to have a vote on the floor so they could show that priority,” said Johnson. “But it was not to be.” The term you’ll hear a lot over the coming weeks is “discharge petition.” Discharge petitions are a parliamentary artifice for lawmakers to go around the speaker and deposit their bill on the floor — if the leadership won’t do it for them. The gambit was rarely successful for two decades. But there have been multiple successful discharge petitions since Johnson became speaker in the fall of 2023. A discharge petition requires 218 signatures before it forces House action. It’s about the math — 218 is the majority of all 435 House members. And 218 is the magic number, regardless of the current House membership. For instance, the House is presently at 434 members with one vacancy — 218 is still the number. Once it has the signatures, the discharge petition only ripens after seven legislative days. Moderate Republicans defected from their party on Wednesday. “We were really left with no choice,” Lawler said after signing on to the Democrats’ discharge petition to greenlight the subsidies for three years. The GOP brass rationalized. “I have not lost control of the House,” said Johnson. “These are not normal times.” THE SPEAKER’S LOBBY: WHAT CONGRESS’ DECEMBER SCRIPT MEANS FOR HEALTHCARE NEXT YEAR Democrats seized on the Republican infighting. “It shows that the demand by the American people for Congress, the House and the Senate to extend the ACA and premium tax credits is undeniable,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. The “Fed-up Foursome” believed they had no alternative. Even if that meant signing the Democratic discharge petition. “We exhausted every effort to find an agreement within our conference,” said Lawler. “If they don’t want that to pass, then they should be working to find an alternative vehicle now.” And that’s where the family feuding began. Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., accused the four of “betraying the party” by sidling up to the Democrats’ plan and bypassing Johnson. Burlison questioned why moderate Republicans got to “drive the agenda.” He added that those centrist policies don’t resonate in his conservative Missouri district. However, Republicans wouldn’t wield the House majority at all were it not for moderate GOPers holding swing districts. In particular, districts in New York and Pennsylvania. Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., crafted a plan to block the premium hikes. Rather than a subsidy, people would receive a tax deduction. The Rules Committee blocked LaLota’s effort. He didn’t sign onto the Democrats’ discharge petition. But the New York Republican appreciated the effort of his four GOP colleagues. “Three years is probably better than nothing. But, again, it always solves the short-term issue of short-term affordability,” said LaLota. FOUR REPUBLICANS BUCK MIKE JOHNSON TO JOIN HAKEEM JEFFRIES’ OBAMACARE PUSH But many conservatives balk at any extension. “We’re not interested in perpetuating a failed Obamacare that’s just made costs skyrocket,” said House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas. However, what most House Republicans were interested in was passing a bill allowing groups of people to pool resources and purchase health insurance as a group. Republicans argued that so-called “association” plans could defray premium costs. The Congressional Budget Office declared that the bill saved $36 billion but noted that 100,000 people would lose insurance via this method over the next decade. The bill didn’t address premium spikes. So, Democrats skewered the Republican bill as a fig leaf before it passed on Wednesday. “Instead of a fix, we get a stupid, pathetic, last-minute bill designed to let Republicans cover their ass before they flee town for the holidays,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the Rules Committee. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, voted for the Republican association healthcare bill. But Roy believed it was weak tea from a party that promised big things. Roy suggested Republicans only passed the bill to stave off political attacks ahead of the midterms that they weren’t addressing healthcare costs. “Republicans will complain about it, and then they’ll offer milquetoast garbage like we’re offering this week and then go home at Christmas and say, ‘Look at what we’re doing! We’re campaigning on reducing healthcare!’ Well, congratulatufrigginlations,” Roy fumed. Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., has expressed displeasure with how Republican leaders handled the government shutdown. Like Roy, Kiley voted for the GOP healthcare legislation Wednesday night. But Kiley has reservations. “The bill does not address the immediate urgent problem in front of us, which is that 22 million people are about to pay a lot more for health