Federal officials to halt more than $10B in funding to 5 states over non-citizen benefit concerns: report
The Trump administration is moving to freeze more than $10 billion in federal child care and social services funding to five Democrat-led states amid concerns taxpayer dollars were improperly diverted to non-citizens, according to a report. Officials reportedly told The New York Post that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will freeze funding from the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF), the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, and the Social Services Block Grant, affecting California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York over concerns the benefits were fraudulently funneled to non-citizens. More than $7.3 billion in TANF funding would be withheld from the five states, along with nearly $2.4 billion from the CCDF and another $869 million from the Social Services Block Grant. The funding pauses were expected to be announced in letters sent to state officials Monday, citing concerns that benefits were improperly directed to non-U.S. citizens. ABBOTT ORDERS COMPREHENSIVE FRAUD PROBE INTO TEXAS CHILD CARE FUNDING AFTER MINNESOTA SCANDAL A 2019 audit by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General found that New York State improperly claimed $24.7 million in federal reimbursement for child care subsidies paid to New York City that did not comply with program rules. The audit attributed the overbilling to system errors and oversight failures – not criminal fraud – and state officials agreed to refund the funds and implement corrective controls, according to the report. Following the release of details surrounding the potential funding freeze, New York Democrats sharply criticized the Trump administration’s move, arguing it would harm families who rely on child care assistance. MINN. LAWMAKER ‘NOT SURPRISED’ BY WALZ ENDING CAMPAIGN, SAYS THERE WILL BE NO ‘STONE UNTURNED’ IN HEARINGS Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., accused the administration of using the issue for political retaliation and warned it would hurt children and low-income families across the state. “Trump is threatening to freeze child care funding in New York and targeting our children for political retribution. It’s immoral and indefensible,” she wrote in a post on X. “I’m demanding the administration abandon any plans to freeze this funding and stop hurting New York families.” Along with her post, Gillibrand also shared a public statement regarding the freezing of funds. HHS CUTS OFF MINNESOTA CHILD CARE PAYMENTS OVER ALLEGED DAYCARE FRAUD SCHEME “My faith guides my life and public service. It’s our job to serve the people most in need and most at risk – no matter what state they live in or what political party their family or elected representatives belong to,” she said. “To use the power of the government to harm the neediest Americans is immoral and indefensible. “This has nothing to do with fraud and everything to do with political retribution that punishes poor children in need of assistance,” Gillibrand added. “I demand that President Trump unfreeze this funding and stop this brazen attack on our children.” The NY Post first reported that in December, HHS sent letters to Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey seeking information on whether billions in taxpayer funds may have unlawfully helped “fuel illegal and mass migration.” Those requests were followed by investigations launched by the Treasury Department and the House Oversight Committee into a growing fraud scandal involving several nonprofits tied to the Somali community in the Twin Cities. An estimated 130,000 illegal migrants were living in Minnesota as of 2023 — about 40,000 more than in 2019 and roughly 2% of the state’s population — according to the Pew Research Center. The state’s Somali diaspora exceeds 100,000 people, with most concentrated in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area. The news on Monday came the same day Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced he was dropping his bid for a third term as governor amid stinging criticism of his handling of the state’s massive welfare assistance fraud scandal. KAROLINE LEAVITT WARNS ‘PEOPLE WILL BE IN HANDCUFFS’ AS FEDS ZERO IN ON MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL Walz launched his bid for a third four-year term as Minnesota governor in September, but in recent weeks has been facing a barrage of incoming political fire from President Donald Trump and Republicans, and some Democrats, over the large-scale theft in a state that has long prided itself on good governance. More than 90 people — most from Minnesota’s large Somali community — have been charged since 2022 in what has been described as the nation’s largest COVID-era scheme. How much money has been stolen through alleged money laundering operations involving fraudulent meal and housing programs, daycare centers and Medicaid services is still being tabulated. But the U.S. attorney in Minnesota said the scope of the fraud could exceed $1 billion and rise to as high as $9 billion. MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL INTENSIFIES DEBATE OVER STRIPPING CITIZENSHIP Prosecutors said that some of the dozens that have already pleaded guilty in the case used the money to buy luxury cars, real estate, jewelry and international vacations, with some of the funds also sent overseas and potentially into the hands of Islamic terrorists. Trump addressed Walz’s announcement of leaving the race on Monday, in a post on Truth Social. “Minnesota’s Corrupt Governor will possibly leave office before his Term is up but, in any event, will not be running again because he was caught, REDHANDED, along with Ilhan Omar, and others of his Somali friends, stealing Tens of Billions of Taxpayer Dollars,” the president wrote. “I feel certain the facts will come out, and they will reveal a seriously unscrupulous, and rich, group of ‘SLIMEBALLS.’ “Governor Walz has destroyed the State of Minnesota, but others, like Governor Gavin Newscum, JB Pritzker, and Kathy Hochul, have done, in my opinion, an even more dishonest and incompetent job,” Trump added. “NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW!” Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
Johnson insists US ‘not at war’ after closed-door Venezuela briefing divides lawmakers
A select group of lawmakers received their first closed-door briefing on Capitol Hill on Monday following the Trump administration’s weekend military strikes in Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro — a meeting that quickly divided along political lines. The roughly two-hour meeting deep in the bowels of Congress featured top administration officials providing a classified briefing to congressional leaders and the chairs and ranking members of the armed services, intelligence and foreign relations committees. None of the Trump officials, who included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Pam Bondi, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan “Raizin” Caine and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, spoke after the meeting. FETTERMAN DEFENDS TRUMP’S VENEZUELA MILITARY OPERATION AGAINST CRITICISM FROM FELLOW DEMOCRATS But a handful of lawmakers did, and questions still lingered about what exactly would come next for U.S. involvement in the country, if other similar operations would be carried out across the globe, and who exactly was running Venezuela. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said that there was no expectation that the U.S. would be on the ground, nor would there be any “direct involvement in any other way beyond just coercing the interim government to to get that going.” “We are not at war,” Johnson said. “We do not have U.S. armed forces in Venezuela, and we are not occupying that country.” “This is not a regime change,” he continued. “This is a demand for change of behavior by a regime. The interim government is stood up now, and we are hopeful that they will be able to correct their action.” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast, R-Fl., echoed Johnson, and reiterated that the operation was a “specific law enforcement function that took place that took a significant obstacle out of the way for the Venezuelan people to go chart a new future.” NAVY SECRETARY PRAISES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S MADURO CAPTURE AS ‘MASTERCLASS IN PRECISION’ He didn’t expect further military action from the Trump administration in the country, either. “These things are done before breakfast,” Mast said. “They don’t do protracted war operations.” However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., countered that the lengthy meeting “posed far more questions than it ever answered.” One growing point of contention among lawmakers is just how directly involved the U.S. will be, given that Trump said that the U.S. would govern the country until a proper transition of power happened. Schumer said that the plan presented behind closed doors or the U.S. running Venezuela “is vague, based on wishful thinking and unsatisfying.” “I did not receive any assurances that we would not try to do the same thing in other countries,” he said. “And in conclusion, when the United States engages in this kind of regime change and so called nation building, it always ends up hurting the United States. I left the briefing feeling that it would again.” FOX NEWS POLITICS NEWSLETTER: 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM TRUMP’S PUSH TO PUT US OIL FIRMS BACK IN VENEZUELA Schumer, along with Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., plan to force a vote later in the week on a war powers resolution that, if passed, would require the administration to get congressional approval before taking further military action in Venezuela. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said that he was satisfied with the briefing and that “it was a very comprehensive discussion.” Lawmakers will get another bite at the apple later in the week when Trump officials again return to Congress to provide a full briefing to lawmakers on Operation Absolute Resolve. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, lauded the military for a “brilliant execution” of the mission, and noted that the region was better off without Maduro. But, like Schumer, he was still searching for the next step. “The question becomes, as policymakers, what happens the day after,” Warner said.
Walz’s lieutenant governor and progressive Senate hopeful slammed for leadership amid Somali fraud crisis
Minnesota Lt. Gov. and progressive Democratic Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan is taking criticism, including from inside her own party, for her leadership during what has been described as the nation’s largest COVID-era fraud scheme. Along with Democrat Gov. Tim Walz, Flanagan, who has helped lead the state as lieutenant governor since 2019, has come under fire for allowing the fraud scheme to grow during her watch. A Minnesota Democratic operative told Fox News Digital that Flanagan “could absolutely lose to a Republican given all the fraud that took place during her time as Lt. Governor.” “Today is the day Peggy’s Senate race effectively ended,” said the Democratic operative. FRAUD FALLOUT FORCES DEMOCRATIC GOV. TIM WALZ TO ABANDON MINNESOTA RE-ELECTION BID “Here are the facts: Peggy Flanagan was already a bad general election candidate, and this has made it even worse,” the operative went on, adding, “she owes the voters answers about what she knew and when.” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., whose district includes the Twin Cities suburbs, told Fox News Digital that “Peggy Flanagan is just as much of a failure as Tim Walz.” He noted that Flanagan’s primary opponent, Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, “isn’t much better.” “Both of these candidates sat idly by while billions were stolen from hardworking taxpayers in Minnesota. And just like Tim, they ought to reconsider their candidacy,” said Emmer. Walz, who served as former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in 2024, announced on Monday that he was withdrawing from seeking a third term as governor in light of the fraud scandal. “As I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all,” Walz wrote in a statement. “Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences.” OVER 1,000 ARRESTED IN ‘MASSIVE’ MINNESOTA OPERATION, INCLUDING MURDERERS, RAPISTS, PEDOPHILES “So, I’ve decided to step out of this race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work in front of me for the next year,” the governor added. Flanagan is running to replace outgoing Democratic Sen. Tina Smith, who is retiring from the Senate. She has been endorsed by the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Though she is considered a frontrunner, Flanagan’s response to the scandal has garnered criticism. She was recently seen on a Somali TV station wearing a hijab at a mall to signal her support for Minnesota’s Somali community as the federal government cracks down on the fraud scheme. This comes as more than 90 people, most from Minnesota’s large Somali community, have been charged since 2022 in what has been described as the nation’s largest COVID-era scheme. How much money has been stolen through alleged money laundering operations involving fraudulent meal and housing programs, daycare centers and Medicaid services is still being tabulated. But the U.S. attorney in Minnesota said the scope of the fraud could exceed $1 billion and rise to as high as $9 billion. In response to the criticisms, Lexi Byler, a spokesperson for Flanagan’s campaign, told Fox News Digital that “the Lt. Governor has made clear that the amount of fraud that is acceptable is zero and anyone who steals from taxpayer dollars should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law — which is exactly what’s happening in Minnesota, where 98 people have been charged and 62 convicted so far.” TRUMP FLIPS DEMOCRATS’ ‘NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW’ MANTRA AFTER WALZ DROPS RE-ELECTION BID Byler added that “what’s hard to take seriously is Republicans talking about accountability while Donald Trump has pardoned 27 corporate fraudsters and fired the Inspectors General whose job it is to police fraud,” adding that “Republicans are going to have to answer for that.” On her campaign website, Flanagan touts her record as lieutenant governor, including expanding Minnesota’s paid family and medical leave program and investments in education, healthcare and housing. The Minnesota primary will be on August 11. Fox News Digital also reached out to Walz and Craig for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Abbott orders comprehensive fraud probe into Texas child care funding after Minnesota scandal
Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter Monday directing Texas state agencies to investigate potential child care funding fraud, following a major Minnesota social services scandal that cost taxpayers millions. “Recently, the Trump Administration and independent journalists have uncovered potential systematic fraud in subsidized child care systems in states like Minnesota,” Abbott said in a statement. “Such fraud will never be tolerated in Texas. Today, I directed Texas state agencies to take proactive steps to prevent, detect, and eliminate misuse of taxpayer funds to protect the integrity of Texas’ Child Care Services Program.” Abbott’s letter was addressed to Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Chairman Jose Esparza and Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Executive Commissioner Stephanie Muth to lead the investigation. Both agencies have broad authority to strengthen fraud prevention efforts in the state’s child care program and regulate facilities. The agencies will have until Feb. 27 to submit a final report outlining how they implemented anti-fraud measures and investigated any potential misuse of Texas taxpayer dollars. HOW FEARS OF BEING LABELED ‘RACIST’ HELPED ‘PROVIDE COVER’ FOR THE EXPLODING MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL Abbott noted that Texas already has a relatively low “improper payment rate” of 0.43 percent, compared with Minnesota’s roughly 11 percent, thanks to the agencies’ strong anti-fraud processes already in place. While the agencies already conduct routine audits of providers and in-person visits to facilities, “more can be done to protect Texas children and taxpayers,” Abbott said in the letter. CRITICS WARN MINNESOTA LEGISLATION NOW TAKING EFFECT IS SETTING UP THE ‘NEXT BILLION-DOLLAR FRAUD’ HHSC and TWC will provide a progress report to the governor’s office on Jan. 30, followed by a final report in late February. “I will continue to work with executive branch agencies to fight fraud, protect taxpayer dollars, and promote accessible, affordable, high-quality childcare for Texans,” Abbott added. The move comes just hours after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced that he is suspending his reelection campaign amid allegations that the state attempted to cover up widespread fraud in his state’s social programs. The scandal, which emerged in early December, involved individuals from the Somali-American community accused of defrauding public aid programs. While the schemes began with the Feeding Our Future case, which reportedly exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the pandemic, investigators have since uncovered what they describe as a web of interconnected fraud spanning multiple sectors, including child care, Medicaid, housing and autism services.
Joe Biden, John Kerry among high-profile attendees for JFK’s granddaughter’s private funeral
Former President Joe Biden and former Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry were among a plethora of high-profile politicians and celebrities who attended the private funeral for Tatiana Schlossberg held at The Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola in New York City on Monday. Schlossberg, an environmental journalist and author who was the granddaughter of former President John F. Kennedy and daughter of Caroline Kennedy, died at the age of 35, following a year-and-a-half-long battle with acute myeloid leukemia. Her funeral was held at the Jesuit Catholic Church on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It was a private, invitation-only service not open to the general public. Biden, along with his wife, former first lady Jill Biden, were photographed by Fox News Digital departing the church following the service. JFK’S GRANDDAUGHTER, TATIANA SCHLOSSBERG, REVEALS TERMINAL CANCER DIAGNOSIS IN HEARTBREAKING ESSAY Kerry was also photographed outside the church. Kerry, a longtime Democratic senator from Massachusetts, served as Secretary of State under former President Barack Obama and as a special climate envoy under Biden. Several other influential Democrats, including Obama political strategist David Axelrod, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and former New York City Mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, were seen outside the church. Attendees of Schlossberg’s funeral also included several high-profile media personalities and figures, including late-night host David Letterman, The New Yorker editor David Remnick, renowned fashion designer Carolina Herrera and jazz-pop artist Jon Batiste. “Saturday Night Live” veteran and late-night host Seth Meyers was also photographed exiting the church. THOUSANDS OF PAGES OF NEW JFK ASSASSINATION FILES RELEASED, FULFILLING TRUMP PROMISE: ‘NEW ERA’ Born and raised in New York City, Schlossberg built a career as a voice on climate and environmental issues after earning a bachelor’s in history from Yale University and a master’s degree in American history from the University of Oxford. In 2024, Schlossberg was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and shared her experience publicly in a personal essay for The New Yorker in November 2025. “My parents and my brother and sister, too, have been raising my children and sitting in my various hospital rooms almost every day for the last year and a half,” she wrote at the time. Schlossberg also explained how doctors discovered her disease while she was hospitalized after giving birth to her second child, a daughter. She explained in her essay how doctors spotted that her white-blood-cell count “looked strange.” THE EVIDENCE ‘DOESN’T SUPPORT’ THAT OSWALD ASSASSINATED JFK, EXPERT ARGUES She and her husband, George Moran, whom she married in 2017, also had a son. After hearing from a doctor that she had “a year, maybe” to live, Schlossberg told how her first thought was that “my kids, whose faces live permanently on the inside of my eyelids, wouldn’t remember me.” In her essay, she also predicted that her son “might have a few memories, but he’ll probably start confusing them with pictures he sees or stories he hears.” Also seen leaving the church were Schlossberg’s husband, mother, father, Edwin Schlossberg, sister Rose Schlossberg and first cousin Joe Kennedy III. Notably not seen outside the church was Schlossberg’s uncle, President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
SCOOP: House Freedom Caucus lays out GOP battle plan ahead of Republicans’ huddle with Trump
FIRST ON FOX: House Freedom Caucus leaders are drawing battle lines as lawmakers return to Capitol Hill for the second half of the 119th Congress. The conservative group’s board of directors is sending a seven-page letter to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., outlining proposed policy goals on a vast array of topics from American elections, to immigration, to federal spending, taking on “rogue” judges, and housing affordability. It comes ahead of a policy forum that Johnson is hosting on Tuesday to lay out the House GOP’s agenda for 2026. Republicans are expected to huddle from 9:30 am to 6 pm at the Trump Kennedy Center, where they’ll hear from committee leaders and President Donald Trump. Trump’s remarks are expected to rally Republicans around passing their legislative goals for the year, but several people told Fox News Digital they also anticipate him focusing heavily on the U.S. government’s recent operation in Venezuela. CONGRESS ROLLS OUT $174B SPENDING BILL AS JAN 30 SHUTDOWN FEARS GROW The first policy goal listed by the Freedom Caucus is forcing the Senate to take up the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which passed the House early last year. They’re also calling on Congress to pass legislation limiting early voting and reforming the census to only count American citizens. On fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations, conservatives are calling on the House to “reduce or — at bare minimum — keep flat total federal discretionary spending levels” according to the document first obtained by Fox News Digital. The recently released $174 billion spending bill that the House is expected to vote on this week would reduce current funding levels for the agencies it covers if were to pass. Congress has yet to release information on six of its 12 remaining spending bills, however, while lawmakers face a Jan. 30 deadline to avert a government shutdown. The Freedom Caucus is also urging Congress to crack down on the recent fraud scandal taking over Minnesota’s social programs by eliminating “all programs exposed as rampant with fraud and place punitive measures on states such as Minnesota that have allowed rampant fraud.” “Federal prosecutors have estimated that widespread fraud in Minnesota tied to Somali day care centers, COVID-era meal programs, housing, and special needs assistance programs alone could exceed $9 billion,” the document said. “These revelations are startling, but just a drop in the bucket for a federal government that’s estimated to lose between $233 and $521 billion annually to fraud, according to government watchdog agencies.” The document called for the denaturalization and deportation of “anyone who has committed fraud against the American taxpayer,” specifically naming Minnesota’s Somali community, though doing so would likely require court intervention. Conservatives’ policy roadmap also called on Congress to “freeze all immigration to the U.S., except for (very) temporary tourist visas” for a temporary amount of time in order to revamp the U.S. immigration system as a whole. In a section called “Stop Rogue, Activist Judges,” the House Freedom Caucus urged the House to move forward on impeaching U.S. federal Judge James Boasberg “such as Judge Deborah Boardman, for reducing the sentence of a man who plotted and took steps to kill a Supreme Court Justice due to her indefensible views about transgenderism.” An earlier push by conservatives to impeach Boasberg failed to gain traction among the wider House GOP conference, though the chamber passed “The No Rogue Rulings Act” to limit the ability of district judges like Boasberg to issue nationwide injunctions. The policy roadmap also called to radically shift America’s global priorities by completely removing the U.S. from the United Nations and halting all funding to the international body. HOUSE GOP TENSIONS ERUPT AFTER MODERATE REPUBLICANS’ OBAMACARE ‘BETRAYAL’ “The UN is openly hostile to the United States, yet we remain its biggest source of funding. President Trump has significantly reduced wasteful spending on dangerous UN entities like UNRWA, and now Congress should go even further by enacting legislation such as H.R. 1498, the DEFUND Act, to completely withdraw the United States from the United Nations (UN) and end all funding and participation,” the passage read. Another section calls for banning stock trading for members of Congress, which Johnson said he would be in favor of last year. The push to ban stock trading has gained rare bipartisan support among both Republicans and Democrats, but no such bill has yet seen a House floor vote. Banning Sharia Law in the U.S. is also listed as one of the group’s policy goals, an effort that’s been led by Texas-based Freedom Caucus members like Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Keith Self, R-Texas, so far this Congress. While it was founded as a group that was frequently adversarial to Republican leaders for not being conservative enough, the House Freedom Caucus has gradually gained influence within the House GOP during the 119th Congress. Its chairman, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., has frequently stood alongside Johnson in his push for conservative legislative goals. Johnson notably spoke at the group’s 10th anniversary celebration late last year. Harris and Roy also made a public show of unity alongside House GOP leaders during the recent government shutdown. Republicans are going into this year, however, grappling with a razor-thin House majority and what’s expected to be a tough November election cycle.
The Briefing: How Capitol Hill reacted to news of Nicolás Maduro’s capture
It is the perpetual question in Congress. Was the Speaker briefed? When will they give you a briefing? I don’t know anything about that, because I haven’t been briefed yet. DEFIANT MADURO DECLARES HE IS A ‘PRISONER OF WAR’ IN FIRST US COURT APPEARANCE A Congressional “briefing” is supposed to shed light on unanswered questions. And the questions are legion after the U.S. military mission to extract Nicolás Maduro from Caracas. That initial “briefing” unfolded Monday night at the Capitol. Granted, not for every lawmaker. But the bipartisan House and Senate leadership, top members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, leaders of the Armed Services Committees, and the chairs and ranking members of the Foreign Affairs/Foreign Relations Committees. Democrats seethed that the White House did not notify Congress in advance of the operation. Granted, “notification” is different from a briefing. And it’s a far cry from Congress voting to authorize or suspend an operation under its Article I “war powers.” Democrats — and some Republicans — contend that only Congress can bless an operation like the one in Venezuela. But regardless, both sides wanted to know what comes next. It’s all in the eye of the beholder. “This is a military operation. We all know that,” said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, on CNN. “This was not an act of war or an invasion. This was the lawful apprehension of a fugitive from justice,” countered Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., on Fox. SCHUMER BLASTED TRUMP FOR FAILING TO OUST MADURO — NOW WARNS ARREST COULD LEAD TO ‘ENDLESS WAR’ Most Democrats say the administration violated the Constitution, dispatching U.S. forces abroad without Congressional permission. “The President literally dropped into a sovereign nation, executed on this warrant, pulled the leader out with no plan for the next day,” said Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Penn., on CNN. Some lawmakers fretted about President Trump’s future intentions and wondered if Venezuela was just a precursor. “Now he’s doubling down on this reckless policy,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on MS fNOW. “He’s thinking about Colombia and thinking about Cuba and Greenland. I mean, the average American is going to say, ‘What is going on in the White House?’” But at least one Democrat broke with some of his colleagues. “This wasn’t a war. This wasn’t boots on grounds and in that kind of a way. This was surgical and very efficient. And I want to celebrate our military,” said Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., on Fox. At this briefing, lawmakers heard from Attorney General Pam Bondi, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Democrats questioned what the administration told them in previous briefings. “Marco Rubio personally, explicitly lied to me,” charged Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., on CNN. “We asked over and over, ‘What is the larger plan? Is there an effort at regime change being planned?’” However, most Republicans dismissed Democrats’ concerns and extolled the success of the mission. “This is one of the most complicated and exquisite military operations that has ever been conducted in the history of warfare,” said Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., a former Navy SEAL, on Fox. “This is the stuff that legends are made of.” “If President Trump won the battle against cancer and cured cancer, the Democrats would take the side of cancer,” said Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. “It’s insane.” FETTERMAN DEFENDS TRUMP’S VENEZUELA MILITARY OPERATION AGAINST CRITICISM FROM FELLOW DEMOCRATS The calendar flipped to 2026. It’s a midterm year. And Democrats are already trying to use Venezuela against Republicans. Democrats believe the GOP’s focus on the Caribbean and South America gives them a political opening as they focus on pocket book issues. “The American people did not sign up for this kind of military adventurism when they voted for Donald Trump. They wanted a president focused on America first. Focused on lowering the cost of living. Lowering health care costs. Lowering grocery prices,” said Schumer. Democrats are now looking for parliamentary methods to impede potential future maneuvers – in Venezuela. Or perhaps elsewhere. “The reality is that to fund these operations, to fund nation-building, they need the approval of Congress,” said Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., on CNN. Most funding for the federal government expires in a little more than three weeks. That includes separate bills to fund the Pentagon and the State Department. Few want a government shutdown. In fact, work on other spending bills has gone quite well. Expect a vote on a mini-spending package later this week. But military and foreign operations spending bills are among the nine measures left incomplete ahead of this next funding round. The ultimate power in Congress is that of the purse. It’s possible Democrats — and some Republicans who are skeptical of what the U.S. is doing in Venezuela — could limit or cut off funds for any operations there. Lawmakers will question what’s needed from the military or diplomats. All of that involves money from Capitol Hill. There’s uncertainty about what the endgame is. “I don’t know what ‘run the country’ means,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan. “I would think that the United States does not want to be somebody running another country. Even in an interim.” TRUMP VOWS US WILL ‘RUN’ VENEZUELA UNTIL ‘SAFE’ TRANSITION OF POWER Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, represents a battleground district in eastern Iowa. She won in 2020 by six votes and by 967 votes in 2024. “We don’t want to have troops on the ground. Iowans don’t want that. We do not want nation building,” said Miller-Meeks on Fox. “We’ve got enough problems to clear up.” If lawmakers don’t like what they’re hearing, they could make the Defense Appropriations bill and the State/Foreign Operations measure tricky to pass. And, if Congress limits such funds, any continued operations in Venezuela must cease under the law. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., is pushing a vote later this week on a war powers
Trump admin asks Boasberg for more time to detail CECOT plans after Maduro ouster
Lawyers for the Trump administration asked a federal judge for additional time this week to detail its plans to provide due process for nearly 150 Venezuelan migrants that it deported to the Salvadoran CECOT prison in March, citing the removal of Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan leader who was captured by U.S. troops during a surprise raid in Caracas. In the motion for an extension, submitted to U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, lawyers for the Justice Department cited the “substantial changes on the ground in Venezuela” and the “fluid nature of the unfolding situation” in the wake of the U.S. capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. They requested an additional seven days to comply with the court’s order. Boasberg, in response, told the Justice Department in a minute order that it had not complied with a local court rule requiring defendants in a civil case to first notify opposing counsel before asking the court for a delay – leaving the matter temporarily unresolved. The update comes after months of tension-filled status hearings between lawyers for the Trump administration and lawyers for the 252 Venezuelan migrants who were deported to El Salvador’s CECOT prison in March under the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 immigration law, despite an emergency court order that sought to block the administration from immediately using the law to quickly remove certain migrants. The status of the migrants, who were removed again to Venezuela from CECOT in July as part of a prisoner exchange, further complicated the case. The exchange and U.S. involvement appeared to indicate at least some level of constructive custody of the migrants, as the court observed, prompting additional status hearings in the case. It also made it more difficult for lawyers representing the plaintiffs to track down all 252 CECOT migrants, some of whom had fled Venezuela due to persecution in their home country, and who have since remained in hiding. BOASBERG SAYS TRUMP MUST PROVIDE DUE PROCESS TO CECOT MIGRANTS IN US OR ELSEWHERE The Trump administration proceeded with the deportation flights, kicking off a complex legal fight over the status of the migrants, the U.S. ability to facilitate their return – or at least to provide the migrants with due process protections – and an ability to challenge their alleged gang member status. Trump officials had argued that the people deported to CECOT were members of the violent Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, though the evidence they used to justify their designations has, in many cases, been disputed and determined to be lacking. Since March, Boasberg has attempted to determine the status of the hundreds of CECOT plaintiffs, and what ability the U.S. has to facilitate their return, or to provide the class of migrants with due process and habeas protections, including the ability to challenge their alleged gang status. Last month, Boasberg ordered the Trump administration to submit to the court in writing its plans to provide due process to a class of Venezuelan migrants deported to El Salvador. He said the Justice Department must submit to the court by Jan. 5 its plan to provide due process protections to the CECOT class – which he said the Trump administration could do by either returning the migrants to the U.S. to have their cases heard in person – or to otherwise facilitate hearings abroad with members of the class that “satisfy the requirements of due process.” “On the merits, the Court concludes that this class was denied their due-process rights and will thus require the Government to facilitate their ability to obtain such a hearing,” Boasberg said at the time. “Our law requires no less.” APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN’S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT The Justice Department’s request for a seven-day extension did not challenge the underlying merits of the order. Instead, they cited only the changing circumstances on the ground in Venezuela, which they said necessitate the additional time. “Over the weekend, the United States apprehended Nicolás Maduro,” lawyers for the Justice Department said in their request for additional time. “As a result, the situation on the ground in Venezuela has changed dramatically. Defendants thus need additional time to determine the feasibility of various proposals,” they added. “Defendants therefore request a 7-day extension to evaluate and determine what remedies are possible.” SCOTUS TO REVIEW TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP Boasberg responded in a terse minute order, noting only that the Justice Department’s request “fails to comply” with the local rule in question, which requires parties to first confer with opposing counsel. He ordered the DOJ to file the relevant notice to opposing counsel by the end of the day. The update further stalls an ongoing court inquiry that has been on ice for months as the result of appeals court rulings, efforts to shield certain information from the court for national security purposes, and a separate, but related, contempt inquiry. The CECOT migrants were again moved in July from the Salvadoran prison to Venezuela, as part of a broader prisoner exchange that involved the return of at least 10 Americans detained in Venezuela. Their role in the prisoner exchange further complicated efforts to ascertain the status of the CECOT class plaintiffs, including some migrants who had fled Venezuela in the first place due to fears of persecution, including from gangs. That has made it difficult to contact the migrants from the CECOT class and determine how many of them still wished to proceed with their due process cases, as ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, previously told Boasberg in court. Some of them remain in hiding, Gelernt said, further complicating efforts to make contact. The ACLU lawyers told the court in December that, of the 252 Venezuelan migrants that were deported in March to CECOT, 137 still wish to move forward with their due process cases.
Over 1,000 arrested in ‘massive’ Minnesota operation, including murderers, rapists, pedophiles
Federal authorities have arrested more than 1,000 in Minnesota, including alleged murderers, rapists, pedophiles and gang members, after sending a surge of agents to the state in its “massive” response to the rampant fraud still being uncovered. Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that since the agency “surged law enforcement” to Minnesota last week, it “has already made more than 1,000 arrests of murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and gang members.” DHS said that among those arrested was a Somali criminal illegal alien named Liban Ali Osman, 43, who the agency said was convicted of robbery in Columbus, Ohio. Osman was sentenced to three years in prison and has had a final order of removal since May 17, 2011. Another, Vannaleut Keomany, a 59-year-old criminal illegal alien from Laos, arrested in the crackdown, was convicted of two counts of rape, also in Columbus. DHS said Keomany was sentenced to seven years in prison and has had a final order of removal since Dec. 17, 2009. FRAUD FALLOUT FORCES DEMOCRATIC GOV. TIM WALZ TO ABANDON MINNESOTA RE-ELECTION BID Federal agents also arrested another Laotian, Por Moua, 50, during the operation. Moua has convictions for first-degree great bodily harm, sexual intercourse with a child in California, and false imprisonment. A third Laotian, Sing Radsmikham, 52, was arrested in the operation and has been convicted of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct using force or coercion in Roseau County, Minnesota. He has had a final order of removal since 2004. Tou Vang, a 42-year-old from Laos, was arrested and has been convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a child under 13. Vang has had a final order of removal since 2006. Somvang Phrachansiry, a 63-year-old from Laos, was arrested. He has been convicted of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and has had a final order of removal since 2001. Javier Bulmaro Turrubiartes, a 49-year-old criminal alien from Mexico, was arrested in Minnesota. Turrubiartes has previously been arrested for soliciting children through electronic communication to engage in sexual conduct and convicted of hiring or agreeing to hire a child under 16 for prostitution. ICE BLASTS HILTON AFTER EMAILS ALLEGEDLY SHOW HOTEL REFUSING ROOMS TO IMMIGRATION AGENTS Another illegal from Mexico, Joel Cuautle-Ocelotl, 51, was nabbed in the roundup. He has been convicted of third-degree assault with intent to cause physical injury in New York and driving while impaired in Minnesota. Ban Du La Sein, a 47-year-old from Burma who has been convicted of third-degree criminal sexual conduct using force or coercion in Nobles County, Minnesota, was also arrested. Angel Edwin Quiquintuna Capuz, a 26-year-old from Ecuador, was arrested by federal agents. Capuz has previously been convicted of robbery in Columbus and been arrested for driving while intoxicated, assaulting a police officer, obstructing the legal process and disarming a peace officer. DHS surged roughly 2,000 federal agents and officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s deportation branch and Homeland Security Investigations, according to CBS News. The outlet reported the operation will be a 30-day surge in the Twin Cities area. It also said that U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commander Gregory Bovino will help oversee the operation. McLaughlin said that “while for the safety of our officers we do not get into law enforcement footprint,” she confirmed that “DHS has surged law enforcement” to the Twin Cities area. KLOBUCHAR WEIGHING RUN FOR MINNESOTA GOVERNOR AS WALZ ENDS RE-ELECTION BID AMID FRAUD SCANDAL Minnesota has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks after authorities revealed multimillion-dollar fraud operations in the state, resulting in dozens of arrests and indictments. Last week, Homeland Security announced it was launching a “massive operation” in Minnesota to “identify, arrest, and remove criminals who are defrauding the American people.” The announcement came after the release of a video by an independent journalist who questioned daycare center operators in the area. In an X post, the agency vowed to “root out this rampant fraud plaguing Minnesota.”
Walz decision to exit governor race intensifies calls from GOP lawmakers for his resignation: ‘Easy way out’
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz announced on Monday he is scrapping his re-election campaign for another term amid a massive fraud scandal in the state, but Republican lawmakers in Minnesota are calling the move an empty one. “Don’t mistake Gov. Walz’s retirement for accountability,” Minnesota state Sen. Mark Koran said in a statement to Fox News Digital after Walz’s Monday announcement. “It’s an attempt to avoid it. Republicans will keep holding ALL elected Democrats accountable for Minnesota’s fraud mess, spending every dollar of the $18 billion surplus, and raising taxes by $10 billion.” Accountability for Walz, according to several Republican lawmakers, involves him resigning as governor, which many have called for in recent months. CRITICS WARN MINNESOTA LEGISLATION NOW TAKING EFFECT IS SETTING UP THE ‘NEXT BILLION-DOLLAR FRAUD’ “The Governor is taking the easy way out, but it’s not good enough,” state Sen. Michael Holmstrom said in a statement. “Minnesotans deserve and demand an IMMEDIATE resignation.” “Governor Walz couldn’t take the FRAUD heat so he’s getting out of the kitchen, but I’m going to keep holding ALL Democrats accountable for Minnesota’s fraud mess, blowing through the entire $18 billion surplus, raising taxes by $10 billion, and making life less affordable for all Minnesotans while rejecting Republican efforts to stop fraud. I’ll keep exposing these failures and holding Democrats accountable for what they’ve done to Minnesotans.” Walz launched his bid for a third four-year term as Minnesota governor in September, but in recent weeks has been facing a barrage of incoming political fire from President Donald Trump and Republicans, and some Democrats, over the large-scale theft in a state that has long prided itself on good governance. HOW FEARS OF BEING LABELED ‘RACIST’ HELPED ‘PROVIDE COVER’ FOR THE EXPLODING MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL More than 90 people — most from Minnesota’s large Somali community — have been charged since 2022 in what has been described as the nation’s largest COVID-era scheme. How much money has been stolen through alleged money laundering operations involving fraudulent meal and housing programs, daycare centers, and Medicaid services is still being tabulated. But the U.S. attorney in Minnesota said the scope of the fraud could exceed $1 billion and rise to as high as $9 billion. GOP state Sen. Rich Draheim accused Walz in a statement of simply “passing the buck” with his “retirement” announcement while “blaming Republicans for his failures.” Minnesota Republican Sen. Andrew Lang echoed the messaging from his state party in a statement concluding that “retirement isn’t accountability.” “It’s him trying to wipe his hands clean of the fraud mess. But ALL elected Democrats own this. They fought Republican efforts to stop the fraud, failed to hold Walz’s agencies accountable, and let Minnesotans’ tax dollars get siphoned off by fraudsters.” Walz met Sunday with Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota to discuss his decision to drop his re-election bid, a source familiar confirmed to Fox News’ Alexis McAdams. Word of their meeting comes amid speculation that Klobuchar, a former Hennepin County attorney who’s been elected and re-elected four times to the U.S. Senate, may now run to succeed Walz. “Make no mistake, I don’t want Tim Walz to be our governor,” Minnesota Republican state Sen. Andrew Mathews said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “But rather than swapping Democrat governor candidates, I want to FIX the damage Gov. Walz has done: Blew through an $18 billion surplus, Raised taxes by $10 billion, Oversaw one of the largest fraud scandals in the country, Left Minnesota for months chasing a failed VP bid, Now decides to leave office.” “This isn’t accountability. It’s avoiding it.” Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.