Chinese official claims no knowledge of fungus situation, says China requires citizens ‘abide by local laws’
A Chinese embassy official said Wednesday he was unaware of the case involving two Chinese nationals charged with smuggling a “dangerous biological pathogen” into the U.S. for university research. “I don’t know the specific situation, but I would like to emphasize that the Chinese government has always required overseas Chinese citizens to abide by local laws and regulations and will also resolutely safeguard their legitimate rights and interests,” said Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Embassy in the U.S. The statement came after University of Michigan research fellows Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu – who are also boyfriend and girlfriend – were charged with smuggling Fusarium graminearum fungus into the U.S. within the jurisdiction of the Eastern District of Michigan. Fusarium graminearum is considered a “potential agroterrorism weapon” by the Justice Department and can cause noxious “head blight” on cereal grain crops. PATEL: CHINESE NATIONALS CHARGED WITH SMUGGLING ‘KNOWN AGROTERRORISM AGENT’ INTO US IS A ‘DIRECT THREAT’ The fungus causes $1 billion in global damage to crops each year, according to the feds. The FBI is conducting the investigation along with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. While Liu appeared to deny knowledge of the case, Jian allegedly received funding from the CCP for her work on the fungus inside China. China was also determined by several entities to be the culprit for the release of the coronavirus pathogen that caused a global pandemic in 2020. CBP OFFICERS SEIZE OVER $14M OF ALLEGED METHAMPHETAMINE AT SOUTHERN BORDER FBI Director Kash Patel said the fungus involved poses a serious national security threat to the domestic food supply. CBP Director of Field Operations Marty Raybon said the criminal charges levied against Jian and Liu “are indicative of CBP’s critical role in protecting the American people from biological threats that could devastate our agricultural economy and cause harm to humans…” The University of Michigan also responded to the incident, saying that “as one of the world’s leading public research institutions, [it] is dedicated to advancing knowledge, solving challenging problems and improving nearly every facet of the human experience. Our research enterprise across all three campuses is united in this commitment to serving the people of Michigan and the world.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “We strongly condemn any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university’s critical public mission,” the university said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. “It is important to note that the university has received no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals. We have and will continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement in its ongoing investigation and prosecution.” Fox News’ Rich Edson and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Durbin obstruction threat chills Senate as Trump nominees hang in balance
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., used his opening remarks during the Senate’s first judicial nominee hearing of the year on Wednesday to remind his colleagues that he was holding up at least one of President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice nominees. “I’ve got a hold on one nominee from Florida,” Durbin said. “I’ve spoken to both Florida senators about it. It isn’t personal. We’ve got to find a way out of this that is fair and bipartisan that we’re going to stick with for both political parties.” Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is blocking the nomination of Jason Reding Quinones, Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. attorney’s office in the Southern District of Florida. Durbin also recently threatened to obstruct more of Trump’s picks to lead the DOJ’s 93 U.S. attorney’s offices. Durbin’s threat loomed over the committee hearing, which featured five of Trump’s nominees to fill federal judge positions. The Illinois Democrat attributed his blockade to Vice President JD Vance announcing a hold on DOJ nominees in 2023. Vance, then a senator, said he would not lift his hold on nominees until then-Attorney General Merrick Garland stopped “going after his political opponents,” a reference to the two federal prosecutions of Trump. SEN. DICK DURBIN: CLOSING FEDERAL OFFICES PUNISHES EVERYDAY AMERICANS Any senator has the power to use holds to object to nominations. The practice significantly slows down the confirmation process because it prevents senators from voting for nominees through the typical, expedited unanimous consent process. Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, argued Wednesday that, like Durbin, he too disagreed with Vance’s decision, but Grassley said it was notably different than Durbin’s. “This isn’t what you can legitimately call a precedent for blanket obstruction at the beginning of an administration before even a single one of these 93 U.S. attorneys have been filled,” Grassley said. Grassley, who himself has hindered nominees in past administrations, said holds should be used “selectively” and quoted Durbin saying last Congress that “public safety will suffer across the United States” if the obstruction of U.S. attorneys is carried out. GRASSLEY ALLEGES FBI USED BIASED SOURCES IN ANTI-TRADITIONAL CATHOLIC MEMOS UNDER BIDEN ADMINISTRATION Durbin said Vance changed the rules “overnight.” “And guess what? The tables turn,” Durbin said. “There comes a time when you want to move these by voice vote, and we’re going to have to say, as Democrats, we’re going to follow the Vance precedent.” Durbin, who has an amicable relationship with Grassley, signaled he was willing to come to negotiate with Republicans over the Florida nominee, who has already been favorably reported out of the committee along party lines. Asked by Fox News Digital what a resolution would look like, a Durbin spokeswoman pointed to the senator’s remarks during the hearing and declined to comment further. Durbin’s hold is not the only roadblock for Trump’s nominees. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday from the Senate floor that Republicans wanted to “quietly rubber-stamp” Patrick Davis’ nomination and that he would not allow it. DEMS’ ‘DELAY TACTIC’ TO ‘MALIGN’ PATEL AND STALL FBI CONFIRMATION DISMISSED AS ‘BASELESS’ BY TOP SENATE LEADER Trump nominated Davis, a former Grassley aide, to serve as assistant attorney general for the Office of Legislative Affairs, who is responsible for handling DOJ’s correspondence with Congress. Schumer said he opposed Davis’ nomination in part because the DOJ has been unresponsive to his inquiries about the controversial luxury plane that Qatar gifted to the Trump administration. “They won’t even answer serious questions about this. This plane should be withdrawn,” Schumer said. He added that when “this Justice Department is as horrible as it is, as political as it is, as destructive of American values as it has been, no way.” Grassley responded to Schumer on X: “Why would Democrats expect responsiveness to Congress from DOJ when they obstruct Pres Trump’s nominees who r responsible to ANSWER THEIR LTTRS????” The last two Senate-confirmed heads of the Office of Legislative Affairs, during the Biden administration and first Trump administration, were confirmed through the speedy voice vote process.
Rising antisemitic violence, terror attacks in US spur House Homeland Security Committee hearing
EXCLUSIVE: A GOP lawmaker on the House’s Homeland Security Committee is spearheading a hearing on growing antisemitic violence in the U.S. in response to recent attacks in Boulder, Colorado, and Washington, D.C. These attacks are not outliers, according to the chairman of the committee’s counterterrorism and intelligence subcommittee, Rep. August Pfluger of Texas. He has scheduled a hearing for June 11 to examine the rise of anti-Israel terrorist attacks within the American homeland. “From harassment of Jewish students and calls to ‘Globalize the Intifada,’ to arson against the Jewish governor of Pennsylvania and the cold-blooded execution of two young Israeli Embassy staffers in our nation’s capital – the heinous attack in Boulder this Sunday is part of a disturbing pattern, not an isolated incident,” Pfluger said in a Wednesday statement to Fox News Digital. “Antisemitic violence and harassment will not, and cannot, remain unchecked in the United States of America – whether it’s on college campuses or in our communities.” BOULDER TERROR ATTACK RESULT OF ‘RECKLESS BIDEN POLICIES,’ WHITE HOUSE SAYS “In the wake of the foreign policy failures and open-border policies of the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with state and local law enforcement, must be prepared to meet the moment as we face an increasingly complex threat landscape at home and abroad,” he said. “Congress must ensure the United States remains a bastion of freedom for all, and that our Jewish neighbors can live free from hatred and persecution.” Among those who will appear at the hearing is Kerry Sleeper, the deputy director for intelligence and information sharing with the Secure Community Network. The group is the largest Jewish security organization in North America. Sleeper oversees its 24/7 operations of the National Jewish Security Operations Command Center, which coordinates intelligence with agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI. Pfluger has previously sounded the alarm about antisemitic violence and other terror threats that jeopardize the safety of U.S. citizens. For example, he reintroduced legislation in February, known as the Countering Online Radicalization and Terrorism Act, which would require DHS to conduct assessments each year evaluating the threat terrorist groups like ISIS and Hamas pose to the U.S. through the use of foreign cloud-based mobile or desktop messaging applications. The measure has received bipartisan support, and Democratic Rep. Jimmy Panetta of California is a co-sponsor. Pfluger’s hearing comes not long after a gunman opened fire and killed two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington in May. A pro-Palestinian man, identified as 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, was arrested in connection with the case, according to authorities. SHOOTING AT CAPITAL JEWISH MUSEUM HIGHLIGHTS RISING WAVE OF ANTI-JEWISH HATE CRIMES Likewise, Sunday’s terrorist attack in Colorado left a dozen people injured – including a Holocaust survivor – during an event organized by Run for Their Lives, a grassroots group that holds events urging the release of Israeli hostages. The suspect in the attack, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, first entered the U.S. under the Biden administration and had overstayed his visa, multiple Department of Homeland Security sources first told Fox News. Soliman, 45, allegedly yelled “Free Palestine” and used a makeshift flamethrower to conduct that attack, according to law enforcement officials. Lawmakers and intelligence experts have long warned about foreign terrorists entering the U.S. and conducting attacks against American citizens. For example, Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, then-chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green, R-Tenn., warned of such terror threats in August 2024, following the release of a report from House Judiciary Committee Republicans that determined the Biden administration released nearly 100 illegal immigrants on the terrorist watch list. BIDEN DHS REVEALS 50 MIGRANTS STILL AT LARGE AS ISIS-AFFILIATED SMUGGLING NETWORK BRINGS HUNDREDS TO US “Since the Biden-Harris Administration’s failed open border policies have welcomed potential terrorists into our nation, we’re working to combat these threats and safeguard Americans in their own backyards,” Turner and Green said in a joint statement in August 2024 in response to the report. The FBI has voiced similar concerns. “I have warned for some time now about the threat that foreign terrorists may seek to exploit our southwest border or some other port of entry to advance a plot against Americans,” former FBI Director Christopher Wray told the House Judiciary Committee in April 2024. “Just last month, for instance, the Bureau and our joint terrorism task forces worked with ICE in multiple cities across the country as several individuals with suspected international terrorist ties were arrested using ICE’s immigration authorities.”
Elon Musk posts ‘Kill Bill’ meme in latest push to nix Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill
Less than a week after leaving his position as head of the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk is calling on Americans to urge their senators and representatives to “kill” the “big, beautiful” budget bill backed by President Donald Trump. Musk has grown increasingly critical of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,, claiming that if passed, it would increase the U.S. budget deficit by $5 billion. On Wednesday afternoon, Musk posted an image of the 2003 Uma Thurman movie “Kill Bill,” appearing to reference his call to nix the Trump-backed bill. “We need a new bill that doesn’t grow the deficit,” Musk said on X. In another post, Musk urged: “Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL.” TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ FACES RESISTANCE FROM REPUBLICAN SENATORS OVER DEBT FEARS Musk said Tuesday afternoon that he “just can’t stand it anymore.” “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,” Musk said. “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.” Musk previously criticized the bill during an interview with CBS, noting he was “disappointed” in the spending bill because “it undermines” all the work his DOGE team was doing. The bill passed the House in late May, ahead of Memorial Day, largely along party lines. However, two Republicans did vote against the measure, citing insufficient spending cuts and a rising national debt. GOP Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has also signaled he likely will not vote in favor of the bill in its current form, citing a debt ceiling increase that is a red line for him. TRUMP WARNS RAND PAUL HE’S PLAYING INTO ‘HANDS OF THE DEMOCRATS’ WITH ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ OPPOSITION Trump has lashed out at Paul and others for opposing the bill, but so far he has taken a more measured approach to Musk’s criticism. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Look, the president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a Tuesday afternoon briefing when asked about Musk’s most recent criticism. “It doesn’t change the president’s opinion. This is one big, beautiful bill and he’s sticking to it,” she said.
Johnson says Republicans ‘don’t have time’ to craft new Trump plan despite Musk’s call to ‘KILL the BILL’
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is rebuffing Elon Musk’s call for a brand-new budget reconciliation bill, deepening the tech billionaire’s rift with Republicans in Washington. “A new spending bill should be drafted that doesn’t massively grow the deficit and increase the debt ceiling by 5 TRILLION DOLLARS,” Musk wrote on X Wednesday. He ratcheted up his rhetoric shortly after, posting, “KILL the BILL.” But Johnson said the timeline was working against Congress and that an overhaul of President Donald Trump’s massive agenda bill was unfeasible. HOUSE GOP TARGETS ANOTHER DEM OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF BLOCKING ICE AMID DELANEY HALL FALLOUT Johnson said when asked for a response by Fox News, “We don’t have time for a brand new bill.” “I want Elon and all my friends to recognize the complexity of what we’ve accomplished here. This extraordinary piece of legislation – record number of savings, record tax cuts for the American people and all the other benefits in it,” the speaker told reporters. “We worked on the bill for almost 14 months. You can’t go back to the drawing board, and we shouldn’t. We have a great product to deliver here.” Johnson cautioned critics of the bill not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. MIKE JOHNSON, DONALD TRUMP GET ‘BIG, ‘BEAUTIFUL’ WIN AS BUDGET PASSES HOUSE “We’re proud of this product. The House Republicans are proud of it, and we’re happy to go out and explain that to everybody,” Johnson said. The Louisiana Republican said during a press conference earlier that he was “surprised” by Musk’s criticism. The speaker previously also pointed out that Republicans are planning to codify spending cuts identified by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in a different vehicle than the reconciliation process. Musk has been bearing down hard on the legislation, putting Republican lawmakers in a difficult spot after months of lauding his work with DOGE. The massive bill passed by the House and currently being considered by the Senate advances Trump’s priorities on taxes, immigration, energy, defense, and the debt limit. It passed the House 215 – 214 with all but three House Republicans not voting “yes.” House GOP leaders, noting their slim margins, have urged the Senate to change as little as possible in the bill. But the Senate GOP has its own razor-thin majority, and lawmakers there have already signaled they want to see at least some changes. The White House, meanwhile, has stood by the bill. “The president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill. It doesn’t change the president’s opinion. This is one big, beautiful bill, and he’s sticking to it,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.
Marjorie Taylor Greene sounds alarm over AI provision in One Big Beautiful Bill Act: ‘I would have voted NO if I had known’
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who voted to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in the House last month, slammed a provision of the proposal on Tuesday, noting that if she had realized it was in the measure, she would have voted against passage. The provision Greene is sounding the alarm about would significantly restrict states from regulating artificial intelligence for a decade. “Except as provided in paragraph (2), no State or political subdivision thereof may enforce, during the 10-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, any law or regulation of that State or a political subdivision thereof limiting, restricting, or otherwise regulating artificial intelligence models, artificial intelligence systems, or automated decision systems entered into interstate commerce,” the provision reads, in part. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE SLAMS FDA GREEN LIGHTING OF MNEXSPIKE COVID-19 VACCINE: ‘NOT MAHA AT ALL!!!’ Greene disclosed in a post on X that she did not know about that provision of the proposal when she voted to pass the measure last month. “Full transparency, I did not know about this section on pages 278-279 of the OBBB that strips states of the right to make laws or regulate AI for 10 years. I am adamantly OPPOSED to this and it is a violation of state rights and I would have voted NO if I had known this was in there,” she noted in the tweet on Tuesday. “We have no idea what AI will be capable of in the next 10 years and giving it free rein and tying states hands is potentially dangerous. This needs to be stripped out in the Senate. When the OBBB comes back to the House for approval after Senate changes, I will not vote for it with this in it. We should be reducing federal power and preserving state power. Not the other way around. Especially with rapidly developing AI that even the experts warn they have no idea what it may be capable of,” Greene added. REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE AIRS FRUSTRATIONS, WARNS THAT SHE REPRESENTS A ‘NOT HAPPY’ REPUBLICAN BASE Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., responded to Greene’s post by tweeting, “You have one job. To. Read. The. F[—]ing. Bill.” “Maybe instead of doing this you should have read the bill,” conservative commentator Dana Loesch tweeted in response to Greene’s comments. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act runs a bit more than 1,000 pages long. Greene told Fox News Digital during a phone call on Wednesday that if she ever ceases to be “humble as a representative and willing to publicly admit that maybe I’ve made a mistake … then I shouldn’t be a representative.” But the congresswoman explained that she believes that “this is a far more important discussion than Marjorie admitted that she missed reading a little clause” lodged within the lengthy bill. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE PUSHES BILL TO PUNISH THOSE WHO PERFORM GENDER TRANSITION MEASURES ON MINORS Greene said that she believes she should have “been able to trust Republicans, that we wouldn’t be destroying federalism in the One Big Beautiful Bill. That was what I didn’t expect. Because, state rights, that’s federalism. And Republicans are focused on reducing federal government power and protecting state rights. However, this bill literally destroys state rights for 10 years … destroys federalism.” She said that regardless of which party is “in charge … this is something that we just can’t allow to happen.” On Tuesday, business tycoon Elon Musk blasted both the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the lawmakers who voted to pass it. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it,” he tweeted.
4-H federally funded camps under fire for cabining kids, adult counselors by ‘identity’
EXCLUSIVE: Some federally supported youth programs still have policies in place permitting attendees and adult camp counselors to stay in overnight housing based on their self-identified gender rather than their biological sex – despite the fact that the policy these rules are derived from has since been rescinded by the Trump administration, according to one nonprofit group. The Washington-area Center for Practical Federalism is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees 4-H youth programs that federally funded public universities across the country administer, to evaluate the programs’ gender ideology standards. The 4-H programs offer a host of activities for youth through more than 100 public universities across the country in areas including health, science, agriculture and civic engagement. HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS IN TAX MONEY GOES TO CONTRACTS FOR DEI GROUPS, WATCHDOG FINDS The Center for Practical Federalism is an arm of the nonprofit organization the State Policy Network, and seeks to provide resources to the American public and policymakers to educate them about federalism, and the balance between state and national politics to prevent government overreach. The issue originated in 2017, when the National 4-H Council and USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture shared a “4-H Guidance for Inclusion of Individuals of all Gender Identities, Gender Expressions, Sexual Orientation and Sexes” on a USDA-managed website. That guidance has since been rescinded, and the Trump administration issued an executive order in January instructing agencies to take “appropriate action to ensure that intimate spaces designated for women, girls, or females (or for men, boys, or males) are designated by sex and not identity.” THE ‘GRADING FOR EQUITY’ PROPOSAL IS ABOUT LOWERING STANDARDS FOR STUDENTS, EXPERT SAYS But policies that allow 4-H attendees and adult chaperones to stay in overnight accommodations based on their gender ideology – rather than their biological sex – remain in place in multiple states, according to the Center for Practical Federalism. “Now that the Trump administration has rescinded all prior federal policies advancing gender ideology and replaced them with a clear biological framework through Executive Order, it is essential to ensure that federal grantees, including land-grant universities running 4-H programs, bring their practices into alignment with the law,” Tony Woodlief, the Center for Practical Federalism’s senior executive vice president, said in a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, obtained by Fox News Digital. Specifically, the Center for Practical Federalism pointed to several instances where states have prioritized gender identity over biological sex for their 4-H programs. For example, the group alleged that, in 2022, the Rock Springs Ranch 4-H Camp in Kansas housed a person who was born a male but identified as a female in a cabin with preteen girls – without alerting the parents beforehand for consent. The Sentinel, a nonprofit news site that is a subsidiary of the free market think tank Kansas Policy Institute, also reported on the incident. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Kansas 4-H Foundation has not updated its gender policy online since then, which claims to ban gender discrimination based on “gender identity” in areas including housing, according to the Center for Practical Federalism. “The persistence of gender identity-based policies in 4-H programs shows how rescinded guidance can continue to shape policy and practice in violation of current federal directives,” Woodlief said in the letter. “The situation at Rock Springs Ranch 4-H Camp in Kansas is a clear example of how these policies can conflict with parental rights and children’s safety.” The Kansas 4-H Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. MAHA REPORT RAISES CONCERNS ABOUT CHILDHOOD CHRONIC DISEASE Other states have similar policies, according to the Center for Practical Federalism. For example, California and Oregon both espouse policies in official documents or in training materials for their 4-H programs that place participants and adult chaperones in overnight housing based on their gender identity, rather than biological sex, the group said. The University of California’s 4-H Youth Development Program did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital, nor did Oregon State’s 4-H Youth Development Program. As a result, the Center for Practical Federalism is requesting that the USDA conduct a review of all federally funded 4-H programs, land grant institutions and 4-H facilities to determine where rescinded gender ideology policies are still being enforced. Likewise, the group urges the USDA to institute formal standards “to prevent subregulatory guidance from circumventing lawful rulemaking.” “We also recommend that the Department use this case as a springboard for a broader, agency-wide audit of existing guidance documents, rescinding those that bypassed the regulatory process or are no longer necessary,” Woodlief said in the letter. The USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Federal judge drops case against Trump adviser Peter Navarro
A federal judge has closed the case against White House trade adviser Peter Navarro over his alleged use of a private email for government business and mishandling of presidential records while serving in the first Trump administration. Navarro, a current senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, had been under investigation by former President Joe Biden’s Justice Department, with the lawsuit accusing Navarro of using at least one “non-official” email account — a ProtonMail account — to send and receive emails. The civil case alleged that by using the unofficial email account, Navarro failed to turn over presidential records to the National Archives and Records Administration. FORMER TRUMP ADVISER PETER NAVARRO, HOURS AFTER RELEASE FROM PRISON, APPEARS AT RNC: ‘I AM YOUR WAKE-UP CALL’ The decision to dismiss the case, filed in 2022, comes after the Trump Justice Department asked the court to do so. The joint filing by the Justice Department and an attorney for Navarro doesn’t explain why they are abandoning a case. The one-page filing says each side will bear their own fees and costs. Navarro served four months in prison after being convicted in a separate case for refusing to cooperate with the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. He maintained his refusal to testify was protected by executive privilege. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Trump-led Justice Department is reconsidering Navarro’s conviction, potentially seeking to overturn it, the Washington Post reported last month. This move aligns with a broader pattern of the administration revisiting prosecutions against Trump allies. He took the stage on day three of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, just hours after being released from a Miami prison. He said that the Jan. 6 case was politically motivated by Biden and that “if they can come for me, if they can come for Donald Trump, be careful. They will come for you.” Fox News’ Jake Gibson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
GOP lawmaker vows to ‘close’ controversial Biden-era ‘side door’ on key issue
New legislation aims to set a limit on the number of immigration parolees allowed into the United States annually. The “Preventing the Abuse of Immigration Parole Act” would cap parole admissions into the U.S. at 3,000 people a year starting in fiscal year 2029. It would also “establish congressional findings” that parole for people trying to enter the country should only be conducted “case-by-case.” It would also not allow those from “a country of concern” like Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Syria, and Russia to be given parole unless there is special permission granted by the Department of State. TRUMP FREEZES APPLICATIONS FOR BIDEN-ERA MIGRANT PROGRAMS AMID FRAUD, NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS “Biden’s open-border bureaucrats abused immigration parole to serve their free-lunch agenda—exposing the United States to one of the greatest national security vulnerabilities we’ve seen in years,” North Carolina Republican Rep. Addison McDowell, the bill’s sponsor, said in a statement on Wednesday. “When vetting procedures are ignored and the floodgates are opened, it’s hard to believe it wasn’t deliberate. They showed no regard for the American families left to deal with the fallout of their failed policies. My bill, the Preventing the Abuse of Immigration Parole Act, caps parole entries and closes the side door that’s been exploited to bypass our borders,” the Republican continued. McDowell’s bill was inspired by the congressional U.S. House Homeland Security Committee, Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations & Accountability’s finding that 2.8 million individuals were given parole while former President Joe Biden was in office under the purview of former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. ‘RESTORE ORDER’: BILL TO LIMIT BIDEN-ERA IMMIGRATION POWERS GETS RENEWED PUSH UNDER TRUMP “The systemic abuse of parole for aliens outside the United States is a threat to national security and future abuse should be prevented,” the bill text states. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE The 2.8 million figure includes the roughly half a million Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans admitted under a parole program that the Trump administration seeks to end. A recent stay by the Supreme Court indicates that they could ultimately be successful in the effort to end the CHNV parole program, as the Department of Homeland Security can deport people while the legal battle continues, DHS said in a news release. BIDEN ADMIN FACES MOUNTING PRESSURE TO DISMANTLE MIGRANT PAROLE PROGRAM AMID ‘STRESS’ ON SMALL TOWNS “Today’s decision is a victory for the American people. The Biden Administration lied to America,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement on May 30 about the Supreme Court’s decision. “They allowed more than half a million poorly vetted aliens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela and their immediate family members to enter the United States through these disastrous parole programs; granted them opportunities to compete for American jobs and undercut American workers; forced career civil servants to promote the programs even when fraud was identified; and then blamed Republicans in Congress for the chaos that ensued and the crime that followed,” she added. The proposal comes as the House recently passed the reconciliation bill, which includes additional funding for immigration enforcement – and it’s currently on the Senate side before it could hit President Donald Trump’s desk.
Schumer warns Trump budget bill Medicaid cuts could jeopardize GOP senators: ‘We Are All Going to Die Act’
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Wednesday renamed President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” the “We’re All Going to Die Act,” slamming the package over cuts to Medicaid. The Senate Minority Leader said Republican senators who support Trump’s budget bill are “tenured at best, suicidal at worst,” implying a vote for the legislative package will have negative consequences at the ballot box. “For many Americans, health care coverage is the difference between life and death,” Schumer said. His new name for Trump’s budget bill comes from a recent remark by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. In response to jeers from a crowd about how cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would cause people to die, Ernst retorted at a recent town hall event, “Well, we’re all going to die.” TRUMP CRITICIZES RAND PAUL OVER TAX BILL OPPOSITION: ‘VOTES NO ON EVERYTHING’ “According to Ernst, ‘Fear not. We’re going to die anyway.’ Tell that, the American people have heard. Let me be clear. Democrats are ready. We are ready to fight,’ Schumer said. “We are doubling down. We’re ready to show Americans what’s really at stake here, because this fight won’t be won in just the Capitol. As Abe Lincoln said, public sentiment is everything. And when public sentiment hears about this ‘We’re All Going to Die Act,’ they’re going to hate it, and they’re going to tell their senators they hate it. And if the senators think they can get away with a yes vote and explain it, they’re sadly mistaken. The cuts are too deep. The cuts are too real. The cuts are too devastating for people.” He continued, “Why are they being so mean? Why are they being so cruel? And why are they being so politically tenured at at best, suicidal at worst? All to give tax breaks to billionaires. They are in total obeisance. Donald Trump is, and his colleagues are to very very, the small group of very wealthy, greedy people who say, ‘I don’t care what you do to everyone else, cut my taxes. And by the way, get rid of any regulations.’” Schumer said that the Congressional Budget Office found that the estimated number of people who would lose their health insurance coverage if Trump’s budget bill passes could increase from 13.7 million to up to as many as 16 million people. STILL A NO: RAND PAUL SAYS $5T DEBT INCREASE IN ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ A DEAL-BREAKER “New calculations show Medicare is under the knife,” Schumer said. A handful of Republican senators have expressed hesitation to Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” over concerns it will increase the national debt and budget ceiling, but Senate Majority Leader John Leader said the upper chamber remains on track to pass the package by a July 4 deadline as negotiations are ongoing. Trump and the White House, meanwhile, insist the bill will evoke massive growth for the nation. Schumer alleged Trump “is just lying about the bill.” “We’ve been told 11 million people cut off from affordable food tax cuts for billionaires. “We’re All Going to Die Bill.’ And that shows the callousness, the callousness of this Republican majority in the House and the Republican majority in the Senate. Repeal and replace. It’s that by another name, that by another name.” Schumer addressed Republicans’ pledge to fight waste, fraud and abuse by making the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts permanent through the bill. “Now, Trump and the Republicans claim they want to fight fraud. Bull, bull,” he said. “Let me tell our Republican Senate colleagues what will be enacted is not Donald Trump’s soothing words, but the actual reality of harsh cuts where people lose health care, where people’s premiums go up, where hospitals close, nursing homes close, and people are laid off,” Schumer claimed. “So anyone who thinks they’re voting for the nice words of Donald Trump will face a harsh reality when this is implemented.”