White House hits back at Dem mayor suing US attorney after ICE arrest: ‘Desperate attempt’
The White House is pushing back against Newark Democratic Mayor Ras Baraka, who has hit interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba with a lawsuit this week after he was arrested and briefly charged with criminal trespassing last month outside an ICE facility. Baraka, who is one of the leading Democratic candidates for New Jersey governor, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Habba, accusing her of “false arrest and malicious prosecution” in connection with his May 9 arrest and charges outside a federal immigration center. He was one of several public officials, including Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver and Bonnie Watson Coleman, from the New Jersey congressional delegation, all of whom had massed outside the facility in protest. The U.S. attorney’s office said 13 days after it brought charges against Baraka that it was dismissing the case against him “for the sake of moving forward.” The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in New Jersey, accuses Habba of acting politically in Baraka’s May 9 arrest outside the Delaney Hall detention center, near Newark Liberty International Airport. Baraka was arrested during a protest outside the facility after being accused of trespassing and ignoring warnings from law enforcement officials to leave. He was held in custody for several hours before being released. BUMPY WEATHER OVER NEWARK: HOUSE DEMOCRATS COULD FACE CONSEQUENCES FOR DELANEY HALL INCIDENT The civil lawsuit filed by Baraka’s attorneys seeks damages for what they described as his “false arrest and malicious prosecution,” as well as the allegedly defamatory remarks Habba made about his case, including on social media. In the lawsuit, Baraka’s lawyers accused Habba of acting as “a political operative, outside of any function intimately related to the judicial process, and in her individual personal capacity.” Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, responded to Baraka’s move by calling it a “meritless lawsuit” and a “desperate attempt” to stay relevant. BOULDER TERROR ATTACK RESULT OF ‘RECKLESS BIDEN POLICIES,’ WHITE HOUSE SAYS “Much like Mr. Bakara’s last stunt – storming a federal detention facility in defense of criminal illegal aliens – this meritless lawsuit is just his latest desperate attempt to try and stay relevant among the far-left Democrat base,” said Jackson. Habba, meanwhile, dismissed Baraka’s lawsuit and mocked it as “shocking.” “My advice to the mayor – feel free to join me in prioritizing violent crime and public safety. Far better use of time for the great citizens of New Jersey,” Habba said in an X post on Monday night. HOMELAND SECURITY REMOVES ‘SANCTUARY JURISDICTIONS’ LIST FROM ITS WEBSITE CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Baraka’s team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
GOP senators express ‘concerns,’ ‘skepticism’ over Trump’s spending bill after Musk rant
A cohort of Senate Republicans already troubled by the House GOP’s version of President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” found a common ally in Elon Musk, who again trashed the legislation on Tuesday. Musk, who just exited his tenure as Trump’s efficiency bloodhound leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last week, doubled down on his position that the House’s reconciliation package was an “abomination.” WHITE HOUSE STANDS BY TAX BILL AFTER MUSK CALLS IT A ‘DISGUSTING ABOMINATION’ “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,” Musk said on X. “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination.” “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong,” he continued. “You know it.” Senate Republicans have already vowed to make changes to the colossal bill, which includes the president’s desires on tax, energy, immigration, defense and national debt policies. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., lauded Musk for his work with DOGE, but noted that the Senate GOP and the tech-billionaire had “a difference of opinion.” ELON MUSK CRITICISM OF TRUMP TAX BILL FRUSTRATES SOME REPUBLICANS: ‘NO PLACE IN CONGRESS’ He didn’t believe that Musk’s comments would derail the bill entirely in the upper chamber, either. Thune has pledged to get the bill to the president’s desk by Independence Day. “The legislation, as passed by the House, can be approved here in the Senate, can be strengthened in the Senate, in a number of ways,” Thune said. “We intend to do that, but when it’s all said and done, we’ll send it back to the House and hope that they can pass it and put it on the president’s desk.” Still, fractures have emerged among lawmakers, with some viewing the bill through the same lens as Musk. “Well, he has some of the same skepticism I have, you know, towards the big, beautiful bill,” said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. TRUMP CRITICIZES RAND PAUL OVER TAX BILL OPPOSITION: ‘VOTES NO ON EVERYTHING’ Paul has vowed not to support the bill as is without a serious overhaul to the legislation that would nix a $5 trillion increase to the nation’s debt ceiling — a stance that has gotten him into hot water with Trump. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., has similarly pledged not to support the bill unless much steeper spending cuts are achieved. The House’s product includes $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade, but Johnson would like to see a return to pre-pandemic spending levels, which would effectively amount to a roughly $6 trillion cut in spending. “I share his concerns,” Johnson said of Musk. “I also appreciate what he and President Trump did with his DOGE effort.” And Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, a fiscal hawk whose views are closely aligned with Johnson’s, argued in response to the tech billionaire’s social media post that “federal spending has become excessive.” “The resulting inflation harms Americans and weaponizes government,” Lee said on X. “The Senate can make this bill better. It must now do so.” Other Senate Republicans, including those with outstanding concerns with the current legislation, were much less receptive to Musk’s tirade against the bill. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., has remained steadfast in his position that he would not support the current Medicaid proposals in the House’s bill, especially if they cut benefits to his constituents and people across the country. When asked his reaction to Musk’s rant, he shrugged, “Well, he’s entitled to his opinion, it’s a free country.” Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.V., who has expressed reservations on the contents of the megabill, was more blunt. “My reaction to that is just simply this — and y’all may like this or not like this — but you know, Donald Trump is our president, not Elon Musk,” he said.
DNC taco truck stunt trolling Trump backfires on social media with Vance, GOP: ‘Can’t fix stupid’
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) parked a custom-wrapped food truck in front of the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., in an effort to troll President Trump over his tariff policies. The stunt received widespread mockery from conservatives. The DNC used the acronym TACO for “Trump Always Chickens Out” to provoke Trump’s ire. The phrase was coined by Wall Street analysts when referring to Trump’s tariff policies, suggesting Trump will walk back the steep reciprocal tariffs he announced in April. TREASURY SECRETARY CONFRONTS CBS HOST OVER PAST TARIFF INFLATION PREDICTIONS AS RATES HIT 4-YEAR-LOW “Trump always chickens out. We’re just bringing the tacos to match,” DNC Chair Ken Martin told Fox News Digital of the effort. The move did not impress conservatives on social media who highlighted it as an example of Democrats struggling with their messaging during Trump’s presidency. “The party that brought you the hugely successful ‘Dark Brandon’ and ‘Republicans are Weird’ campaigns are now going all in on ‘TACO,’” Washington Free Beacon reporter Chuck Ross posted on X. “We have the lamest opposition in American history,” Vice President JD Vance posted on X. “Democrats are doing what they do best: cheap gimmicks, free handouts, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they stuck us with the bill,” Western Regional & National Hispanic press secretary Christian Martinez posted on X. TRUMP WARNS COURT RULING AGAINST TARIFFS COULD LEAD TO ‘ECONOMIC RUINATION’ OF US In a statement to Fox News Digital, NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella mocked the DNC for parking the truck at a church a block away. “Looks like the Democrats took a break from fighting amongst themselves to stage a pathetic stunt,” Marinella said. The most embarrassing part? They couldn’t even get the location right. You can’t fix stupid.” “LMFAO,” Zach Parkinson, RNC communications director, told Fox News Digital. “A taco truck? Are they going to be giving out free vasectomies again, too? These people are morons. No wonder Democrats’ approval rating is at a historic low.” Abhi Rahman, the DNC’s deputy communications director, took aim at Vance’s X post, telling Fox News Digital Democrats know Vance is the “cringiest VP in American history.” “We understand that JD Vance, the cringiest VP in American history who cannot order a donut like a normal human being, prefers to take food away from people, including 40 million Americans whose SNAP benefits were just scrapped in the GOP budget,” he said. Earlier this week, conservative commentators took aim at a TikTok posted by Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., in which he is filmed eating a taco in an attempt to mock Trump’s tariff strategy, and some declared it “cringeworthy.” Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
SCOOP: House GOP circles wagons on Trump tax-and-spend bill as Senate seeks changes
The House GOP is quietly mounting a pressure campaign on the Senate to accept its version of President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” even as lawmakers in the upper chamber signal they’ll be making changes. Tensions are simmering between Republicans in the two chambers as they work to pass a massive tax, immigration and energy bill via the budget reconciliation process. The House Budget Committee held a staff-level communications briefing on Monday, two sources told Fox News Digital, the same day the Senate returned from the Memorial Day week recess to begin consideration of the massive bill. Senate Republicans have vowed to tweak the House’s offering to varying degrees, with some wanting to tackle even deeper spending cuts and others wanting to soften the blows to Medicaid and green energy subsidies. MIKE JOHNSON, DONALD TRUMP GET ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL’ WIN AS BUDGET PASSES HOUSE While lawmakers in the upper chamber are still working out the kinks of their approach, they agree the bill will be different. Both sources interpreted the meeting as a way to get ahead of Senate Republicans’ criticism of certain aspects of the bill. Documents viewed by Fox News Digital that were handed to House Republican aides show specific talking points about the bill’s taxpayer savings, Medicaid provisions and green energy subsidy rollbacks, among other topics. The document pushed back on the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate that the bill would add more than $2 trillion to the deficit over a decade. “The cost of the bill ($4.12 trillion) is surpassed by the savings ($4.29 trillion) associated with mandatory spending reforms ($1.7 trillion) and economic growth ($2.6 trillion),” the document said. It suggested House Republicans assume 2.6% economic growth over 10 years rather than the CBO’s unprecedentedly low 1.8%. MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE “House Budget is desperately circling the wagons with staff and members to make sure they do not forget the fight is not over on messaging why their bill is better than their Senate rivals,” one House GOP aide told Fox News Digital. “They got jammed with the Senate version in the blueprint round and are using every tool at their disposal to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” A senior House GOP aide also told Fox News Digital, “The Senate should heed President Trump’s wishes to get [the bill] to his desk before July 4th.” The House passed its version of the legislation late last month after a marathon all-night session full of debate and Democrat procedural motions to delay. The mammoth bill is aimed at permanently extending Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act while also including new tax relief for senior citizens and eliminating taxes on tipped and overtime wages. It would also send new funding to the U.S.-Mexico border and to enhance Immigrations and Customs Enforcement while rolling back a significant portion of the green energy subsidies from the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). To save money and cut down on what Republicans see as waste, fraud and abuse of government safety nets, the bill would introduce Medicaid work requirements for certain able-bodied recipients beginning in December 2026. It would penalize states that allowed illegal immigrants into the Affordable Care Act-expanded Medicaid population while rewarding states that did not. Both the IRA subsidies and Medicaid reforms are emerging as pain points for the Senate GOP’s three-seat majority. The document obtained by Fox News Digital appears to target specific senators’ concerns. For example, one portion of the Q&A specifically said, “No,” the bill does not put rural hospitals at risk. “The bill reinvests funds to reopen rural emergency hospitals and ensure cost-effective care access,” the messaging guidance said. HOUSE GOP TARGETS ANOTHER DEM OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF BLOCKING ICE AMID DELANEY HALL FALLOUT On the rescinded IRA funds, it said, “The bill targets unused or duplicative funds from programs such as the Neighborhood Access and Equity Grants and sustainable jet fuel. These projects aligned more with ideological goals than infrastructure priorities.” Another note mentioned the electric vehicle (EV) credit rollback, arguing it would “ensure all vehicles contribute to the Highway Trust Fund.” “EVs cause more wear and tear due to their higher weight but pay no fuel taxes. The bill imposes modest user fees starting no later than the end of FY 2026 and terminates in FY 2035, indexed to inflation,” it said. But it’s not clear that senators with those concerns will heed the House’s arguments right now. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told reporters Tuesday, “It’s going to hurt rural hospitals in my state.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., acknowledged to reporters on Tuesday that while there was discontent over “individual pieces” of the bill, Republicans must agree on something that will pass the chamber. “Failure is not an option. We’ve got to get to 51, so we’ll figure out the path forward to do that over the next couple of weeks,” Thune said. Other senators, meanwhile, have argued they want to make deeper cuts than what the House came up with. “The House bill, they’re not even scratching the surface. It’s not even the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we need to do to return to a reasonable, pre-pandemic-level spending,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said on Fox Business last week. When reached for comment, the House Budget Committee referred Fox News Digital to recent comments by Chair Jodey Arrington, R-Texas. “Some senators will say we went too far on entitlement reform and health care and welfare, and then you’ll have … [f]olks like [Sens.] Rick Scott, Ron Johnson, who are dear friends of mine, all well-intentioned, will say we don’t cut enough spending,” Arrington said on Fox News last week. “Well, the fact is, you can only cut as much as you can get the vote to pass it out of your chamber. And we cut almost $1.7 trillion in spending, which is the largest spending cuts in American history by twofold.” “There’s always room for
Sanctuary policies in deep-blue Colorado led to terror attack, says local DA
Permissive laws in deep blue Colorado created an environment in which last weekend’s antisemitic attack could occur, a local district attorney told Fox News Digital. In an interview with Fox News Digital, George Brauchler, a Republican district attorney for Colorado’s 23rd district, said that the state government, which is dominated by Democrats, has been intentionally creating a lax, sanctuary-type environment regarding immigration enforcement. This, he said, emboldens illegals, such as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the suspect accused of firebombing pro-Israel activists on Sunday, to act with impunity. A DHS spokeswoman has said Soliman, an Egyptian national, was living in the country illegally at the time of the attack. He entered the United States in August 2022 with a visa that expired in February 2023, the spokeswoman said, noting he applied for asylum during that time. HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR AMONG VICTIMS IN BOULDER, COLORADO SUSPECTED TERROR ATTACK Soliman allegedly injured eight adults, including a victim who was 88 years old, at an outdoor mall in Boulder, according to the FBI. The suspect was witnessed shouting “Free Palestine” during the attack and using a makeshift flamethrower to target the crowd, the FBI said. Police said the victims were hospitalized with burn wounds. They had been participating in a Run for Their Lives protest, which, according to the Anti-Defamation League, is a weekly event attended by members of the Jewish community to support hostages held in Gaza by Hamas terrorists. Discussing the brazen attack, Brauchler said: “When you have taken the ongoing steps that our state government has taken over the past many years to identify yourself to everyone, both citizen and noncitizen alike, that you are a sanctuary state – and it doesn’t matter if they ever say those words, what matters is the policies in place – and when you had put local law enforcement on its heels, when it comes to trying to coordinate with immigration enforcement authorities, you create an environment where someone feels like visa or no visa, I can stay here and do whatever I want, whether it’s to try to find a job off the books or to plan for a terrorist act against Jews up in Boulder.” BOULDER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TERROR SUSPECT’S ’POSSIBLE RADICALIZATION’ PROBED BY AUTHORITIES: RETIRED FBI AGENT In response to the attack, Brauchler said he expects the Trump administration may assume control of the case and “make an example” of the perpetrator. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “In the past, you would see some deference by the federal government to local prosecutors who showed an interest in prosecuting high-profile cases,” he said. “But in this day and age, with illegal immigration being an issue, with the anti-Semitic terrorist acts being an issue, I can foresee President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi saying, ‘We’re taking this case, we’re going to use every tool at our disposal, we’re going to highlight this prosecution, we’re going to make an example of this guy, and we’re going to send a message.’” Brauchler said that though “we’ve seen antisemitic stuff before out here, never in my recollection at this scale or this brazenly having somebody do this.” TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PROMISES JUSTICE FOR SLAIN ISRAELI COUPLE IN DC SHOOTING “My worry is if we don’t make a big, loud, powerful statement sooner rather than later, these things are going to start to repeat themselves, not just here, but everywhere,” he said. “This is another horrific blemish on a state that I have known as home my entire life,” he went on, adding that “because of the powers that be and the policies that have been put in place over the last 10 or 15 years, I don’t recognize Colorado anymore.” “It’s hard to imagine, and it’s just another black eye for our state that we didn’t need,” he said.
Federal judge rules against Trump order halting sex change procedures in prisons
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to continue to provide accommodations and care for transgender inmates in federal prisons, saying officials had not provided a serious explanation for why medical treatment for gender dysphoria should be handled differently than other cases. The order Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, a Ronald Reagan appointee, blocks officials from carrying out President Donald Trump’s executive order, which required Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) officials to stop providing medical procedures related to sex changes. “Neither the BOP nor the Executive Order provides any serious explanation as to why the treatment modalities covered by the Executive Order or implementing memoranda should be handled differently than any other mental health intervention,” Lamberth wrote in a 36-page opinion. TWO TRANS INMATES ORDERED BACK TO WOMEN’S PRISONS IN REAGAN-APPOINTED JUDGE’S INJUNCTION The judge granted an injunction requested by three transgender inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria to block the implementation of Trump’s executive order. Lamberth ruled the plaintiffs’ merits are likely to succeed under the Administrative Procedure Act. “The import of the opinion is essentially this: Under the APA, the BOP may not arbitrarily deprive inmates of medications or other lifestyle accommodations that its own medical staff have deemed to be medically appropriate without considering the implications of that decision,” Lamberth wrote. A BOP spokesperson told Fox News Digital the agency doesn’t comment on pending litigation or matters that are the subject of legal proceedings. A White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the “decision allowing transgender women, aka MEN, in women’s prisons fundamentally makes women less safe and ignores the biological truth that there are only two genders. The Trump administration looks forward to ultimate victory on this issue in court.” JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA Trump’s order mandated the BOP stop providing “any medical procedure, treatment, or drug for the purpose of conforming an inmate’s appearance to that of the opposite sex.” Prior to Trump‘s reversal of BOP gender dysphoria policies, the BOP began funding transgender surgical procedures for transgender inmates in December 2022, with Donna Langan, formerly known as Peter Kevin Langan, becoming the first federal prisoner to undergo taxpayer-funded gender surgery. Langan was convicted in 1997 for involvement in a series of armed bank robberies across the Midwest during the 1990s. Langan was a leader of the Aryan Republican Army, a White supremacist group that carried out these robberies to fund their activities, according to court documents. Tuesday’s ruling comes as judges continue to block parts of Trump’s agenda.
Defunding NPR and PBS ‘finally’ within reach, says House Republican
Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, is celebrating President Donald Trump’s leadership in sending a DOGE cuts package to Congress that he believes will “finally” defund NPR and PBS, which he said have become “nothing more than fake news.” Jackson claimed the outlets, which receive millions of dollars in federal taxpayer funding, “have become taxpayer-funded propaganda arms of the radical Left.” The White House is expected to include cuts to both NPR and PBS in the $9.4 billion federal spending cut proposal – called a “rescissions” package – it is sending to Congress on Tuesday. It is the latest move by Republican officials to make good on promises to slash government spending, a project spearheaded by the president and the Department of Government Efficiency. TRUMP ADMIN ASKS SCOTUS TO ALLOW IT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH PLANS TO SLASH FEDERAL WORKFORCE An official from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) told Fox News Digital last week that it will primarily target federal funding to NPR, PBS and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Once transmitted to Capitol Hill, lawmakers have 45 days to take up the rescissions package before it’s voided. Among the package’s strongest supporters is the House Freedom Caucus, which is demanding the House vote on the package the same week it lands. Jackson, who has introduced a bill to defund NPR and PBS in every Congress since he was elected, told Fox News Digital that he strongly supports the rescissions package, which he said is fully in line with his long-standing efforts to defund what he has previously called the “chronically biased” media outlets. The congressman said he is “excited” to codify the DOGE package that “finally cuts off their funding.” ‘RED TAPE’: TRUMP ADMIN UNLEASHES DOGE-ALIGNED PROCESS TO FIRE FEDERAL WORKERS FOR MISCONDUCT “Since being elected to Congress, I’ve led the charge to defund NPR and PBS, which have become taxpayer-funded propaganda arms of the radical Left. They are now nothing more than another fake news media outlet,” said Jackson. He added that under Trump’s leadership, Congress will deliver on “ending the outrageous practice of forcing hardworking Americans to pay for left-wing attacks on our values, our children, and our president.” This follows a high-intensity House DOGE Subcommittee hearing in March in which NPR’s Katherine Maher and PBS’ Paula Kerger attempted to explain why their outlets still deserve public funding. During the hearing, Maher conceded that NPR botched coverage of Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop, saying, “We made a mistake.” At the time, NPR representatives publicly called the story unserious and a distraction. During the hearing, Maher said, “We were mistaken in failing to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story more aggressively and sooner.” MUSK’S DEPARTURE MARKS NEW CHAPTER FOR GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY IN BORDER SECURITY She also expressed regret about remarks she made about President Donald Trump, calling him “a fascist and a deranged racist sociopath.” Meanwhile, Kerger’s PBS was slammed for producing such programs as “Real Boy,” which follows a transgender character exploring sexuality. Following the NPR and PBS leaders’ testimonies, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., called the outlets “out of touch with everyday Americans,” saying: “I think from what we have heard here today, the American people will not continue to allow such propaganda to be funded through the federal government with their hard-earned tax dollars.”
Trump sends $9.4 billion DOGE cuts proposal to Congress, targeting NPR, PBS
The clock will soon start ticking away on Congress to consider President Donald Trump’s $9.4 billion request for federal spending cuts. “Today, we have officially received the rescissions request from the White House to eliminate $9.4 billion in wasteful foreign aid spending at State and USAID and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS. The House will act quickly on this request,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a statement Tuesday. “This rescissions package reflects many of DOGE’s findings and is one of the many legislative tools Republicans are using to restore fiscal sanity. Congress will continue working closely with the White House to codify these recommendations, and the House will bring the package to the floor as quickly as possible.” House and Senate Republicans now have 45 days to codify the funding reductions. HOUSE GOP TARGETS ANOTHER DEM OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF BLOCKING ICE AMID DELANEY HALL FALLOUT Trump is asking lawmakers to claw back federal funding from NPR, PBS and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). It’s the first of what could be several efforts by Congress to follow through on Elon Musk’s work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The proposal is called a rescissions package, a mechanism allowing the White House to weigh in on Congress’ yearly government appropriations process. The process was created under the 1974 Impoundment Control Act as a way to stop the president from unilaterally acting on government funding while giving the executive some say over the spending – albeit with congressional approval. House and Senate GOP leaders have pledged to work swiftly once they receive the White House’s request. But lawmakers are also working up against another deadline, with Republicans hoping to finish Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax and immigration bill by July Fourth. The tax bill is being passed under a separate fiscal mechanism called budget reconciliation, which allows Congress to amend areas they normally could not touch via the annual appropriations process. But like reconciliation, rescissions allow the party in power to sidestep the minority by lowering the Senate’s threshold for passage to 51 instead of 60 votes. Rescissions debates are also capped at two hours in the House and 10 in the Senate. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought told reporters after meeting with Johnson on Monday that more packages could be coming. “I want to see if it passes. I think we’re very interested to make sure it passes both the House and the Senate, but we’re very open to sending multiple bills,” Vought said. Paul Winfree, founder of the Economic Policy Innovation Center (EPIC), told Fox News Digital he believed the White House was using this first package as a test run to see how DOGE cuts could be achieved. “This first rescissions package from President Trump is a test as to whether Congress has the ability to deliver on his mandate by canceling wasteful spending through a filibuster-proof process,” Winfree said. “If they can’t, then it’s a signal for the president to turn up the dial with other tools at his disposal.” And while a wide swath of Republicans is likely to coalesce around cuts to NPR, PBS and USAID – areas long targeted by fiscal conservatives – multiple people told Fox News Digital they could foresee some issues with the GOP’s razor-thin, three-seat House majority. MCCAUL TOUTS MONEY IN TRUMP TAX BILL TO PAY TEXAS BACK FOR FIGHTING BIDEN BORDER POLICIES “I get a sense that there will be some that don’t want an ad written that they’re defunding Big Bird,” one House Republican told Fox News Digital. “They’ve earned cancellation, but I mean, there are some moderates in our conference.” Meanwhile, conservative groups in the House are bearing down hard to get the bill passed. Both the House Freedom Caucus and Republican Study Committee released statements pushing for the spending cuts to be passed as soon as possible. The Freedom Caucus, whose position was first reported by Fox News Digital, called for the House to pass the bill as soon as this week.
GOP ad war kicks off in heated battleground state primary: ‘We’ve barely just begun’
EXCLUSIVE: The campaign advertising war has already kicked off in the Arizona Republican gubernatorial primary – over a year away from the August 2026 election. Turning Point PAC announced on Tuesday that they’re launching a $500,000 media buy across platforms in support of Rep. Andy Biggs on “strategic cable, over-the-top, radio, and direct-to-voter placements” targeting Arizona voters. The ads will begin Tuesday and will air for the next 3.5 weeks. The ads will air on Fox News’ local designated market area slots, conservative talk radio and streaming services in addition to targeted digital ads. “Andy Biggs was the best Senate President Arizona has had in decades and he has been President Trump’s most reliable friend in Congress. He is Trump-endorsed, Charlie Kirk endorsed, and Turning Point Action endorsed,” Tyler Bowyer, COO of Turning Point Action and Turning Point PAC, said in a statement on Wednesday. “His campaign momentum is already building at an incredible clip and we’ve barely just begun. The media buy combined with Biggs’s impressive earned media exposure shows how enthusiastic the grassroots is to make Andy Biggs the next governor of Arizona,” he added. TRUMP BACKS REPUBLICAN RIVALS IN ARIZONA GOVERNOR’S RACE AFTER REP. BIGGS ENTERS CONTEST: ‘I HAD A PROBLEM’ The effort’s announcement comes as the group held a rally in support of Biggs over the weekend in the Phoenix area. “To see a room packed with thousands of Biggs supporters this far out from the primary was truly historic, and it’s proof of the grassroots energy that is already gathering behind his campaign,” TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk said in a statement. The organization is headquartered in Arizona. “There isn’t a world in which voters will not be aware of Andy Biggs being on the ballot, and the more who find out, the more his double-digit lead over all other competitors will grow. Andy Biggs is ready to bring a President Trump and Ron DeSantis level of leadership and competency to governing Arizona, and Turning Point is proud to get behind his campaign,” Kirk continued. CONSERVATIVE GROUP DEBUTS MAJOR AD BUY IN KEY SENATORS’ STATES AS ‘SOFT APPEAL’ FOR HEGSETH, GABBARD, PATEL In the primary, Biggs is running against Karrin Taylor Robson, a businesswoman and former Arizona Board of Regents member who sought the nomination in 2022 but lost to Kari Lake. A Taylor Robson ally said that she has been spending that amount of money weekly “talking to voters across all platforms.” Her campaign recently touted a “multi-million dollar” ad buy with a commercial touting Trump’s endorsement in April. “I’m proud and honored that President Trump has reaffirmed his endorsement of our campaign,” Taylor Robson said in a statement at the time. “It’s time that we take our message of America and Arizona First leadership to voters across Arizona. Katie Hobbs has been a disaster and has tried to stand in President Trump’s way. As Governor, I will work with President Trump to build a stronger border, a stronger economy, and a stronger and safer Arizona.” The Taylor Robson ally added that Turning Point’s decision to spend on advertisements this early affirms that it’s a competitive primary race. REP. ANDY BIGGS EYES RUN FOR ARIZONA GOVERNOR, SAYS HE UNDERSTANDS ‘WHAT THE STATE NEEDS TO THRIVE’ President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post that he is backing both Biggs and Taylor Robson for governor, as whoever wins the primary will go up against Gov. Katie Hobbs in what’s expected to be a highly competitive general election. “I like Karrin Taylor Robson of Arizona a lot, and when she asked me to Endorse her, with nobody else running, I Endorsed her, and was happy to do so,” Trump said in a Truth Social post in April. “When Andy Biggs decided to run for Governor, quite unexpectedly, I had a problem — Two fantastic candidates, two terrific people, two wonderful champions, and it is therefore my Great Honor TO GIVE MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT TO BOTH. Either one will never let you down. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” the president added. The advertising push this early is a testament to the Grand Canyon State’s competitiveness, as it was one of the most widely watched swing states in November, which Trump ended up sweeping. Cook Political Report currently ranks the governor’s race as a toss-up.
Red state tops annual Heritage Foundation scorecard for strongest election integrity: ‘Hard to cheat’
FIRST ON FOX: The Heritage Foundation released its annual Election Integrity Scorecard on Tuesday, which ranks the states it believes are strongest in terms of election integrity, in a review that resulted in Arkansas topping the list. Arkansas, led by GOP Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, moved up from No. 8 and earned the No. 1 ranking in the new report that was compiled by looking at factors including voter ID implementation, accuracy of voting lists, absentee ballot management, verification of citizenship and other attributes. In a press release, Sanders touted several accomplishments in a recent legislative session, including Act 240, Act 241 and 218, which the state said “strengthened protections on Arkansas’ ballot amendment process so that bad actors cannot influence and change the Natural State’s Constitution.” Sanders also signed legislation to prevent foreign entities from funding state and local measures. ELECTION INVESTIGATION UNCOVERS ALLEGED ILLEGAL VOTING BY NONCITIZENS AND DOUBLE VOTERS IN MULTIPLE STATES “My goal this session was simple: make it easy to vote and hard to cheat,” Sanders said in a statement. “I was proud to work with my friend, Secretary of State Cole Jester, to make Arkansas ballot boxes the safest and most secure in America and end petition fraud to protect our Constitution. Today’s announcement shows that all our hard work paid off.” In a statement, Jester said, “As Secretary of State, I have said from day one we would have the most secure elections in the country.” GOV. SANDERS ANNOUNCES PLAN TO EMPOWER PARENTS TO SUE BIG TECH FOR ROLE IN TEEN MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS “I’m proud of the work my team has completed implementing new procedures and technology. None of this would be possible without the great work of Governor Sanders and the men and women of the Arkansas legislature.” Jason Snead, executive director of the Honest Elections Project, told Fox News Digital that Sanders and the state of Arkansas “deserve serious credit” for their efforts at election integrity. “States across the country should follow Arkansas’ lead by implementing these critical election reforms that make it easy to vote and hard to cheat,” Snead said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Red states made up the entirety of the top-10 ranking and included Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Oklahoma. The last of the states on the list included Oregon, Vermont, California and Hawaii. Earlier this year, Snead’s Honest Elections Project released a guide, first reported by Fox News Digital, outlining what it said are must-needed reforms to be taken up in states across the country to ensure election integrity. The report listed more than a dozen “critical” measures ranging from voter ID to cleaning up voter rolls to banning foreign influence in elections. “Election integrity ballot issues passed with flying colors across the board on election night,” Snead said at the time. “Now that state legislative sessions are starting up, lawmakers have a duty to fulfill the mandate the American people gave to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat.”