Price tag estimate for House GOP tax package rises to $3.94T
The estimated revenue impact of the GOP tax plan would be nearly $4 trillion in the negative over a decade, the Joint Committee on Taxation — a nonpartisan committee of the U.S. Congress — has indicated. A document issued by the committee puts the net total estimated revenue effects at -$3.939368 trillion for fiscal years 2025-2034. “The problem with all of these studies is they willfully ignore current tax policy. You can’t do that and be taken seriously,” an Office of Management and Budget spokesperson indicated. Fox News Digital reached out to the Joint Committee on Taxation for comment, but no comment had been provided by the time of publication. GOP RAILS AGAINST ‘BLATANTLY FALSE’ DEM CLAIMS ABOUT MEDICAID REFORM IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ The GOP-controlled House of Representatives passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last week, even with the U.S. national debt at more than $36 trillion. The measure cleared the chamber with zero Democrat votes, and two House Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio — voting against it. House Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., voted present, explaining in a statement, “I voted to move the bill along in the process for the President. There is still a lot of work to be done in deficit reduction and ending waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicaid program.” SPEAKER JOHNSON CLASHES WITH RAND PAUL OVER ‘WIMPY’ SPENDING CUTS IN TRUMP’S BILL Some Senate Republicans have indicated that they would not be willing to support the measure as it stands coming out of the House. Elon Musk is not happy with it either. The business tycoon said during an interview for “CBS Sunday Morning” that he was “disappointed to see the massive spending bill,” and that the measure undermines the Department of Government Efficiency team’s work. “I’m not happy about certain aspects of it, but I’m thrilled by other aspects of it,” President Donald Trump said of the measure when asked about Musk’s comments. Last week, Trump hailed the House’s passage of the proposal, calling for the Senate to pass it as well. “Great job by Speaker Mike Johnson, and the House Leadership, and thank you to every Republican who voted YES on this Historic Bill! Now, it’s time for our friends in the United States Senate to get to work, and send this Bill to my desk AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!” the president declared in part of a Truth Social post last week. MUSK OFFICIALLY STEPS DOWN FROM DOGE AFTER WRAPPING WORK STREAMLINING GOVERNMENT CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller asserted in a post on X, “I see some self-described libertarians siding with lefty bureaucrats at CBO who claim the Big Beautiful Bill will ‘explode the debt.’ This is based entirely on CBO claiming that extending the current tax rates (not raising them) will ‘cost’ the government $4 trillion in revenue. “Since when have libertarians argued that NOT raising taxes ‘costs’ the government money? Private money yet to be earned does not “belong” to the government. This is a Democrat-collectivist argument and I’m shocked to see libertarians deploying it. Under this ludicrous theory, one could raise taxes to 90% on everyone and declare the deficit solved. BBB cuts taxes, cuts spending, reforms welfare and *ends mass migration*,” he declared.
Rapper who was pardoned had this to say about president in 2017
The Louisiana rapper who was pardoned by President Donald Trump once said “F— Donald Trump” in a 2017 song. NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, has been thanking Trump for the reprieve, writing in a recent Instagram post that the president is “giving me the opportunity to keep building — as a man, as a father, and as an artist.” However, in his song “Red Rum,” the 25-year-old Gaulden once rapped “And f— Donald Trump b—-, that NBA s—.” Pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson was asked about the remark during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” earlier this morning. RAPPER THANKS TRUMP FOR PARDON ON GUN CONVICTION “So a couple of rappers have come out or let’s say one in particular — YoungBoy. One of his lyrics in 2017 that he put out is “F Donald Trump” and some more disparaging things to say. He had a violent past of assault and battery. Multiple cases of that, and firearm, drug and fraud charges. What sold you on him getting a second chance?” co-host Brian Kilmeade asked her. “I looked at the age and how this young man grew up. He grew up in a very impoverished neighborhood. And the things that he had to face, NBA YoungBoy growing up. Most of those were gun charges without the guns being discharged,” she said. “But I also looked at what happened to him on a set where he was filming a video and he had a prop in the set. That’s really where this came from. He didn’t come out of prison. He was given a pardon so he could have a new beginning. And the officers who in this particular case they came at him as though he was a terrorist and he was on a set, filming for a video. They gave him a gun charge for that… the officers who did this were all investigated and fired. So I look at the elements of what happened to this young man,” Johnson added. Last year, Gaulden was sentenced by a federal judge in Utah after he acknowledged possessing weapons despite being a convicted felon. However, he reached an agreement that resolved Utah state charges against him and settled two sets of federal charges against him — one carried a 23-month sentence and the other ordered five years of probation and a $200,000 fine. TRUMP PARDONS EX-CONNECTICUT GOVERNOR ROWLAND AND COMMUTES CHICAGO GANG LEADER HOOVER’S SENTENCE “I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and for giving me the opportunity to keep building — as a man, as a father, and as an artist,” Gaulden, whose stage moniker stands for “Never Broke Again,” wrote on his Instagram. “This moment means a lot.” “It opens the door to a future I’ve worked hard for and I am fully prepared to step into this,” Gaulden added. Gaulden was released from federal prison in March and sent to home confinement after receiving credit for time served, his attorney Drew Findling told the Associated Press. With home confinement finished last month, the pardon means he won’t have to follow the terms of his probation, including drug testing, he said. The rapper has acknowledged that he possessed a Glock 21 .45-caliber pistol and a Masterpiece Arms MPA30T 9mm handgun while filming a rap video in Baton Rouge. He has also said he had a Sig Sauer 9mm semi-automatic pistol at his home in Huntsville, Utah. He had agreed to give up the guns. Gaulden had previously been convicted in Louisiana of aggravated assault with a firearm. He had also pleaded guilty in November to his role in a prescription drug fraud ring that operated out of his home in Utah. He had to pay a $25,000 fine and was given no prison time. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Lone Biden official breaks silence on cognitive decline as Cabinet stays mute
Only a single member of former President Joe Biden’s Cabinet responded to a massive outreach effort from Fox News Digital asking if the more than two dozen Cabinet-level officials stood by previous remarks that Biden was mentally and physically fit to serve as president. And even that lone statement, from former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, skirted addressing head-on whether he had witnessed instances of Biden’s now widely acknowledged cognitive issues. “I met with President Biden when needed to make important decisions and to execute with my team at HHS,” Becerra said. “It’s clear the President was getting older, but he made the mission clear: run the largest health agency in the world, expand care to millions more Americans than ever before, negotiate down the cost of prescription drugs, and pull us out of a world-wide pandemic. And we delivered.” Roughly four months after Biden’s Oval Office exit, a handful of political books detailing the 2024 campaign and Biden administration have hit store shelves and are painting a bleak picture of Biden’s health. Adding fuel to the fire, audio recordings of Biden’s October 2023 interview with former Special Counsel Robert Hur showed the former president tripping over his words, slurring sentences, taking long pauses between answers and struggling to remember key moments in his life, including the year his son Beau died of cancer. BIDEN’S WOES CONVERGE: LAST-MINUTE PARDONS UNDER FIRE, CALLS FOR PROSECUTION MOUNT FOLLOWING HUR TAPE RELEASE Fox News Digital has written extensively dating back to the 2020 presidential campaign about Biden’s cognitive decline and his inner circle’s role in covering it up. BIDEN’S CABINET OFFICIALS STAND BY STATEMENTS OF SUPPORT AS TERM DRAWS TO A CLOSE Becerra’s statement stood in marked contrast to the silence emanating from the rest of his former colleagues. Fox News Digital reached out to 26 Biden administration officials with Cabinet-level positions — from former Vice President Kamala Harris to former Chief of Staff Jeff Zients — asking whether they still believe that Biden was fit to serve as president, or whether they’ve had a change of heart amid the cascade of damning evidence and anecdotes portraying a mental decline. If a majority of those Cabinet-level officials believed Biden to be unable to perform his duties, they could have attempted to remove him from office through the 25th Amendment. Instead, those officials repeatedly said at the time that Biden was competent and in command. That talking point hasn’t abated among the former officials. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg weighed in on Biden’s presidential health earlier in May during a town hall with veterans and military families in Iowa. When asked during the event whether Biden experienced cognitive decline, Buttigieg told reporters that “every time I needed something from him from the West Wing, I got it.” “The time I worked closest with him in his final year was around the Baltimore bridge collapse,” he added. “And what I can tell you is that the same president the world saw addressing that was the president I was in the Oval with, insisting that we do a good job, do right by Baltimore. And that was characteristic of my experience with him.” Buttigieg did not elaborate when responding to a separate inquiry from Fox News Digital. Biden’s office recently revealed that the former president was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer that had metastasized and was undergoing treatment. The diagnosis sparked an outpouring of well-wishes from political leaders across both aisles, and shock from some doctors who said such cancer should have been caught before it advanced and metastasized. None of Biden’s annual physical health reports as president tested for prostate cancer, Fox News Digital previously reported, with a representative confirming Biden’s last-known prostate blood test was conducted in 2014. The 2024 presidential debate between Biden and President Donald Trump opened the floodgates of criticism surrounding Biden’s mental acuity after the 46th president’s poor performance, which included Biden losing his train of thought and stumbling over his words. CRITICISMS MOUNT THAT BIDEN IS A ‘SHADOW’ OF HIMSELF AFTER DISASTROUS DEBATE: ‘NOT THE SAME MAN’ FROM VP ERA Concerns over Biden’s mental acuity had simmered for years among conservatives, but it wasn’t until the June 2024 presidential debate that traditional Democrat allies and media outlets began questioning Biden’s health and openly called for him to drop out of the race. Despite mounting concerns, members of Biden’s Cabinet vowed he was of sound health and mind. Then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement in September 2024, for example, that he has “full confidence in President Biden’s ability to carry out his job.” BIDEN’S PRESIDENCY WILL BE REMEMBERED AS THE ‘MAN THAT WAS TOO OLD,’ SAYS BYRON YORK “As I’ve said before, I come fully prepared for my meetings with President Biden, knowing his questions will be detail-oriented, probing, and exacting,” he said. “In our exchanges, the President always draws upon our prior conversations and past events in analyzing the issues and reaching his conclusions.” Conservatives in 2024 floated calling for the invocation of the 25th Amendment to remove Biden, which would have required Harris and the majority of the Cabinet to declare him unfit to lead. Harris and the Cabinet did not take such steps during the administration, and instead defended his health. BIDEN’S PRESIDENTIAL HEALTH REPORTS SHOWED NO SIGN OF RECENTLY REVEALED AGGRESSIVE CANCER In July 2024, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo called Biden “one of the most accomplished presidents in American history and continues to effectively lead our country with a steady hand.” “As someone who is actually in the room when the President meets with the Cabinet and foreign leaders, I can tell you he is an incisive and extraordinary leader,” Raimondo said at the time. Since Biden’s exit from the White House in January, political journalists have published a handful of books arguing that, behind the scenes of the administration, staffers were concerned about Biden’s health. “Biden’s physical deterioration — most apparent in his halting walk — had
FBI email instructs employees not to promote Pride Month on bureau time: ‘Focused only on our core mission’
FIRST ON FOX: Agents and directors at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) received an email from leadership on Thursday instructing them not to participate in Pride Month in their professional capacity, a departure from the tone of the Biden administration’s bureau. “I’ve received several questions about the FBI’s stance on Pride Month and what related activities FBI divisions and employees should or should not participate in,” FBI Assistant Director for Public Affairs Ben Williamson said in an email obtained by Fox News Digital addressed to assistant directors in charge and special agents in charge on Thursday morning. “So, I want to take the opportunity to make FBI leadership’s expectations clear: There should be no official FBI actions, events, or messaging regarding Pride Month.” The email explains that employees are “free to do as you like” in their “personal capacity” or “on your own time.” ‘RADICAL’ FBI PRACTICES ON DEI ‘ENDANGERED’ AMERICANS, BLACKBURN SAYS IN LETTER DEMANDING ANSWERS FROM WRAY “But on FBI time, using FBI resources and your Bureau affiliation, you and your divisions are expected to take no official actions or issue any specific messaging,” Williamson said, adding that the “stance in no way lessens the FBI’s commitment to serve and protect every American in our country or welcoming colleagues from all walks of life.” “What it does mean is ensuring that the American people see we are focused only on our core mission.” TRUMP DOJ MOVES FUNDS USED FOR TRANSGENDER PROJECTS, DEI TO SUPPORT LAW ENFORCEMENT The FBI did not respond to a request for comment. Shifting away from official celebrations of Pride Month represents a shift from messaging during the Biden administration, which saw several examples of the bureau promoting the month, including taking part in a Kansas City Pridefest and mentioning Pride Month in press releases. The Biden administration faced criticism from conservatives in recent years after the White House and departments vocally supported Pride Month, which is observed for the month of June, with formal celebrations. Then-President Joe Biden hosted a “Pride Month 2023” event on the White House lawn, decorating the area with rainbow motifs and the “Progress Pride flag.” “Today, the #FBI raised the #pride flag at our headquarters in support of our #LGBTQ colleagues,” the FBI posted on social media in June 2021. “We thank them for their contributions to the FBI and the country. #PrideMonth.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The email comes after the Trump administration has shifted away from diversity, equity and inclusion messaging and programs in federal government, instead focusing on meritocracy and the individual missions of departments. “Let good cops be cops—and rebuild trust in the FBI,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in his first statement after being sworn in to lead the bureau.
85-year-old longtime House Democrat facing primary challenger who’s making age a key issue
Longtime Democratic Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer has yet to announce whether he will seek re-election next year for a 24th two-year term in Congress. If he does, he will face a primary challenger who is making Hoyer’s age – the congressman turns 86 next month and would be 89 at the end of his next term – a centerpiece of his campaign. Harry Jarin, 35, a volunteer firefighter and emergency services’ consultant, said Thursday in a new video announcing his candidacy, “If you live here in southern Maryland, I want to ask you a tough question. Do you really think that Steny Hoyer, at 89-years-old, is the best person to represent us?” Jarin argued that “we’re in a moment of real crisis. Radical Republicans are burning down our country around us. Our friends and family who work in the government are losing their jobs. We keep sending politicians like Steny Hoyer back to Congress again and again. Tired politicians like Steny can’t put up a fight that we need.” PARTY VICE CHAIR IGNITES FIRESTORM WITH PUSH TO PRIMARY CHALLENGE OLDER HOUSE DEMOCRATS “Here’s the bottom line: you don’t put out a fire by sending in the same people who let it spread. Send in a firefighter,” Jarin said. “Maryland deserves a new generation of leadership, and I’m ready to take up the fight.” Fox News reached out to Hoyer’s office for a response, but a spokesperson declined to respond. Hoyer, who first won his seat in Congress in a 1981 special election, from 2003 to 2023, was the second ranking House Democrat behind Rep. Nancy Pelosi. He served as House Majority Leader from 2007-2011 and from 2019-2023, when the Democrats controlled the chamber. Along with Pelosi, Hoyer stepped down from his longtime leadership position at the end of 2022 but remained in Congress. DEMOCRATS PREDICT HOUSE REPUBLICANS WILL PAY PRICE FOR PASSING TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ “I think all of us have been around for some time and pretty much have a feel for the timing of decisions. And I think all three of us felt that this was the time,” Hoyer told CNN at the time, as he referred to the moves by the top three House Democrats – Pelosi, Hoyer and Rep. Jim Clyburn – to step down from their leadership roles. Hoyer has long been a major backer of the Democrats’ top issues, and during his second tenure as House Majority Leader, he played a crucial role in the passage of then-President Joe Biden’s so-called American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. He represents Maryland’s Democrat-dominated 5th Congressional District, which covers a region known as Southern Maryland, and includes the suburbs south and east of Washington D.C., a sliver of suburban Baltimore and Annapolis, as well as rural areas farther south. Hoyer, who suffered a minor stroke last year, is the latest high-ranking House Democrat to face a primary challenge from a younger opponent. Pelosi and Reps. Brad Sherman of California and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois have drawn primary challenges, with Schakowsky later announcing that she will no longer run for re-election. The primary challenges come as Democrats are still trying to regroup following last November’s election setbacks, when the party lost control of the White House and their Senate majority, and came up short in their bid to win back the House. The party’s base is angry and energized to push back against the sweeping and controversial moves by President Donald Trump in the four months since he returned to the White House. Additionally, while much of that anger and energy is directed at fighting the White House and congressional Republicans, some of it is targeted at Democrats whom many in the party’s base feel aren’t vocal enough in their efforts to stymie Trump. Concurrently, other longtime and older House Democrats in safe blue districts are facing the possibility of primary challenges. This, after newly elected Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg last month pledged to spend millions of dollars through his outside political group to back primary challenges against what he called “asleep at the wheel” House Democrats – lawmakers he argued have failed to effectively push back against Trump. The move by the 25-year-old Hogg, a survivor of the horrific shooting seven years ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida, to spend money against fellow Democrats ignited a firestorm within the party.
Biden White House aides face Oversight deadline amid threat of subpoenas
Today is the deadline for President Joe Biden’s former White House physician and four aides to respond to House Oversight Committee interview requests. Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is demanding the high-ranking staffers in former President Joe Biden’s White House appear for transcribed interviews on their suspected roles, working “behind the scenes” to “cover up” the former president’s mental decline during his term. Comer sent interview requests to four key Biden White House aides — former director of the Domestic Policy Council Neera Tanden, former assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff Annie Tomasini, former senior adviser to the first lady Anthony Bernal and former deputy director of Oval Office operations Ashley Williams. KEY BIDEN STAFFERS ASKED TO TESTIFY ON ALLEGED ROLE IN MENTAL DECLINE ‘COVER-UP’ FOX is told lawyers for Neera Tanden, Anthony Bernal, Annie Tomasini and Ashley Williams have contacted the committee, but no interviews are confirmed or scheduled. So far, there’s been no contact with physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor. While the Bidens have stayed silent on the latest congressional probe, Jill Biden’s former press secretary is pushing back. GOP PUSH FOR NEW HOUSE COMMITTEE TO PROBE BIDEN DECLINE ‘COVER-UP’ GAINS STEAM With regards to Chairman Comer…he spent two years trying to take on the Biden family and came up with nothing. He went fishing in a dry lake,” said Michael LaRosa. If they don’t commit by day’s end, the committee said it is ready to issue subpoenas immediately. “We believe these are the staffers that were responsible for using the autopen… We want to ask them, ‘Who gave you the authority to use Joe Biden’s signature?’” Comer said on “Hannity.”
Supreme Court limits judges’ authority to block infrastructure projects over environmental concerns
The Supreme Court on Thursday limited the authority of judges to block infrastructure projects due to environmental concerns. The nine justices handed down the lone decision Thursday morning, slightly curbing judicial authority at a time when President Donald Trump’s administration is loudly complaining about alleged judicial overreach. The case, Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, relates to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the requirement for environmental impact statements (EIS) in infrastructure projects supported by the federal government. “NEPA does not allow courts, ‘under the guise of judicial review’ of agency compliance with NEPA, to delay or block agency projects based on the environmental effects of other projects separate from the project at hand,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in the opinion of the court. “Courts should afford substantial deference and should not micromanage those agency choices so long as they fall within a broad zone of reasonableness,” the opinion continued. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASKS SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW EL SALVADOR DEPORTATION FLIGHT CASE Kavanaugh went on to state that agencies should not be expected to consider the environmental impact of any project aside from the one they are currently working on, “even if” the environmental impacts “might extend outside the geographical territory of the project or materialize later in time.” “The fact that the project might foreseeably lead to the construction or increased use of a separate project does not mean the agency must consider that separate project’s environmental effects,” the court ruled. Thursday’s decision was an 8-0 ruling, with Justice Neil Gorsuch taking no part in the consideration of the case. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Amy Coney Barrett joined with Kavanaugh’s opinion. Meanwhile, Justice Sonia Sotomayor filed a separate concurring opinion, onto which joined Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Trump, having a history in major construction projects, has repeatedly complained about environmental impact statements and the roadblocks they can cause. NUMBER OF INJUNCTIONS HALTING TRUMP POLICIES TROUNCES PREDECESSORS BY DOUBLE Republicans have also widely criticized what they see as judicial overreach in federal judges unilaterally blocking major aspects of Trump’s agenda. “Universal injunctions are an unconstitutional abuse of judicial power,” Sen. Charles Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told Fox News Digital earlier this month. “Just this past week, a D.C. district judge issued a universal injunction blocking the president’s executive order requiring voter ID or proof-of-citizenship prior to voting in national election,” he continued. “Judges are not policymakers.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Supreme Court is considering the wide use of universal injunctions in a separate case that will be handed down in the coming weeks.
Judge to block Trump admin’s Harvard foreign students ban
A federal judge in Boston said Thursday that she plans to issue a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from revoking Harvard University’s certification to host foreign students. Judge Allison D. Burroughs – who was appointed by former President Barack Obama – already granted Harvard University a temporary restraining order last week, preventing the government from revoking the Ivy League school’s certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. The program permits the university to host international students with F-1 or J-1 visas to study in the U.S. At Thursday’s hearing, Burroughs said the block on the Trump administration would stand for now. In its lawsuit, Harvard said the revocation would impact more than 7,000 visa holders – more than a quarter of its student body. Homeland Security Investigations doubled on its intent to withdraw Harvard’s certification of its Student Exchange Visitors Program. Justice Department lawyers submitted to the docket a letter by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons addressed to Harvard’s leadership on Wednesday. Lyons listed several “compliance issues,” citing the university’s failure to follow reporting requirements, failure to “maintain a campus environment free of violence and antisemitism” and “practices with foreign entities raising national security concerns.” The letter says a joint-government task force found that Harvard “has failed to confront pervasive race discrimination and anti-Semitic harassment plaguing its campus.” Lyons says evidence obtained by the Department of Homeland Seucirty shows “Jewish students on campus were subject to pervasive insults, physical assault, and intimidation, with no meaningful response from Harvard University’s leadership.” “Meanwhile, pro-Hamas student groups that promoted antisemitism after the October 7 attacks remained recognized and funded,” Lyons wrote. The letter says DHS also obtained evidence that “creates serious concerns that Harvard University has coordinated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and other foreign entities adverse to national security.” Since January 2020, Harvard has received $151 million from foreign governments – making up more than 13% of the total $1.1 billion received from foreign donors over the same period, according to the filing. About 18% of Harvard’s total international student population last year was Chinese, according to reports. DHS said Harvard has 30 calendar days to explain why the school’s certification should not be withdrawn despite the cited evidence. “Providing materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent information may subject you to criminal prosecution,” Lyons wrote. Lawyers representing Harvard said in Thursday’s hearing that international students are “terrified” and are “facing real harm in real time.” This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Former Navy SEAL mounts Senate bid to ‘crush the woke agenda’ as Tuberville seeks governorship
Former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson is running for the U.S. Senate, as Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., seeks the governorship in the Yellowhammer State. Tuberville, who has served in the U.S. Senate since early 2021, announced a gubernatorial bid this week, leaving Alabama’s 2026 U.S. Senate race wide open since there will not be an incumbent in that contest. “President Trump needs fighters, not career politicians. I’m a former Navy SEAL, not a swamp insider — and I’m running for U.S. Senate in Alabama to help secure the border, crush the woke agenda, and defend our Christian values,” Hudson noted in a post on X. RED STATE OFFICIAL RECOUNTS PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF BEING ‘DEBANKED’ AND WHY IT ‘HAS TO BE STOPPED’ House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Eli Crane spoke highly of Hudson when sharing the candidate’s post on X. “Really glad to see men like Jared jumping into one of the toughest fights on earth. I served with Jared at Team 3. He is a very good man, who loves the Lord and his family,” the congressman said in a post. TRUMP ALLY TUBERVILLE ANNOUNCES RUN FOR ALABAMA GOVERNOR “Eli Crane is a friend & God-fearing patriot,” Hudson posted in response to Crane’s comments. “We need more warriors like him in Congress — representatives who don’t quit & serve the people, not the Swamp. That’s why I’m running. I’ll provide reinforcements for Eli & Pres. Trump in the fight to Make America Great Again!” Hudson and his wife founded the nonprofit organization Covenant Rescue Group, according to the group’s website. TRUMP TELLS UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA GRADUATES NOT TO BE A ‘VICTIM,’ SAYS IN AMERICA ‘WE REJECT THAT IDEA’ “They saw a lack of skills and funding to properly rescue victims and arrest criminals involved in human trafficking and child exploitation,” the site notes. “Sharing a passion for children who fall victim to these crimes globally, they decided to become active. They organized their passion, training, and expertise to bring this wicked organized enterprise to an end.”
Elon Musk criticism of Trump tax bill frustrates some Republicans: ‘No place in Congress’
Elon Musk’s criticism of House Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill” has left some GOP lawmakers frustrated at the tech billionaire. “This is why Mr. Musk has no place in Congress,” one House GOP lawmaker, granted anonymity to speak freely, told Fox News Digital. “He wants to codify discretionary cuts. He didn’t find enough waste, fraud, and abuse to fund [the Small Business Administration], let alone reduce our debt.” “This was a gimmick. He got used. He’s now upset. He played the game, he got what he wanted, then he ended up like everyone else who gets too close.” House Republicans passed a broad-ranging bill last week advancing President Donald Trump‘s agenda on tax, immigration, defense, and energy. Congressional Republicans are hoping to pass it via the budget reconciliation process, a mechanism for passing fiscal legislation while waiving the Senate’s 60-vote threshold and sidelining the minority party. MIKE JOHNSON, DONALD TRUMP GET ‘BIG, ‘BEAUTIFUL’ WIN AS BUDGET PASSES HOUSE Musk told “CBS Sunday Morning” the legislation “undermines the work” done by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He called it a “massive spending bill” that “increases the budget deficit.” However, Republican supporters of the bill have contended that the kind of spending cuts Musk is looking for, and the kind DOGE outlined, cannot be done via the reconciliation process. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., himself pledged in a public statement after Musk’s comments that House Republicans would tackle DOGE cuts – albeit in a different vehicle than the “big, beautiful bill.” Reconciliation primarily deals with mandatory government funding that Congress must change by amending the law itself, like federal safety net programs. The White House is also planning to send a package of proposed spending cuts to Congress next week, including cuts outlined by DOGE, that target discretionary government spending. Discretionary spending refers to the cash flows that Congress controls annually via the budget appropriations process. Other supporters of the bill, like Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said its focus was on people outside of Musk’s wealth class. “The bill strikes the proper balance between rooting out fraud to achieve savings and not impacting citizens who rely on government programs. The biggest winners for a change are not billionaires like Musk but middle-class families who will see the bulk of savings returned to them in the form of real tax relief,” Malliotakis told Fox News Digital. “That’s who President Trump and House Republicans set out to help.” A second House Republican who requested anonymity to speak freely told Fox News Digital that Musk did “put a lot of work in” with DOGE but argued he was wrong on the facts. “I mean, it wouldn’t be the first time that he didn’t really have a handle on the process,” the House Republican said. “So, you know, we really have to bake the DOGE cuts into the budget rather than through reconciliation.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Musk for comment via Tesla but did not immediately hear back. On the other side of the House GOP Conference, fiscal hawks who also had issues with the legislation rallied around Musk’s comments. “I share Mr. Musk’s concerns about the short-term adverse effect on the federal deficit of the limited spending reductions in the BBB. Debt markets remain concerned about US total debt and annual deficits,” said House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md. The Maryland Republican voted “present” on the reconciliation bill last week. SCOOP: HOUSE GOP MEMO HIGHLIGHTS REPUBLICAN WINS IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ “Hopefully the Senate will take those concerns into consideration as the legislative process moves forward,” Harris said. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, the lone House Republican to vote against the bill, posted on X, “Hopefully, the Senate will succeed where the House missed the moment. Don’t hope someone else will cut spending someday, know it has been done this Congress.” “Despite pleas to step back and look at the sum of the parts passed by 11 different committees, this bill was rushed to the floor when it should have been fixed,” Davidson said. Musk announced late on Wednesday that he was stepping away from his federal government role because his “scheduled time as a Special Government Employee” was coming “to an end.”