Dems in hot seat after DHS warns their frontline workers will go without pay if shutdown hits
As the federal government heads toward a potential shutdown starting Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security assured that immigration and border operations will continue but said frontline employees could be working without pay. DHS noted in a statement to Fox News Digital on Tuesday that Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration will continue their “critical functions,” including ICE being able to “arrest and deport violent criminal aliens” and CBP being able to “screen goods and people” entering the U.S. The agency also noted that the officer hiring processes will still continue, including for recruitment. SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS “While these critical operations continue, Democrats are forcing many of our nearly 200,000 frontline officers, emergency responders and employees to continue secur[ing] the Homeland without pay,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “Far-left politicians demonize our employees every day, which has led to a 1,000% increase in assault[s] on our law enforcement. Now they are holding hostage their family’s finances and jeopardizing their welfare. This is unacceptable.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE As of Tuesday afternoon, a government shutdown seems likely and would be the first since the end of 2018 and entering 2019 during President Donald Trump’s first term. There were also lengthy shutdowns during the Obama and Clinton administrations. USER’S MANUAL TO A LIKELY GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN TONIGHT “The Trump administration wants a straightforward and clean CR to continue funding the government – the exact same proposal that Democrats supported just six months ago, 13 times under the Biden administration. But radical Democrats are threatening to shut the government down if they don’t get their nearly $1.5 trillion wish list of demands, including free health care for illegal aliens,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson stated. “The Democrat’s radical agenda was rejected by the American people less than a year ago at the ballot box. Now they’re trying to shut down the government and hold the American people hostage over it.” Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress have said Republicans should bear the blame for the shutdown. BORDER PATROL UNION WARNS: ‘LIFE AND DEATH’ MISSION AT RISK IN SHUTDOWN FIGHT “Republicans would rather shut down the government than protect the Affordable Care Act. A shutdown puts ACA tax credits at risk—and in Texas, premiums could jump 289%, costing families $459 more each year,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, posted to X Tuesday. “They passed up multiple chances to extend them in the Big Beautiful Bill; they chose not to. Families shouldn’t have to pay the price for their political games.”
Government shutdown risk grows after Dems block Trump-backed extension for a 2nd time
Senate Democrats again blocked Republicans’ short-term funding extension Tuesday afternoon, further increasing the odds of a partial government shutdown and thousands of federal workers going without paychecks. Democratic lawmakers in the upper chamber, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., banded together to vote against the GOP’s continuing resolution (CR), a move that marked the second time Democrats impeded the legislation’s progress this month. Congress has until midnight Wednesday to pass a CR or else the government will shut down. However, the possibility of that happening became increasingly unlikely throughout the day as Republicans and Democrats huddled behind closed doors in separate meetings hours before the vote. The bill, which was passed by the House GOP earlier this month, failed on a largely party-line vote, 55-45. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was the lone Republican to vote against the bill, while Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, crossed the aisle to vote for the funding extension. JD VANCE SAYS GOVERNMENT LIKELY ‘HEADED INTO A SHUTDOWN’ AFTER TRUMP MEETS WITH DEMS Democrats also tried to advance their own counter-proposal, but that bill was similarly blocked by Senate Republicans. There is still time to avert a partial shutdown, but the window is closing fast. If Schumer and Thune are unable to find a path forward, it would mark the third shutdown under President Donald Trump. When asked if he believed a shutdown was inevitable, Trump said, “Nothing is inevitable.” “But I would say it’s probably likely, because they want to give healthcare to illegal immigrants, which will destroy healthcare for everybody else in our country,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “And I didn’t see them bend even a little bit when I said we can’t do that.” Shortly after the vote, however, the Office of Management and Budget released a memo that the appropriations for Fiscal Year 2025 would run out at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, making a shutdown official. “It is unclear how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the duration of the shutdown difficult to predict,” the memo read. Republicans want to pass a “clean” short-term extension until Nov. 21 that would give appropriators time to finish spending bills, while Democrats want to extend expiring Obamacare premium subsidies, among multiple other demands. But the chances of a deal materializing, particularly one that meets Democrats’ demands, are slim. Both Senate leaders traded barbs throughout the day, first on the Senate floor and then in back-to-back press conferences. SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS Thune panned Democrats’ push for an extension to the expiring tax credits, which aren’t set to sunset until the end of this year, as well as their other demands to repeal the healthcare portion of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” and clawback canceled funding for NPR and PBS. Republicans argue that reversing the cuts from Trump’s megabill and undoing the public broadcasting rescission would amount to $1.5 trillion in spending tacked onto their short-term funding extension. “These are things that they’re demanding as part of their so-called negotiation,” Thune said. “Ladies and gentlemen, there isn’t anything here to negotiate.” Schumer, however, countered that the decision to shut the government down was “in their court” and charged that Democrats were working to solve the GOP’s “healthcare crisis.” SCHUMER, DEMOCRATS FACE HEAT FOR SHIFTING STANCE ON GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN THREAT Still, despite scoring a meeting in the Oval Office with Trump and congressional Republican leaders, in addition to public guarantees from Thune and Republicans that Obamacare tax credits could be discussed after a shutdown was averted, Schumer demanded that Democrats be cut in on negotiations to craft a bipartisan bill. Earlier in the day, the top Senate Democrat commandeered a floor chart from Thune that showed how many times Democrats supported CRs under former President Joe Biden. He said that each time, Republicans were involved in the process. “As leader, I sat down with the Republicans every one of those years and created a bipartisan bill. Their bill is partisan. They call it clean. We call it partisan. It has no Democratic input,” Schumer said. “Thune never talked to me.”
Democrats silent on illegal alien registered to vote in blue state
Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore and other Democratic leaders have fallen silent after it was discovered that illegal alien Ian Andre Roberts, who was recently arrested by ICE, is registered as an active Democratic voter in the state. Fox News Digital reached out to Moore’s office and the offices of Maryland’s two Democratic senators, Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, and Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., asking for their response to an illegal alien being a registered Democratic voter in their state, but did not receive a response by the time of publication. This week, the Maryland Freedom Caucus blew the whistle on Roberts being listed as an active Democratic voter on the state’s official elections board website despite not being a U.S. citizen and not having lived in Maryland for years. IOWA SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT ARRESTED BY ICE, FACING PRIOR WEAPONS CHARGES, ALLEGEDLY FOUND WITH LOADED HANDGUN On Tuesday, SBE sent a statement to Fox News Digital that a review of public information available through Maryland’s Public Information Act “did not show any voting history for any individual with the name Ian Andre Roberts in Maryland.” The statement further said that due to Maryland law protecting personal identifying information from disclosure, SBE “cannot and will not publicly announce whether media reports about the individual in question is or is not or was or was not a registered voter in Maryland.” Finally, SBE noted that according to Maryland law, it is not a crime to unintentionally register to vote despite not being eligible. The office added that “the right to vote is a sacred right that has been expanded through sacrifices of many before us” and “this office will not disenfranchise a voter based upon partial or unsubstantiated evidence.” EX MICHELLE OBAMA AIDE LEADS DES MOINES SCHOOL BOARD’S DEFENSE OF SUPERINTENDENT ARRESTED BY ICE In response, Republican state Delegate Matt Morgan, who is chair of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, told Fox News Digital that SBE’s statement only leads to more questions. The Maryland Freedom Caucus sent a letter to SBE on Monday demanding answers about “gaping holes” in the state’s election integrity systems. “Basically, the board of elections has the excuse that Mr. Roberts was registered accidentally, and therefore he didn’t break a law. This leads me to ask how many other people are accidentally automatically registered? Why was he automatically registered as a Democrat?” said Morgan. “The Maryland Freedom Caucus looks forward to receiving answers from the state [Board of Elections] on these questions soon,” he added. SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AFTER ICE ARREST OF SUPERINTENDENT IN IOWA: ‘CRAZY STORY’ According to Morgan, Roberts’ registration means that he is eligible to vote in all federal, state and local elections despite not being a U.S. citizen, and also despite likely not having lived in Maryland for the past decade. Morgan pointed to a letter the elections board sent to the Justice Department in August in which State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis expressed concern that if the board gave over voter information to the federal government, that data would be “used for enforcement of immigration laws against Maryland residents.” Roberts was working as the superintendent of public schools in Des Moines, Iowa, until he was arrested by ICE last week. According to officials, he attempted to flee ICE agents and was taken into custody on a fugitive warrant. He was found with $3,000 in cash, a fixed-blade hunting knife and a loaded Glock 19 firearm, according to ICE. MARYLAND SENATOR SAYS ICE FACILITY HIDES ‘EVIL PERSISTING IN DARKNESS’ AFTER DENIED ACCESS He came to the U.S. in 1999 from Guyana on a student visa and was arrested by ICE last week after having a final order of removal issued against him in 2024. He was hired as head of the Des Moines public schools in 2023 despite having illegal weapons possession charges against him from 2020. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP This comes after several Maryland Democrats, including Van Hollen and Ivey, have been outspoken in their support for the rights of illegal immigrants, even flying to El Salvador earlier this year to visit a suspected MS-13 gang member named Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who at the time was imprisoned after being deported by the Trump administration.
Trump says administration close to finalizing federal funding deal with Harvard University
President Donald Trump indicated on Tuesday that his administration is close to finalizing a deal with Harvard University to restore $2.4 billion in federal grants. “I guess we reached a deal with Harvard today. All you have to do is paper it, right, Linda?” Trump asked Education Secretary Linda McMahon in the Oval Office. “Yes, sir. Paper it out,” she replied. SETTLEMENT TALKS FALTER BETWEEN TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND HARVARD: REPORT “We’re in the process of getting very close, and Linda is finishing up the final details, and they’d be paying about $500 million,” Trump said. “And they’ll be operating trade schools, and they’ll be teaching people how to do AI and lots of other things. Engines, lots of things.” Trump and Harvard have battled over his decision to slash billions in federal funds. The terms of the deal were not made clear. Earlier this year, the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in funding for the university and threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status due to the Ivy League school’s alleged failure to address antisemitism on campus. US BLOCKS TRUMP ATTEMPT TO FREEZE MORE THAN $2 BILLION IN HARVARD FUNDS Harvard successfully challenged the freeze in court, with a judge accusing the administration of weaponizing antisemitism as a pretext for an “ideologically motivated assault” on the university. The Trump administration and Harvard nearly reached a settlement in August. Terms of the deal called for Harvard to spend $500 million on workforce programs in exchange for the restoration of billions in federal funding. Fox News Digital has reached out to Harvard and the White House. Trump has threatened other universities over their alleged failures to rein in antisemitism during anti-Israel protests. Fox News Digital’s Marc Tamasco contributed to this report.
Fox News Poll: Democrat Sherrill leads New Jersey governor’s race
A Fox News survey of New Jersey voters finds Democrat Mikie Sherrill ahead of Republican Jack Ciattarelli by 8 percentage points among likely voters (50-42%) and 7 points among the larger sample of registered voters (48-41%) – both lead just outside the margin of sampling error. The candidates are vying for the seat being vacated by term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, who beat Ciattarelli in the 2021 gubernatorial election by only about 3 points. This analysis uses registered voter results. FOX NEWS POLL: UNHAPPY WITH NYC’S DIRECTION, VOTERS FAVOR MAMDANI FOR MAYOR BY A WIDE MARGIN Sherrill, a congresswoman, gets her biggest backing from Black and Hispanic voters, those with a college degree and voters under age 45. There is a 15-point gender gap with women preferring Sherrill by 14 points and men favoring Ciattarelli by 1. Ciattarelli, a former state assemblyman, does best among MAGA supporters, White Catholics, White men without a college degree and voters ages 45-54. Nearly equal numbers of Republicans back Ciattarelli (90%) as Democrats go for Sherrill (89%), and the preference among the small subgroup of independents splits. Sherrill is helped by more New Jersey voters identifying as Democrats than Republicans. Both Sherrill and Ciattarelli supporters have a high degree of vote certainty (84% each). Still, the race has room for movement because about one voter in seven says they could change their mind before casting ballots. FOX NEWS POLL: CAPITALISM REMAINS MORE POPULAR THAN SOCIALISM, YET MAJORITIES SUPPORT TAXING THE WEALTHY By an 8-point margin, a larger share of Ciattarelli supporters (50%) than Sherrill supporters (42%) say they are more enthusiastic about voting this year than usual. The Fox News survey was completed after both the first gubernatorial debate on September 21 and news that the National Personnel Records Center at the National Archives had mistakenly released unredacted portions of Sherrill’s military file. That release, reported publicly on September 25, prompted complaints from Sherrill and other Democrats, while the Ciattarelli campaign began pressing her on the issue. By a 6-point margin, more voters have a positive opinion of Sherrill (51%) than of Ciattarelli (45%) and, by a 7-point spread, more think she is honest and trustworthy (56%) than say the same about him (49%). Murphy’s favorable rating is underwater by a single point (47% vs. 48%). While more than half remain dissatisfied with the direction of their state, New Jersey voters are happier now than when Murphy was elected: 46% are satisfied with how things are going, up 9 percentage points from 37% who felt that way in 2017. The New Jersey electorate is concerned about two main issues. In spontaneous, unprompted replies, 34% say taxes are the biggest problem facing the state and 20% cite the cost of living. Other issues like housing and energy costs are mentioned by 5% or fewer. Sherrill is preferred by 16 points among those whose priority is the cost of living, while tax voters favor Ciattarelli by 5. Only 4% of voters view President Donald Trump/the Republicans as the biggest problem for the state, but one-third say one reason for their vote is to express opposition to Trump (34%), more than double the number who are voting to show him support (16%). Six in 10 Democrats say their vote is to express opposition to Trump compared to four in 10 Republicans who say theirs is to show support. More than half of Republicans say Trump is not a factor in their vote (56%). Overall, 42% of New Jersey voters have a favorable opinion of Trump, while 55% view him unfavorably. That’s a net negative of 13 points, which is an improvement since 2017, when his ratings were underwater by 26 points. While former Vice President Kamala Harris won New Jersey by 6 points (52%), Trump received 46% of the vote in last year’s presidential election, up from the 41% he received in both 2020 and 2016. Poll-pourri A 54% majority of New Jersey voters think the way Republicans talk about politics these days is leading to an increase in violence, while just under half, 48%, say the same about Democrats. CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE Conducted Sept. 25-28, 2025, under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News Poll includes interviews with a sample of 1,002 New Jersey registered voters randomly selected from a statewide voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (120) and cellphones (638) or completed the survey online by following a link received via text message (244). There was a subsample of 822 likely voters. Results based on both the registered voter and likely voter sample have a margin of sampling error of ± 3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis and voter file data. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education and area variables to ensure the demographics of respondents are representative of the registered voter population. Likely voters are identified based on past vote history and self-reported likelihood of voting. Results among subgroups are only shown when the sample size is at least N=100. Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.
Trump declares ‘reawakening’ of ‘warrior spirit,’ unwavering support for military: ‘I have your backs’
President Donald Trump told senior military leaders on Tuesday that they have his steadfast support as he looks to rekindle the “warrior spirit” in America’s military. Trump delivered what he called a “very simple” message to senior military leaders at Marine Corps University on Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. “We’re a team. And so my message to you is very simple,” the president said. “I am with you, I support you, and as president, I have your backs 100%.” Trump told the senior military leadership that “together, we’re reawakening the warrior spirit,” invoking the names of Gens. George S. Patton, Omar Bradley and Douglas MacArthur. AMERICA’S NEW STEALTH B-21 RAIDER TAKES NEXT STEP WITH SECOND BOMBER’S FIRST FLIGHT Trump said that the Navy, Air Force and Space Force have all met or surpassed their recruiting goals after recruitment struggles under the Biden administration, and laid out changes that his administration is bringing to the military. “We’re bringing back a focus on fitness, ability, character and strength,” he said. “And that’s because the purpose of America’s military is not to protect anyone’s feelings. It’s to protect our republic.” HEGSETH CHAIRS FIRST-EVER GOLD STAR ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING, GIVING FAMILIES DIRECT LINE TO PENTAGON Trump criticized what he described as a shift toward political correctness and away from merit in the military and its leadership. “The apparatus of our country was not set up for merit,” Trump said. “It was set up for political correctness. And you can never be great if you’re going to do that.” “We will not be politically correct when it comes to defending American freedom, and we will be a fighting and winning machine,” he continued. “We want to fight. We want to win, and we want to fight as little as possible.”
Hegseth tells troops to resign if they oppose his plan to scrap ‘woke’ policies and restore warrior ethos
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told service members to “resign” if they don’t like his message of eliminating “woke” diversity measures and removing restrictions on lethal force on the battlefield. In a speech before hundreds of commanders at Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia, Hegseth declared the Defense Department “dead” in favor of the War Department and told troops that the military’s sole mission is “preparing for war and preparing to win.” “If the words I’m speaking today are making your heart sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign,” Hegseth told the audience. “We would thank you for your service. But I suspect the overwhelming majority of you feel the opposite. These words make your hearts full.” Last week, Hegseth called back generals and flag officers ranked one star and above from across the world for an unprecedented in-person address. CALLING IN THE GENERALS: WHAT HEGSETH’S TOP-BRASS MEETING SHOULD — AND SHOULDN’T — MEAN The secretary has already fired a dozen senior-ranking general officers. Throughout the 45-minute address, Hegseth repeatedly attacked what he called decades of “decay” in the ranks, driven by diversity programs, lowered standards, and politicized leadership. “We became the woke department. But not anymore,” Hegseth said. “No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses, no more climate change worship. No more division, distraction or gender delusions. No more debris. We are done with that.” HEGSETH ORDERS ‘HISTORIC’ REDUCTION IN GENERAL OFFICERS IN THE MILITARY The secretary said his directives will reestablish rigorous physical, grooming, and leadership standards — including requiring all combat positions to meet “male level” physical benchmarks. He said this would apply equally to men and women, even if it meant fewer female troops in certain roles. “If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is,” Hegseth said. “Weak men won’t qualify either. We’re not playing games.” Hegseth announced ten new directives aimed at restoring what he called a “warrior ethos” across all branches, beginning with a return of all combat standards to their pre-2015 levels, reversing changes made to expand female participation. Fitness tests will be gender-neutral and administered twice a year for every rank, from privates to four-star generals, while grooming rules — including bans on beards and long hair — will be strictly enforced. HEGSETH VOWS TO RESTORE WARRIOR MENTALITY AND RAISE STANDARDS IN SWEEPING MILITARY TRANSFORMATION Training, he said, will pivot away from mandatory PowerPoint courses toward more time in the field and on weapons ranges. Basic training will also be reset to “scary, tough and disciplined” practices, with drill sergeants empowered to use physical intensity to forge recruits. “Standards must be uniform, gender-neutral, and high,” Hegseth said. “If not, they’re just suggestions. And suggestions get our sons and daughters killed.” Hegseth also criticized how terms like “toxic leadership,” “bullying,” and “hazing” have been applied, saying they were “weaponized” to punish tough leaders and promote risk-averse officers. “Real toxic leadership is promoting people based on immutable characteristics or quotas instead of merit,” he said. “If that makes me toxic, then so be it.” He announced changes to inspector generals, aiming to reduce what he called “frivolous complaints” and to put “power back in the hands of commanders and NCOs.” Framing his remarks with references to George Washington and the Roman Empire, Hegseth said the War Department’s mission is to deter adversaries through “peace through strength,” warning that the U.S. faces mounting threats from China and other rivals. “To our enemies, FAFO,” Hegseth said, using an acronym for “f*** around and find out.” “If necessary, our troops can translate that for you perfectly.” Hegseth concluded by casting his directives as a liberation for troops stifled by political correctness. “Today is another Liberation Day, the liberation of America’s warriors in name, indeed, and in authorities,” he said. “You kill people and break things for a living. You are not politically correct and don’t necessarily belong always in polite society. You are warriors.” He closed the address with a prayer.
Trump admin renews effort to exclude Harvard from billions in federal research grants
The Trump administration on Monday said it has started a new process to block Harvard University’s eligibility for federal grant money and its ability to enter into new federal contracts — yet another salvo from Trump officials as they continue to target the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university. The Department of Health and Human Services notified Harvard President Alan Garber in a letter Monday that it has initiated the debarment process for the university — a move that would render the school ineligible to receive federal grant money or enter into new federal contracts. HHS officials cited allegations of antisemitism brought against the university and what Trump officials argued is the school’s failure to comply with recommendations from a federal antisemitism task force earlier this year. FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP ATTEMPT TO FREEZE MORE THAN $2 BILLION IN HARVARD FUNDS The familiar refrain has been at the center of a months-long legal fight between Trump officials and Harvard lawyers, who sparred over efforts to comply with recommendations from a federal task force earlier this year. Trump officials have argued the school has not done enough to comply with the task force recommendations; Harvard has countered that the effort amounts to an unconstitutional “pressure campaign” from the administration to influence and exert control over its academic programs. It’s unclear how long the debarment process will take, and these efforts are often preceded by a shorter-term period of suspension, according to data from HHS’s Office for Civil Rights. Still, if successful, the effort could threaten billions of dollars in funding for Harvard at an already vulnerable time for the university. The debarment process, if successful, could eventually “blacklist” Harvard from doing business with the government in any capacity — including blocking its ability to accept billions in federal research funds and to sign new contracts with federal agencies. CONTINUED COURT FIGHTS COULD PUT HARVARD IN UNWINNABLE POSITION VS TRUMP Harvard’s lawyers have reportedly struggled to negotiate with the Trump administration in ongoing settlement talks, weeks after a judge in Boston sided with Harvard and ordered the administration to restore billions in funding to the school. The news comes just weeks after a federal judge in Boston sided with Harvard in ruling that the Trump administration had acted illegally in freezing more than $2.2 billion in federal research funding that had been allocated to Harvard. In an 84-page summary judgment earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs rejected the Trump administration’s assertion that it was attempting to strip Harvard of billions in federal funding due to allegations of antisemitism, or the university’s failure to comply with the recommendations of a federal antisemitism task force. “A review of the administrative record makes it difficult to conclude anything other than that defendants used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities,” Burroughs said in her decision. HARVARD PRESIDENT SAYS HE HAS ‘NO CHOICE’ BUT TO FIGHT TRUMP ADMINISTRATION Harvard lawyers sued the Trump administration in April over its attempts to freeze billions in federal funding and block other grant money — which they argued in court amounts to an unconstitutional “pressure campaign” designed to influence and exert control over its academic programs. The New York Times reported that the Trump administration is likely to appeal the ruling, though the time frame for the appeal and the next steps for challenging the summary judgment remain unclear.
Who is Virginia’s next Glenn Youngkin: How the GOP wins statewide again
EXCLUSIVE: Gov. Glenn Youngkin cracked the code for Republicans in purple Virginia, a state that hadn’t backed a GOP governor in over a decade and hasn’t sent a Republican to the Senate since 2009. Now, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears hopes to repeat the feat — but can it be done? Dave Brat, a former Virginia congressman and member of the House Freedom Caucus, says it can. Brat stunned the political world a decade ago when he toppled House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a Republican primary no one thought he could win. He says his underdog playbook could hold the key for Earle-Sears as she faces a steep climb against Democrat Abigail Spanberger in this year’s governor’s race. A decade ago, Brat was an economics professor at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland when he launched his longshot bid against Cantor, R-Va. – then a potential future speaker of the House. Outspent 40:1, Brat campaigned undeterred and kept to his small-government, grassroots message that included themes of Cantor being too enmeshed in Washington and critiqued mainstream Republicans’ openness to immigration amnesty. He shocked the political world by beating Cantor by more than 10 points and ultimately winning the general election. That victory, Brat told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview, shows Republicans can still defy expectations in Virginia — if they stick to clear, populist issues that resonate with voters. “Winsome has to be very smart in picking a few key issues where she thinks they’ll win,” he said. In 2021, then-business executive Glenn Youngkin – who, like Brat, was a political novice – beat back political headwinds against high-profile former Gov. Terry McAuliffe – winning the governorship for the GOP for the first time in over a decade. In November, Earle-Sears has that same chance, Brat said. JAMES CARVILLE ADMITS DEMS FOCUSED TOO MUCH ON TRUMP, RIPS ALTERNATIVE MEDIA FOR ‘GOOFY INFORMATION’ “Youngkin came in on the key issue of the kids in the bathrooms and all the craziness in the school and who’s in charge of that. And that’s, unfortunately, still with us,” Brat said. “Winsome is a very good person. And part of this lies at the feet of the voters.” But Brat also criticized his own party, accusing Virginia Republicans of relying too heavily on donors rather than grassroots supporters. VIRGINIA’S YOUNGKIN ENDORSES WINSOME EARLE-SEARS FOR GOVERNOR “The Virginia Republican Party [has had] a well-established pattern for about 40 years. The check-writers only support the check-writers. They never support the base,” he said. “Everyone says, ‘Oh, I love the commonwealth’, but the check-writers aren’t there, and we need them.” The Republican Party of Virginia countered that it remains firmly behind its nominee. “Our candidates remain united in their fight for hard-working Virginia families. All of our focus and our energy is aimed at highlighting the successes of the Youngkin-Sears-Miyares administration and exposing the failed radical left policies being advanced by Abigail Spanberger and Virginia Democrats,” the spokesperson said. Brat also painted the Democrats’ message and recent political posturing as being unpopular when voters are informed of it, citing Spanberger’s responses to questions about current controversies like transgender bathroom policies in schools, which Earle-Sears is hammering in her outreach. “Again, all political views of my own, but a former CIA person (Spanberger) who won’t say the basic things on the Judeo-Christian tradition, values, boys can be girls, the schools can take your kid, and they can change the sex of your kid without [parental intervention], and she can’t make a strong comment on that — I mean, that tells you all,” Brat said. 2025 SHOWDOWN: THIS REPUBLICAN WOMAN MAY BECOME NATION’S FIRST BLACK FEMALE GOVERNOR While Clinton confidant James Carville may have claimed “it’s the economy, stupid” as the top electoral axiom, Brat noted the intricacies often take “too long to explain.” “We had 20% inflation under Biden in those four years. Under Trump… it’s up like a half a percentage point,” he said when asked about how Spanberger continues to hammer cost-of-living and economic issues moreso than social issues highlighted by Earle-Sears. “So, [Spanberger] can say that. Winsome ought to come back and swipe it down hard — hit it hard to knock the economy out [as an issue for Democrats]. “We’re in favor of the private sector. Spanberger’s in favor of socialist policies and growing government. And the ‘fascist’ label the left is using: you can’t be a ‘fascist’ if you’re for small government. So that’s a problem. So she ought to swipe those out quick.” Like Youngkin, Brat said, Earle-Sears needs the “suburban mom” vote, suggesting battling the culture wars may do her well. “If the suburban Mom flips our way, we win going away,” he said. “I think she can win.”
House Democrats threaten shutdown fight to protect Obamacare perks
House Democrats are ready to go to war to save enhanced Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year, even if it means risking a partial government shutdown. Democrats and some moderate House Republicans have been sounding the alarm about the expiring healthcare subsidies for weeks, a fight that’s now coming to a head as the Senate is poised to vote on a short-term federal funding bill called a “continuing resolution” (CR) aimed at keeping the government funded through Nov. 21. House Democrats held an in-person caucus meeting on Capitol Hill Monday night to paint a contrasting image with House Republicans who are home in their districts during a potential shutdown. “One, yes, we should get it done in this CR,” Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., told Fox News Digital after the meeting when asked if getting the subsidies included was worth risking a potential shutdown. “The Republicans in the last 20 years have asked for policy goal after policy goal in this similar situation.” DEMS NOT BUDGING ON GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DEMANDS AHEAD OF HIGH-STAKES TRUMP MEETING, JEFFRIES SUGGESTS “And number two, we need some commitments that if we sign up for a budget, the budget will actually be observed,” he added. Both Himes and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, referenced earlier comments by senior appropriator Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., to Politico, questioning why Democrats would join the GOP in funding negotiations given the Trump administration’s propensity for cutting spending that Congress agrees on. DeLauro told reporters after the meeting that Republicans “absolutely” needed to deliver on Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), in written legislation. “Why should we believe them if it’s not in legislation?” she asked. DeLauro said earlier, “We certainly don’t want to shut down. We’ve said that all along, and all we need is good, bipartisan cooperation. That’s what’s necessary. We’ve been able to do that before, I anticipate we ought to be getting there now. And all this is about is affordability, affordability of health care costs.” Other House Democrats who spoke with Fox News Digital did not directly say the subsidies were worth risking a shutdown, but argued they needed to be addressed immediately. “Healthcare costs are skyrocketing, and so look, I mean, to not address that reality is political malpractice. Congress has an obligation to do something, and we have to do something now. We’re here in Washington because we want to fix the problem. Republicans aren’t here,” Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said. “It’s about whether people continue to afford to have adequate healthcare…this is a big issue, and this is a fight the American people, I think, are on our side on.” Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, said when asked if the subsidies were worth risking a shutdown now, “I think this will be [President Donald Trump’s] shutdown, because he’s not just the president, but for his entire second term, he has tried to give everyone the impression that he is all powerful. And that does come at a cost.” “[Republicans] could extend these tax credits that are very popular and necessary at a time with rising costs, by simply sitting down and negotiating with us,” Landsman said. Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., pointed out that “notices are supposed to go out as early as Wednesday that ACA tax credits are going away.” SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS “The Democrats are happy to support any bill that would protect Americans’ healthcare, our education, and we’re ready to vote. We’re here working right now, Republicans aren’t here,” Vindman said. Already existing ACA subsidies were increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic under former President Joe Biden. And while the credits were meant as a temporary expansion, they’ve since become a political lightning rod with healthcare premiums poised to rise for millions of Americans. There have been some conversations about limiting the income brackets eligible for those enhanced subsidies, while conservatives have pushed for them to be eliminated altogether. House and Senate GOP leaders have signaled they would be willing to have those discussions later this year and are accusing Democrats of trying to jam partisan demands into a seven-week government funding bill. While House Democrats appear united on the matter, however, it’s the Senate that is pivotal in the current equation. The House passed the CR largely along party lines earlier this month, and it’s now on the Senate to advance the measure before midnight on Oct. 1 to avert a shutdown. But even Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., signaled on Monday evening that Democrats would hold firm. “They say give us 45 days. Since March, we’ve had 45 days and 45 days and 45 days and 45 days. We asked to meet earlier, they didn’t want to,” Schumer told reporters. “So we think when they say later, they mean never. We have to do it now, first because of the timing issue, and second, because now is the time we can get it done.”