User’s manual to a likely government shutdown tonight
A government shutdown is all but assured to begin at 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday. The Senate will take a test vote to break a filibuster on a House-passed interim spending bill later today. But that needs 60 yeas. That means Democratic votes are necessary, and that’s why the government likely shuts down. The House is not even in session this week. Plus, Yom Kippur begins Wednesday night at sundown. That means the government is closed for a minimum of several days. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: DEMOCRATS’ SHUTDOWN GAMBLE REVEALS PARTY DIVISIONS, SCHUMER’S WEAK SPOT WITH THE LEFT The last time the government shut down was in 2018-2019. That 35-day shutdown was the longest in history. The Trump administration will determine which agencies and services are essential. For instance, those in the military, national security and intelligence personnel remain on the job. Lawmakers must be paid, under the 27th Amendment to the Constitution. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: TRUMP HOLDS BIPARTISAN MEETING WITH CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS AS WEDNESDAY SHUTDOWN LOOMS National Parks and museums usually close. However, the Postal Service continues to operate. Passport processing usually stops. Air traffic controllers continue to work. But they aren’t paid until there’s a resolution. The government continues to pay Social Security and other retirement or health benefits. But, there’s always the possibility that federal workers who process those checks could refuse to come to work if they’re not getting paid and a shutdown drags on. There’s often a tipping point in each government shutdown that triggers both sides to lay down their political swords and forge an agreement. That returns everyone to work. In 2013, U.S. Capitol Police officers were still on the job without pay when they got involved in a high-speed chase and shooting that started at the White House and wound up near the Hart Senate Office Building. Officers were injured in the mayhem. That prompted lawmakers from both sides to sober up and re-open the government. Growing concern about aviation safety helped end a 2019 shutdown. Air traffic controllers worked for more than a month without pay. A small group of controllers elected to stay home. That prompted a temporary shutdown at LaGuardia Airport in New York. Issues also materialized in Newark, N.J., Atlanta and Philadelphia. Fear of a major air disaster prompted lawmakers and the first Trump administration to terminate the shutdown. Who prevails in government shutdowns? It’s hard to gauge the political benefit. It’s widely believed that former President Bill Clinton won his standoff with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., in 1995-1996. Clinton rode easily to reelection in the fall of 1996. Gingrich seemed to bleed support on Capitol Hill after the shutdown. But Gingrich secured significant spending reforms that ultimately resulted in a federal surplus a few years later. And Republicans maintained control of the House and Senate in 1996. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, engineered the 2013 shutdown over repealing Obamacare. Obamacare remains the law of the land. Cruz won reelection in 2018. Democrats didn’t flip the House in the 2014 midterms as Republicans expanded their majority, and the GOP gained control of the Senate. The 2018-2019 shutdown started even before the House and Senate swore in freshmen elected in the 2018 midterms. So divining a political impact from that particular shutdown is challenging. A host of other factors — including the COVID-19 pandemic — were much bigger than the shutdown by the time we got to November 2020. Trump lost reelection that year. Democrats maintained control of the House in 2020. And Democrats narrowly flipped the Senate.
Tennessee governor backs military veteran just days before crowded primary election
FIRST ON FOX: Less than one week until the primary election, Gov. Bill Lee, R-Tenn., is endorsing Republican Matt Van Epps to replace former Rep. Mark Green in the U.S. House of Representatives. Green’s retirement triggered a competitive special election with a staggering 19-candidate field, including 11 Republicans vying for the party’s nomination. Van Epps secured Green’s endorsement ahead of his last day representing Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District in July. “My friend Matt Van Epps has my complete and total endorsement, and I look forward to calling him my congressman,” Lee announced Tuesday. “I’ll be casting my vote for Matt, and I encourage all conservatives to join me in doing the same on October 7th.” Van Epps told Fox News Digital that he is “deeply honored” by Lee’s endorsement, vowing to defend President Donald Trump’s agenda in the House and be a “strong conservative voice.” MARK GREEN RESIGNS FROM CONGRESS, FURTHER SHRINKING HOUSE GOP MAJORITY “Matt Van Epps is the conservative, America First fighter we need representing Tennessee,” Lee said in a statement. “As a West Point graduate, decorated Special Operations combat pilot, current National Guardsman, and former member of my cabinet, Matt has the character and the courage to go to Washington and fight for Tennesseans.” ‘A TRUE WARRIOR’: RETIRING REP MARK GREEN ENDORSES HIS POTENTIAL REPLACEMENT IN GOP RACE Van Epps was appointed DGS commissioner in 2024 and has worked for several Tennessee state agencies, including the Department of Veteran Services and the Department of Transportation. “In his time as commissioner, he worked to cut red tape, increase accountability, and drive government efficiency. He will stand fully with President Trump, bringing that same results-driven leadership to Congress to defend our conservative values, and fight back against the liberal policies that threaten our way of life,” the governor said. Van Epps graduated from West Point in 2005. He served nine combat tours as an Apache pilot for the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade and as a Chinook pilot for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the Night Stalkers. Green announced his retirement from Congress last month, notifying House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., that he would resign as soon as the House voted on Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which Republicans managed to pass by their self-imposed July 4 deadline. Green had served Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District since 2019, and his last day in Congress was July 20. He served as chair of the House Homeland Security Committee. His early retirement from Congress narrowed the already slim majority in the House to 219 Republicans and 212 Democrats in July. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Tennessee’s 7th district voted for Trump by more than 20 points last year. The primary is set for Oct. 7, ahead of the special election on Dec. 2.
Grieving dad slams lawmakers for crime policies that freed daughter’s suspected career criminal killer
A North Carolina father called for stricter penalties for criminals during a congressional hearing on Monday, saying that, similar to the case of the Charlotte light rail attack, his daughter was killed at the hands of a repeat offender. Stephen Federico said his daughter Logan’s alleged murderer had more than two dozen felonies on his record in South Carolina before he broke into a house in Columbia, where the 22-year-old woman was visiting with friends, and robbed her and shot her in the chest. “I will fight until my last breath for my daughter,” Federico told lawmakers during his opening remarks. “You need to fight for the rest of our children, the rest of the innocents, and stop protecting the people that keep taking them from us, please.” Federico joined Mia Alderman, whose granddaughter was murdered in 2020, to speak out during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Charlotte against a judicial system that they say failed their families. CONGRESS TO HOLD CRIME HEARING IN CHARLOTTE FOLLOWING DEADLY LIGHT RAIL ATTACK The committee held the remote hearing in North Carolina’s most urban region to highlight what lawmakers say is a need for criminal justice reform. The event comes after a repeat offender was caught on surveillance video last month stabbing Iryna Zarutska, 23, to death after she sat in front of the man on the Charlotte light rail. Logan Federico’s suspected killer, Alexander Dickey, had been arrested several times for first-degree burglary, which carries a minimum 15-year sentence, when he pleaded guilty in 2023 to a lower charge as a first-time offender. The solicitor’s office in South Carolina that handled Dickey’s last arrest later said it sought a sentencing based on a rap sheet that was incomplete because Dickey’s fingerprints were not properly recorded, according to a local report and a Fox News Digital analysis. Stephen Federico said in total, Dickey had 39 charges on his record before he went on a burglary spree in May 2025, shot and killed his daughter, and then went to a store and used her debit card and other stolen cards. He was arrested the following day. “When they saw his face on the video, they didn’t have to do a check. He was arrested so many times they knew who he was,” Stephen Federico said. CHARLOTTE LIGHT-RAIL STABBING MURDER SPURS LANDMARK CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM FROM NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS In Zarutska’s case, suspect Decarlos Brown Jr. had a criminal record that spanned ten years and previously served prison time for robbery with a dangerous weapon. Brown had also been diagnosed with schizophrenia and, according to the New York Times, had been awaiting an evaluation for his mental competence at the time of Zarutska’s murder. Before that, a magistrate judge released Brown in January after he was charged with a misdemeanor for abusing the 9-1-1 call line. “Sadly, it’s all too common for a criminal to be let off easy by a judge only to have him turn around and commit an even worse crime,” said Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., who represents part of Charlotte. Alderman, meanwhile, said prosecutions for those responsible for murdering her granddaughter, 20-year-old Mary Collins, remain ongoing. Collins was found days after her death wrapped in plastic in a mattress with more than 100 stab wounds. “Five years is not justice. Five years is torment,” Alderman said, adding that one of the four people arrested, America Diehl, has been violating her release conditions. Three others have been arrested and charged, one of whom was out on bond for two years. “Justice delayed is justice denied, and time is stealing our justice with the backlogged court system for murder trials, and Mary is not the only victim. … The same system that failed Mary failed Iryna,” Alderman said.
US companies secure record $170B in global contracts under Trump so far, Commerce says
FIRST ON FOX: American companies have won a record $170 billion in foreign government contracts since President Donald Trump returned to office, the Department of Commerce announced Tuesday. The deals amount to 98 contracts and are expected to generate $144 billion in U.S.-manufactured exports and support nearly 600,000 American jobs, according to the International Trade Administration (ITA), the Commerce Department’s arm for trade and exports. TRUMP SAYS HE HOLDS ‘INCREDIBLE CARDS’ THAT COULD ‘DESTROY CHINA’ BUT WON’T PLAY THEM YET The total dwarfs the $12 billion in contracts signed during the same period in 2021 under former President Joe Biden. The aerospace and defense sector took the lion’s share, securing $153 billion in signed contracts. Other deals included about $5 billion in nuclear, oil and gas projects, $800 million in information technology, and more than $600 million in safety and security equipment. Commerce officials said the latest tally underscores a renewed focus to prioritize U.S. industry and competitiveness abroad. BESSENT DEFENDS TRUMP’S TARIFFS AGAINST CLAIMS THEY HARM US BUSINESSES “The record-breaking U.S. business wins under President Trump’s leadership reflect an unwavering commitment to rebuilding U.S. industry for the American worker,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in a statement. “With record business deals abroad, America is strong again, and together with the American worker, President Trump is transforming the U.S. economy, rebalancing our global trade and restoring America’s place in the world,” he added. TRUMP SAYS US WOULD BE ‘DESTROYED’ WITHOUT TARIFF REVENUE The deals are driven in part by the ITA’s Advocacy Center, a Commerce Department team that helps U.S. companies compete for foreign government contracts by ensuring bids are judged on merit. “In the first nine months of the Trump administration, ITA advocacy has worked tirelessly to win contracts to support hundreds of thousands of American jobs,” said Under Secretary of Commerce William Kimmitt. “We will continue to be an unrelenting advocate around the world in support of American workers,” he added.
Trump admin targets $3.3B homeless housing program, 170,000 people could face return to streets: report
The Trump administration is looking to cut funding for a program that provides permanent housing to the homeless, a move that may leave those the program aims to help back on the streets, according to a report. More than 170,000 people could be at risk of experiencing homelessness when more than half the funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) permanent housing program is cut, Politico reported on Monday, citing three HUD employees, internal HUD documents and a person with knowledge of the Continuum of Care (CoC) program. The cut funds will be moved to transitional housing assistance with some work or service requirements, according to the internal documents and those with knowledge of the situation. The cuts could have a greater impact on rural areas that have less access to city and state funds to supplement federal dollars, the people told the outlet. “When the subsidy and the support that goes along with those subsidies is removed, it puts people at grave risk,” said the person with inside knowledge of the CoC program. “And most of these folks without these supports will likely end up back in emergency shelters or back on our nation’s streets.” HUD LAUNCHES CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IN PUBLIC HOUSING: ‘RIDING THE COATTAILS’ HUD Secretary Scott Turner wrote in a Fox News Digital opinion piecei earlier this month about a “paradigm shift” in the department’s approach to homelessness and housing. “But our goal is to let HUD use real, proven effective strategies, and there is no evidence that giving free apartments to the homeless without preconditions or participation requirements – like job training or treatment – leads to good outcomes,” Turner wrote. TOP TRUMP OFFICIAL VOWS TO END ‘CYCLE OF GOVERNMENT DEPENDENCY’ IN HOMELESS CRACKDOWN “There is evidence, however, that countless lives have been lost to overdoses in HUD-funded housing because of this failed ideology,” the secretary continued. Turner wrote that HUD wants to continue to help support work that aims to aid those experiencing homelessness and battling addiction to recover and become self-sufficient. Permanent housing funding for 2026 is currently $3.3 billion and could be cut in half to $1.1 billion through the Trump administration’s effort, according to Politico.
Illegal alien who sent ‘vulgar, racist’ bomb threat to female member of Congress arrested by ICE
FIRST ON FOX: An illegal alien who left an obscenity-laden bomb threat to a member of Congress was arrested by ICE over the weekend, according to the Department of Homeland Security. In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, the DHS said that Rigoberto Albizar-Martinez, a 58-year-old Cuban illegal living in Tampa, was arrested by ICE over the weekend as part of its efforts to crack down on the “worst of the worst” criminal illegal aliens. DHS said that Albizar-Martinez threatened to bomb the office of Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla. He was sentenced to a year in prison in May after being found guilty in December of leaving a “vulgar, racist, obscenity-laden voicemail” in which he threatened to plant a bomb in the congresswoman’s Tampa office, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. ICE AGENTS PRAISED FOR ‘HEROIC’ ACTIONS IN DALLAS ATTACK Local outlet WFLA reported that in his message, Albizar-Martinez said in Spanish, “I’m going to plant a bomb in your office. It’s a threat,” and “It’s a threat, so take it however you want you son of a f****** b****.” The outlet also reported that in the same message, Albizar-Martinez also attacked Democrats, black people and pro-Palestinian people. Commenting on his arrest by ICE, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Fox News Digital that “there is no place for political violence in America.” “Rigoberto Albizar-Martinez threatened to bomb a Congresswoman’s office,” said McLaughlin. “Thanks to the brave men and women of ICE, this illegal alien and national security threat will be out of our country. “Nothing will deter us to remove the worst of the worst from America communities,” she added. Castor did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. CHICAGO ANTI-ICE AGITATOR FACES FEDERAL CHARGES AFTER THREATENING TO ‘KILL’ AGENT This comes as many Democrats have criticized ICE agents for carrying out immigration enforcement operations, accusing them of racially profiling people, using “Gestapo tactics” and terrorizing communities. DHS said that over the weekend, it also arrested several other criminal illegal aliens, including child rapists, gang members and a human smuggler. Among those arrested was Jorge German Aglony, a Chilean illegal in California, who was convicted of inflicting pain and suffering on a dependent adult or elder, as well as receipt and possession of child pornography. Another illegal arrested, Leonardo Velazquez-Marin, from Mexico, was also convicted of possession of child pornography in Dallas County, Texas. Also in Texas, ICE arrested Jose Elias Mejia-Orellana, a Honduran national who was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14 in Collin County. In Maryland, ICE arrested another child predator, Melvin Guiakora, from Central African Republic, who was convicted for sexual solicitation of a minor in Washington County. ICE also arrested a member of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, Mexican national Adan Mares-Martinez, who was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury in Norwalk, California. ILLEGAL ALIEN ARRESTED BY ICE FOUND REGISTERED AS ACTIVE DEMOCRAT VOTER IN BLUE STATE Another illegal, Elvin Humberto Madrigal-Calero, from Nicaragua, was arrested following a conviction of involuntary manslaughter in Pulaski County, Virginia. In El Centro, California, Mexican national Oscar Morales-Valencia, was arrested by ICE following a conviction of bringing in and harboring aliens. This comes shortly after DHS announced that two million illegal immigrants “have been removed or have self-deported” from the U.S. since Jan. 20, putting the Trump administration on pace to break records. In less than 250 days, an estimated 1.6 million illegal immigrants have voluntarily self-deported, while 400,000 were removed by federal law enforcement, the DHS said last week, describing the situation as a “new milestone.” “Ramped-up immigration enforcement targeting the worst of the worst is removing more and more criminal illegal aliens off our streets every day and is sending a clear message to anyone else in this country illegally: Self-deport or we will arrest and deport you,” said McLaughlin.
Illegal alien arrested by ICE found registered as active Democrat voter in blue state
After an illegal alien, Ian Andre Roberts, the superintendent of the Des Moines Public Schools in Iowa, was arrested by ICE, Republicans blew the whistle on the fact that he was a registered active Democrat voter in the state of Maryland. According to the official website for the Maryland State Board of Elections, Roberts, who overstayed a student visa from 1999, has an active voter status and is registered as a Democrat in Maryland. The development was first reported on by columnist Dustin Grage. Republican state Delegate Matt Morgan, who is chair of the Maryland House Freedom Caucus, told Fox News Digital that 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 explained that there is nothing in Maryland law allowing for non-citizens to be registered to vote in federal or state elections even if Roberts were still a legal resident. SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AFTER ICE ARREST OF SUPERINTENDENT IN IOWA: ‘CRAZY STORY’ Now, the House Freedom Caucus is demanding answers from the Maryland State Board of Elections about “gaping holes” in the state’s election integrity systems. In a letter sent to the elections board on Monday, the Freedom Caucus also demanded answers on why the board has been “obstructing a valid request by the Department of Justice to ensure compliance with federal election laws, citing immigration enforcement as a primary concern. 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 “used for enforcement of immigration laws against Maryland residents.” Commenting on the letter, Morgan asked, “If illegal aliens are not allowed to vote, why would they be on the voter rolls in the first place? And how would that enhance immigration enforcement? I don’t know, but that’s the excuse that they wrote to the DOJ.” EX MICHELLE OBAMA AIDE LEADS DES MOINES SCHOOL BOARD’S DEFENSE OF SUPERINTENDENT ARRESTED BY ICE “It’s ridiculous,” he went on, adding that “everyone reasonable wants a safe and secure election.” Before his arrest by ICE, Roberts headed the Des Moines Public Schools, the largest school district in the state, despite not being legally authorized to work in the U.S. after his employment authorization card expired in 2020, according to authorities. He was taken into custody on a fugitive warrant last week. ICE agents arrested Roberts after he attempted to flee and was found hiding in brush. The vehicle Roberts was driving was found with $3,000 in cash, a fixed-blade hunting knife, and a loaded Glock 19 firearm, ICE said. Roberts also had illegal weapons possession charges from 2020 and was given a final order of removal in 2024. The state of Iowa revoked Roberts’ education license on Sunday, triggering the Des Moines School Board to place him on unpaid leave. “We were notified that the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners revoked Doctor Roberts’ license to practice as a superintendent in the state of Iowa. Without such a license, Doctor Roberts is not in compliance with his contract,” said Jackie Norris, chair of the school board. IOWA PUBLIC SCHOOL OFFICIAL CALLS FOR ‘RADICAL EMPATHY’ AFTER ICE ARRESTS SUPERINTENDENT Morgan said that though Roberts’ case is baffling, he fears he may just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to illegal aliens registered to vote in Maryland. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “We have no idea how widespread this is. We hear rumors, but we have no idea,” he said. “This is uncharted territory,” he added.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: What to know about the potential shut down
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… –Portland set to see Trump crime crackdown reckoning after 2020’s humiliating violence spree -White House warns veterans’ services at risk if Dems block GOP funding bill –Mamdani proposes massive amount of legal defense funding for immigrants in ‘Trump-proofing’ NYC plan The clock is ticking to fund government, and so far, lawmakers do not have a path forward to avert a partial shutdown. The Senate returned to Washington, D.C., on Monday, and congressional leaders are slated to meet with President Donald Trump to negotiate a deal on funding the government. But the last week has seen both sides point the finger at who would own closing the government. Lawmakers have until midnight Wednesday to pass a short-term funding extension, or else the government will close. And if it does, it would be the third shutdown under Trump…Read more TRUMP’S POWER PLAY: Supreme Court showdown: Trump’s strategy to test limits of his power could spell doom for administrative state BEIJING BLOCKS US: China won’t let Trump take back Bagram Air Base from the Taliban without a fight GLOVES OFF PUTIN: Trump finds new leverage in Ukraine fight with Tomahawk threat and long-range strike authorization OLIVE BRANCH: Netanyahu apologized for airstrikes during ‘heart-to-heart’ with Qatari leader, Trump says FLIP THE SCRIPT: Top Dems say ‘no one is above the law’ on Trump, but decry Comey case WINE NOT: Democrats plan luxury Napa retreat as government shutdown threat looms over Congress DEM DELAY TACTICS: Mike Johnson prepares House Republicans for likely government shutdown in lawmaker-only call SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: Chuck Schumer denies he’s caving to left-wing pressure to force a shutdown ALL ODDS ON: Prediction market traders give Mamdani 84% chance of winning New York mayoral race ‘RAGE’ RESPONSE: After death threat, Virginia lawmaker says Spanberger can’t escape ‘rage’ remarks AGITATOR ARRESTED: Chicago anti-ICE agitator faces federal charges after threatening to ‘kill’ agent ‘NOT GOING ANYWHERE’: Erika Kirk tells husband’s audience to ‘buckle up’ as she promises countless hours of unseen content MIGRANT KILLED: Victim identified in deadly Dallas ICE facility attack Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
JD Vance says government likely ‘headed into a shutdown’ after Trump meets with Dems
Republican and Democratic congressional leaders left a meeting with President Donald Trump with no deal to avert a government shutdown as the deadline fast approaches. Leaders met with Trump on Monday for roughly an hour to negotiate a path forward to avert a partial government shutdown, but it appeared neither side was willing to budge from their position. Vice President JD Vance said after the meeting, “I think we’re headed into a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing. I hope they change their mind.” “If you look at the original they did with this negotiation, it was a $1.5 trillion spending package, basically saying the American people want to give massive amounts of money, hundreds of billions of dollars to illegal aliens for their health care, while Americans are struggling to pay their health care bills,” Vance said. “That was their initial foray into this negotiation. We thought it was absurd.” DEMS NOT BUDGING ON GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DEMANDS AHEAD OF HIGH-STAKES TRUMP MEETING, JEFFRIES SUGGESTS Democrats, however, have pushed back on assertions that they’re looking to salvage healthcare for anyone but the American people. “There was a frank and direct discussion with the President of the United States and Republican leaders. But significant and meaningful differences remain,” Jeffries said. “Democrats are fighting to protect the health care of the American people, and we are not going to support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the health care of every day America, period.” Congress has until midnight Oct. 1 to pass a short-term funding extension, or continuing resolution (CR), to avert a partial government shutdown. The House already passed a funding extension, but the bill was blocked in the Senate earlier this month. Republicans and the White House want to move forward with their “clean,” short-term funding extension until Nov. 21, while Democrats have offered a counter-proposal that includes a permanent extension of expiring Obamacare tax credits and other wishlist items that are a bridge too far for the GOP. Vance appeared alongside Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought in a show of Republican unity after the meeting, but made clear both sides are still far apart. Thune, holding up a copy of the funding extension, panned Jeffries and Schumer’s accusation that the bill was partisan in nature. Congressional Republicans argue that the House GOP’s is everything that Democrats pushed when they controlled the Senate: a “clean,” short-term extension to Nov. 21 without partisan policy riders or spending, save for millions in new spending for increased security for lawmakers. SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS “To me, this is purely a hostage-taking exercise on the part of the Democrats,” Thune said. “We are willing to sit down and work with them on some of the issues they want to talk about, whether it’s an extension of premium tax credits, with reforms, we’re happy to have that conversation. But as of right now, this is a hijacking.” Neither Schumer nor Jeffries took questions after their remarks, but appeared slightly more optimistic than their GOP counterparts after the meeting concluded. “I think for the first time, the president heard our objections and heard why we needed a bipartisan bill,” Schumer said. “Their bill has not one iota of Democratic input. That is never how we’ve done this before.” Vance said he was “highly skeptical” that it was Trump’s first time hearing the issue and said there was a bipartisan path forward on healthcare – but panned Democrats’ push to include an extension of COVID-19 pandemic-era Affordable Care Act (ACA) extensions in the bill. “We want to work across the aisle to make sure that people have access to good healthcare,” he said, but added, “We are not going to let Democrats shut down the government and take a hostage unless we give them everything that they want. That’s not how the people’s government has ever worked.” The meeting in the Oval Office comes after Trump canceled a previously scheduled confab last week with just Schumer and Jeffries. At the time, the president railed against their demands on his social media platform Truth Social and contended that congressional Democrats were pushing “radical Left policies that nobody voted for” in their counter-CR. Democrats’ demands center on an extension to expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, though their counter-proposal also included language to repeal the healthcare section of the GOP’s “big, beautiful bill” and a clawback of canceled NPR and PBS funding. Senate Republicans have argued that Democrats’ desires are unserious, and Thune has publicly said that Republicans would be willing to have discussions on the ACA subsidies, which are set to sunset at the end of this year, after the government is funded. Schumer insisted Democrats needed it addressed immediately, however, in a press conference back on Capitol Hill after the meeting. “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,” he said. The White House is also leveraging the threat of mass firings should the government shut down that go beyond the standard furloughing of nonessential employees. Still, Schumer and Senate Democrats have not buckled. The Senate is expected to vote again on the bill on Tuesday.
Lawmaker targeted with death threat after condemning racist sign aimed at Winsome Sears
For the second time in less than a week, a Virginia state lawmaker up for reelection has been targeted with a death threat, amid heightening political rhetoric and the murder of Charlie Kirk. Del. Geary Higgins, R-Lovettsville, confirmed to Fox News Digital on Monday that he was texted a death threat in which the suspect spewed expletives and said he would shoot the lawmaker at his next rally. “Let me be clear: threats of violence have no place in our political discourse. I will not be intimidated, silenced, or deterred from doing the job I was elected to do—fighting for my constituents in Western Loudoun and Fauquier counties, and standing up for common sense,” Higgins told Fox News Digital. Higgins had texted public subscribers to his feed his response to a racist sign held by a female activist who was protesting an appearance by Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears at an Arlington County School Board rally earlier this month. AFTER DEATH THREAT, VIRGINIA LAWMAKER SAYS SPANBERGER CAN’T ESCAPE ‘RAGE’ REMARKS The woman stood in the vicinity of Earle-Sears’ team with a sign reading, “Hey Winsome, if trans can’t share your bathroom, then blacks can’t share my water fountain.” Earle-Sears is an immigrant from Jamaica who would be the first Black female governor of Virginia and the second overall, after moderate Democrat Douglas Wilder who was elected in 1989. The suspect, Patrick Murphy, allegedly texted Higgins back after the campaign blast, telling him, “F— off, Geary.” “I will shoot u [at] yer (sic) next public rally [t]hen send you memes with the photos,” read the message. “I know where your f—ing kids are too,” Murphy allegedly continued. Murphy faces felony charges and a court date in Leesburg next month. Fox News Digital reached out to Loudoun Commonwealth’s Attorney RD Anderson’s office for further comment. In comments to Fox News Digital, Higgins thanked Loudoun law enforcement for quickly arresting a suspect, and expressed hope the public will continue to pray for his family after the threat – as well as all public officials amid what he called a period of increasing threats and political violence. “Unfortunately, this is the direct result of the nasty lies and constant demonization from the radical left that we’ve seen over the last few years,” Higgins added, criticizing his Democratic opponent for what he said were false advertisements and claims about his political record. VIRGINIA LEADERS REBUKE RACIST SIGN TARGETING GOP GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE WINSOME EARLE-SEARS: ‘REPULSIVE’ Higgins said Warrenton innkeeper John McAuliff is “up on TV right now calling me a crook and a treasonist and blatantly lying about my record,” Higgins said, referencing TV ads that used imagery and references to the Capitol riot as well as allegations Higgins profited from the burgeoning planned footprint of data centers in Virginia and West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle. “The last two sessions in Richmond we’ve been called every name under the sun. It should be shocking to no one that continuing to call your political opponents names like ‘Nazis’ will ultimately lead to violence,” Higgins warned. A former member of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, Higgins is also the last remaining Republican state delegate in a once-conservative but now increasingly liberal suburban county known for its schools’ infamous transgender bathroom policy battles. Fox News Digital reached out to McAuliff’s campaign for comment. In one of the ads, McAuliff adds that he scrutinized Higgins as part of his campaign plan to “protect the Piedmont” from development. In a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, McAuliff said political violence has “no place in our democracy” and that “differences must be settled through debate and elections, never through threats or intimidation.” McAuliff said he personally reached out to Higgins and was grateful no one was physically harmed and thanked law enforcement for their efforts. Murphy, of Purcellville, was first taken into custody September 2, according to a police report obtained by Fox News Digital. The threat against Higgins follows a similar threat in which a Dinwiddie County, Virginia man allegedly texted state Del. Kim Taylor’s campaign last week threatening to kill her and claiming Republicans are “ruining the country.” Taylor has been prominent since her 2021 election, as she shocked the commonwealth by flipping a seat in Petersburg – one of the most Democratic-majority cities per capita in Virginia. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Taylor faces the same Democrat she narrowly defeated by about 50 votes two years ago, Kimberly Pope Adams. On Monday, she also clashed with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger over charged rhetoric from the left, citing recent violence that included the murder of Charlie Kirk. Spanberger’s recent comments about “let[ting] your rage fuel you” have received criticism from the right, while the former congresswoman continues to maintain she condemns all violence and that she instead is referring to letting people’s personal feelings fuel them to write letters and knock on doors for political campaigns. The Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office cited an active matter and declined to comment further to Fox News Digital.