Federal charges filed against illegal immigrant who allegedly stole Kristi Noem’s purse
The U.S. Secret Service filed federal criminal charges against a man accused of snatching Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse while she was out with her family on Easter eating lunch. The criminal complaint filed in court on Monday charges 49-year-old Mario Bustamante Leiva with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and robbery. The complaint alleges that Bustamante Leiva committed three robberies between April 12, 2024, and April 20, 2025, and after each robbery, he made fraudulent purchases using the credit cards obtained from each victim. He was ultimately arrested on Saturday by members of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the Secret Service. SUSPECT ARRESTED FOR ALLEGED THEFT OF KRISTI NOEM’S BAG CONTAINING $3K IN CASH: REPORTS Authorities say Bustamante Leiva is an illegally present Chilean national, and in each ruse, he approached victims as they ate in a restaurant, stole their purses from the back of their seats, and then fled the scene. Detectives located video evidence of the thefts, which led them to identify the alleged suspect as Bustamante Leiva. He was arrested on Saturday and initially charged with two counts of robbery, though additional charges were pending for an additional offense being investigated by the Secret Service, officials said. DHS CHIEF KRISTI NOEM REVEALS HOW HER PURSE WAS STOLEN AT RESTAURANT: ‘PROFESSIONALLY DONE’ Noem was with her family on Easter Sunday at The Capital Burger in Washington, D.C., when the suspect nabbed her luxury bag containing the cash as well as her driver’s license, passport, medication, makeup bag, blank checks, DHS badge, apartment keys and a Louis Vuitton Clemence wallet. KIMMEL MOCKS DHS SEC KRISTI NOEM FOR GETTING ROBBED, SAYS HER BEING CRIME VICTIM IS ‘EMBARRASSING’ The bag was on the floor at her table when it was stolen, according to a complaint filed with local police. Security footage captured a White man in a N95 surgical mask, dark pants and a baseball cap grabbing the bag before leaving the restaurant. Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price, Landon Mion and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
Trump to require truck drivers to speak English, pass literacy tests as ‘communication problems’ mount
President Donald Trump will sign an executive order requiring truck drivers to pass English literacy tests which will bolster road safety, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Trump will sign an “order directing the Department of Transportation to include English literacy tests for our truckers. This is a big problem in the trucking community,” Leavitt said on Monday afternoon during a press conference with new members of the media. The press conference was separate from a White House press briefing earlier Monday morning. Trump is expected to sign the executive order late Monday afternoon, Leavitt said. “You might not know, but there’s a lot of communication problems between truckers on the road with federal officials and local officials, as well, which obviously is a public safety risk,” Leavitt continued. “So we’re going to ensure that our truckers, who are the backbone of our economy, are all able to speak English. That’s a very common sense policy.” BULK OF TRUCKERS BACK TRUMP AND ARE WARY OF A HARRIS PRESIDENCY, SAYS BIG-RIG BIG SHOT The order directs Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy “to rescind guidance that watered down the law requiring English proficiency for commercial drivers,” and to “carry out additional administrative, regulatory, or enforcement actions to improve the working conditions of America’s truck drivers,” according to details provided to Fox News Digital by a White House official. “President Trump believes that English is a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers, as they should be able to read and understand traffic signs; communicate with traffic safety officers, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station personnel; and provide and receive feedback and directions in English,” the White House official shared. Truckers who are unable to prove they are proficient in English will be “placed out-of-service, enhancing roadway safety,” according to the White House. Fox News’ Wil Cain reported earlier in April on “The Will Cain Show” that trucking experts reported that there has been an influx of foreign-born truckers in recent years. Cain, citing experts, reported that former President Barack Obama’s administration in 2016 stopped an English requirement for drivers from being enforced, while the Biden-Harris administration in 2024 promoted an initiative that increased truck driving training opportunities for refugees, which has increased the number of foreign-born truck drivers operating in the U.S. Trump’s anticipated executive order comes after he lauded truckers during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, under his first administration, for their work delivering goods to stores as the nation locked down. DRIVER OF TRUMP GARBAGE TRUCK SHARES HOW VIRAL MOMENT CAME ABOUT: ‘DIDN’T REALLY BELIEVE IT AT FIRST’ “American truckers are the foot soldiers who are really carrying us to victory,” Trump said in April 2020 from the White House. “They’ve done an incredible job. We’ve had no problems. It’s been just — it’s been just great.” “Thank God for truckers,” he added. This is at least the second executive order focused on the English language that Trump has signed since his Oval Office return in January. Trump signed a separate executive order in March declaring English as the official language of the U.S. TRUCKERS ARE ‘HOPEFUL’ ABOUT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S WALKBACK OF BIDEN-ERA CLIMATE REGULATIONS, SAYS TRUCKING EXECUTIVE “A nationally designated language is at the core of a unified and cohesive society, and the United States is strengthened by a citizenry that can freely exhange ideas in one shared language,” Trump wrote in that order. The order revoked an executive order issued by former President Bill Clinton in 2000, titled “Improving Access Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency,” which required federal agencies and recipients of federal funding to provide language assistance to non-English speakers. Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
Dem border rep brags about voting against Laken Riley Act
Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., touted his vote against the Laken Riley Act and bashed President Donald Trump’s administration at an April event, saying deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia, along with other illegal immigrants, is “testing and stretching the fabric of our democracy to a place we have never seen before.” In his speech, Vasquez claimed some said it would take “courage” to vote against the Laken Riley Act, to which the Democratic congressman exclaimed, “I did. I voted against [the bill],” leading the audience to cheer. “Because due process is a fundamental part of who we are as Americans,” he continued. The Laken Riley Act, which was signed into law by Trump on Jan. 29, was introduced after an illegal immigrant brutally murdered 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley while she was jogging in Athens, Georgia, in February 2024. The law established that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must detain illegal migrants if they are arrested or charged with a violent crime. CHANCE OF LAKEN RILEY’S ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT KILLER DOING TIME IN EL SALVADOR PRISON ADDRESSED BY LAWMAKERS Just a month after the Laken Riley Act was signed into law, Secretary Kristi Noem and DHS announced a “627% increase in monthly arrests compared to just 33,000 at-large arrests under Biden for ALL of last year.” Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, whose district contains the longest stretch of U.S. land neighboring Mexico, defended the bipartisan bill in a statement to Fox News Digital Friday. Gonzales explained that border security is “a real and lasting issue as a result of four years of inaction under President Biden. That’s why Americans voted for safer communities and to restore law and order and President Trump is delivering on that promise with legislation like the Laken Riley Act and much more that is coming down the pike.” Vasquez went on to bash the Trump administration for deporting illegal migrants, including Abrego Garcia, claiming U.S. citizens aren’t safe from being removed from the country if the Trump administration gets “their way.” “Time and time again, out-of-touch Democrat Gabe Vasquez chooses to prioritize criminal illegal aliens over the well-being of hardworking New Mexicans,” National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokesman Zach Bannon told Fox News Digital. “He’s completely abandoned common sense, pandering to the radical left while betraying the very people who will vote him out of office next year.” DEMS RIDICULED FOR GOING ‘ALL IN’ ON SUSPECTED MS-13 GANG MEMBER KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA Abrego Garcia, who has been the focus of Democratic talking points criticizing Trump’s immigration policies, was one of many illegal immigrants who were deported to the El Salvadorian “Terrorism Confinement Center” (CECOT) in March. It was most recently revealed that the 29-year-old illegal migrant and suspected member of the violent MS-13 gang was pulled over while driving an SUV that belonged to another illegal immigrant who confessed to human smuggling in 2020. While the Trump administration has maintained their position on Abrego Garcia’s gang ties and history of violence, a federal judge and even the U.S. Supreme Court have ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to facilitate his return. Abrego Garcia had been living in Maryland with his family prior to being sent to El Salvador, on the grounds that his removal to the country was unjustified. TOP TRUMP OFFICIALS FILE CHARGES AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT AFTER FOX NEWS EXPOSES EARLY RELEASE PLANS Some Republicans have pushed back at the decision to double down on Abrego Garcia’s stay in El Salvador, including Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, who said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Abrego Garcia’s deportation was a “screw up.” On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis gave the DOJ a week’s extension to provide explanation, documentation and testimony defending the decision to deport Abrego Garcia. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital reached out to Vasquez’s office for comment.
GOP lawmakers rally around Trump admin for massive nightclub raid targeting illegal immigrants
Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo., responded to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) major bust at an illegal nightclub in his district on Sunday that resulted in over 100 illegal immigrants being arrested. The state has become a hub of illegal immigration-related activities, including the presence of Tren de Aragua in cities like Aurora. In this case, not only were people detained, but pink cocaine and firearms were also confiscated by the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Division. The DEA said many arrested will soon be bound for deportation. Attorney General Pam Bondi posted to X that the venue is “frequented by Tda and MS-13 terrorists.” “Yesterday’s raid in Colorado Springs was the Trump administration following through on their promise to the American people that illegal aliens have no place in our country. Federal law enforcement, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and the Colorado Springs Police Department were able to work together to apprehend these dangerous criminals to help ensure that our communities are safe,” Crank told Fox News Digital in a statement. AURORA AUTHORITIES ‘DECLINED’ TO HELP SEARCH FOR 2 ILLEGAL ALIENS WHO ESCAPED COLORADO DETENTION FACILITY: ICE “Law enforcement in Colorado’s Fifth Congressional District takes immigration enforcement seriously. Gov. Polis and the Colorado state legislature should follow suit,” he continued. Crank introduced a House Resolution earlier this month expressing support for President Donald Trump’s legally challenged use of the Ailen Enemies Act to transport alleged MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gang members out of the country, as the groups have been classified as foreign terrorist organizations. Meanwhile, Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., also praised the law enforcement crackdown done on Sunday, as he’s introduced legislation hoping to increase local coordination between federal and local authorities – as he argues that current state sanctuary policies make comprehensive immigration enforcement difficult. “This admin is fighting to make Colorado safe again. Thanks to this raid, we are one step closer,” Evans said, also saying that Colorado’s sanctuary policies are causing the state to generate “headlines as ground zero for the country’s most dangerous criminals.” Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement that he is “focused on making Colorado safer for everyone, and that includes cracking down on illegal drugs and firearms. We await the details from the DEA and federal government on this action,” according to KRDO. BLUE SANCTUARY STATE OPERATING AS ‘CONTROL’ CENTER FOR VICIOUS MIGRANT GANG: ACTING DEA CHIEF In videos posted of the operation, U.S. Postal Service and IRS agents are seen arresting illegal aliens at the nightclub, showing the Trump administration using a whole-of-government approach to carrying out deportations. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Specifically, a U.S. Postal Service inspector and an agent with IRS Criminal Investigations were seen with alleged criminals in their custody. DEA Acting Administrator Derek Maltz previously said Colorado has become “ground zero for some of the most violent criminals in America,” including Tren de Aragua’s leadership, Denver 7 reported. WHITE HOUSE DISPLAYS LAWN SIGNS HIGHLIGHTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIME In January, there was a similar nightclub takedown in Adams County, Colorado, which resulted in 50 illegal immigrant arrests, including alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Fox News’ Danielle Wallace, Bonny Chu, Greg Wehner, Bill Melugin contributed to this reported.
Trump admin releases shockingly low number of illegal aliens compared to Biden years: ‘Unprecedented’
President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan touted how the administration has released a shockingly low number of illegal aliens, during a 100-day press conference at the White House on Monday. Homan noted that the nine illegal aliens in comparison to hundreds, if not thousands, of releases in a single day under the Biden administration, as well as times when there were over 10,000 migrant encounters in places like Eagle Pass, Texas, is a huge accomplishment. “We have the most secure border in the history of this nation, and the numbers prove it. President Trump’s policies are saving lives every day,” Homan said. TRUMP’S BORDER CZAR TELLS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS THAT ICE WILL TRACK THEM DOWN “This success is unprecedented,” he continued. As for the nine who were released, the border czar explained the rare circumstances. “Four of them were material witnesses in a criminal investigation. We needed them here to testify in a serious criminal trial. Four was extreme medical condition. We couldn’t return them because we were in such bad shape. And one was a humanitarian issue,” Homan said about the nine releases, as the number has been public for some time. Fox News reported that on Dec. 22, 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection data indicated that there were 4,832 illegal aliens released on that day alone. On that same day, there were just under 9,000 migrant encounters. WHITE HOUSE TOUTS 100-DAY ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN AFTER BIDEN ‘UNSECURED THE BORDER ON PURPOSE’ At the ports of entry, there were 1,400 releases that day as a result of the CBP One app, which has since been changed to the CBP Home app. The CBP One app was a way for people seeking to enter the country to get prompted for the next steps, whereas the CBP Home app is meant for those in the country illegally to self-deport. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Later on Monday, Trump is expected to sign executive orders cracking down on sanctuary cities, which limit the ability of federal authorities to work with state and local law enforcement on some immigration matters. Migrant encounters at the border have plummeted since the change in administration, with just over 7,000 marked by CBP in March. TOM HOMAN DECLARES THAT “CATCH AND RELEASE IS OVER” “U.S. Border Patrol’s apprehensions along the southwest border for the entire month of March 2025 were lower than the first two days of March 2024,” Pete Flores, acting commissioner of CBP, said in a statement on April 14. “This is a testament to the tireless dedication and vigilant service of the men and women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, who work every day to keep our country safe. Their commitment on the front lines plays a vital role in securing our borders and protecting American communities.”
US strikes kill hundreds of Houthi fighters, hit over 800 Red Sea targets: Central Command
The U.S. military has pummeled over 800 targets since mid-March in a campaign aimed at eliminating Houthi terrorists and restoring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, according to an update from Central Command. Since the start of “Operation Rough Rider” on March 15, U.S. forces have executed an “intense and sustained campaign” to dismantle the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist organization’s capabilities, CENTCOM said Monday. The strikes have destroyed critical military infrastructure, including command centers, air defense systems, advanced weapons manufacturing sites and stockpiles of anti-ship missiles and drones. “These strikes have killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders, including senior Houthi missile and UAV officials,” the statement read. The Houthis’ ability to launch attacks on international shipping has taken a major hit. U.S. officials say ballistic missile launches have dropped by 69%, while attacks by one-way suicide drones have fallen by 55% since the operation began. TRUMP SAYS HE’LL BE ‘LEADING THE PACK’ TO WAR WITH IRAN IF DEAL PROSPECTS WHITHER AWAY The Ras Isa Port – previously a key Houthi fueling hub – was also destroyed, cutting off a vital revenue stream the group used to fund its terror activities. The update came after concerns over the rapid rate at which the offensive campaign has depleted munitions stockpiles, and congressional officials say the campaign has already cost over $1 billion, the New York Times first reported. The Houthis have said they will continue to lob projectiles and launch drones toward Western commercial and military ships in the Red Sea in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza and Hamas. Sunday’s update was the first after six weeks of bombing on how many targets had been struck. It did not reveal how many civilians had been killed or the cost of the campaign. The U.S. now has two aircraft carriers in the region and has sent in new fighter, bomber and air defense units. NEW NAVY CHIEF ‘REGRETS’ COSTLY MISSILE INTERCEPTORS AGAINST HOUTHIS, PUSHES FOR CHEAPER RED SEA DEFENSE “To preserve operational security, we have intentionally limited disclosing details of our ongoing or future operations. We are very deliberate in our operational approach, but will not reveal specifics about what we’ve done or what we will do,” the statement read. Despite U.S. claims of success, some lawmakers and military analysts have questioned whether the strikes are achieving lasting results. Critics argue that while the campaign has degraded some Houthi capabilities, it has not fully stopped attacks on shipping vessels, U.S. Navy ships, or international maritime traffic. “We will continue to ratchet up the pressure until the objective is met, which remains the restoration of freedom of navigation and American deterrence in the region,” the statement said. The Houthi offensive was at the center of a bombshell report on a Signal group of top Trump Cabinet officials who used the chat to discuss details and, in the case of Vice President JD Vance, air complaints about the planned strikes. “I think we are making a mistake,” Vance wrote in the Signal chat, later published by The Atlantic. “I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now.” The commercial ships being attacked in the Red Sea are largely European.
Photo shows Milwaukee judge’s courtroom door with notice to anyone who ‘feels unsafe’
A Milwaukee judge arrested Friday for allegedly hiding a previously deported illegal immigrant in her jury room had a notice posted to her courtroom door for people who feel “unsafe” coming to the courthouse, Fox News learned Monday. The notice posted to Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan’s courtroom door was dated April 14, four days before she allegedly helped Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an illegal immigrant, and his attorney leave the courthouse to evade ICE agents, Fox News observed. The notice states: “ATTENTION – IF ANY ATTORNEY, WITNESS COORDINATOR, OR OTHER COURT OFFICIAL KNOWS OR BELIEVES THAT A PERSON FEELS UNSAFE COMING TO THE COURTHOUSE TO COURTROOM 615, PLEASE NOTIFY THE BRANCH 31 CLERK TO REQUEST COURT APPEARANCE VIA ZOOM.” Dugan was arrested and charged with obstruction of an official proceeding after evidence came to light that she had shielded Flores-Ruiz from ICE agents, according to a criminal complaint. She was also charged with concealing an individual to prevent discovery and arrest. WISCONSIN JUDGE THREATENS COURTROOM BOYCOTT OVER HANNAH DUGAN ARREST Federal agents from ICE, FBI, CBP and DEA attempted to arrest Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented Mexican national, following his scheduled criminal court appearance before Dugan on April 18 to face three misdemeanor battery charges for allegedly beating two people. WISCONSIN JUDGE’S ARREST BLASTED BY DEMOCRATS WHO PREVIOUSLY CLAIMED ‘NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW’ IN TRUMP CASES Dugan demanded that the officers proceed to the chief judge’s office and – after his hearing ended – escorted Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a restricted jury door, bypassing the public area where agents were waiting, in order to help him avoid arrest, per the complaint. Dugan was taken into custody by the FBI on Friday morning on the courthouse grounds, according to U.S. Marshals Service spokesperson Brady McCarron. She appeared briefly in federal court in Milwaukee later Friday before being released from custody. Dugan is not overseeing any cases and a reserve judge is taking over her cases while her own case plays out. Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump backs local police in new executive order, rebukes Democrat crime policies that sowed ‘chaos’ across US
President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order backing local police departments with federal support in a rejection of left-wing “soft-on-crime policies” that “have fueled chaos” and caused Americans to live in fear, Fox News Digital learned. On Monday, Trump is expected to sign an executive order that aims to “empower state and local law enforcement with federal resources, focus federal prosecutions on high-impact crimes, protect law-abiding Americans, and pursue legal remedies against obstructive state or local officials,” a senior White House official shared with Fox News Digital Monday morning. The order instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi to implement a handful of policies and initiatives to bolster police departments, including creating an avenue that provides legal resources to officers “facing unjust expenses from official duties;” increasing “surplus military assets for local law enforcement and evaluate their use in crime prevention;” ensuring racial discrimination investigations in law enforcement rely on direct evidence only; maximizing federal resources to boost pay for cops and to improve training and a review federal consent decrees. Crime rocked the nation from coast-to-coast in 2020, as riots protesting the death of George Floyd broke out and activists demanded police departments be defunded, simultaneously to Americans abiding lockdown orders amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which upended daily life. ILLINOIS ENDING CASH BAIL A ‘BACKDOOR’ DEFUND MOVEMENT THAT WILL SPARK POLICE EXODUS: EXPERTS Communities across the country witnessed a violent crime spike in 2020, with murders increasing by nearly 30% compared to the year prior, according to FBI data. It marked the largest single-year increase in killings since the agency began tracking the crimes. Experts who spoke to Fox News Digital at the height of the 2020-era crime wave pointed to an array of variables that have likely contributed to the increases since 2020, including: anti-police rhetoric voiced by Black Lives Matter and defund the police proponents, the pandemic, a culture of lawlessness promoted by liberal district attorneys, and the “Ferguson effect” — named after the high-profile Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, and referring to when police pull back from proactive patrolling when violent crimes spike. Amid the pandemic and riots of 2020, left-wing cities moved to defund police departments as activists demanded an overhaul of the justice system, including installing community-based policing over employing officers, following Floyd’s death and other Black Americans who died in police custody. Officers filed for early retirement, changed careers or moved to police jurisdictions that backed cops in the face of the anti-police rhetoric, while morale plummeted among the ranks and departments reported severe understaffing issues. MASSIVE INCREASE IN BLACK AMERICANS MURDERED WAS RESULT OF DEFUND POLICE MOVEMENT: EXPERTS The crime wave continued in the following years, as California faced repeated smash-and-grab robberies at swank department stores in 2022 and 2023, car thefts at the hands of youths and adults rocked cities such as Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia in 2022, and chain stores and mom-and-pop shops fled high-crime areas in cities such as San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and elsewhere in 2021 and the following years. 2ND AMENDMENT STEPS IN AFTER COPS STEP BACK IN WAKE OF DEFUND MOVEMENT IN CHICAGO Details on the upcoming executive order shared with Fox Digital took specific issues with local “soft-on-crime policies” that have sowed “chaos,” such as sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants, cities that “ignore shoplifting, vagrancy, and urban encampments,” and recent bail reform initiatives that do not require suspects charged with crimes to post bail in order to leave jail while they await trial. POLICE VOTE KEY TO ELECTION AS COPS WEIGH ‘LAWLESSNESS VS LAW AND ORDER’ ON BALLOT: RETIRED CHIEF The executive order instead will work to fulfill Trump’s Make America Safe Again 2024 campaign promise, following other safety-focused executive actions such as securing the border and combating antisemitism that ran rampant on college campuses following the outbreak of war between Hamas and Israel in October 2023, Fox Digital learned. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “President Trump’s Executive Order empowers law enforcement to restore law and order,” according to the White House. “Millions of Americans live in fear, worried that surging crime will destroy their lives, homes, or businesses.”
GOP races against clock as Senate, House remain trillions of dollars apart on Trump’s tax bill
House Republicans are rushing to get started on a multitrillion-dollar bill to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda, with their own leader’s self-imposed deadline less than a month away. Lawmakers on five different committees are huddling within their panels this week to debate and advance specific aspects of what will become one massive piece of legislation House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said he wants to get a bill on Trump’s desk by Memorial Day – a goal he’s still optimistic about, despite a host of challenges that Republicans will need to get through before the finish line. Meanwhile, the Senate and House appear to still be far apart on their expected timelines and how much money they’re aiming to spend. MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE “This is not just a preference we have, this is a necessity,” Johnson told Fox News Digital about the Memorial Day deadline in an interview on Friday. “We have the debt limit X-date approaching, and as everybody knows, border security resources dwindling, we’ve got markets in flux, we’ve got, of course, the living threat of the largest tax increase on working families in history.” Republicans are seeking to fit Trump’s priorities on energy, defense, border security and taxes into the bill, as well as raise the debt ceiling – another item the president specifically asked GOP lawmakers to deal with. Johnson pointed out that the U.S. is fast approaching its deadline to act on the debt ceiling or risk a national credit default – which would send financial markets into a tailspin. The federal government is expected to hit that deadline sometime this spring or summer, according to differing projections. “I’ve got to work on the assumption that it’ll be sooner, it may be as early as June,” Johnson said. “I can’t control what happens in the Senate, but I think they have the same sense of urgency, so I think that we’re on target to get it by Memorial Day or shortly thereafter.” A Senate GOP leadership aide appeared less optimistic, however. They told Fox News Digital that Republicans in the upper chamber shared the goal of moving as quickly as possible but acknowledged “the reality” of differing procedures in the House and Senate. The House’s framework for the legislation passed first and called for at least $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion in spending cuts to offset a portion of the $4.5 trillion allocated toward Trump’s tax agenda. The Senate later passed an amended version that called for a minimum of $4 billion in spending cuts. House Republicans narrowly swallowed that framework to align with the Senate – a key step before the relevant committees noted in the framework can begin crafting policies within their jurisdictions, to later be filled into the final bill. A revolt against that bill by an unlikely faction of well-known GOP rebels and leaders on the House Budget Committee prompted Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to publicly pledge to have the Senate aim for $1.5 trillion in spending cuts. But on paper, they’re still far apart, and there’s a significant contingent in the House and Senate who are wary of cutting funding for critical programs like Medicaid and Medicare. SENATE GOP PUSHES TRUMP BUDGET FRAMEWORK THROUGH AFTER MARATHON VOTE SERIES “The fight is between the House, that wants to add $2.8 trillion on the debt, and the Senate, that wants to add $5.8 trillion on the debt,” said Marc Goldwein, senior vice president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB). “So I’m not optimistic that we’re going to reduce the debt. I am somewhat optimistic that we’re going to get closer to what the House wants, which would be much better.” But a significant amount – about $880 billion – of spending cuts outlined in the House GOP framework come from the House Energy & Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over Medicare and Medicaid. Estimates have shown that the committee will not be able to complete those cuts without cutting into those programs, but Republican leaders have insisted they’re only looking to root out “waste, fraud and abuse.” Republicans are looking to pass their legislation via the budget reconciliation process. The mechanism allows the party in power to pass massive policy overhauls while entirely sidelining the opposing party by dropping the Senate’s threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51. The House already operates on a simple majority threshold. The House committees set to meet this week to mark up their reconciliation bills are the Homeland Security, Oversight, Education & Workforce, and Financial Services. Issues that are expected to be more divisive – like portions from the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Ways and Means Committee, which writes tax policy – will be visited next week.
COVID crackdown: Republicans seek to defund universities still requiring vaccine
FIRST ON FOX: Lawmakers will put forward a bill Monday to put the force of law behind President Donald Trump‘s executive order prohibiting federal funds from going to colleges that still mandate a coronavirus vaccine jab. Reps. Mark Messmer, R-Ind., and August Pfluger, R-Texas, will file the No Vaccine Mandates in Higher Education Act, chiefly noting that former President Joe Biden ended the official national emergency for COVID-19 in April 2023. In comments to Fox News Digital, Pfluger said the pandemic “opened Pandora’s Box to a lengthy list of overreaching policies and mandates from the government, institutions, and companies alike.” “As we work to restore common sense and liberties back to the American people, I am proud to co-lead this legislation to ensure universities can no longer force their students to have the COVID-19 vaccine,” he said. FIVE YEARS AFTER COVID LOCKDOWNS: THE 5 MOST BIZARRE ‘STOP THE SPREAD’ MOMENTS The bill reads that “no federal funds may be made available to any institution of higher education that requires its students or staff to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of enrollment or employment, or receiving any benefit, service, or contract.” In February, Trump wrote critically that some institutions are “conditioning their education” based on undergoing the COVID jab. “Parents and young adults should be empowered with accurate data regarding the remote risks of serious illness associated with COVID-19 for children and young adults, as well as how those risks can be mitigated through various measures, and left free to make their own decisions accordingly,” Trump wrote in his order. “Given the incredibly low risk of serious COVID-19 illness for children and young adults, threatening to shut them out of an education is an intolerable infringement on personal freedom. Such mandates usurp parental authority and burden students of many faiths.” By Monday afternoon, the bill had garnered several more co-sponsors including Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., Barry Moore, R-Ala., Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., Andrew Clyde, R-Ga. and John Rose, R-Tenn. ‘CUOMO CHIP’ LOOPHOLE CRUMBLES AS NY NOW WANTS ‘SUBSTANTIAL FOOD’ SOLD WITH BOOZE A February survey by Best Colleges listed 15 schools nationwide, particularly in California, Georgia and Pennsylvania, still had their COVID vaccine requirements intact. During the federal coronavirus emergency, some universities, including Columbia in New York City, required not only the COVID-19 vaccine, but the ensuing boosters as well for at least some portions of their student population. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In Columbia’s case, proof of booster doses were required for study-abroad students, according to a 2022 notice from the Ivy League institution. Princeton University in New Jersey required boosters for its 2022 on-campus semester. “Compliance with the vaccine policy is necessary to maintain prox access to campus facilities and to continue student progress to degree,” a statement from that semester read. Weekly PCR testing for COVID-19 was also mandatory for a time at Cornell University in upstate New York.