Judge in crosshairs of Trump deportation case orders preservation of Signal messages
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg on Thursday ordered all parties involved in the Trump administration’s leaked Signal chat to preserve disclosed messages, giving him additional time to evaluate the administration’s handling of the infamous group chat. A lawsuit filed by the left-leaning government transparency group American Oversight asks whether senior Cabinet officials violated federal recordkeeping laws by using Signal to discuss plans for a military strike on the Houthis in Yemen. The chat became infamous after it was revealed that top U.S. officials had inadvertently included Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Golberg for several days of their discussions. Boasberg said during a 25-minute hearing that the federal government must “preserve all Signal communications between March 11 and March 15,” roughly the window of the communications about the military action in Yemen. TRUMP REVEALS WHO WAS BEHIND SIGNAL TEXT CHAIN LINK Boasberg, already under fire from the Trump administration for issuing a restraining order that temporarily blocked the president’s use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan nationals, emphasized at the start of Thursday’s hearing he was randomly assigned to the case through a docket computer system, not by choice. His remarks came hours after President Donald Trump accused Boasberg on social media of “grabbing the ‘Trump Cases’ all to himself,” a claim Boasberg quickly sought to refute by detailing the court’s random assignment process, including the electronic card system used to distribute cases among judges. “That’s how it works, and that’s how all cases continue to be assigned in this court,” he said. JUDGE TELLS GOVERNMENT WATCHDOGS FIRED BY TRUMP THERE’S NOT MUCH SHE CAN DO FOR THEM Boasberg has sparred with the Trump administration over its failure to comply with the court’s requests for information on its deportation flights earlier this month, which sent around 261 migrants, including Venezuelan nationals and alleged members of the gang Tren de Aragua, from the U.S. to El Salvador. The flights appeared to have departed from Texas around the time Boasberg issued an emergency restraining order and were not returned to the U.S. despite a bench ruling explicitly ordering their immediate return. The Justice Department this week invoked the state secrets privilege in the ongoing court battle, a national security tool that could allow the Trump administration to withhold certain information from the courts for national security purposes. Most recently, the Trump administration vowed to immediately appeal to the Supreme Court a ruling from the D.C. appellate court, which voted 2-1 to uphold Boasberg’s ruling and allow, for now, the block on Trump’s deportation flights to continue. Fox News’s William Mears contributed to this report.
Proposed ballot measure in blue state raises eyebrows over who it’s named after: ‘Road side lunatics’
A proposed ballot initiative in California is named after alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO assassin Luigi Mangione. The Luigi Mangione Access to Health Care Act submitted to the California Attorney General’s Office would make it illegal for an insurance company to “delay, deny or modify any medical procedure or medication” that is suggested by a licensed physician in the Golden State where there could be serious consequences such as “disability, death, amputation, permanent disfigurement, loss or reduction of any bodily function,” the document states. It was filed by Paul Eisner, a longtime Los Angeles-based attorney. The terms “delay” and “deny” were made popular by the healthcare book “Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About.” The words “delay, deny, and depose” were reportedly inscribed on the casings of the bullets that killed Brian Thompson on Dec. 4. LUIGI MANGIONE WANTS LAPTOP IN JAIL CELL TO ‘PROPERLY HELP PREPARE HIS DEFENSE,’ LAWYERS SAY “What” Rob Pyers, research director for California Target Book, posted on X. “A proposed ballot initiative has been filed in California entitled “The Luigi Mangioni (sic) Access to Health Care Act.” Actually,” Los Angeles-based conservative activist Elizabeth Barcohana said. “THE LUIGI MANGIONI (sic) ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE ACT” Seriously???? A ballot initiative about health care submitted today to the California Attorney General is named after the accused killer. Crazy,” author Gerald Posner wrote. “I’m starting to suspect the Democrats in charge of California might actually just be simple road side (sic) lunatics after all,” Ruthless Podcast Executive Producer Leigh Wolf said on X. SUSPECT NABBED IN ALLEGED PLOT TO KILL BESSENT, HEGSETH AND JOHNSON, ‘INSPIRED BY LUIGI MANGIONE’: PROSECUTORS Mangione reportedly faced “chronic back pain,” according to Honolulu Civil Beat, and issues after a spinal procedure. “Pain in general affects our mental well-being, how we go on in our day-to-day life and function. If you’re reminded of an injury in your body, and you live in pain, it can be something that really rattles you,” board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Besty Grunch told Fox News Digital in December. LUIGI MANGIONE WINKS AT SUPPORTERS WITH GREEN SWEATER UNDER BULLETPROOF VEST “In this alleged circumstance, you have a 26-year-old, fit guy that has an injury and needs care,” she added. “And he may reflect his pain on someone else or blame it on someone else. And [that] can escalate to a point of suicidal or even homicidal thoughts.” Mangione is currently charged with murder by both New York and the federal government, and he has pleaded not guilty.
Senate Armed Services leaders ask Pentagon watchdog to probe leaked Signal chat
The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate’s Armed Services Committee requested the Pentagon’s inspector general probe whether classified defense information was shared on Signal, an encrypted messaging platform. “This chat was alleged to have included classified information pertaining to sensitive military discussions in Yemen,” Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I., wrote in a letter to acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins. “If true, this reporting raises questions as to the use of unclassified networks to discuss classified and sensitive information.” The letter was sent Wednesday evening, a committee spokesperson said, after The Atlantic published messages in full that included details about a planned strike on the Houthis in Yemen and revealed a target had been successfully killed when a building he was in collapsed. White House officials have insisted the information Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and national security advisor Mike Waltz shared in the chat was not classified. TRUMP TEAM’S SIGNAL SNAFU SPARKS DEBATE OVER SECURE COMMS: ‘RUSSIA AND CHINA ARE LISTENING’ Stebbins is the acting Pentagon watchdog after President Donald Trump fired 17 inspectors general, including the Defense Department’s IG, shortly after taking office. Wicker told reporters Wednesday he would seek an “expedited” investigation. Hegseth’s Signal messages revealed F-18, Navy fighter aircraft, MQ-9s, drones and Tomahawks cruise missiles would be used in the strike on the Houthis. “1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package),” Hegseth said in one message notifying the chat of high-level administration officials that the attack was about to kick off. “1345: ‘Trigger Based’ F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME – also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s)” he added, according to the report. “1410: More F-18s LAUNCH (2nd strike package)” “1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets)” “1536 F-18 2nd Strike Starts – also, first sea-based Tomahawks launched.” “MORE TO FOLLOW (per timeline)” “We are currently clean on OPSEC” – that is, operational security. TRUMP NOT PLANNING TO FIRE WALTZ AFTER NATIONAL SECURITY TEXT CHAIN LEAK Later, Waltz wrote that the mission had been successful. “The first target—their top missile guy—was positively ID’d walking into his girlfriend’s building. It’s now collapsed.” The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, who was unintentionally added to the chat, published an initial story that did not include specifics about the strike he believed to be sensitive. After the White House insisted the information was not classified, he asked them if they would object to him publishing its contents. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded that they would object. “No locations. No sources & methods. NO WAR PLANS,” Waltz wrote on X on Wednesday. Government officials frequently use Signal to communicate, even for sensitive information, given that they don’t always have quick access to a sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF). “This is an approved app. It’s an encrypted app,” Leavitt insisted to reporters Wednesday. Still, even some Republicans have grumbled about how the situation has been handled. Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., a Navy veteran with a top secret clearance, said adding Goldberg to the chat was “totally sloppy,” and the information shared was either classified “or at the very least highly sensitive.” “In the wrong hands, like the Houthis or any of America’s adversaries, this kind of Intel could have jeopardized the mission and put our troops at greater risk,” he told Fox News Digital. “It was wrong when Hillary put all that classified information on an unclassified server. It was wrong when Biden had the sensitive files in his garage. And it’s wrong now.” The Senate letter asked for “what was communicated and any remedial actions taken as a result” and an assessment of whether proper policies had been followed related to government officers “sharing sensitive and classified information on non-government networks and electronic applications.” It also asked for the IG to probe how the policies of DOD, the intelligence community, the National Security Council and the White House differ on the matter. The DOD IG’s office confirmed receiving the letter yesterday to Fox News Digital and said it was in the process of reviewing it. Earlier this week, Wicker and Reed said they would “likely” hold a bipartisan hearing on the Signal chat. But given the political nature of the storyline, it may be easier to allow an independent watchdog to conduct a fact-finding mission. “This is precisely why independent offices of inspectors general are so valuable. When a situation becomes a hot-button political issue, it’s incredibly helpful to have an objective, nonpartisan group of trained professionals to do the fact-finding and answer the hard questions,” former State Department inspector general Diana Shaw told Fox News Digital. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP She warned not to expect the IG to give any answers on whether criminal conduct had taken place, and not to expect a quick probe given the crossover of agencies implicated in the chat. “It’s very difficult to do anything quickly when it involves the Interagency – an interagency review requires navigation through a complex maze of jurisdictional boundaries. The committee may get some of its questions answered quickly, but it will likely have to wait some time for answers to the more central questions it’s posed.”
‘Excessive’ state taxes on guns, ammunition sales are target of new GOP crackdown effort
FIRST ON FOX: Republican lawmakers are pushing to stop states from imposing excise taxes on gun and ammunition sales, a condemnation of a measure California enforced in 2024. In 2023, California became the first state to adopt a measure imposing an excise tax targeting the gun industry. The legislation sets an 11% excise tax on guns and ammunition sales and directs the revenue toward gun relinquishment programs and other gun control initiatives. Colorado is also poised to impose a 6.5% excise tax on similar purchases in April. Other states like Maryland, New York and Massachusetts are considering similar pieces of legislation. NRA LEGISLATIVE EXPERT SAYS GUN RIGHTS COULD SEE ‘MOST MONUMENTAL’ WIN IN CONGRESS SINCE 2005 But these initiatives amount to unconstitutional tax that undermines the Second Amendment, according to Republican lawmakers. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who introduced the Freedom of Unfair Gun Taxes Act to their respective chambers of Congress Thursday, are seeking to bar states from adopting these measures. “Blue states that implement an excessive excise tax to fund gun control initiatives are exploiting the Second Amendment,” Risch said Thursday in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The Freedom from Unfair Gun Taxes Act ensures states do not place a significant financial burden on law-abiding gun owners to advance their anti-Second Amendment agenda.” Issa said states like California historically have introduced “extreme” policies targeting gun owners that jeopardize their Second Amendment rights. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS BIDEN ADMIN ‘GHOST GUN’ REGULATION “The latest attack is California’s imposition of a ‘sin tax’ on firearms and ammunition,” Issa said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Specifically, Issa claimed California’s new law, which requires gun sellers to foot the bill for the excise tax, is an “outrageous and unfair burden on law-abiding citizens.” Excise taxes target specific goods or services for manufacturers, consumers or retailers. California’s new excise tax is coupled with the 10% to 11% federal excise tax gun dealers already pay that goes toward wildlife conservation efforts. California Assembly member Jesse Gabriel, a Democrat representing the San Fernando Valley, spearheaded legislation known as the Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act in 2023 to impose the excise tax to raise revenue to support programs, including the California Violence Intervention and Prevention program. The law also allocates revenue from the excise tax toward a court-based gun relinquishment program that revokes gun ownership from domestic abusers and convicted criminals and law enforcement initiatives focused on gun investigations. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed off on the law in September 2023, and it took effect in July. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “It’s shameful that gun manufacturers are reaping record profits at the same time that gun violence has become the leading cause of death for kids in the United States,” Gabriel said in a statement in July. “This law will generate $160 million annually to fund critical violence prevention and school safety programs that will save lives and protect communities across the State of California.” Co-sponsors of the Senate’s version of the Freedom of Unfair Gun Taxes Act include Republican senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Mike Crapo of Idaho, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Steve Daines of Montana, John Hoeven of North Dakota, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Jim Justice of West Virginia and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska. Republican representatives Richard Hudson of North Carolina and Doug LaMalfa of California also co-sponsored the House’s version of the measure.
US partners with Colombia to take on immigration using biometric technologies
The U.S. and Colombia have agreed to partner up to deploy biometric capabilities to help authorities manage migration and stop criminal activity. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem met with Colombia Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia in Bogota on Thursday, where the two signed an agreement to utilize biometric capabilities. “Today we have signed a statement of intent for biometric cooperation, and it will reaffirm our strong, and our resilient, and our enduring partnership,” Noem said after signing the agreement. The agreement comes just months after President Donald Trump and Colombia President Gustavo Petro clashed over the treatment of Colombians on deportation flights from the U.S. COLOMBIA LEADER QUICKLY CAVES AFTER TRUMP THREATS, OFFERS PRESIDENTIAL PLANE FOR DEPORTATION FLIGHTS In January, U.S. officials sent two flights of Colombian illegal aliens back to their country of origin, though Petro rejected the flights, saying the U.S. cannot “treat Colombian migrants as criminals.” Petro also demanded the U.S. establish protocol for the dignified treatment of migrants before his country receives them. In response, Trump threatened to unleash a slew of punishments, including ordering a 25% tariff on all goods coming into the U.S. from Colombia. After a week, Trump added, the tariffs would rise to 50%. Trump also ordered a travel ban and visa revocations for all Colombian government officials, plus “allies and supporters.” TRUMP DHS REPEALS KEY MAYORKAS MEMO LIMITING ICE AGENTS, ORDERS PAROLE REVIEW Ultimately, the two countries came to an agreement and deportations resumed, though Petro has urged Colombian migrants to return home. Noem acknowledged Colombia’s efforts to resume the repatriation of migrants, adding that the sharing of biometric data will make the cooperation between the U.S. and Colombia more efficient. BILLIONAIRES COZY UP TO TRUMP WITH SEVEN FIGURE INAUGURAL DONATIONS AFTER PAST FEUDS WITH PRESIDENT “We’re going to strengthen our regional security systems and make sure that we’re disrupting the movement of threatening actors that perpetuate illegal activity and also facilitate illegal trafficking of migrants across the Western Hemisphere,” she said. “Through this expansion of sharing of biometric data, it will be much more efficient, effective, accurate, and it will also build cooperation that will open doors to new ways that we can continue to work together.” The memorandum of understanding signed by both Noem and Sarabia is intended to strengthen the sharing of migratory information, the latter said, while also ensuring migrants’ dignity and rights are respected. Noem was also expected to meet with Petro during her visit. Fox News Digital’s Andrea Margolis and Landon Mion, as well as Reuters contributed to this report.
HHS axes more than $300M in gender, DEI-related health grants to California alone
FIRST ON FOX: Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) terminated more than $330 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and gender research in the state of California alone, Fox News Digital learned Thursday. “HHS terminated more than $330 million in wasteful research funding to organizations in California that is not aligned with NIH and HHS priorities,” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in a Thursday statement to Fox News Digital. “The terminated research grants are simply wasteful in studying things that do not pertain to American’s health to any significant degree, including DEI and gender ideology. As we begin to Make America Healthy Again, it’s important to prioritize research that directly affects the health of Americans.” Fox News Digital examined the list of terminated grants, all of which were related to DEI initiatives or gender-related issues, and predominantly were issued to colleges within the California public school system, such as the University of California, San Francisco and UCLA, as well as private colleges and research institutes located in the Golden State. HHS SLASHES OVER $350M IN GRANT FUNDING FOR GENDER IDEOLOGY, DEI RESEARCH PROJECTS “Harnessing the power of text messaging to reduce HIV incidence in adolescent males across the United States,” one $5,122,427 grant that was awarded to a nonprofit called the Center for Innovative Public Health Research reads, Fox Digital learned. “Sex hormone effects on neurodevelopment: Controlled puberty in transgender adolescents,” was the title of a terminated $3,692,048 grant to Stanford University, according to HHS. LIBERAL NORTH CAROLINA CITY’S DEI PLAN FOR HURRICANE RELIEF SHUT DOWN BY HUD SECRETARY “#TranscendentHealth – Adapting an LGB+ inclusive teen pregnancy prevention program for transgender boys,” reads another $1,319,024 grant awarded to the Center for Innovative Public Health Research. The University of California, San Francisco’s $2,554,402 grant for “Structural Racism and Discrimination in Older Men’s Health Inequities” also was canceled, Fox Digital learned, as was a $822,539 grant to UCLA called “Buddhism and HIV Stigma in Thailand: An Intervention Study.” A total of 61 NIH research grants focused on gender and DEI in the state of California were canceled. TRUMP NIH APPOINTEE DEFENDS PRESIDENT’S RESEARCH FUNDING CUTS, LAYS OUT NEW VISION FOR FUTURE The grant cancellation announcement comes after President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders removing DEI initiatives from the fabric of the government following President Joe Biden’s tenure. TRUMP ADMIN PAUSES $175M IN FEDERAL FUNDING TO UPENN OVER INCLUSION OF TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN’S SPORTS Trump, on his first day in office, signed an executive order focused on “ending radical and wasteful government DEI programs” and one focused on restoring merit-based opportunity and “ending illegal discrimination,” which ended DEI practices at the federal level in favor of merit-based systems. TRUMP’S ‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN’ COMMISSION TO TARGET AUTISM, CHRONIC DISEASES Federal agencies across the board have since worked to gut federal offices of DEI initiatives to abide by the president’s orders. On Friday, HHS announced it had terminated hundreds of other NIH research grants related to DEI and gender that totaled more than $350 million. The research grants included research on “multilevel and multidimensional structural racism,” “gender-affirming hormone therapy in mice” and “microaggressions,” among others. Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
Bipartisan bill would give eligible veterans free service dog
EXCLUSIVE: A bipartisan group of lawmakers is teaming up to ensure veterans in need can obtain a service dog at no cost. “For veterans struggling with PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, or mobility impairments, these service dogs are more than just companions. They provide independence, security and healing,” Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, one of the lawmakers leading the charge on the legislation, told Fox News Digital. “They are a critical tool in the fight against veteran suicide and mental health challenges.” The legislation, dubbed the “Service Dogs Assisting Veterans Act,” or “SAVES Act,” would mandate that the secretary of Veterans Affairs award grants to nonprofits whose mission is to provide service dogs to veterans. Those grants would allow eligible veterans to be provided with a service dog at no charge to them. VA SEC ACCUSES REPORTER OF SPREADING RUMORS ABOUT DOGE HURTING VETERANS Luttrell, a U.S. Navy veteran, believes the legislation is a critical step in preventing veteran suicide, an issue the Texas lawmaker has continued to stress as one of his most critical missions in Congress. “The SAVES Act is a straightforward, commonsense bill with a life-changing impact,” Luttrell said. “This bipartisan legislation creates a grant program to help nonprofit organizations provide highly trained service dogs to veterans who need them at no cost to those who have served.” FORT BRAGG IS BACK Joining Luttrell in co-sponsoring the legislation are Reps. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., Don Davis, D-N.C., David Valadao, R-Calif., Greg Murphy, R-N.C., Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, John Rutherford, R-Fla., Jen Kiggins, R-Fla., Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Jason Crow, R-Colo. The bill, which will be formally announced next week, is a critical step in assisting military veterans with mental health, Luttrell said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “With $10 million in funding per year for the next five years,” the Texas lawmaker told Fox News Digital, “this bill ensures that organizations dedicated to training and placing service dogs have the resources they need to serve those who’ve sacrificed so much for our country.”
Judge tells government watchdogs fired by Trump there’s not much she can do for them
Eight inspectors general abruptly fired by President Donald Trump at the start of his second term appeared in federal court Thursday to challenge their dismissals — a long-shot case that nonetheless sparked fireworks during oral arguments. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes acknowledged on Thursday that it would be difficult for the court to reinstate the eight ousted inspectors generals, who were part of a broader group of 17 government watchdogs abruptly terminated by Trump in January, just four days into his second White House term. In a lawsuit last month, the eight inspectors general challenged their firings as both “unlawful and unjustified” and asked to be reinstated – a remedy that Reyes acknowledged Thursday would be exceedingly difficult, even if she were to find that their firings were unconstitutional. “Unless you convince me otherwise,” she told the plaintiffs, “I don’t see how I could reinstate the inspectors general” to their roles. AXED GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG SAYS TRUMP HAS RIGHT TO FIRE HIM Reyes suggested that the best the court could do would be to order back pay, even as she told both parties, “I don’t think anyone can contest that the removal of these people – the way that they were fired – was a violation of the law.” The preliminary injunction hearing comes more than a month after the eight fired inspectors general filed a lawsuit challenging their termination as unconstitutional. Plaintiffs asked the judge to restore them to their positions, noting in the filing, “President Trump’s attempt to eliminate a crucial and longstanding source of impartial, non-partisan oversight of his administration is contrary to the rule of law.” Still, the remedies are considered a long shot – and Trump supporters have argued that the president was well within his executive branch powers to make such personnel decisions under Article II of the Constitution, Supreme Court precedent and updates to federal policy. LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS In 2022, Congress updated its Inspector General Act of 1978, which formerly required a president to communicate to Congress any “reasons” for terminations 30 days before any decision was made. That notice provision was amended in 2022 to require only a “substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons” for terminations. The 30-day period was a major focus of Thursday’s hearing, as the court weighed whether inspectors general can be considered “principal” or inferior officers. The White House Director of Presidential Personnel has claimed that the firings are in line with that requirement, which were a reflection of “changing priorities” from within the administration. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, suggested earlier this year that Congress should be given more information as to the reasons for the firings, though more recently he has declined to elaborate on the matter. Reyes, for her part, previously did not appear to be moved by the plaintiffs’ bid for emergency relief. She declined to grant their earlier request for a temporary restraining order – a tough legal test that requires plaintiffs to prove “irreparable” and immediate harm as a result of the actions – and told both parties during the hearing that, barring new or revelatory information, she is not inclined to rule in favor of plaintiffs at the larger preliminary injunction hearing.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Saving Billions
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… -Republicans look to abolish TSA in favor of private security at airports -Trump anti-sanctuary city executive order could target federal funding, says expert -Reporters say they found Waltz, Gabbard, Hegseth private contact info online The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it will lay off about 10,000 full-time employees. The move is projected to save taxpayers $1.8 billion annually. What the department billed as a “dramatic restructuring” comes in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order implementing the Republican’s “Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative.” HHS said it expects a total downsizing of between 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees when combining this latest effort with early retirement and the results of the Fork in the Road, the deferred resignation offer of full pay and benefits until September…Read more PASSING GRADE?: Where Trump stands among Americans nine weeks into his second presidency: polls DIRTY JOB: Trump admin to step in to combat Mexico sewage crisis in CA beach town ‘REALLY UNETHICAL’: Ex-Biden staffer torches ‘unethical’ Biden team for scripting questions and bullying journalists GOING THE EXTRA MILE: Conservative group warns of high costs as US influence fades in Latin America ‘CANDID’ CONVERSATION: Colombia agrees to share migrant data with US after ‘candid’ talks with Kristi Noem BUCKING THE BLUE: 6 Dems vote with House GOP to reverse Biden-era climate rules MIXED SIGNAL: Dems have long history of supporting encrypted Signal app ahead of Trump chat leak CUT OFF: GOP member introducing bill to defund NPR after fireworks-filled House hearing ‘SHADY DEAL’: Comer probes NGOs that received $20B in Biden EPA grants despite almost no revenue: ‘Shady deal’ ‘HOT GARBAGE’: GOP senators rally behind Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, say calls for his firing are ‘hot garbage’ ‘THAT’S NUTS’: Hawley blasts ‘insane’ liberal attorney during Senate hearing on campus antisemitism SLASHING RED TAPE: Energy chief slashes red tape that led to 60% cost in inflation, burdened work in ‘critical’ labs GLIDE OR DIE: Marine Corps bets on electric seagliders ‘invisible’ to enemy radar for medevac missions at sea CLASS IN SESSION: AZ Senate leader calls for federal meeting on DEI ‘window dressing’ at state colleges POPULAR DEMAND: Most Americans support deporting at least some illegal immigrants, poll finds INSIDE THE ENCAMPMENT: Macklemore-produced Columbia protest film debuts amid ICE controversy over narrator Mahmoud Khalil ‘NO WORDS’: Illegal immigrant nabbed by Georgia police after allegedly molesting four children SEE IT: Bryan Kohberger trial: Idaho student murders survivor draws ‘mask’ intruder wore on night of stabbings Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
DOGE senator tells outdoors group to ‘go fish’ after discovering massive grant tied to high salaries
EXCLUSIVE: A top DOGE leader in the Senate is trying to reel in a massive federal grant from a nonprofit focused on promoting fishing, boating and outdoors that she alleges is being used to pad executive salaries, a characterization the organization rejected. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and her colleagues have been scouring federal grants for appearances of waste, fraud or abuse of taxpayer funds, and came upon a $27 million grant to the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF). More than $26 million of the grant had been paid out, and long-term figures showed RBFF received $164 million in funding since 2012, with nearly $13 million of that coming in 2024. From the government website USA Spending, the grant’s purpose highlights RBFF’s “Take Me Fishing” consumer campaign that includes a social and digital media component, as well as ads on Walt Disney Company-branded streaming services and “mobile fishing units” that cater to urban communities and “underserved audiences.” DOGE MADNESS: SWEET-16 BRACKET SET UP FOR CRAZIEST FEDERAL WASTES TO COMPETE FOR CHAMPIONSHIP The Disney contract is worth $1.99 million, and other expenditures included $204,000 in SEO consulting, $5 million to a Minnesota agency for media, creative development and design, and $189,000 to an Atlanta hotel. The Alexandria, Virginia-based nonprofit recorded six-figure salaries for several top officials, totaling more than $1.5 million. The group’s president is reportedly paid about $318,000 per year. Most others fell in the mid-$100s. However, RBFF officials defended their work in a statement to Fox News Digital, and suggested government funds are being spent responsibly. “RBFF has a proud tradition of attracting Americans to the sport of fishing and boating,” the statement read. DOGE CAUCUS SENATOR PUSHES FOR END TO SLUSH FUND FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES “By significantly increasing participation over the past 10 years, local communities, independently-owned businesses and manufacturers have directly benefited from increased spending.” RBFF said American anglers contribute nearly $150 billion in economic output and 1 million jobs nationwide. “In fact, we know that fishing produces $1,500 in commerce per participant per year – a figure that drives economic activity in every state in the union,” the organization said. “We are wholly funded via a competitive grant that is awarded through the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service via the Sport Fish Restoration excise tax, and our organization is supported by state fish and wildlife agencies, as well as industry manufacturers and retailers from Alaska to Florida.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Ernst was not convinced, telling Fox News Digital that “Washington fell hook, line, and sinker into padding the pockets of overpriced recreational consultants.” She quipped that “special interests” should instead be told “to ‘go fish.’” “The Department of Interior needs to claw back the remaining $650,000 and tell these consultants that there are other fish in the sea.” Fox News Digital also reached out to the Interior Department for further comment on the grant, which preceded the current agency leadership.