AOC slapped with ethics complaint over ‘troubling expenses’ made to dance company
FIRST ON FOX: A government accountability nonprofit is calling on the House to launch a probe into whether Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., misappropriated her taxpayer-funded member allowance. Americans for Public Trust, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, sent a letter to the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) on Tuesday, questioning “several troubling expenses” from AOC’s disbursements, which they claim are “in contravention of federal law and the standards of the House of Representatives.” Each member of Congess receives a Member Representational Allowance (“MRA”), a budget for official duties that “may not be used for personal or campaign purposes,” according to the Congressional Research Service. However, the “Squad” member is being accused of using these funds for “campaign purposes.” AOC reportedly made a payment of $3,700 to a “Juan D Gonzalez” and another for $850 to “Bombazo Dance Co Inc.,” with both expenditures described as being used for “training.” AOC ‘GOING ON THE OFFENSE’ TO RALLY RED-DISTRICT VOTERS AGAINST TRUMP: REPORT The progressive congresswoman has addressed the issue on social media, claiming in a post on X responding to a claim she is “wasting tax dollars.” “100% wrong,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “None of this is taxpayer money, this is an FEC filing. Be loud and wrong about something else. Try again next time.” FORMER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT AIDE TO AOC SELF-DEPORTS TO COLOMBIA AMID QUESTIONS ABOUT EMPLOYMENT: REPORT The filing states that Ocasio-Cortez’s “assertion that these expenses are ‘an FEC filing,’ and not reflective of her MRA – as well as her claim that ‘[n]one of this is taxpayer money’ – is both troubling and obviously incorrect.” “Either she does not know the difference between her campaign funds and MRA, or, more likely, she knows the highlighted expenses were not for official business and should have been paid by her campaign and reported to the FEC.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, said, “Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s troubling payments from her taxpayer funded account for activities such as dance classes should be investigated.” “Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s troubling payments from her taxpayer funded account for activities such as dance classes should be investigated. In the era of reining in government spending, the American people deserve to know lawmakers are being good stewards of their tax dollars.” Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office for comment. The congresswoman has faced ethics complaints in the past, including from the Heritage Foundation in 2023 accusing her of “falsely accusing” and “defaming” the creator of the Libs of TikTok Twitter account, Chaya Raichik. Ocasio-Cortez also faced an ethics probe in 2023 after being accused of accepting “impermissible gifts associated with her attendance at the Met Gala in 2021,” which may have violated House rules, standards of conduct and federal law.
Kamala Harris roasted for trying to tie love of Doritos to Big Tech innovation during AI conference
Former Vice President Kamala Harris was roasted for delivering another “word salad” on a public stage after trying to tie the “innovation” of Big Tech to her love of nacho cheese Doritos during an artificial intelligence conference. “Kamala just tried to explain innovation and it is the dumbest thing I have ever heard,” popular conservative X account End Wokeness posted to its account accompanied by a clip of Harris. Harris attended the Human[X] AI conference Sunday in Las Vegas, which was billed as Harris’ “first post-election address.” She took the stage with Nuno Sebastiao, the CEO of data science company Feedzai. Harris recounted that on the night of the Academy Awards, March 2, she had a hankering for nacho cheese Doritos chips and had them delivered to her house via DoorDash, according to clips of the interview on social media. KAMALA HARRIS MOCKED ONLINE FOR ANOTHER ‘WORD SALAD’ ABOUT ‘COMMUNITY’ DURING FIRE DEPARTMENT VISIT “We did DoorDash ’cause I wanted Doritos, and the red carpet part was about to start, and nobody wanted to leave to go to the grocery store,” Harris said. “So it was DoorDash. … So I was willing to give up whatever might be the tracking of Kamala Harris’ particular fondness for nacho cheese Doritos for the sake of getting a big bag of Doritos as I watched the Oscars.” Sebastio weighed in that Harris was providing an example of “consumer behavior” to the audience, which is how businesses study the purchasing practices of consumers and how those practices are influenced by outside factors, such as cultural or social influence. KAMALA HARRIS MOCKED OVER ‘WORD SALAD’ SPEECH TO CAST OF ‘A WONDERFUL WORLD: THE LOUIS ARMSTRONG MUSICAL’ “But here’s the thing. At what point do we also uplift and highlight the consumer’s right to also expect — and you can debate with me if it should be a right — I think it should,” she continued in the clip of the video. “To expect that the innovation would also be weighted in terms of solving their everyday problems, which are beyond my craving for Doritos, but about whatever — and I know the work is happening around — you know, scientific discoveries, for example. To cure long-standing diseases.” “But I’m going to throw out another one … I would love it if there would be an investment of resources in solving the affordable housing issue in America,” she said. “Like help me with that. Help me with that.” Fox News Digital reached out to Harris’ office for comment on the conference and social media reactions but did not immediately receive a reply. Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, shared a photo of Harris on the evening of the Academy Awards pouring a bag of Doritos into a bowl — ostensibly the bag she DoorDashed that evening. Conservatives and critics lambasted Harris’ recent “word salad” at the AI conference, mocking that her election loss to President Donald Trump “remains a mystery.” HARRIS RIPPED FOR ‘WORD SALAD’ AFTER HECKLER INTERRUPTION DURING CAMPAIGN SPEECH: ‘THE GIBBERISH NEVER ENDS’ Harris’ fondness for Doritos has frequently been in public view, including recounting that she ate “a family-sized bag of nacho Doritos” on election night 2016, as well as celebrating her love of the chips during a campaign stop at a Pennsylvania Sheetz convenience store in August. KAMALA HARRIS LAUGHS AT HER OWN ‘THE CONTEXT IN WHICH YOU EXIST’ WORD SALAD: ‘YEAH, I DID THAT’ “This is my go-to, the original, nacho cheese,” Harris said during the stop. The former vice president is reportedly in the midst of seriously considering a 2026 bid to run for California governor when Gov. Gavin Newsom’s tenure comes to an end, Fox News Digital previously reported. She reportedly will make a decision on a potential run by the end of the summer. Harris was repeatedly slammed by voters while in the vice president’s office and on the 2024 campaign trail for delivering “word salads” while in public settings, including phrases such as “unburdened by what has been,” “I really do, I love Venn diagrams,” and singing “The Wheels on the Bus” nursery rhyme.
First on Fox: Top conservative group aligns with Trump as it makes major endorsement in high-profile race
EXCLUSIVE – A leading conservative organization that has long been a major player in GOP primary battles is putting its weight behind the candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump in the race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. The Club for Growth PAC, a political arm of the Club for Growth public advocacy organization, on Tuesday endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds in Florida’s 2026 gubernatorial race. The development was shared first with Fox News. Donalds, a conservative former state lawmaker who has represented Florida’s 19th Congressional District in the southwest part of the state, is currently the only major Republican to launch a campaign. The staunch Trump supporter and House ally announced his candidacy during an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity” late last month, days after landing the president’s endorsement. TOP CONSERVATIVE GROUP VOWS TO WORK CLOSELY WITH PRESIDENT AFTER PAST CLASHES WITH TRUMP Donalds was backed by the Club when he first won the congressional seat in 2020. The Club notes that it spent $2.5 million to help Donalds narrowly emerge from a nine-way Republican primary contest en route to his general election victory. And Donalds enjoys a 100% lifetime rating by the group, which tracks how members of Congress vote on economic issues. The Club promotes a fiscally conservative agenda, including a focus on tax cuts and other economic issues. “Rep. Byron Donalds is a proven constitutional conservative who has consistently demonstrated his commitment to pro-growth economic policies, school freedom, and limited government principles,” Club for Growth PAC President David McIntosh told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Club for Growth PAC is proud to have supported Rep. Donalds since his first election to Congress in 2020, and we look forward to electing him as Florida’s next Governor.” The Club for Growth PAC is affiliated with Club for Growth Action, which describes itself as “America’s largest independent conservative Super PAC.” The Club notes that in the 2024 cycle, candidates endorsed by the PAC won 73% of their races. The endorsement of Donalds comes as Florida first lady Casey DeSantis has acknowledged she is considering a 2026 gubernatorial run to succeed her husband in Tallahassee. Trump and Florida’s first couple had breakfast together a week and a half ago at the president’s West Palm Beach golf course, and also played a round of golf. The governor shared a photo of his wife and Trump from the golf outing on social media. RON AND CASEY DESANTIS TEE OFF WITH TRUMP AS FLORIDA GOVERNOR’S RACE HEATS UP A Republican source in Florida confirmed to Fox News that the governor and first lady used their face-to-face time with Trump, in part, to appeal to the president to not further engage in the gubernatorial race beyond his initial endorsement of Donalds. The president, who moved his primary residence to Florida in 2019, took to social media last month to write that Donalds – who was a major surrogate for Trump on the 2024 campaign trail – “would be a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida.” Trump added that Donalds, “should he decide to run, will have my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, BYRON, RUN!” An internal poll conducted for Donalds’ campaign indicated the congressman edging Casey DeSantis by single digits in a hypothetical GOP primary showdown. But the survey suggested that Donalds’ lead surged to more than 20 points when respondents were informed that he is supported by Trump, whose sway over the GOP is stronger than ever. WHAT BYRON DONALDS TOLD FOX NEWS’ LARA TRUMP The Club’s endorsement of Donalds is their first effort this cycle to align with Trump in high-profile primaries. McIntosh and the Club have had an up-and-down relationship with Trump. They opposed him as he ran for the White House in 2016 before embracing him as an ally. In the 2022 cycle, Trump and the Club teamed up in some high-profile GOP primaries but clashed over combustible Senate nomination battles in Alabama, Ohio and Pennsylvania. TRUMP, CLUB FOR GROWTH, MAKE PEACE AHEAD OF 2024 ELECTIONS Additionally, the Club was on the outs with Trump as the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race got underway. Trump repeatedly criticized McIntosh and the Club, referring to them as “The Club for NO Growth,” and claimed they were “an assemblage of political misfits, globalists, and losers.” However, Trump and McIntosh made peace about a year ago, with Trump saying in March 2024, as he was wrapping up the GOP presidential nomination, that they were “back in love” after the protracted falling out. “I think you’ll see Club for Growth PACs work closely with President Trump, his political team,” McIntosh told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview last month. “We’re definitely going to be working closely with his policy team to get the tax bill through. A lot of the legislation that we both agree is really important for turning things around in the country.”
Trump energy chief declares climate change a ‘global physical phenomenon’ amid reversal of Biden-era policies
President Donald Trump’s energy chief vowed a reversal of “politically polarizing” Biden-era climate policies as the new administration approaches climate change as “a global physical phenomenon.” Energy Secretary Chris Wright, speaking during an energy conference on Monday, knocked climate policies implemented under former President Joe Biden and dismissed claims that he was a “climate denier.” “I am a climate realist,” Wright said at S&P Global’s CERAWeek conference in Houston. “The Trump administration will treat climate change for what it is, a global physical phenomenon that is a side effect of building the modern world.” The remarks represent an administrative shift on the issue after Biden claimed that climate change was the “ultimate threat to humanity.” TRUMP PROMISES TO RAMP UP ENERGY PRODUCTION, LOWER COST OF EGGS DURING JOINT ADDRESS: ‘LIQUID GOLD’ BIDEN SENT $2 BILLION TO STACEY ABRAMS-LINKED GROUP IN GREEN ENERGY ‘SCHEME,’ EPA SAYS Wright argued that the Biden administration had implemented policies that did not promote consumer choice, such as electric vehicle mandates and regulations on household appliances. Two main goals of the Trump administration’s approach to these appliances will be lowered cost and higher performance, according to Wright. “Is that radical?” Wright said of the objectives. “The Trump administration will end the Biden administration’s irrational, quasi-religious policies on climate change that imposed endless sacrifices on our citizens.” “The previous administration’s climate policies have been impoverishing to our citizens, economically destructive to our businesses and politically polarizing,” Wright said. “The cure was far more destructive than the disease. There are no winners in that world except for politicians and rapidly growing interest groups. The only interest group that we are concerned with is the American people.” During his remarks, Wright announced the fourth action on liquefied natural gas (LNG) with the approval of an export permit extension for Delfin LNG LLC (Delfin), a project which was delayed by the Biden administration, according to a press release from the energy department. Wright’s remarks come as Trump makes “unleashing American energy” a key focus of his second administration. Fox News Digital reached out to Biden and the White House for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Romania’s now-barred presidential frontrunner Călin Georgescu claims he is facing Trump-like charges
Romania’s right-wing presidential frontrunner was barred from the race under criminal charges he compares to those President Donald Trump faced. “We are faced with a communist regime as well,” Călin Georgescu, told Fox News Digital just before a Romanian electoral bureau barred him from running in a May presidential election rerun. Prosecutors opened a criminal case against him two weeks prior. Chaos broke out in the streets of Romania’s capital, Bucharest, after the bureau announced its decision to bar the right-wing populist from the ballot. Georgescu was the top vote-getter in the results of the first election, which were annulled. ROMANIA BLOCKS FRONTRUNNER FROM POSTPONED PRESIDENTIAL RACE The charges against him stemmed from “communication of false information,” involvement with a fascist organization and “incitement to actions against the constitutional order.” “They are trying to destroy democracy,” Georgescu claimed. “They could not accept to lose the power and access to the money.” He claimed Romanian authorities are trying to “censor all the online sites.” Before emerging as a conservative political figure, Georgescu’s background was in sustainable development, and he worked on environmental issues at the United Nations. Georgescu is now appealing the ban on his candidacy, which prompted U.S. leaders to comment on the drama. The Constitutional Court is expected to weigh in on his appeal by Wednesday. “How can a judge end democracy in Romania?” Elon Musk asked in an X post on Monday. ROMANIAN FAR-RIGHT PRESIDENTIAL FRONTRUNNER TAKEN INTO CUSTODY AFTER JD VANCE’S REBUKE OF EUROPEAN ELECTIONS The results of the first election were thrown out over accusations that Russia had launched a TikTok campaign to benefit Georgescu. The turmoil earned Romania a shoutout from Vice President JD Vance in his speech at the Munich Security Conference. “You can believe it’s wrong for Russia to buy social media advertisements to influence your elections. We certainly do. You can condemn it on the world stage, even. But if your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn’t very strong to begin with.” Georgescu thanked U.S. leaders for weighing in on his behalf, though he said he has not had contact with American government officials behind the scenes. Georgescu denied that Russia was at play in the first election, and claimed he was not the “pro-Russian” candidate. “I’m pro-Romanian. I have nothing to do with Russia,” he said. Nevertheless, Russia has said any election without Georgescu would be “illegitimate.” ROMANIA ANNULS FIRST ROUND OF PRESIDENTIAL VOTE WON BY FAR-RIGHT CANDIDATE “It has nothing to do with [Russia]. It’s just a copy paste of the accusations made against Donald Trump. It’s just they changed the name Trump.” The politician has taken heat for describing Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “man who loves his country.” But he claims that critics twist his words advocating “peaceful settlement” in the war on Ukraine because they are “allergic to the word peace.” Georgescu has been critical of NATO and the European Union, and enthusiastically said he would cut off all aid to Ukraine if he took high office. “We shall stop totally all the contributions related with Ukraine,” he said. Georgescu, who was little-known until a social media campaign for his candidacy took off last year, is also charged with obscuring the origins of campaign financing. Asked how he raised money for his campaign, Georgescu said: “The situation was very, very easy. I made the best of what I had… we established a strategy sent by social media and I said to the people, be free to do everything you want.” “The people in the moment when they realize they [can be] free… we won this point, because it’s a moment when the people are free, they can do miracles.” “They accuse me for different things, they are very strange and awkward, no evidence in any situation,” said Georgescu, adding that he believes he is under investigation because “the oligarch system was exposed.” Last week, Romania also expelled two military attachés with the Russian embassy. Their reason for expulsion was listed vaguely as taking part in actions that ran afoul of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Asked if Russian influence was an issue in his country, Georgescu said: “I don’t know anything about that. The only thing which I know, I know that we have to have very good relationships with our neighbors, extremely good relationships with the neighbors, and very good relationships with all the big countries, particularly, of course, with, with Russia, with the United States, with China.” “Of course, we cannot allow [anybody] to intervene in our country. This is all. But we have to have very good relationships with everybody.” He declined to say whether he would pull Romania out of NATO. “The United States is the first partner,” he said. “So whatever I have to do, whatever I wish to do, this is the main part which I recognize. The United States as a principle flag of democracy and freedom. And this is the principle partner which I’m looking for.”
Federal judge orders Trump administration to pay ‘unlawfully’ restricted USAID funds
A federal judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to pay the remainder of foreign aid owed to contractors for completed work, noting in a new court ruling that the administration likely violated the separation of powers doctrine by “unlawfully impounding” nearly $2 billion in funds appropriated by Congress. U.S. District Court Judge Amir Ali, a Biden appointee, said in the ruling that the Trump administration likely exceeded its constitutional authority in attempting to block the payments owed by the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to grant recipients and foreign aid contractors. “Here, the executive has unilaterally deemed that funds Congress appropriated for foreign aid will not be spent,” Ali said. “The executive not only claims his constitutional authority to determine how to spend appropriated funds, but usurps Congress’ exclusive authority to dictate whether the funds should be spent in the first place.” SCOTUS RULES ON NEARLY $2 BILLION IN FROZEN USAID PAYMENTS Ali said the limits of the case, which focuses solely on projects completed before Feb. 13, prevent him from ordering the administration to make payments on other work, or ordering the reinstatement of other contracts. As of last Friday, that amount owed by the government stood at around $671 million. It is unclear whether additional payments have been made, though Ali ordered the plaintiffs to file a joint status report by March 14 apprising the court of the Trump administration’s compliance with the order. Plaintiffs were also told to propose a schedule for next steps in this matter. “The Court is prepared to hold a prompt hearing at the request of the parties to address any feasibility concerns,” Ali said in the 48-page order. Ali also dedicated a large portion of the 48-page ruling to arguments that the Trump administration likely usurped its executive authority under the Constitution in ordering a blanket freeze on nearly all foreign aid payments in a Jan. 20 executive order, and a memo just four days later that curtailed foreign aid funding and restructured existing contracts. White House and State Department officials did not immediately respond to the Fox News’s request for comment on the status of the remaining payments, or if the amount owed still stands at $671 million. LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS Ali had previously ordered the Trump administration to pay all owed foreign aid funds for previously completed work, totaling $1.9 billion, by Feb. 26 at 11:59 p.m. The Supreme Court took up the case for emergency review last week, but ruled 5-4 to reject the administration’s request to extend the freeze. Instead, the court remanded the case back to the D.C. federal court and Ali to hash out the specifics of what must be paid and when. But the bulk of last week’s hearing in D.C. federal court, which stretched on for more than four hours, focused largely on the government’s role and review of all foreign aid contractors and grants, which Trump administration lawyers told Ali they had already completed and made final decisions for. Lawyers were also pressed over whether the Trump administration can legally move to terminate projects whose funds are allocated and appropriated by Congress – something Ali referenced specifically in his ruling. “The provision and administration of foreign aid has been a joint enterprise between our two political branches,” he said. “That partnership is built not out of convenience, but of constitutional necessity.” These arguments – and the ruling from Ali – could eventually kick the issue back up to the Supreme Court, should the government move to appeal any part of the memo or the allegations.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the House voting to avoid a government shutdown today
The House is poised to debate and vote on an interim spending bill to avoid a government shutdown early Saturday morning. This bill renews all Biden-era funding numbers. It also cuts the budget for Washington but allows the Pentagon to begin new programs and increases military pay. It is all about the math. The margin could be tight. That is why Vice President JD Vance is on Capitol Hill meeting with House Republicans behind closed doors at 9 a.m. ET. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: HERE WE GO AGAIN (AGAIN) President Donald Trump unloaded last night on Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., threatening a primary challenge. Massie is a hard no. The administration and House GOP leaders believe a shutdown would be catastrophic and interfere with adopting Trump’s agenda. House Democratic leaders oppose the package. They believe Republicans should pass the bill themselves since they didn’t negotiate with Democrats. However, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., refused to answer when asked twice yesterday if all Democrats would vote nay. VIDEO OF DEMS RAILING AGAINST PAST SHUTDOWNS UNVEILED BY GOP Democrats are somewhat torn. On the one hand, they believe a shutdown could impede DOGE. On the other, they fear that a shutdown could embolden Elon Musk to shutter programs that are closed. The vote comes today sometime after 4 p.m. ET. Even if the bill passes, the measure faces an unclear future in the Senate. Even if all 53 Senate Republicans vote yes, they need seven Democrats to break a filibuster. The deadline to fund the government comes at 11:59:59 p.m. ET Friday.
GOP lawmakers take crucial step to ‘unlock’ American energy to reverse Biden-era ‘disaster’
Newly introduced legislation aims to make it easier to export energy used for warming and lighting up homes in the United States and around the globe. The “Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act of 2025’’ would grant “exclusive authority” to sign off on applications for liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports and exports to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, moving it away from the Department of Energy. The Biden administration stopped clearing LNG export applications and put out a study in December warning about potential long-term cost risks as well as environmental concerns, according to Reuters. TRUMP ADMIN ENDS WAIVER ALLOWING IRAQ TO BUY IRANIAN ELECTRICITY AS PART OF ‘MAXIMUM PRESSURE’ CAMPAIGN However, South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott, the bill’s Senate sponsor, told Fox News Digital it is critical for various reasons, including national security. “If you want your prices to go down, your production has to go up,” Scott said. “I remember back to 2014 when I was still on the Energy Committee […] we had the Lithuania Minister of Energy come before our committee and talk about exporting LNG as a way of sidelining Russia and reducing our dependence on adversaries,” he added. “I’ll never forget that hearing when he was there, it really stuck with me.” Texas Republican Rep. August Pfluger, the legislation’s House sponsor, shared the potential long-term benefits will “tremendously impact” his central and west Texas district, as the state “is the leading LNG exporter in the United States.” “This bill will support thousands of new jobs in Texas, from construction and engineering to operations at export terminals along the Gulf. Furthermore, it will give natural gas producers in Texas a more competitive edge in international markets, ensuring that Texas remains a global energy leader,” he said. The Trump administration appears to be excited about the prospect of expanding LNG efforts domestically, as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright both visited a facility in Louisiana last week amid an $18 million investment from its owner, Venture Global. The U.S. currently leads the world in natural gas creation, according to the Department of Energy. US ‘ENERGY DOMINANCE’: WRIGHT, BURGUM VISIT LOUISIANA LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS FACILITY AMID $18B EXPANSION “If you think about the America First strategy, the simple answer is an America Last strategy is depending on foreign adversaries for our energy, whether it’s LNG, oil, gas, whatever it is. So the more we do in America to increase our production, the more we engage in the energy America First strategy,” he said. The legislation is meant to be a long-term measure to ultimately make it harder for the policies of a specific administration to determine what permits are approved. However, Scott noted in the short term that “having President Trump in office is the most effective weapon.” FIRED PIPELINE WORKER SAYS REVIVING KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE WILL HELP FAMILIES ‘PROSPER’ “Our goal, of course, is making sure that in the future, no matter who’s in office, that we have in place something that tethers the production to FERC and hopefully avoids the disaster that we saw under the Biden administration – their ability to manipulate the Department of Energy,” Scott added. Last year, legislation under the same title passed the House but did not make it to former President Joe Biden’s desk.
GOP spending bill would force DC to cut $1B from city government, officials say
Washington, D.C., officials are making a last-ditch plea to Congress over the continuing resolution (CR) that is expected to head to the House floor on Tuesday. City officials, including D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, protested the measure outside the Capitol building on Monday. “Unfortunately, we are here today to talk about potentially devastating and really highly unusual situation that we face with the draft budget CR that would immediately have the effect of cutting $1 billion out of our local budget,” Mayor Bowser told the media during a Monday news conference. DEMS THREATENING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN OVER ELON MUSK HATE, REPUBLICANS SAY Bowser implored Congress to put language in the draft CR that would allow D.C. to continue raising and spending local funds under its most recently approved budget, which has been included in past stopgap bills. The mayor says the current CR draft wrongly treats D.C. like it does federal agencies, which have not had their FY25 budgets approved. “We are not a federal agency. We are a city, county, state all at once,” Bowser said. She warned that if the CR’s language is not changed, D.C. will have six months to cut spending by $1.1 billion. White House staff and House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office have been in contact with Mayor Bowser regarding the omitted language, according to Politico. Additionally, D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson reportedly told the outlet that he spoke with senior Republican Staff at the House Appropriations Committee about the situation. The mayor explained that the D.C. budget, which has been approved, focused on public safety, public education and economic growth. She also said that passing the CR would work against a goal that she and President Donald Trump share, “to make Washington, D.C., the best, most beautiful city in the world.” TRUMP-BACKED PLAN TO AVERT SHUTDOWN HEADS FOR HOUSE VOTE Last week, the House Appropriations Committee put out a press release highlighting key parts of the CR that is meant to help avoid a government shutdown. The committee says the CR will still allow for the funding of “core government services” and increases funding for air traffic control, among other things. “This straightforward continuing resolution ensures the government remains open and working for Americans. It maintains critical services for our constituents and provides the largest pay raise for our brave junior enlisted heroes since President Reagan,” House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Ok., said in a press release. “Democrats have a choice to join us or display their true intentions. Should they choose to vote to shut the government for negotiation leverage and their contempt of President Trump, they are readying to hurt hundreds of millions more,” Cole said. “It’s a battle they lost in November, and one the people will continue to see through.” Bowser concluded her remarks at the news conference by saying that D.C. is ready to work with the federal government to ensure that the city “always represents the strength and prosperity of this country.”
DOGE and agencies cancel 200,000 federal government credit cards
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced that it has deactivated more than 200,000 credit cards linked to more than a dozen federal agencies following an audit showing they were unused or unneeded. The announcement comes as the Elon Musk-led agency continues to root out waste, fraud and corruption in the federal government. “Weekly Credit Card Update! Pilot program with 16 agencies to audit unused/unneeded credit cards,” DOGE wrote on its X account. DOGE UNCOVERS OVER 4M GOVERNMENT CREDIT CARDS RESPONSIBLE FOR 90M TRANSACTIONS “After 3 weeks, >200,000 cards have been de-activated. Great progress this past week by @HHSGov [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services] @Interior [U.S. Department of the Interior].” The agency said that at the start of the audit, there were more than 4.6 million active cards/accounts throughout those agencies. “So still more work to do,” the DOGE team wrote. It is unclear how much money the taxpayer will save following the cancelations. Last month, DOGE said the 4.6 million credit cards were used for 90 million unique transactions, totaling around $40 billion worth of spending in FY24. In total, 204,801 credit cards have been canceled, consisting of 171,120 travel cards and 33,681 purchase cards. TRUMP ISSUES WARNING ABOUT WASTEFUL SPENDING, ORDERS ‘RADICAL TRANSPARENCY’ AMID DOGE PROBES, REVELATIONS The agencies which have had credit cards canceled include the General Services Administration (GSA), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Labor Department, the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Education Department, the Interior Department, the Treasury Department, the Commerce Department, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Agriculture Department (USDA), NASA, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Homeland Security, Social Security Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Interior Department saw the largest number of credit card terminations with nearly 20,000 purchase cards and nearly 40,000 travel cards canceled. HHS was second with more than 43,700 travel credit cards and 2,235 purchase cards canceled. The State Department is the only agency of the 16 which didn’t have any credit cards canceled. Last month, Musk spoke at President Donald Trump’s first Cabinet meeting and said he is looking to find $1 trillion in savings through DOGE to help slash the national debt, which is around $36.5 trillion. Musk took aim at what he described as $2 trillion in deficits, stating that America “simply cannot sustain” that amount of debt “If this continues, the country will go, become de facto bankrupt,” Musk claimed. Musk described DOGE as “not an optional thing” and argued that it was “central” to reforming the U.S. economy. Over the weekend, DOGE also identified thousands of cases where more than $300 million in loans were granted to children. DOGE said it identified that the Small Business Administration (SBA) granted nearly 5,600 loans for $312 million to borrowers whose only listed owner was 11 years old or younger at the time of the loan. The loans were issued in 2020 and 2021 – while the world struggled with the COVID-19 pandemic – and it is unclear what they were used for. Fox News’ Andrea Margolis and Michael Lee contributed to this report.