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DOGE focuses on millions in migrant hotels billed to US taxpayers as DHS Sec. Noem targets key agency

The government’s leading disaster relief agency reportedly spent millions on hotels for illegal immigrants just last week, according to Elon Musk, who is leading the Trump administration’s efforts to cut government spending.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by the tech billionaire, has been conducting a sweep of federal funding and identifying areas in which “waste” within the government can be slashed. Musk found his most recent target in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the government’s disaster relief branch that recently sparked concern over a reported lack of funds during Hurricane Helene.

“The @DOGE team just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants,” Musk claimed in a post on X on Monday morning.

Musk charged that “sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order,” which FEMA was under review to improve the agency’s “efficacy, priorities and competence.”

KRISTI NOEM HEADS TO ASHEVILLE AMID HEAVY CRITICISM OF FEMA RESPONSE UNDER BIDEN

Musk claimed that FEMA sent millions to house migrants in NYC. (Getty Images)

“That money is meant for American disaster relief,” Musk wrote.

A New York City Hall spokesperson confirmed to Fox that the city had received funds “through the past week” that were allocated by the Biden administration for the purpose of housing and supporting illegal immigrants.

Of the $59.3 million, $19 million was for direct hotel costs, while the balance funded other services such as food and security. According to NY City Hall, the funds were not part of a disaster relief grant.

PRESIDENT TRUMP PREDICTS ELON MUSK WILL FIND ‘HUNDRED OF BILLIONS’ IN WASTE IN NEXT DOGE DIRECTIVES

The report comes just one day after Secretary Kristi Noem of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, suggested getting rid of FEMA “the way it exists today.”

Migrants are seen sleeping outside the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan on July 31, 2023. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service)

During former President Biden’s term, FEMA faced backlash after it was reported that while they lacked the necessary funds needed to help Hurricane Helene victims, they were dishing out money that ended up being used to aid illegal immigrants.

Speaker Mike Johnson clarified that emergency relief funding is separate from FEMA funds allocated to immigration, but said that the agency should not have any part in funding the border crisis.

FEMA partners with Customs and Border Control (CBP) and administers money to the Shelter and Services Program (SSP), a government-funded program that provides assistance and housing for illegal immigrants released into the U.S.

After Hurricane Helene made its deadly sweep across the south in the fall, Republican lawmakers warned that “FEMA’s continued entanglement in DHS’ efforts to respond to the border crisis could impact its readiness and emergency response mission.”

President Donald Trump said that ‘FEMA has turned out to be a disaster.’ (Roberty Schmidt)

President Donald Trump has also called for FEMA to be reformed, suggesting during his first week in office that states be in control of their own disaster funding.

“FEMA has turned out to be a disaster,” Trump said while delivering remarks on the Hurricane Helene damage in January. “I think we’re going to recommend that FEMA go away, and we pay directly — we pay a percentage to the state.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to FEMA for comment.

Fox News’ Grace Taggart, Adam Shaw and Emma Colton contributed to this report.

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.

February 10, 2025
USAID reportedly bankrolled Al-Qaeda terrorist’s college tuition, unearthed records show

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) reportedly provided “full funding” for al Qaeda terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki to attend college in Colorado, unearthed documents apparently show.

Al-Awlaki was an American-born jihadist who was killed in a drone strike in Yemen in 2011, during the Obama administration. He was a central figure of al Qaeda, including having direct contact with Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan before he opened fire at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009, killing 13 people, U.S. officials reported at the time.

Amid the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) investigations of federal government agencies in search of overspending, corruption and fraud, political eyes have been locked on USAID funding.

USAID is an independent government agency charged with managing foreign aid programs that has been exposed by Republican lawmakers, DOGE and think tanks for bankrolling a series of questionable programs across the years, including helping launch an Iraqi version of “Sesame Street” and promoting transgender activism in nations such as Guatemala.

I AM A USAID WHISTLEBLOWER. I’VE GOT TO ADMIT, MUSK IS MOSTLY RIGHT ABOUT AGENCY’S WASTE

Anwar Al-Awlaki, pictured here at Dar al Hijrah Mosque on Oct. 4, 2001, in Falls Church, Virginia, was an American-born jihadist who was killed in a drone strike in Yemen in 2011. (Tracy Woodward/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Social media accounts erupted this week with a copy of a document reportedly showing USAID also funded al-Awlaki’s tuition to Colorado State University. The document, which investigative reporters unearthed and posted to X over the weekend, shows that a USAID form dated June 1990 outlined al-Awlaki was reportedly granted funding to attend the college by fraudulently claiming he was a Yemeni national and qualified for an exchange visa.

HOW USAID WENT WOKE AND DESTROYED ITSELF

Al-Awlaki was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in 1971 to parents from Yemen. He was raised both in the U.S. and Yemen, U.S. media reported in 2011 following his death.

The unearthed document previously was reported by George Washington University’s research and archival institution, the National Security Archive, Fox Digital found.

Anwar Al-Awlaki was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in 1971 to parents from Yemen, and was raised both in the U.S. and Yemen. (Tracy Woodward/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

“This form, dated 1990, confirms that Anwar al-Awlaki was qualified for an exchange visa and that USAID was providing ‘full funding’ for his studies at Colorado State University,” the National Security Archive reported in 2015 accompanied by a copy of the document. “The document lists Anwar’s birthplace incorrectly as Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, which he later said was a deliberate falsehood offered at the urging of American officials who knew his father so that he could qualify for a scholarship reserved for foreign citizens,”

JUDGE TEMPORARILY BLOCKS 2,200 USAID WORKERS FROM BEING PLACED ON LEAVE BY MIDNIGHT

The document reports al-Awlaki fraudulently reported he was born in the Yemen capital Sana’a and was studying civil engineering at the Colorado university. When asked to list an address, the document reports that al-Awlaki was in the care of “USAID/Sana’a.”

Anwar al-Awlaki worked as a Muslim cleric in cities such as Denver, San Diego and Falls Church, Virginia, before moving to Yemen in 2004. Patricia Morris and Imam al-Awlaki, right, are photographed inside Dar al Hijrah Mosque in Falls Church, Virginia. (Tracy A. Woodward/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital reached out to Colorado State University’s media team for comment on the document and al-Awlaki’s attendance but did not immediately receive a reply.

AL-AWLAKI FACED LOSS OF US PASSPORT BEFORE DRONE STRIKE KILLED HIM, DOCUMENTS SHOW

He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Colorado State University in 1994, according to previous media reports on his 2011 death.

He worked as a Muslim cleric in cities such as Denver, San Diego and Falls Church, Virginia, before moving to Yemen in 2004. Al-Awlaki was preaching at a San Diego mosque in 2000 when he reportedly first met Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi, two of the 9/11 hijackers.

The unearthed document reportedly connecting Anwar al-Awlaki to USAID funding comes amid the Trump administration’s apparent dismantling of the agency. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images )

He was arrested in 2006 in Yemen on suspicion of holding terrorist ties, with U.S. intelligence viewing him as a terrorist sympathizer until about 2009, NBC News previously reported. He was linked to the shooting at Fort Hood in Texas that year, as well as the attempted bombing of a flight to Detroit on Christmas Day.

YOUTUBE FINALLY REMOVES AND BANS ALL ANWAR AL-AWLAKI VIDEOS

The Obama administration authorized operations to capture or kill al-Awlaki in 2010, with a drone strike on Sept. 30, 2011, killing him in Yemen.

“The death of Awlaki marks another significant milestone in the broader effort to defeat al Qaeda and its affiliates,” President Barack Obama said of the death in 2011. “Furthermore, the success is a tribute to our intelligence community and to the efforts of Yemen and its security forces, who have worked closely with the United States over the course of several years.”

President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk attend the launch of a SpaceX Starship rocket in November 2024. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The unearthed document reportedly connecting al-Awlaki to USAID funding comes amid the Trump administration’s apparent dismantling of the agency. Signage for the agency was removed from its headquarters in early February, while the USAID website was shut down and previously only showed a message stating “direct-hire personnel” would be placed on leave Feb. 7, except those on “mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs.”

A federal judge on Friday ordered a temporary block to the Trump administration’s plan to put roughly 2,200 employees of the agency on leave. The order remains in effect until at least Feb. 14.

Democrats and government employees have railed against DOGE and its chair, Elon Musk, including USAID employees calling DOGE’s investigation a “mafia-like takeover” of the agency and reporting they are “psychologically frightened” he would share their private data publicly.

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Trump said during an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, which aired Sunday, that DOGE and his administration remain on a mission to cut government waste.

“We have to solve the efficiency problem,” Trump said. “We have to solve the fraud, waste, abuse, all the things that have gone into the government. You take a look at the USAID, the kind of fraud in there.”

February 10, 2025
Musk-led group of investors submit unsolicited bid of $97.4 to take over OpenAI

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar explains how AI is taking center stage at Davos, what the Stargate project means for the macroeconomy and details new products for key customers.

A group of investors led by billionaire Elon Musk has offered $97.4 million to take control of OpenAI, fueling his feud with Sam Altman over ChatGPT, which is behind the artificial intelligence (AI) company, according to reports.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Marc Toberoff, Musk’s attorney, said he submitted a bid on Monday to the board of directors at OpenAI.

ELON MUSK AND TECH LEADER SAM ALTMAN GET INTO WAR OF WORDS OVER AI INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT

Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Musk previously helped launch OpenAI, which Altman is now the CEO of, but no longer has any connection to the company. (Getty Images / Getty Images)

While the offer was unsolicited, it could interfere with Altman’s plans for the future of OpenAI, which included turning it into a profitable company. He also reportedly planned to spend up to $500 billion in infrastructure to support artificial intelligence through Stargate, a joint venture Altman is part of.

Both Musk and Altman are battling it out in court over the future direction of OpenAI.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

February 10, 2025
Vance created a social media frenzy on Sunday for supporting Trump’s executive authority.

Judges across the country have taken action to block President Donald Trump’s agenda since he took office in January. Vice President JD Vance triggered a social media frenzy on Sunday by affirming his support for Trump’s executive authority.

“If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal,” Vance posted on X. “If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that’s also illegal. Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”

Vance’s comments followed a ruling that blocked the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing personal data. Judges in New Hampshire, Seattle and Maryland have blocked Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship. New York Attorney General Leitita James advised hospitals to ignore Trump’s executive order ending sex change procedures for minors.

Democrats were quick to lash out at Vance on social media on Sunday, equating his comments to “tyranny” and “lawlessness.” Illinois Gov. JV Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential contender, said Vance’s comments mean “the Trump administration intends to break the law.”

TRUMP DOJ CALLS JUDGE’S DOGE ORDER ‘ANTI-CONSTITUTIONAL’

Vice President JD Vance will attend an AI summit in Paris, a French official said anonymously. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“JD Vance is saying the quiet part out loud: the Trump administration intends to break the law. America is a nation of laws. The courts make sure we follow the laws. The VP doesn’t control the courts, and the President cannot ignore the Constitution. No one is above the law,” Pritzker said.

TRUMP’S KEY TO CABINET CONFIRMATIONS: SENATOR-TURNED-VP VANCE’S GIFT OF GAB

Pete Buttigieg, former Transportation secretary and a 2020 presidential candidate, said the vice president does not decide what is legal.

“In America, decisions about what is legal and illegal are made by courts of law. Not by the Vice President,” Buttigieg said.

Sen. Adam Schiff and former Rep. Liz Cheney slammed Vice President JD Vance for defending President Donald Trump’s executive authority. (AP/Getty)

Liz Cheney, the former Republican congresswoman who led the Jan. 6 Select Committee and campaigned for former Vice President Kamala Harris, accused Vance of tyranny.

David Hogg, the first Gen Z vice chair of the Democratic Party, said Vance’s comments are a power grab by the executive branch.

“He’s saying this to normalize a power grab by the executive to consolidate the power of the president and make him a king,” Hogg said. “If liberals ever said this, conservatives would (rightfully) lose their godd— minds.”

Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy called Vance’s comments the “meat” of the current “constitutional crisis.”

“For those of us who believe we are in the middle of a constitutional crisis, this is the meat of it,” Murphy said on X. “Trump and Vance are laying the groundwork to ignore the courts – democracy’s last line of defense against unchecked executive power.”

David Hogg speaks onstage during the Fast Company Innovation Festival on Sept. 17, 2024, in New York City. (Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Fast Company)

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the first-term senator whom Trump nicknamed “Schifty Schiff” on the campaign trail, said Vance’s comment “puts us on a dangerous path to lawlessness.”

“JD, we both went to law school. But we don’t have to be lawyers to know that ignoring court decisions we don’t like puts us on a dangerous path to lawlessness. We just have to swear an oath to the constitution. And mean it,” Sen. Adam Schiff, D-CA, responded.

Some conservatives fired back at the onslaught of comments. Columnist Kurt Schlichter jumped into the conversation, implying Schiff is a bad lawyer.

Jed Rubenfeld, a Yale Law School professor, lawyer and constitutional scholar, said he agreed with Vance that judges cannot “constitutionally interfere.”

“JD is correct about this, and his examples are exactly right,” Rubenfeld said. “Where the Executive has sole and plenary power under the Constitution – as in commanding military operations or exercising prosecutorial discretion – judges cannot constitutionally interfere.”

President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP)

More X users, who joined the debate, said Vance and his supporters’ comments are ironic. AJ Delgado, a self-described “MAGA original but now proudly anti-Trump,” said those attacking Vance lacked principle.

“Weren’t you all cheering when a federal judge halted Biden’s student loan forgiveness? You have ZERO principles,” she wrote on X.

When the Supreme Court ruled against President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan, he did not waver in his commitment to relieving student debt, vowing “to keep going” despite the court’s order.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., during a February 2024 episode of “Pod Save America,” gave credit to Biden for finding alternative ways to alleviate student loan debt.

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“Whatever tools he’s got, he’s sharpening and building some new tools through his Department of Education. We are now at about just a little shy of 4 million people who have had their student loan debt canceled. Joe Biden is just staying after it,” Warren said.

Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

February 10, 2025
Elon Musk warns Federal Reserve may face DOGE audit

Varney & Co. host Stuart Varney reacts to Democrats attacks on Elon Musk over his federal budget cost-cutting efforts.

Billionaire Elon Musk on Sunday signaled that the Federal Reserve could face scrutiny as Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) continues to audit federal agencies and spending.

Musk wrote on X in response to a user’s post about the billionaire’s support for an audit of the Fed that the central bank isn’t above scrutiny from DOGE.

“All aspects of the government must be fully transparent and accountable to the people. No exceptions, including, if not especially, the Federal Reserve,” Musk wrote.

Musk is a longtime critic of the central bank and has called out its decisions on monetary policy as well as claiming the Fed’s workforce is bloated.

POWELL PUSHES BACK ON MUSK’S CLAIM FED IS ‘ABSURDLY OVERSTAFFED’

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leader Elon Musk warned the Federal Reserve could face an audit. (om Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images / Getty Images)

In May 2024, Musk posted that the “Fed has a crazy high number of employees.”

The billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX also said last summer the Fed was too slow in cutting interest rates, writing on X in August that the Fed “needs to drop rates” and has been “foolish not to have done so already.”

The Fed would go on to cut rates in September in line with the market’s expectations, which it followed with further cuts in November and December.

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS ELON MUSK’S DOGE FROM ACCESSING TREASURY RECORDS AFTER DEMOCRATIC AGS FILE LAWSUIT

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell pushed back on Musk’s claim that the central bank is “absurdly overstaffed.” (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Fed Chair Jerome Powell was asked about Musk’s recent claim that the central bank’s workforce is “absurdly overstaffed” at a press conference last month following the central bank’s decision to leave rates steady at the current range of 4.25% to 4.5%.

“We run a very careful budget process where we’re fully aware. We owe that to the public, and we believe we do that. I’ve got no further comment on that, thanks,” Powell responded to FOX Business’ Edward Lawrence.

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February 10, 2025
NY GOP fumes Dems ‘could give a s—’ about democracy as Stefanik seat targeted in new bill

A controversial New York state election reform bill is coming up for a vote Monday.

Critics call it a naked attempt to keep U.N. ambassador-nominee Elise Stefanik’s North Country congressional district without a representative until November, while Democratic sponsors say it will save local and taxpayer resources.

The bill, which would allow Gov. Kathy Hochul to postpone elections or combine them with upcoming general elections, was marketed by Democrats as a cost-saving measure that helps ensure more voters will cast ballots in specials.

However, New York Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt said that for all Democrats’ claims about President Donald Trump being a threat to democracy, the truth is belied in their own legislation.

“It’s all about the outcome, not process, democracy, voter participation – they could give a s—. They could give a s—,” said Ortt, R-Niagara Falls.

TOUGH DECISIONS FOR SANCTUARY CITIES AFTER BONDI’S FUND-WITHHOLDING ORDER

“I can’t shame them; they have none… 800,000 folks [in Stefanik’s soon-to-be-former district] will not have a representative in Congress ‘til November. That’s a disgrace for a party that says it cares about democracy,” he said, predicting Hochul will use the law to its maximum extent when enacted.

Ortt said the bill has two different provisions – one for federal elections and one for state legislative elections and ruminated how they could benefit Democrats.

He pointed out that state Sen. Simcha Felder, D-Brooklyn, is likely to seek an open seat on New York City Council in the politically-moderate, majority-Jewish Borough Park area.

Felder caucused with Senate Republicans from 2013-2018, which gave the GOP a slim, technical majority in Albany for part of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s term.

Ortt said Democrats stand to potentially lose Felder’s Senate seat, which explains the reported two-tiered changes in the bill.

Meanwhile, Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay said 44% of New York state voted for Trump and the legislation shows his opposition is still smarting about it.

GOP RIPS HOCHUL’S INFLATION REFUNDS

Senate GOP Leader Rob Ortt (Reuters)

“No, they don’t accept that result,” said Barclay, R-Oswego.

“So they’re going to do everything they can, including depriving 800,000 people of a say in the budget [or] the SALT (tax deduction for high-taxed states) bill.”

Barclay noted that if Stefanik’s seat remains vacant when the Farm Bill is voted on later this year, a significant portion of New York’s agricultural lands will lack representation.

But Democrats remained united, with Senate President Andrea Stewart-Cousins saying in a statement that New Yorkers currently face “unprecedented challenges, including the strain on our democracy and our high cost of living.”

“[T]his legislation is a common-sense approach that saves taxpayer dollars while maximizing voter turnout,” said Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers.

Currently, Hochul has 90 days to call a special election once Stefanik, or Felder, resigns.

The bill’s text suggested the current special elections framework in Albany is an operational and financial drag on counties and taxpayers – additionally citing “voter confusion and fatigue.”

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Therefore, giving the governor the power to potentially consolidate elections is pertinent.

As NY1 reported, the bill also does not mandate Hochul – or any governor – combine special and general or primary elections, but now gives her the power to do so.

Some in Stefanik’s district, however, believe Ortt’s claims may have substance.

“By holding up a special election, they’re keeping the North Country from having congressional representation at a critical moment,” state Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, told Plattsburgh’s NBC affiliate.

Stec is one of several Republicans vying for the seat, along with Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino, Assemblyman Chris Tague of Schoharie, and author Liz Joy, who previously ran against Democratic Rep. Paul Tonko in the neighboring Capital Region district.

A spokesman for Stewart-Cousins told NY1 that state Democrats will not “be lectured to by a party that openly celebrated the release of violent felons that attempted to overthrow a presidential election and have opposed every single voting reform that increases voter participation.”

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].

February 10, 2025
‘DOGE boys’: Dems fume over spending cut spree at rally outside Trump’s next potential target

Democratic lawmakers are fuming over the “DOGE boys” and their recent crackdown on federal spending, holding a rally outside the newly formed cost-cutting department’s potential next target: the Social Security Administration (SSA).

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has been working with federal agencies to identify and cut wasteful spending. Most recently, the group began probing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for potential fraud — a move that wasn’t welcomed by Democratic lawmakers who warned that the SSA could be the next agency on the target list.

On Monday, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Ma., Rep. Johnny Olszewski, D-Ma., and Rep. Sarah Elfreth, D-Ma., gathered for a rally outside the SSA headquarters in Baltimore to criticize DOGE’s efforts.

“Every time you hear DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, you just remember it is the department of government evil,” said Mfume, a Maryland-based Democrat.

DOGE CANCELS FUNDING FOR FAUCI MUSEUM EXHIBIT

Rep. Kweisi Mfume at a hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 8, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla)

Fox News Digital previously reported that according to Just Facts, a nonprofit research institute, SSA disbursed roughly $2 billion in fraudulent or improper payments in 2022, which it calculated was enough “to pay 89,947 retired workers the average annual old-age benefit of $21,924 for 2023.”

Democrats, however, have claimed that Americans’ Social Security benefits could be targeted.

ELON MUSK EMBRACES X PLATFORM AS KEY TOOL IN DOGE TRANSPARENCY AMID ONSLAUGHT OF ATTACKS FROM DEMS

“We have one simple message, which is: Elon Musk, keep your hands off our Social Security,” Van Hollen told the crowd.

Sen. Van Hollen told Musk to ‘keep your hands off our Social Security.’ (Getty Images)

“Over the last 21 days, we have seen Elon Musk conducting illegal raids on federal agencies with his DOGE crew,” the senator said. “This is a recipe for corruption by the DOGE boys.”

Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Ma., speaking during the rally, claimed that “the intention of this administration is to make us feel demoralized, to make many of us feel frightened, to incite fear, to silence people.”

Many of DOGE’s targets have ranged from canceling a number of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at federal agencies to consolidating duplicative agencies and programs.

Angela Alsobrooks, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate from Maryland, and Gov. Wes Moore, D-Md., are seen while greeting voters on the state’s primary election day at Lewisdale Elementary School in Chillum, Md., on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (Tom Williams)

DOGE, as of the end of January, said that it was saving the federal government $1 billion a day, mostly by “stopping the hiring of people into unnecessary positions, deletion of DEI and stopping improper payments to foreign organizations, all consistent with the President’s Executive Orders.”

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The efforts have been widely rejected by Democratic lawmakers, who have been gathering outside government agency headquarters in protest of the DOGE agenda.

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller and Eric Revell contributed to this report.

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.

February 10, 2025
Don’t be fooled. Trumponomics will tame inflation — not make it worse

Economist Steve Moore and former member of White House Council of Economic advisors Tomas Philipson discuss President Donald Trump’s tariffs on foreign countries on ‘The Bottom Line.’

It seems the whole world and the entire liberal media are hyperventilating over the Trump tariffs and their inflationary impact. Many of the sharpest critics of President Donald Trump’s policies are the same “experts” who assured us four years ago that President Joe Biden’s policies wouldn’t cause inflation. Oops!

Then there is the argument put forth by the New York Times and many economists like Mark Zandi of Moody’s that Trump’s tariffs are inflationary and so are his tax cuts.

Hello! Tax cuts and tax increases both can’t cause inflation. This is political advocacy dressed up as (bad) economics.

Inflation is a government-generated disease induced by fiscal and monetary policy that leads to too many dollars chasing too few goods. Anything that increases money puts pressure on consumer prices and anything that increases the supply of goods produced reduces inflationary pressures.

HERE’S HOW TRUMP’S TARIFFS ON CHINA COULD IMPACT DRUG PRICING AND OTHER HEALTHCARE COSTS

As economists who believe in free markets, we aren’t fans of higher taxes in general, including tariffs, and it is true they may raise prices slightly for certain products. But there are three problems with the argument that Trump’s tariffs will cause an overall rise in prices.

Economist Steve Moore and former member of White House Council of Economic advisors Tomas Philipson discuss President Donald Trump’s tariffs on foreign countries on ‘The Bottom Line.’

The first is, of course, that they are not implemented and merely used as effective threats to yield concessions. This “peace through strength” in trade wars rather than regular wars mimics our influential but unused nuclear capabilities. Indeed, Colombia caved while Mexico and Canada are now pledging to assist in keeping deadly drugs from coming across the border.

The second flaw in the “tariffs cause inflation” line is that U.S. economic activity is mostly domestic and thus the quantitative impact of tariffs is relatively small. Imports now make up about 12% relative to our GDP. Much-debated Chinese imports represent only 2%, so a 10% increase in tariffs, even if fully pushed onto U.S. consumers, represents a 0.2 percent change. This is one reason why the Trump tariffs did not cause inflation in the first Trump term. But the effect on prices is likely to be a lot less than that this time around because some of the burden of the tariff is borne by foreign producers. If you sell a close substitute to U.S. goods, many consumers will say goodbye if you raise prices in response to a tariff.

Policies that make the American economy more productive are the best antidote to inflation.

Similarly, Trump’s promised deportation of illegal aliens may raise prices by causing a shortage of workers and thus higher prices in some immigrant-dependent industries. But let us say that 2 million workers were deported — which we think would be a high number. In a country with a labor force of 168 million, this wage-push inflation is likely to be small. In addition, if wages rise, the effect on real wages for U.S. workers from price hikes is reduced.

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But here is what the inflation hawks are missing. Any pressure on prices from deportations and tariffs are likely to be more than offset by other Trump economic policies that will put downward pressures on overall inflation. Policies that make the American economy more productive are the best antidote to inflation.

O’Leary Ventures Chairman Kevin O’Leary shares whether he’s concerned about President Donald Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum, the fate of the U.S. penny and the handling of the TikTok sale.

Trump is suggesting slashing income tax rates to 15% on made-in-America products. DOGE cost cutting and caps on federal hiring will make government products and services less expensive. And perhaps most importantly, reducing onerous regulations will cut costs and prices.

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More drilling and mining will make energy and minerals less expensive. Trump’s push for health care price transparency will make medical consumers more attentive to costs and put downward on prices. Trump’s call for legal immigrant worker visas will offset losses of illegal alien workers.

Those who warn of runaway inflation under Trump ignore all the Trump policies that are disinflationary. They forget that Trump was already president for four years and the annual inflation rate from many of the same policies he is talking about now was 1.9% or slightly less than the Federal Reserve’s 2% inflation target.

One prediction you can take to the bank: if Trump can win spending cuts from Congress anywhere near what he is proposing, inflation is going to look a lot more like the low levels in his first term than the blizzard of inflation under Bidenomics.

Stephen Moore is a visiting senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation. Tomas Philipson is an economist at the University of Chicago and served as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Donald Trump. Moore is co-founder and Philipson a visiting research fellow at Unleash Prosperity.

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February 10, 2025
More craft beer breweries are shutting down than opening up

For the first time, more craft beer breweries are shutting down than opening up, according to the Brewers Association.

For the first time, more craft beer breweries are shutting down than opening up.

Breweries and taprooms are dealing with rising supply costs while demand for beer is slipping, according to the Brewers Association.

Bart Watson is the president and chief executive officer of the Brewers Association. Watson said things got worse for many craft breweries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The pandemic obviously also had secondary ripples for the economy, for supply chains and it changed consumer patterns overall. We are seeing people certainly spend as much at bars and restaurants as they did before, but they are doing so in different ways – more to go and delivery.”

BUD LIGHT TO SPEND ‘HEAVILY’ ON MARKETING AFTER DYLAN MULVANEY CONTROVERSY

Coming off dry January, some brewery owners said they were hoping Super Bowl Sunday would kick up their sales. (Kennedy Hayes/ FOX News / Fox News)

Last year, beer sales dropped 2% nationwide, and in Colorado, beer sales fell by over 3%, according to the Colorado Liquor Enforcement Division.

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Even though Colorado has the fourth most breweries of any state, right behind Pennsylvania, New York, and California, it saw some of the highest number of closures last year, according to the National Brewer Association.

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“Some of the most challenged regions are some of the most developed, like here in Colorado, the pacific northwest, the west coast in general,” Watson said.

One brewery owner in Georgetown, Colorado said they are facing higher costs. (Kennedy Hayes/ FOX News / Fox News)

Patrick Toland is a manager at Cabin Creek Brewing. Toland said they opened their brewery in May 2020. Cabin Creek is located in Georgetown, Colorado, which is a city about an hour west from Denver with just over 1,000 people.

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“The cost of raw materials-especially for the beer [and] the grain has increased. The shipping has massively increased,” Toland said.

A patron at the brewery enjoys a drink. (Kennedy Hayes/ FOX News / Fox News)

This February, Cabin Creek Brewing, became the sole brewery in Georgetown after a nearby brewery closed. Toland said he’s kept the doors open by raising prices and expanding the menu.

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“A lot of big brands are aligning with trend setting on social media in terms of offering non-alcoholic or alcohol alternatives. We have had to do the same,” Toland said.

February 10, 2025
‘Born leader’: Ohio governor nominates former legendary college football coach as lieutenant governor

Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Monday that he is nominating former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel to serve as the state’s lieutenant governor.

“Jim Tressel is Ohio values,” DeWine said at a news conference announcing the nomination of Tressel to replace former Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, who DeWine appointed to the U.S. Senate last month.

“He’s a hard worker and shares that vision (I have) for the future of Ohio. He has the ability to pull people together. He has the ability to lead. He will enable me to be assured that if something happens to me, he can walk in and be governor that day and that would be seamless.”

Tressel, who DeWine called a “born leader,” was head coach of Ohio State University’s football team from 2001 to 2010. The Buckeyes won the 2002 national championship during Tressel’s tenure along with six Big Ten championships and a record of 9-1 against rival Michigan.

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Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel, Left, and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. right (Getty/AP)

Tressel, 72, retired a year and a half ago as president of Youngstown State University, a job he had held since 2014. Since then, he has been engaged in workforce and economic development activities.

“With his wealth of experience in the education field, Jim understands its importance in building Ohio’s workforce of tomorrow,” Ohio Chamber President & CEO Steve Stivers said in a statement, saying Tressel would prioritize workforce development “for the benefit of the business community and all Ohioans.”

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Former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel is carried on the shoulders of his 2002 national championship team during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Ohio State, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Tressel’s nomination must now be approved by the Ohio Senate and Ohio House, which are both led by Republican supermajorities.

“I want to study a little bit about what Jon Husted has going on, and so I want to learn the business, if you will,” Tressel, a political newcomer, said at the press conference. “And then it’s up to when you sit down with the team and the staff and everyone else trying to figure out who plays what position best. And I’d be more than happy to to help wherever I can.”

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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is seen onstage at the Fiserv Forum during preparations for the Republican National Convention (RNC) on July 14, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisc. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich congratulated Tressel in an X post saying, “Jim Tressel always puts one foot in front of the other trying to improve our world. Good luck, @JimTressel5.”

DeWine, who must retire in 2026 due to term limits, said the two have not discussed if Tressel plans to run for governor, which would put him in a race against the state’s Republican attorney general, Dave Yost, and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who is expected to jump into the race this month.

Former Ohio Health Director Dr. Amy Acton is running as a Democrat.

Associated Press contributed to this report

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].

February 10, 2025