Tag: administration

  • Lee Zeldin faces vote to lead key environmental agency in Trump administration

    Lee Zeldin faces vote to lead key environmental agency in Trump administration

    The Senate will vote Wednesday on whether to confirm former Rep. Lee Zeldin to head the government’s leading agency on environmental rules and regulations.

    President Donald Trump tapped Zeldin, who previously served as a congressman from New York’s 1st Congressional District from 2015 to 2023, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under his administration. During his tenure in Congress, Zeldin, an Army Reserve lieutenant colonel, launched a campaign for governor in New York, when he trailed only five percentage points in the largely Democratic state.

    Zeldin underwent a confirmation hearing earlier this month, when he was questioned on climate change by members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

    The Senate held a cloture vote for Zeldin on Wednesday afternoon, which ended the debate over his nomination. The chamber will now proceed to a final floor vote. 

    ZELDIN GRILLED BY DEMOCRATS ON CLIMATE CHANGE, TRUMP’S STANCE ON CARBON EMISSIONS DURING EPA HEARING

    Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency, appears before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

    If confirmed on Wednesday, Zeldin will head the agency that surveys environmental issues, provides assistance to wide-ranging environmental projects, and establishes rules that align with the administration’s views on environmental protection and climate change. 

    During his confirmation hearing, Zeldin pledged that if confirmed, he would “foster a collaborative culture within the agency, supporting career staff who have dedicated themselves to this mission. I strongly believe we have a moral responsibility to be good stewards of our environment for generations to come.”

    Riley Gaines with Lee Zeldin outside the RNC arena

    Lee Zeldin, former New York representative, with athlete Riley Gaines, outside the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (J. Conrad Williams, Jr./Newsday RM)

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    The latest round of voting comes as Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., continues to advance the confirmation process to push through Trump’s Cabinet nominees.

  • Small Business Administration nominee Kelly Loeffler says small biz is in her DNA

    Small Business Administration nominee Kelly Loeffler says small biz is in her DNA

    Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, President Donald Trump’s pick for Small Business Administration (SBA) administrator, plans to go before the Senate’s Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee on Wednesday, when she plans to speak about Trump’s vision for the country, as well as what qualifies her for the job.

    In a copy of her written remarks obtained by FOX Business, Loeffler speaks about her roots growing up as the fourth generation on her family’s farm in Illinois, adding that “small business” is in her “DNA.”

    “My wonderful parents, Don and Lynda, didn’t have degrees, but they had faith and grit,” she wrote. “They worked relentlessly to sustain our farm and small trucking company – risking everything to provide for us while navigating volatile commodity markets and complex regulations and facing countless day-to-day challenges.

    “It’s where my Midwestern work ethic was ingrained, working in our soybean fields and waiting tables at local restaurants – preparing me for a lifetime of starting and growing businesses,” she continued. “I became the first in my family to graduate college and later earned my MBA.”

    FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION PICK LOEFFLER TO MEET WITH GOP SENATORS

    Former U.S. Sen., Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., is President Donald Trump’s nominee to be administrator of the Small Business Administration. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images / Getty Images)

    After college, Loeffler helped grow a startup into a Fortune 500 company, and for 10 years, she co-owned the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA. She also wrote that she launched a financial technology company, Bakkt, as the founding CEO and first employee.

    “I recall managing budgets in Excel spreadsheets, hiring my first team member, and working with regulators as much as I recall ringing the bell when two of those companies went public,” Loeffler wrote.

    Later in her statement, Loeffler talks about how she plans to leverage her decades of business experience to champion America’s entrepreneurs.

    FIRST ON FOX:TRUMP CABINET NOMINEE LOEFFLER PLEDGES TO DONATE SALARY TO CHARITY IF CONFIRMED

    loeffler

    Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler campaigns in Milton, Georgia, in 2022. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images / Getty Images)

    “We’ll cut red tape and modernize the agency while restoring the accountability and transparency that taxpayers deserve,” she wrote. “I will crack down on fraud, with a zero-tolerance policy, while shifting SBA’s focus from Washington D.C. back to Main Streets across America. And if confirmed, I’ll collaborate across government and the private sector to deliver efficiency and results. Importantly – we will responsibly and urgently meet the challenge of disaster relief. I am committed to serving all who are impacted, from North Carolina to California to Hawaii.

    “Each taxpayer dollar entrusted to SBA should have an economic multiplier effect – delivering productive capital to grow manufacturing, strengthen rural communities, create jobs, and develop critical technology like AI and chips,” Loeffler added. “I believe we must continue to empower entrepreneurs from all walks of life, including women and veterans.”

    Loeffler is part of a team that Trump is putting together that aims to put “America first.”

    SMALL BUSINESS OPTIMISM JUMPS TO 6-YEAR HIGH FOLLOWING TRUMP WIN

    President Donald Trump arrives with Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., at a campaign rally in 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images / Getty Images)

    She wrote about the SBA’s founding mission of empowering small businesses and growing the economy, needing to be restored.

    “That’s exactly what the America First agenda does – by ending inflation, cutting taxes, unleashing American energy dominance, slashing regulation, and reining in fraud, waste, and abuse across government,” she wrote. “In the last four years, small business has lost ground – burdened by inflation, big government regulation, and uncertainty that threatens the very existence of Main Street. President Trump’s proven agenda will restore the small business economy, marking a return to ‘Made in America’ – with a golden era of prosperity and growth.”

    Loeffler and her husband Jeff have long been major donors to Republican causes and candidates, including Trump. Loeffler served as co-chair of Trump’s inaugural committee.

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    If confirmed by the Senate, Loeffler says she would donate her annual federal pay of approximately $207,500 to charity.

    The pledge by Loeffler, whose net worth is estimated at roughly $1 billion, follows her actions in Congress from 2019 to 2021, when she donated her Senate salary of $174,000 per year to over 40 Georgia charities and nonprofits. 

    Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

  • Trump administration offers buyouts to remote employees who don’t return to the office

    Trump administration offers buyouts to remote employees who don’t return to the office

    The Trump administration is offering buyouts for all federal remote employees as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to get employees back into the office, but they only have until Feb. 6 to opt-in.

    During Trump’s first week in office, he issued several directives to the federal workforce, including a requirement that remote employees must return to in-person work.

    “After four years of incompetence and failure, President Donald Trump is committed to making our government efficient and productive again,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Tuesday. “American taxpayers pay for the salaries of federal government employees and therefore deserve employees working on their behalf who actually show up to work in our wonderful federal buildings, also paid for by taxpayers.

    “If they don’t want to work in the office and contribute to making America great again, then they are free to choose a different line of work, and the Trump Administration will provide a very generous payout of eight months,” she added.

    HOUSE OVERSIGHT REPORT SAYS TELEWORK IS ‘WASTING BILLIONS’ IN TAXPAYER CASH AHEAD OF 1ST HEARING

    President Donald Trump after signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, in Washington, D.C. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

    On Tuesday, a government-wide email was sent out to ensure all federal workers were on board with the Trump administration’s plan.

    The email pointed to four pillars that Trump set forth, to bring accountability back to the federal government, including a return to in-person work, restored accountability for employees who have policy-making authority, restored accountability for senior executives, and a reformed federal hiring process based on merit.

    “The government-wide email being sent today is to make sure that all federal workers are on board with the new administration’s plan to have federal employees in office and adhering to higher standards,” a senior administration official said. “We’re five years past COVID and just 6 percent of federal employees work full-time in office. That is unacceptable.”

    ‘GET BACK TO WORK’: HOUSE OVERSIGHT TO TAKE ON GOVERNMENT TELEWORK IN 1ST HEARING OF NEW CONGRESS

    IRS building, logo

    Signage outside the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) headquarters in Washington, D.C.  (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

    The email noted that the majority of federal employees who have worked remotely since COVID will be required to return to their physical offices five days a week.

    “Going forward, we also expect our physical offices to undergo meaningful consolidation and divestitures, potentially resulting in physical office relocations for a number of federal workers,” the email read.

    For those who returned to office, the Trump administration thanked them for their “renewed focus” on serving the American people. But the future of their position could not be guaranteed, according to the email.

    SENATE DOGE LEADER ERNST TO TAKE ON GOVERNMENT TELEWORK ABUSE AT FIRST MEETING WITH MUSK, RAMASWAMY

    Military-Sexual-Assault

    The Pentagon is seen from Air Force One. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

    For those who do not want to continue in their role with the federal workforce, the Trump administration thanked them for their services, informing them they will be provided with a “dignified, fair departure from the federal government utilizing a deferred resignation program.”

    The program begins on Jan. 28 and will be available until Feb. 6, and should a federal employee choose to resign under the program, they will retain all pay and benefits, regardless of workload, and will be exempt from their in-person work requirements until Sep. 30, 2025.

    The buyouts do not apply to military personnel of the armed forces, the U.S. Postal Services, positions related to immigration enforcement and national security, and any other positions specifically excluded by the agency the federal workers are employed by.

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    “To be clear, as it was with President Trump’s executive order on Day One, implementation of return-to-work policies will be done by each individual agency in accordance with applicable law,” the senior administration official said. “We expect 5 to 10 percent of federal employees to quit, and it could lead to $100 billion annually in savings for federal taxpayers.”

  • Trump administration holds first White House press conference with Karoline Leavitt

    Trump administration holds first White House press conference with Karoline Leavitt

    The Trump administration will hold its first White House press conference with newly minted press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday afternoon, according to the White House schedule. 

    President Donald Trump has been on a media blitz since his inauguration on Jan. 20, including sitting down for his first White House interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity and speaking with the media as he traveled to states rocked by natural disasters, including North Carolina and California. Trump’s press secretary also has frequently joined media outlets for interviews since Trump was sworn in, but has not yet held a White House press briefing. 

    Leavitt, 27, is the youngest press secretary in the nation’s history – unseating President Richard Nixon’s press secretary Ron Ziegler, who was 29 when he took the same position in 1969. Leavitt was a fierce defender of Trump throughout his hard-fought campaign against former Vice President Kamala Harris, and also made her own political mark with a congressional run in 2022. 

    Leavitt served in Trump’s first administration as assistant press secretary before working as New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik’s communications director following the 2020 election. She launched a congressional campaign in her home state of New Hampshire during the 2022 cycle, winning her primary but losing the election to a Democrat. 

    WHO IS KAROLINE LEAVITT?: A LOOK AT THE YOUNGEST WOMAN EVER NAMED TO SERVE AS WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY

    Karoline Leavitt, with President Donald Trump, is the youngest press secretary in the nation’s history.

    Leavitt picked up the torch of press secretary from the Biden administration’s chief spokesperson, Karine Jean-Pierre. 

    TRUMP’S ‘SHOCK AND AWE’: FORGET FIRST 100 DAYS, NEW PRESIDENT SHOWS OFF FRENETIC PACE IN FIRST 100 HOURS

    Trump’s first week in office was a whirlwind of executive orders and actions as part of his mission to follow through on campaign promises, such as securing the border and removing diversity, equity and inclusion practices from federal offices. 

    Donald Trump arrives prior to the inauguration

    President Donald Trump’s first few days in office were a whirlwind of executive orders and actions as part of his mission to follow through on campaign promises. (Melina Mara, Pool/Getty Images)

    “I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success,” Trump said during his inaugural speech on Jan. 20. “A tide of change is sweeping the country. Sunlight is pouring over the entire world, and America has the chance to seize this opportunity like never before.” 

    ‘TIP OF THE SPEAR’: TRUMP RAMPS UP UNSCRIPTED MEDIA BLITZ AFTER YEARS OF RECLUSIVE BIDEN DUCKING QUESTIONS

    trump hannity

    “I think we got there just in the nick of time,” President Donald Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in the Oval Office. (Fox News/Hannity)

    Trump repeatedly has made himself available to the media since his inauguration – a departure from former President Joe Biden’s infrequent availability to the media – speaking to reporters for about 45 minutes on the evening of his inauguration and again speaking with reporters on Tuesday for another 30 minutes. 

    Trump also sat down with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Wednesday, where the pair discussed issues ranging from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to hurricanes and wildfires under the Biden administration and declaring that his return to the White House serves as evidence that policies from the “radical left” do not work and were rejected by voters. 

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    “I think it’s bigger. It’s bigger than if it were more traditional,” he said on “Hannity,” referring to serving two nonconsecutive terms. “I think we got there just in the nick of time.”

  • Trump administration ‘uniquely qualified’ to solve housing problem, real estate expert says

    Trump administration ‘uniquely qualified’ to solve housing problem, real estate expert says

    The key to America’s housing problem may lie within the Trump administration, according to one real estate expert. 

    Larry Connor, The Connor Group founder and managing partner, explained how the new administration could tackle the persistent problems plaguing the housing industry during his appearance on “FOX Business Live,” Thursday.

    “The reality is, across America we have an affordable housing problem, in some cases [a] crisis. You can solve it. I think the Trump administration is uniquely qualified to do so,” he expressed.

    Connor said the first step in solving the country’s housing issue is through “common sense regulations.”

    “You can’t have 30 or 40% of your total costs in permits and red tape,” he stressed.

    LOOKING TO BUY YOUR FIRST HOME? THESE MARKETS ARE YOUR BEST BET IN 2025

    On Wednesday, President Donald Trump issued an emergency order directing the heads of all executive departments and agencies to “deliver emergency price relief,” which he emphasized would include lowering the cost of housing and expanding supply.

    The Trump administration cited regulatory requirements as a main driver behind why so many Americans are unable to purchase homes. In his first term, Trump reduced regulatory costs by almost $11,000 per household, the White House said in a fact sheet. 

    Despite being against the tight regulations restricting growth in the housing sector, Connor suggested putting “tight regulations” on developers, “in terms of the quality of the build and the quality of how they maintain them.”

    “You can’t ask a developer to spend $70 million building this affordable housing. And when they finish, it’s worth 65 million,” he argued.

    HOW EXTREME WEATHER, HIGH HOME PRICES COULD AFFECT THE 2025 HOUSING MARKET

    “The economics have to work,” Connor told FOX Business’ Cheryl Casone.

    The Connor Group founder continued, arguing that the next step in curing the affordable housing market is by creating low-interest rate loans at the federal level.

    Trump echoed that sentiment during his remarks at the World Economic Forum on Thursday, arguing that he’ll “demand that interest rates drop immediately” and that they “should be dropping all over the world.”

    Finally, the last effort to combat the problem, Connor said, is through tax credits.

    “You do all those. You unleash the full power of the free enterprise system,” he explained.

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    FOX Business’ Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.