Happy New Year 2025

Tag: Campaign

GOP senators to join Trump for Mar-a-Lago dinner ahead of campaign wing retreat

Most of the Senate Republican conference will dine with President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Friday evening as the lawmakers prepare for a weekend campaign retreat.

The dinner between Trump and the GOP senators was confirmed by several sources to Fox News Digital.

Also in Florida, many of the senators will be attending the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) retreat afterward. The committee is preparing for the 2026 midterm election cycle.

INSIDE SEN. TOM COTTON’S CAMPAIGN TO SAVE TULSI GABBARD’S ENDANGERED DNI NOMINATION

Trump is hosting the senators at Mar-a-Lago. (Getty Images)

While most of the GOP conference will be at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago dinner, not all of the senators are going.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., will instead be at dinner with his daughter, who lives in the area.

Cassidy has had a fractured relationship with Trump in the past, as one of the handful of Republican senators who voted to convict him for allegedly inciting the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

LEADER THUNE BACKS SENATE GOP BID TO SPEED PAST HOUSE ON TRUMP BUDGET PLAN

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., is up for re-election in 2026. (Reuters)

The Louisiana Republican is notably up for re-election in 2026 and will be at the NRSC retreat for the remainder of the weekend. While Cassidy’s state isn’t likely to pick a Democrat, he faces threats of primary challenges from the right.

The office of moderate Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, whose race will be one of the NRSC’s most competitive this cycle, did not provide comment to Fox News Digital when asked whether she would be at the Mar-a-Lago dinner.

FORMER NFL PLAYER SCOTT TURNER CONFIRMED TO LEAD HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Collins has a reputation as a moderate Republican. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Republicans will be put on defense in 2026 in key states North Carolina and Maine, protecting the seats of Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Collins, respectively. At the same time, the party is looking to expand its majority in the Senate, eyeing vulnerable Democrat-held seats in Georgia and Michigan.

FORMER GOP LEADER MCCONNELL FALLS WHILE EXITING SENATE CHAMBER AFTER TURNER CONFIRMATION VOTE

Ossoff is seeking a second term in Georgia. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

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Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia, is seeking re-election in swing state Georgia for the first time. Michigan is already a swing state, and with Democratic Sen. Gary Peters’ announcement that he isn’t running again, the party is losing an incumbent advantage.

Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.

Follow Julia’s reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to [email protected].

February 6, 2025
Inside Sen. Tom Cotton’s tireless campaign to advance Trump’s DNI pick Tulsi Gabbard

Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Tom Cotton was instrumental in pushing Tulsi Gabbard’s controversial nomination to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI) past its first hurdle in the upper chamber this week, and it took a full court press to do so.

Gabbard successfully advanced out of the Intel Committee this week, with all Republican members voting in her favor, despite concerns they would not.

Cotton led the effort with a makeshift Gabbard confirmation “war room” and the enlisted assistance of former rebel Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, as well as former Intel Committee Chairman Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, according to a GOP Senate source with knowledge of Cotton’s efforts.

The “cordial and calculated” campaign to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee for DNI saw close work between Gabbard’s confirmation sherpa team, the White House’s legislative affairs team and Vice President JD Vance, a former senator, the source told Fox News Digital.

SENATORS LEAPFROG HOUSE REPUBLICANS ON ANTICIPATED TRUMP BUDGET BILL

Tom Cotton carried out a calculated effort to get Tulsi Gabbard past the Intel committee. (Reuters/ Getty Images)

The group assisted Gabbard in each step of the process. They helped with questions for the nominee submitted to the committee, queries from lawmakers, hearing preparation and even strategized on a last-minute op-ed to address any lingering concerns, the source said.

Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman, penned an op-ed in Newsweek following her hearing, detailing, “Why I Am the Right Choice to Lead the Office of National Intelligence.”

The article addressed a significant point of concern for some undecided Republicans: Her refusal to call NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden a traitor.

FORMER GOP LEADER MCCONNELL FALLS WHILE EXITING SENATE CHAMBER AFTER TURNER CONFIRMATION VOTE

Nomiee for Director of National Security Tulsi Gabbard, left, and whistleblower Edward Snowden in Moscow Russia, right (AP/Getty)

“Given the interest by committee members about whether Edward Snowden should be called a ‘traitor,’ here’s what I shared with the Senate Intelligence Committee in the closed session about why I do not casually throw around that term: Treason is a capital offense, punishable by death, yet politicians like former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former US Senator Mitt Romney have slandered me, Donald Trump Jr. and others with baseless accusations of treason,” she wrote.

SENATE TEES UP TRUMP BUDGET CHIEF PICK RUSSELL VOUGHT FOR FINAL CONFIRMATION VOTE

Cotton is chairman of the intel committee. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Cotton also reportedly advised the White House on how to be particularly persuasive when it comes to courting senators for their crucial votes. He remained in close touch with Trump’s administration throughout Gabbard’s process leading up to the Intel Committee’s pivotal vote, according to the GOP Senate source.

Sinema, who recently retired from the Senate, spoke to two of her former Senate colleagues, Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, who both ultimately voted to advance Gabbard despite concerns they may not, the source said. Also deployed to speak with committee members was former Trump National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien.

FORMER NFL PLAYER SCOTT TURNER CONFIRMED TO LEAD HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Sen. Young came out in support of Gabbard hours before the committee vote. (Reuters)

Cotton also kept in contact with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and his office during the process, which appeared precarious for Gabbard at times, as well as held meetings with the intel committee’s Republican members, the source told Fox News Digital.

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Before Gabbard’s committee hearing, Cotton met with the nominee, along with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, committee member Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Burr, during which they prepared her for more than an hour to address specific committee Republicans’ concerns, the source said.

Now, Trump’s DNI pick will need to overcome a procedural vote in the full Senate before moving on to a final confirmation vote. However, Gabbard’s success in committee bodes well for her, given she locked down the support of several more hesitant Senate Republicans who are expected to continue supporting her on the chamber floor.

Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.

Follow Julia’s reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to [email protected].

February 6, 2025
Baltimore mayor doubling down on DEI with ‘Definitely Earned It’ campaign

“Didn’t Earn It,” or “Definitely Earned It?”

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott is standing firm on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies, despite mounting pushback against the controversial programs and initiatives.

Some online commentators labeled Scott as a “DEI mayor” in the wake of the Baltimore Bridge collapse last year when a container ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, resulting in six people losing their lives.

Scott, in an interview with The Associated Press, said he saw the attacks on him as part of a broader backlash against Black Americans and other historically disenfranchised groups in leadership. He said he rejects the premise and insists he was duly elected to lead the Charm City. He was reelected to office in November after defeating Republican challenger Shannon Wright.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott is standing firm on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, despite mounting pushback against the controversial programs and initiatives. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

AFRICAN AMERICAN GROUPS CALL FOR DITCHING ‘RACIST’ FRANCIS SCOTT KEY, NAMING NEW BRIDGE AFTER LATE CONGRESSMAN

Scott is now doubling down on DEI and said he is launching a “Definitely Earned It” campaign for Black History Month, which is taking place throughout February. The term is a play on the words “Didn’t Earn It,” which opponents of DEI use to highlight what they say is its lack of meritocracy baked into DEI.

He said he wants to set the record straight on DEI policies, which he views as enacting American values.

“Because we have to be bigger and Blacker and louder than ever,” Scott told The Associated Press in an interview addressing why he is launching the campaign.

“We cannot allow that darkness to try to come and overtake our light, because darkness can’t overtake light, only light can overcome darkness. Don’t run away, don’t hide, don’t shrink in the moment, be who you are and push back in every single way that you can.”

Scott said that his “Definitely Earned It” campaign will be an expansion of Black History Month, highlighting the impact Black people have had on the country.

In an aerial view, the cargo ship Dali sits in the water after running into and collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024 in Baltimore. Some commentators claimed Scott was a DEI hire in the wake of the tragedy. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

MARYLAND’S RISING STAR DEM GOVERNOR FACES FIRST NATIONAL TEST AFTER BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE

“We’ll be noting that these people weren’t DEI — well, that they were DEI, but DEI in the sense that they definitely earned it,” Scott told The AP.

“They earned every single thing that they accomplished because it wasn’t given to them. We can show people what it truly means when you have to work 10 times as hard, when you have to work through systems that were built up for you to fail, when you have to make sure that you leave the door open for other folks coming behind you. And in my case, DEI means duly elected incumbent, but I also definitely earned it.”

The Trump administration is on a mission to gut all programs and initiatives associated with DEI within the federal government, arguing it has lowered standards and promoted a woke agenda.

In his first week back in office, Trump signed an executive order ending DEI offices and initiatives across the federal workforce. Last week, Trump signed two executive orders banning “radical gender ideology” and DEI initiatives from all branches of the U.S. military.

TRUMP DOD CREATES TASK FORCE TO ABOLISH DEI OFFICES THAT ‘PROMOTE SYSTEMIC RACISM’

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth zeroed in on the controversial programs too, releasing a memorandum last week stating that DEI is incompatible with Department of Defense (DoD) values, and created a task force to address the abolition of the program.

The Trump administration is on a mission to gut all programs and initiatives associated with DEI within the federal government, arguing it has lowered standards and promote a woke agenda. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Significant brands such as Walmart, McDonald’s, Amazon, Ford and Lowe’s have all begun rolling back DEI initiatives in response to a cultural shift that included customer backlash, pressure from conservative-leaning groups and activists, and possible legal ramifications.

DEI came into sharp focus again last week when President Donald Trump said the DC plane crash disaster — between a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet colliding midair near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport — was caused by DEI, though he acknowledged that the cause of the crash has yet to be determined.

Trump highlighted efforts by the Biden administration to lower aviation standards and said he believed DEI played a factor because he has “common sense.”

Scott said he faced backlash over the Baltimore Bridge collapse without any justification.

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He noted that the bridge was built before he was born, built by very few minorities and the ship was not piloted by a Black person.

“What these folks who unfortunately think that way think is that unless you are a straight white male from a certain background — because I want my poor white brothers and sisters to understand that they’re not talking about them either, right — unless you are from a certain background, wealthy historic families with straight white Christian men, then you should never be in a position of power and that your thoughts and opinions don’t matter,” Scott said.

“And that is the saddest part of it all.”

Fox News’ Alexandra Koch and Breck Dumas contributed to this report.

Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.

You can send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.

February 5, 2025
Iran’s foreign minister responds to Trump ‘maximum pressure’ campaign amid regime panic

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JERUSALEM—President Donald Trump’s decision to restore his maximum pressure campaign on the Islamic Republic of Iran jolted the clerical regime in Tehran and established a clean break with the Biden administration’s concessionary policy toward the rogue nation, according to Mideast experts.

Trump also warned the regime on Tuesday that if it carries out his assassination, advisers will ensure that the country is “obliterated.”

Trump’s message to the Iranians seemingly got their attention. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that “If the main issue is ensuring that Iran does not pursue nuclear weapons, this is achievable and not a difficult matter.” He also added that “maximum pressure is a failed experiment, and trying it again will only lead to another failure.” He did not respond Trump’s sanction order targeting Iranian oil exports and Tehran’s support for jihadi terrorist organizations.

IRAN’S WEAKENED POSITION COULD LEAD IT TO PURSUE NUCLEAR WEAPON, BIDEN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER WARNS

Yossi Mansharof, an Iran analyst at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy in Israel, told Fox News Digital, “Despite oil sanctions on Iran, data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reveals that Iran’s oil revenue surged to $144 billion in the first three years of Biden’s presidency (January 2021–January 2024), $100 billion more than during the last two years of the Trump administration. “

Mansharof continued, “While Biden tightened sanctions, he did not enforce them, allowing Iran to continue profiting from oil exports, providing critical support to its economy. This approach reflects a flawed strategy of attempting to engage Ali Khamenei [the supreme leader of Iran] diplomatically while ignoring Iran’s oil smuggling.”

Fox News Digital also reported extensively on Biden’s decision to extend sanctions waivers that enabled repeated payments of $10 billion to be delivered into Iran’s coffers.

President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Mansharof welcomed the reinstatement of the maximum economic pressure campaign. He warned, however, that in light of Iran’s progress on building a nuclear weapon “it is unclear whether this strategy is sufficient.” He said, “Military pressure on Iran is needed to disrupt its activities, send a clear message on its nuclear ambitions, and prevent further destabilizing actions.”

Both the Republican and Democratic administrations have classified Iran’s regime as the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism. Trump’s Tuesday signing of the National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) restoring maximum pressure on Iran states its aims are to deny “Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon, and countering Iran’s malign influence abroad.” Iran’s regime funds the U.S.-designated terrorist movements Hamas and Hezbollah.

Demonstrators in Iran protesting the regime in 2022. (Credit: NCRI)

Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs President Dan Diker told Fox News Digital, “President Donald Trump’s reimposed maximum pressure campaign to cripple the Iranian regime is another differentiator from the former Biden administration’s defensive and even conciliatory approach to the Iranian regime.”

He added, “The first Trump administration maximum pressure that came in parallel with canceling its participation in the ill-fated JCPOA had essentially bankrupted the regime and Trump’s continuation of economic warfare against the regime underscores his commitment to U.S. primacy and power projection in the terror-ridden Middle East short of direct military intervention.”

TRUMP’S LATEST HIRES AND FIRES RANKLE IRAN HAWKS AS NEW PRESIDENT SUGGESTS NUCLEAR DEAL

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) National Aerospace Park in western Tehran, Oct. 11, 2023. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The JCPOA, an acronym for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was former President Obama’s signature foreign policy deal. It was supposed to slow down Iran’s drive to build an atomic bomb in exchange for massive economic benefits for Iran. In 2018, President Trump withdrew from the JCPOA and famously termed it “the worst deal in history.” Trump said at the time of the withdrawal, “At the heart of the Iran deal was a giant fiction that a murderous regime desired only a peaceful nuclear energy program.”

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According to the Trump administration, the JCPOA did not prevent Iran from securing a nuclear weapons device and allowed Tehran to finance global terrorism.

Diker said, “Trump will face an Iranian regime octopus that is still extending its terror tentacles across the region, particularly in the Israeli controlled Judea and Samaria (West Bank) while prosecuting charm offensive with European and other powers to fend off the US initiative to strangle the Iranian regime.”

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this story.

February 5, 2025
Unlikely bipartisan duo looks to put Trump campaign promise into law

An unlikely duo is working together in the Senate to make good on one of President Donald Trump’s campaign pledges.

Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced a new bill on Tuesday to cap credit card interest rates at 10%, which Trump had proposed doing temporarily during his 2024 presidential campaign.

“During the campaign, President Trump pledged to cap credit card interest rates at ten percent,” Sanders recalled in a statement. “Today, I am proud to be introducing bipartisan legislation with Senator Hawley to do just that.”

Sanders accused financial institutions that charge over 25 percent interest on credit cards of “extortion” and “loan sharking.”

TULSI GABBARD ADVANCES OUT OF INTEL COMMITTEE IN BOOST TO CONFIRMATION ODDS

An unlikely bipartisan duo is proposing a cap on credit card interest rates, which Trump pledged to do on the campaign trail. (Reuters)

“We cannot continue to allow big banks to make huge profits ripping off the American people. This legislation will provide working families struggling to pay their bills with desperately needed financial relief,” his statement concluded.

The bill would cap rates at 10% effective immediately and stay in effect for five years.

‘OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC’: BIPARTISAN SENATORS TARGET FENTANYL CLASSIFICATION AS LAPSE APPROACHES

In his own statement, Hawley said, “Working Americans are drowning in record credit card debt while the biggest credit card issuers get richer and richer by hiking their interest rates to the moon.”

“It’s not just wrong, it’s exploitative. And it needs to end. Capping credit card interest rates at 10%, just like President Trump campaigned on, is a simple way to provide meaningful relief to working people.”

ELIZABETH WARREN GRILLED RFK JR ON DRUG COMPANY MONEY, BUT RECEIVED OVER $5M FROM HEALTH INDUSTRY

Trump took office on January 20. (Getty Images)

Trump talked about capping rates during a September campaign rally during which he laid out his economic agenda.

“While working Americans catch up, we’re going to put a temporary cap on credit card interest rates,” he said. “We’re going to cap it at around 10%. We can’t let them make 25 and 30%.”

SEN. TILLIS OPENS UP ABOUT ROLE IN PETE HEGSETH’S CONFIRMATION AFTER HEGSETH’S EX-SISTER-IN-LAW’S ALLEGATIONS

Sanders promised to spearhead legislation on this last year. (Joe Maher/Getty Images For Fane)

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After Trump was elected, Sanders promised to spearhead legislation to do that and followed through on Tuesday.

The White House was asked whether Trump is still considering this action and if he supports the senators’ bill, but did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication.

Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.

Follow Julia’s reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to [email protected].

February 4, 2025
Trump reinstates ‘maximum pressure’ campaign against Iran

President Donald Trump unveiled an executive order reinstating a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran on Tuesday, coinciding with a visit from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House.

Trump voiced that he was “torn” on signing the order and admitted he was “unhappy to do it,” noting that that the executive order was very tough on Iran.

“Hopefully, we’re not going to have to use it very much,” Trump told reporters Tuesday.

The order instructs the Treasury Department to execute “maximum economic pressure” upon Iran through a series of sanctions aimed at sinking Iran’s oil exports.

His first administration also adopted a “maximum pressure” initiative against Tehran, issuing greater sanctions and harsher enforcement for violations.

TRUMP’S LATEST HIRES AND FIRES RANKLE IRAN HAWKS AS NEW PRESIDENT SUGGESTS NUCLEAR DEAL

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with advisers ahead of his meeting with President Trump on Tuesday, February 4th, 2025. (GPO)

Lawmakers are also interested in exerting more pressure on Iran. For example, Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and John Fetterman, D-Penn., along with lawmakers in the House, introduced a resolution on Thursday that affirms that all options should remain on the table in dealing with Iran’s nuclear threat.

Graham said in a statement Thursday that should Iran obtain a nuclear weapon, it would prove “one of the most destabilizing and dangerous events in world history.”

Additionally, Graham said ahead of Netanyahu’s visit that the moment is right to eliminate Iran’s nuclear threat now, and that the U.S. should back Israel if it chooses to “decimate” Iran’s nuclear program.

IRAN’S WEAKENED POSITION COULD LEAD IT TO PURSUE NUCLEAR WEAPON, BIDEN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER WARNS

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on July 31, 2024 in Washington, DC.. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

“Israel is strong. Iran is weak. Hezbollah, Hamas have been decimated,” Graham said in an interview with Fox News Sunday. “They’re not finished off, but they’ve been weakened. And there’s an opportunity to hit the Iran nuclear program in a fashion I haven’t seen in decades. And I think it would be in the world’s interest for us to decimate the Iranian nuclear threat while we can. If we don’t, we will regret it later.”

Strict sanctions were reimposed upon Iran after Trump withdrew from the Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in May 2018. The 2015 agreement brokered under the Obama administration had lifted sanctions on Iran, in exchange for limits on Iran’s nuclear program.

Meanwhile, Trump signaled in January some optimism about securing a nuclear deal with Iran, when asked if he backed Israel striking Iran’s nuclear facilities.

TRUMP’S NEW UKRAINE ENVOY ISSUES WARNING TO IRAN, SAYS ‘MAXIMUM PRESSURE MUST BE REINSTATED’

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they pose for a photo within their meeting at Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida on July 26, 2024. (Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO) / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“We’ll have to see. I’m going to be meeting with various people over the next couple of days,” Trump told reporters on Jan. 24. “We’ll see, but hopefully that could be worked out without having to worry about it.”

“Iran hopefully will make a deal. I mean, they don’t make a deal, I guess that’s OK, too,” Trump said.

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Other executive orders that Trump signed on Tuesday include pulling the U.S. out of the United Nations Human Rights Council and cutting funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.

February 4, 2025
How can Trump achieve campaign pledge to eliminate Dept of Education? Experts weigh in

As President Trump reportedly weighs his options for accomplishing his campaign promise of eliminating the Department of Education, experts spoke to Fox News Digital about what that process will look like and what hurdles the president will have to overcome.

“The administration is right to push to eliminate the ineffective and unpopular Department of Education,” Jonathan Butcher, Will Skillman Senior Research Fellow in Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital shortly before the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump officials are mulling an executive order calling for a legislative proposal to get rid of the department.

“One thing I’ll be doing very early in the administration is closing up the Department of Education in Washington, DC, and sending all education and education work it needs back to the states,” Trump said in a 2023 campaign video.

A White House official told Fox News Digital on Monday night that Trump plans to fulfill his campaign promise by reevaluating the future of the department.

TRUMP’S DEPT OF EDUCATION REVERSES BIDEN’S TITLE IX REWRITE: ‘COMMON SENSE RETURNS!’

President Trump vowed on the campaign trail to eliminate the Dept of Education and bring the power back to the states. (Getty Images)

Butcher told Fox News Digital, “Congress should heed the call and advance policy to eliminate most of the agency’s programs and spending while moving remaining programs to other federal agencies.”

“President Trump can declare that the Education Department’s powers are unconstitutional and request a memo from the Department of Justice to support such a position. The president could, conceivably, do the same for specific programs, the Higher Education Act, for example.”

“Another approach would be to relocate the agency someplace away from Washington, DC and require employees work in-person, 5 days per week,” Butcher added. “The White House can still remove any non-essential, or non-exempt, positions in the meantime. Even this process would need congressional support to void union contracts.”

Butcher told Fox News Digital that even with these possible actions from Trump, the executive branch “still has to spend appropriations as required.”

“So, the best-case scenario remains that Congress considers a proposal to close the agency,” Butcher said.

“In the proposal, Congress should consider creating block grants for large spending programs such as Title I so that states have more autonomy over what is best for schools within their borders,” Butcher explained. “And Heritage has proposed moving certain offices that we believe should remain to other agencies, such as the office of civil rights to the Department of Justice.”

Julian Epstein, longtime Democratic operative, attorney, and former chief counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, told Fox News Digital that Trump will “likely need an act of Congress” to eliminate the department since it is a statutory created agency unless he can “figure out how to do it through reconciliation.”

However, Epstein explained that eliminating the department could ultimately cause Trump headaches.

“But Trump may want to think twice before he eliminates the department as it has important clubs to promote his agenda,” Epstein said. “The department is the principal enforcement agency to protect women’s sports, prevent discrimination through DEI quotas for favored groups, stop harboring antisemitism, and to address the rather blatant intellectually intolerant, partisan, anti Western ideological factories they have become. To do that, Trump might be well advised to keep the department of education and its core enforcement functions while scaling down its size.”

The DOE was established under former President Carter in 1979 when he split it from the Health and Human Services Department. It’s charged with regulating federal student aid funds and ensuring equal access to education, among other responsibilities.

TRUMP WANTS TO DISSOLVE THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. EXPERTS SAY IT COULD CHANGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The US Department of Education building is seen on August 21, 2024, in Washington, DC. (Tierney L. Cross)

Republicans have called to dismantle the agency for decades since former President Carter established itt in 1979, making the case that decisions regarding schools should be determined at the local level.

Democrats argue the department provides stability and an opportunity to enforce more generalized policies – civil rights protections, reducing educational disparities and addressing systemic inequalities.

Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk, who was tasked with leading the Trump administration’s effort to cut back government waste through the DOGE effort, has previously voiced support for eliminating the department.

Experts who spoke to Fox News Digital in November echoed the belief that any effort to fully abolish the department would need the help of Congress.

WISCONSIN MOM URGES TRUMP ADMIN TO LAUNCH ‘PIVOTAL’ PROBE INTO ALLEGED RACE-BASED DISCRIMINATION AGAINST SON

President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office on January 20, 2025, in Washington, DC. Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th President of the United States. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“President Trump does not have the ability to eliminate a federal department. Eliminating it would require congressional action, including a supermajority of 60 votes in the Senate,” Andrew Stoltmann, an attorney and law professor, said.

“So, even if Trump can follow through with what he says, he has to pull in some Democrats in the Senate, and that will likely be impossible.”

Stoltmann explained that Trump‘s “best bet is to appoint somebody who will effectively be a figurehead at the Department of Education.”

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Former administrator of the US Small Business Administration and US education secretary nominee Linda McMahon (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“This doesn’t eliminate the department, but it effectively neuters it during his term,” Stoltman said.

The timing of a Trump executive order is unclear although some believe the administration will wait until Trump’s pick to lead the department, former SBA Administrator Linda McMahon, is confirmed, although no timetable for that confirmation is currently set.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady, Liz Elkind, and Taylor Penley 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 4, 2025
Record breaking haul for Senate Republican campaign committee as it aims to expand majority

The Senate Republican campaign committee is touting that it is off to a strong fundraising start as it aims to defend and expand its majority in the chamber in the 2026 midterm elections.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) announced on Monday that it raked in a record $8.5 million in January, which the committee says is its best ever off-year January haul.

“To deliver on the promises President Trump made to the American people, we must protect and grow our Republican Senate Majority,” South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the new NRSC chair, said in a statement.

TRUMP-BACKED 2024 GOP SENATE NOMINEE IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE MOVING TOWARDS ANOTHER RUN IN 2026

Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, speaks during the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Monday, July 15, 2024. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Scott teased that “the NRSC’s record-breaking January is just the beginning. We will work tirelessly to ensure Republicans have the resources and operations needed to win in battleground states across the Senate map.”

MEET THE REPUBLICAN SENATOR TASKED WITH DEFENDING THE GOP’S SENATE MAJORITY IN 2026

However, in a memo sent to Senate Republican chiefs of staff, NRSC Executive Director Jennifer DeCasper noted that the committee will “enter this cycle with nearly $24 million in debt and unpaid bills from last cycle and limited cash on hand.”

The NRSC ended 2024 with $2.7 million in its coffers.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, the new chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, is interviewed by Fox News Digital on Dec. 11, 2024 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

The rival Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has yet to announce its January fundraising.

Republicans won control of the Senate in November’s elections by flipping an open seat in West Virginia, and ousting Democratic incumbents in Montana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The GOP currently holds a 53-47 majority in the Senate.

DEMOCRATS’ NEW SENATE CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS KEYS TO WINNING BACK MAJORITY IN 2026

Senate Republicans enjoyed a very favorable map in the 2024 cycle as they won back control of the majority. An early read of the 2026 map shows they will continue to play offense in some states, but will be forced to play defense in others.

Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, is interviewed by Fox News Digital at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 19, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

The GOP will target an open Democrat-held seat in battleground Michigan, where Sen. Gary Peters announced last week that he would not seek re-election in 2026. They will also target first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff in battleground Georgia and longtime Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in swing state New Hampshire.

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However, Democrats plan to go on offense in blue-leaning Maine, where GOP Sen. Susan Collins is up for re-election, as well as in battleground North Carolina, where Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is also up in 2026.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

February 3, 2025
PhonePe Launches Extensive Campaign for Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 in Prayagraj, Offers INR 144 Flat Cashback in First Transactions

New Delhi, January 21: PhonePe on Tuesday announced the launch of an extensive campaign around the ongoing Mahakumbh mela in Pragyaraj. The campaign among many exciting things includes – the ‘MahaKumba Ka MahaShagun’ offer, where first-time users attending the gathering in Pragyaraj city can avail Rs 144 flat cashback on their first transaction. The offer is valid only till the end of the mela on February 26, and on the transaction as low as Re 1.

To drive consumer awareness for the campaign, the company is also using a mix of Mahakumbh-themed QR codes, banners, posters, and other branding elements at relevant touch points. Further, to make this auspicious gathering even more exciting PhonePe has launched a special message on its SmartSpeaker, wishing attendees “Maha Kumbh ki Shubhkamnayein, Maha Shagun ke Saath”. ‘Entity Locker’: Government Launches Digital Platform To Transform Management, Verification of Business and Organisation Documents.

The campaign is aimed to help make the auspicious gathering of the Mahakumbh mela convenient and seamless for over 40 crore attendees, expected to attend the event. Allowing them to move about without the stress of carrying cash for paying at stalls or stores or even to pay for shaguns, as PhonePe will be an accepted mode of payment throughout the venue. This will also further enhance the adoption of digital payments in the country while driving financial inclusion for crores of Indians who are yet to come into the digital payments fold. WhatsApp New Feature Update: Meta-Owned Platform Introduces Redesigned Interface in Communities Tab and Bulk Management Feature for Channels for iOS Users.

PhonePe also described a step-by-step guide to avail of this special cashback offer. Users must first download the PhonePe app on an ioS or Android device, link bank account, and set a UPI PIN. To avail of the offer, one must allow location permission on the app. Users must also keep their location service ‘on’ on their devices. The offer is valid for users in Prayagraj city only. Users can pay seamlessly using the linked UPI account across use cases and can avail cashback which will reflect in the form of a scratch card on the PhonePe app.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 21, 2025 05:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).

January 23, 2025