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Tag: crackdown

Trump greenlights some pro-immigrant moves amid broader anti-migrant crackdown

While President Donald Trump has taken a series of measures to restrict immigration into the U.S., particularly illegal immigration, he has also made a handful of less-scrutinized moves to help some immigrants on their way to becoming citizens.

Trump ran on a platform of securing the southern border, deporting illegal immigrants and also shutting down parole programs introduced by the Biden administration to allow migrants to enter the U.S.

Since taking office, he has also signed executive orders declaring a national emergency at the border and suspending refugee resettlement.

HOMAN TAKES VICTORY LAP AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CROSSINGS PLUMMET DURING TRUMP ADMIN: ‘HE IS DELIVERING’

President Donald Trump with Melania Trump (Jacob Safar/@yaakovsafar)

But he made an apparent exception to the refugee resettlement pause this month when he signed an executive order accusing the South African government of allowing attacks on white Afrikaner farmers.

That executive order, which cut assistance to the South African government, was accompanied by a move to offer Afrikaners refugee status.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS SKYROCKET UNDER TRUMP ICE COMPARED TO BIDEN LEVELS LAST YEAR

“The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall take appropriate steps, consistent with law, to prioritize humanitarian relief, including admission and resettlement through the United States Refugee Admissions Program, for Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination,” Trump’s order said.

“Such plan shall be submitted to the President through the Assistant to the President and Homeland Security Advisor,” he said.

Trump’s administration also made a significant move affecting immigrants in the U.S. already, if they are applying for their green card.

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New U.S. citizens listen as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks during a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services naturalization ceremony inside the Robert N.C. Nix Federal Courthouse on October 19, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posted a short announcement on Jan 22, announcing that it was waiving the requirements that those immigrants applying for an adjustment to permanent legal status present documentation showing they have had a COVID-19 vaccine.

Mandates for the COVID vaccine were controversial, and many Americans have declined to take it and pushed back against requirements that they do so. Now, those who are seeking to remain in the U.S. permanently have the ability to avoid the vaccine but still progress on the way to citizenship.

“USCIS will not issue any Request for Evidence or Notice of Intent to Deny related to proving a COVID-19 vaccination,” the announcement said. “USCIS will not deny any adjustment of status application based on the applicant’s failure to present documentation that they received the COVID-19 vaccination.”

It is unclear if any additional moves by the Trump administration are incoming that could be viewed as pro-immigrant.

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While some of Trump’s broader moves on immigration have cut legal forms of immigration, including parole and refugee limits, the main focus has been on cutting and disincentivizing illegal immigration.

The Department of Homeland Security has dramatically increased illegal immigrant arrests in the interior, and numbers at the border have also dropped significantly, according to government data.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.

February 18, 2025
Chinese companies shore up US-based production to avoid Trump trade crackdown

Rockwell Automation CEO Blake Moret explains how tariffs will be a ‘net positive’ for U.S. automation on ‘The Claman Countdown.’

Chinese companies are shoring up their U.S.-based production and warehouses to evade the Trump administration’s crackdown on Communist Party of China (CCP) imports.

Fashion brand Temu is pushing its locally made products after the Trump administration put an end to a lucrative trade loophole that allowed Chinese fast fashion and low-cost goods to make their way into the U.S. and evade tax enforcement.

Temu is now promoting items stored in its U.S. warehouses under its “lightning deals” section and a “local warehouse” section on its website.

The Trump administration ended an exemption known as “de minimus,” which allowed goods valued less than $800 to enter the U.S. without paying duties.

CHINA RESPONDS WITH TARIFFS ON US GOODS AFTER TRUMP’S TARIFFS ON CHINESE IMPORTS TAKE EFFECT

Fashion brand Temu is pushing its locally made products after the Trump administration cracked down on a lucrative trade loophole. (CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images/File)

The de minimus rule helped Temu offer the U.S. suspiciously low-cost goods like $5 sneakers and $6 knockoff AirPods.

Singapore-based, China-founded fast fashion brand Shein has adopted a similar strategy, and it now has a growing U.S.-based workforce of 1,500 and is increasingly relying on warehouses in California and Indiana.

This month, Shein opened a Seattle hub for U.S. fulfillment and logistics operations as it seeks to localize deliveries.

Meanwhile, Chinese quartz company Sunfat Marble and Granite put out a pro-Trump news release promising “intentions for a historic investment into America, with a commitment to create tens of thousand (sic) new American jobs, including construction of new manufacturing facilities across the heartland of the U.S., with an investment totaling $250 million.”

“With President Trump in power, we’re more excited than ever to commit to the United States,” the company said in a release seen by Fox Business.

“We understand Americans are skeptical of Chinese companies and concerned about foreign investment. It’s why we are also announcing a commitment to only hire American workers. There will be no H1-B visas. There will be no undercutting of American wages.”

CHINA-LINKED FIRM GETS E-ZPASS CONTRACT IN NEW JERSEY, FORMER SENATOR CALLS IT ‘WORSE’ THAN TIKTOK

China’s CATL may look to build a plant in the U.S. (REUTERS/Jake Spring/File)

On Monday, Trump slapped 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, which came one week after Trump imposed a 10% tariff on all Chinese goods.

CATL, the world’s top battery maker, has said it will consider building a U.S. plant if Trump opens the door to Chinese investment in the American electric vehicle supply chain.

“Originally, when we wanted to invest in the U.S., the U.S. government said no,” CATL founder Robin Zeng told Reuters. “For me, I’m really open-minded.”

China’s EV and battery firms are heavily subsidized by the CCP and face some of the steepest trade restrictions due to competition and national security concerns. Chinese EV imports are slapped with a 100% tariff, an effective ban.

Trump says Xi Jinping, China’s president, knows where he stands when it comes to tariffs. (Ton Molina/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)

It’s not clear how many of the Chinese-based efforts to build U.S.-based supply chains will be successful, and they pose a risk of furthering CCP intellectual theft by allowing such companies to do business here.

This week, Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., wrote a letter to the CEO of a Chinese battery company that operates in California, Stored Power Tech Technology Systems Inc., demanding to know more about its rumored links to China Shipbuilding Corp. (Fangfen), an entity controlled by the CCP. The company touts its ties to Fangfen on its LinkedIn page.

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“If these allegations are confirmed, the relationship would blatantly violate U.S. law,” said Hamadeh. “The notion of a Chinese state-controlled enterprise penetrating the U.S. battery industry, especially with potential ties to the Chinese military, is a grave threat.”

February 14, 2025
House Dem fumes over Musk’s DOGE crackdown during fiery interview: ‘I’m pissed’

Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts blasted Elon Musk on Wednesday and argued that his DOGE efforts are undermining the “values” of the United States, and promised to “fight” against them.

“Elon Musk has probably never stepped into a public school, his kids will get private tutors, he doesn’t understand it, he has no idea what this is all about,” McGovern, who represents the 2nd Congressional District of Massachusetts, told Fox News Digital after a rally against DOGE cuts to the Department of Education.

“Our teachers do an incredible job. They deserve to be respected. The Department of Education is more than just a line item,” he continued. “It represents real people, and it represents our future. And so, yeah, I’m pissed.”

McGovern explained that “not a single” Democrat protesting is upset about cutting fraud or waste, but said that education is not the place to start.

CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT SAYS PARTY NEEDS TO ‘BRING ACTUAL WEAPONS’ IN THE ‘FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY’ AGAINST ELON MUSK

Dem. Rep. Jim McGovern railed against Elon Musk’s DOGE efforts on Wednesday (Fox/Getty)

“I use colorful language because I can’t believe we’re at this moment, and I’m really pissed at my Republican colleagues who are sitting there twiddling their thumbs, afraid to say anything because they’re afraid they might get a primary challenge,” the House Democrat continued. “But you know what? Being in Congress is about helping people, not screwing people. And it’s about time they grew a backbone and came out here and joined us and pushed back against this nonsense.”

McGovern argued that the Department of Education is “not a line item” and that it “represents real people” who could lose important funding for their children in schools.

“I’d like to start with the Department of Defense first, McGovern said, “where I can tell you there’s tons and tons of waste. They’ve never been audited successfully. All these other departments and agencies have been audited. But here’s the deal. This is not about rooting out fraud, waste, or abuse. This is about them shutting down important agencies of departments so they can have money to give billionaires and big corporations a tax break, and I’m just sick and tired of the well-off and the well-connected to this country, getting whatever the hell they want while everybody else gets screwed. We can’t stand for that.”

ELON MUSK DESCRIBES LIMESTONE MINE USED FOR PROCESSING FEDERAL WORKERS’ RETIREMENT PAPERS: ‘LIKE A TIME WARP’

Elon Musk speaks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and guests at a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship, in Brownsville, Texas, November 19, 2024. (Brandon Bell/Pool via Reuters/File Photo)

“I mean, when is the last time Musk ever walked into a public school?” McGovern said. “When’s the last time you walked into a supermarket? When’s the last time he actually talked to, like, real people? And as far as this DOGE thing, I don’t even know what kind of clearances Musk has or the young minions that he has around him.”

“I don’t know what kind of clearances they have going through all this stuff. But we should be worried. They’re undermining our democracy here. They’re undermining, you know, our values. And as I said, if they want to fight, I’ll give them a goddamn fight. We’re ready for this fight.”

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Ranking member Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., speaks during the House Rules Committee meeting on a resolution denouncing the horrors of socialism, in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, January 31, 2023. (Tom Williams)

When asked whether he wants Musk to answer questions before Congress, McGovern said he’d like to see the Tesla and Space X CEO testify under oath.

“I do, I want him to come before Congress. I want them to be sworn in. So he can’t lie. I mean, I saw that press conference, and It was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I mean, these guys, this is. You can’t make this stuff up.”

DOGE’s spending cuts have drawn the ire of numerous Democrats in recent weeks prompting rallies where lawmakers have pledged to fight Musk’s efforts.

The Department of Education, which Trump pledged to eliminate when he was on the campaign trail, has been a particularly heated subject, and Trump recently suggested that he still intends to get rid of it and send education decisions to the states.

“Oh, I’d like it to be closed immediately. Look at the Department of Education. It’s a big con job,” Trump said this week. “They ranked the top countries in the world. We’re ranked No. 40, but we’re ranked No. 1 in one department: cost per pupil. So, we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, but we’re ranked No. 40.”

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

February 13, 2025
Trump’s House allies unveil bill ‘hand in hand’ with DOGE crackdown

FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans is pushing to give President Donald Trump more control over the federal spending process, as his administration continues to crack down on funding that does not align with the GOP agenda.

Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., is leading legislation to repeal the Impoundment Control Act, a 1974 Nixon-era law aimed at stopping the president from having unilateral say over government spending.

It would give Trump greater ability to accomplish his goals for Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Clyde told Fox News Digital in an interview.

SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN

Rep. Andrew Clyde’s bill to repeal the Impoundment Control Act goes ‘hand in hand’ with DOGE efforts, he said. (Getty)

“I think it goes hand in hand with what DOGE is doing right now and with what the president has in mind to do, and that is to make our government more effective and more efficient,” Clyde said.

“They’re simply bringing the fraud, waste and abuse to light. And, then the rest of us, you know, the president and the executive need to take action on it. And then Congress needs to look at that and say, hey, we need to codify that into law to make sure that it stays beyond just this presidency.”

His legislation has more than 20 House GOP co-sponsors and a companion bill in the Senate led by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.

Clyde told Fox News Digital that he intends to raise his bill with members of the Trump administration, which has also driven significant pushback against the Impoundment Control Act.

Trump’s Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought has called the Impoundment Control Act unconstitutional. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

Russell Vought, Trump’s recently confirmed Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), has previously called the Impoundment Control Act unconstitutional.

Trump himself has made similar arguments.

“Since the Empowered Control Act of ‘74, we have seen a tremendous increase in spending. And I think that’s part of the problem right there. The president is required now by law to spend the exact amount that Congress authorizes or appropriates for a specific program,” Clyde said.

‘WE’RE THE GOLD STANDARD’: GOP LAWMAKER CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARING OVER DC PLANE CRASH

“Well, as a small business owner, I understand the rules of business. And I think that if you can accomplish the same goal and be more financially efficient, I think you should be allowed to do that. And I think the president has always had the authority to do that under the Constitution.”

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Trump has already exercised significant control over existing federal spending commitments. He paused most foreign aid funding soon after taking office last month, as well as other funding streams his administration said necessitated review.

Parts of Trump’s federal funding freezes have been challenged in court, with a federal judge ordering the White House just this week to comply with an earlier legal order directing them to reinstate funding.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to [email protected]

February 11, 2025
Trump orders immediate end to Biden’s crackdown on household appliances, return to ‘common sense standards’

President Donald Trump is ordering the immediate reversal of Biden-era green energy regulations on household appliances and the reinstatement of environmental orders issued under his first term.

During his term, former President Joe Biden issued more stringent climate standards for various household appliances, such as gas stoves, washing machines and dishwashers, which energy experts and manufacturers have warned could lead to more expensive alternatives that are far less effective than current models.

Trump, in a Truth Social post early Tuesday morning, called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), led by former Rep. Lee Zeldin, to immediately undo Biden’s climate mandates and return to “common sense standards.”

“I am hereby instructing Secretary Lee Zeldin to immediately go back to my Environmental Orders, which were terminated by Crooked Joe Biden, on Water Standards and Flow pertaining to SINKS, SHOWERS, TOILETS, WASHING MACHINES, DISHWASHERS, etc., and to likewise go back to the common sense standards on LIGHTBULBS, that were put in place by the Trump Administration, but terminated by Crooked Joe,” Trump wrote.

ENERGY EXPERTS BLAST FAILED BILLION-DOLLAR DOE PROJECT AS ‘FINANCIAL BOONDOGGLE,’ ‘DISASTER’

President Donald Trump called on the EPA to immediately reverse Biden’s climate standards for household appliances. (Getty Images)

“I look forward to signing these Orders,” the president said. “THANK YOU!!!”

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S PRO-ENERGY AGENDA WILL UNLEASH AMERICAN JOBS AND ENERGY SECURITY

Republican lawmakers, who have the majority in both the House and the Senate, have also started taking actions in Congress to derail Biden’s green energy standards for appliances.

Lee Zeldin serves as President Donald Trump’s head of the Environmental Protection Agency. (Al Drago)

Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Oka., introduced a joint resolution of disapproval against the standards for coolers and freezers enacted by the Biden administration that were set to go into effect in February, reported first by Fox News Digital.

Additionally, Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., introduced a resolution to block Biden’s ban on water heaters, which was announced first by Fox News Digital.

In this photo illustration, flames burn on a natural gas-burning stove on Jan. 12, 2023 in Chicago. (Scott Olson)

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Also in January, the House passed the “Liberty in Laundry Act” to prevent the Energy secretary and Department of Energy from “implementing new or amended energy efficiency standards for clothes washers that are not technologically feasible and economically justified.”

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.

February 11, 2025
House, Senate lawmakers move to slap limits on NGOs aiding illegal immigrants amid Trump funding crackdown

FIRST ON FOX: Two lawmakers in the House and Senate are introducing separate bills to slap limits on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) they believe are undermining U.S. immigration law – coming amid broader questions about funding of NGOs and a funding crackdown by the Trump administration.

Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas is reintroducing the “Protecting Federal Funds from Human Trafficking and Smuggling Act,” while Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., is introducing the Fixing Exemptions for Networks Choosing to Enable Illegal Migration (Fence) Act.

Hagerty’s bill would end tax-exempt status for organizations that help illegal immigrants, requiring that exempt organizations do not engage in a pattern of providing assistance, benefits, services or other support to those who they know “to be unlawfully present in the United States.”

TRUMP’S ICE LIMITS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RELEASES AMID MOVES TO SHAKE OFF BIDEN ‘HANGOVER’

“Tax-exempt status is a privilege, not a right, and these organizations will be able to preserve their tax-exempt status simply by ceasing these activities,” his office said in a release.

Army soldiers patrol the U.S.-Mexico border at Eagle Pass, Texas, on Jan. 24, 2025. President Donald Trump ordered 1,500 more military personnel to the border with Mexico as part of a flurry of steps to tackle immigration, his spokeswoman said on Jan. 22. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

Gooden’s bill would prevent federal contracts and grants being awarded to NGOs unless they certified to the Office of Management and Budget that they are not involved in human trafficking or smuggling. It also would yank tax-exempt status from organizations who knowingly violate federal law.

The bill also requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop a written strategy and best practices guide for non-profits to ensure they are in compliance with the law.

It also requires NGOs to go through a verification process to ensure illegal immigrants are not receiving benefits.

“For years, non-governmental organizations have exploited taxpayer dollars to facilitate illegal immigration under the guise of ‘humanitarian aid,’” Gooden said in a statement. “The exploitation of the American taxpayer will end under the Trump Administration. This bill ensures that not a single cent of hard-earned American tax dollars will fund organizations complicit in human trafficking and illegal border crossings.”

TRUMP DOJ SLAPS ILLINOIS, CHICAGO WITH LAWSUIT OVER SANCTUARY LAWS

Migrants seeking asylum in the United States who previously requested an appointment on the CBP One Mobile application, are silhouetted as they queue at El Chaparral border crossing toward the U.S. to attend their appointment, in Tijuana, Mexico, Jan. 18, 2025. (REUTERS/Jorge Duenes)

It comes amid longstanding concern about the role of NGOs in assisting the government during the 2021-2024 migration crisis at the southern border, where millions of dollars went to NGOs that would receive migrants, assist them and potentially give them shelter and travel to their final destination. The funding is provided via contracts and grants from DHS, Health and Human Services and the State Department.

Gooden has introduced a number of pieces of legislation on the matter, and has been working for years to bring attention to the issue.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced Wednesday that it has stopped funding nonprofits, saying they have been facilitating illegal immigration. It is part of a broad effort by the administration to ramp up border security and crack down on illegal immigration.

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“Many of these NGOs actually have infrastructure and operations set up in Mexico, on that side of the border, and are telling those illegal immigrants to come to them, and they will get them across the border,” Noem said on Fox News Channel’s “Will Cain Show.” “So they’re not just operating in the United States, they’re operating outside the United States to help make it easier for those who want to break our laws.”

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Until an evaluation is completed, Noem said the department is “not spending another dime to help the destruction of this country.”

Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order demanding a review of all federal funding going to NGOs. These two pieces of legislation would enshrine limits beyond this administration. Meanwhile, the administration has also frozen USAID as the agency’s funding is being reviewed over concerns about how the funding is being used.

Fox News’ Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.

February 10, 2025
Border state’s crucial crackdown on illegal immigrants could get new federal protections: ‘Finish the job’

FIRST ON FOX: A Texas lawmaker is relaunching efforts to make sure his state can build a border buoy barrier without interference from the federal government after the state tackled a lawsuit by the Biden administration.

Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, is reintroducing the Prevent Aliens Through Rivers of Lands (PATROL) Act that would bar the Department of Justice (DOJ) from using the Rivers and Harbor Act to sue states.

Texas set up buoys on the Rio Grande in 2023 due to the surging migrant crisis at the southern border at the time.

Texas claimed the barrier would protect sovereignty and save lives by preventing people from entering the water. Humanitarian groups and the DOJ argued the barriers were a safety risk and sued.

TRUMP DOJ SLAPS ILLINOIS, CHICAGO WITH LAWSUIT OVER SANCTUARY LAWS

Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, speaks during a news conference after a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the U.S. Capitol Sept. 27, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The DOJ lawsuit argued the buoy barrier violates the Rivers and Harbors Act, which protects navigable waters from obstructions and outlines authorities for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The buoys were allowed to stay by an appeals court as the case moved forward, and it is not expected to be pursued by the Trump administration.

The bill would remove the ability to sue under that act, meaning the barrier and similar barriers could go ahead unimpeded both during this administration and future administrations.

“For the last four years, the White House had refused to secure our border and instead fought against the states that were stepping up to do it themselves,” Cloud said in a statement. “The PATROL Act makes it clear: Texas doesn’t need permission from the federal government to defend its communities. The DOJ should never again be used as a weapon against border security.

Migrants try to cross the border between Piedras Negras and Eagle Pass in Piedras Negras, Mexico, Aug. 4, 2023. (David Peinado Romero/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

TRUMP-ERA SOUTHERN BORDER SEES MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS PLUMMET BY OVER 60% AS NEW POLICIES KICK IN

“Now that we have an administration under President Trump who cares about law and order and protecting our communities, it’s time to remove the last roadblocks and allow Texas to finish the job.”

The bill has the backing of conservative groups, including NumbersUSA and Heritage Action, which said Congress should “build on [Trump’s] momentum to strengthen our immigration system and enforce the rule of law.”

“States should have the right to secure the border and protect American citizens when the federal government fails to do so,” the group said.

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced last month his state has installed more buoys along the river.

“The Biden Administration tried — and FAILED — to prevent Texas from deploying these effective buoy barriers,” he said on X.

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“Glad to finally have a President who will work with Texas to secure the border.”

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.

February 6, 2025
DOGE’s crackdown on USAID catches attention of US enemies and allies

President Donald Trump’s second administration has made the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) a prime target for spending cuts. Under Trump, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, is taking a serious look at the foreign aid agency — and America’s allies and enemies alike are taking notice.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital at the United Nations, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó didn’t hide his disdain for USAID. While insisting that he was not interested in interfering with US domestic issues, Szijjártó did speak about what he saw from the agency under former President Joe Biden.

“The former administration couldn’t digest that we weren’t ready to give up our national positions. We were not ready to give up representing our national interests,” Szijjártó told Fox News Digital. “And we were not ready to give up our non-liberal, patriotic, conservative type of approach.”

Former President Joe Biden speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. (Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

‘VIPER’S NEST’: USAID ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION, MISMANAGEMENT LONG BEFORE TRUMP ADMIN TOOK AIM

Szijjártó also accused the Biden administration of using USAID to “destabilize the situation in other countries” and to fund “programs which were totally alien and strange compared to the culture and the heritage of other countries.”

“If you ask me whether it’s good to us that there’s a revision period of 90 days when it comes to payments regarding USAID and others, we are very happy,” Szijjártó added.

USAID HAS ‘DEMONSTRATED PATTERN OF OBSTRUCTIONISM,’ CLAIMS TOP DOGE REPUBLICAN IN LETTER TO RUBIO

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a longtime ally of Trump, also ripped USAID after it was reported that the agency was funding Politico.

Prime Minister Orbán followed up in another tweet saying, “We had to endure for years that the ultra-progressive, self-proclaimed human rights champions of the mainstream media demonized Patriotic political forces for years. They did it because they were paid to do so by USAID and the previous, left-wing US administration. I agree with President [Trump]: this is too big and too dirty to hide from.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed during Wednesday’s press briefing that “more than $8 million taxpayer dollars” went to Politico, adding that DOGE is “working on canceling those payments.” However, the publication denied that it has ever been a “beneficiary of government programs.”

Musk, who is heading up Trump’s cost-cutting efforts through DOGE, described the agency as a “viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America.”

Elon Musk leads the Department of Government Efficiency. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

MEET THE BIDEN-ERA USAID LEADER FACING BACKLASH AMID MUSK’S DOGE CRACKDOWN

On Monday, Trump’s White House issued a list of examples of “waste and abuse” at USAID. This included $6M to fund tourism in Egypt, $1.5M in funding for DEI programs in Serbia’s workplaces, $47,000 for a “transgender opera” in Colombia and more.

The White House also accused the agency of spending “hundreds of millions of dollars” on “irrigation canals, farming equipment, and even fertilizer used to support the unprecedented poppy cultivation and heroin production in Afghanistan,” adding that this was “benefiting the Taliban.”

Trump and Musk watch the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on Nov. 19, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

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At the end of its list, the White House noted that the highlighted examples were part of a longer list of projects.

“Under President Trump, the waste, fraud, and abuse ENDS NOW,” the White House added.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

February 6, 2025
‘Power grab’: Jeffries unveils data protection bill amid DOGE crackdown

House Democrats unveiled legislation on Thursday that seeks to secure the personal data of Americans amid the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) spending sweep.

House Democrats unveiled the Taxpayer Data Protection Act to “shield the American people from this out-of-control power grab, permanently, and make sure that the financial, personal, medical, and confidential information of the American people is protected.”

Musk and his team at DOGE have spent the past two weeks going into various government departments and identifying “wasteful” spending where cuts can be made.

Musk was recently granted access to the Treasury Department, which manages federal finances and taxes, where he has “read only” access to the government’s payment system, a Treasury Department official told members of Congress on Tuesday.

USAID HAS ‘DEMONSTRATED PATTERN OF OBSTRUCTIONISM,’ CLAIMS TOP DOGE REPUBLICAN IN LETTER TO RUBIO

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks at a press conference. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Democrats have vocally opposed the sweep, suggesting during a press conference on Thursday that Musk is gaining access to the personal access of Americans and introducing legislation to circumvent any efforts.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., claimed that Republicans are “working for Elon Musk and doing the bidding of an unelected, unaccountable, out of control billionaire puppet master.”

MEET THE YOUNG TEAM OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERS SLASHING GOVERNMENT WASTE AT DOGE: REPORT

“Why does Elon Musk and his minions need access to the names, Social Security numbers, addresses, and birthdates of millions of Americans?” Jeffries asked.

Elon Musk and his team at DOGE have spent the past two weeks going into various government departments and identifying “wasteful” spending. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

“What are they doing with that information, and why aren’t House Republicans stopping them?” Jeffries said, adding that a Senate companion bill is expected to be introduced shortly.

Amid Democratic opposition to the spending sweep, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended Musk and DOGE.

“Elon Musk is the greatest entrepreneur of this generation,” Bessent told FOX Business host Larry Kudlow. “DOGE is not going to fail. They are moving a lot of people’s cheese here in the capital, and when you hear this squawking, then some status quo interest is not happy.”

A security guard stands at the entrance to the U.S. Agency for International Development headquarters on Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

On Thursday, a federal judge temporarily blocked DOGE from obtaining access to certain Treasury Department payment records.

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According to a temporary restraining order, Treasury officials “will not provide access to any payment record or payment system of records maintained within the [Treasury] Bureau of Fiscal Service,” Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly wrote.

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.

February 6, 2025
Trump allies push Education Dept rollback after DOGE crackdown of USAID

Congressional allies of President Donald Trump have rallied around his and Elon Musk’s efforts to roll back the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Now, they’re urging the administration to set its sights on another core agency.

“I think the conversation about the Department of Education getting drastically cut is the right conversation,” Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital. “I trust the Tennessee General Assembly to craft curriculums for Tennessee students more than I do the California or the D.C. legislative bodies. And I think we all face that back home.”

Republican lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital this week named several federal offices that they wanted to see audited or scaled back by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., rattled off a list of suggestions when speaking to Fox News Digital, “OSHA, EPA, Department of Education, ATF.”

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Reps. Brandon Gill, left, and Andy Ogles, right, are among those who want to see Elon Musk and President Trump audit or roll back the Department of Education. (Getty)

But most coalesced around the Department of Education as a worthy next target, amid rumors that Trump could soon sign an executive order dismantling the Cabinet agency.

“In order to get buy in, you could eliminate the Department of Education, but you would take at least a portion of the money and give it back to the states in the form of block grants or something like that,” Biggs suggested.

Freshman Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, said, “I think we need to get rid of the Department of Education. We need to get rid of the ATF. I’ve co-sponsored bills to do that for both of those.”

He said the Department of Education was a “good place to start,” accusing it of sinking millions of taxpayer dollars into diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts and other progressive causes.

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order eliminating the Department of Education. (Evan Vucci/AP)

“I mean, the American people are sick of funding left-wing activism with their taxpayer dollars,” Gill said.

Conservatives have long been critical of the Cabinet department, which first opened its doors in 1980 after President Jimmy Carter split it off from what is now the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Education Department should’ve been gone or reined in a long time ago,” said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C.

He said he hoped Musk would “put a dollar tag on it, trace the money, where it’s going.”

A bill introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., this week to eliminate the Department of Education already has 30 House GOP co-signers.

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Rep. Thomas Massie reintroduced his bill this week to eliminate the Department of Education. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., suggested on Wednesday there was an appetite for Congress to back up Trump if he follows through with an executive order on the department.

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“The teachers unions will viciously fight, of course, any idea of disbanding the federal Department of Education. But I think the principle is one whose time has come. We’ve all seen the ratings. I mean, the U.S. is falling far behind other countries because the system is not working,” Johnson said in response to a question by Fox News Digital.

The speaker stressed that further details were necessary, but added, “You’re going to see a lot of support among House and I think Senate Republicans, for the general idea of pushing the decisions down, back down to the local level. I think that’s something that would serve us all well.”

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to [email protected]

February 6, 2025