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The Department of Education is warning state education departments that they must remove diversity, equity and inclusion policies or risk losing federal funding.
A letter from the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights was sent to the departments of education in all 50 states, notifying them that they have no more than 14 days to comply. The letter was shared on social media by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.
“Institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding,” Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights in the Department of Education, said in the letter.
The letter said the “overt and covert racial discrimination that has become widespread in this Nation’s educational institutions” will no longer be tolerated.
TRUMP EDUCATION NOMINEE LINDA MCMAHON SAYS SHUTTING DOWN DOE WOULD ‘REQUIRE CONGRESSIONAL ACTION’
The U.S. Department of Education building is seen in Washington, Nov. 18, 2024. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)
It argues that a Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which found that affirmative action in Harvard University’s admission process violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, should apply more broadly.
“The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent,” the letter reads.
DEMS SPAR OVER DOGE CUTS WITH TRUMP EDUCATION NOMINEE LINDA MCMAHON
The U.S. Department of Education building is seen on August 21, 2024, in Washington, D.C.(Getty Images)
Trainor said the Department of Education will “vigorously enforce the law on equal terms as to all preschool, elementary, secondary, and postsecondary educational institutions, as well as state educational agencies, that receive financial assistance.”
The letter urges state education departments to “ensure that their policies and actions comply with existing civil rights law … cease all efforts to circumvent prohibitions on the use of race by relying on proxies or other indirect means to accomplish such ends” and “cease all reliance on third-party contractors, clearinghouses, or aggregators that are being used by institutions in an effort to circumvent prohibited uses of race.”
The U.S. Department of Education building in Washington, D.C. (STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
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The letter comes after President Donald Trump signed executive orders directing agencies to provide a plan to eliminate federal funding for “illegal and discriminatory treatment and indoctrination in K-12 schools, including based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology.” He also signed orders to end DEI programs in federal agencies.
The Department of Education previously announced the removal of mention of DEI from documents and websites. The department also placed employees that led DEI initiatives on leave and dissolved its Diversity & Inclusion Council.
New York City mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, plans to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration after the federal government secretly revoked more than $80 million in funding for the city’s migrant shelters.
Counsel for the Adams administration sent a letter Friday to city Comptroller Brad Lander saying that the city’s Law Department planned to take legal action by the end of next week to have the $80.5 million in FEMA payments taken earlier this week returned, according to the New York Post. Lander is running against Adams in June’s Democrat primary election for the city’s mayor.
“The Law Department is currently drafting litigation papers with respect to this matter,” corporation counsel Mureil Goode-Trufant told Lander in a letter, the outlet reported.
“We intend to initiate legal action by February 21, 2025. As the Law Department is representing the City of New York in this matter, there is no need for an authorization for the Comptroller’s Office to engage external legal counsel,” the letter reads.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT MOVES TO DROP CASE AGAINST NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS
New York City Mayor Eric Adams departs Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse in New York City on Friday, November 1, 2024.(Adam Gray for Fox News Digital )
The letter came after Lander urged the Adams administration to either file a lawsuit or authorize him to hire his own attorneys to sue Trump and Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency.
“Given the gravity of the situation, we cannot afford to waste any more time. If the Mayor would prefer to spend his days advancing President Trump’s agenda instead of fighting for New Yorkers, then the Law Department must allow me to do so,” Lander said in a statement Friday.
“Recovering these funds is imperative, and any action, or non-action, allowing the Trump administration to proceed without consequence would set a dangerous precedent and make our City a target for the next four years,” he added.
The revocation of FEMA funds from New York City’s accounts happened Tuesday and was first discovered by Lander the following day.
NEW YORK CITY MAYOR ERIC ADAMS SAYS HE WILL RUN FOR RE-ELECTION AS A DEMOCRAT
New York City Mayor Eric Adams departs Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse in New York City on Friday, November 1, 2024.(Adam Gray for Fox News Digital )
“Let’s be crystal clear: This is highway robbery. Elon Musk, with no legal authority, illegally seized federal funds from New Yorkers,” Lander said Wednesday.
Musk claimed that DOGE found a $59 million FEMA payment to New York City was being used on luxury hotels to house illegal migrants. Trump later repeated Musk’s claim and argued that “massive fraud” was happening.
New York City was awarded two separate grants during the Biden administration — one for $58.6 million and another for $21.9 million — as the city attempted to pay to house migrants, many of whom were sent by Texas officials who were frustrated with the Biden administration’s handling of the influx of migrants entering the U.S. through the Southern Border.
The payments were made under the Shelter and Services Program that Congress appropriated $650 million for last year to help local governments respond to the migrant crisis.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams departs federal court in Lower Manhattan on Friday, September 27, 2024.(Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
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The FEMA money, which was funded by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, paid $12.50 a night reimbursement for each hotel room. The city said most of the hotels used to house migrants are not luxurious. The remainder of the funds went toward security, food and other services for migrants.
This came after the Department of Justice ordered prosecutors to drop their federal corruption case against Adams, who had been indicted on charges of fraud, bribery and soliciting campaign contributions from foreigners. Some have raised concerns that Adams may be beholden to the president because his case was dropped.
WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers said they do not support cutting funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) when confronted by Fox News Digital about controversial spending, such as money ending up in the hands of terrorist-linked groups.
The Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, recently started cutting funding from USAID as they slash costs across the federal government. During their sweep, it was revealed that U.S. dollars were ending up in the hands of terror-linked groups, such as funds reportedly providing “full funding” for al Qaeda terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki to attend college in Colorado, unearthed documents apparently show.
Fox News Digital asked Democratic lawmakers their thoughts about the controversial USAID funding, specifically the funding going to some terrorist-linked groups.
“USAID funding is authorized spending. Republicans and Democrats have agreed to those levels. We should honor those deals,” Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., told Fox.
USAID INSPECTOR GENERAL FIRED DAYS AFTER PUBLISHING REPORT CRITICAL OF AID PAUSE
Fox News Digital spoke to lawmakers about USAID funding on Capitol Hill.(Fox News Digital)
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said that while USAID funds “should never go to terrorist organizations,” he added that “Elon Musk has a real credibility gap” and that “almost all the claims as it relates to efficiency have been proven false.”
According to an analysis by the Middle East Forum, a U.S. conservative think tank, the USAID and State Department have funneled at least $122 million to groups aligned with designated terrorists and their supporters.
The think tank reported that among its top findings, USAID was found to have given more than $900,000 to a “Gaza-based terror charity” called Bayader Association for Environment and Development.
A White House report also identified millions of taxpayer dollars being spent on contraceptives and condoms that ended up in the hands of the Taliban, a terrorist group.
‘DESIGNATED TERRORISTS’: EXTREMIST GROUPS RAKED IN MILLIONS FROM USAID, MULTIYEAR STUDY REVEALS
“There’s no one in Congress who hates waste more than me,” Swalwell added. “And there’s nobody in Congress who wants to defeat the terrorists around the world more than me. So I will always be open-minded.”
Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., told Fox that USAID funding should be honored because it was “authorized” by Congress.(Fox News Digital)
“USAID funding right now is being raided by Elon Musk, and I think we have to do a much better job of ensuring that funding isn’t cut,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif. “Cutting any funding is horrific, and, of course, nobody wants to fund terrorism.”
Progressive Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, a member of “the Squad” of progressive lawmakers, said it is “perfectly reasonable” to look at specific USAID funding but that he opposes gutting the entire department.
“When people ask about specific programs and parts of USAID or other federal programs, we should look into those. We can have oversight. We can look, we can go and edit the budget and say we don’t want to spend on this, because this didn’t work and we do want to spend on that.”
Elon Musk speaks during an event in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump at the White House on Feb. 11, 2025.(Alex Brandon)
“The problem that we have right now happening in this country isn’t just about USAID. It’s not just about the Department of Education. It’s that you have Elon Musk, a billionaire who makes billions of dollars off of the federal government, going and shutting down programs without a vote, without any transparency,” Casar said.
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Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey did not fully answer the question and walked away.
Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., is threatening to file articles of impeachment against a federal judge who blocked President Donald Trump’s federal funding freeze.
“I’m drafting articles of impeachment for U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr.,” Clyde wrote on X.
“He’s a partisan activist weaponizing our judicial system to stop President Trump’s funding freeze on woke and wasteful government spending. We must end this abusive overreach. Stay tuned.”
SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN
U.S. District Judge John McConnell, inset, is under fire by President Donald Trump’s allies after he blocked a federal funding freeze,(Getty)
U.S. District Judge John McConnell filed a new motion Monday ordering the Trump administration to comply with a restraining order issued Jan. 31, temporarily blocking the administration’s efforts to pause federal grants and loans.
McConnell’s original restraining order came after 22 states and the District of Columbia challenged the Trump administration’s actions to hold up funds for grants, such as the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant and other Environmental Protection Agency programs. However, the states said Friday that the administration is not following through and funds are still tied up.
A three-judge panel on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration’s appeal of the order on Tuesday.
Rep. Andrew Clyde, pictured here, pledged to work up articles of impeachment against U.S. District Judge John McConnell.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
McConnell has come under fire by Trump supporters and conservatives who have accused him of being a liberal activist.
Clyde and others have cited a video of McConnell in 2021 saying courts must “stand and enforce the rule of law, that is, against arbitrary and capricious actions by what could be a tyrant or could be whatnot.”
“You have to take a moment and realize that this, you know, middle-class, white, male, privileged person needs to understand the human being that comes before us that may be a woman, may be Black, may be transgender, may be poor, may be rich, may be — whatever,” McConnell said in the video, according to WPRI.
Elon Musk wrote on X in response, “Impeach this activist posing as a judge! Such a person does great discredit to the American justice system.”
BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS
Clyde confirmed he was preparing articles of impeachment when asked by Fox News Digital on Thursday.
“For a federal judge to deny the executive their legitimate right to exercise their authority is wrong,” Clyde told Fox News Digital. “This type of judge, this political activist – this radical political activist – should be removed from the bench.”
Elon Musk has called for that judge and others to be impeached.(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
When reached for a response to Clyde’s threat, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island said McConnell “often sits down with members of the media upon request” but did not comment on pending cases.
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Trump’s allies have been hammering the judges who have issued a series of decisions curbing the president’s executive orders.
Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., threatened to prepare impeachment articles against another judge earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer of the U.S. Southern District of New York, for blocking Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Treasury records.
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.
The Trump administration’s decision to slash overhead costs linked to federally funded research has sparked an immense backlash. But some doctors are praising the move, suggesting it will help “optimize” how taxpayer dollars are used when it comes to scientific research.
A new rule from the Trump administration that went into effect Monday, capped facilities and administrative costs, also known as “indirect costs,” at 15% for federally funded research grants provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). When a grant is awarded to a scientist by the NIH, an additional percentage, on top of the allocated research funding, goes to the facility housing their work to cover these “indirect costs.”
According to an announcement about the new funding cap from the Trump administration, that percentage has historically been around 27% to 28% for each grant. But in some cases, negotiated rates can be as high as 70 to 90%, according to doctors who spoke with Fox News Digital.
UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR HAILS THAT SCIENCE ‘THRIVED’ UNDER HITLER IN ATTACK ON TRUMP’S NIH CUTS
“If that money is cut to 15%, what that means is there’s actually going to be more grants given out to do science. You get more money back to the NIH to give out more science,” said Dr. Vinay Prasad, a hematologist-oncologist and professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco.
“It’s about time,” said Dr. Erika Schwartz, the founder of Evolved Science, which is a concierge medical practice in New York City with more than 1,500 active patients.
“While infrastructure support is necessary, there’s room for more efficient cost management. A reformed funding model could redirect more resources to direct research activities while maintaining essential support services. This could potentially increase the number of funded research projects and accelerate medical breakthroughs, ultimately benefiting patients more directly.”
HHS WILL REEVALUATE PROGRAMS, REGULATIONS TO ENSURE TAXPAYER FUNDS ARE NOT PAYING FOR ELECTIVE ABORTIONS
Dr. Erika Schwartz is the founder of a New York City-based practice, Evolved Science, which utilizes new therapies to improve patient results.
Prasad posited that universities and research institutions have negotiated “sweetheart deals” that allow them to rake in funds that sometimes aren’t even necessary to the research at hand. To demonstrate his point, he explained the numbers for a research institution that has negotiated a 57% rate for indirect costs:
“Let’s say I get $100,000 [for a research project] and I need a laboratory… I get $100,000, and then they still get the $57,000 to the university that goes to the administrators, and presumably the fact that I have a lab bench, and the lights, etc. But now let’s say I do the same $100,000 project, but my project is we’re going to analyze genomic sequences from an online repository. So, I just have a laptop… but they still get the $57,000 even though there’s literally no space being given to this person. There’s no bench, there’s no desk, there’s nothing.”
Prasad added that another “fundamental problem” with these negotiated rates is that the money is not formally budgeted, so “the American people don’t know where that money is going.”
DOGE CANCELS FUNDING FOR FAUCI MUSEUM EXHIBIT
“A famous researcher once said to me, an NIH dollar is more valuable than any other dollar because they can use it for whatever purpose they want. Although, nominally, they’re supposed to use it to keep the lights on and, you know, make the buildings run, but that’s not always the case,” he said.
Dr. Vinay Prasad is a hematologist-oncologist and professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco.
David Whelan, a former healthcare writer for Forbes who has spent time working in hospitals and now works in the healthcare consulting space, echoed this concern in a post on X that claimed universities have used indirect research grant payments “to pocket money.”
“Indirects are just ways for wealthy academic hospitals to pocket money that their investigators won and then create slush for those who are incapable of getting funded on their own,” Whelan wrote. “It’s a huge grift and great place for cuts.”
‘LOST ALL CRTEDIBILITY’: NONPROFIT CEO DELIVERS DEMAND TO TRUMP HHS AMID ‘FAILED’ HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTLINE
The Trump administration’s cap on indirect funding associated with NIH research grants was immediately challenged in court with lawsuits from 22 Democratic state attorneys general and a cohort of universities, which argued the move will “devastate critical public health research at universities and research institutions in the United States.”
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a $9 billion spending cut in response to a new mandate from the Trump administration.(Alamy/Getty Images)
“Once again, President Trump and Elon Musk are acting in direct violation of the law. In this case, they are causing irreparable damage to ongoing research to develop cures and treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, ALS, Diabetes, Mental Health disorders, opioid abuse, genetic diseases, rare diseases, and other diseases and conditions affecting American families,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee. “The Trump Administration is attempting to steal critical funds promised to scientific research institutions funded by the NIH, despite an explicit legal prohibition against this action.”
In response to the lawsuit from Democratic state attorneys general, a federal judge imposed a temporary restraining order prohibiting NIH agencies from taking any steps to implement, apply or enforce the new rule.
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The judge’s order also required Trump administration agencies that are impacted by the new rule to file reports within 24 hours to confirm the steps they are taking to comply with the ruling. Meanwhile, an in-person hearing date on the matter has been scheduled for Feb. 21.
The Department of Education (DOE) is canceling more than $100 million in grants to fund diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training as part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) sweep of “wasteful” spending.
DOGE, the department led by Elon Musk to cut costs within the federal government, announced the termination of 89 DOE contracts totaling $881 million in a post on X Monday night.
Of the nearly $1 billion, DOGE identified $101 million that was being used for DEI training, including teaching educators to “help students understand/interrogate the complex histories involved in oppression, and help students recognize areas of privilege and power on an individual and collective basis.”
“Your tax dollars were spent on this,” Musk wrote of the DOE spending.
TRUMP PUTS HIGHER EDUCATION ON NOTICE FOR ‘DANGEROUS, DEMEANING, AND IMMORAL’ DEI TEACHINGS
Elon Musk heads the Department of Government Efficiency.(Andrew Harnik)
According to DOGE, the education department spent another $1.5 million on a contractor to “observe mailing and clerical operations” at a mail center, which was also terminated in the recent spending sweep.
“DEI was never about ‘equity’—it was about enforcing ideological conformity and institutionalizing discrimination. Shutting down these wasteful, divisive programs is a win for every student,” Nicki Neily, founder and president of Parents Defending Education, said in response to the spending cut.
“More states need to follow suit,” Neily said.
TRUMP EDUCATION DEPT LAUNCHES PROBE INTO ‘EXPLOSION OF ANTISEMITISM’ AT 5 UNIVERSITIES
Erika Donalds, wife of Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, also wrote in response that “the kids can’t read.”
The Department of Education building is seen on Aug. 21, 2024 in Washington, D.C.(Tierney L. Cross)
DOGE has been leading efforts to vacuum spending within the DOE, announcing in early February the termination of three grants including one funding an institution that had reportedly “previously hosted faculty workshops entitled ‘Decolonizing the Curriculum.’”
In his first slew of executive orders, President Donald Trump launched a federal review of DEI teachings and practices in educational institutions receiving federal funding.
President Donald Trump launched a federal review of DEI teachings and practices in educational institutions receiving federal funding.(Donald Trump 2024 campaign)
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Amid the Trump-Vance crackdown on certain teachings, several colleges, such as Missouri State University and West Virginia University, have begun closing their DEI offices.
Fox News’ Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
FIRST ON FOX: Republicans lawmakers are renewing efforts to gut federal funding to NPR and PBS amid the Trump administration’s upheaval of the federal bureaucracy.
Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., is leading a bill in the House of Representatives that would halt taxpayer dollars from going to either media broadcaster and reroute existing federal funds to reducing the national debt, according to legislative text previewed by Fox News Digital.
“As a former newspaper owner and publisher, I understand the vital role of balanced, non-partisan media. Unfortunately, these taxpayer-funded outlets have chosen advocacy over accuracy, using public dollars to promote a political agenda rather than report the facts,” Tenney told Fox News Digital.
SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN
House Republicans are targeting PBS and NPR with new legislation.(Getty)
The legislation’s Senate counterpart is being led by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who told Fox News Digital, “Americans have hundreds of sources of news and commentary, and they don’t need politically biased, taxpayer-funded media choosing what they should see and hear. PBS and NPR are free to compete in the marketplace of ideas using donations, but their public subsidy should end.”
Republicans have long targeted NPR and PBS, accusing both outlets of sharing a liberal bias while receiving government funding.
Less than 1% of NPR’s funding comes directly from the federal government, though other funding comes indirectly from grants and dollars allocated to local member stations who then pay fees back to NPR. More than a third of its funding comes from corporate sponsorships.
Rep. Claudia Tenney introduced the bill on the House side.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
PBS also gets a mix of federal funds through other avenues.
However, the GOP’s demands to end federal allocations to both outlets now come at a time when the executive branch is fervently searching for places to block government spending that does not align with the Trump administration’s agenda.
Elon Musk, who is leading Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, has been critical of NPR in the past.
“Defund NPR. It should survive on its own,” Musk wrote on his X platform earlier this month.
‘WE’RE THE GOLD STANDARD’: GOP LAWMAKER CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARING OVER DC PLANE CRASH
Sen. Mike Lee is leading the bill in the upper chamber.(Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
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Soon after he acquired X, Musk briefly hit NPR with a “State-Affiliated” media label, which is normally reserved for the media arm of authoritarian governments.
Tenney’s bill is one of multiple efforts targeting NPR and PBS during this Congress. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who chairs the DOGE subcommittee under the House Oversight Committee, said she wants the heads of each organization to come testify before her new panel.
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.
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.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) canceled over $180 million in contracts over 48 hours, including a nearly $170,000 contract for an Anthony Fauci museum exhibit.
“In the past 48 hours, HHS canceled 62 contract [sic] worth $182 million,” The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced in a Friday social media post. “These contracts were entirely for administrative expenses – none touched any healthcare programs. This included terminating a $168,000 contract for an Anthony Fauci exhibit at the NIH Museum.”
The news comes as DOGE, led by billionaire Elon Musk, has continued to outline vast changes in government spending over the last few weeks, including a plan to eliminate the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and sweeping changes at the U.S. Treasury Department aimed at eliminating over $100 billion per year in entitlement payments to individuals with no Social Security number.
ANTHONY FAUCI MAY BE DEPOSED AS GOP INTENSIFIES COVID INVESTIGATIONS IN NEW CONGRESS
President Donald Trump listens to Dr. Anthony Fauci at a briefing during the COVID-19 pandemic at the White House on April 17, 2020.(Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Seemingly no federal agency has been excluded from the reach of DOGE, with HHS being just the latest in a string of targets meant to eliminate waste from the federal government.
The Fauci exhibit was booked to be finished by July 2025, but has now been scrapped along with $182 million in other HHS administrative expenses.
Fauci has long been a controversial figure and has often clashed with President Donald Trump, who last month revoked the taxpayer-funded security detail for the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) that was requested for him in 2020 as he became the government’s public spokesperson during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Elon Musk is leading the Department of Government Efficiency.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
FORMER NASCAR STAR DANICA PATRICK SUPPORTS TRUMP REVOKING FAUCI’S SECURITY DETAIL
“I think, you know, when you work for government, at some point your security detail comes off and, you know, you can’t have them forever,” Trump said of the move. “We took some off other people, too, but you can’t have a security detail for the rest of your life because you work for government.”
Fauci was given a preemptive pardon by former President Joe Biden on his last day in office, which was meant to shield the infectious disease expert from feared retribution from Trump during his second stint in the White House, though Fauci was not charged with any crimes at the time of the pardon.
Before serving as the chief medical advisor to the president during COVID-19, Fauci served nearly 30 years as the director of the NIAID between 1984 and 2022.
Dr. Anthony Fauci gives an update on the omicron variant of COVID-19 at the White House on Dec. 1, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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He started his career at the National Institutes of Health in 1968, and was widely praised for his efforts to confront HIV/AIDs before becoming the government’s public face during the pandemic.
HHS did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Michael Lee is a writer for Fox News. Prior to joining Fox News, Michael worked for the Washington Examiner, Bongino.com, and Unbiased America. He has covered politics for more than eight years.
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After the release of British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari, she and her mother, Mandy, revealed Emily was held captive in a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) center in Gaza, a location tied to Hamas operations.
During a phone call with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Emily, 28, and Mandy described how Emily was denied proper medical care while being detained in one of UNRWA’s schools, where Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) later discovered tunnels and ammunition linked to Hamas.
Emily was abducted Oct. 7, 2023, by Hamas terrorists who shot her in the hand and leg. She was denied treatment, with only an outdated bottle of iodine provided as medical aid. The IDF’s discovery of Hamas infrastructure beneath UNRWA buildings, including tunnels linked to terror activities, has raised serious concerns about the agency’s role in Gaza.
NEW REPORTS CLAIM UNRWA WORKS WITH TERRORISTS, TEACHES HATE AS AGENCY HITS BACK AT CRITICS
Emily Damari, right, and her mother Mandy are seen near kibbutz Reim, southern Israel after Emily was released from captivity by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, on Sunday, Jan. 19.(AP/Israeli Army)
Emily and Mandy emphasized the need for international pressure on Hamas and UNRWA to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) access to the remaining 82 hostages.
“We are asking for maximum pressure to be placed on Hamas and UNRWA to allow the ICRC access to the remaining hostages,” Mandy Damari told Starmer. “The suffering is far from over for those still in captivity, many of whom are elderly or severely injured.”
This followed revelations the U.K. government is still an active supporter of the controversial U.N. agency.
Released hostages Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, wearing green, are greeted by Israeli soldiers after their arrival in Israel after being held in Gaza since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack.( Israel Defense Forces/Handout via Reuters)
Last week, President Donald Trump reinforced his administration’s stance on UNRWA by continuing a freeze on U.S. funding to the agency. Trump’s decision, initially enacted during his first term, remains in effect amid ongoing investigations into the agency’s ties to Hamas. This move reflects growing concerns over UNRWA’s failure to meet international standards of neutrality and accountability.
The troubling allegations of UNRWA facilities being used by Hamas to hold hostages emerged early in the crisis, but the U.N. and UNRWA initially dismissed the claims. Despite growing evidence, both have been criticized for their slow response.
When the accusations surfaced, the U.N. dismissed them as “big accusations,” failing to conduct a thorough investigation. It wasn’t until significant public pressure mounted that UNRWA, in a tweet Jan. 21, acknowledged the claims and said it was taking them “extremely seriously.”
Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s commissioner-general, expressed relief at Emily’s release in his Jan. 21 tweet but continued to downplay the gravity of the allegations.
“Claims that hostages have been held in UNRWA premises are deeply disturbing & shocking. We take any such allegations extremely seriously,” Lazzarini wrote.
However, Lazzarini also said UNRWA was forced to vacate its northern Gaza facilities, including those in Gaza City, Oct. 13, 2023, and had no control over them after military evacuation orders were issued.
He added, “UNRWA has not been involved in any negotiation related to hostage release as it is not within its mandate.”
Photos released by the Israeli Defense Force show three individuals the Israeli military claims are Hamas terrorists inside an UNRWA compound in Rafah.(IDF)
Peter Gallo, a former U.N. investigator, questioned his statement.
“So who has control? UNRWA has 12,000 staff in Gaza, and the agency has been begging for money and aid to support people sheltering in its premises. Does UNRWA want it both ways? Yes, they want funding to support those in the facilities, but they also claim no responsibility for what goes on inside them,” Gallo said.
TRUMP CUTS US OFF FROM UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL, BANS UNRWA FUNDING
“Somebody must have been distributing — even if it was just two sacks of potatoes among 1,000 people. Somebody must have been reporting the conditions, the numbers of people in these facilities while UNRWA tried to function. And you’re trying to tell me that nobody knew about a young Israeli woman with gunshot injuries? We didn’t know where she came from?” Gallo added, emphasizing the inconsistency in UNRWA’s position.
The continued lack of transparency and accountability from both the U.N. and UNRWA in response to the allegations has drawn widespread criticism. Gallo has heavily criticized the internal investigation carried out by UNRWA, describing it as a “farce.”
“The U.N. investigation FAILED to actually prove that ANY of them were involved in acts of terrorism,” Gallo said.
He claimed the staff members who were “fired” by the U.N. after being seen on cameras participating in the Oct. 7 massacre were not actually terminated for misconduct. Instead, they were made redundant and received severance payments.
“You’ve had U.N. staff members engaged in crimes, crimes recognized by the ICC as crimes against humanity, and the U.N. is now going to give them a severance package because they were dismissed from their positions,” Gallo said.
A U.N. vehicle enters the UNRWA offices in Jerusalem April 2, 2024. (Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS)
While an UNRWA spokesperson did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions on Gallo’s allegations, Lazzarini released a statement Friday in response to critics.
“UNRWA has the most robust systems in place to ensure adherence to neutrality compared to other similar UN organizations and entities,” Lazzarini said. “This applies to both the Agency’s staff and our programs across the region, as confirmed by an independent review conducted last year under the leadership of France’s former foreign minister.
“Safeguarding the Agency’s neutrality is central to our ability to continue delivering lifesaving aid in Gaza, as well as education and primary health services across the region. As one of the largest U.N. agencies in the world, UNRWA is committed to U.N. values and principles, which strengthens our response during one of the most challenging periods in the history of the Palestinian people. We remain dedicated to staying and delivering.”
Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East during a press conference in Geneva Jan. 24, 2023(Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)
Yona Schiffmiller, director of research at NGO Monitor, further illuminated Hamas’ involvement in the humanitarian aid process.
“Hamas used the Ministry of Social Development (MOSD) to direct aid distribution. The head of MoSD, Ghazi Hamad, who was recently designated by the U.S. Treasury as a Hamas leader, met with U.N. officials and international NGOs while promoting Hamas interests,” Schiffmiller explained.
“The data from MoSD influenced aid distribution across various organizations, solidifying Hamas’ grip on Gaza’s humanitarian aid. We’ve got pictures of Hamad meeting with U.N. officials, and if you look closely in the background, you can actually see the Hamas logo on the map on the wall where they’re meeting.”
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The Israeli Knesset passed legislation banning UNRWA from operating in Israel, which took effect at the end of January. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated its position on UNRWA’s ties to terrorism.
“Humanitarian aid doesn’t equal UNRWA, and UNRWA doesn’t equal humanitarian aid. UNRWA equals an organization infested with Hamas terror activity,” its statement said. “Israel remains committed to facilitating humanitarian aid through alternative organizations that are independent and not complicit in terror.”
