Happy New Year 2025

Tag: GOP

MAGA candidate wins GOP primary in Florida race to replace Matt Gaetz in Congress

The candidate endorsed by President Trump on Tuesday won the Republican primary in a special congressional election to replace former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz in Florida’s 1st Congressional District.

The Associated Press projects that Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis will win the GOP nomination in the district, which is located in the northwest corner of the state in the Panhandle region.

He will face gun safety advocate Gay Valimont, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Patronis, who was also endorsed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, topped nine other Republican candidates in the crowded primary field. He will be considered the clear favorite in the April 1 general election to fill the congressional seat in the heavily red district.

“A fourth generation Floridian from the beautiful Panhandle, and owner of an iconic seafood restaurant, Jimmy has been a wonderful friend to me, and to MAGA,” Trump wrote in a social media post earlier this month.

IT’S PRIMARY DAY IN PARTS OF THIS CRUCIAL STATE

Left: Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis; Right: President-elect Donald Trump rings the opening bell on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Dec. 12, 2024 in New York City. (Left: Fox News Digital; Right: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Gaetz resigned from Congress abruptly late last year after Trump tapped him to be his attorney general, though Gaetz eventually withdrew himself from consideration amid growing Republican opposition.

The congressman’s resignation also came as the House Ethics Committee had been preparing its report on allegations against Gaetz that included illicit drug use and sex with a minor, all of which he has denied.

Among those who fell short to Patronis in the GOP primary was a former Navy veteran who challenged Gaetz last year with the backing of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Gaetz had triggered the congressional maneuver in 2023 that eventually led to McCarthy’s ouster from power after less than a year as House speaker.

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis., on July 17, 2024. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

Patronis – whose family runs a popular restaurant in Panama City – which is outside the district -was criticized for not living in the district.

He twice won statewide elections as chief financial officer and, until Gaetz quit Congress, was seen as a potential candidate in Florida’s 2026 race to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis delivers remarks at a campaign event in Sarasota, Florida, on Nov. 6, 2022. (Tiffany Tompkins/Bradenton Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Republican and Democratic primaries were also being held Tuesday in Florida’s 6th Congressional District, in the special election to fill the seat left vacant after GOP Rep. Michael Waltz stepped down to serve as national security adviser in the second Trump administration. The general election in the red district is also scheduled for April 1.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

With a fragile, razor-thin majority in the House, the likely reinforcements from Florida’s 1st and 6th Congressional Distircts will be welcome news to Republican leadership in the chamber as it tries to pass Trump’s agenda.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

January 29, 2025
Trump endorsed candidate wins GOP primary in Florida race to replace Mike Waltz in Congress

The candidate endorsed by President Trump on Tuesday won the Republican primary in a special election in Florida’s 6th Congressional District in the race to replace former GOP Rep. Michael Waltz.

Waltz stepped down from his House seat last week to serve as national security adviser in Trump’s second administration.

The Associated Press projects that state Sen. Randy Fine will win the GOP nomination in the Republican-leaning district, which stretches from Daytona Beach to the southern suburbs of Jacksonville along Florida’s Atlantic coast.

Fine, who at one time was the only Jewish Republican lawmaker in the state legislature, topped a couple of other Republicans running in the primary. He will be considered the clear favorite in the April 1 general election.

IT’S PRIMARY DAY IN PARTS OF THIS CRUCIAL STATE

State lawmaker Randy Fine, a Republican from South Brevard County, Florida, speaks during a special legislative session, on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, in Tallahassee. (AP)

Republican and Democratic primaries were also being held Tuesday in Florida’s 1st Congressional District, in the special election to fill the seat left vacant after GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz resigned from Congress abruptly late last year after Trump tapped him to be his attorney general.

Gaetz eventually withdrew himself from consideration amid growing Republican opposition. The congressman’s resignation also came as the House Ethics Committee had been preparing its report on allegations against Gaetz that included illicit drug use and sex with a minor, all of which he has denied.

Then-Rep. Michael Waltz of Florida (left) introduces then-Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth during his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Both of Tuesday’s Republican primaries in Florida are a test of Trump’s overwhelming clout over the GOP.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The general election in Florida’s 1st District is also on April 1.

With a fragile, razor-thin majority in the House, the likely reinforcements from both districts will be welcome news to Republican leadership in the chamber as it tries to pass Trump’s agenda.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

January 29, 2025
‘Full court press’: Freshman GOP lawmaker reveals blueprint to flip script on green energy mandates

Freshman GOP Rep. Gabe Evans spoke to Fox News Digital about the critical need for new energy policies in the United States and how he plans to push forward to overcome harmful green energy mandates like the ones in his home state of Colorado.

“We know that we need more energy, not less, for our modern lifestyle, and all of the different emerging technologies, for example, United Power, they’re actually my local electric co-op that supplies my energy, and United Power is forecasting a double to triple increase in the amount of power that they’re going to need over the next 10 to 20 years, driven not only by population growth, but driven also by a lot of the new technologies that we’re seeing,” Evans told Fox News Digital.

“Everybody knows about electric vehicles and the power that’s required there, and so whether that’s, you know, the switch to electric vehicles is driven by the free market or whether it’s driven by some heavy-handed government mandates, if you plug in something into the power grid, we need more power, and we need to make sure that we have a more robust power grid to deliver that and that all ties back to baseline energy generation,” he continued.

Evans explained that “there’s also mandates in Colorado around things like electrifying drill rigs for a lot of the oil and gas, which is going to consume massive amounts of energy.”

AMERICA’S ENERGY CRISIS IS HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT AND IT’S WORSE THAN YOU KNOW

Fox News Digital recently spoke to GOP Rep. Gabe Evans (Fox News Digital/Getty)

“So we have massive new demands for electricity around AI or computing, and these are things that are of critical national security importance, because if we’re not making sure that we’re the dominant power in AI and a lot of this advanced computing, a lot of our international competitors are going to move into the first place position in those spaces. And so really, our entire modern way of life revolves around energy and having more energy.”

Evans told Fox News Digital that the United States, particularly Colorado’s 8th Congressional District which he represents, makes “some of the cleanest and most environmentally responsible energy anywhere on the planet.”

“So being able to advocate for that, all of the above approach to meet the demands that we have for our modern way of life is something that I’m super excited to work on and on,” Evans said.

ENERGY EXPERTS WEIGH IN AFTER CANADIAN PREMIER SAYS SHE WANTS TO DISCUSS KEYSTONE PIPELINE 2.0 WITH TRUMP

Former State House of Representative Gabe Evans works at the Colorado State Capitol (RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Evans told Fox News Digital that Democrat-led energy policies in Colorado, along with other places, are actually causing a larger carbon footprint from green energy policies.

“Follow the science,” Evans said. “So we’ve talked a lot about electricity. The question that often doesn’t come up in the space of electricity is what is the carbon footprint required to produce electricity? And in Colorado right now, the carbon footprint of our electrical grid is actually about 40% higher than the carbon footprint for pure natural gas,” Evans explained.

“So if there is a natural gas school bus versus an electric school bus, if there’s a natural gas RTD as in our local mass transit system in the Denver metro area, if we have a natural gas RTD bus versus an electric bus, the electric buses are actually contributing 40% more carbon to the atmosphere because of the carbon footprint required to generate and transmit that electricity than just pure natural gas.”

Evans told Fox News Digital it is imperative that Republicans work hand in hand with the Republican secretary nominees, who are yet to be confirmed, at the Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, and Environmental Protection Agency.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Crude oil pump jack (REUTERS/Angus Mordant)

“Chris Wright is the energy nominee, he’s also from Colorado, and so we have a preexisting relationship based on my time in the state legislature where I was the ranking member on our State Energy and Environment Committee,” Evans said. “But we really do have to work hand-in-hand together, and I think the American people understand that, which is why the American people gave majorities in the House and the Senate and then obviously the presidency to my party, because they understand that we need to have a full court press to be able to deliver these solutions.”

Evans continued, “And it’s not just the House or the Senate or the presidency and the administration. We all have to be able to work together. And so being able to continue, you know, specifically in the energy space, the existing relationship that I have with some of these nominees is going to be critically important to achieving that ultimate goal of empowering energy producers, getting the good jobs that come from that industry, protecting our environment by actually producing responsible energy and then ultimately providing the good paying jobs that are so critical to solving the affordability crisis that we have right now.”

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

January 28, 2025
Top Texas GOP official rallies around Trump’s AI, crypto plans amid state’s crucial investments

One of the top officials in Texas says he is on board with President Donald Trump’s aggressive plan to expand the AI and crypto capabilities of the United States.

“There’s no daylight between President Trump and I on this issue,” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told Fox News Digital this week. “

“I totally support the president and his Stargate Plan. We are completely aligned in our desire to see Texas and America lead in AI, data centers and crypto. These industries understand they will have to supply their own power needs and are diligently working toward that goal so costs are not disproportionally shifted onto residential and small businesses customers.”

Patrick, long considered a loyal ally of Trump, raised eyebrows last year when he warned of the burden that crypto mining and data centers could put on the state’s electrical grid. However, he repeatedly emphasized that there is “no daylight” between him and Trump on these issues.

TRUMP CRYPTO CZAR DAVID SACKS TOUTS PRESIDENT’S EXECUTIVE ORDER, SAYS BIDEN DROVE INDUSTRY OFFSHORE

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told Fox News Digital he backs President Donald Trump’s AI infrastructure plan. (Getty)

“We need to take a close look at those two industries,” Patrick posted on X in June 2024 while expressing concerns that data centers and crypto mining expansion add more to the grid than they pay off in jobs.

“They produce very few jobs compared to the incredible demands they place on our grid. Crypto mining may actually make more money selling electricity back to the grid than from their crypto mining operations… Texans will ultimately pay the price. I’m more interested in building the grid to service customers in their homes, apartments, and normal businesses and keeping costs as low as possible for them instead of for very niche industries that have massive power demands and produce few jobs.”

EXPERTS SAY FIRST WEEK OF ‘TRUMP EFFECT’ IS DERAILING GLOBAL CLIMATE MOVEMENT’S ‘HOUSE OF CARDS’

Republican Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks at a news conference. (Reuters/Jon Herskovitz)

Crypto mining and data center expansion have been dominant themes of the Presidential Transition’s economic messaging, including earlier this month when Trump announced a new $20 billion foreign investment for the expansion of data centers across several U.S. states, including Texas. The announcement drew praise from many conservatives, including Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

Trump has also garnered significant support from the crypto community and raised large chunks of money from the industry along with his promotion of a message emphasizing energy independence, economic growth and framing the expansion of crypto mining as an essential tool toward ensuring the U.S. leads the industry.

“The need to quickly scale data center capacity to support the 21st-century economy continues to increase, given the growing demand for AI and other digital services by individuals, households, businesses, government, and organizations of all sizes,” Dan Diorio, senior director of state policy at the Data Center Coalition, told Fox News Digital.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump wave as they board Air Force One, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, for a trip to North Carolina and California. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

“The data center industry appreciates President Trump highlighting the essential role of the data center industry in advancing America’s national security and global economic competitiveness. We also appreciate his commitment to promoting the rapid development of additional data center and energy capacity to support the nation’s leadership in AI,” Diorio continued. “Texas is uniquely poised to benefit from this. With continued support for data centers, Texas can continue to drive innovation and investment while promoting American economic leadership and national security today and into the future.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Last week, Trump announced Stargate, a joint venture of OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle that will invest up to $500 billion in AI-related infrastructure.

Texas will serve as ground zero, with 10 data centers by the venture already under construction in the state, 10 more on the way and the first project based in Abilene, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said. Each building will occupy half a million square feet.

Patrick said in a statement last week to The Texas Tribune that he believes Texas should be the “world leader in AI, data center and crypto. The key is to ensure they have the power they need without a major impact to our electrical grid. The industries understand that and they are working on solutions.”

Texas’ main grid operator predicts power demand will nearly double by 2030, in part due to more requests to plug into the grid from large users like data centers, crypto mining facilities, hydrogen production plants, and oil and gas companies.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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

January 28, 2025
GOP chairman signals investigations over alleged debanking of conservatives

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., addresses claims of conservatives being debanked and weighs in on Joe Bidens last minute pardons

A leading House Republican is signaling that his committee is set to investigate claims that some individuals and entities were debanked by financial institutions because of their connection to conservative political causes.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., appeared on “Sunday Morning Futures” and addressed claims that conservatives have been debanked by leading financial institutions. The discussion occurred after President Donald Trump raised concerns about debanking during remarks to the World Economic Forum.

“We’ve heard numerous instances of conservatives being debanked and what we want to know is, is this a process of the bank’s ESG policy, or is this our government stepping in like what we found with Twitter and Facebook, where the government stepped in and said they wanted certain conservatives deplatformed and censored, and certain conservative content removed,” Comer said.

“We want to know, again, is this the government involvement – another dirty trick by Joe Biden’s administration – or is this just bad liberal policy that discriminates against conservatives by the banks,” he added.

TRUMP’S DAVOS COMMENTS REIGNITE DEBANKING CONTROVERSY

House Oversight Committee Chair Jamie Comer said his panel plans to look into debarning claims. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Bartiromo asked if Comer has evidence of banks cutting ties with conservative clients, and the chairman said he does.

“Yes, especially people that were involved in different energy-type businesses as well as very outspoken conservative activists. So there are numerous instances, enough to open an investigation,” he replied.

“Again, is this ESG policy – which is discriminatory and ironically, the Democrats have passed all this banking legislation that prohibits discrimination – is this discriminatory because of ESG, or is it the government, are the bank examiners, as President Trump hinted in his remarks you played earlier, are these bank examiners with a wink and a nod saying, ‘Don’t let this person bank at your bank,’” Comer said.

TRUMP CONFRONTS BANK OF AMERICA CEO FOR NOT TAKING ‘CONSERVATIVE BUSINESS’

President Donald Trump spoke to the World Economic Forum on Jan. 23, 2025, and criticized banks for what he said was politically motivated debanking. (Halil Sagirkaya/Anadolu via)

The chairman said banks are “going to be asked a lot of questions,” and added, “I will say this for the banks, during the Biden influence peddling investigation the banks were the one entity that did cooperate with us. So I expect that the banks will cooperate with our questions, and hopefully we can get some answers.”

“At the very least we want to change this,” Comer said. “We’re not talking about debanking meaning they denied a loan, that happens every day in the banking world. This is just opening up savings accounts and checking accounts. I mean this is unheard of to do this, and it’s against the law – the laws, ironically, that the Democrats created against discrimination.”

CONSERVATIVE GROUP TAKES AIM AT WALL STREET IN REPORT CLAIMING BIG BANKS HAVE UNDERCUT FIREARMS INDUSTRY

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon recently said banks should be able to more freely tell clients why their accounts were closed. (Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via / Getty Images)

Federal laws and financial regulations can prompt banks to close accounts over concerns about things like money laundering or illicit financial activities.

Trump’s debanking comments at the WEF were directed at Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan as well as JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon. Both banks have disputed allegations that politics contributed to decisions to close bank accounts.

“We serve more than 70 million clients, and we welcome conservatives,” a Bank of America spokesperson told FOX Business. “We are required to follow extensive government rules and regulations that sometimes result in decisions to exit client relationships. We never close accounts for political reasons, and don’t have a political litmus test.”

A JPMorgan spokesperson said in a statement that the bank would “never close an account for political reasons, full stop. We follow the law and guidance from our regulators and have long said there are problems with the current framework that Washington must address.”

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Dimon appeared on JPMorgan Chase’s “The Unshakeables” podcast and said in a discussion about challenges that crypto firms have encountered with debanking that banks are not allowed to tell clients why they were debanked and had their accounts closed.

“I think we should be allowed to tell you,” Dimon said. “When we report stuff, the federal government should probably know about it, and there should be far clearer lines about what we have to do and what we don’t have to do or things like that.”

January 28, 2025
Freshman GOP lawmaker rallies behind Trump’s rapid illegal immigration crackdown: ‘No time to waste’

GOP Rep. Abe Hamadeh is praising President Trump’s swift actions on illegal immigration in the first days of his presidency and told Fox News Digital that the president has “learned a lot from 2017” and that he expects more of the same in the future.

“President Trump campaigned on this and he’s delivering it for the American people,” the freshman congressman told Fox News Digital in an interview. “If you look at the polling, even Democrats are in favor of deportations of illegal immigrants. So right now, he’s deporting the most dangerous illegal immigrants and you’re starting to see the raids and it’s quite a sight to see because for too long, the Biden administration, they prioritized illegal immigrants over American citizens.”

“They treated American citizens as second-class citizens and President Trump is about America first. So these deportation raids, it’s happened so fast and that’s exactly his style of leadership. He knows he has no time to waste and delivering the results for the American people as they already voted for these policies back on November 5th. So far, so good.”

Hamadeh told Fox News Digital that Trump “learned a lot from 2017” and this time around knows “exactly what to do” to get his agenda accomplished.

BORDER ENCOUNTERS DROP SHARPLY AS TRUMP LAUNCHES CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Fox News Digital spoke to GOP Rep. Abe Hamadeh about President Trump’s first few days in office (Fox News Digital/Getty)

Republicans recently successfully pushed the Laken Riley Act through Congress, with 48 Democrat votes, which Hamadeh told Fox News Digital should have been a unanimous vote and doesn’t necessarily mean Democrats are embracing Trump’s agenda.

“It’s kind of funny because many of the Democrats actually voted against the Laken Riley Act when it was in Congress last session, but now they’re supporting it because they see electorally that it’s beneficial to them.”

“So no we always have to be cognizant of that. A lot of these Democrats don’t have any principles that they’re standing on. They just saw that they got shellacked in the end in the election, November 5th. So they’re trying to moderate themselves or appear to be moderate. But honestly it should have gotten unanimous support.”

TRUMP’S ICE NABS CHILD SEX OFFENDERS AMONG 530+ ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CAUGHT IN SINGLE DAY

Arizona Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh with Kayla Mueller’s parents on Jan. 3, 2025. (Kayla Mueller Family)

Hamadeh said Laken Riley’s murder at the hands of an illegal immigrant was a “tragedy” that was “totally preventable” by the Biden administration who “opened the floodgates to millions of illegal immigrants.”

Going forward, House Republicans will have to navigate a razor-thin majority in the House and be in lockstep in order to push through Trump’s agenda which Hamadeh said he is optimistic will happen.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

This photo shows migrants at the southern border encountered in Arizona. (U.S. Border Patrol)

“I see my colleagues all the time and everybody understands that President Trump delivered the victory for many of them and that’s what’s different about this time around versus 2017,” Hamadeh explained. “Now, a lot of Republicans, you know, they’re on the same page, leadership’s on the same page. We’re all working together, no matter if you’re moderate, no matter if you’re MAGA, it’s a testament to see how Speaker Mike Johnson won his speakership on the first vote versus what happened two years ago, and it’s something to be seen. It’s really beautiful out here.”

Hamadeh continued, “It’s been a lot easier for me being a freshman congressman to see us all united, unlike how it used to be in the past. But these executive orders have been fantastic. Every Republican is all in favor of them. You know, I’m especially happy about the designation of the drug cartels as a foreign terrorist organization and Arizona is as well, because we understand we have to go to war against these cartels. So just seeing the action that President Trump is doing so fast and his team is doing so fast is a testament to his leadership style and something that Congress must emulate and must back him up.”

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

January 28, 2025
‘Bumbling idiot’: Freshman GOP senator unleashes on blue city mayor, Dems opposing Trump’s deportations

Ohio GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno ripped Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson as the “worst mayor in American history” and called on liberal mayors across the country to focus on making life better for their citizens, as opposed to blocking President Donald Trump’s education efforts.

“My message to the mayors of those cities is, why don’t you do this for a change, why don’t you actually advocate for the American citizens that live in your communities, help them with better schools, better housing and better security rather than protecting criminal illegals that shouldn’t even be in this country in the first place,” the freshman senator told Fox News Digital. “And I think when the voters of those cities see what these mayors are doing, they’re going to throw them out.”

“The mayor of Chicago is probably the worst mayor in American history,” Moreno continued. “He’s just going for extra credit. The guy is a total and complete bumbling idiot. So, hopefully, the voters of Chicago take care of that pretty quickly.”

Johnson has been one of the more outspoken mayors calling for resistance to Trump’s immigration and deportation efforts, saying recently that his city is “going to protect undocumented individuals” from ICE raids.

INDIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST SHERIFF FOR DEFYING FEDS ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Ohio GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno told Fox News Digital that Democratic mayors should focus on protecting their citizens and not opposing Trump. (Fox News Digital/Getty)

The Chicago mayor’s office acknowledged Fox News Digital’s inquiry by labeling Moreno’s comment “ad hominem criticism,” but did not expand on their response.

Some Chicago residents have voiced frustration with Johnson’s public opposition to Trump, including P Rae Easley, a Chicagoan and host of “Black Excellence Hour,” in an interview with “Fox & Friends First.”

“We understand that we are in the middle of an invasion,” Easley said. “Every single person who came across that border came with an invoice on their back for the Chicago taxpayer.”

Despite calls from Johnson and other mayors pledging to block Trump’s efforts, ICE agents across the country have deported hundreds of illegal immigrants in the first few days of Trump’s administration.

Moreno praised Trump’s efforts and said he anticipates the flurry of immigration moves from Trump in recent days to continue.

“It’s amazing,” Moreno told Fox News Digital. “I mean, President Trump knows the urgency that we need to get safety and security back to our cities. Look, these criminal aliens should never have been allowed to be in this country in the first place. Joe Biden put this country in jeopardy for four years and President Trump’s going to clean it up really fast.”

UP TO 250,000 CHILDREN BORN TO ILLEGAL MIGRANTS IN 2023: PRELIMINARY REPORT

Bernie Moreno, then a Senate candidate, addresses the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 16, 2024. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

The new administration’s efforts to roll back illegal immigration has gained support from Democrats in certain situations, including the passage of the Laken Riley Act, which had the support of 48 Democrats in the House.

Moreno, when asked if that vote shows Democrats are becoming increasingly more open to addressing the illegal immigration issue, said, “Absolutely.”

“I mean, look, this should be an American issue, like we want legal immigrants to come here safely, securely in a way that benefits this country, not by breaking into this country, paying drug cartel members who rape them and beat them along the journey,” Moreno said. “It’s the most disgusting way to welcome migrants to this country, especially fake asylum claims. We have a bill that’s going to stop that.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Mayor Brandon Johnson responds to a question during a news conference on Oct. 7, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

“Look, if you’re a true refugee, we’re going to have a safe process for you to come to this country. If you’re an economic migrant, you got to wait in line. You can’t use asylum as a way to skip a line ahead of millions of people, which is fundamentally unfair. And I think a lot of Democrats will come on board with my bill.”

Moreno recently introduced the Refugees Using Legal Entry Safely (RULES) Act, which aims to reform the way asylum seekers enter the United States.

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

January 27, 2025
‘Back to our roots’: Female GOP lawmakers work to win back feminism from the left

EXCLUSIVE: Female Republicans in Congress are fighting to change the decadeslong narrative that paints Democrats as the party of women, hoping it transcends to significant gains in future elections.

“We’ve got to get back to our roots of being the party of women,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital. “I don’t know why we ever allowed the Democrats to hijack the narrative and claim to be the party of women. That’s bull.”

Other GOP lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital about this story noted that cost of living, a cornerstone issue for Republicans in the last election, was as much a women’s issue as anyone else’s.

Republicans have also passed several bills since winning that election that have put women at the focus of conservative policy changes on transgender youth and border security.

‘A BIG RELIEF’: NC RESIDENTS DESCRIBE MEETING WITH TRUMP AFTER FEELING ‘IGNORED’ POST-HURRICANE

From left to right, Reps. Nancy Mace, Nicole Malliotakis, and Ashley Hinson are at the forefront of the GOP’s push to appeal to women. (Getty Images)

“You should not let the Democrat Party tell you they’re the party of women if they can’t even define what a woman is. So we are going to continue to be strong advocates for young women and girls, whether that’s in professional spaces, in bathrooms or in sports,” said Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, referencing a recently passed bill keeping biological male student athletes out of girls’ sports teams and locker rooms.

Hinson said she is “a working mom fighting for other working moms.”

“Women are oftentimes the most important decision makers in a household, for example. So, when I’m thinking about economic indicators, how are we going to get more women in the workforce? How can we empower more women and families? How can we support more women in sports?” Hinson posed.

Historically, Malliotakis pointed out, it was Republicans who led passage of the 19th Amendment that secured women the right to vote. She also pointed out that it was under President Donald Trump that a museum dedicated to women’s history was authorized.

TRUMP WARNS FEMA FACES RECKONING AFTER BIDEN ADMIN: ‘NOT DONE THEIR JOB’

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis pointed out that a Smithsonian women’s museum was authorized during President Donald Trump’s first term. (Donald Trump 2024 campaign)

“President Trump authorized in 2020 the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum. And Joe Biden did nothing with it for four years,” Malliotakis said. ” “I’ve been pushing a land transfer for the Smithsonian women’s museum to be built, and I think it makes total sense that we would be the party that would do this, considering our history.”

As a voting bloc, women have favored Democrats and the left in recent history.

Democrats have also blamed Republicans for the conservative-leaning Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, a move that did appear to translate to electoral success in the 2022 midterms.

Progressives were also historically the biggest supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment, legislation that was pushed primarily during the second-wave feminist movement.

However, Republican women like Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., are now arguing that bills like hers, which would deport illegal immigrants who commit sex crimes against women and other Americans, are what it takes to protect women.

Freshman Rep. Julie Fedorchak pointed out she was the highest vote-getter in her state this past year. (AP Photo/Jack Dura)

“MAGA is the new feminist,” Mace wrote on X this month.

Additionally, Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., one of the few Republican women in the 119th Congress’ freshmen class, pointed out that her own story was a testament to GOP meritocracy.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“I was the largest vote-getter in my whole state out of anybody, as a woman, as the first congresswoman in our state. So I think more than anything else, people want folks who are primed for the job, who are competent and ready,” Fedorchak said.

“The cost of everything, making ends meet, helping women manage their multiple roles, getting government out of their lives, helping reinforce the role of parents…these are things that are women’s issues.”

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]

January 27, 2025
DeSantis faces GOP resistance to special legislative session on immigration that starts today

Join Fox News for access to this content

Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – free of charge.

By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.

Please enter a valid email address.

Having trouble? Click here.

A special legislative session called by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to take up a series of proposals to help implement President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown gets underway on Monday.

However, with pushback from top Republican lawmakers who call the session “premature,” it is unclear if any measures will be considered.

DeSantis wants lawmakers to pass bills that would support the president’s flurry of immigration and border executive orders, signed since last Monday’s inauguration, and Trump’s plans for mass deportation of illegal immigrants.

‘THANK YOU RON’ – TRUMP PRAISES DESANTIS IMMIGRATION PUSH IN FLORIDA

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, speaks as Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, right, listens before President-elect Donald Trump talks at a meeting with Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The governor wants to mandate that Florida’s counties and cities participate in the federal deportation program and wants the power to suspend officials who do not comply. He is also proposing to make it a state crime to enter the nation illegally, and he wants to mandate that people show identification and their immigration status before sending money back home.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MOVES QUICKLY ON IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT

“We’ve got to make sure that we are working hand-in-hand with the Trump administration,” DeSantis emphasized last week in an interview on Fox News’ “Ingraham Angle.”

He added that the special legislative session would help “to facilitate the Trump administration’s mission.”

The Florida State Capitol Building, as seen in Tallahassee, Florida. (Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images)

Eleven bills were filed on the eve of the special session by Florida lawmakers. Among them are measures to create a state immigration czar and to allow the governor to activate the national and state guards for immigration enforcement.

Under Florida’s constitution, if the governor calls for a special session, lawmakers are obligated to show up at the capitol in Tallahassee. However, the top Republicans in the state House and Senate say that while they support Trump’s immigration efforts, the special session is unnecessary with the regularly scheduled legislative session scheduled for early March.

“It’s not premature,” DeSantis told Fox News. “We’ve been waiting four years to have a partner in Washington, D.C., on this issue. We have a sense of urgency. We have to get the job done. No more dragging your feet.”

DeSantis, who waged a bitter and unsuccessful primary challenge against Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, was praised by the then-president-elect earlier this month.

“Thank you Ron, hopefully other governors will follow!” Trump wrote in a social media post after DeSantis announced the special session.

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, center, speaks at a campaign stop in Hampton, New Hampshire, on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

However, the pushback by GOP state lawmakers over the calling of the special session is a dramatic turn of events for DeSantis, who long enjoyed massive influence over the Florida legislature, especially after his nearly 20-point re-election in 2022.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Following his unsuccessful 2024 White House bid, the lame duck governor does not appear to have the same clout over lawmakers that he once enjoyed.

Pushing back against opposition to his plans, DeSantis has warned that any lawmaker who stood in his way over the special session would pay a political price.

January 27, 2025
Who is John Fleming, the Freedom Caucus founding member challenging GOP Sen Bill Cassidy?

Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming, who aims to unseat Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., during the Bayou State’s 2026 U.S. Senate contest, assailed the incumbent as a “RINO Republican” during an interview with Fox News Digital, using the acronym that abbreviates the phrase “Republican in name only.”

Fleming, who served as a U.S. House lawmaker from early 2009 through early 2017, was one of the founding members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

He ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2016 and held several posts during the first President Donald Trump administration. In 2023, with Trump’s endorsement, he won election to serve as the Pelican State’s treasurer.

When asked by Fox News Digital to name some lawmakers he largely aligns with ideologically, Fleming mentioned GOP Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris of Maryland, as well as Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah.

RFK JR. ‘WRONG’ ABOUT VACCINATIONS, GOP SENATOR SAYS

Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming, left, speaks during an interview with Fox News Digital. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., attends a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Aug. 5, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Fox News Digital | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

When asked whether there are any federal departments or entities that he would like to see fully abolished, Fleming replied that if there are any federal entities he thinks should be eliminated, he said, “First on my list would be the Department of Education.”

Regarding the debt ceiling, he said if he were in office, he would seek to “leverage” debt ceiling increases to lower spending, adding, “I don’t think we should raise the debt ceiling.”

Fleming indicated that he supports foreign aid in some cases.

“I do believe in some level of foreign aid, particularly military foreign aid, when it’s in the best interest of the people of the United States,” he noted, suggesting that the U.S. should assist Taiwan and Israel.

Fleming said that America must “be careful about” involving itself in affairs abroad. Pointing to Afghanistan and Iraq, he said, “We seem to win the wars but lose the peace.”

Fleming indicated that he is supportive of the TikTok ban that passed last year, because he does not believe it is “wise for us to allow the Chinese or any other foreign power, or even our own government, to spy on us through our social media.” He opined that the social media platform should be banned until it is no longer under the influence of the Communist Chinese Party government of China.

PRO-TRUMP IMPEACHMENT REPUBLICAN SEN BILL CASSIDY TARGETED FOR OUSTER BY FREEDOM CAUCUS FOUNDING MEMBER

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, right, speaks during a campaign rally for Rep. John Fleming, R-La., candidate for the U.S. Senate from Louisiana at Drusilla Seafood Restaurant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Nov. 6, 2016. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

In Louisiana’s jungle primary system, candidates of various parties run against each other, and if any candidate wins the majority, they win election to the role — but if no candidate gets the majority, the top two finishers compete in a runoff.

When Cassidy ran in 2014, he placed second in a field that included seven other candidates, advancing along with incumbent Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu to a runoff, which Cassidy won.

When Cassidy was re-elected in 2020, he won the majority and avoided a runoff, defeating a field of more than a dozen other candidates.

Cassidy was one of the seven GOP senators who voted to convict President Trump after the 2021 House impeachment in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Trump had already departed from office by the time of the February Senate vote, and the number of senators who voted to convict ultimately fell short of the threshold necessary for conviction.

During a CNN appearance that the outlet shared on social media in 2023, Cassidy said he thought Trump should drop out of the presidential contest, though the lawmaker noted that the decision was up to Trump, who he said would lose to President Joe Biden based on the polls at the time.

HEGSETH BACKED BY LOUISIANA SEN. BILL CASSIDY TO LEAD THE PENTAGON UNDER TRUMP

After Trump had become the presumptive GOP presidential nominee last year, Kristin Welker asked Cassidy on “Meet the Press” whether he would endorse Trump. The senator responded by saying that he planned to vote for a Republican for president.

Cassidy in June pledged to work with Trump if the candidate returned to the White House.

“Just met with my colleagues and President Trump. I was elected to work for Louisiana and the United States of America. I commit to working with President Trump if he is the next president—and it appears he is going to be—to make things better for all,” the senator said in a statement at the time.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, speaks during a hearing in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

He congratulated Trump and Vice President JD Vance on their inaugurations earlier this week.

“Today, the American people start winning again. Republicans are going to secure the border, unleash American energy, and protect American manufacturing,” he noted in the statement. “Congratulations to President Trump and Vice President Vance. Let’s get to work!”

The lawmaker, who has served in the U.S. Senate for just over a decade, previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Trump endorsed Cassidy when the senator sought re-election in 2020, thanking him for supporting the Make America Great Again agenda, and praising his “outstanding” work representing Louisianans and Americans at large.

“THANK YOU @BillCassidy for all of your support with our #MAGA Agenda. You are doing an outstanding job representing the people of Louisiana & the U.S.A. You have my Complete and Total Endorsement!” Trump declared in a post.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Cassidy campaign spokesman said of Fleming, “He came in 5th place last time he ran for Senate in 2016 and currently has $500k in campaign debt.”

According to a Cassidy campaign press release, the senator “raised another $1 million across his reelection, leadership, and joint fundraising committees in the fourth quarter of 2024, bringing his campaign cash-on-hand to over $6.5 million.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Fleming campaign responded to the Cassidy spokesperson’s comment in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“The senate campaign loan is 100% owed to Treasurer Fleming, personally,” Fleming’s campaign noted. “With regard to placement, Sen Cassidy ran against a weak Republican and a politically-wounded Democrat who had voted for Obamacare among other things. And, he had the backing of the entire Republican Party.”

“Treasurer Fleming ran in an open seat against 23 opponents of all parties, some of whom divided his political base geographically as well as ideologically,” the statement continued. “Sen. John Kennedy ultimately won Fleming’s senate race as he was also the Louisiana State Treasurer and had run for the Senate before as Fleming is currently. What truly matters at this time is that Senator Cassidy voted to convict President Trump in the second impeachment trial during Trump’s first term. Had Trump been convicted, it would have foreclosed any possibility to reelect Trump leading to either a second Biden term or a Kamala Harris Presidency.”

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

January 24, 2025