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Tag: House

  • Battle of the chambers: Trump budget test vote cleared in Senate as House GOP lags behind

    Battle of the chambers: Trump budget test vote cleared in Senate as House GOP lags behind

    ‘Kudlow’ panelists Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, and Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., discuss delivering on President Donald Trump’s agenda.

    The Senate pressed on with its effort to pass a key President Donald Trump agenda item before the Republicans in the House of Representatives get a chance to do it their way.

    Republicans advanced a budget resolution in a 50-47 vote to tackle part of Trump’s goals on Tuesday night after moving it through the all-important budget committee last week. 

    “It’s time to act on the decisive mandate the American people gave to President Trump in November. Securing the border, rebuilding our defense, and unleashing American energy. That starts this week with passing Chairman [Sen. Lindsey Graham’s] budget. Let’s get it done,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., wrote in a post on X ahead of the vote. 

    MCCONNELL’S MENTAL ACUITY TARGETED BY TRUMP AFTER EX-SENATE LEADER JOINS DEMS AGAINST CABINET NOMINEES 

    The Senate maneuvered past a procedural hurdle on its preferred Trump budget bill after leapfrogging the House Republicans who were expected to take the lead on the process. (Getty Images / Getty Images)

    The progress on the Senate GOP’s preferred two-pronged budget reconciliation approach adds fuel to the growing dispute between the upper and lower chambers on how to proceed. The House and Senate GOP’s have favored different ways to use the crucial reconciliation process to achieve Trump’s priorities quickly, and up until recent weeks, the lower chamber was expected to take the lead. 

    The reconciliation process lowers the threshold to advance a bill in the Senate from 60 votes to just 51. And with a 53-vote majority in the upper chamber, Republicans are poised to push policies through with only support from the GOP conference.

    In the Senate Republicans’ plan, the first reconciliation bill would include Trump’s priorities for border security, fossil fuel energy and national defense. The second bill, drawn up later in the year, would focus on extending Trump’s tax policies from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). The cuts begin to expire at the end of 2025. 

    DEMS TORCHED OVER DOGE SECURITY CLAIMS AFTER ALLOWING ‘WIDE-OPEN’ BORDER, ‘EMPOWERING IRAN’

    House Republicans have long-favored one large reconciliation bill that includes all of Trump’s agenda items, from border security to tax cuts. 

    However, the lower chamber failed to move before its Senate counterpart. 

    “I’m afraid it’s a nonstarter over here. And, you know, I’ve expressed that to him. And there is no animus or daylight between us. We all are trying to get to the same achievable objectives. And there’s just, you know, different ideas on how to get there,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., previously said of the Senate’s bill.

    Mike Johnson at Republican National Convention

    Johnson said the bill would be dead on arrival in the House. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

    Ahead of the Senate’s Tuesday test vote, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., called on Republicans to pass the House bill, “It’s time to act on ALL of the powerful mandates the American people gave to [Trump] in November: Securing the border, opening up American energy to lower costs, keeping tax rates low (including no tax on tips), strengthening our national defense, a two-year extension of the debt ceiling, and passing into law DOGE’s identified waste in government.”

    “All of Trump’s priorities in one big, beautiful bill start moving when we pass [Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington’s] budget. Let’s go Make America Great Again!” Scalise added.

    TRUMP AGRICULTURE PICK CONFIRMED AS PRESIDENT RACKS UP CABINET WINS

    In the upper chamber, facing pressure as the Senate Budget Committee chairman, Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., brought up the first bill of two in his committee last week as Trump officials stressed an urgent need for border funding to Congress. The House GOP recently moved its own large bill through committee. 

    Republicans in the lower chamber have held that taking on two bills as opposed to one would leave them vulnerable to failure when it comes to passing tax cuts later in the year. With a slim and sometimes unruly Republican majority, the House Republicans expect they would have better odds with a one-bill reconciliation approach. 

    Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks on southern border security and illegal immigration, during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on July 30, 2021 in Washington, D.C.

    Graham moved the budget bill through his committee last week.  (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images / Getty Images)

    Despite this, the Senate appears to be pressing forward on its two-pronged bid, setting up a potential “vote-a-rama” in the coming days. 

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    The Senate budget vote triggered a 50-hour clock for debate on the reconciliation measure. A marathon of votes on an unlimited number of amendments is expected to follow at some point during the days-long debate. Senators can offer up as many amendments as they want to the resolution, forcing Republicans to take a large number of potentially uncomfortable votes. 

    As long as senators keep offering amendments, the Senate has to keep voting on them, one after another. Once the budget debate clock runs out, the Senate can vote on actually passing the reconciliation resolution. 

  • Trump orders all Biden-era US attorneys to be fired: ‘We must clean house immediately’

    Trump orders all Biden-era US attorneys to be fired: ‘We must clean house immediately’

    President Donald Trump directed the Justice Department to fire all U.S. attorneys left over from the Biden administration.

    “We must “clean house” IMMEDIATELY, and restore confidence,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.” America’s Golden Age must have a fair Justice System – THAT BEGINS TODAY!”

    This story is breaking. Please check back for updates. 

  • Russia, Ukraine take ‘significant first step toward peace’ after Rubio-led negotiations, White House insists

    Russia, Ukraine take ‘significant first step toward peace’ after Rubio-led negotiations, White House insists

    Initial discussions between Trump administration officials and Russia in Saudi Arabia Tuesday marked a “significant milestone” in securing peace between Russia and Ukraine, according to the White House press secretary. 

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff met in Riyadh with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign affairs advisor Yuri Ushakov to hash out ways to end the conflict. Ukraine was absent from the negotiations in Saudi Arabia. 

    White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to provide specifics about the discussions, but she said the Trump administration was committed to brokering a peace deal to end the conflict between the two countries. 

    “What I will tell you is that today, sitting down at the table was a significant first step toward peace,” Leavitt told reporters at the White House on Tuesday. 

    ‘MAKE NATO GREAT AGAIN’: HEGSETH PUSHES EUROPEAN ALLIES TO STEP UP DEFENSE EFFORTS 

    White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Trump administration was committed to brokering a peace deal to end the conflict between the two countries.  (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Tuesday that an invitation to the talks wasn’t extended to Ukraine and that he was postponing a scheduled trip to Saudi Arabia until March. 

    Zelenskyy has stressed that Ukraine must be involved in negotiations, and said Sunday that Ukraine wouldn’t accept a peace deal if his country were absent from negotiations. 

    But Leavitt said that everyone would have a seat at the negotiating table — including other European allies — as the Trump administration seeks to advance a peace deal. 

    “We’re ensuring that all parties are heard,” Leavitt said in an interview with Fox New’s “America Reports” Tuesday. “But you have to speak to both sides of the war in order to truly negotiate a deal and problem solve. And this is a significant first step toward peace.”

    TOP RUSSIAN, US OFFICIALS MEET IN SAUDI ARABIA TO BEGIN TALKS ON UKRAINE WAR WITHOUT OFFICIALS FROM KYIV

    Russian and U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center, sits next to National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, right, and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 18, 2025. (The Associated Press)

    Leavitt said that President Donald Trump was in correspondence with Zelenskyy, and spoke with other European allies like French President Emmanuel Macron Monday. Additionally, she said that Trump will meet with the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House next week. 

    Trump and Zelenskky also spoke over the phone Wednesday about the negotiations, and Zelenskyy said he relayed that he believes Putin isn’t interested in peace with Ukraine. 

    “I said that [Putin] is a liar,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday. “And he said, ‘I think my feeling is that he’s ready for these negotiations.’ And I said to him, ‘No, he’s a liar. He doesn’t want any peace.’”

    While Zelenskyy voiced gratitude for U.S. support, he said that there is no “leader in the world who can really make a deal with Putin without us, about us.” 

    “I will never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia about Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said on “Meet the Press.” 

    PUTIN’S A ‘LITTLE BIT SCARED’ OF TRUMP AS NATIONS BEGIN PEACE TALKS, ZELENSKYY SAYS 

    trump, putin and zelenskyy

    President Donald Trump (center), Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (right). (Alessandro Bremec/NurPhoto via Getty Images | Contributor/Getty Images | Scott Olson/Getty Images)

    But Trump has offered reassurances that Zelenskyy would be involved in peace conversations, and told reporters Sunday on the tarmac at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida that Ukraine would get a seat at the negotiating table. 

    The first action the U.S. plans to take following the meetings with Russian officials is to “reestablish the functionality of our respective missions in Washington and in Moscow,” Rubio told reporters from The Associated Press and CNN. 

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    “For us to be able to continue to move down this road, we need to have diplomatic facilities that are operating and functioning normally,” Rubio said, according to a State Department transcript. 

    Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and Trump vowed on the campaign trail in 2024 that he would work to end the conflict if elected again. 

    Fox News’ Emma Colton and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report. 

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

  • House Democrat’s smear of Border Patrol bill backfires after dozens of Dems support it: ‘Fearmongering’

    House Democrat’s smear of Border Patrol bill backfires after dozens of Dems support it: ‘Fearmongering’

    A House Democrat’s strategy to demonize legislation aimed at making it a federal crime to try to evade law enforcement within 100 miles of the border backfired last week after dozens of House Democrats voted in favor of the bill.

    “I urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 35. Let’s call this bill what it is: fearmongering dressed up as officer safety,” Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Ore., said last week about the bill named after late Border Patrol Agent Raul Gonzalez, who died in a pursuit in 2022. 

    House Resolution 35 would make individuals convicted of “intentionally fleeing” law enforcement in a vehicle subject to up to two years in prison and fines. If the police chase results in a death, the individual could face up to life imprisonment under the legislation, and potentially face deportation if the person involved is in the country illegally.

    SAN DIEGO MIGRANT SHELTER CLOSES AFTER NO NEW ARRIVALS SINCE TRUMP TOOK OFFICE; OVER 100 EMPLOYEES LAID OFF

    Oregon State Rep Janelle Bynum faced off against Rep. Lori Chavez DeRemer, right, in OR-05. ( )

    “This bill echoes one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history, ‘The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.’ Just like that shameful law, H.R. 35 forces local authorities and encourages the deputizing of randos to do the federal government’s work, punishing them if they refuse. Back then, it was hunting people down who dared to seek freedom. Today, it’s forcing local police to become federal enforcers,” she continued in her House floor speech. 

    Regardless, the bill passed 264-155, with 50 Democrats voting in favor, including a handful in border states. The legislation is now in the hands of the Senate, where Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is leading the charge on the proposal. 

    FLORIDA SHERIFF SAYS ICE PARTNERSHIP ONLY THE BEGINNING IN ILLEGAL MIGRANT CRACKDOWN

    Rep. Juan Ciscomani

    Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., leaves the House Republicans’ caucus meeting at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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    “This bill delivers a clear message to anyone who endangers our community that they will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., said about the legislation he is sponsoring. 

    Police pursuits near the border are a frequent site as smugglers hope to evade law enforcement. Under the Trump administration, there has been an across-the-board crackdown on border and immigration policies, including sending in the military to the border as well as deportation raids throughout the country.

    Border patrol truck at border fence

    A Border Patrol agent walks between a gap along the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico in Yuma, Arizona, on June 1, 2022. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

    Bynum started in Congress last month, as she narrowly defeated former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer in November. Chavez-DeRemer is now President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as Labor secretary. 

    The seat will likely be one of the nation’s most competitive in 2026, according to the Cook Political Report, which ranks the seat as “Lean Democrat.” 

    “Janelle Bynum’s unglued comments reinforced she’s hellbent on pursuing a dangerous anti-police officer crusade in Congress. Bynum’s extremist vote siding with cartel terrorists over Border Patrol puts Oregonians in danger,” National Republican Campaign Committee spokesman Ben Petersen said in a statement. 

    Cameron Arcand is a politics writer at Fox News Digital in Washington D.C. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @cameron_arcand 

  • White House rips Zelenskyy’s ‘short-sighted’ refusal to sign US minerals deal

    White House rips Zelenskyy’s ‘short-sighted’ refusal to sign US minerals deal

    A senior White House official reportedly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision not to sign a proposed agreement to give the United States access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. 

    “President Zelenskyy is being short-sighted about the excellent opportunity the Trump administration has presented to Ukraine,” White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes told the Associated Press. 

    Hughes said a minerals deal would allow American taxpayers to “recoup” some of the billions in U.S. aid sent to Kyiv during the Biden administration, while growing Ukraine’s economy. The White House believes “binding economic ties with the United States will be the best guarantee against future aggression and an integral part of lasting peace,” the National Security Council spokesman said, adding: “The U.S. recognizes this, the Russians recognize this, and the Ukrainians must recognize this.”

    Hughes did not explicitly confirm the proposal, which the AP reported was a key part of Zelenskyy’s talks with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday. 

    NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR SAYS PUTIN, ZELENSKYY AGREE ‘ONLY PRESIDENT TRUMP COULD GET THEM TO THE TABLE’

    Vice-President JD Vance, second right, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, third right, meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, third left, meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025.  (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)

    One current and one former senior Ukrainian official familiar with the talks told the AP that the offer did not include any specific security guarantees in return for rare earth mineral access. 

    The proposal focused on how the U.S. could use Kyiv’s rare earth minerals “as compensation” for support already given to Ukraine by the Biden administration and as payment for future aid, the current and former senior Ukrainian officials said, speaking anonymously to the AP. Zelenskyy said he directed his ministers not to sign off on the proposed agreement because the document was too focused on U.S. interests.

    “I didn’t let the ministers sign a relevant agreement because in my view it is not ready to protect us, our interest,” Zelenskyy told the AP on Saturday in Munich. 

    Ukraine has vast reserves of critical minerals that are used in the aerospace, defense and nuclear industries. The Trump administration has indicated it is interested in accessing them to reduce dependence on China.

    Zelenskyy reportedly said he considered it “very important the connection between some kind of security guarantees and some kind of investment” in order to deter another Russian invasion.  

    The document was reportedly given to Ukrainian officials on Wednesday by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on a visit to Kyiv.

    “It’s a colonial agreement and Zelenskyy cannot sign it,” the former Ukrainian senior official told the AP. 

    Bessent and Zelenskyy

    Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent give a press conference during their meeting in Kyiv on Feb. 12, 2025. (TETIANA DZHAFAROVA/AFP via Getty Images)

    U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz on Sunday rejected the notion that European allies are not being consulted on negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, as the Trump administration is reportedly to begin talks with Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia this week. In turn, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would convene an emergency meeting between the main European powers in Paris on Monday to discuss the Russia-Ukraine conflict. 

    Walz told “Fox News Sunday” that Vance, Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed in talks with Zelenskyy the importance of “entering into a partnership with the United States,” and being “co-invested with President Trump, with the American people going forward.” 

    “The American people deserve to be recouped, deserve to have some type of payback for the billions they have invested in this war,” Waltz said. “I can’t think of anything that would make the American people more comfortable with future investments than if we were able to be in a partnership and have the American people made whole. And I’ll point out that much of the European aid is actually in the form of a loan. That is repaid. It’s repaid with interest on Russian assets. So President Trump is rethinking the entire dynamic here. That has some people uncomfortable, but I think Zelenskyy would be very wise to enter into this agreement with the United States. There’s no better way to secure them going forward, and further, there was a question of whether Putin would come to the table. He has now done so under President Trump’s leadership, and we’re going to continue those talks in the coming weeks at President Trump’s direction.”

    U.S. officials in discussions with their Ukrainian counterparts in Munich were commercially minded and largely concentrated on the specifics of exploring the minerals and how to form a possible partnership to do that with Ukraine, the senior official said. The potential value of the deposits in Ukraine has not yet been discussed, with much unexplored or close to the front line. The U.S. proposal apparently did not take into account how the deposits would be secured if the war continued.

    TREASURY SECRETARY BESSENT OFFERS ZELENSKYY AN ECONOMIC INVESTMENT DEAL

    Zelenskyy and Vance did not discuss the details of the U.S. document during their meeting Friday at the Munich conference, the senior official said. 

    That meeting was “very good” and “substantive,” with Vance making it clear his and Trump’s main goal was to achieve a durable, lasting peace, the senior official said. Zelenskyy told Vance that real peace requires Ukraine to be in a “strong position” when starting negotiations, stressing that the U.S. negotiators should come to Ukraine, and that the U.S., Ukraine and Europe must be at the negotiating table for talks with Russia.

    Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, all but cut Europeans out of any Ukraine-Russia talks, despite Zelenskyy’s request.

    Zelenskyy in Munich

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during the 61st Munich Security Conference on Feb. 15, 2025, in Munich, Germany.  (Johannes Simon/Getty Images)

    “You can have the Ukrainians, the Russians, and clearly the Americans at the table talking,” Kellogg said at an event hosted by a Ukrainian tycoon at the Munich conference. Pressed on whether that meant Europeans won’t be included, he said: “I’m a school of realism. I think that’s not going to happen.”

    Ukraine is now preparing a “counterproposal” which will be delivered to the U.S. in “the near future,” the official said.

    “I think it’s important that the vice president understood me that if we want to sign something, we have to understand that it will work,” Zelenskyy told the AP.

    That means, he said, “it will bring money and security.”

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    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on X: @danimwallace. 

  • Democrats loved idea of DOGE before Trump, White House quips

    Democrats loved idea of DOGE before Trump, White House quips

    The White House is taking aim at Democratic critics of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), highlighting that the new agency’s work was once championed by prominent Democrats.

    “To all of the Democrats who are planning to protest this week, here’s an explanation on DOGE, from your party’s own beloved leaders,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X Sunday while sharing a video of former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden calling for reforms similar to those being made by DOGE.

    “Budget reform is not an option, it’s a necessity,” Obama says in the video. “We can’t sustain a system that bleeds billions of taxpayer dollars on programs that have outlived their usefulness or exist solely because of the power of politicians, lobbyists or interest groups.”

    “The American people are entitled to transparency,” Biden says in the video. “They’re entitled to be able to figure out where their dollars are going, and they’re entitled to accountability to make sure that we’re using the dollars for what we said it was for.”

    TOP TRUMP AGENCY RECOVERS EYE-POPPING SUM AFTER LAUNCHING DOGE TASK FORCE

    President Donald Trump and Elon Musk attend a viewing of the launch of a SpaceX Starship rocket on Nov. 19, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

    Democrats have ramped up their attacks on DOGE and its leader, billionaire Elon Musk, over the past week, arguing that Trump’s project is a violation of the Constitution and filing several lawsuits in an effort to bring the new department’s momentum to a halt.

    But Leavitt pointed out that many of DOGE’s priorities used to be the same across the aisle, especially for the two most well-known Democratic leaders.

    “We are going to go through our federal budget… page by page, line by line, eliminating those programs we don’t need, and insisting that those that we do need operate in a sensible, cost-effective way,” Obama says during a speech in one portion of the video.

    Elon Musk

    Elon Musk speaks during an event in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Images)

    EXPERT REVEALS MASSIVE LEVELS OF WASTE DOGE CAN SLASH FROM ENTITLEMENTS, PET PROJECTS: ‘A LOT OF FAT’

    “What should be easy is getting rid of the pointless waste and stupid spending that doesn’t benefit anybody,” Obama says during another point of the video from the Oval Office, where the then-president is seated next to a large stack of papers. “No amount of waste is acceptable, not when it’s your money.”

    “We hope to be instilling an entire new culture, that not only our administration, but every succeeding administration will in fact pursue,” Biden says at another point in the video.

    Presidents Obama and Biden

    Former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden (Getty Images)

    Recent polling shows Americans may side with Trump and Musk on DOGE. In one poll conducted by the Trafalgar Group, 49% of respondents said they approve of DOGE’s efforts compared to 44% who indicated they disapprove.

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    Similar numbers were seen in a recent Economist/YouGov poll, which shows 42% of respondents view DOGE favorably, while 38% indicated they had an unfavorable opinion of the department.

    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.

  • White House economist gives plan to control avian flu, lower egg prices

    White House economist gives plan to control avian flu, lower egg prices

    Vice president of Eggs Unlimited Brian Moscogiuri explains why egg prices will continue to soar as the bird flu outbreak slows production. 

    The White House is working toward a plan to control the avian flu, which will help lower egg prices that have skyrocketed due to inflation and how the Biden administration “killed all the chickens” to contain the spread of the disease, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said Sunday.

    Hassett appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” where he said that he and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins are “working with all the best people in government, including academics around the country and around the world” to have a plan ready for President Donald Trump next week regarding the disease.

    “The Biden plan was to just, you know, kill chickens, and they spent billions of dollars just randomly killing chickens within a perimeter where they found a sick chicken,” he said.

    Hassett said the plan being worked on in the Trump administration is to “have better ways with biosecurity and medication and so on, to make sure that the perimeter doesn’t have to kill the chickens.”

    EGG FARMERS ARE FACING THE ‘WORST BIRD FLU OUTBREAK’ IN ‘HISTORY,’ INDUSTRY LEADERS FEAR

    The White House is working toward a plan to control the avian flu, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic, File / Reuters Photos)

    “So having a smart perimeter is what we’re working on, and we’re finalizing the ideas about how to do that with the best scientists in government,” Hassett said. “And that’s the kind of thing that should have happened a year ago, and if it had, then egg prices would be, you know, a lot better than they are now.”

    Hassett also addressed the “very large” inflation problem, which he attributed to former President Joe Biden.

    Kevin Hassett

    White House Council of Economic Advisers chairman Kevin Hassett speaks to the media during a press briefing at the White House on Feb. 22, 2018, in Washington, D.C.  (Mark Wilson/Getty Images / Getty Images)

    “We saw the consumer price index come out, and we found out that the stagflation that was created by the policies of President Biden was way worse than we thought,” Hassett said. “Over the last three months, across all goods, including eggs, the average inflation rate was 4.6%, way above target, and an acceleration at the end of the Biden term.”

    FIXING AMERICA’S CHICKEN AND EGG CRISIS

    Average egg prices have risen 15% since January and are up 53% year-over-year, according to the latest consumer price index, released Wednesday. The average price of a dozen Large Grade A eggs is nearing $5.00, as tracked by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. 

    USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins discusses how she is preparing to reform the agency and how she and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will tackle the egg crisis on ‘Kudlow.’

    The White House has previously said the Biden administration contributed to the egg supply shortage by directing the killing of over 100 million chickens.

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    Sources tell FOX Business the culling of infected flocks is current U.S. protocol, but more research and development is needed to control and even prevent outbreaks, such as vaccinating birds. 

    Fox Business’ Suzanne O’Halloran contributed to this report.

  • Inflatable tiny house with space for six is blowing up

    Inflatable tiny house with space for six is blowing up

    We’ve reported on many tiny houses, but none quite like this before. This housing concept is called the Esch 22 Space Station, also nicknamed E22SS PIU! 

    This mobile living space resembles a space station with its inflatable dome, which can inflate to triple its size. The brains behind this futuristic pad is an architectural firm called 2001, and it was developed for Esch-Alzette in Luxembourg, which is the country’s second-largest city. 

    Now, I’m not talking about just another cramped mobile tiny home here. This thing can not only grow in size but is transportable, and it’s even eco-friendly. Let’s dive in and see how this space-age dwelling actually works.

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    Exterior of the Esch 22 Space Station   (2001)

    A mobile tiny house with a twist

    At its core, E22SS PIU! is a 6-person mobile tiny house that can be easily transported to various locations. In its compact form, it resembles a stainless steel trailer, containing essential amenities such as a bathroom, kitchen and dining space. However, the real magic happens when it reaches its destination.

    inflatable house 2

    Interior of the Esch 22 Space Station  (2001)

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    Unfolding and inflating

    Once parked, the E22SS PIU! undergoes a remarkable transformation. Two wings unfold from the trailer, creating a circular platform with a 29.53-foot diameter. This platform is then covered with cork, providing a stable and eco-friendly base. The final step in this metamorphosis is the inflation of a double-shell pneumatic dome on top of the platform.

    inflatable house 3

    A model of the exterior of the Esch 22 Space Station  (2001)

    This inflation process, which can be completed in as little as 15 minutes, turns the compact trailer into generous sleeping quarters capable of accommodating up to six people comfortably.

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    inflatable house 4

    Sleeping quarters of the Esch 22 Space Station   (2001)

    UNSTOPPABLE OFF-ROAD TINY HOUSE CONQUERS ANY TERRAIN, ANYWHERE

    Innovative features and sustainability

    The E22SS PIU! incorporates several innovative features. A water recycling system ensures that wastewater from sinks and showers is repurposed for toilet flushing, promoting efficient water use. Accessibility has been carefully considered, with an elevator system ensuring the upper level is accessible to people with reduced mobility. 

    The use of cork for flooring adds an eco-friendly touch to the design, further emphasizing the project’s commitment to sustainability.

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    inflatable house 5

    Diagram of the Esch 22 Space Station  (2001)

    BUILDING-IN-A-BOX TRANSFORMS INTO A PORTABLE TINY HOME IN MINUTES

    More than just a tiny home

    While the E22SS PIU! may not be a practical solution for everyday tiny living, it serves a greater purpose. Created as part of Esch’s Capital of Culture program, this project is designed to explore various contexts and environments within the city of Esch. It challenges our perceptions of resource usage in architecture and society, stimulating discussions about innovative housing solutions. 

    Phillippe Nathan, Founder of 2001, an architecture firm developing territories, buildings, spaces and ideas, tells CyberGuy, “E22SSPIU is not a solution, nor does it seek resolution. It is a provocation — an experimental construct that redefines collective living by destabilizing conventional relationships to resources: soil, water and energy. It resists fixity, embedding itself within shifting landscapes, absorbing and reflecting their logic. Less an answer, more a system in flux.”

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    inflatable house 6

    Exterior of the Esch 22 Space at night Station  (2001)

    How to stay in the inflatable house in Luxembourg’s nature reserve

    What’s cool is that you can now stay in this unique inflatable house situated at the Ellergronn Nature Reserve. The spacious, inflatable structure is now available to rent. So, it’s your chance to explore the surrounding trails and immerse yourself in a blend of innovative design and natural beauty.

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    Kurt’s key takeaways

    The Esch 22 Space Station is a bold experiment in mobile architecture. By combining portability with expandability and sustainable features, it pushes the boundaries of what we consider possible in temporary living spaces. While it may not be a practical solution for everyday use, the E22SS PIU! serves as an important conversation starter about the future of housing, resource management and urban development.

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    Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

  • With Trump in White House, Democrats increasingly say their party must moderate

    With Trump in White House, Democrats increasingly say their party must moderate

    After the Democratic Party’s well-publicized setbacks in November’s elections, a new national poll indicates Democrats increasingly want their party to moderate by moving toward the center.

    And the survey, from Gallup, also suggests an increasing percentage of Republicans support the GOP staying the same ideologically.

    A plurality of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents — 45% — who were questioned in the survey said they want their party to become more moderate.

    That’s up 11 percentage points since 2021, at the start of former President Biden’s single term in the White House.

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    Newly elected Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin speaks after winning the vote at the DNC Winter Meeting at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

    “At the same time, Democrats’ and leaners’ desire for a more liberal party has declined five points, to 29%, and preferences for no change in party ideology have fallen nine points, to 22%,” the release from Gallup noted.

    The poll was conducted Jan. 21-27 in the immediate aftermath of President Donald Trump’s inauguration and at the start of his second tour of duty in the White House.

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    Trump recaptured the presidency in November, and Republicans won back the Senate majority while the Democrats failed to win back control of the House of Representatives from the GOP. Republicans made significant gains among Black and Hispanic voters, as well as younger voters, all traditional members of the Democratic Party’s base.

    Donald Trump wins the 2024 presidential election

    President Donald Trump with first lady Melania Trump at an election night victory celebration in West Palm Beach, Fla., Nov. 6, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

    Gallup notes that the Democrats’ “current sentiment may very well be a reaction to their losses in 2024, as they look ahead to 2026.”

    The Gallup poll indicates that support among Republicans and GOP-leaning independents for the party to stay ideologically the same jumped nine points, from 34% in 2021 to 43% now.

    Meanwhile, those desiring a more conservative party plunged 12 points, to 28%. 

    “The 27% of Republicans and leaners who now prefer moderation for their party is not significantly different from 2021,” the poll’s release noted.

    But the poll indicates that two-thirds of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters self-identify as conservative, with 31% seeing themselves as moderate and just 2% calling themselves liberal.

    Since his first election to the presidency in 2016, Trump has held immense sway over Republicans and has transformed the GOP from a conservative-dominated party to a more populist party of loyalists who strongly support Trump’s “America First” agenda.

    The United Center is packed on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, as President Biden addresses the crowd, on August 19, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois

    The United Center is packed on the first night of the Democratic National Convention as President Biden addresses the crowd Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

    The release of the Gallup poll comes a couple of weeks after another national survey spelled trouble for the Democrats.

    Only 31% of respondents in a Quinnipiac University survey conducted last month had a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, with 57% seeing the party in an unfavorable light.

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    “This is the highest percentage of voters having an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party since the Quinnipiac University Poll began asking this question,” the survey’s release noted. 

    Meanwhile, 43% of those questioned had a favorable view of the GOP, with 45% holding an unfavorable opinion, which was the highest favorable opinion for the Republican Party ever in Quinnipiac polling.

    Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.