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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 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.

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.

February 16, 2025
DeSantis endorses idea of abolishing property taxes via constitutional amendment

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis endorsed the idea of abolishing property taxes throughout the Sunshine State, but explained that it would require a constitutional amendment.

The governor, who is currently serving his second term after a decisive re-election victory in Florida’s 2022 gubernatorial contest, was responding to someone on X who advocated abolishing property taxes in the state and asked what would need to be done to make that happen.

“Property taxes are local, not state. So we’d need to do a constitutional amendment (requires 60% of voters to approve) to eliminate them (which I would support) or even to reform/lower them,” DeSantis noted.

FLORIDA’S PROGRESSIVE ABORTION AMENDMENT FAILS FOLLOWING DESANTIS PUSH AGAINST ‘BAIT AND SWITCH’ LEGISLATION

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference on Sept. 17, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

“We should put the boldest amendment on the ballot that has a chance of getting that 60%,” he continued.

“I agree that taxing land/property is the more oppressive and ineffective form of taxation,” the governor added.

FLORIDA SHERIFF ASKS TRUMP’S ICE TO REMOVE BIDEN-ERA ‘SHACKLES’

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Aug. 8, 2024. (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Eric Trump, one of President Donald Trump’s sons, shared DeSantis’ post, and hailed the idea, declaring, “Florida leading the way! This is amazing!”

The governor’s tweet has amassed more than 50,000 likes so far since he shared it on Thursday evening.

DESANTIS’ CHOSEN RUBIO REPLACEMENT MOODY WANTS TO TACKLE INFLATION, SPENDING, BORDER: ‘AUDIT THE FED!’

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DeSantis mounted a presidential bid in 2023, but dropped out and endorsed Trump in early 2024 after finishing in a distant second place in the Iowa Republican presidential caucus.

February 14, 2025
Medical experts explain why Trump’s cap on NIH research funding is a good idea

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.

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“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.”

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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.

February 11, 2025
Trump’s idea to relocate Palestinians from Gaza gets blowback from Arab nations

A group of powerful Arab nations released a statement on Saturday rejecting President Donald Trump’s proposal that Palestinians in the Gaza Strip be relocated to Egypt and Jordan.

The foreign ministers of Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, as well as the Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States met in Cairo, Egypt, on Saturday, and released a joint statement afterward detailing matters that the leadership of the powerful Arab countries agreed upon.

Their agreements included “expressing the continued full support for the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on their land and their adherence to their legitimate rights under international law.” The statement said the officials “affirmed their rejection of any violation of these inalienable rights, whether through settlement activities, the expulsion and demolition of homes, land annexation, or the displacement of Palestinians from their land.”

“They also rejected any efforts to encourage the transfer or uprooting of Palestinians from their land, under any circumstances or justifications,” the statement, released in English by the Qatari government, said. “Such actions, they noted, threaten regional stability, exacerbate the conflict, and undermine the prospects for peace and coexistence among the region’s peoples.”

ISRAEL ORDERS UNRWA TO CEASE OPERATIONS IN COUNTRY OVER TERROR TIES: ‘MISERABLY FAILED IN ITS MANDATE’

Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani attends a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Khaled Elfiqi)

The statement also “welcomes” the cease-fire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas that was brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.

“The participants also expressed their commitment to working with the administration of US President Donald Trump to pursue a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, in line with the two-state solution, and to strive for a conflict-free region,” they said.

Trump was asked in the Oval Office on Friday if he believes that it is a good idea that Egypt and Jordan accept Palestinians from Gaza despite the two countries denying they would do so.

“I think Jordan will take people, yeah, people from Gaza, and I think Egypt will take them also. I mean, I heard somebody said they’re not going to, but I think they will. I feel confident they will,” Trump said.

Israel’s war in Gaza, which was started by the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks that killed 1,200 Israelis, is believed to have eliminated most of the terrorist organization’s grip on the region, but the matter of reconstruction and eventually reformed leadership without terrorist control hangs in the balance amid a fragile cease-fire agreement.

Trump first floated the idea of Egypt and Jordan taking in about 1.5 million people from Gaza while addressing reporters aboard Air Force One last month.

“I’d like Egypt to take people,” Trump said. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over.’”

“It’s literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything’s demolished, and people are dying there,” Trump said of the destruction caused by the 15-month war. “So, I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations, and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change.”

Last week, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said the transfer of Palestinians from Gaza “can’t ever be tolerated or allowed.”

Jordan’s foreign minister Ayman Safadi, left, and Saudi foreign minster, Faisal bin Farhan, attend a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Khaled Elfiqi)

ISRAELI PARLIAMENT BANS UNRWA OVER TERRORISM TIES, FACES INTERNATIONAL BACKLASH

“The solution to this issue is the two-state solution. It is the establishment of a Palestinian state,” he reportedly said at a news conference. “The solution is not to remove the Palestinian people from their place. No.”

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi also said that his country’s opposition to Trump’s idea was “firm and unwavering.”

The Egyptian government said El-Sisi received a call from Trump on Saturday but did not mention the issue.

“The call fostered a positive discussion between the two Presidents, underscoring the critical importance of advancing the implementation of the first and second phases of the ceasefire agreement, and ensuring the stabilization of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip,” according to the Egyptian government read-out. “Additionally, the call emphasized the urgent need to increase the delivery of humanitarian aid and relief to the residents of Gaza.”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, right, meets with Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at Tahrir palace in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Feb 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Khaled Elfiqi)

El-Sisi “reiterated the imperative to reach lasting peace in Middle East,” according to his government. “He affirmed that the international community places its trust in President Trump’s capacity to secure a historic and enduring peace agreement, which would bring an end to the decades-long conflict in the region. This is grounded in President Trump’s commitment to peace, which he underscored in his inaugural address, as a man of peace. President El-Sisi stressed the vital necessity to launch a peace process conducive to a permanent solution in the region.”

Jordan already is home to more than 2 million Palestinians, according to the Associated Press. Egypt has warned of security implications of transferring large numbers of Palestinians to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, bordering Gaza.

Both countries were the first to make peace with Israel, but they support the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territories that Israel captured from Jordan and Egypt in 1967’s Six-Day War.

The Israeli government ordered the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to cease its operations in the country as of Thursday amid allegations the agency is involved with the Hamas terrorist group.

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The Arab nations’ statement Saturday also affirmed “the pivotal, indispensable, and irreplaceable role” of UNRWA and “categorically rejected any attempts to bypass or diminish its role.”

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.

February 2, 2025
NBA Commish Adam Silver says he supports the idea of switching to ‘four, 10-minute quarters’

Just over half of the NBA season has passed, and Commissioner Adam Silver’s search for ways to improve the league appears in full swing.

This week, Silver floated a drastic rule change for the length of quarters during NBA games.

The NBA plays 12-minute quarters. If the NBA were to adopt a Silver proposal, those periods would be reduced by two minutes. Ten-minute quarters would take eight minutes off the game clock.

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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks at a press conference before a game between Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Dec. 9, 2023. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Silver noted that the reduction could create a more “consistent” presentation for basketball fans who watch games on TV.

“I am a fan of four, 10-minute quarters,” Silver told “The Dan Patrick Show” when asked about the more drastic ideas the NBA has considered.

“I’m not sure that many others are … putting aside what it means for records and things like that. I think that a two-hour format for a game is more consistent with modern television habits. People in arenas aren’t asking us to shorten the game, but … as a television program, Olympic basketball is two hours. College basketball is 40 minutes.”

At one point, Silver cited the length of games played in other leagues around the world.

“The NBA is the only (basketball) league that plays 48 minutes. … It’s such a dramatic change to the game. … Something like that would have to be talked more about over time.”

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During the Summer Olympics, basketball games last 40 minutes. College basketball games in the U.S. are divided into 20-minute halves.

“Because this game is so global, one of the things we’d like to see over time is creating a more consistent set of rules globally around the game,” Silver said.

A basketball next to an NBA logo during a break in the first half of a game in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Silver noted that shaving two minutes off quarters could reduce the wear and tear on players over a 82-game season, while potentially helping the league combat its “load management” issue.

“Incidentally, if you went to a 40-minute game — with the issues around load management and resting — it would be the equivalent of … taking like 15 games off the season,” Silver said.

Silver made it clear the ideas he mentioned during the exchange with Patrick had merely been discussed, but they are nowhere near being adopted.

“It’s not quite at that level,” he said.

The NBA logo on a backboard before a game between the Houston Rockets and the Miami Heat at Toyota Center in Houston April 5, 2024. (Troy Taormina/USA Today Sports)

Silver also praised Major League Baseball for adding a pitch clock. He argued the change helped “speed up the game,” while also keeping traditional aspects of the game in place.

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“I’m a baseball fan, and I think some of those changes have really increased sort of the engagement … the entertainment value of the game, and so I’m paying a lot of attention to that,” Silver said.

“And, in fact, I’ve used the pitch clock … in meetings at the NBA to say … we shouldn’t be afraid to look at changes.”

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Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

January 30, 2025