Happy New Year 2025

Tag: nominee

Key Sen. Todd Young comes out in support of Trump DNI nominee Tulsi Gabbard

Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., came out in support of Tulsi Gabbard to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI), just hours before her crucial committee vote.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the senator said, “American intelligence officers around the globe deserve our respect and support. I appreciate Tulsi Gabbard’s engagement with me on a variety of issues to ensure that our intelligence professionals will be supported and policymakers will receive unbiased information under her leadership.”

Sen. Young came out in support of Gabbard hours before the committee vote. (Reuters)

“I have done what the Framers envisioned for senators to do: use the consultative process to seek firm commitments, in this case commitments that will advance our national security, which is my top priority as a former Marine Corps intelligence officer. Having now secured these commitments, I will support Tulsi’s nomination and look forward to working with her to protect our national security,” he added.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Gabbard will need the support of all Republicans on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in order to advance to the floor for a confirmation vote.

That is assuming she does not get the votes of any Democrats. No Democrats on the committee have endorsed her for the role.

Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.

Follow Julia’s reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to [email protected].

February 4, 2025
Trump Health Secretary nominee RFK Jr clears Senate Finance confirmation vote

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will advance to the next step in his effort to become Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary. The vaccine skeptic and environmental crusader who ran for the White House in 2024 before ending his bid and endorsing Trump sustained his bid for a cabinet position in the 47th president’s administration.

The 27-member panel of 14 Republicans and 13 Democrats on the Senate finance committee approved Kennedy’s advancement by a part line vote of 14-13

Kennedy’s controversial nomination has progressed slowly as the president’s other choices have been moving through the upper chamber and several have been confirmed and sworn in. Even Trump’s controversial Defense Secretary pick, Pete Hegseth, made it past committee and ultimately was confirmed with Vice President Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.

TRUMP HEALTH SECRETARY NOMINEE RFK JR. SURVIVES HEATED HEARINGS

Kennedy survived back-to-back combustible Senate confirmation hearings last week, where Trump’s nominee to lead 18 powerful federal agencies that oversee the nation’s food and health faced plenty of verbal fireworks over past controversial comments, including his repeated claims in recent years linking vaccines to autism, which have been debunked by scientific research.

TRUMP HEALTH SECRETARY NOMINEE RFK JR. SURVIVES HEATED HEARINGS

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies during his Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing on Jan. 29, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

During the hearings, Democrats also spotlighted Kennedy’s service for years as chair or chief legal counsel for Children’s Health Defense, the nonprofit organization he founded that has advocated against vaccines and sued the federal government numerous times, including a challenge over the authorization of the COVID vaccine for children.

While no Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee were expected to vote to confirm Kennedy, the spotlight was on Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana physician and chair of the Senate Health Committee.

Cassidy issued a last minute endorsement indicating a party line vote for Kennedy.

HEAD HERE FOR LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON PRESIDENT TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS BACK IN THE WHITE HOUSE

“Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me,” Cassidy told Kennedy at the end of Thursday’s confirmation hearing.

Cassidy’s office confirmed Sunday evening that the senator and Kennedy had been speaking earlier that day.

The 71-year-old Kennedy, a scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty, launched a long-shot campaign for the Democrat presidential nomination against President Joe Biden in April 2023. But six months later, he switched to an independent run for the White House.

Kennedy made major headlines again last August when he dropped his presidential bid and endorsed Trump. While Kennedy had long identified as a Democrat and repeatedly invoked his late father, former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and his late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy – who were both assassinated in the 1960s – Kennedy in recent years built relationships with far-right leaders due in part to his high-profile vaccine skepticism.

Trump announced soon after the November election that he would nominate Kennedy to his Cabinet to run HHS.

Kennedy, whose outspoken views on Big Pharma and the food industry have also sparked controversy, has said he aims to shift the focus of the agencies he would oversee toward promotion of a healthy lifestyle, including overhauling dietary guidelines, taking aim at ultra-processed foods and getting to the root causes of chronic diseases.

“Our country is not going to be destroyed because we get the marginal tax rate wrong. It is going to be destroyed if we get this issue wrong,” Kenendy said Thursday as he pointed to chronic diseases. “And I am in a unique position to be able to stop this epidemic.”

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

With Republicans controlling the Senate by a 53-47 majority, Kennedy can only afford to lose the support of three GOP senators if Democrats unite against his confirmation on the floor of the chamber.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

February 4, 2025
Trump agriculture secretary nominee, Brooke Rollins, clears key Senate hurdle for confirmation

Members of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee voted favorably Monday for President Donald Trump’s nominee, Brooke Rollins, to head up the Department of Agriculture (USDA), a widely expected outcome that clears her for a vote in the full Senate later this week.

Rollins was passed favorably out of committee on a unanimous vote.

Rollins, who served as a White House aide during Trump’s first administration and then as the president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, is widely viewed as an uncontroversial nominee.

TRUMP TAPS TEXAN BROOKE ROLLINS AS AGRICULTURE SECRETARY

Brooke Rollins, president and CEO of AFPI, is seen during the America First Policy Institute’s America First Agenda Summit at the Marriott Marquis on Tuesday, July 26, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Her nomination earned the backing of a coalition of more than 415 farmers, agricultural, and growers groups earlier this month. Signatories urged the Senate to swiftly confirm Rollins, praising what they described as her foundational knowledge of agriculture, as well as her policy and business bona fides that they said made her uniquely qualified for the role of U.S. agriculture secretary.

The committee vote comes at a crucial time for U.S. growers’ groups and agribusinesses across the country. Lawmakers in Congress have stalled on a new farm bill and on other key priorities for farmers and industry groups.

AFTER STINGING ELECTION DEFEATS, DNC EYES RURAL VOTERS AS KEY TO 2026 MIDTERM SUCCESS

President Donald Trump speaks while Brooke Rollins, of the Texas Public Policy Institute, listens, during a prison reform roundtable in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, on January 11, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

They also failed to secure the full extent of farm aid and agriculture subsidies considered necessary by many groups in their eleventh-hour government spending bill passed late last month.

Rollins vowed at her confirmation hearing that, if approved, she would use her post as agriculture secretary to embark on a “fast and furious” effort to distribute those funds to farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. She also vowed to combat fast-spreading animal disease in the U.S. and North America, including bird flu, which has hampered the poultry industry and sent egg prices soaring.

TRUMP’S ULTIMATUM TO FEDERAL WORKERS: RETURN TO OFFICE ‘OR BE TERMINATED’

United States Department of Agriculture Jamie L. Whitten federal building entrance sign. (Getty Images)

If confirmed, Rollins said last week, she would “immediately begin to modernize, realign, rethink the United States Department of Agriculture.”

“We understand that serving all American agriculture and all the American people means ensuring that our rural communities are equipped and supported to prosper, not just today, but tomorrow and the day after that in the many tomorrows to come,” she told lawmakers.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Those supporting Rollins’ nomination have also praised her “close working relationship” with the president, which they said will “ensure that agriculture and rural America have a prominent and influential voice at the table when critical decisions are made in the White House.”

Rollins was not expected to face staunch opposition to her nomination to head up the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and lawmakers who have spoken out have largely praised both her experience and strong knowledge of the agriculture sector.

Breanne Deppisch is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the 2024 election and other national news.

February 4, 2025
Senate confirms Trump AG nominee Pam Bondi

President Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee, Pam Bondi, will now move on to a final Senate floor vote for confirmation after senators voted to invoke cloture and limit the remaining floor debate.

Bondi, the former Florida attorney general who also spent 18 years as a prosecutor in Hillsborough County, earned praise this month for her composure during her confirmation hearing, which stretched for nearly six hours. She was also praised for her ability to deftly navigate thorny and politically tricky topics and lines of questioning from some would-be detractors.

If confirmed, Bondi stressed, her primary goal would be to enforce federal law without political considerations.

“Politics has to be taken out of this system,” Bondi told the Senate Judiciary Committee, a refrain she returned to multiple times during her conversations with lawmakers.

“This department has been weaponized for years and years and years, and it has to stop,” she said.

TRUMP AG PICK PAM BONDI CLEARS JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, WILL GET CONFIRMATION VOTE IN SENATE

Pam Bondi, former Florida attorney general, speaks at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing at a U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA)

Bondi’s experience and composure in her meetings with lawmakers, as well as during the confirmation hearing itself, won wide praise from Republicans on the panel, as well as some Democrats, who voted last week to approve her nomination.

The vote clears Bondi’s nomination to the Senate floor for a full chamber vote.

Bondi’s experience also earned the backing of former senior officials at the Justice Department, who urged lawmakers in a letter this month to swiftly move to confirm her.

WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY DEFENDS TRUMP’S FIRING OF INSPECTORS GENERAL

President Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee Pam Bondi and Sen. Richard Blumenthal clashed during her confirmation hearing. (Getty Images)

In letters previewed exclusively to Fox News Digital, the more than 110 senior Justice Department officials, including former U.S. attorneys general John Ashcroft, Jeff Sessions, Bill Barr and Edwin Meese, expressed their “strong and enthusiastic support” for Bondi, praising both her commitment to the rule of law and her track record as Florida’s former attorney general that they said make her uniquely qualified for the role.

“It is all too rare for senior Justice Department officials—much less Attorneys General—to have such a wealth of experience in the day-to-day work of keeping our communities safe,” they wrote.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Pam Bondi, President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Justice Department as attorney general, listens during her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Jan 15, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Jabin Botsford/Washington Post via Getty)

She was also backed by dozens of former Republican and Democratic state attorneys general, who sent a letter urging her confirmation earlier this month.

“Many of us have worked directly with Attorney General Bondi and have firsthand knowledge of her fitness for the office,” the former attorneys general said in the letter, also exclusively previewed to Fox News Digital. “We believe that her wealth of prosecutorial experience and commitment to public service make General Bondi a highly qualified nominee for Attorney General of the United States.”

Breanne Deppisch is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the 2024 election and other national news.

February 4, 2025
Trump health secretary nominee RFK Jr survives heated hearings ahead of crucial confirmation votes

The back-to-back combustible Senate confirmation hearings are over.

But Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), still faces crucial committee and full Senate confirmation votes in his mission to lead 18 powerful federal agencies that oversee the nation’s food and health.

Testifying in front of the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday and the Health Committee on Thursday, the vaccine skeptic and environmental crusader who ran for the White House in 2024 before ending his bid and endorsing Trump faced plenty of verbal fireworks over past controversial comments.

And while most of the tough questions and sparring over his stances on vaccines, abortion, Medicaid and other issues, came from Democrats on the two committees, Thursday’s hearing ended with the top Republican on the Health panel saying he was “struggling” with Kennedy’s nomination.

RFK’S CONFIRMATION HEARING QUICK GOES OFF THE RAILS

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee for HHS secretary, testifies during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions confirmation hearing on Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey Jr.)

“Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me,” GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy told the nominee.

The physician from Louisiana, who is a crucial vote and who has voiced concerns over Kennedy’s past stance on vaccines, asked whether Kennedy can “be trusted to support the best public health.”

And the senator told Kennedy, who seeks to lead key health agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, that “you may be hearing from me over the weekend.”

HEAD HERE FOR LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON PRESIDENT TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS BACK IN THE WHITE HOUSE

Kennedy faced two days of grilling over his controversial past comments, including his repeated claims in recent years linking vaccines to autism, which have been debunked by scientific research.

And Democrats have also spotlighted Kennedy’s service for years as chair or chief legal counsel for Children’s Health Defense, the nonprofit organization he founded that has advocated against vaccines and sued the federal government numerous times, including a challenge over the authorization of the COVID vaccine for children.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during the confirmation hearing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey Jr.)

One of Thursday’s most heated exchanges came as independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont pushed Kennedy over his past of linking vaccines to autism.

Sanders stated that “vaccines do not cause autism” and asked Kennedy “do you agree with that?”

After the nominee didn’t answer, Sanders responded, “I asked you a simple question, Bobby.”

Kennedy replied, “Senator, if you show me those studies, I will absolutely … apologize.”

“That is a very troubling response because the studies are there. Your job was to have looked at those studies as an applicant for this job,” Sanders said.

Later in the hearing, the two also clashed over political contributions to the pharmaceutical industry, with Kennedy referring to Sanders simply as “Bernie.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies during his confirmation hearing on Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey Jr.)

“Almost all the members of this panel, including yourself, are accepting millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry and protecting their interests,” Kennedy said.

Sanders immediately pushed back, “I ran for president like you. I got millions and millions of contributions. They did not come from the executives, not one nickel of PAC [political action committee] money from the pharmaceutical [companies]. They came from workers.”

Another fiery moment came as Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire appeared to fight back tears as she noted her son’s struggles with cerebral palsy amid accusations that “partisanship” was behind the Democrats’ blistering questions to Kennedy.

Hassan, who at Wednesday’s hearing charged that Kennedy “sold out” to Trump by altering his position on abortion, on Thursday accused the nominee of “relitigating settled science.”

But many of the Republicans on the panel came to Kennedy’s defense, including conservative Sen. Rand Paul.

The ophthalmologist from Kentucky defended Kennedy and took aim at comments about vaccines not causing autism.

“We don’t know what causes autism, so we should be more humble,” Paul said to applause from Kennedy supporters in the committee room audience wearing “Make America Healthy Again” garb.

The 71-year-old Kennedy, a scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty, launched a long-shot campaign for the Democrat presidential nomination against President Joe Biden in April 2023. But six months later, he switched to an independent run for the White House.

Kennedy made major headlines again last August when he dropped his presidential bid and endorsed Trump. While Kennedy had long identified as a Democrat and repeatedly invoked his late father, former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and his late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy – who were both assassinated in the 1960s – Kennedy in recent years built relationships with far-right leaders due in part to his high-profile vaccine skepticism.

Trump announced soon after the November election that he would nominate Kennedy to his Cabinet to run HHS.

Now-President Donald Trump welcomes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage at a campaign rally on Oct. 23, 2024, in Duluth, Ga. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Kennedy, whose outspoken views on Big Pharma and the food industry have also sparked controversy, has said he aims to shift the focus of the agencies he would oversee toward promotion of a healthy lifestyle, including overhauling dietary guidelines, taking aim at ultra-processed foods and getting to the root causes of chronic diseases.

“Our country is not going to be destroyed because we get the marginal tax rate wrong. It is going to be destroyed if we get this issue wrong,” Kenendy said Thursday as he pointed to chronic diseases. “And I am in a unique position to be able to stop this epidemic.”

The Finance Committee, which will decide on whether to send Kennedy’s nomination to the full Senate, has yet to schedule a date for a confirmation vote.

With Republicans controlling the Senate by a 53-47 majority, Kennedy can only afford to lose the support of three GOP senators if Democrats unite against his confirmation.

And besides Cassidy, two other Republicans on the Health Committee – Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska – are potential “no” votes on Kennedy.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Collins on Thursday questioned Kennedy about vaccines, herd immunity as well as his views on Lyme disease. Kenendy pledged that there’s “nobody who will fight harder for a treatment for Lyme disease.”

A 50-50 vote in the full Senate would force Vice President JD Vance to serve as the tiebreaker to push the Kennedy nomination over the top, as the vice president did last week with the confirmation of another controversial nominee, now-Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

January 31, 2025
Senate advances Trump’s energy secretary nominee to final confirmation vote

The Senate Thursday evening advanced President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Energy to a final confirmation vote.

The vote was 62-35.

Chris Wright, the CEO and founder of Liberty Energy Inc., an energy industry service provider based in Colorado, was tapped by the 47th president to head the Department of Energy under his administration.

The Trump nominee has received bipartisan support for his nomination, being introduced by a Democrat, Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado, during his confirmation hearing with the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee this month.

The Senate held a late-night cloture vote for Wright, to end discussion over his nomination.

FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP CABINET NOMINEE LEOFFLER PLEDGES TO DONATE SALARY TO CHARITY IF CONFIRMED

Chris Wright, chief executive officer of Liberty Energy Inc. and U.S. energy secretary nominee, speaks during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Al Drago)

The cloture vote passed with bipartisan support, meaning Wright will advance to a final Senate vote, likely to take place on Friday.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Wright, during his confirmation hearing, said he had identified three “immediate tasks” where he would focus his attention: unleashing American energy, leading the world in innovation and technology breakthroughs and increasing production in America.

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.

January 31, 2025
Trump backed 2024 Republican Senate nominee in Michigan moves closer to making another run in 2026

Former Rep. Mike Rogers is “strongly considering” a second straight Republican run for the Senate in the crucial battleground state of Michigan.

The announcement from Rogers comes two days after two-term Democratic Sen. Gary Peters announced he wouldn’t seek re-election in the 2026 midterms, which will force the Democrats to defend a key swing state seat as they try to win back the Senate majority from the Republicans.

Rogers won the 2024 GOP Senate nomination in Michigan but narrowly lost to Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democrats’ nominee, in last November’s election in the race to succeed longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who retired. Slotkin, who vastly outspent Rogers, edged him by roughly 19,000 votes, or a third of a percentage point.

The 61-year-old Rogers made his news in a social media statement released on Thursday in which he spotlighted his relationship with President Donald Trump and the “support” he has received from Michiganders.

GARY PETERS, DEMOCRATIC SENATOR FROM TRUMP STATE, WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION

Republican Senate nominee, former Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan, speaks alongside Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump during a campaign event hosted by Trump at the Falk Productions manufacturing facility on Sept. 27, 2024 in Walker, Mich. ( Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Rogers is a former FBI special agent who later served as chair of the House Intelligence Committee during his tenure in Congress. A one-time GOP Trump critic who mulled a White House run of his own in 2024, Rogers later became a strong supporter of the then-Republican presidential nominee and won his endorsement last year.

“I’ve spent the last two years traveling across Michigan with the support of President Trump and millions of voters,” Rogers wrote in a social media post on Thursday. “What I learned more than anything is that hard-working Michiganders deserve strong and honest representation that will have President Trump’s back.”

MEET THE REPUBLICAN SENATOR TASKED WITH DEFENDING THE GOP’S SENATE MAJORITY IN 2026

Pointing to his 2024 showing, Rogers noted that “since receiving more votes than any other Republican candidate that has ever run for Senate in Michigan, the tremendous outpouring of support and encouragement I’ve received since November proves that our mission to send a real fighter to the US Senate has just begun.”

He added that he and his wife Kristi “are strongly considering joining the fight once again ― to be the ally that President Trump needs and the leader that Michigan deserves. Good news is coming soon.”

Peters, a former House member first elected to the Senate in 2014, announced in a social media post that he would not seek re-election.

“Serving Michigan in the Congress has been the honor of my life. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity the people of my home state have given me,” Peters, who steered the Senate Democrats campaign committee the past two elections cycles, said.

DEMOCRATS’ NEW SENATE CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS KEYS TO WINNING BACK MAJORITY IN 2026

Peters was one of three Democratic senators up for re-election in the 2026 midterms that the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) was planning to heavily target as they aim to expand their current 53-47 majority in the Senate. The other two Democrats are Sens. Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.

Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, is interviewed by Fox News Digital, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, on August 19, 2024 (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

While Rogers is the first Republican to publicly make a move toward launching a 2026 Senate campaign in Michigan, GOP sources tell Fox News others who may consider running are Rep. John James -who’s in his second term in the House and was the GOP Senate nominee in Michigan in 2018 and 2020 -, longtime Rep. Bill Huizenga, and former NFL head coach Tony Dungy.

Hours after Peters’ announcement, there were developments in the race for the Democratic Senate nomination.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who moved his residency from Indiana to Michigan a few years ago, signaled that he’s mulling a Senate bid.

Then-Transportation Secy. Pete Buttigieg speaks on Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center, in Chicago, Illinois, on August 21, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

“Pete is exploring all of his options on how he can be helpful and continue to serve. He’s honored to be mentioned for this, and he’s taking a serious look,” a source familiar told Fox News.

Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan quickly took herself out of consideration.

WHO IS GARY PETERS? 7 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE MICHIGAN SENATOR

“Governor Whitmer is grateful for Senator Peters’ service. She is proudly serving the people of Michigan as governor and is not running for this seat in the Senate,” a spokesperson for her political action committee, Fight Like Hell PAC, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, is term-limited. Whitmer is seen standing for a Fox News Digital interview on July 25, 2024 in Durham, New Hampshire. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Responding to Peters’s news, NRSC chair Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina argued in a statement earlier this week that “Gary Peters is reading the room. After spending years ignoring illegal immigration and destroying his state’s auto industry, Michigan is better off without him.”

Scott emphasized that “we’re committed to giving them a fighter that will stand with President Trump to restore the economic prosperity and security of our country.”

The rival Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee noted that “no Republican has won a Michigan Senate race in 30 years – including last cycle when Democrats won an open Senate seat even as Trump won the state.”

And DSCC spokesman David Berstein also pledged that “Democrats will continue to hold this seat in 2026.”

Peters, in his statement on Tuesday, pledged “although I will not be on the ballot next year, I will not just walk away. I plan to actively campaign to ensure we elect a dynamic Democratic candidate to be the next U.S. Senator from Michigan.”

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Senate Democrats faced an extremely difficult map in the 2024 cycle as they lost control of the majority. And while an early read of the 2026 map indicates they’ll play defense in Michigan, Georgia, and New Hampshire, they may have a couple of opportunities to go on offense.

GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is up for re-election in a reliably blue state. And Sen. Thom Tills of North Carolina is also up in 2026, in a battleground state Trump narrowly won this past November.

Fox News’ Julia Johnson and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

January 30, 2025
Democrats press Army secretary nominee if ‘readiness’ will be affected by southern border deployments

Democrats sounded off about the White House sending U.S. troops to the southern border, but Army secretary nominee Daniel Driscoll insisted that he did not believe it would affect readiness.

“Is there a cost in terms of readiness?” Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the top Democrat in the Senate Armed Services Committee, asked Driscoll during his confirmation hearing on Thursday.

“The Army has a long, 249 history of balancing multiple objectives,” Driscoll said. “If this is important to the commander-in-chief, the Army will execute it.”

“I think border security is national security,” he went on. “We’ve had soldiers at the border for a number of years, and the Army stands ready for any mission.”

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., also voiced concerns about sending the military to the U.S. border.

“We’re seeing now active duty military, Army, be sent to the border, being sent on missions right now to support DHS,” she said. “But according to our Constitution, the US military active duty cannot perform law enforcement roles.”

ARMY SEC NOMINEE QUESTIONS WHETHER MILITARY PILOTS SHOULD TRAIN NEAR DC AIRPORT

U.S. soldiers patrol the US-Mexico border at Eagle Pass, Texas, on Jan. 24, 2025. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

Slotkin, a former CIA agent, said she was concerned that without proper training an incident could occur that would turn public opinion against the nation’s armed forces.

“I’m deeply concerned that active duty troops are going to be forced into law enforcement roles, and we’re already hearing stories that really, really touch right on the line,” she said.

“They’re not properly trained. There’s going to be an incident,” she said. “Someone’s going to get hurt, there’s going to be some sort of blow up, and suddenly we’re going to have a community that’s deeply, deeply angry at uniformed military who were just told to go and drive those DHS vehicles through that building, perform support for somebody.”

Slotkin asked Driscoll if he would follow an order from President Donald Trump or Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth if it “contravened with the Constitution.”

“I reject the premise that the president or the secretary would ask for an order like that, but I will always follow the law,” Driscoll said.

HEGSETH SHARES DETAILS ON BLACK HAWK CHOPPER TRAINING FLIGHT

Slotkin shot back: “Your predecessor, Army Secretary [Mark] Esper, had this exact thing that he wrote about in his book, 82nd Airborne Army was asked to come in and clean up a peaceful protest in Washington, DC. So I reject your rejection that this is theoretical.”

“We’re counting on you to protect the integrity of a non-political military that is not trained in law enforcement roles.”

Daniel Driscoll, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be secretary of the Army, said: “I think border security is national security.” (AP)

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., a former CIA agent, said she was concerned that without proper training an incident could occur that would turn public opinion against the nation’s armed forces. (Reuters)

Immediately upon taking office, Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border and 1,500 active duty troops — 1,000 Army personnel and 500 Marines — deployed to the southern border.

There already were 2,500 U.S. service members stationed at the southern border. The troops were ordered there in May 2023 during the Biden administration under Title 10 authorities approved by former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and are planned to be there until the end of fiscal year 2025, according to a U.S. Northern Command spokesperson.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Whatever is needed at the border will be provided,” Hegseth said Monday, hinting at the possibility of additional deployments in the coming weeks.

Trump also signed an executive order designating drug cartels in Latin America as foreign terrorist organizations, granting the military greater authority to interdict them.

January 30, 2025
Graham grills FBI nominee Patel over ‘disgusting’ and ‘corrupt’ Crossfire Hurricane probe

Trump FBI director nominee Kash Patel was grilled Thursday over the FBI’s investigation into alleged Trump-Russia connections in the aftermath of the 2016 election, known colloquially by its nickname “Crossfire Hurricane,” and which has emerged as something of a partisan lightning rod in the years since the investigation was closed.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, for his part, used most of his allotted time Thursday to grill Patel over his views on the investigation, which he has railed against as politically motivated and a “disgusting” use of FBI resources.

Patel was tapped in 2017 by then-House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes to join the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe— an investigation that was widely praised by Republicans as helping discredit the FBI’s inquest.

“Is it fair to say that the people in charge of investigating Crossfire Hurricane hated Trump’s guts?” Graham asked Patel Thursday during his confirmation hearing.

“Yes, sir,” Patel responded.

TRUMP AG PICK PAM BONDI CLEARS JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, WILL GET CONFIRMATION VOTE IN SENATE

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., waits for the arrival of President Joe Biden in the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Graham added: “Do you believe that Crossfire Hurricane was one of the most disgusting episodes in FBI history of a corrupt investigation led by corrupt people who wanted to take Donald Trump down?”

After Patel responded affirmatively, Graham continued to excoriate what he sees as the politicization of the FBI, which he claimed is “ignoring evidence, making up evidence, and lying to get Donald Trump.”

WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY DEFENDS TRUMP’S FIRING OF INSPECTORS GENERAL

President-elect Donald Trump has named longtime ally Kashyap “Kash” Patel, who has been a frequent and harsh critic of the FBI, to serve as the bureau’s next director in the new administration. (Reuters)

“FBI agents were telling anybody and everybody would listen that [the investigation] is not reliable, this is not trustworthy. But they plowed on,” Graham added.

“That’s why you’re in this chair today to fix that,” said Graham. “Without Crossfire Hurricane, this guy wouldn’t be here.”

Patel is a close ally of the president-elect and served in the first Trump administration both as a deputy assistant and as the senior director for counterterrorism.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

His nomination has sparked early criticism from some Democrats ahead of his confirmation hearing, who have cited his previous vows to prosecute journalists and career officials at the Justice Department and FBI that he sees as being part of the “deep state.”

He has since attempted to clarify some of those remarks.

Breanne Deppisch is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the 2024 election and other national news.

January 30, 2025
Army sec nominee questions whether military pilots should do flight training near Washington airport

Army secretary nominee Daniel Driscoll questioned whether Army helicopters should be flying training missions in one of the nation’s most congested flight paths after Wednesday’s tragic Washington, D.C.-area collision.

“It’s an accident that seems to be preventable,” Driscoll, an Army veteran, said during a Thursday confirmation hearing at the Armed Services Committee.

“There are appropriate times to take risk and inappropriate times to take risk,” he said. “I think we need to look at where is an appropriate time to take training risk, and it may not be at an airport like Reagan.”

Sixty-four people were aboard the American Airlines flight inbound from Wichita, Kan., which collided with an Army Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter just before it was set to touch down at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Authorities do not believe anyone survived.

BLACK HAWK CHOPPER UNIT WAS ON ANNUAL PROFICIENCY TRAINING FLIGHT, HEGSETH SAYS

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed the three soldiers who were aboard the chopper were a “fairly experienced crew” doing a “required annual night evaluation.”

Dan. Driscoll questioned whether Army helicopters should be flying training missions in one of the nation’s most congested flight paths after the Jan. 29, 2025, Washington, D.C.-area flight collision. (Screenshot Pool)

“We anticipate that the investigation will quickly be able to determine whether the aircraft was in the quarter at the right altitude at the time of the incident,” he said.

In a blunt Truth Social post, President Donald Trump called the crash “a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented.”

AMERICAN FIGURE SKATER SAYS HE WAS BARRED FROM FLIGHT THAT COLLIDED WITH ARMY HELICOPTER

“The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time,” Trump wrote. “It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane.”

An Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair with an American Airlines jet at Ronald Reagan Washington National airport near Washington. (EarthCam)

The following day emergency response units search the crash site of an American Airlines plane after it crashed on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Jan. 29, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Ronald Reagan Washington National, an airport owned by the federal government, has been the subject of debate for years. It has one of the shortest runways in the industry, yet Congress approved additional flight slots in 2024 as part of its Federal Aviation Administration bill. The flight from Wichita, Kan., had just been added in 2024.

The airport faces complicated aviation logistics near hyperprotected airspace near the Pentagon, White House and Capitol, but lawmakers have pushed to keep it open due to the convenience of its proximity to D.C.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“We’re gonna have to work together to make sure that never happens again,” Driscoll said in his Thursday confirmation hearing, promising to take a hard look at what training was needed, particularly amid the Army’s increased use of its vertical lift aircraft.

Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked a helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight, according to air traffic control audio. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later, saying “PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ” — apparently telling the chopper to wait for the Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet to pass. There was no reply. Seconds after that, the aircraft collided.

Military helicopters regularly cross over the D.C.-area airport’s flight paths to ferry senior government officials over the Potomac River into D.C. No senior officials were on board the downed Black Hawk, according to the Army.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

January 30, 2025