Happy New Year 2025

Tag: SEC

Defense Sec. Hegseth working with DOGE to ‘cut the bs’

Hegseth announces DOGE plans

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed DOGE arrived at the Pentagon and announced plans to trim spending. (Credit: X / @SecDef)

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth released a video Thursday detailing oncoming Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts and restructuring that will take place within the Pentagon.

On the date of filming, Hegseth said he met with DOGE and they are beginning their review.

“They’re here, and we’re welcoming them,” Hegseth said. “They’re going to have broad access, obviously, with all the safeguards on classification.”

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted a video on Thursday explaining Department of Defense budget and personnel changes. (@SecDef/X)

TRUMP ISSUES WARNING ABOUT WASTEFUL SPENDING, ORDERS ‘RADICAL TRANSPARENCY’ AMID DOGE PROBES, REVELATIONS

He added that many DOGE workers are veterans, and it is a “good thing” that they will find deficiencies.

“They care just like we do, to find the redundancies and identify the last vestiges of Biden priorities — the DEI, the woke, the climate change B.S., that’s not core to our mission, and we’re going to get rid of it all,” Hegseth said.

DOGE’s stop at the Department of Defense comes after reviews of the Treasury, Labor, Education and Health departments, as well as at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Office of Personnel Management and Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The Defense Department has already slashed 8%, or $50 billion, from former President Joe Biden’s budget. (Omar Marques/Getty Images)

The temporary organization has faced an enormous amount of scrutiny over the last few weeks, with some accusing President Donald Trump of giving department head Elon Musk too much power.

Numerous lawsuits have also been filed in an attempt to block DOGE’s access to sensitive information.

$1,300 COFFEE CUPS, 8,000% OVERPAY FOR SOAP DISPENSERS SHOW WASTE AS DOGE LOCKS IN ON PENTAGON

The Defense Department has already slashed 8%, or $50 billion, from former President Joe Biden’s budget.

“It’s not a cut,” Hegseth said. “It’s refocusing and reinvesting existing funds into building a force that protects you, the American people.”

The budget will be “refocused” on Trump’s priorities, and key programs will not be eliminated, he added.

President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Evan Vucci/AP)

The department is also reevaluating its probationary workforce, a government-wide action ordered by the president.

“Bottom line, it is simply not in the public interest to retain individuals whose contributions are not mission-critical,” Hegseth said. “We start with poor performers amongst our probationary employees, because that is common sense, and you want the best and brightest.”

DOGE fired 3,600 probationary Health and Human Services employees, and 7,000 are expected to be slashed from the IRS amid tax season.

It is unclear how many defense employees will lose their jobs.

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There will also be a hiring freeze as the defense department reviews its needs.

“Ever since I’ve taken this position, the only thing I care about is doing right by the war fighters, by the troops,” Hegseth said. “In short, we want the biggest, most bad a– military on the planet, on God’s green Earth.”

Alexandra Koch is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Prior to joining Fox News, Alexandra covered breaking news, crime, religion, and the military in the southeast.

February 21, 2025
DOGE asks public for ‘insights’ on potential waste at SEC

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul joined ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss the need for a gold reserve audit at Ft. Knox and his decision to vote against the Republican budget bill.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is continuing its efforts to find potential wasteful government spending and asking members of the public for their “insights” on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The SEC, which was established in the 1930s, regulates securities markets in the U.S.

The seal of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at SEC headquarters. (Jonathan Ernst / Reuters Photos)

“DOGE is seeking help from the public! Please DM this account with insights on finding and fixing waste, fraud and abuse relating to the Securities and Exchange Commissions,” the Elon Musk-run group wrote Monday on X from an “affiliate” account focused on the agency.

FROM RETURN-TO-OFFICE TO FEDERAL LAYOFFS, HOW TRUMP POLICIES ARE AFFECTING DC HOUSING MARKET: REPORT

The post has notched 1.9 million views and over 16,000 likes to date. Musk posted an emoji of a smiley face with sunglasses in response to it.

The Elon Musk-led group’s appeal to Americans regarding the SEC comes as DOGE has also asked for input from the public on other federal agencies about potentially “reducing waste, fraud, and abuse, along with any helpful insights or awesome ideas.”

DOGE has set up “DOGE affiliate” accounts for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the State Department, NASA, Social Security Administration and multiple other federal agencies.

ELON MUSK’S DOGE PREPARES TO AUDIT US GOLD RESERVES AT FORT KNOX AFTER URGING BY SEN. RAND PAUL

President Donald Trump used an executive order to form DOGE not longer after he took office on Jan. 20. He and Musk have both said the goal of the department is to significantly pare back spending and boost efficiency within the federal government.

President-elect Donald Trump walks with Elon Musk before viewing the launch of a SpaceX Starship rocket, in Brownsville, Texas, Nov. 19, 2024. (Brandon Bell/Pool via / Reuters)

Overall, DOGE is looking to trim $2 trillion in government spending, with Musk telling Stagwell Inc. CEO Mark Penn early last month that it had a “good shot at getting” $1 trillion.

WHAT HAS DOGE CUT SO FAR?

“DOGE is saving the Federal Government approx. $1 billion/day, mostly from stopping the hiring of people into unnecessary positions, deletion of DEI and stopping improper payments to foreign organizations, all consistent with the President’s Executive Orders,” the group said in late January.

The group has said it will soon add a page to its website detailing the “description/amount of each cost reduction” it makes within the federal government. As of Monday afternoon, that webpage said, “Receipts coming over the weekend!”

Eric Revell contributed to this report.

February 17, 2025
Plane carrying Sec. of State Rubio turns around after experiencing mechanical issue

A plane carrying Secretary of State Marco Rubio was diverted back to Joint Base Andrews on Thursday night due to a mechanical issue.

Rubio was on his way to Munich, Germany from Washington, D.C. on Thursday night when the plane experienced a mechanical issue, according to spokesperson Tammy Bruce.

RUBIO SAYS AMERICAN MARC FOGEL FREED FROM RUSSIA DUE TO ‘STRENGTH’ OF TRUMP

TOPSHOT – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio boards a plane en route to El Salvador at Panama Pacifico International Airport in Panama City on February 3, 2025. Rubio is in Panama on a two-day official visit. (MARK SCHIEFELBEIN/Pool AP/AFP via Getty Images)

The plane has since turned around and was returning to Joint Base Andrews.

Bruce said Rubio intends to continue his travel to Germany and the Middle East on a different aircraft.

This is a developing story.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @GregWehner.

February 14, 2025
Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent leaves powerful two-word message in Irish airport’s welcome book

The U.S. Treasury secretary left a straight and to the point message in the welcome book at Shannon Airport in Ireland on Thursday, simply leaving the Trump administration’s two-word motto.

The plane Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was traveling on from Kyiv, Ukraine, made a stop at the western Ireland airport to refuel.

While there, Bessent signed the welcome book, writing, “AMERICA FIRST!”

FOX Business White House correspondent Edward Lawrence snapped a picture of the page, and above Bessent’s entry was an entry from former Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

JD VANCE, TREASURY SEC SCOTT BESSENT TO MEET WITH ZELENSKYY AS TRUMP TEAM SETS SIGHTS ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signed the welcome book at Shannon Airport in Ireland, writing, “AMERICA FIRST!” (Edward Lawrence)

“To all our friends at Shannon – with gratitude for always making us feel at home away from home,” Blinken wrote, though the date of the entry was not visible in the photo.

President Donald Trump announced earlier this week that he was sending Bessent to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

‘LET’S DO A DEAL’: ZELENSKYY CALLS TRUMP’S TERMS ACCEPTABLE FOR SECURITY PARTNERSHIP

Scott Bessent, founder and chief executive officer of Key Square Group LP, at an interview during the Republican National Convention (RNC) near the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Former President Donald Trump tapped JD Vance as his running mate, elevating to the Republican presidential ticket a venture capitalist-turned-senator whose embrace of populist politics garnered national attention and made him a rising star in the party. (Vincent Alban/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“This War MUST and WILL END SOON — Too much Death and Destruction. The U.S. has spent BILLIONS of Dollars Globally, with little to show,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Bessent was expected to speak with the Ukrainian president about sanctions, rare Earth minerals and where U.S. funding has gone.

Vice President JD Vance was also meeting with Zelenskyy this week, and both meetings were to take place before U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg travels to Ukraine on Feb. 20.

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Trump tasked Kellogg with hashing out a peace deal with Ukraine and Russia to bring the three-year-long war to an end. Last week Kellogg met with Ukrainian delegates at the State Department.

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @GregWehner.

February 13, 2025
JD Vance, Treasury Sec Scott Bessent to meet with Zelenskyy as Trump team sets sights on Russia-Ukraine war

Vice President JD Vance will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday after years of railing against the U.S.’ continued funding of Ukraine in the war against Russia.

The vice president will meet with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, a Vance spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital, just ahead of U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg’s trip to Ukraine on Feb. 20.

Trump announced on Tuesday he would also send Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to meet with Zelenskyy in Ukraine.

“This War MUST and WILL END SOON — Too much Death and Destruction. The U.S. has spent BILLIONS of Dollars Globally, with little to show,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

‘LET’S DO A DEAL’: ZELENSKYY CALLS TRUMP’S TERMS ACCEPTABLE FOR SECURITY PARTNERSHIP

Then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet at Trump Tower in New York City on Sept. 27, 2024. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo)

Bessent is expected to talk about sanctions, rare Earth minerals and where U.S. funding has gone with the Ukrainian leader.

Trump tasked Kellogg with hashing out a peace deal with Ukraine and Russia to bring the three-year-long war to an end. Last week Kellogg met with Ukrainian delegations at the State Department.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are also attending the conference where the Russia-Ukraine war is sure to be a top focal point.

RUSSIA SAYS US RELATIONS ‘ON THE BRINK OF A BREAKUP,’ WON’T CONFIRM TRUMP-PUTIN TALK

The U.S. does not have a concrete plan yet to end the war, contrary to public reporting, and is listening to concerns and proposals from allies, a European official familiar with peace talks told Fox News Digital.

“Munich is too soon to unveil a Ukraine peace plan,” the official said. “The negotiations between the principals – Trump, Zelenskyy, Putin – will be tough. All options to end the killing are on the table – the course of action will be Trump’s call. There’s still plenty of room to ramp up sanctions.”

Vice President JD Vance will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday after years of railing against the U.S.’ continued funding of Ukraine in the war against Russia. (Getty Images)

Trump said last week he might meet with Zelenksyy himself in the days ahead.

“I will probably be meeting with President Zelenskyy next week and I will probably be talking to President Putin,” Trump said.

In an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier Monday night, Trump emphasized the need for Ukraine to give the U.S. access to its rare Earth minerals in exchange for its defense. He also suggested Ukraine “may be Russian” someday.

“They may make a deal, they may not make a deal. They may be Russian some day, or they may not be Russian some day,” Trump mused.

“We are going to have all this money in there, and I say I want it back. And I told them that I want the equivalent, like $500 billion worth of rare Earth,” Trump said. “And they have essentially agreed to do that, so at least we don’t feel stupid.”

TRUMP’S ‘RARE’ PRICE FOR US MILITARY AID TO UKRAINE CALLED ‘FAIR’ BY ZELENSKYY

President Donald Trump announced he would send Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Ukraine. (Vincent Alban/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Both Zelenskyy and Putin have remained opposed to direct talks with each other. Putin is demanding that Ukraine withdraw from regions in the south and east that Kyiv still has control over. Zelenskyy has scoffed at any territorial concessions to Moscow, though he has admitted Ukraine may have to rely on diplomatic means to take back some of its territory.

Vance was long at the forefront of opposition to Ukraine aid in the Senate.

“I gotta be honest with you, I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another,” he said in February 2022 as Russia invaded.

“Vladimir Putin is not Adolf Hitler. It doesn’t mean he’s a good guy, but he has significantly less capability than the German leader did,” Vance said in an April 2024 speech on the Senate floor.

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A Munich Security report, released just days before world leaders gather in Germany, said that Trump’s election has turned the U.S. into a “risk to be hedged against.”

“Without global leadership of the kind provided by the United States for the past several decades, it is hard to imagine the international community providing global public goods like freedom of navigation or tackling even some of the many grave threats confronting humanity,” the report warned. “The US may be abdicating its historic role as Europe’s security guarantor – with significant consequences for Ukraine.”

February 11, 2025
DOGE focuses on millions in migrant hotels billed to US taxpayers as DHS Sec. Noem targets key agency

The government’s leading disaster relief agency reportedly spent millions on hotels for illegal immigrants just last week, according to Elon Musk, who is leading the Trump administration’s efforts to cut government spending.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by the tech billionaire, has been conducting a sweep of federal funding and identifying areas in which “waste” within the government can be slashed. Musk found his most recent target in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the government’s disaster relief branch that recently sparked concern over a reported lack of funds during Hurricane Helene.

“The @DOGE team just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants,” Musk claimed in a post on X on Monday morning.

Musk charged that “sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order,” which FEMA was under review to improve the agency’s “efficacy, priorities and competence.”

KRISTI NOEM HEADS TO ASHEVILLE AMID HEAVY CRITICISM OF FEMA RESPONSE UNDER BIDEN

Musk claimed that FEMA sent millions to house migrants in NYC. (Getty Images)

“That money is meant for American disaster relief,” Musk wrote.

A New York City Hall spokesperson confirmed to Fox that the city had received funds “through the past week” that were allocated by the Biden administration for the purpose of housing and supporting illegal immigrants.

Of the $59.3 million, $19 million was for direct hotel costs, while the balance funded other services such as food and security. According to NY City Hall, the funds were not part of a disaster relief grant.

PRESIDENT TRUMP PREDICTS ELON MUSK WILL FIND ‘HUNDRED OF BILLIONS’ IN WASTE IN NEXT DOGE DIRECTIVES

The report comes just one day after Secretary Kristi Noem of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, suggested getting rid of FEMA “the way it exists today.”

Migrants are seen sleeping outside the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan on July 31, 2023. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service)

During former President Biden’s term, FEMA faced backlash after it was reported that while they lacked the necessary funds needed to help Hurricane Helene victims, they were dishing out money that ended up being used to aid illegal immigrants.

Speaker Mike Johnson clarified that emergency relief funding is separate from FEMA funds allocated to immigration, but said that the agency should not have any part in funding the border crisis.

FEMA partners with Customs and Border Control (CBP) and administers money to the Shelter and Services Program (SSP), a government-funded program that provides assistance and housing for illegal immigrants released into the U.S.

After Hurricane Helene made its deadly sweep across the south in the fall, Republican lawmakers warned that “FEMA’s continued entanglement in DHS’ efforts to respond to the border crisis could impact its readiness and emergency response mission.”

President Donald Trump said that ‘FEMA has turned out to be a disaster.’ (Roberty Schmidt)

President Donald Trump has also called for FEMA to be reformed, suggesting during his first week in office that states be in control of their own disaster funding.

“FEMA has turned out to be a disaster,” Trump said while delivering remarks on the Hurricane Helene damage in January. “I think we’re going to recommend that FEMA go away, and we pay directly — we pay a percentage to the state.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to FEMA for comment.

Fox News’ Grace Taggart, Adam Shaw and Emma Colton contributed to this report.

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.

February 10, 2025
Disney drops woke program from their DEI section in latest SEC filing

MDB Capital president and chief marketing strategist Lou Basenese joins ‘Cavuto: Coast to Coast’ to discuss Disney’s recent turnaround.

The Walt Disney Company appears to be scaling back its DEI initiatives according to its latest SEC filing – and activist investors are pushing the entertainment conglomerate to go even further.

Disney dropped its “Reimagine Tomorrow” program from their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion section of its 2024 SEC 10-K report. The program was mentioned in the 2023 report, which defines the program as “the Company’s digital destination for amplifying underrepresented voices and features some of Disney’s DE&I commitments and actions.” The program hosted a controversial 2022 leaked “all-hands” meeting in which a Disney executive touting her “not at all secret gay agenda.”

“On my little pocket of Proud Family Disney TVA, the showrunners were super welcoming… our leadership over there has been super welcoming to my not-at-all-secret gay agenda… they’re going hard… I don’t have to be afraid to have these two characters kiss in the background. I was just, wherever I could, adding queerness,” executive producer Latoya Raveneau said at the time.

DISNEY EXPOSED: LEAKED VIDEOS SHOW OFFICIALS PUSHING LGBT AGENDA, SAYING DESANTIS WANTS TO ‘ERASE’ GAY KIDS

Disney appears to be backing away from woke policies (Fox News Digital / Fox News)

Disney’s “Reimagine Tomorrow” webpage, which is still active, says its mission is “amplifying underrepresented voices and untold stories as well as championing the importance of accurate representation in media and entertainment.”

The page also lists racial and gender breakdowns of their content and workforce as of 2021 and boasts of their Business Employee Research Groups which represent employees from different ethnic backgrounds.

“The Walt Disney Company Has Established Business Employee Resource Groups Across 10 Dimensions: Asian/ Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander, Black/ African American Disabilities Hispanic/ Latin X Jewish, LGBTQ+, Multicultural, Native American/ Indigenous Veterans/ Military, Women,” the website boasts.

“Disney dropping [Reimagine Tomorrow] from their DEI section could mean they’re walking back their DEI investments, or it could signal they’re hiding them,” Stefan Padfield, director of the Free Enterprise Project for the National Center for Public Policy Research, told Fox News Digital. “Either they recognize that more litigation is coming, or it could be part of a vibe shift.”

Target was recently hit with a lawsuit related to its DEI initiatives as shareholders contend the retailer failed to be transparent about the risks posed by their DEI policies and Pride displays.

“Where is your data that shows DEI serves the bottom line?” Padfield asked of companies that still employ DEI measures.

“The concern about the scrutiny about these questions is built into this movement we’re seeing across companies. The Trump administration announced they’ll investigate nine companies for their DEI practices, and you’re seeing corporations scramble to not be among those nine,” he said.

By scaling back its DEI section in its SEC filing, Disney joins a growing trend of companies from Meta to John Deere that have rolled back or eliminated their DEI initiatives.

The movie, cruise and theme park behemoth has also dropped its “The Disney Look” appearance guidelines from their DEI section in their 2024 SEC filing. The 2023 SEC filing states that the guidelines were “updated to cultivate a more inclusive environment that encourages and celebrates authentic expressions of belonging among employees.”

Disney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

DISNEY ACCUSED OF MISLEADING SHAREHOLDERS WITH ‘WOKE POLITICAL AGENDA’

Disney has removed its “Reimagine Tomorrow” section from its recent SEC filing. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images / Getty Images)

The moves come as Disney reportedly lost 700,000 users on its Disney+ streaming platform in the final quarter of 2024. The entertainment conglomerate has faced backlash for, what some call, its “woke political agenda.” The corporation was sued by America First Legal in March 2024 for allegedly doing “damage to Disney’s brand, properties, and commercial reputation by management’s manufactured misalignment between its woke political and social agenda and the vast majority of the Company’s customers.”

Disney’s move to distance itself from the woke initiative comes as activist investors are pressuring the company to drop its participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index.

The HRC releases a yearly survey which grades corporations on their compliance with a litany of LGBTQ initiatives, among them “Equal health coverage for transgender individuals without exclusion for medically necessary care” and “Integration of gender identity and sexual orientation in professional development, skills-based or other leadership training that includes elements of diversity and/or cultural competency.” Disney has had a perfect score on the Equality Index every year since 2007.

‘CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD’ STAR SAYS THE CHARACTER SHOULD NOT REPRESENT AMERICA

LGBTQ employees and their supporters walkout of Disney Animation protesting CEO Bob Chapek’s handling of legislation in Florida in 2022. ((Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) / Getty Images)

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Padfield is attempting to get Disney to drop its participation in the survey. Padfield contends that HRC increases its requirements to achieve a perfect score on each successive evaluation, new indexes are released annually, and meeting these requirements could force companies to pursue policies that are bad for business.

“There’s a number of items in the index that in order to get the perfect score really start pushing corporations out on a radical edge,” Padfield told Fox News Digital. “It’s essentially built to work like ratchet… a lot of people’s perceptions is that these companies are just moved further and further left in terms of this radicalism.”

February 10, 2025
Energy Sec. Wright outlines Day 1 priorities: Refilling SPR, promoting ‘energy addition, not subtraction’

Energy Secretary Chris Wright has outlined eight “Day 1 Priorities” he aims to accomplish, several of which he laid out in his inaugural address at the Energy Department headquarters Wednesday.

Wright, the CEO of Colorado oilfield services company Liberty Energy, said he will prioritize refilling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), modernizing the U.S. nuclear stockpile, streamlining federal permitting for energy development, and abiding by the mantra: “Advance energy addition, not subtraction.”

In his remarks at the department’s building near Pierre L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., Wright spoke about his childhood love of science and how that focus led him to pursue work in the field.

Wright said he met President Donald Trump about a year ago, and the two businessmen connected over their support for unleashing American energy prowess and highlighting how U.S. energy dominance positively affects many other aspects of life.

CHRIS WRIGHT CONFIRMED SECRETARY OF ENERGY

President Donald Trump and Energy Secretary Chris Wright (AP/Getty)

Wright said Trump had a “simple vision” that “energy is good and that we need more” of it, particularly domestically-sourced.

“So we just connected. And he asked me, ‘Would you be secretary of energy?’ And I said, ‘Boy, if I’m asked to serve my country, I don’t have to think about that one.’”

He called the Energy Department the gem of the American government and said he has long been entranced by contemporary advancements in the field, from German chemist Otto Hahn splitting the atom in 1938 to Adm. Hyman Rickover creating the first nuclear-powered machines in submarines.

“I want to better energize our country, strengthen our country, advance science… and get the politics out of all of this.”

“Energy is not political: it is the basic infrastructure that allows us to live great lives, to allow whatever our dream is, whatever our vision is,” he said.

TOP SENATE REPUBLICAN HITS BACK AS DEM CALLS FOUL ON TRUMP CONFIRMATION HEARINGS

Wright added that there is no such thing as clean or dirty energy, and that in reality, there is “no free lunch” when it comes to the byproducts of the production process: “It’s about tradeoffs.”

Other “day one” priorities Wright has outlined include a return to “regular order” on liquefied natural gas exports.

Wright has been a longtime advocate of hydraulic fracturing – famously going as far as drinking fracking fluid to prove environmentalist critics wrong about its effect on nature.

Pennsylvania and North Dakota are epicenters of fracking, while New York retains the subterranean resources to do so but is under a statewide ban.

Wright has also pledged to strengthen the power grid’s reliability and security.

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There have been blackouts occasionally in recent years from overtaxed grid areas, notably in California around 2001.

There have also been security threats to energy transmission, including from a Catonsville, Maryland, woman who conspired to destroy the region’s power grid.

Then-FBI Director Christopher Wray said Sarah Beth Clendaniel “plotted to disable the power grid around the entire Baltimore region” in 2018, after becoming acquainted with a Florida man who espoused White supremacist “accelerationist” ideologies.

Under Wright’s tenure, the Energy Department also plans to promote home appliance affordability and choice – a break from the Biden administration’s efforts to restrict usage of gas stoves.

Former President Joe Biden also spent part of the nation’s SPR in what critics called a bid to assuage energy price spikes for political purposes. Wright said he would promote the refilling of the SPR, as well as modernize the U.S. nuclear stockpile, Fox News has learned.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].

February 5, 2025
‘Exciting chapter’: Interior Sec takes aim at Biden oil lease ban, ‘coercive’ climate policies in Day 1 orders

President Donald Trump’s administration is taking aim at various Biden-era environmental rules and regulations by stripping the energy sector of “coercive” climate policies and oil lease bans, and launching internal investigations into agency actions that “burden” energy development.

Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum, who was sworn-in on Friday, spent his first full day on the job implementing six new orders that reinforce Trump’s agenda and set the tone for the department over the next four years.

The secretary’s orders include examining ways to eliminate “harmful” and “coercive” climate policies, lifting Biden-era bans on oil and gas leases, and conducting a review of the legislation that funded the former administration’s green energy agenda, known as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

“Today marks the beginning of an exciting chapter for the Department of the Interior,” Burgum said in a statement. “We are committed to working collaboratively to unlock America’s full potential in energy dominance and economic development to make life more affordable for every American family while showing the world the power of America’s natural resources and innovation.”

FEDERAL AGENCIES SCRUB CLIMATE CHANGE FROM WEBSITE AMID TRUMP REBRANDING

Then-North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum speaks during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (Al Drago)

In a press release issued on Monday, Burgum announced the department’s first initiatives.

The DOI pledged to expedite the completion of all authorized infrastructure and environmental projects to address the National Energy Emergency, which was declared by Trump on Inauguration Day.

‘SCREAM NIGHT’: CLIMATE ACTIVISTS REPEATEDLY DISRUPT DNC LEADERSHIP MEETING

The department will also conduct a review of all appropriations from the IRA, after former President Joe Biden spent the remaining months of his presidency trying to rapidly dish out funds from the bill to fund green energy projects across the country.

President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Evan Vucci)

Additionally, the DOI said that for every new regulation issued, the department will eliminate at least 10 existing ones as part of Trump’s “deregulation agenda.”

Burgum also demanded “immediate compliance” with Trump’s overturning of Biden’s oil and gas lease ban, specifically in the Outer Continental Shelf, and said the department will be conducting a review of all agency actions that “potentially burden the development of domestic energy resources.”

The DOI, on Monday, also withdrew a June 2021 Biden administration order that halted oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a coastal plain that the first and second Trump administrations have eyed as an oil and gas resource.

Former President Joe Biden implemented several environmental regulations during his term. (Kevin Dietsch)

“Together, we will ensure that our policies reflect the needs of our communities, respect tribal sovereignty, and drive innovation that will keep the U.S. at the forefront of energy and environmental leadership,” Burgum said in a statement.

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Climate activist groups, however, have not been supportive of Burgum’s nomination.

“From opening more public lands for extraction to attacking countless protections of lands, water, and wildlife, it’s clear that President Trump is committed to expanding fossil fuels and catering to industry at the expense of our climate, public lands and waters, and wildlife,” Earthjustice, an environmental law group, wrote in opposition to Burgum’s nomination.

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.

February 4, 2025
Transportation Sec Sean Duffy says FAA systems are ‘antiquated,’ calls for more air traffic controllers

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says that many of the Federal Aviation Administration’s systems remain “antiquated” and are in need of updates amid a “plummet” in recruitment for air traffic controllers.

Duffy made the statement during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” with host Shannon Bream. The Trump administration official affirmed that America’s skies remain the safest in the world, but he also said major changes could be made to improve the FAA’s systems.

“We have the safest skies in the whole world. Traveling by air is the safest mode of transportation,” Duffy said. “It’s not just air traffic controllers, but we do have technologies on airplanes to keep them separated. So, yeah, no, this is the safest system.”

Duffy went on to say that the U.S. system “does need to be upgraded.” He also noted an outage of the FAA’s pilot warning system, the “Notice to Air Mission” or NOTAM system, on Saturday night, calling it “antiquated.”

VICTIMS IDENTIFIED IN DC PLANE CRASH INVOLVING AMERICAN AIRLINES JET AND MILITARY HELICOPTER

Secretary of U.S. Department of Transportation Sean Duffy addresses the media, after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed into the Potomac River. (Ken Cedeno/Reuters)

The FAA imposes a mandatory retirement age of 55 for air traffic controllers, causing a large amount of turnover. Duffy noted that the FAA’s training academy was bottlenecked during COVID-19, causing small class sizes and delaying the process as trainees could not get in-person experience at control towers.

HARROWING VIDEO FROM MILITARY BASE SHOWS NEW ANGLE OF MIDAIR CRASH CATASTROPHE

He said he is focusing on training a new generation of recruits.

“You can’t focus on diversity, equity and inclusion when you try to hire air traffic controllers, you focus on the best and brightest,” Duffy told Bream. “I mean, again, some people like me like to have this conversation around equity. But if it’s your pilots or if it’s your air traffic controllers, you want the best. You want the brightest protecting yourself and your family. That’s what we’re going to do with the department.”

First responders work the scene after what witnesses say was a plane crash in Philadelphia on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (Matt Rourke/AP)

Duffy’s statements come after two aviation disasters struck the U.S., including the collision of a military Blackhawk helicopter with an American Airlines jet in Washington, D.C., last week. A private plane also plummeted out of the sky in Pennsylvania this weekend.

Investigations are ongoing for both crashes. Duffy said he is particularly interested in the communications that the control tower at Reagan National Airport had with both the jet and the helicopter in last week’s crash.

Search and rescue efforts are seen around a wreckage site in the Potomac River from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, early Thursday morning, Jan. 30, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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“What happened in the tower? What was going on with the staffing? What should have been done and what was done? What was the language that was used by the air traffic controller? Was it appropriate? Did they appropriately direct traffic consistent with procedures at the FAA?” Duffy asked.

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

February 2, 2025