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Tag: Senate

Senate advances nomination of Kash Patel, Trump’s pick for FBI director

The Senate voted Tuesday along party lines to advance the nomination of Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick for FBI director, clearing a procedural hurdle to set up a final vote on the controversial Trump ally to lead the federal law enforcement agency.

Lawmakers in the Upper Chamber voted 48-45 to advance Patel’s nomination, as Democrats hold concerns that he would operate as a loyalist for the president and target the administration’s political enemies.

This sets up a final confirmation vote later in the week. Some of Trump’s other more controversial picks — including new Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — have received enough support from Republican lawmakers seeking to fall in line to push the president’s agenda.

KASH PATEL’S NOMINATION TO LEAD FBI CLEARS FIRST MAJOR SENATE HURDLE

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

A former intelligence and Defense Department official in Trump’s first term, Patel has supported reshaping the FBI, including by expanding its role to carry out Trump’s mission targeting immigration.

He has been a vocal critic of past FBI investigations into Trump, including on Trump’s mishandling of classified documents, his attempts to overturn the 2020 election and debunked allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Patel has been panned for his lack of management experience compared to past FBI directors and for his many incendiary past statements, including calling investigators who probed Trump “government gangsters” and claiming that at least some defendants charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot were “political prisoners.”

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Democrats have also criticized Patel for supporting false claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election and his refusal to affirm that former President Joe Biden defeated Trump in that year’s election. But Patel has still received support from many Republicans, including moderates.

“I’ve spoken to multiple people I respect about Kash Patel this weekend—both for and against. The ones who worked closely with Kash vouched for him. I will vote for his confirmation,” Louisiana GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy said Tuesday on X.

PATEL CAMP DECRIES DURBIN ACCUSATIONS AS ‘POLITICALLY MOTIVATED’ ATTEMPT TO DERAIL FBI CONFIRMATION

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Patel said at his confirmation hearing last month that Democrats were taking some of his comments out of context or misunderstanding his point, including when he proposed shutting down the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. and turning it into a museum for the “deep state.” Patel also denied the accusation that his book’s inclusion of a list of government officials who he claimed were part of the “deep state” constituted an “enemies list,” pushing back on that allegation as a “total mischaracterization.”

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The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines last week to advance his nomination to the full Senate.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

February 19, 2025
Battle of the chambers: Trump budget test vote cleared in Senate as House GOP lags behind

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TRUMP AGRICULTURE PICK CONFIRMED AS PRESIDENT RACKS UP CABINET WINS

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

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

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

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

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

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

February 19, 2025
Andy Barr mulls Senate bid “independent” if Sen. Mitch McConnell runs or not

EXCLUSIVE: Republican Rep. Andy Barr’s decision on whether to run for U.S. Senate in Kentucky will be made “independent of the decisions that others make, including Sen. Mitch McConnell,” he told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview Friday morning, stressing that “it’s time for Kentucky to have a U.S. senator who supports President Trump.”

The congressman, who currently represents Kentucky’s 6th congressional district, told Fox News Digital that he is “doing a lot of listening right now.”

“I’m listening to supporters, advisors, friends, people I trust, but most importantly, I’m listening to my family and talking to my family, and I am grateful for the strong encouragement to run,” he said. “A lot of constituents are encouraging me to run for the Senate, and I am grateful for the outpouring of financial support that’s coming my way.”

Rep. Andy Barr, left, R-Ky., said “it’s time” for his state to have a senator who supports President Donald Trump. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Scott Eisen)

RNC BRINGS ON NEW SENIOR LEADERSHIP TO ‘WORK AROUND THE CLOCK’ TO SUPPORT TRUMP AGENDA, ELECT REPUBLICANS

But Barr said that “ultimately, this is going to be a family decision on our timeline.”

“It will be a decision that we make independent of the decisions that others make, including Sen. McConnell, or others who have or will express an interest in running for the Senate in 2026, so this will be a family decision that we make,” Barr said. “All I can say is, I am very, very grateful for the outpouring of support, mainly from Kentuckians, but people around the country who want to see strong, America First leadership in the U.S. Senate.”

Sources close to Barr told Fox News Digital back in 2023 that he could be “a serious contender” for McConnell’s seat in 2026.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was the longest-serving party leader in U.S. Senate history. (J. Scott Applewhite/The Associated Press)

In a veiled swipe at McConnell, Barr told Fox News Digital that “it’s time for Kentucky to have a U.S. senator who supports President Trump.”

McConnell, at this point, has now opposed three of Trump’s now-confirmed Cabinet secretaries: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“He votes against almost everything now,” the president said of McConnell on Thursday. “He’s a, you know, very bitter guy.”

Trump also said McConnell is “not equipped mentally” and said he “let the Republican Party go to hell.”

Barr doubled down, saying: “I think it is time for Kentucky to have a U.S. senator who has a vision, not only to make America great again, but to make Kentucky great again, and I think that’s why a lot of people have encouraged me to run,” Barr said. “They see me as someone who has been, and has a proven record of, supporting President Trump’s America First agenda, but also a very strong record of supporting the signature industries of Kentucky and building a very strong record of constituent services and accessibility to the people of Kentucky.”

He added, “I have a vision for Kentucky, just like America, to be great again. I have a vision for Kentuckians to achieve their potential and to restore the American Dream for Kentuckians.”

Barr said he believes the state has “enormous potential” and said that “with strong partnership with President Trump, we can deliver just extraordinary possibilities for the people of Kentucky.”

Rep. Andy Barr’s decision on whether to run for U.S. Senate in Kentucky will be made “independent of the decisions that others make, including Sen. Mitch McConnell,” he said. (Fox News)

MITCH MCCONNELL STEPS DOWN AS REPUBLICAN LEADER

When asked for comment, a McConnell aide told Fox News Digital that the senator has not made an announcement on his 2026 plans.

McConnell, who will turn 83 later in February, stepped away from serving as the Senate Republican leader in November 2024. McConnell was the longest-serving party leader in U.S. Senate history.

Meanwhile, Barr told Fox News Digital, “I’m my own man.”

“People try to peg me as this type of Republican or that type of Republican, but at the end of it, I’m an America First conservative who loves my home state, the commonwealth of Kentucky,” he said.

“I think what sets me apart is that nobody else looking at the race has been in the trenches on the job with President Trump to drain the swamp,” he continued. “I’ve got a proven record, and I think that does differentiate me from anyone else.”

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But Barr stressed that his decision on whether to run for the U.S. Senate “is not dependent on anybody else.”

“I’m just going to remain focused on working with President Trump and working with his team to deliver on his America First agenda — we don’t have any time to waste,” Barr told Fox News Digital. “And so that’s my focus right now.”

Brooke Singman is a political correspondent and reporter for Fox News Digital, Fox News Channel and FOX Business.

February 14, 2025
Senate Majority Leader Thune says this is the reason why he and Trump are working well together

EXCLUSIVE: Senate Majority Leader John Thune is getting a tough job done.

“Senate Republicans have been committed to getting President Trump’s nominees through,” Thune, who’s been on the job steering the Senate for six weeks, told Fox News in an exclusive national digital interview.

Thune was interviewed ahead of Brooke Rollins’s confirmation as secretary of agriculture, which brought to 16 the number of Trump nominees approved by the Senate.

Only 11 Cabinet nominees were approved by this date eight years ago during Trump’s first term in the White House.

SENATE CONFIRMS ANOTHER CONTROVERSIAL TRUMP CABINET NOMINEE

Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune of South Dakota speaks to reporters on Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

And on this date four years ago, the Senate had confirmed only seven of then-President Biden’s Cabinet nominees.

Rollins’ confirmation followed the confirmations of two of Donald Trump’s most controversial nominees: former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of health and human services.

Gabbard and Kennedy were confirmed on near party-line votes in a chamber the GOP controls with a 53-47 majority.

“I think that the Senate Republicans have proven that we are united,” the South Dakota Republican said.

Thune, a two-decade Senate veteran who served in GOP leadership the past few years before succeeding longtime leader Sen. Mitch McConnell as the top Republican in the chamber, emphasized the team effort.

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

“What you try and do is just try and make the people around you better,” Thune said. “We’ve got a lot of talent in the Senate, people who … we want to deploy and utilize and let them use their gifts and talents [to] get things done around here that need to be done.”

The senator pointed to his father, a former college athlete and coach, who he said would advise him to “make the extra pass if somebody’s got a better shot. So what we’ve been trying to do is look for an opportunity to make the extra pass. And I think that it does really utilize the great talent we have here in the Senate.”

Thune says he’s been meeting “fairly regularly” with the president, in person, on the phone and through text.

President Donald Trump talks to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., left, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., after speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

“It’s a regular pipeline,” he said. “His team has been really good, too, about working with our team here. I think we’ve had a very constructive working relationship. And I tell people, our incentives are aligned. We all want to get to the same destination.”

Thune hasn’t always had a constructive relationship with the often unpredictable Trump.

Trump was critical of Thune in the years after his first term and briefly considered backing a primary challenge against the senator as he ran for re-election in 2022.

Thune said that “like a lot of people,” he’s had “differences with the president in the past.”

“But I think right now, we understand the things that we want to get done in the course of his term and the opportunity that we have, which is rare in politics, to have unified control of the government, House, Senate and White House. We need to maximize that, and in order to do that, we’ve got to have a very constructive relationship in which there’s regular communication,” Thune emphasized.

McConnell was the only Senate Republican to vote against confirming Kennedy and Gabbard. McConnell, who suffered from polio as a child and is a major proponent of vaccines, was critical of Kennedy’s history of high-profile vaccine skepticism.

Mitch McConnell (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“I’m a survivor of childhood polio. In my lifetime, I’ve watched vaccines save millions of lives from devastating diseases across America and around the world. I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles,” McConnell said after the Kennedy vote.

Trump, who’s long criticized McConnell, took aim again.

“I have no idea if he had polio. All I can tell you about him is he shouldn’t have been a leader. He knows that. He voted against Bobby. He votes against almost everything. He’s a very bitter guy,” Trump charged.

Thune, interviewed after Gabbard’s confirmation and ahead of the final vote on Kennedy, said the 82-year-old McConnell is “still active up here and still a strong voice on issues he’s passionate about, including national security.”

“So when it comes to those issues, he has outsized influence and a voice that we all pay attention to,” Thune said. “He’s got views on some of these nominees that maybe don’t track exactly with where I or other Republicans have come down, but we respect his positions on these, some of these noms, and I know that on a lot of big stuff ahead of us, he’s going to be with us. He’s a team player.”

Thune added, “I’ve had plenty of consultations with him through the years and in recent months and weeks, and we’ll continue to reach out to him when we think it makes sense to get a lay of the land that, based on his experience, he can help us navigate.”

Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, right, speaks to reporters, Feb. 11, 2025, after a Senate policy luncheon on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

While he’s enjoyed a slew of confirmation victories this week, Thune is realistic.

“I feel good about how it’s gone so far, but we’ve got some really hard sledding ahead. We know that, and we just have to keep our heads down and do the work,” he cautioned.

While confirming Trump’s Cabinet is currently job No. 1, Thune is juggling numerous tasks.

“Obviously, most of our time has been occupied moving the president’s team and getting his nominees confirmed, and we’ll continue to do that. But as we go about that process, we’re looking for windows, too, to move important legislation,” he said.

He pointed to the Laken Riley Act, quickly passed by the Senate and the House and signed into law by Trump.

The controversial measure, which is named after a nursing student who was killed by an illegal immigrant while jogging on the University of Georgia’s campus, requires federal immigration authorities to detain illegal immigrants found guilty of theft-related crimes.

Thune pointed out that the legislation grabbed bipartisan support, but he added that it’s “a bill that was responsive to the election mandate, and it was a bill that divided Democrats and united Republicans.”

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He also chastised his predecessor as Senate majority leader, Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York.

Thune argued that during Schumer’s tenure “the floor would get bogged down. You know, votes would take forever. We’re just trying to make more efficient use of people’s time and get this place kind of operating on a schedule again. We’re going to continue to do that and getting back to regular order.”

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

February 14, 2025
There will be another open Democratic Senate seat in 2026 midterms

Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota announced Thursday she won’t seek re-election in 2026, forcing the Democratic Party to defend another open seat in next year’s midterm and making more difficult their goal of regaining the Senate majority.

“I’ve decided not to run for re-election to the Senate in 2026,” Smith said in a social media post. “This job has been the honor of a lifetime. For the rest of my term, I’ll work as hard as I can for Minnesotans and our country. Thank you so much, Minnesota.”

Smith was appointed to the Senate in 2018 to succeed former Sen. Al Franken after his resignation over sexual misconduct allegations. She won a special election later that year to serve out Franken’s term and was re-elected in 2020 to a full six-year term.

TOP POLITICAL HANDICAPPER REVEALS DEMOCRATS CHANCES OF WINNING BACK THE SENATE MAJORITY

Senate Republicans vowed to try and flip Smith’s seat in blue-leaning Minnesota.

“Minnesota is in play, and we play to win. Minnesotans deserve a senator who will fight for lower taxes, economic opportunity and safer communities,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chair Sen. Tim Scott said in a statement to Fox News.

But the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm quickly pledged to keep the seat in party hands.

FIRST ON FOX: SENATE GOP CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHTS ‘TEAM EFFORT’

“No Republican has won a Minnesota Senate race in over 20 years, and Democrats will continue to hold this seat in 2026,” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) spokesperson David Bergstein emphasized in a statement to Fox News.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, the top Democrat in the chamber, praised Smith as “a remarkable senator — smart, compassionate, and tireless in her commitment to Minnesota and the country.”

Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., announced Thursday she won’t run for another term in the 2026 midterm elections. (Getty Images)

“While I will deeply miss her leadership and friendship in the Senate, I have no doubt that her legacy of service will continue to inspire. We have a strong bench in Minnesota, and I’m confident that we’ll keep her seat blue,” Schumer predicted.

Smith became the second Democrat in the Senate to announce she would forgo running for re-election in the midterms, following Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, a key Midwestern battleground state.

SENATE REPUBLICANS JUMP OUT TO FAST START IN THIS KEY CAMPAIGN METRIC

Senate Republicans enjoyed a favorable map in the 2024 cycle as they flipped four seats from blue to red and won a 53-47 majority in the chamber. An early read of the 2026 map shows they will continue to play offense in some states but will be forced to play defense in others.

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

Besides the open seat in Michigan, the GOP will target first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff in battleground Georgia and longtime Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in swing state New Hampshire.

However, Democrats plan to go on offense in blue-leaning Maine, where GOP Sen. Susan Collins is up for re-election, as well as in battleground North Carolina, where Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is also up in 2026.

TRUMP-BACKED 2024 GOP SENATE NOMINEE IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE MOVING TOWARD ANOTHER RUN IN 2026

The Cook Report, a top nonpartisan political handicapper, this week rated Minnesota as “Likely Democrat,” as it unveiled its first read on the battle for the Senate majority in the 2026 cycle.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who served as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate on the Democrats’ 2024 national ticket, took to social media after Smith’s news.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democrat’s vice presidential nominee in the 2024 election, reacts during the Democratic National Convention Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

“Tina has always done the work to improve people’s lives: lowering the price of insulin, improving access to mental health services, passing historic climate legislation, and our party’s champion for reproductive freedom. Minnesotans will miss having her in the Senate,” Walz wrote.

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There is speculation Walz, who is eligible to run for re-election in 2026 for a third four-year term as Minnesota governor, may now have an interest in his state’s open Senate seat.

Smith, in a video announcement she posted on social media, noted that Democrats “have a deep bench of political talent in Minnesota. A group of leaders that are more than ready to pick up the work and carry it forward. And I’m excited to make room for them to move forward.”

Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan moved toward launching a campaign, saying in a social media post, “I love Minnesota, and my intention is to run for United States Senate and continue to serve the people of this state. I’ll make a formal announcement later this month.”

There’s also speculation that Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a member of the so-called Squad, may make a move to run for the Senate.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

February 13, 2025
Trump’s nominee for Commerce secretary passes key vote in the Senate

President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, passed a key procedural vote in the Senate on Thursday, clearing the path for his final confirmation vote.

The Senate’s vote this afternoon to invoke cloture ended the debate on Lutnick’s nomination and paved the way for his confirmation as Commerce secretary. Senators advanced his nomination by a 52-45 vote. Republicans control the Senate by a 53-47 majority.

Lutnick, Chairman and CEO of the investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald and a co-chair of Trump’s 2024 presidential transition team, needed a majority vote to bring his final confirmation vote to the Senate floor.

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee voted 16-12 on February 5 to advance Lutnick to the procedural vote. Lutnick testified for over three hours before the Senate Commerce Committee on January 29.

TRUMP LANDS KEY TULSI GABBARD CONFIRMATION FOLLOWING UPHILL SENATE BATTLE

President Donald Trump, from left, speaks as Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick listen and Rupert Murdoch listen in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, as Trump prepares to sign an executive order. (AP)

If confirmed, Lutnick will become one of the wealthiest people to serve in a presidential administration, along with Elon Musk and Trump himself. During Lutnick’s confirmation hearing, he committed to selling all of his interests and assets if confirmed.

TULSI GABBARD SWORN IN AT WHITE HOUSE HOURS AFTER SENATE CONFIRMATION

“My plan is to only serve the American people. So I will divest — meaning I will sell all of my interests, all of my business interests, all of my assets, everything,” Lutnick said. “I’ve worked together with the Office of Government Ethics, and we’ve reached agreement on how to do that, and I will be divesting within 90 days upon my confirmation.”

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla., as Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick listens. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP Newsroom)

Lutnick said selling his businesses would prevent a conflict of interest.

“Upon confirmation, my businesses will be for sale and someone else will lead them going forward,” Lutnick added.

Trump announced Lutnick’s nomination two weeks after he was elected president.

“I am thrilled to announce that Howard Lutnick, Chairman & CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, will join my Administration as the United States Secretary of Commerce. He will lead our Tariff and Trade agenda, with additional direct responsibility for the Office of the United States Trade Representative,” Trump said.

Howard Lutnick, chief executive officer of Cantor Fitzgerald LP and US commerce secretary nominee for US President Donald Trump, right, and President Donald Trump during an executive order signing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Getty)

Trump applauded Lutnick’s leadership during the presidential transition, saying he “created the most sophisticated process and system to assist us in creating the greatest Administration America has ever seen.”

With Lutnick teed up to lead Trump’s “Tariff and Trade agenda,” he faced questions during his confirmation hearing about tariff policy. Lutnick said the argument that tariffs create inflation is “nonsense.”

Howard Lutnick, Chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and Co-Chair of the Trump 2024 Transition Team speaks at a rally for former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York, October 27, 2024. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

“We are treated horribly by the global trading environment. They all have higher tariffs, non-tariff trade barriers and subsidies. They treat us poorly. We need to be treated better. We can use tariffs to create reciprocity,” Lutnick said.

Lutnick testified that he shares Trump’s stance on tariffs, adding he prefers an “across-the-board” strategy to “country-by-country” tariffs.

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Trump on Monday announced a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports from all countries, adding up to a 35% tariff for Chinese steel and aluminum imports. The tariffs are set to go into effect on March 12.

Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

February 13, 2025
Trump Agriculture pick Brooke Rollins confirmed by Senate

President Donald Trump secured two more Cabinet confirmations on Thursday, including his pick to lead the Department of Agriculture (USDA), Brooke Rollins.

Rollins was easily confirmed by the Senate shortly after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as Trump’s Health secretary.

Most recently, Rollins has served as president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) think tank, which she co-founded after Trump’s first term.

In Trump’s first administration, she was his director of the Office of American Innovation and acting director of the Domestic Policy Council.

TULSI GABBARD SWORN IN AT WHITE HOUSE HOURS AFTER SENATE CONFIRMATION

Brooke Rollins, U.S. President Trump’s nominee to be secretary of agriculture, testifies before a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 23, 2025. (Kaylee Greenlee Beal/Reuters)

The newly elected president announced his selection of Rollins for USDA chief in November, recalling she did “an incredible job” during his first term.

“Brooke’s commitment to support the American Farmer, defense of American Food Self-Sufficiency, and the restoration of Agriculture-dependent American Small Towns is second to none,” he said.

DOGE ‘PLAYBOOK’ UNVEILED BY GOP SENATOR AS MUSK-LED AGENCY SHAKES UP FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

A side-by-side image of President Trump and the United States Department of Agriculture (Getty Images)

“As our next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke will spearhead the effort to protect American Farmers, who are truly the backbone of our Country. Congratulations Brooke!”

The USDA nominee had a hearing before the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee last month, before advancing past the key hurdle.

DEM LOOKS TO CODIFY NEW AG BONDI’S DESIRED CRACKDOWN ON ‘ZOMBIE DRUG’ XYLAZINE

Brooke Rollins is sworn-in for a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee hearing on her nomination for Secretary of Agriculture, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Washington. (Getty Images | iStock)

The committee decision to move her nomination forward was unanimous, giving her bipartisan backing going into her confirmation vote.

Rollins is now the 16th Cabinet official confirmed to serve in Trump’s new administration. With the help of the Republican-led Senate, Trump has managed to confirm his picks at a pace far ahead of either his first administration or former President Joe Biden’s.

TRUMP LANDS KEY TULSI GABBARD CONFIRMATION FOLLOWING UPHILL SENATE BATTLE

Biden and Trump during his first term lagged behind with confirmations. (Left: Pete Marovich/Getty Images; Right: Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images)

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At the same point in his first term, Trump only had 11 confirmations and Biden had seven. Neither had 16 confirmed until March during their respective administrations.

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 13, 2025
Senate confirms Robert F Kennedy Jr. to serve as Trump’s Health secretary

The Senate on Thursday confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary in President Donald Trump’s cabinet.

The Republican-controlled Senate voted nearly entirely along party lines to confirm Kennedy. The final showdown over his controversial nomination was set in motion hours earlier, after another party line vote on Wednesday afternoon which started the clock ticking toward the confirmation roll call.

Kennedy, the well-known vaccine skeptic and environmental crusader who ran for the White House in 2024 before ending his bid and endorsing Trump, needed a simple majority to be confirmed by the Senate.

Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was the only Republican to vote against Kennedy’s nomination. McConnell, the former longtime GOP Senate leader, suffered from polio as a child and is a major proponent of vaccines.

TRUMP HEALTH SECRETARY NOMINEE RFK JR. SURVIVES HEATED HEARINGS

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing for his pending confirmation on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Kennedy survived back-to-back combustible Senate confirmation hearings late last month, when 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.

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-19 vaccine for children.

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With Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee voting not to advance Kennedy, the spotlight was on Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician and chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP).

Cassidy issued a last minute endorsement before the committee level vote, giving Kennedy a party-line 14-13 victory to advance his confirmation to the full Senate.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., center, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as secretary of Health and Human Services, talks with Committee Chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., left, following his testimony during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing for his pending confirmation on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Cassidy had emphasized during Kennedy’s confirmation hearings that “your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me,” which left doubt about his support.

However, after speaking again with the nominee, Cassidy rattled off a long list of commitments Kennedy made to him, including quarterly hearings before the HELP Committee; meetings multiple times per month; that HELP Committee can choose representatives on boards or commissions reviewing vaccine safety; and a 30-day notice to the committee, plus a hearing, for any changes in vaccine safety reviews.

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“These commitments, and my expectation that we can have a great working relationship to make America healthy again, is the basis of my support,” the senator said.

RFK Jr. and Trump split image (Getty Images)

Earlier this week, another Republican senator who had reservations regarding Kennedy’s confirmation announced support for the nominee.

“After extensive public and private questioning and a thorough examination of his nomination, I will support Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,” GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine announced on Tuesday.

Another Republican who was on the fence, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, also voted to advance Kennedy’s nomination.

Murkowski noted that she continues “to have concerns about Mr. Kennedy’s views on vaccines and his selective interpretation of scientific studies,” but that the nominee “has made numerous commitments to me and my colleagues, promising to work with Congress to ensure public access to information and to base vaccine recommendations on data-driven, evidence-based, and medically sound research.”

Former longtime Senate GOP leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, a major proponent of vaccines, also voted to advance Kennedy’s nomination.

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.

The push is part of his “Make America Healthy Again” campaign.

“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,” Kennedy said as he pointed to chronic diseases. “And I am in a unique position to be able to stop this epidemic.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at a campaign event for this independent presidential bid, on May 1, 2024 in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

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

Trump regularly pilloried Kennedy during his independent presidential bid, accusing him of being a “Radical Left Liberal” and a “Democrat Plant.”

Kennedy fired back, claiming in a social media post that Trump’s jabs against him were “a barely coherent barrage of wild and inaccurate claims.”

Then-former President Donald Trump, right, welcomes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage at a campaign rally at the Gas South Arena on Oct. 23, 2024 in Duluth, Georgia. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

However, 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.

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After months of criticizing him, Trump called Kennedy “a man who has been an incredible champion for so many of these values that we all share.”

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

The final vote on Kennedy’s nomination came one day after another controversial pick, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, was confirmed by the Senate in a 52-48 vote.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

February 13, 2025
Democrat senators lambast RFK Jr. before HHS secretary Senate confirmation vote

Senate Democrats railed against Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a late-night session Wednesday ahead of his confirmation vote to potentially become the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Kennedy’s confirmation vote is expected around 10:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, but Democrat senators spent the evening before condemning former President Donald Trump’s HHS pick on a number of issues.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., described Kennedy as “obviously unqualified,” “obviously fringe,” and as holding views “obviously detrimental to the well-being of the American people.”

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is not remotely qualified to become the next Secretary of Health and Human Services,” Schumer said. “Robert F. Kennedy might be the least qualified people the president could have chosen for the job. It’s almost as if Mr. Kennedy’s beliefs, history and background were tailor-made to be the exact opposite of what the job demands.”

RFK JR NOMINATION TO SERVE AS TRUMP’S HEALTH SECRETARY CLEARS KEY HURDLE IN SENATE

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. testifies during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing on Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr)

Referencing Kennedy and Tulsi Gabbard, the newly confirmed Director of National Intelligence, Schumer accused Republican senators of “rubber-stamping people no matter how fringe they are.”

“The HHS is an agency that depends on science, on evidence and impartiality to ensure the well-being of over 330 million Americans. HHS ensures we eat safe food, purchase reliable medication, oversee Medicare benefits and approve the use of lifesaving vaccines. Most importantly, a good HHS secretary makes sure the American people have access to affordable, high-quality healthcare. Mr. Kennedy, unfortunately, is not qualified to oversee any of these things,” Schumer said. “He is neither a doctor, nor a scientist, nor a public health expert, nor a policy expert of any kind. If Mr. Kennedy is confirmed given that lack of background, I deeply fear that he will rubber stamp Donald Trump’s war against healthcare, meaning we will see more of the disastrous funding cuts of the last few weeks, meaning that more people will lose health coverage, meaning that the interests of for-profit corporations and Big Pharma will come before the needs of working Americans.”

On the Senate floor, Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., read again the letter from Kennedy’s cousin, Caroline Kennedy, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Australia under the Biden administration.

Her letter, which she released ahead of RFK Jr.’s Senate confirmation hearing last month, said, “Now that Bobby has been nominated by President Trump to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, a position that would put him in charge of the health of the American people, I feel an obligation to speak out. Overseeing the FDA, the NIH and the CDC and the centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services agencies that are charged with protecting the most vulnerable among us is an enormous responsibility, and one that Bobby is unqualified to fill. He lacks any relevant government financial management or medical expertise. His views on vaccines are dangerous and willfully misinformed.”

Caroline Kennedy went on to write, “I have known Bobby all my life. We grew up together. It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because he himself is a predator.” Her letter said, “While he may encourage a younger generation to attend AA meetings, Bobby is addicted to attention and power. Bobby preys on the desperation of parents of sick children, vaccinating his own children while building a following by hypocritically discouraging other parents from vaccinating theirs.”

“My view? Robert Kennedy has spent his considerable talent promoting misinformation to vulnerable people who have motives we all have and that is the well-being of people we love. You know, some of the things that Mr. Kennedy said when he’s attacking vaccines, they’re not based at all on science, but they appeal to people’s distrust of the standard medical profession,” Welch said. “He’s promoting it using the magic of the Kennedy name. The credibility that comes from being a member of one of the most starry political families in the history of our country.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., left, railed against Kennedy. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., came to the floor to voice his “strong opposition” to Kennedy.

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“Mr. Kennedy says that he’ll always follow the evidence no matter where it leads. Well, if you look at his record, he hasn’t done that,” Hollen said.

The senator said Kennedy has “no experience, no qualifications in the vast majority” of the wide range of subjects HHS covers, naming how the department “provides quality control for reproductive health services,” “ensures that contraception are covered under the Affordable Care Act, and it makes sure that Americans can have access to over-the-counter options” and also includes programs for early childhood development, the elderly and the disabled.

“I don’t think any of us expect that one Secretary of HHS can know everything. But if you monitored the hearings and listened to Mr. Kennedy’s answers, you can see that Mr. Kennedy knows virtually nothing about all those important subjects,” he said.

Van Hollen quoted former President John F. Kennedy, who said more than 60 years ago that he hoped “that the renewed drive to provide vaccination for all Americans, and particularly those who are young, will have the wholehearted support of every parent in America.”

“Unfortunately, his nephew, RFK Jr, has spent decades unraveling that hard won legacy by spreading lies and conspiracy theories about vaccines,” Van Hollen said.

Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., was among the Democrats to speak out against HHS nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a late night session Wednesday. (Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images)

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., also took issue with the notoriety of the Kennedy name.

“I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that there are very few people in this country that are less qualified to run this agency than Robert Kennedy Jr.,” Murphy said. “I say that because there are few people in the country who have been so enthusiastic, so public and so impactful in their ability to take some of the wildest conspiracy theories that are out there on the internet about our health system or about our kids, or about our families, internalize them and then disseminate them in a way that does great damage.”

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., asserted, “We live in the time of the greatest amount of distrust that we’ve ever seen in this country, and that is most pronounced, most clear when it comes to our health. And one of those people we need to trust the most in our country is the person who runs the Department of Health and Human Services.”

After meeting with Kennedy and reviewing his statements, Kim said, “he is not someone I can trust with my health, and in good conscience, I cannot vote for him.”

“If I cannot trust him with the health of my own kids, how can I ask the families of 9 million other New Jerseyans to do it?” Kim said. “He has too often diminished that trust in the very healthcare he would be in charge of and too often has spread disinformation about the diseases and challenges and threats that we face.”

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Acknowledging how Kennedy’s supporters would argue he is “fighting against a broken system” and “simply wants to make American healthy,” Kim said, “unfortunately what we’re seeing like most things coming out of this administration is corruption and conspiracy disguised as false promises of change.”

Kim said his father was disabled by polio and his mother has Lyme disease, railing against Kennedy’s claims that Lyme disease could have been engineered by the military, as well as that the polio vaccine could be linked to increased rates of cancer.

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 13, 2025
Senate Judiciary Committee to vote on Kash Patel nomination for FBI director

The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote Thursday on whether to advance Kash Patel’s nomination for FBI director to the Senate floor after a fiery confirmation hearing last month.

The vote is scheduled for 9 a.m. ET. If Patel passes through committee, his nomination will be up for a full Senate vote.

Democrats had successfully delayed Patel’s committee vote last week in an effort to force the Trump nominee to testify a second time.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa., said attempts by Judiciary ranking member Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and others to force Patel to testify again were “baseless” as he already sat before the committee for more than five hours and disclosed “thousands of pages” of records to the panel, as well as nearly 150 pages of responses to lawmakers’ written questions.

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Kash Patel appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing at the Capitol, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP)

This week on the Senate floor, Durbin alleged that Patel was behind mass firings at the FBI. Durbin said he’d seen “highly credible” whistleblower reports indicating Patel had been “personally directing the ongoing purge of FBI employees prior to his Senate confirmation for the role.”

An aide to Patel denied Durbin’s claim, telling Fox News Digital the nominee flew home to Las Vegas after his confirmation hearing and has “been sitting there waiting for the process to play out.”

Patel, a vociferous opponent to the investigations into President Donald Trump and who was at the forefront of his 2020 election fraud claims, vowed during his confirmation hearing that he would not engage in political retribution.

However, the conservative firebrand was likely chosen for his desire to upend the agency.

In his 2023 book, “Government Gangsters,” he described the FBI as “a tool of surveillance and suppression of American citizens” and “one of the most cunning and powerful arms of the Deep State.”

Patel has said intelligence officials are “intent” on undermining the president, but he promised he would not go after agents who worked on the classified documents case against Trump.

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If Patel passes through committee, his nomination will be up for a full Senate vote. (AP)

“There will be no politicization at the FBI,” Patel said. “There will be no retributive action.”

Additionally, in another message meant to assuage senators’ concerns, Patel said he did not find it feasible to require a warrant for intelligence agencies to surveil U.S. citizens suspected to be involved in national security matters, referring to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

“Having a warrant requirement to go through that information in real time is just not comported with the requirement to protect American citizens,” Patel said. “It’s almost impossible to make that function and serve the national, no-fail mission.”

“Get a warrant” had become a rallying cry of right-wing conservatives worried about the privacy of U.S. citizens and almost derailed the reauthorization of the surveillance program entirely. Patel said the program has been misused, but he does not support making investigators go to court and plead their case before being able to wiretap any U.S. citizen.

Patel also seemed to break with Trump during the hearing on the pardons granted to 1,600 persons who had been prosecuted for their involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, particularly around those who engaged in violence and had their sentences commuted.

Kash Patel served as the acting Defense secretary’s chief of staff during President Donald Trump’s first administration. (White House)

“I have always rejected any violence against law enforcement,” Patel said. “I do not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual that committed violence against law enforcement.”

Patel held a number of national security roles during Trump’s first administration – chief of staff to acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller, senior advisor to the acting director of national intelligence, and National Security Council official.

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He worked as a senior aide on counterterrorism for former House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, where he fought to declassify records he alleged would show the FBI’s application for a surveillance warrant for 2016 Trump campaign aide Carter Page was illegitimate, and served as a national security prosecutor in the Justice Department.

Patel’s public comments suggest he would refocus the FBI on law enforcement and away from involvement in any prosecutorial decisions.

Kash Patel promised to get the FBI back to its law enforcement mission. (FBI)

In a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed, he suggested his top two priorities were “let good cops be cops” and “transparency is essential.”

“If confirmed, I will focus on streamlining operations at headquarters while bolstering the presence of field agents across the nation. Collaboration with local law enforcement is crucial to fulfilling the FBI’s mission,” he said.

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Patel went on: “Members of Congress have hundreds of unanswered requests to the FBI. If confirmed, I will be a strong advocate for congressional oversight, ensuring that the FBI operates with the openness necessary to rebuild trust by simply replying to lawmakers.”

Fox News’ Breanne Depisch contributed to this report.

February 13, 2025