Happy New Year 2025

Tag: Senate

Senate to hold final vote on RFK Jr nomination to serve as Trump’s Health secretary

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

The final showdown over Kennedy’s controversial nomination was set in motion after the Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday – in a 53-47 party-line vote – invoked cloture, which started the clock ticking toward the final 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, needs a simple majority to be confirmed by the Senate.

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.

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

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.

“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.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

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 comes one day after another controversial pick, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, was confirmed by the Senate in a 52-48 vote.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

February 13, 2025
Top political handicapper reveals what Dems’ chances are at winning back the Senate in 2026

Democrats face “few opportunities” to win back the Senate majority in next year’s midterm elections, a top non-partisan political handicapper predicts.

While the Republicans are defending seats in 22 states in 2026 compared to just 13 for the Democrats, the Cook Report’s first Senate rankings of the new election cycle points to a tough road ahead for the Democrats as they aim to recapture control of the chamber.

Senate Republicans enjoyed a very favorable map in the 2024 cycle as they flipped four seats from blue to red and stormed to a 53-47 majority in the new Congress, to go along with President Donald Trump’s recapturing of the White House and the GOP’s successful defense of their razor-thin House majority.

Cook Report Senate and governors editor Jessica Taylor, looking to a new Senate battle, suggested that “the challenge for Democrats to net the four seats necessary to win back the majority looks Herculean.”

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

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

The Cook Report ranks two seats as toss-ups, and both are controlled by the Democrats.

They are in the battlegrounds of Michigan – where Democrat Sen. Gary Peters announced two weeks ago that he would not seek re-election in 2026 – and Georgia – where Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff faces a rough road to securing a second six-year term in the Senate.

Trump flipped Michigan in last November’s election, while then-Rep. Elissa Slotkin narrowly edged Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in the race to succeed longtime fellow Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow. Rogers is now seriously mulling a second straight bid for the Senate.

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

In Georgia, which Trump also flipped after losing the state in his 2020 election loss to former President Joe Biden, the Cook Report calls Ossoff “the most endangered incumbent overall.”

State and national Republicans are urging popular Republican Gov. Brian Kemp – who is term-limited in 2026 – to challenge Ossoff.

The Cook Report ranks the key New England swing state of New Hampshire as Lean Democrat.

Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire speaks before then-President Joe Biden arrives to deliver remarks on lowering the cost of prescription drugs, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024 in Concord, New Hampshire. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Longtime Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a former governor, has yet to announce if she will seek another term in office. Additionally, while plugged in Democrats in the Granite State have told Fox News the past couple of months that they expected the now-78-year-old Shaheen to run for re-election, her recently announced sparse fundraising for the fourth quarter of last year took many politicos by surprise.

Former Republican Sen. Scott Brown, who served as ambassador to New Zealand during Trump’s first term in the White House, is making moves toward launching a second run for the Senate in New Hampshire, a dozen years after narrowly losing to Shaheen.

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

While no Republican held Senate seats are listed as toss-ups, two are rated by the Cook Report as Lean Republican.

They are Maine, where moderate GOP Sen. Susan Collins is running for re-election in a state Trump lost last November, and North Carolina, where Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is seeking another term in a state Trump narrowly carried last year.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine heads to the Senate floor for a vote on Jan. 23, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

While Cook lists both races as Lean Republican, Taylor notes that “the rating could change if Democrats recruit strong candidates.”

Those Democratic candidates could possibly be former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who finished his second term earlier this year, and Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who is term-limited in 2026.

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

When it comes to potentially competitive races, the Cook Report ranks Ohio as likely Republican. GOP Gov. Mike DeWine last month named Lt. Jon Husted to fill the seat previously held by now-Vice President JD Vance. Husted is now running in 2026 to fill the final two years of Vance’s term.

Once a key battleground state, Ohio has shifted to deep red in recent election cycles and its unclear if former longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who lost his re-election last year, will make another bid in 2026.

Cook also lists Minnesota – where Democrat Sen. Tina Smith is up for re-election next year – as a likely Democrat.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said last November that he’d “like to see 55,” when asked in a Fox News Digital interview about how many seats he was aiming for in the 2026 midterms.

Additionally, this past weekend at the Senate GOP campaign committee’s winter meeting, Scott reiterated that “we believe we can get to 55 or maybe even stretch for 56,” according to sources attending the confab in Palm Beach, Florida.

The party in power – which this cycle is clearly the Republicans – traditionally faces electoral headwinds in the midterm elections.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

However, Taylor, pointing to recent polling, notes that the Democrats’ “party brand is… deeply unpopular.”

“Even if Democrats were able to defend every incumbent and open seat on their side and flip both those states, it would leave them two short of an outright majority. Additional targets are hard to find,” Taylor emphasized.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

February 11, 2025
Tulsi Gabbard faces next Senate challenge as she inches closer to confirmation

Former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard will face another test Monday night in the Senate as she hopes to be confirmed to one of the most important national security posts in the U.S. government.

President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI) will get a cloture vote at 5:30 p.m., when she will need to get more than 50 votes in order to advance to a final confirmation vote.

If the cloture motion passes, there will be 30 hours of debate on the Senate floor. Frequently, the debate between the cloture motion and the final vote is minimized in what’s referred to as a “time agreement” between Republicans and Democrats. But with the controversial nature of Gabbard’s nomination and ongoing frustrations with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its government audit, no such agreements are expected.

SCHUMER REVEALS DEM COUNTER-OFFENSIVE AGAINST TRUMP’S DOGE AUDIT

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s choice to be the Director of National Intelligence, appears before the Senate Intelligence Committee for her confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP)

This will set Gabbard up for a final confirmation vote on Wednesday at the earliest, when the 30 hours of debate expire.

The nominee advanced out of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence last week, snagging the support of crucial GOP Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Todd Young, R-Ind.

TRUMP’S KEY TO CABINET CONFIRMATIONS: SENATOR-TURNED-VP VANCE’S GIFT OF GAB

Collins came out in support of Gabbard despite concern she might not. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)

Her success on the cloture motion and with final confirmation are much more favorable than her initial odds in the Intel committee were.

In order to get the support of all the committee’s Republicans, Chair Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Vice President JD Vance worked around the clock. Their conversations with committee members and tireless efforts were credited with getting her past the key hurdle.

INSIDE SEN TOM COTTON’S CAMPAIGN TO SAVE TULSI GABBARD’S ENDANGERED DNI NOMINATION

Tom Cotton carried out a calculated effort to get Tulsi Gabbard past the Intel committee. (Reuters/Getty Images)

In a final vote, Gabbard can only lose 3 Republican votes, assuming she does not get any Democratic support, as was the case in the committee vote.

She already has an advantage over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as Collins supports her. The senator was one of three votes against Hegseth.

LEADER THUNE BACKS SENATE GOP BID TO SPEED PAST HOUSE ON TRUMP BUDGET PLAN

Hegseth was confirmed after Vance cast a tie-breaking vote. (Tom Williams)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Despite the limited votes Gabbard can afford to lose, Republicans appear to be confident about her odds. This was signaled through the White House dispatching Vance to Europe for events and meetings during the time of Gabbard’s cloture and confirmation votes. If Republicans expected to need Vance to break a tie in the upper chamber, they likely would not have slated her vote for this week.

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 10, 2025
Senate Democrats unveil four-part plan to push back on Trump’s DOGE

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., unveiled on Monday the Democrats’ counter-offensive plan against the broad government audit being conducted by President Donald Trump’s temporary agency, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“Senate Democrats have a responsibility to fight back on behalf of American families as Republicans look the other way in obedience to Donald Trump. And we are,” he wrote to members of the Senate Democratic Caucus in a letter.

Notably, with Democrats out of control in each legislative chamber, as well as the White House, they have very few levers of authority over items of which they disapprove.

TRUMP’S KEY TO CABINET CONFIRMATIONS: SENATOR-TURNED-VP VANCE’S GIFT OF GAB

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, right, detailed the Democrats’ efforts to hinder Elon Musk and DOGE. (Reuters)

The Democratic leader explained that the plan to fight DOGE, headed by Trump-aligned billionaire and special government employee Elon Musk, is four-pronged. Schumer said that Democrats will take on the audit through Oversight, Litigation, Legislation and Communication & Mobilization.

According to Schumer, Democrats have begun conducting oversight by sending “hundreds” of inquiries.

He and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Ranking Member Gary Peters, D-Mich., sent a letter to federal employees announcing a new portal for whistleblowers “to report corruption, abuses of power, and threats to public safety.”

INSIDE SEN. TOM COTTON’S CAMPAIGN TO SAVE TULSI GABBARD’S ENDANGERED DNI NOMINATION

As for litigation, Schumer noted that court challenges “are already bearing fruit.” He cited federal court injunctions against a since-rescinded Office of Management and Budget temporary funding freeze, judges’ actions to prevent buyouts and administrative leave for federal employees as ordered by the administration, and a judge’s ruling to prevent DOGE’s team from accessing certain government systems.

“Our committees and my office are in regular communication with litigants across the country, including plaintiffs, and are actively exploring opportunities for the Democratic Caucus to file amici curiae that support their lawsuits,” Schumer wrote.

LEADER THUNE BACKS SENATE GOP BID TO SPEED PAST HOUSE ON TRUMP BUDGET PLAN

Elon Musk, left, is a special government employee. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

He further pointed to opportunities to take on Trump and Musk through legislation, with the specific example of the upcoming government spending deadline next month. The Democratic leader noted that there will be 60 votes needed in the Senate to pass a deal — meaning Republicans will need some Democratic support.

With this in mind, Democrats will use this leverage to get certain priorities into a spending deal as both parties look to avoid a partial government shutdown.

“It is incumbent on responsible Republicans to get serious and work in a bipartisan fashion to avoid a Trump shutdown,” Schumer said.

SENATORS LEAPFROG HOUSE REPUBLICANS ON ANTICIPATED TRUMP BUDGET BILL

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told Democrats their response was four-pronged. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Lastly, the minority leader said Democrats in the Senate are working to keep the caucus informed and united to amplify their concerns to the public.

“And the public is responding,” he wrote. “Grassroots energy is surging. From town halls to protests, Americans are pushing back. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and Senate Democrats are standing with the people to fight back, expose the truth, and stop the Trump agenda.”

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 10, 2025
AZ Senate leader urges Burgum to reverse Biden-Obama ‘land grabs’ on uranium sites

Arizona’s Senate president will urge Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to undo former President Joe Biden’s “land grab” in the Grand Canyon State that he said wrongly cordoned off nearly 1 million acres in the state for future energy exploration.

State Sen. Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, said in a letter to President Donald Trump’s new Cabinet official – and obtained by Fox News Digital – that he will take swift and sweeping actions like undoing certain national monument designations to “Make America Energy Dominant Again.”

“On his first day in office, President Trump directed you and the rest of his cabinet to immediately identify and rescind all agency actions that impose an undue burden on the development of domestic energy resources like critical minerals and nuclear energy resources,” Petersen wrote.

Biden’s proclamation making 900,000 acres near the Grand Canyon the “Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni” or “Ancestral Footprints National Monument” nixed any exploration of what scientists believe is more than 300 million pounds of uranium, according to Petersen.

ENERGY SECRETARY WRIGHT ISSUES DAY-1 ORDERS TARGETING SPR, NUKE STOCKPILE, MORE

Undoing that “land grab” would both make the U.S. less reliant on foreign uranium and be a potential energy source breakthrough.

Notably, during Trump’s first administration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions looked into allegations of a “racketeering scheme” involving Russian entities trying to forward Moscow’s energy goals within the U.S., in relation to the sale of the company Uranium One to Russian energy giant Rosatom – in what Trump called the “Real Russia Story” of the 2016 election cycle.

In 2017, Hillary Clinton maintained allegations of Clinton or Clinton Foundation involvement in the Uranium One situation were “debunked repeatedly.”

According to the left-wing Center for American Progress, the Biden administration issued protections for 28 million acres in Alaska to keep them from the reach of oil and gas interests, as well as 625 marine acres along coastlines for similar reasons.

“Virtually all of the uranium used in America comes from foreign powers,” Petersen wrote, adding that former President Barack Obama also enacted a ban on domestic uranium mining during his term.

“President Biden’s action made this prohibition permanent,” he said.

ALASKANS LAUNCH GROUP HIGHLIGHTING HOW US CAN BE STRENGTHENED VIA THE LAST FRONTIER

In 2018, the Supreme Court declined to hear a case in which the Ninth Circuit ruled against the GOP and mining interests as they hoped to nix the ban – announced by then-Interior Secretary Kenneth Salazar as a block on new mining on federal lands near the Grand Canyon for 20 years.

Petersen estimated the uranium beneath Ancestral Footprints is equivalent to 13 billion barrels of oil in an area the size of Rhode Island – and that he and other Arizona officials have fought such “land grabs” for more than a decade.

As leader of Arizona’s upper chamber, Petersen said the feds already own nearly half of the land in his state. The newest national monument does nothing to protect the Grand Canyon, as critics reportedly claimed.

Included among the justifications for the new monument, he said, was the protection of the northern grasshopper mouse, which can reportedly carry fleas infected with the plague.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Petersen told Fox News Digital on Monday that the previous administration “trashed the Constitution to steal land and critical resources from Arizonans” and that he led the fight against such “generational theft” from the people of Arizona.

“I look forward to working with the Trump Administration to reverse the rampant federal overreach and allow Arizona to regain control over its Tenth Amendment rights.”

“We know President Trump and Secretary Burgum will help make Arizona great again as our state and nation heal from the unconstitutional onslaught of the previous administration.”

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 10, 2025
First on Fox: Senate GOP campaign committee looks to streamline operations to hold majority in 2026

Join Fox News for access to this content

Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – free of charge.

By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.

Please enter a valid email address.

Having trouble? Click here.

EXCLUSIVE: Republicans are showcasing their “team effort” as they aim to defend and expand their Senate majority in the 2026 midterm elections.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, unveiled its new vice chair program as the panel held its annual winter meeting this past weekend in Palm Beach, Florida.

According to sources attending the event, who shared details first with Fox News Digital, the five vice chairs serving under NRSC Chair Sen. Tim Scott will operate as an informal board of directors, providing ideas, oversight and accountability as the committee works to expand its services and seeks to modernize and become more streamlined.

“We’re one team. President Donald J. Trump and Senate Republicans are united to deliver for the American people and protect our Senate majority. The team effort is stronger than ever thanks to this tremendous group of Vice Chairs who have stepped up to raise the resources and build the organization needed to win,” Scott said at the winter meeting.

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

President Donald Trump speaks at a dinner with Senate Republicans at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Scott was named NRSC chair for the 2026 cycle soon after Republicans, in November’s elections, flipped four seats from blue to red to win back control of the Senate and hold a 53-47 majority in the chamber.

The five vice chairs, previously announced by Scott, are Sens. Jim Banks of Indiana, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Katie Britt of Alabama, Bernie Moreno of Ohio and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska.

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

During a panel discussion this past weekend with Majority Whip Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the vice chairs highlighted their pledge to help Scott protect incumbents facing difficult re-elections in the upcoming midterm elections, and to raise the resources needed to win.

“Each of these Vice Chairs contributes their unique experiences and passions to the fight to defend our incumbents, raise resources, and recruit top tier talent in the seats we want to flip,” Barasso emphasized.

National Republican Senatorial Committee vice chairs, from left to right, Sens. Bernie Moreno of Ohio, Jim Banks of Indiana, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, and Katie Britt of Alabama, join Senate Majority Whip Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming at a panel discussion at the NRSC winter meeting, in Palm Beach, Florida. (NRSC)

Among the vice chairs’ duties going forward are holding regular meetings to discuss and review NRSC budget items, fundraising progress and relevant political updates,

They also pledged to each raise $5 million for the committee, help with candidate recruitment and take part in a new incumbent protection program, in which each vice chair will be responsible for walking alongside four to five Senate Republicans up for re-election in 2026.

“Failure isn’t an option, and that’s why I am committed to this role – to making sure the NRSC wins in battleground states and keeps the Majority so we can continue working with President Trump to turn Promises Made into Promises Kept,” Britt said.

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

Blackburn emphasized that “I’m committed to working with our incumbents to develop aggressive new media strategies. We will deliver our message of prosperity and opportunity through as many platforms as possible and meet the American people where they are.”

Banks highlighted that “it’s critical we leverage every resource available to protect and expand our Senate majority. Senate Republicans and President Trump are unified. I’m ready to make sure we’re using every tool we have to win and continue delivering for the American people.”

Moreno stressed that “it’s essential we hold our majority in 2026 to ensure President Trump has allies for four full years in the Senate.”

Additionally, Ricketts pledged that the vice chairs “will ensure the NRSC has the resources necessary to protect and expand our majority.”

Senate Republicans enjoyed a very favorable map in the 2024 cycle as they won back control of the majority. 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.

The GOP will target an open Democrat-held seat in battleground Michigan, where Sen. Gary Peters announced two weeks ago that he would not seek re-election in 2026. They will also target first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff in battleground Georgia and longtime Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in swing state New Hampshire.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

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.

February 10, 2025
House, Senate lawmakers move to slap limits on NGOs aiding illegal immigrants amid Trump funding crackdown

FIRST ON FOX: Two lawmakers in the House and Senate are introducing separate bills to slap limits on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) they believe are undermining U.S. immigration law – coming amid broader questions about funding of NGOs and a funding crackdown by the Trump administration.

Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas is reintroducing the “Protecting Federal Funds from Human Trafficking and Smuggling Act,” while Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., is introducing the Fixing Exemptions for Networks Choosing to Enable Illegal Migration (Fence) Act.

Hagerty’s bill would end tax-exempt status for organizations that help illegal immigrants, requiring that exempt organizations do not engage in a pattern of providing assistance, benefits, services or other support to those who they know “to be unlawfully present in the United States.”

TRUMP’S ICE LIMITS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RELEASES AMID MOVES TO SHAKE OFF BIDEN ‘HANGOVER’

“Tax-exempt status is a privilege, not a right, and these organizations will be able to preserve their tax-exempt status simply by ceasing these activities,” his office said in a release.

Army soldiers patrol the U.S.-Mexico border at Eagle Pass, Texas, on Jan. 24, 2025. President Donald Trump ordered 1,500 more military personnel to the border with Mexico as part of a flurry of steps to tackle immigration, his spokeswoman said on Jan. 22. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

Gooden’s bill would prevent federal contracts and grants being awarded to NGOs unless they certified to the Office of Management and Budget that they are not involved in human trafficking or smuggling. It also would yank tax-exempt status from organizations who knowingly violate federal law.

The bill also requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop a written strategy and best practices guide for non-profits to ensure they are in compliance with the law.

It also requires NGOs to go through a verification process to ensure illegal immigrants are not receiving benefits.

“For years, non-governmental organizations have exploited taxpayer dollars to facilitate illegal immigration under the guise of ‘humanitarian aid,’” Gooden said in a statement. “The exploitation of the American taxpayer will end under the Trump Administration. This bill ensures that not a single cent of hard-earned American tax dollars will fund organizations complicit in human trafficking and illegal border crossings.”

TRUMP DOJ SLAPS ILLINOIS, CHICAGO WITH LAWSUIT OVER SANCTUARY LAWS

Migrants seeking asylum in the United States who previously requested an appointment on the CBP One Mobile application, are silhouetted as they queue at El Chaparral border crossing toward the U.S. to attend their appointment, in Tijuana, Mexico, Jan. 18, 2025. (REUTERS/Jorge Duenes)

It comes amid longstanding concern about the role of NGOs in assisting the government during the 2021-2024 migration crisis at the southern border, where millions of dollars went to NGOs that would receive migrants, assist them and potentially give them shelter and travel to their final destination. The funding is provided via contracts and grants from DHS, Health and Human Services and the State Department.

Gooden has introduced a number of pieces of legislation on the matter, and has been working for years to bring attention to the issue.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced Wednesday that it has stopped funding nonprofits, saying they have been facilitating illegal immigration. It is part of a broad effort by the administration to ramp up border security and crack down on illegal immigration.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

“Many of these NGOs actually have infrastructure and operations set up in Mexico, on that side of the border, and are telling those illegal immigrants to come to them, and they will get them across the border,” Noem said on Fox News Channel’s “Will Cain Show.” “So they’re not just operating in the United States, they’re operating outside the United States to help make it easier for those who want to break our laws.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Until an evaluation is completed, Noem said the department is “not spending another dime to help the destruction of this country.”

Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order demanding a review of all federal funding going to NGOs. These two pieces of legislation would enshrine limits beyond this administration. Meanwhile, the administration has also frozen USAID as the agency’s funding is being reviewed over concerns about how the funding is being used.

Fox News’ Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.

February 10, 2025
‘Put down the bong’: Senator lashes out at UK prime minister on Senate floor

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., launched a unique attack against U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer over a plan to relinquish a military base in the Indian Ocean, cautioning the British leader to “put down the bong.”

“Because the United Nations wants the United Kingdom to feel guilty, they want to give our military base and their military base to Mauritius,” Kennedy said on the floor of the Senate. “Now, the prime minister of the United Kingdom can stop this, and Marco Rubio, our new Secretary of State, is against it. And I haven’t talked to him directly, but I think President Trump is against it.”

At issue is the fate of the Chagos Islands, a British overseas territory in the Indian Ocean that currently hosts a U.S.-U.K. joint naval base at Diego Garcia.

UN DEMANDS BRITAIN END RULE OF CHAGOS ISLANDS IN 6 MONTHS

Split image of Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. (Getty Images)

But a ruling by the International Court of Justice in 2019 that was backed by the United Nations found that the U.K. had no claim to the islands, spurring an October announcement that the U.K. had cut a deal to hand over sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius

While the deal calls for the base to remain under American and British control for another 99-years, the plan to hand over the territory has received push back in both the U.K and the United States.

Kennedy let it be known that he was one of those critics, calling the plan to give up control of the islands “bone deep down to the marrow stupid.”

PRESTON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 6: Prime Minister Keir Starmer gives an interview during a visit to Springfields (Preston Lab), National Nuclear Laboratory facility on February 6, 2025 in Preston, England. (Photo by Oli Scarff – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

UN COURT TO RULE ON BRITISH SOVEREIGNTY OVER CHAGOS ISLANDS

“The United Kingdom is our friend. I went to school there for a while. I love them and I want to see the prime minister do well, but he needs to put down the bong. He needs to put down the bong,” Kennedy said. “This makes absolutely no sense, and it’s going to be a big part of his legacy if he gives away this island and our military base to, in effect, what will eventually be China.”

The Louisiana senator then suddenly changed gears, arguing that he did not “mean any disrespect,” while still urging Starmer to reconsider.

Members of the Chagossian community gather with banners and placards outside parliament to protest against the government’s decision to hand the Chagos Islands over to Mauritius, on October 7, 2024. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“I shouldn’t have said the bong part, I take it back,” Kennedy said. “Please Mr. prime minister, don’t do this. Don’t do this. We’ll stand with you in telling the United Nations, who’s so upset with you, to go fill out a hurt feelings report because we’re not doing it. We’ll stand with you.”

The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Michael Lee is a writer for Fox News. Prior to joining Fox News, Michael worked for the Washington Examiner, Bongino.com, and Unbiased America. He has covered politics for more than eight years.

February 9, 2025
Dueling Trump budget bill proposals have House, Senate on collision course

House Republicans are racing to get ahead of their Senate counterparts on plans to pass sweeping conservative policy legislation and advance President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Plans to take the first step in the budget reconciliation process this week were scuttled in the House, with fiscal hawks pushing GOP leaders to raise their proposed floor for spending cuts after balking at an initial rough proposal presented last month at the House Republican issues retreat in Miami.

Meanwhile, the Senate is moving full steam ahead with their own plan to advance a budget resolution on Wednesday and Thursday. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., unveiled the upper chamber’s plan on Friday.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters that same day that he was hopeful the House Budget Committee would take up the lower chamber’s resolution on Tuesday.

SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN

A plan to leapfrog House Republicans on the reconciliation process was unveiled to senators on Wednesday. (Reuters)

“We’ve got a few more people we’ve got to talk with and a couple of more boxes to check, but we are almost there,” Johnson said. “The expectation is that we will be marking up a budget next week, potentially as early as Tuesday, the resolution. That will, of course, begin the process and unlock the whole reconciliation process, which I think we can wrap up in a short amount of time.”

Two House GOP lawmakers told Fox News Digital on Friday that the plan would call for a minimum of $2 trillion to $2.5 trillion in spending cuts over a period of 10 years.

Republicans plan to use their majorities in the House and Senate to pass a wide swath of Trump policy initiatives, from extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to funneling more cash to operations at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The budget reconciliation process makes that possible by lowering the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to a simple 51-seat majority. Because the House already operates on a simple majority threshold, it will allow Republicans to skirt Democratic opposition to pass their agenda — provided the measures included involve budgetary or other fiscal matters, as reconciliation rules call for.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is leading his chamber on a two-track reconciliation bill. (Getty Images)

A group of House Republicans, including Johnson, were at the White House on Thursday to discuss the process.

Trump told lawmakers he wanted the reconciliation plans to include eliminating taxes on tipped and overtime wages, no taxes on seniors, and no taxes on Social Security payments.

While they agree on the overall policies that need to pass via the reconciliation process, House and Senate Republicans differ in their preferred approach.

House Republicans are aiming to put all of Trump’s priorities on taxes, border security, energy, and defense into one large bill — complete with deep spending cuts to offset the new funding.

BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS

House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., is among the biggest proponents of a one-bill approach. (Tom Williams)

The Senate plan, meanwhile, would split the process into two bills. The first, unveiled by Graham on Friday, includes Trump’s border, energy and defense policies. A second bill would deal with taxes.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

But House GOP leaders are concerned that the intense political maneuvering the process takes will mean they run out of time before passing a second bill with Trump’s tax cuts at the end of this year.

A Ways & Means Committee memo sent earlier this year projected the average American household could see taxes rise by over 20% if those provisions expire at the end of 2025.

Trump himself has repeatedly called for “one big, beautiful bill,” but said he ultimately was not concerned about the packaging as long as all of his priorities were passed.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to [email protected]

February 8, 2025
Senate moves full steam ahead on massive Trump budget bill after GOP divisions derail House

Senate Republicans are moving full steam ahead with their plans for a massive conservative policy overhaul through the budget reconciliation process, despite House GOP leaders still insisting their chamber is set to go first.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., unveiled a 61-page resolution that would fund President Donald Trump’s priorities for border security, fossil fuel energy, and national defense.

It would fund completion of Trump’s border wall, as well as provide dollars for more beds in detention centers at the border. The bill would also include funds to hire more Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, more personnel patrolling the border, and to increase the number of immigration judges in order to process the backlog of existing asylum cases.

On energy, the bill is aimed at ramping up offshore drilling leases, and stopping the Biden administration’s methane emissions fee.

SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham unveiled a proposal to pass President Trump’s agenda on Friday. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images / Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

The legislation would also fund increased military readiness, grow the U.S. Navy, and building an “integrated air and missile defense to counter threats,” according to a summary provided by Graham’s office.

Graham also signaled the bill would be deficit-neutral, with his press release stating that its $342 billion in new spending will be offset by the same amount of money in savings.

Per the Senate’s plan to split Trump’s reconciliation priorities into two bills, it’s expected that extensions to Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act – as well as other key Trump proposals, such as eliminating taxes on tipped and overtime wages – will be in a second plan released at a later date.

Republicans plan to use their majorities in the House and Senate to pass a wide swath of Trump policy initiatives, from extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to funneling more cash to operations at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The budget reconciliation process makes that possible by lowering the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to a simple 51-seat majority. Because the House already operates on a simple majority threshold, it will allow Republicans to skirt Democratic opposition to pass their agenda – provided the measures included involve budgetary or other fiscal matters, as reconciliation rules call for.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., intends for the House to advance a bill first. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

The first step in reconciliation is advancing a resolution through the House and Senate budget committees, which will then give instructions to other committees of jurisdiction that will eventually form a final bill.

The Senate’s plan differs significantly from the House’s intended approach.

While both sides agree on what should be passed via reconciliation, House GOP leaders and Republicans on the Ways & Means Committee are concerned that the intense political maneuvering the process takes will mean they run out of time before passing a second bill with Trump’s tax cuts at the end of this year.

BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS

A Ways & Means Committee memo sent earlier this year projected the average American household could see taxes rise by over 20% if those provisions expire at the end of 2025.

Trump himself has repeatedly called for “one big, beautiful bill,” but said he ultimately was not concerned about the packaging as long as all of his priorities were passed.

House Republicans had intended to move one bill through their budget panel this week, but the process was stalled as spending hawks pushed for deeper funding cuts than what GOP leaders initially proposed.

Conservatives have insisted that any plan Republicans pass must be deficit-reducing or deficit-neutral.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters on Friday morning that he was playing “phone tag” with Graham due to their schedules but signaled he still intended for the House to move ahead with their plan next week.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“I sent him a text message early this morning and explained where we are in the process and how it’s moving aggressively,” Johnson said.

He told reporters he hoped for a House Budget Committee markup of the bill as early as Tuesday.

Graham, meanwhile, intends to advance his bill through committee on Wednesday and Thursday.

Senate Republicans are meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday night.

Fox News’ Daniel Scully contributed to this report.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to [email protected]

February 7, 2025