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Republicans angered with GOP senator who says he’s ‘struggling’ to confirm RFK Jr

The top Republican on the Senate health committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy, faced criticism from fellow Republicans after he suggested his vote for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary is not a lock.

Cassidy, chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, said during closing remarks at Kennedy’s second confirmation hearing of the week that he was “struggling” to confirm the HHS secretary nominee over his inability to admit vaccines are safe and don’t cause autism. “A worthy movement called ‘MAHA,’” Cassidy said Thursday, “to improve the health of Americans, or to undermine it, always asking for more evidence, and never accepting the evidence that is there … That is why I’ve been struggling with your nomination.”

GOP Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., did not hold back his anger over Cassidy’s remarks, saying, “RFK is going to run HHS whether you like it or not.” The post included a photo of Cassidy and Kennedy shaking hands at Thursday’s confirmation hearing.

TOP REPUBLICAN ON SENATE HEALTH COMMITTEE SAYS HE’S ‘STRUGGLING’ TO CONFIRM RFK JR

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.)

“The Senate is ours, and the moment Trump decides he’s had enough of random senators delaying our mission, JD [Vance] is walking in and taking the gavel as president of the Senate,” Higgins said. Vice President JD Vance would be the tie-breaking vote if the resulting tally goes along party lines and Cassidy and two other Republicans defect. Vance did so after GOP Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine voted against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s nomination.

“There’s zero you can do about that,” Higgins said. “We, the people, will not be stopped. We’re saving the country and RFK is part of the formula. So, vote your conscience, senator, or don’t. Either way, we’re watching.”

TRUMP HEALTH SECRETARY NOMINEE RFK JR SURVIVES HEATED HEARINGS AHEAD OF CRUCIAL CONFIRMATION VOTES

GOP organizer and strategist Scott Presler said that if Cassidy did not vote for Kennedy, that he would “personally come to Louisiana” to organize a primary challenge against Cassidy in an effort to oust him. “We already have a home base in Iberia Parish,” Pressler said. Meanwhile, a chapter of the Louisiana Republican Assembly replied to Pressler’s threats, noting they were “ready to mobilize when needed.”

GOP Activist Scott Presler speaks to Republicans at a victory party following President Donald Trump’s election win that same month.

Charlie Kirk, another GOP organizer and activist who is also a close ally of President Donald Trump, shared a slightly more measured condemnation of Cassidy. “I believe this was a sincere moment from Chairman Bill Cassidy,” Kirk wrote in response to the senator’s closing remarks at Thursday’s hearing. However, Kirk added that he “respectfully” thinks that Cassidy “has this backwards.”

“Many already don’t trust vaccine manufacturers who enjoy legal immunity for any injuries they cause. Many already don’t trust our big food producers and the ingredients they use. Many already don’t trust big medicine, big hospitals, or big pharma,” Kirk said. “RFK Jr. has said repeatedly he’s pro-vaccine, but he’s willing to ask the same questions millions of parents are asking right now about ramped-up vaccine schedules, harmful ingredients, and a blind trust in the manufacturers that are enriched by government mandates, even after COVID.”

RFK JR RIPS DEM SENATOR FOR PUSHING ‘DISHONEST’ NARRATIVE ON PAST VACCINE COMMENTS: ‘CORRECTED IT MANY TIMES’

While Republicans were incensed by Cassidy’s remarks, the president of Advancing American Freedom (AAF), a conservative nonprofit founded by Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence, applauded Cassidy’s critical approach to Kennedy’s nomination.

Then-Vice President Mike Pence receives a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine shot at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building while still serving as vice president during President Donald Trump’s first term in office. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

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“It’s refreshing to see senators taking their advise and consent role seriously,” AAF President Tim Chapman said when asked about Cassidy’s comments. “We have separate branches of government for a reason, and nominees, such as RFK, who will be handling the largest amount of taxpayer dollars and controlling the federal response to the life issue deserve serious consideration. Every senator must treat this nominee with the same gravitas that Senator Cassidy is.”

Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Cassidy but did not receive a response by publication time.

January 31, 2025
Kash Patel turns tables on Dem senator with viral response: ‘You’ve got two minutes’

Conservatives on social media praised Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI director, after a thorny exchange with Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar during his confirmation hearing Thursday.

“That’s a general statement and a mischaracterization of what I said,” Patel told Klobuchar in response to questioning about a past quote that the senator suggested showed Patel believes some U.S. Capitol Police officers lied under oath during the Jan. 6 hearings.

“I encourage you to read the rest of the interviews,” Patel added. “This is why snippets of information are often misleading and detrimental to this committee’s advice and consent.”

Klobuchar responded, “If you consent, I would love to have five hours of questions, and then I could read the whole transcripts.”

KASH PATEL HAMMERS ‘GROTESQUE MISCHARACTERIZATIONS’ FROM DEMS AMID FIERY FBI CONFIRMATION HEARING

Kash Patel, left, and Amy Klobuchar, right (AP)

“You’ve got two minutes,” Patel responded.

“Wow,” Klobuchar replied before moving to another topic.

KASH PATEL FLIPS SCRIPT ON DEM SENATOR AFTER BEING GRILLED ON J6 PARDONS: ‘BRUTAL REALITY CHECK’

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)

Numerous conservatives on social media praised Patel for his “sass” during the exchange.

“Amy Klobuchar continues to get outmaneuvered by Kash Patel at every turn of this committee hearing,” Townhall.com columnist Dustin Grage posted on X.

“Damnnnn,” Mark Levin show producer Rich Sementa posted on X. “Kash Patel For The Win.”

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Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

“SAVAGE,” conservative commentator Benny Johnson posted on X.

“My favorite moment from this hearing,” former Trump campaign fundraiser Caroline Wren posted on X.

Fox News Digital reached out to Klobuchar’s office for comment.

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].

January 30, 2025
Kash Patel vows to ‘do everything’ to help GOP senator expose Epstein files

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the FBI, pledged Thursday to work with a top Republican senator on exposing who worked with Jeffrey Epstein in trafficking and exploiting children.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., quizzed Patel about how he would handle the Epstein case. The sex-trafficking financier died in 2019 while awaiting trial. Nearly 200 names that had previously been redacted from court documents in a lawsuit against his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell were made public last year.

However, Blackburn said there is still more to be known, including the names of those who flew on his plane and accomplices.

KASH PATEL FLIPS SCRIPT ON DEM SENATOR AFTER BEING GRILLED ON J6 PARDONS: ‘BRUTAL REALITY CHECK’

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., questions Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, during Patel’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

“I want to talk to you about the Epstein case. I have worked on this for years trying to get those records of who flew on Epstein’s plane and who helped him build this international human trafficking sex trafficking ring,” she said.

She used her remarks to take a jab at former Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin.

“Now, earlier, I urged then Chairman Durbin to subpoena those records, and I ended up being blocked by Senator Durbin and Christopher Wray. They stonewalled on this,” she said. “And I know that breaking up these trafficking rings is important to President Trump. So will you work with me on this issue? So we know who worked with Jeffrey Epstein in building these sex trafficking rings?” she asked.

KASH PATEL HAMMERS ‘GROTESQUE MISCHARACTERIZATIONS’ FROM DEMS AMID FIERY FBI CONFIRMATION HEARING

Jeffrey Epstein mugshot from 2019 after federal authorities filed trafficking charges against him. (Kypros/Getty Images)

“Absolutely, Senator,” Patel responded. “Child sex trafficking has no place in the United States of America. And I will do everything, if confirmed as FBI director, to make sure the American public knows the full weight of what happened in the past and how we are going to counterman missing children and exploited children going forward,” he said.

Following the exchange between Blackburn and Patel, Durbin requested to respond to Blackburn’s jab at him and accused the Tennessee senator of “falsely” accusing him “of preventing releasing the names of Jeffrey Epstein’s network.”

“My office subsequently reached out to hers to try to identify what records she was actually seeking. We did not receive a response,” he added.

Blackburn fired back and said she had “raised the issue with Chairman Durbin. I had raised it on the floor that we wanted to get these records… You sought not to recognize me.”

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

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Democrats had pointed to Patel’s record and a book, “Government Gangsters,” released in 2023 that claimed that “deep state” government employees have politicized and weaponized the law enforcement agency – and explicitly called for the revamp of the FBI in a chapter dubbed “Overhauling the FBI.”

Fox News’ Emma Colton and Michael Ruiz 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.

January 30, 2025
Kash Patel flips script on Dem senator after being grilled on J6 pardons: ‘Brutal reality check’

Kash Patel, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation, pushed back in his confirmation hearing after he was grilled on the president’s pardoning of January 6 rioters.

“So do you think that America is safer because the 1600 people have been given an opportunity to come out of serving their sentences and live in our communities again?” Dem. Sen. Dick Durbin asked Patel in Thursday’s hearing, pressing him on January 6 rioters who assaulted police officers having their sentences commuted earlier this month.

Patel responded with a reference to Biden’s decision in the final hours of his presidency to free Leonard Peltier, a far-left activist convicted in the 1975 murders of two FBI special agents, Ronald Williams and Jack Coler, who were gunned down in a shootout in South Dakota.

“Senator, I have not looked at all 1600 individual cases,” Patel said.

DOZENS OF FORMER FBI AGENTS RALLY AROUND KASH PATEL’S CONFIRMATION: ‘LIVES HAVE BEEN SHATTERED’

Dem Sen. Dick Durbin (Left) and FBI Director nominee Kash Patel (Right) (AP/Reuters)

“I have always advocated for imprisoning those that cause harm to our law enforcement and civilian communities. I also believe America is not safer because President Biden’s commutation of a man who murdered two FBI agents. Agent Coler and Williams family deserve better than to have the man that point blank range fired a shotgun into their heads and murdered them, released from prison. So it goes both ways.”

Durbin responded by downplaying the comparison between Peltier and January 6 rioters.

MAJOR FBI CHANGES KASH PATEL COULD MAKE ON DAY 1 IF CONFIRMED AS DIRECTOR

Committee chairman Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., speaks during a hearing of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

“Leonard Peltier was in prison for 45 years,” Durbin responded. “He’s 80 years old, and he was sentenced to home confinement. So he’s not free. As you might have just suggested. He killed two FBI agents. That he did, and he went to prison for it and should have. My question to you, though, is, do you think America’s safer because President Trump issued these pardons to 1600 of these criminal defendants, many of whom violently assaulted our police in capital?”

Patel responded, “Senator, America will be safe when we don’t have 200,000 drug overdoses in two years, America will be safe when we don’t have 50 homicides a day.”

Kash Patel, a former chief of staff to then-acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, speaks during a campaign event for Republican election candidates (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Conservatives and supporters of Patel on social media praised Patel for his response.

“Brutal reality check,” political commentator and Confirm 47 executive director Camryn Kinsey posted on X.

In his opening remarks, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said, “Public trust in the FBI is low.”

“Only 41% of the American public thinks the FBI is doing a good job. This is the lowest rating in a century,” he continued.

Grassley touted Patel’s experience as a public defender and at the Justice Department, as well as his involvement in the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in 2017 to investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe.

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Patel has “managed large intelligence and defense bureaucracies, identified and countered national security threats, prosecuted and defended criminals,” Grassley said. “He has done this while fighting for transparency and accountability in the government,” giving him “precisely the qualifications we need at this time” to head up the bureau.

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

Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].

January 30, 2025
RFK Jr rips Dem senator for pushing ‘dishonest’ narrative on past vaccine comments: ‘Corrected it many times’

HHS Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden were involved in a tense exchange on Capitol Hill where Kennedy accused the senator of intentionally misrepresenting his past comments.

Wyden, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee which held a confirmation hearing for Kennedy on Wednesday, pressed the nominee on comments made on podcasts in recent years.

“During a podcast interview in July of 2023, you said, quote, no vaccine is safe and effective, in your testimony today in order to prove you’re not anti-vax, you note that all your kids are vaccinated, but in a podcast in 2020, you said, and I quote, you would do anything pay anything to go back in time and not vaccinate your kids,” Wyden said to Kennedy.

“Mr. Kennedy, all of these things cannot be true. So are you lying to Congress today when you say you are pro-vaccine or did you lie on all those podcasts? We have all of this on tape, by the way.”

MULTIPLE OUTBURSTS ERUPT AT RFK JR. HEARING: ‘YOU ARE!’

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Sen Ron Wyden (Getty/AP)

Kennedy took issue with Wyden’s comments and pointed out that the comment about “no vaccine” being safe and effective was said before he was cut off in the interview, with podcaster Lex Fridman, before he could finish.

“Yeah, Senator, as you know, because it’s been repeatedly debunked, that the statements that I made on the Lex Fridman podcast was a fragment of the statement,” Kennedy responded.

“He asked me, and anybody who actually goes and looks at that podcast and will see that he asked me, are there vaccines that are safe and effective? And I said to him, some of the live virus vaccines. And I said, there are no vaccines that are safe and effective and I was going to continue for, every person. Every medicine has people who are sensitive to them, including vaccines.”

RFK JR. LIKELY TO BE CONFIRMED AS HEALTH SECRETARY, DR. SIEGEL SAYS

President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy Jr., sits in a meeting with Sen. John Cornyn on Capitol Hill on Jan. 9, 2025. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

Kennedy continued, “He interrupted me at that point. I’ve corrected it many times, including on national TV. You know about this, Sen. Wyden, so bringing this up right now is dishonest.”

A transcript from the interview with Fridman shows Kennedy saying, “I think some of the live virus vaccines are probably averting more problems than they’re causing. There’s no vaccine that is safe and effective. In fact.”

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Sen. Ron Wyden (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Kennedy is then cut off and the conversation goes elsewhere.

Kennedy has corrected the record on subsequent shows, including in an interview with HBO’s Bill Maher, where he explained he was interrupted and assured the public, “I would never say that.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Wyden’s office but did not immediately receive a response.

Opposition to Kennedy’s nomination has been fierce, with advocacy groups running ad campaigns urging senators to vote against his confirmation.

“I want to make sure the Committee is clear about a few things. News reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry. Well, I am neither; I am pro-safety,” Kennedy said in his opening statement in front of the Senate Finance Committee.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].

January 29, 2025
Michigan Democratic Senator Gary Peters says he won’t seek re-election

Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters will not seek re-election when his term ends in Jan. 2027, Fox News has confirmed.

Peters, a two-term senator and former congressman, told the Detroit News in an interview published Tuesday that he will start a “new chapter,” spending more time with family after nearly two decades of public service.

“I always thought there would be a time that I would step aside and pass the reins for the next generation. I also never saw service in Congress as something you do your whole life,” Peters told the outlet.

“And that goes back to 2008 when I first won that House seat. I thought it would be for a matter of a few terms that I would serve, and then I would go back to private life.”

His decision to retire leaves open a senate seat in a key battleground state President Donald Trump won in 2024. But Democrats held a similarly open seat when Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., narrowly defeated Republican Mike Rogers.

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

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

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

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Fox News’s Chad Pergram contributed to this report. This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

Chris Pandolfo is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.

January 28, 2025
‘Bumbling idiot’: Freshman GOP senator unleashes on blue city mayor, Dems opposing Trump’s deportations

Ohio GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno ripped Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson as the “worst mayor in American history” and called on liberal mayors across the country to focus on making life better for their citizens, as opposed to blocking President Donald Trump’s education efforts.

“My message to the mayors of those cities is, why don’t you do this for a change, why don’t you actually advocate for the American citizens that live in your communities, help them with better schools, better housing and better security rather than protecting criminal illegals that shouldn’t even be in this country in the first place,” the freshman senator told Fox News Digital. “And I think when the voters of those cities see what these mayors are doing, they’re going to throw them out.”

“The mayor of Chicago is probably the worst mayor in American history,” Moreno continued. “He’s just going for extra credit. The guy is a total and complete bumbling idiot. So, hopefully, the voters of Chicago take care of that pretty quickly.”

Johnson has been one of the more outspoken mayors calling for resistance to Trump’s immigration and deportation efforts, saying recently that his city is “going to protect undocumented individuals” from ICE raids.

INDIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST SHERIFF FOR DEFYING FEDS ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Ohio GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno told Fox News Digital that Democratic mayors should focus on protecting their citizens and not opposing Trump. (Fox News Digital/Getty)

The Chicago mayor’s office acknowledged Fox News Digital’s inquiry by labeling Moreno’s comment “ad hominem criticism,” but did not expand on their response.

Some Chicago residents have voiced frustration with Johnson’s public opposition to Trump, including P Rae Easley, a Chicagoan and host of “Black Excellence Hour,” in an interview with “Fox & Friends First.”

“We understand that we are in the middle of an invasion,” Easley said. “Every single person who came across that border came with an invoice on their back for the Chicago taxpayer.”

Despite calls from Johnson and other mayors pledging to block Trump’s efforts, ICE agents across the country have deported hundreds of illegal immigrants in the first few days of Trump’s administration.

Moreno praised Trump’s efforts and said he anticipates the flurry of immigration moves from Trump in recent days to continue.

“It’s amazing,” Moreno told Fox News Digital. “I mean, President Trump knows the urgency that we need to get safety and security back to our cities. Look, these criminal aliens should never have been allowed to be in this country in the first place. Joe Biden put this country in jeopardy for four years and President Trump’s going to clean it up really fast.”

UP TO 250,000 CHILDREN BORN TO ILLEGAL MIGRANTS IN 2023: PRELIMINARY REPORT

Bernie Moreno, then a Senate candidate, addresses the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 16, 2024. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

The new administration’s efforts to roll back illegal immigration has gained support from Democrats in certain situations, including the passage of the Laken Riley Act, which had the support of 48 Democrats in the House.

Moreno, when asked if that vote shows Democrats are becoming increasingly more open to addressing the illegal immigration issue, said, “Absolutely.”

“I mean, look, this should be an American issue, like we want legal immigrants to come here safely, securely in a way that benefits this country, not by breaking into this country, paying drug cartel members who rape them and beat them along the journey,” Moreno said. “It’s the most disgusting way to welcome migrants to this country, especially fake asylum claims. We have a bill that’s going to stop that.”

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Mayor Brandon Johnson responds to a question during a news conference on Oct. 7, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

“Look, if you’re a true refugee, we’re going to have a safe process for you to come to this country. If you’re an economic migrant, you got to wait in line. You can’t use asylum as a way to skip a line ahead of millions of people, which is fundamentally unfair. And I think a lot of Democrats will come on board with my bill.”

Moreno recently introduced the Refugees Using Legal Entry Safely (RULES) Act, which aims to reform the way asylum seekers enter the United States.

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].

January 27, 2025
GOP senator revives effort to make assaulting police a deportable offense: ‘We must act’

FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican is re-introducing legislation to make assaulting law enforcement a deportable offense for immigrants, amid a fresh immigration push in Congress.

Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., is re-introducing the Protect Our Law enforcement with Immigration Control and Enforcement (POLICE) Act.

The bill would explicitly make assaulting a law enforcement officer a deportable offense. The legislation struggled to advance in a Democratic-run Senate, and is expected to have a better chance at success now Republicans have a majority. There is a version in the House as well.

‘TIDES ARE SHIFTING’: PUSH TO CODIFY KEY TRUMP-ERA POLICY SNAGS DOZENS OF COSPONSORS, INCLUDING DEMS

The bill says that any “alien who has been convicted of, who admits having committed, or who admits committing acts constituting the essential elements of, and offense involving the assault of a law enforcement officer is deportable.”

ICE made a number of arrests this week amid a renewed push by the Trump administration (X/ @BillMelugin_)

“One of the best ways we can support law enforcement officers, and protect the public, is by deporting dangerous people who do them harm. If a migrant commits the crime of assaulting an officer or other first responder, they should be subject to immediate deportation,” Budd said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“Our lawmakers must always back the men and women who protect and serve our communities. We must act on this vital proposal.”

Senator Ted Budd, a Republican from North Carolina, during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The bill has a dozen co-sponsors in the upper chamber, including Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Steve Daines R-Mont., Katie Britt, R-Ala.,, Ted Cruz, R-Texas,, and James Lankford R-Okla.

TRUMP’S ICE RACKS UP HUNDREDS OF ARRESTS, INCLUDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED FOR HORROR CRIMES

The bill emerged the same week that the Laken Riley Act, which requires the detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of illegal immigrants charged with theft-related crimes, was sent to President Trump’s desk after passing both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support. Trump is expected to sign the measure.

Legislators have also introduced other anti-illegal immigrant measures, including bills to restore the Remain in Mexico program and to cut down on humanitarian parole and Temporary Protected Status.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Meanwhile, President Trump signed 10 executive orders on day one of his administration, including bills to send military to the border and declare a national emergency.

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Federal agencies have been making similar moves, including reducing restrictions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in sensitive areas and ordering a review of the use of parole by federal agencies.

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.

January 24, 2025
Moderate GOP senator says she will vote against confirmation of Pete Hegseth for defense secretary

Republican Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, will not support the senate confirmation of Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the defense department, citing a lack of experience and concerns over his past comments regarding women.

Several Republican senators remained on the fence about Hegseth’s nomination as he faced a grilling from members of the Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing in January.

“While I appreciate his courageous military service and his ongoing commitment to our servicemembers and their families, I am concerned that he does not have the experience and perspective necessary to succeed in the job,” Collins wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.

KEY SENATE CHAIRMAN CRITICIZES ‘ANONYMOUS SOURCES WITH ULTERIOR MOTIVES,’ STANDS BY HEGSETH NOMINATION

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be defense secretary, makes his way to a meeting with Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., in the Russell building on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (Tom Williams)

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“His limited managerial experience involved running two small non-profit organizations that had decidedly mixed results,” Collins wrote in a lengthy social media post. “I am also concerned about multiple statements, including some in the months just before he was nominated, that Mr. Hegseth has made about women serving in the military. He and I had a candid conversation in December about his past statements and apparently evolving views. I am not convinced that his position on women serving in combat roles has changed.”

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.

January 23, 2025