The Biden administration spent tens of billions of dollars on grants to migrants and refugees through one of its government agencies, including over $10 billion in just one year, according to a new watchdog report.
The watchdog group Open the Books looked at grants to nonprofits awarded by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement. Its responsibilities include caring for unaccompanied migrant children who crossed the southern border illegally and refugees entering legally.
The watchdog found that in FY 2021, it distributed $2.4 billion in grants to nonprofits. In FY 2022, it distributed $3.4 billion, then that number skyrocketed up to $10 billion in FY 2023 before being reduced to $4.2 billion in FY 2024.
‘CLAWED BACK’: DHS CHIEF NOEM SECURES EYE-POPPING SUM SENT TO NYC FOR MIGRANT HOTELS
Homeless migrants wait in line to receive food and clothing donations in Tompkins Square Park on Jan. 20, 2024 in New York City.(Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
The numbers surged amid a historic migrant crisis at the southern border which plagued the Biden administration between 2021 and 2024.
According to the watchdog, the money included spending to help migrants save for car and home purchases, while another gave out business and personal loans, along with other programs for legal aid and cultural orientation.
“We’re hurting American taxpayers. People in places like North Carolina, Los Angeles that have lost everything,” Open the Books CEO John Hart told Fox News. “How is it moral to ask them to pay the bill for someone who wants to come to this country illegally? That’s outrageous.”
DOGE PUTS DEI ON CHOPPING BLOCK WITH TERMINATION OF OVER $370M IN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT GRANTS
Xavier Becerra, then-secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), speaks during a news conference at the HHS headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 28, 2022.(Photographer: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The revelation comes amid a government-wide scrutiny of funding, including funding for migrants, by the Trump administration and led by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced last week that it had taken back $59 million in FEMA funds earmarked for hotels housing migrants in New York City and had fired four FEMA employees involved in the payments being distributed.
“There will not be a single penny spent that goes against the interest and safety of the American people,” a DHS spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has been ramping up border security and cracking down on releases into the interior. It has suspended refugee resettlement, taken off limits imposed on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and declared a national emergency at the southern border.
Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.
Former Vice President Mike Pence is positioning himself as a “constructive force for the conservative agenda” during President Donald Trump’s second term as one of the few Republicans willing to challenge him.
“Well, for me, it’s always principles first. It’s not personal,” Pence said in an interview with the Associated Press.
Despite publicly falling out with Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, Pence said he would support the new Trump administration on issues he agreed with, but would challenge others.
Pence’s political advocacy group, Advancing American Freedom, spent nearly $1 million on ads opposing Trump’s newly confirmed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
DOGE MUST ‘DEFUND’ PLANNED PARENTHOOD, MIKE PENCE’S WATCHDOG GROUP URGES MUSK
Former Vice President Mike Pence during the 60th presidential inauguration in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025.(Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The former vice president said he and those who work for him received “a lot of quiet encouragement” in opposing Kennedy. Pence described finding it necessary to speak out on finding the “nomination of an abortion rights supporter to be secretary of HHS to be a dramatic departure from 50 years of strong pro-life leadership at HHS under Republican administrations.”
Asked why Republicans might be reluctant to oppose Trump publicly, Pence said, “I never speculate on motives. You know, I’m not new to town. I’ve waged lonely battles before.”
“But you know, you have to be willing to step out and lead,” the former vice president said. “My hope is that when the next issue of life comes up, that people will have been encouraged, emboldened to know that they’re not alone.”
Regarding RFK Jr.’s nomination, Advancing American Freedom President Tim Chapman told Fox News Digital that the group believed “it would be an abdication of duty and responsibility if nobody said anything about the life issue in particular, let alone some of the other concerns.”
“I think it’s more likely now that he’s better on life than if we had not engaged in the issue at all,” Chapman said. “Part of being constructive is weighing in and sending a market signal when the administration or Republican leadership might try to go in a direction that’s not tethered to conservative principles. And so you’re not always going to win all those fights. And in fact, we don’t even view it as our job to win all those fights. We view it as our job to start the conversation.”
In the second Trump term, Chapman argued, “there is a far stronger echo chamber on the outside that is currently encouraging and sometimes, you know, doing more than encouraging Republicans and outside groups to stay in line with the administration.” He said it’s “creating an atmosphere where some people who may disagree with a nominee or with a policy decision are choosing to bide their time and not make that disagreement public.”
“Time will tell whether that environment remains permanent and time will also tell whether that echo chamber serves the president well or ends up not serving him well. For various reasons, we don’t feel the pressure from that echo chamber to stay silent if we disagree,” Chapman told Fox News Digital. “We’ll do our best to constructively, you know, make our points. And when we disagree, try to pull the administration towards our view on policy. But then, you know, when we agree, be totally there running beside them and trying to help them push their priorities over the finish line.”
Advancing American Freedom is now lobbying against Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Trump’s pick for labor secretary, accusing her of being pro-union. While Pence’s group plans to spend the coming months pushing to increase military spending, shrink the deficit, and make permanent the Trump 2017 tax cuts, as well as trying to convince Trump to stop implementing tariffs on allies, the former vice president and those who work for him insist they won’t take on the “Never Trump” mantle.
Pence has been delivering speeches urging Trump to stand with long-standing foreign allies and lobbying members of Congress, while his aides write letters and opinion columns. Advancing American Freedom says they intend to praise the administration when they agree with it, while raising concerns when they don’t, advocating for longtime conservative principles that they believe have taken a back seat to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” brand of populism.
“We’re calling balls and strikes here,” Pence told the AP. “I think that the way we want to approach this is with integrity to principle. And I’m very encouraged. I think the Trump administration is off to a great start… I’m very pleased about the president undoing Biden’s border policies and putting back into place the policies that we had negotiated and established that secured the border.”
Pence said he believes “some of the prominent voices in the party have embraced a more populist thinking” but that “the overwhelming majority of people that ever vote Republican think any differently than they thought during our administration when we hewed to a conservative agenda or the years before or since.” To support his opinion, the former vice president recalled an interaction he had with a farmer at a campaign stop in Iowa in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel.
President-elect Donald Trump greets former Vice President Mike Pence at the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter at Washington National Cathedral on Jan. 9, 2025.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Despite the farmer saying he agreed with “absolutely everything” that Pence stumped about regarding “strong American support for Israel, strong American leadership in the world, continued support for Ukraine in their fight and limited government and bringing about reforms to put our fiscal house in order and right to life,” the former vice president recalled how the farmer said he could not vote for him in 2024 and that “I got to be for Trump this time.”
“And he goes, ‘But I’ll see you in four years. You’re going to be a great president someday,’” said Pence, who briefly pursued the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. “I said, ‘Would you mind telling me, you know, why?’ And he said words I never forgot, which was in effect: He lamented Biden’s failed record. And I saw that he was drawn to the need for a rematch. And then he said, ‘Plus, if they can do that to a former president, they can do that to me.’ And the ‘lawfare’ stuff went into higher relief.”
MIKE PENCE, OTHER FORMER TOP TRUMP OFFICIALS FEATURED IN HARRIS CAMPAIGN AD SLAMMING TRUMP AS ‘DANGEROUS’
“So I didn’t see in this last election a Republican Party that was embracing big government or a vision to pull back from America’s commitments on the world stage or marginalizing the right to life,” Pence told the AP. “I didn’t see that traveling all over the country and I still don’t see it. I think there were other factors that gave the former president a decided advantage in the election. He’d earned it. He’d won it. And then he won it in the fall. But I don’t think the party’s changed.”
In his interview with Fox News Digital, Chapman agreed. “I think he’s seen firsthand, and all of us have who’ve traveled the country, when you look at Republican voters and what they believe just on the issues, there’s not a lot of change going on in the party,” Chapman said. “The average Republican voter still feels very strongly about limited government, feels very strongly about traditional values and about pushing back against the left’s, you know, progressive attack on traditional values and feels very strong about a strong national defense. Like these are baseline concepts for conservative voters that have not changed in any way, shape or form.”
“Many of the reasons that they wanted Trump back were because of how successful the first Trump administration was on those issues,” he continued. “The policy set has not changed… there was a reaction to the left’s out of control lawfare and out of control cancel culture and that Trump was seen as the object of that. And so there was a very, very natural and very frankly, commendable instinct from the American people and Republican voters to say, you know what? We’re going to stick it to him. We’re not taking this anymore.
Pence told the AP that he went to Trump’s inauguration last month and “was very moved in the outpouring of kind words and expressions of appreciation from former colleagues, including many members of the new administration who I encountered in hallways.” When he saw Trump’s new secretary of state, Marco Rubio, Pence said he gave him a hug and “told him how proud I was of him.”
“We had praised him from here when he was selected,” Pence told the AP. “I must have seen or interacted with about half the incoming Cabinet.”
At the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter, Pence said he had a “very cordial exchange” with Trump. When Trump was coming down the front row of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Pence recalled him saying, “Hi, Mike.” Pence said he extended his hand to Trump and said, “Congratulations, Mr. President,” and “I could see his countenance softened. And he said, ‘Thanks.’” Pence said he also congratulated first lady Melania Trump.
Al Gore, Mike Pence and Karen Pence sit behind Bill and Hillary Clinton, George W. and Laura Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald and Melania Trump at the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“You know, the people that know me know it’s not personal,” Pence told the AP. “I’ve long since forgiven the president for any differences that we had at the end of our administration. We still have those differences as the president still holds the view that, to my knowledge, that I had some authority that I did not have under the Constitution or laws of the country. But from my heart, I’ve prayed often for the president.”
The AP also asked Pence about the viral moment at the funeral in which his wife, former second lady Karen Pence, refused to acknowledge President-elect Trump or shake Melania Trump’s hand.
“My wife loves her husband. And I love my wife and I have great respect for her. And so – but I’ve been really moved at how many people around the country have thanked us both for that day,” Pence said. “But again, you know, I want to emphasize, we’re eyes forward here. You know, I’d always thought the president was going to come around on the position he took on Jan. 6.”
In his book, Pence said, he describes how he and Trump “actually parted on very amicable terms, very good terms,” but in the spring, when Trump “returned to the rhetoric about how I could have done something that neither the Constitution nor the law would ever permit any vice president to do, then I just decided it was important to go our separate ways.”
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“But hope springs eternal,” Pence said. “And we want to be a constructive force for the conservative agenda. I think that’s good for the administration. It’s good for the Congress. More importantly, it’s good for America.”
Chapman reiterated to Fox News Digital that Pence’s work during Trump’s second term was not personal in nature, pointing to Pence back when he served in Congress “was often a lone voice, you know, agitating against Republican leadership for a course correction to a more conservative vision for governing.”
“What you’re seeing him do now is almost a return to form,” Chapman said. “So I definitely think there’s nothing personal there.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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.
Senior Russian and U.S. officials met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss improving relations and an end to Moscow’s war in Ukraine – without representatives from Kyiv.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov led the delegations that met at the Diriyah Palace in Saudi Arabia’s capital of Riyadh.
Rubio was accompanied by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, while Lavrov brought along the Kremlin’s foreign affairs advisor, Yuri Ushakov.
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and national security advisor Musaed al Alban were present for the start of the meeting but were expected to leave early in the talks.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center, sits next to U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, right, and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, left, during a meeting with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia, Feb. 18, 2025.(AP)
Ukrainian officials are not participating in Tuesday’s meeting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Kyiv will not accept the outcome if his country is not in attendance at the meeting.
The meeting symbolizes another significant step by the Trump administration to reverse U.S. policy on isolating Russia. The event was meant to lead to a meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a press conference at the Ukraine peace summit in Obbürgen, Switzerland, on June 16, 2024.(AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
Last week, Trump upended U.S. policy toward Ukraine and Russia, stating that he and Putin had agreed to begin negotiations on ending the war, which began in February 2022.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s efforts at President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have revealed a number of examples of government waste that have dominated headlines in recent weeks, as his team continues to audit the federal government despite Democrat opposition.
Here are some of the top-lines from DOGE’s findings:
Musk reveals ‘Iron Mountain’ mine nightmare
Musk revealed this week that DOGE is investigating a limestone mine in Pennsylvania where federal employee retirements are processed manually.
“Federal employee retirements are processed using paper, by hand, in an old limestone mine in Pennsylvania. 700+ mine workers operate 230 feet underground to process ~10,000 applications per month, which are stored in manila envelopes and cardboard boxes. The retirement process takes multiple months,” Musk announced on X.
ELON MUSK DESCRIBES LIMESTONE MINE USED FOR PROCESSING FEDERAL WORKERS’ RETIREMENT PAPERS: ‘LIKE A TIME WARP’
Elon Musk’s DOGE efforts have uncovered several examples of wasteful spending.(Getty,AP.DOGE/X.)
Musk said only 10,000 federal employees can retire a month because it takes so long to process the paperwork and sort through the millions of manila envelopes. He described the “Iron Mountain” mine as a “time warp” slowing down a completely manual federal retirement process.
This photo, posted by DOGE on Feb. 11, 2025, shows the old limestone mine in Boyers, Pennsylvania, where the organization says about 700 workers operate more than 230 feet underground to process about 10,000 federal retirement applications per month.(DOGE / X)
“The limiting factor is the speed at which the mine shaft elevator can move, determines how many people can retire from the federal government. The elevator breaks down sometimes, and then nobody can retire. Doesn’t that sound crazy?” Musk told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
DOGE-inspired EPA locates $20 billion in waste
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), inspired by DOGE’s crackdown on federal spending, said it had located $20 billion in tax dollars within the agency that the Biden administration reportedly “knew they were wasting.”
EPA administrator Lee Zeldin exposed $20 billion in wasteful spending at the agency.(Al Drago)
“An extremely disturbing video circulated two months ago, featuring a Biden EPA political appointee talking about how they were ‘tossing gold bars off the Titanic,’ rushing to get billions of your tax dollars out the door before Inauguration Day,” EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said in a video posted to X on Wednesday, citing another video from December.
The EPA found that just eight agencies were controlling the distribution of tens of billions of taxpayer dollars to different entities “at their discretion,” such as the Climate United Fund, which reportedly received just under $7 billion.
“The ‘gold bars’ were tax dollars, and ‘tossing them off the Titanic’ meant the Biden administration knew they were wasting it,” Zeldin said, vowing to recover the “gold bars” that were found “parked at an outside financial institution.”
EXPERT REVEALS MASSIVE LEVELS OF WASTE DOGE CAN SLASH FROM ENTITLEMENTS, PET PROJECTS: ‘A LOT OF FAT’
Signage at the headquarters of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C.(Reuters)
Zeldin said that the “scheme was the first of its kind in EPA history, and it was purposely designed to obligate all the money in a rush job with reduced oversight.”
In a Fox News interview, the EPA administrator praised DOGE’s work at the agency and said that the cost-cutting department is “making us better.”
“They come up with great recommendations, and we can make a decision to act on it,” Zeldin said.
DHS clawing back
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the government’s leading disaster-relief arm, gave over $59 million to house illegal immigrants in luxury New York City hotels just last week, DOGE uncovered.
Migrants are seen sleeping outside the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.(Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service)
The spending was exposed by Musk on Monday, who wrote in a post on X that “sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order,” which put FEMA under review to improve the agency’s “efficacy, priorities and competence.”
Of the $59.3 million, $19 million was for direct hotel costs, while the balance funded other services such as food and security, a New York City Hall spokesperson confirmed to Fox.
One day after the spending was uncovered by DOGE, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that “Secretary [Krisit] Noem has clawed back the full payment that FEMA deep state activists unilaterally gave to NYC migrant hotels,” a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Asylum seekers line up in front of the historic Roosevelt Hotel, converted into a city-run shelter for newly arrived migrant families in New York City.(Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency)
Shortly afterward, Trump, in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, suggested that FEMA should be abolished.
“FEMA spent tens of millions of dollars in Democrat areas, disobeying orders, but left the people of North Carolina high and dry. It is now under review and investigation,” the president declared.
“THE BIDEN RUN FEMA HAS BEEN A DISASTER. FEMA SHOULD BE TERMINATED! IT HAS BEEN SLOW AND TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE. INDIVIDUAL STATES SHOULD HANDLE STORMS, ETC., AS THEY COME. BIG SAVINGS, FAR MORE EFFICIENT!!!” the president added.
Pentagon wasted thousands on coffee cups and soap dispensers
The Pentagon’s $850 billion budget could be next up on the bureaucratic chopping block. Fox News Digital reported this week accusations of waste and inefficiency within the U.S.’s largest discretionary budget.
The Defense Business Board found in 2015 that the Department of Defense could save $125 billion over five years by renegotiating service contracts and consolidating bureaucratic processes.
A congressional inquiry in 2018 found the Air Force was spending $1,300 for each reheatable coffee cup aboard one of its aircraft. The Air Force spent $32,000 replacing 25 cups, according to Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
A two-year audit by the Defense Department Inspector General last year found that Boeing overcharged the Air Force by 8,000% for soap dispensers. They overpaid by $149,072.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivers remarks during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Pentagon on Feb. 5 in Arlington, Va. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Trump’s new defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, said he welcomes DOGE at the Department of Defense.
“We will partner with them. It’s long overdue. The Defense Department’s got a huge budget, but it needs to be responsible,” Hegseth told Fox News.
Questionable spending in USAID’s $40 billion budget, including ‘Sesame Street’ in Iraq
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the Senate DOGE Caucus Chairwoman, who says she speaks to Musk about spending cuts every few days, recently published a list of projects and programs she says the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has helped fund across the years.
Ernst described “wasteful and dangerous” spending that had gripped taxpayers until DOGE stepped in.
Sen. Joni Ernst highlighted that USAID “authorized a whopping $20 million to create a ‘Sesame Street’ in Iraq.”(Getty Images)
Ernst highlighted that the agency “authorized a whopping $20 million to create a ‘Sesame Street’ in Iraq.”
Under the Biden administration, USAID awarded $20 million to a nonprofit called Sesame Workshopto produce a show called “Ahlan Simsim Iraq” in an effort to “promote inclusion, mutual respect and understanding across ethnic, religious and sectarian groups.”
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Several more examples of questionable spending have been uncovered at USAID, including more than $900,000 to a “Gaza-based terror charity” called Bayader Association for Environment and Development and a $1.5 million program slated to “advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities.”
Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips and Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].
One of President Donald Trump’s top aides is floating a potential bid for California governor if former Vice President Kamala Harris also runs.
Richard Grenell, a longtime Trump loyalist who is serving as U.S. envoy for special missions in the president’s second administration, ended a gaggle with reporters at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Friday by teasing, “I’ll make a little news.”
Grenell then pointed to the 2026 race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.
“If Kamala Harris runs for governor, I believe that she has such baggage and hundreds of millions of dollars in educating the voters of how terrible she is, that it’s a new day in California and that the Republican actually has a shot,” Grenell said.
SOURCES TELL FOX NEWS THIS TRUMP SUPPORTING CALIFORNIA SHERIFF WILL RUN FOR GOVERNOR
Former Acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell speaks on stage on the third day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
There has been plenty of speculation since Harris’ defeat last November, regarding her next political move, with the two potential options likely being launching a 2026 gubernatorial run in her home state of California or seeking the presidency again in 2028.
Harris served as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general and U.S. senator before becoming vice president.
MAJOR CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT PREEDICTS FORMER VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS WOULD CLEAR GUBERNATORIAL FIELD
Sources in the former vice president’s political orbit say no decisions have been made about any next steps.
The Democrats’ field for governor in the heavily blue-leaning state is already crowded.
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at the PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Among the more than a half-dozen candidates already running for governor are Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, a Harris ally, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Former Rep. Katie Porter, who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic Senate nomination last year, has expressed interest in launching a campaign.
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who served in Congress and as California attorney general before joining the Biden administration, is also seen as a potential contender.
But pundits predict that Harris could clear the Democrats’ field if she decides to launch a gubernatorial campaign.
It’s been nearly two decades since a Republican won statewide office in California. You have to go all the way back to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2006 re-election victory.
Grenell considered a run for California governor during the 2021 recall election that Newsom eventually ended up easily winning, but he ultimately decided against launching a campaign.
FILE – Then-former President Donald Trump speaks next to Richard Grenell during a presidential election campaign event at a farm in Smithton, Pa., on Sept. 23, 2024.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Grenell served as ambassador to Germany and as acting director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term.
In his role as U.S. envoy for special missions in Trump’s second administration, he took part in a mission to Venezuela that led to the release of six hostages.
Grenell also joined the president in Los Angeles last month to survey the horrific wildfire damage in the area. Grenell, who along with Trump blasted state and local Democratic leaders for their performance handling the wildfire crisis, returned to Los Angeles last week as he accompanied EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on a recovery tour.
Grenell isn’t the only California Republican considering or moving toward a gubernatorial campaign in 2026 in the race to succeed Newsom.
Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on May 15, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Fox News confirmed earlier this week that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is planning to announce his candidacy at a scheduled event Monday in Riverside, California.
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And former Fox News Channel host and conservative commentator Steve Hilton is considering a Republican run for California governor.
In California, unlike most other states, the top two finishers in a primary, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the general election.
Fox News’ Kaitlin Sprague contributed to this report.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.
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Linda McMahon’s Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday was marked by disruptive protesters, debate over diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, discussion on the participation of biological men in women’s sports and scrutiny over spending cuts proposed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Several protesters disrupted and were removed from the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing, with one individual shouting, “Protect trans kids, protect immigrant students, protect our schools!”
Addressing the disruptions, Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., complained about the “outburst of some of the protesters in the room,” prompting a blue state Democrat to speak out in their defense.
TRUMP EDUCATION NOMINEE LINDA MCMAHON SAYS SHUTTING DOWN DOE WOULD ‘REQUIRE CONGRESSIONAL ACTION’
Linda McMahon’s confirmation hearing was interrupted a few times by protesters.(Getty Images)
“A number of them have told us that they’re … teachers. Can you imagine them teaching these people, teaching our kids in classrooms across America, and they come here and act like children with outbursts?” Banks said.
Newly elected Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., hit back at the Republican senator, saying that the protesters are “exactly the kind of people who we want teaching our children.”
In January, Trump declared that legal protections under Title IX, the 1972 federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination for recipients of federal education funding, would be based on the basis of biological sex, not gender identity, in K-12 schools and higher-learning institutions.
“[W]omen should feel safe in their locker rooms. They should feel safe in their spaces. They shouldn’t have to be exposed to men undressing in front of them.” — Linda McMahon
Regarding Trump’s reversal of the Biden administration’s regulations, McMahon said she is “happy” to see the law “back to what Title IX was originally established to do, and that was to protect social discrimination.”
DEMS SPAR OVER DOGE CUTS WITH TRUMP EDUCATION NOMINEE LINDA MCMAHON
Linda McMahon, nominee for secretary of education, testifies at her Senate committee confirmation hearing on Feb. 13, 2025.(Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“And women should feel safe in their locker rooms. They should feel safe in their spaces. They shouldn’t have to be exposed to men undressing in front of them,” she said.
The Trump nominee also said that if confirmed, she will “make sure the law is enforced” on campuses that try to defy the law.
McMahon faced further questioning on the impact of DEI programs during her Senate confirmation hearing. She criticized the programs, claiming that though they were intended to promote diversity, they have instead contributed to further dividing America’s kids rather than being inclusive.
“DEI has been – I think has been, it’s a program that’s tough,” McMahon said. “It was put in place ostensibly for more diversity, for equity and inclusion. And I think what we’re seeing is it is having an opposite effect. We are getting back to more segregating of our schools instead of having more inclusion in our schools.”
INTO THE RING: TRUMP EDUCATION CHIEF PICK MCMAHON TO TESTIFY ON CUTTING ‘RED TAPE’ AMID DOGE SWEEPS
Trump hopes Linda McMahon will “put herself out of a job” if confirmed to lead the Department of Education, an agency he’s proposed abolishing.(Getty Images)
She pointed to instances where DEI programs led to separate graduation ceremonies for Black and Hispanic students, arguing that such measures went against the goal of inclusion: “When their DEI programs say that Black students need separate graduation ceremonies or Hispanics need separate ceremonies, we are not achieving what we wanted to achieve with inclusion,” she added.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., countered with an example of Department of Defense schools that had canceled programming for Black History Month.
He asked, “So if a school in Connecticut celebrates Martin Luther King Day and has a series of events and programming teaching about Black history, are they in violation of a policy that says schools should stop running DEI programs?”
McMahon disagreed, saying that events like Black History Month celebrations should be celebrated across all schools.
“In my view, that is clearly not the case,” she said. “That celebration of Martin Luther King Day in Black History Month should be celebrated throughout all of our schools. I believe that, you know, Martin Luther King was one of the strongest proponents of making sure that we look at all of our populations when he said that he would hope that his children wouldn’t be judged by the color of their skin, but the content of their character.”
Musk’s government spending cuts also sparked debate, with Democratic lawmakers pressing McMahon on whether she supports the dramatic cuts made by DOGE.
“I believe the American people spoke loudly in the election last November to say that they want to look at waste, fraud and abuse in our government,” said McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment.
FORMER TRUMP EDUCATION SECRETARY LAYS OUT ‘UNFINISHED BUSINESS’ FOR NEW ADMIN ON SCHOOL REFORMS
Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the Oval Office on Feb. 11, 2025.(AP/Alex Brandon)
Pressed by Democrats, including Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, if she would follow through with cuts suggested by the “DOGE brothers,” McMahon said she can be counted on to follow congressional statute “because that’s the law.”
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., also asked if McMahon believes DOGE should have access to “private student data,” suggesting that their probes “should frighten everyone.”
“It is my understanding that those employees have been onboarded as employees of the Department of Education, and therefore, they operate under the restraints of utilizing access of information,” McMahon said.
“That’s not my understanding,” Murray shot back.
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“That’s my understanding,” McMahon responded.
Murray said it was “deeply disturbing” that DOGE staffers aren’t “held accountable” and that it should “frighten everyone” if they have access to students’ private information.
McMahon’s confirmation vote in the Senate HELP Committee is scheduled for Feb. 20.
Happy Valentine’s Day 2025: Valentine’s Day is observed every year on February 14. This year, it falls on Friday. Couples in love celebrate this day with pomp by exchanging gifts, surprising each other with romantic gestures, and taking each other on dates. (Also read: Valentine’s Day images: Cute, romantic greetings, wishes to send to your girlfriend, boyfriend, wife or husband)
Happy Valentine’s Day 2025: Wishes, images and more greetings to share with your beloved.
To make this day even more memorable, here’s our special guide filled with heartfelt wishes, images, romantic messages, GIFs, and greetings that you can share on WhatsApp, Facebook, and other social media platforms.
Happy Valentine’s Day 2025 wishes
1. You are my heart’s greatest treasure, my love, my forever. Happy Valentine’s Day!
2. Every day with you is a love story I never want to end.
3. You make my world brighter, my heart lighter, and my life sweeter.
4. Falling for you was the best thing that ever happened to me.
5. I love you not just today, but every day, in every way.
6. You are the reason I believe in love. Thank you for being mine.
7. My love for you is endless, just like this beautiful journey we share.
8. No words can truly express how much you mean to me. Happy Valentine’s Day!
9. I found my forever in you, and I cherish every moment with you.
10. You are the love of my life, my best friend, and my greatest joy.
Happy Valentine’s Day 2025 GIFs
Many propose to their loved ones on this day.(Pinterest)It’s not just for couples but for friends and family too.(Pinterest)Handwritten notes and thoughtful gestures make it special.(Pinterest)
Happy Valentine’s Day 2025 messages and greetings
11. You are my sunshine on the darkest days and my comfort in every storm. I love you endlessly. Happy Valentine’s Day!
People express their love with gifts, flowers, and chocolates.(Canva)
12. Happy Valentine’s Day, my love! Every day with you is a beautiful journey, and I’m grateful for every moment we share.
13. You are the reason my heart beats with joy. Wishing you a Valentine’s Day as special as you are!
14. Love is in the air, and I’m lucky to have you to share it with. Happy Valentine’s Day, my forever love.
15. Today, I celebrate you—the one who fills my heart with love and my life with happiness. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Couples exchange heartfelt cards and sweet messages.(Canva)
16. Wishing you a Valentine’s Day filled with love, laughter, and all the happiness you bring to those around you.
17. May today be as special and beautiful as the love we share. Happy Valentine’s Day!
18. You make every moment brighter and every day sweeter. Wishing you a love-filled Valentine’s Day!
19. On this day of love, I just want to remind you how much you mean to me. Happy Valentine’s Day!
20. No matter where life takes us, my heart will always find its way to you. Happy Valentine’s Day, my love!
21. You are my best decision, my greatest blessing, and my happiest thought. Happy Valentine’s Day to my forever love.
22. Every love story is special, but ours is my favourite. Happy Valentine’s Day to my one and only!
23. Wishing you a day filled with love, laughter, and all the happiness your heart desires. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Love is about kindness, care, and making each other happy.(Canva)
24. You are the sweetest part of my life, and I’m so lucky to have you. Happy Valentine’s Day, my love.
25. Love isn’t just about words, it’s about moments, memories, and you. Happy Valentine’s Day, my forever Valentine.
26. You make my heart skip a beat, and my life feel complete. Sending you all my love this Valentine’s Day!
27. You are my sunshine on cloudy days, my joy in every moment. Happy Valentine’s Day to the most special person in my life.
Valentine’s Day reminds us to spread love and joy always.(Canva)
28. May your Valentine’s Day be as wonderful, kind, and beautiful as you are.
29. Love is not just something you feel, it’s something you show—and I promise to show you every single day. Happy Valentine’s Day!
30. Every day with you feels like Valentine’s Day. Thank you for 31. May your Valentine’s Day be filled with love, joy, and sweet memories that last a lifetime.
32. Wishing you a day full of love, laughter, and all the happiness in the world. Happy Valentine’s Day!
33. You deserve all the love and happiness today and always. Hope your Valentine’s Day is as special as you are!
34. Love is not just about a single day—it’s about every moment we share. Happy Valentine’s Day to someone truly amazing!
35. May today remind you of how deeply you are loved and cherished. Wishing you a beautiful Valentine’s Day!
36. Sending you hugs, kisses, and all the love in my heart. Happy Valentine’s Day!
37. You make the world a more beautiful place just by being in it. Wishing you a Valentine’s Day as wonderful as you!
38. Love is the greatest gift, and I’m grateful to share it with you. Happy Valentine’s Day!
39. May your heart be filled with love, your day with happiness, and your life with endless beautiful moments. Happy Valentine’s Day!
40. No matter where life takes us, my love for you will always be the same. Wishing you a magical Valentine’s Day!being my love and my best friend.
Romantic Wishes
41. My heart beats for you today and always. Happy Valentine’s Day!
42. You make my world brighter with your love. Wishing you a day as beautiful as you are.
43. Every moment with you feels magical. I’m so lucky to have you in my life.
44. You are the love story I always dreamed of. Happy Valentine’s Day, my forever!
45. With you, every day feels like a celebration of love.
46. No matter where life takes us, my heart will always belong to you.
47. You are my greatest adventure and my sweetest love.
48. Every love song reminds me of you because you’re my melody of happiness.
49. You are my happily ever after. Thank you for being mine.
50. Just like a rose, our love keeps blooming beautifully.
Sweet and Cute Wishes
51. You are the peanut butter to my jelly, the cherry to my sundae—my perfect match!
52. I love you more than chocolate, and that’s saying a lot!
53. You’re my favorite reason to smile. Happy Valentine’s Day!
54. I’d choose you over and over again—today and always.
55. Just a little reminder that you are loved more than words can say!
56. Life with you is sweeter than the finest chocolates.
57. You make my heart skip a beat in the best way possible.
58. My heart is happiest when I’m with you.
59. If love were a story, ours would be my favorite.
60. You are my sunshine on the cloudiest days.
For Long-Distance Love
61. Distance means nothing when someone means everything. I love you!
62. Even miles apart, our hearts beat as one.
63. I may not be there in person, but my love is with you always.
64. Counting down the days until I can hold you again.
65. Love knows no distance, and neither do my feelings for you.
66. Every text, call, and memory keeps me close to you.
67. No matter how far, you are always in my heart.
68. Sending you love and hugs across the miles.
69. One day closer to being in your arms again!
70. Love travels any distance, and mine is always headed your way.
For Friends & Family
71. Happy Valentine’s Day to someone who makes life sweeter!
72. Love isn’t just for couples—it’s for amazing friends like you too!
73. Thank you for always filling my life with love and joy.
74. Family is the first kind of love we know, and I’m so lucky to have you!
75. Wishing you a day filled with love, laughter, and chocolate!
76. You are loved more than you know. Happy Valentine’s Day!
77. A heart as kind as yours deserves all the happiness in the world.
78. Valentine’s Day isn’t just about romance—it’s about love in all forms!
79. Sending you a big virtual hug on this special day!
80. No matter what, you’ll always have a special place in my heart.
Funny & Playful Wishes
81. You’re my favorite human—don’t tell the others!
82. I love you more than pizza… and that’s saying something!
83. Roses are red, violets are blue, I’m so lucky to have a bestie like you!
84. If love were a competition, you’d have the gold medal!
85. Let’s be each other’s emergency Valentine’s date forever!
86. Happy Valentine’s Day! Now, where’s the chocolate?
87. Love is great, but have you tried cake? Let’s celebrate both!
88. I love you even when you steal the blanket.
89. You’re my favorite person to annoy—lucky you!
90. If we were on the Titanic, I’d definitely make room on the door for you.
Heartfelt & Deep Wishes
91. You are my home, my heart, and my greatest blessing.
92. Love is not just a word—it’s everything I feel for you.
93. Every day with you is Valentine’s Day in my heart.
94. You make love feel effortless and beautiful.
95. Loving you is the easiest and best thing I’ve ever done.
96. My heart found its perfect match in you.
97. Thank you for loving me in ways I never knew I needed.
98. You are my dream come true, and I cherish every moment with you.
99. My life is better, brighter, and more meaningful because of you.
100. You are my greatest love story, and I can’t wait to write more chapters with you.
FIRST ON FOX: Consumers’ Research, a leading non-profit dedicated to consumer information, is launching a campaign targeting the Cleveland Clinic over what it says is a history of the organization prioritizing woke politics over patients.
The campaign, dubbed “Cleveland Clinic Exposed”, asks the public whether the clinic is “the wokest hospital in America” and will involve an ad titled “Exposed,” which will run in Ohio during the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors game on Wednesday.
“Is Cleveland Clinic the wokest hospital in America?” the 30-second ad asks. “They prioritize care based on skin color. Perform child sex changes. Push transgender propaganda on vulnerable kids. Insert DEI into everything they do.”
“And spend millions on climate activism. The CEO admits it: Healthcare is only a part of their mission. Cleveland Clinic. Focused on a political agenda. Not what’s best for patients.”
TRUMP ORDER RESTRICTING SEX-CHANGE PROCEDURES FOR MINORS IN LINE WITH ‘DO NO HARM,’ DOCTOR SAYS
The Cleveland Clinic was hit with an ad this week alleging that the hospital is promoting a “woke” agenda.(Fox News Digital)
The ad campaign will also be featured on ClevelandClinicExposed.com, and mobile billboards will be seen outside the Ohio state capitol building, Cleveland Clinic main campus and the Florida state capitol building.
Additionally, a targeted digital campaign and a “woke alert” is being sent out calling on the clinic to “stop injecting politics into patient care.”
“Attention Floridians,” one of the alerts states. “Cleveland Clinic opened a sex change clinic in your backyard.”
TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER RESTRICTING ‘CHEMICAL AND SURGICAL’ SEX-CHANGE PROCEDURES FOR MINORS
A senior Black man is sitting in his doctor’s office and listening as the doctor shows him something on a digital tablet.(iStock)
The ad, in part, references a letter from Cleveland Clinic’s CEO suggesting that providing healthcare services is not the sole focus of the organization.
“Providing high-quality healthcare is only a part of our mission,” Cleveland Clinic CEO Tom Mihaljevic wrote in a post on the hospital’s website.
“We have an obligation to uplift the many communities we call home. We must improve our neighbors’ wellbeing, quality of life and opportunities to succeed. We must operate in sustainable ways that are good for our planet. We must embrace diversity, champion human rights and lead with humility and inclusiveness.”
Cleveland Clinic has faced accusations of promoting a “woke” agenda in the past, including a complaint filed by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty alleging, “race-based discrimination and segregation of patients.”
Consumers’ Research, a leading non-profit dedicated to consumer information, is targeting the Cleveland Clinic with a new ad.(Fox News Digital)
The Cleveland Clinic’s website also contains several posts promoting climate initiatives, including a plan for “greening” its operating rooms.
In 2022, the Cleveland Clinic hired Jacqui Robertson as chief of diversity and inclusion, and announced in a post that has since been deleted that she will “lead efforts that will further diversity and inclusion across the health system.”
Robertson stated in a 2023 interview, “I don’t believe that diversity and inclusion should ever be a standalone strategy. It has to be embedded in everything that we do. And so that’s our processes, that’s our metrics.”
In a June 2023 post that also appears to have been deleted from the Cleveland Clinic website, the clinic explained “How To Support a Child Who’s Questioning Their Gender Identity.”
Also in June 2023, the clinic put out a press release labeling racism as a “public health crisis.”
“Cleveland Clinic is committed to addressing structural racism and bias in our community,” the organization said in a December 2020 press release announcing a plan to “join a coalition of 37 of the largest U.S. employers, to train, hire and promote one million Black Americans into family-sustaining jobs with opportunities for advancement.”
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City skyline and the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland.(John Greim/Loop Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Despite past press releases and statements on the Cleveland Clinic’s website highlighting its agenda, a Cleveland Clinic spokesperson pushed back against the campaign.
“The advertisement contains false statements, and we are concerned there are serious inaccuracies in their claims. Our services are available for everyone, and we do not discriminate based on race, gender or any other category,” the spokesperson said.
“By its own shocking words and deeds, Cleveland Clinic has quite possibly become the wokest hospital in America,” Will Hild, Consumers’ Research executive director, told Fox News Digital in a statement. “The clinic’s leadership alarmingly proclaims that DEI ‘has to be embedded in everything that we do.’ Such a sentiment plagues the entire hospital system and should frighten every patient in need of its services.”
“From unethical race-based care to transgender mutilation surgeries on kids to bowing at the altar of climate extremism, Cleveland Clinic seems hell-bent on satisfying every woke fixation while cost-reduction for patients is a distant afterthought. It is wrong when any company prioritizes woke objectives over its consumers, but it is especially disturbing when the perpetrator is a medical facility and consumers are patients. Cleveland Clinic must reverse course, shun woke radicalism, stop spending resources in the wrong places, and make affordable quality care its only focus.”
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].
Three leaders at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) were placed on administrative leave Tuesday, Fox News Digital confirmed.
The Office of Management and Budget’s Chief Legal Officer Mark Paoletta placed Lorelei Salas, the CFPB’s supervision director, and Eric Halperin, the agency’s enforcement chief, and Zixta Martinez, the agency’s deputy director, on administrative leave, a CFPB spokesperson told Fox News Digital Tuesday.
The resignations come after acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought, told employees of CFPB on Monday to not report to work and to “get approval in writing before performing any work tasks.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent briefly served as acting CFPB director before Vought earlier in February, and had also told staffers to halt their work “unless expressly approved by the Acting Director or required by law.”
The CFPB spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Halperin defied Bessent’s order and resigned in response to being placed on leave Tuesday. Halperin was made aware of his leave via an email and responded six minutes later that he was resigning, the New York Post reported earlier Tuesday.
RUSS VOUGHT, TAPPED AS CFPB’S ACTING DIRECTOR, DIRECTS BUREAU TO ISSUE NO NEW RULES, STOP NEW INVESTIGATIONS
A view of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) headquarters building in Washington, DC, on Feb. 10, 2025. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
“I write to provide notice of my resignation… Since the building is closed, please provide instructions on how to return my equipment,” Halperin reportedly responded to the email. “Thank you for the opportunity to serve. It was an honor.”
Salas also “sent out an email blast” in response to the notification she also was placed on leave, but did not officially file her resignation, the spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
RUSSELL VOUGHT CONFIRMED TO HEAD GOVERNMENT’S LEADING BUDGET OFFICE AFTER DEMS HOLD 30-HOUR PROTEST
The pair is claiming to reporters that they resigned, as opposed to being placed on leave, to “try and save face,” the spox added.
When approached for comment, a spokesperson for Salas told Fox Digital that the Trump administration was working to “sideline” government employees.
“As we’ve seen many times already, Trump and Musk are trying to sideline dedicated public servants who won’t go along with their plans to break the law,” the spokesperson said. “CFPB staff have a responsibility to protect consumers, and that includes upholding longstanding laws on the books.”
Fox News Digital attempted to reach Halperin via social media on Tuesday evening for comment, but did not immediately receive a reply.
Three leaders at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) were placed on administrative leave Tuesday, Fox News Digital confirmed. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Both Halperin and Salas have ties to left-wing billionaire George Soros’ nonprofit, the Open Society Foundation, a CFPB press release from 2021 shows. Halperin served as a senior advisor to Open Society Foundations’ U.S. Program, his biography in a CFPB press release states, while Salas received a government fellowship from the Open Society Foundations.
FEDERAL WORKERS’ UNION FILES LAWSUITS TO STOP VOUGHT, DOGE ACTIVITY AT CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU
The CFPB is an independent government agency charged with protecting consumers from unfair financial practices in the private sector. It was created in 2010 under the Obama administration following the financial crash in 2008.
Elon Musk is leading the Department of Government Efficiency.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, has been investigating various federal agencies in February in search of finding and eliminating government overspending, fraud and corruption.
On Friday, Musk posted a message on X, reading, “CFPB RIP,” building anticipation that the agency was the next to face investigation.
Protests have since been staged outside of the of CFPB headquarters in Washington, including Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who originally proposed the agency, declaring on the streets, “We are here to fight back.”
Protests have since been staged outside of the of CFPB headquarters in Washington, including Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who originally proposed the agency, declaring on the streets, “We are here to fight back.”(Jemal Countess/Getty Images for MoveOn)
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“This is like a bank robber trying to fire the cops and turn off the alarm just before he strolls into the lobby,” Warren told the crowd on Monday.
“The financial cops, the CFPB, are there to make sure that Elon’s new project can’t scam you or steal your sensitive personal data,” Warren said. “So Elon’s solution, get rid of the cops, kill the CFPB.”
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.
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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.
