Happy New Year 2025

Tag: Trump

Lori Chavez-DeRemer: The little-known Trump nominee who may need to rely on Dems to cross finish line

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Labor, former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., has left Republicans in the Senate with some questions over her pro-union stances, but at the same time, she has generated some interest from pro-labor Democrats.

In particular, the moderate Republican will need to explain to Republicans her support for the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act), a controversial piece of legislation that was proposed a few years ago.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters that “support for the PRO Act is not something that most Republicans have tolerated in the past, but I think she’s attempted to address that, and my hope is that she can further clarify her position on some of those issues when she goes through the hearing process.”

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

Trump’s nominee for labor secretary could see Democrats help her get over the finish line. (Reuters | Getty Images)

The Protecting the Right to Organize Act was championed by Democrats and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters upon introduction. But others, such as most Republicans and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, opposed it.

The legislation would effectively kill state-level laws that prohibit employers and unions from requiring workers to pay union dues as a condition of their employment.

Chavez-DeRemer will have her hearing in front of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) on Wednesday.

One committee member she’ll have to answer to is Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has already said he doesn’t plan to support her.

“Her support for the Pro Act, which would not only oppose national right to work, but it would preempt state law on right to work. I think it’s not a good thing, and it’d be sort of hard for me since it’s a big issue for me to support her. So I won’t support her,” the senator previously told reporters.

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

Paul plans to vote against the nominee. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

This puts Chavez-DeRemer in a difficult position, as she will need to rely on Democrats to help her advance out of the HELP committee favorably if Paul follows through on his commitment to voting against her.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., who is far from the most pro-union Republican in the upper chamber, is full speed ahead in favor of Trump’s pick as Chavez-DeRemer gears up for her hearing and eventual committee vote.

In a phone interview with Fox News Digital, he explained that he and Teamsters President Sean O’Brien were involved in Trump’s selection of her for the key Cabinet role. Mullin further detailed the significance of union members in Trump’s winning 2024 election coalition.

He claimed Democrats have “come to us and actually said this is actually a really good pick” because it puts them in a difficult position and is hard to vote against with her support among labor unions.

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

Mullin is a close ally of Trump. (Markwayne Mullin for Senate)

The senator didn’t give away any names of Democrats that might see her appeal, however.

Paul previously predicted he wouldn’t be the only one unwilling to back her in the Republican conference.

“I think she’ll lose 15 Republicans and she’ll get 25 Democrats. She’s very pro-labor, she might get all the Democrats. Who knows? So, we’ll see,” he said.

If his vote leaves her nomination tied at the committee level, it could still be reported and scheduled for a floor vote, but without a favorable recommendation. In this case, she would need to amass 60 votes in the full Senate to move on to confirmation.

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

Chavez-DeRemer is a former Republican congresswoman. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

With her appeal among labor groups, Chavez-DeRemer may manage to put together a 60-plus bipartisan coalition to be confirmed.

While Paul predicted more than a dozen GOP defectors, Mullin said the real number is likely much smaller.

“I haven’t heard from any other Republicans that are a ‘no.’ Rand is the only one,” he said.

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“I don’t think his numbers are accurate, even close,” the Oklahoma Republican added.

A representative for Chavez-DeRemer did not provide comment to Fox News Digital.

Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.

Follow Julia’s reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to [email protected].

February 11, 2025
Google Maps, FAA officially acknowledges Gulf of America after Trump declaration: ‘Isn’t it beautiful?’

The name change from the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America” began rolling out across the U.S. on Monday, just a month after President Donald Trump announced his intention to Americanize the name.

On Monday, the FAA sent out a charting notice confirming that its systems were in the process of updating the name, in addition to updating the newly-named Mount McKinley in Alaska, formerly known as Denali.

“Please be advised that the FAA is in the process of updating our data and charts to show a name change from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and a name change from Denali to Mount McKinley. This will be targeted for the next publication cycle,” the notice read.

“This Charting Notice implements President Trump’s direction in Executive Order 14172, ‘Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness,’ that the names be changed.”

TRUMP ANNOUNCES $20 BILLION IN NEW DATA CENTERS IN POST-CERTIFICATION ADDRESS

Google Maps has begun referring to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. (AP/Google Maps)

On Jan. 7, Trump announced that the Gulf of Mexico would be given a new name, and signed an executive order finalizing the decision weeks later.

“We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring. That covers a lot of territory,” Trump said on Tuesday. “The Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. And it’s appropriate.”

The decision was received well by social media users on Monday, who began noticing Google Maps implementing the changes.

“Google Maps FINALLY recognizes the Gulf of America!” one X user wrote. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

“I hate google, but tbh, mine says Gulf of America zoomed all the way out,” another said. “And boy is it glorious.”

TRUMP ANNOUNCES $20 BILLION IN NEW DATA CENTERS IN POST-CERTIFICATION ADDRESS

On his way to Super Bowl LIX, President Trump signed an order declaring Feb. 9 as “Gulf of America Day.” (Daniel Torok/Chief White House Photographer)

“Google Maps bows to Trump,” a different commentator wrote.

The changes also come after Trump signed a proclamation on Sunday that declared Feb. 9 as “Gulf of America Day.”

Trump was flying over the body of water on his way to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans when he signed the presidential order.

“Air Force One is currently in international waters, the first time in history flying over the recently renamed Gulf of America,” the White House wrote in an X post.

In the proclamation, Trump wrote that he took the action “in part because, as stated in that Order, ‘[t]he area formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico has long been an integral asset to our once burgeoning Nation and has remained an indelible part of America.’”

President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he walks to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland last week. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

Google previously confirmed that it intended on updating the gulf’s name in accordance with local authorities.

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“We’ve received a few questions about naming within Google Maps,” Google said in an X post. “We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources…everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too.”

Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Andrea Margolis is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Readers can send story tips to [email protected].

February 11, 2025
Trump DNI pick Tulsi Gabbard clears last hurdle, heads for final confirmation vote

President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard, cleared her last procedural hurdle on Monday evening, paving the way for a final confirmation vote later this week.

The motion passed by a vote of 52-46, along party lines.

At one time considered perhaps the most vulnerable of Trump’s picks, the former Democratic congresswoman got past another key vote, defeating the legislative filibuster’s threshold on nominations.

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

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

The Monday vote’s outcome was much more certain than that of her Senate Select Committee on Intelligence vote last week, which depended on a handful of senators who had potentially lingering concerns.

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

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

But Republicans signaled confidence in her confirmation in the full Senate, evidenced by their slating it while Vice President JD Vance is in Europe representing the U.S. at events and meetings, and is not around to break a tie in the upper chamber. Vance notably had to break a tie to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The vote teed up a final confirmation vote on Wednesday, as Democrats are expected to use all 30 hours of post-cloture time to debate, rather than reaching a time agreement with Republicans to expedite it.

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

Vice President JD Vance will attend an AI summit in Paris, a French official said. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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

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

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

Sen. Young came out in support of Gabbard hours before the committee vote. (Reuters)

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

Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.

Follow Julia’s reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to [email protected].

February 11, 2025
How Trump might get rid of the penny — and what could come next for your pocket change

President Donald Trump unveiled plans Sunday to halt production of the penny — but getting that initiative underway requires a few additional steps and possibly congressional approval.

Additionally, while Trump said he instructed the Treasury Department to stop minting them due to their high costs, supporters of the penny claim it’s wiser to evaluate changes to the nickel instead.

“For far too long, the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday. “This is so wasteful! I have instructed my Secretary of the US Treasury to stop producing new pennies.”

MUSK’S NEXT TARGET? TRUMP SAYS DOGE WILL LOOK AT DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, PENTAGON FUNDING

President Trump is requesting the Treasury Department to stop manufacturing pennies, due to high costs. (Olivia Oxley via AP)

In fact, producing pennies is even more expensive than Trump’s numbers. According to a 2024 U.S. Mint report, it costs nearly 3.69 cents to mint a single penny. The coins are primarily made of zinc and then covered in copper.

Trump’s statement comes after Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who is heading up the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), posted on X in January how expensive minting pennies is.

DOGE is tasked with identifying ways to eliminate waste, and has so prompted changes, including gutting the $40 billion U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which provides aid to impoverished countries and development assistance.

Still, proponents of the penny exist. Americans for Common Cents, an organization that provides Congress and the White House with research on the value of the penny, claimed that efforts are better targeted at reducing the cost of the production for the nickel.

Nickels, worth five cents, cost approximately 13.8 cents to mint, according to the 2024 U.S. Mint report.

“The logical and fiscally responsible solution is not to eliminate the penny but to focus on producing a cheaper nickel,” Americans for Common Cents Executive Director Mark Weller said in a Jan. 23 statement. “This approach would address the real driver of losses while preserving the functionality of small denominations in everyday transactions.”

While the waters are a little murky on the next steps, experts say Congress likely would need to become involved and pass legislation to fulfill Trump’s wishes. And, historically, previous attempts in Congress to eliminate the coin have failed.

USAID STAFFERS STUNNED, ANGERED BY TRUMP ADMIN’S DOGE SHUTDOWN OF $40B AGENCY

Nickels cost approximately 13.8 cents to mint, according to the 2024 U.S. Mint report. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

“The process of discontinuing the penny in the U.S. is a little unclear. It would likely require an act of Congress, but the Secretary of the Treasury might be able to simply stop the minting of new pennies,” Robert Triest, an economics professor at Northeastern University, told the Northeastern Global News.

Even so, there is bipartisan interest on Capitol Hill to modify minting pennies. In 2023, Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Maggie Hasson, D-N.H., reintroduced legislation to alter the composition of the penny to cut down on costs.

“It’s absolute non-cents that American taxpayers spend ten cents to make just one nickel. Only Washington could lose money making money,” Ernst said in a statement in April 2023. “This commonsense, bipartisan effort will modify the composition of certain coins to reduce costs while allowing for a seamless transition into circulation. A penny saved is a penny not borrowed.”

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Even so, a composition change will unlikely yield cheaper results. The 2024 Mint Report said that options for different metal compositions aren’t available to reduce production costs down to face value.

There’s still some precedent for change though, and Congress has acted previously to discontinue minting new coins. The legislative branch authorized discontinuing new half-cent coins in 1857.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.

February 11, 2025
Trump warns Hamas on hostage release deadline

President Donald Trump said if Hamas does not return all hostages by noon on Saturday, he will call for the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to be canceled and “let all hell break out.”

Trump made the comments after signing executive orders in the Oval Office Monday evening.

When asked if he felt the ceasefire deal should be canceled, the president said that is “Israel’s decision.”

“If all the Gaza hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 p.m., I would say cancel the ceasefire,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “Let all hell break out; Israel can override it.”

HAMAS SAYS IT’S DELAYING NEXT HOSTAGE RELEASE, CLAIMING CEASEFIRE VIOLATIONS

President Donald Trump said “let all hell break loose” if Hamas doesn’t release hostages by deadline. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump stressed that Hamas needs to release “all of them—not in drips and drabs.”

“Saturday at 12pm and after that, I would say, all hell is going to break loose,” Trump said.

A Hamas spokesperson said Monday that the terrorist group will delay the next planned release of hostages in the Gaza Strip after accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement.

PARENTS OF AMERICAN MURDERED BY HAMAS MAKE ‘PLEA’ TO TRUMP AFTER LATEST HOSTAGE RELEASE

“Over the past three weeks, the resistance leadership has monitored the enemy’s violations and failure to fulfill its obligations under the agreement; including the delay in allowing the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, targeting them with direct shelling and gunfire in various areas across Gaza, and denying relief supplies of all kinds to enter as agreed, while the resistance has implemented all its obligations,” Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas’ military wing, said.

“Therefore, the release of the Zionist prisoners next Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, will be postponed until further notice, and until the occupation commits to and provides compensation for the entitlements of the past weeks retroactively,” he said. “We reaffirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement, as long as the occupation remains committed to them.”

Israel and Hamas are in the midst of a six-week ceasefire, during which Hamas has committed to releasing 33 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023 attack in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

The sides have carried out five swaps since the ceasefire went into effect last month, freeing 21 hostages and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners. The next exchange, scheduled for next Saturday, calls for three more Israeli hostages to be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

“Hamas’ announcement to stop the release of Israeli hostages is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement and the hostage release deal,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday. “I have instructed the [Israeli Defense Forces] IDF to maintain the highest level of readiness for any possible scenario in Gaza and to fortify the defense of Israeli communities. We will not allow a return to the reality of Oct. 7.”

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Hamas released three gaunt, frail-looking Israeli hostages – civilians Eli Sharabi, 52; Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56 – on Saturday after forcing them to speak at a handover ceremony. Israel in turn freed 183 Palestinian prisoners that day.

On Sunday, Trump commented on the conditions of the released Israeli hostages, saying they “looked like Holocaust survivors” and “like they haven’t had a meal in a month.”

“I don’t know how much longer we can take that,” Trump said, referring to the treatment of the hostages, adding, “You know, at some point, we’re gonna lose our patience.”

Fox News’ Danielle Wallace, Yonat Friling and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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

February 10, 2025
Eagles captain Lane Johnson says it will be ‘team decision’ to go to White House if Trump extends invite

With the Philadelphia Eagles winning Super Bowl LIX over the Kansas City Chiefs, the celebration has begun.

Whether it will be at the White House – President Donald Trump has yet to announce a formal invitation – will be a “team decision,” says veteran offensive lineman Lane Johnson.

“I’d be honored to go, regardless of who the president is, but we’ll see,” Johnson said via Sportico’s Eric Jackson. “It’s ultimately a team decision. I’ll do what’s best for the team.”

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Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson during a press conference in advance of Super Bowl LIX (Stephen Lew-Imagn Images)

Johnson is a team captain with the Eagles, having spent all 12 of his NFL seasons with the franchise.

He was there in 2018 when controversy came back after their Super Bowl victory over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

Trump was in office when he rescinded his invitation to the Eagles to celebrate their Super Bowl LII victory, as some players said they would not visit the White House due to Trump’s criticism of those who kneeled or raised their fists during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality.

EAGLES’ JALEN HURTS CELEBRATES SUPER BOWL LIX VICOTYR, MVP AT DISNEY’S MAGIC KINGDOM

Trump released a statement at the time regarding his invitation cancellation, saying “the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better.”

“They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country,” Trump’s statement read seven years ago.

Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson (65) shakes hands with quarterback Jalen Hurts during the second half of Super Bowl LIX. (Geoff Burke-Imagn Images)

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie was asked before Super Bowl LIX if he would head to the White House if his team won.

“I just want to win Sunday,” he responded, via Front Office Sports.

Josh Sweat, an Eagle with a crucial performance on Sunday with 2.5 sacks on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, added, “It’s a great honor, but I’m looking forward to this parade more than anything.”

Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson speaks with the media during a press conference at Hilton New Orleans Riverside. (Bill Streicher-Imagn Images)

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The Eagles will have their championship parade in Philadelphia on Friday.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

February 10, 2025
Trump administration appeals federal judge’s order to unfreeze federal funds

The Trump administration is appealing a federal judge’s order to unfreeze federal funding in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

The motion comes hours after a federal judge from Rhode Island ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to unfreeze federal funds once again, claiming the administration did not adhere to his previous order to do so.

U.S. District Judge John McConnell filed a new motion Monday ordering the Trump administration to comply with a restraining order issued Jan. 31, temporarily blocking the administration’s efforts to pause federal grants and loans.

McConnell’s original restraining order came after 22 states and the District of Columbia challenged the Trump administration’s actions to hold up funds for grants such as the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant and other Environmental Protection Agency programs. But the states said Friday that the administration isn’t following through and funds are still tied up.

The Office of Management and Budget released a memo Jan. 27 announcing plans to issue a temporary pause on federal grants and loans. While the White House later rescinded the memo on Jan. 29, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the move didn’t equate a “recission of the federal funding freeze.”

Specifically, McConnell’s motion calls for the Trump administration to restore withheld funds appropriated in the Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act that passed during the Biden administration in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The motion also calls on the Trump administration to restore funding for institutes like the National Institutes of Health.

‘CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS’: THE IMPOUNDMENT ACT TAKES CENTER STAGE AFTER RUSSEL VOUGHT’S CONFIRMATION

The Trump administration unveiled an Office of Management and Budget memo on Jan. 27 ordering a pause on federal funds and grants. (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)

The motion filed Monday asserts that states have provided evidence that there are still instances where the federal government has “improperly” frozen funds and failed to distribute appropriated federal funds.

While the motion says the Trump administration claims these actions were done to “root out” fraud, McConnell said that the “freezes in effect now were a result of the broad categorical order, not a specific finding of possible fraud.”

“The broad categorical and sweeping freeze of federal funds is, as the Court found, likely unconstitutional and has caused and continues to cause irreparable harm to a vast portion of this country,” the judge wrote on Monday.

LEAVITT PUSHES BACK ON MEDIA’S ‘UNCERTAINTY’ ABOUT FEDERAL FUNDING FREEZE

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)

McConnell said in his original order that evidence suggested the White House’s rescission of the OMB memo may have been done in “name-only” in order to “defeat the jurisdiction of the court.”

As a result, McConnell said Monday that the Trump administration must “immediately restore frozen funding” until the court hears and decides the preliminary injunction request.

“Each executive order will hold up in court because every action of the Trump-Vance administration is completely lawful,” Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement to Fox News. “Any legal challenge against it is nothing more than an attempt to undermine the will of the American people.

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Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha praised McConnell’s ruling and said the order “confirmed what we have been saying from the beginning.”

“It is now time for the Administration to come into full compliance,” Neronha said in a statement Monday. “This is a country of laws. We expect the Administration to follow the law. Our Office and attorneys general across the country stand ready to keep careful watch on the actions of this Administration that follow, and we will not hesitate to go back to Court if they don’t comply.”

Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.

Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.

February 10, 2025
Trump budget bill standoff prompts GOP rebels to mutiny House leaders

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The hard-line conservative House Freedom Caucus has released its own proposal to enact President Donald Trump’s agenda via the budget reconciliation process.

The plan would pair a debt ceiling increase and increased border security funding with deep spending cuts through welfare work requirements and rollbacks on progressive Biden administration initiatives.

It’s a sign that House GOP leaders have still not found consensus within the conference on a path forward, despite ambitious plans to get a bill through the chamber at the end of the month.

House and Senate Republicans are aiming to use their congressional majorities to pass a massive conservative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process.

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

The House Freedom Caucus during the 118th Congress (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)

By reducing the Senate’s threshold for passage from one-third to a simple majority, where the House already operates, Republicans will be able to enact Trump’s plans while entirely skirting Democratic opposition, provided the items included relate to budgetary and other fiscal matters.

GOP lawmakers want to include a wide swath of Trump priorities from more funding for border security to eliminating taxes on tipped and overtime wages.

But fiscal hawks have also demanded the package be deficit-neutral or deficit-reducing. Congressional leaders can afford little dissent with their razor-thin majorities and guaranteed lack of Democratic support.

The Freedom Caucus’s plan would follow through on conservatives’ pleas for deep spending cuts, pairing $200 billion in annual new spending for the border and national defense with $486 billion in spending cuts for the same 10-year period.

It would also include a $4 trillion increase in the debt ceiling, something Trump demanded be part of Republicans’ fiscal negotiations.

Spending cuts would be found in codifying rollbacks to the Biden administration’s electric vehicle mandates and imposing Clinton administration-era work requirements for certain federal benefits, among other measures.

Republicans are working to pass President Trump’s agenda via reconciliation. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

The legislation leaves out one critical component of Trump’s reconciliation goals – the extension of his 2017-era Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

House GOP leaders and Republicans on the Ways & Means Committee had pushed for them to be included alongside border security, debt ceiling, defense and energy measures in one massive reconciliation bill.

They argued that leaving them for a second bill, which the House Freedom Caucus plan would do, will allow Trump’s tax cuts to expire at the end of this year before Congress has time to act.

The two-track approach is also favored by Senate Republicans, who are moving forward with their own plan this week.

Conservatives on the House Budget Committee pushed back against GOP leaders’ initial proposals for baseline spending cuts to offset new spending in the reconciliation plan, forcing the House to punt on plans to advance a resolution through the House Budget Committee last week.

Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., later announced plans to advance his own proposal through his committee by Thursday.

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

“”The biggest loser this weekend wasn’t at the Super Bowl, but rather the American people,” Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital. “The clock is ticking, and we are no closer to a budget deal, which is why the House Freedom Caucus released our Emergency Border Control Resolution Budget to secure our border and address Trump’s America First Agenda.”

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House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., said in a statement, “Given the current delay in the House on moving a comprehensive reconciliation bill, moving a smaller targeted bill now makes the most sense to deliver a win for the President and the American people.”

Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, said, “The American people voted for Donald Trump to see action – not for Congress to sit on its hands while our short window to pass his America-First agenda closes.”

Supporters of the two-bill approach have said it would secure early wins on issues Republicans agree most on while leaving more complex matters like tax cuts for the latter half of the year.

February 10, 2025
Trump says he ordered firing of military academies’ Board of Visitors

President Donald Trump says he is dismissing members of the Board of Visitors for each of the U.S. military service academies on Monday.

Trump made the announcement on social media, saying the dismissals would impact the Boards of Visitors for the U.S. Army Academy, or West Point, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy and the Coast Guard Academy. Each academy’s Board of Visitors is tasked with influencing and maintaining the curriculum and culture at the schools.

The boards consist of appointees from various sources, with six members being chosen by the president, four from the speaker of the House, three from the vice president, and one each from the House and Senate Armed Services committees.

The White House did not immediately clarify whether Trump’s Monday order dismisses all members of the boards or only those who are presidential appointees.

HOUSE DEMOCRAT DITCHES DOGE CAUCUS, SAYS MUSK IS ‘BLOWING THINGS UP’

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. (Getty Images / Fox News Digital)

“Our Service Academies have been infiltrated by Woke Leftist Ideologues over the last four years. I have ordered the immediate dismissal of the Board of Visitors for the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard. We will have the strongest Military in History, and that begins by appointing new individuals to these Boards. We must make the Military Academies GREAT AGAIN!” Trump wrote Monday.

TRUMP DOD CREATES TASK FORCE TO ABOLISH DEI OFFICES THAT ‘PROMOTE SYSTEMIC RACISM’

Each of the academies declined to comment and deferred to the White House when contacted by Fox News Digital.

The move is the latest effort by Trump’s administration to combat “woke” influences across the federal government. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has vowed to dismantle DEI within the Pentagon and across America’s armed forces.

Trump’s administration has vowed to dismantle DEI initiatives in the Defense Department. (DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)

Hegseth said this weekend that he is also welcoming Elon Musk’s DOGE into the agency to streamline processes and “cut tail to put it to tooth,” he said Sunday on the Fox News Channel.

“We know in a world where America’s $37 trillion in debt, resources will not be unlimited, so every dollar we can find that isn’t being spent wisely is one we can put toward a warfighter, so we welcome DOGE at DOD,” he told “Sunday Morning Futures” anchor Maria Bartiromo.

“We will partner with them, and it’s long overdue. The Defense Department’s got a huge budget, but it needs to be responsible.”

Billionaire Elon Musk is leading the charge to gut spending across the federal government. ( Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

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The former “Fox & Friends Weekend” host took the helm at the DOD last month after a deadlocked Senate confirmation vote ended with Vice President JD Vance’s tiebreaker.

Since then, he has overseen overhauls of Biden-era policies, including DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives within the agency.

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

February 10, 2025
Trump to pardon former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Fox News confirms

President Donald Trump is expected to pardon former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Fox News has learned.

Blagojevich, a former “Celebrity Apprentice” contestant, served eight years in prison on charges stemming from his effort to sell Barack Obama’s Senate seat after Obama won the 2008 presidential election.

Former Illinois governor and convicted felon Rod Blagojevich speaks to the press outside the Dirksen Federal Courthouse on Aug. 2, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Trump commuted his 14-year sentence in 2020.

Fox News’ Pat Ward contributed to this report. This is a developing news story. Check back for updates.

Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on X: @danimwallace.

February 10, 2025