Happy New Year 2025

Tag: Trump

Senate Democrats speak all night against Trump OMB nominee, delaying confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate stayed in session all night as Democrats delayed a vote on confirming Russell Vought to serve as Office of Management and Budget Director, a position he previously held during part of President Donald Trump’s first term in office.

In a 53-47 party-line vote on Wednesday, all 53 Republicans invoked cloture on the nomination, while all 45 Democrats, and the two independent senators who caucus with the Democrats, voted against the move.

While Democrats cannot stop the vote from eventually taking place, they are using all of the 30 hours available before the inevitable vote on Trump’s nominee.

SENATE TEES UP TRUMP BUDGET CHIEF PICK RUSSELL VOUGHT FOR FINAL CONFIRMATION VOTE

President Donald Trump’s nominee for Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought is sworn in during the Senate Banking Committee nomination hearing in the Dirksen Senate Building on Jan. 22, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

“I just came off the floor after speaking for an hour,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., noted in a tweet on Wednesday. “I refuse to let Republicans confirm Russ Vought the easy way, so we’re holding the floor through the night for 30 straight hours. Vought has shown he’ll ignore the law & constitution. I’ll be voting NO tomorrow.”

GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma has been pointing out that Senate Republicans will vote to confirm Vought on Thursday evening.

“Once again, OMB nominee Russell Vought will be confirmed at 7pm ET tomorrow. @SenateGOP has the votes. Enjoy your speeches,” he tweeted on Wednesday in response to a post in which Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., spoke about the Democrats’ plan.

‘ULTRA-RIGHT’: TRUMP BUDGET CHIEF PICK RUSSELL VOUGHT FACES FIRE FROM DEM SENATORS

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., with Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., speaks during the We Choose To Fight: Nobody Elected Elon rally at the U.S. Department Of The Treasury on Feb. 4, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for MoveOn))

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called Vought a “horrible, dangerous man,” during remarks at a rally on Tuesday.

Trump announced Vought as his pick for OMB last year.

“He did an excellent job serving in this role in my First Term – We cut four Regulations for every new Regulation, and it was a Great Success!” he noted in a post on Truth social at the time.

GOP-LED SENATE CONFIRMING PRESIDENT’S NOMINEES AT FASTER PACE THAN BIDEN ADMIN, FIRST TRUMP TERM

President Donald Trump listens while acting OMB Director Russell Vought speaks during an executive order signing regarding federal regulations in the Roosevelt Room of the White House Oct. 9, 2019, in Washington, D.C. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP)

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“Russ has spent many years working in Public Policy in Washington, D.C., and is an aggressive cost cutter and deregulator who will help us implement our America First Agenda across all Agencies. Russ knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State and end Weaponized Government, and he will help us return Self Governance to the People,” Trump declared.

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

February 6, 2025
Rubio assume another Trump admin role, acting director of US Archives: report

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was tapped as the acting director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) just days ago, is taking on another new role in President Donald Trump’s new administration.

Rubio is now also serving as the acting director of the U.S. Archives, ABC News reported, citing a high-level official. Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for comment, but they did not immediately respond.

Trump signaled last month his intention of replacing the now-former national archivist Colleen Shogan, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, during a brief phone interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt. The National Archives notified the Justice Department in early 2022 over classified documents Trump allegedly took with him to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after leaving office. That would later result in an FBI raid and Trump being indicted by former Special Counsel Jack Smith.

The source told ABC News that Rubio has been the acting archivist since shortly after Trump was sworn in as the 47th president last month.

USAID HAS ‘DEMONSTRATED PATTERN OF OBSTRUCTIONISM,’ CLAIMS TOP DOGE REPUBLICAN IN LETTER TO RUBIO

Rubio speaks after a tour of a migrant return center and a demonstration of a dog trained to sniff out narcotics at La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City, on Feb. 5, 2025. (MARK SCHIEFELBEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

This week, Rubio is traveling on his first official State Department trip to Central America, during which he convinced the Panamanian president to end its Belt and Roads project deal with the Chinese government. Trump has said the United States could claim the Panama Canal through economic or military measures if necessary after raising concerns about Beijing allegedly controlling the strategic waterway that was constructed by the U.S.

The Trump administration has suspended some foreign aid pending a review into how U.S. taxpayer dollars are being spent abroad, resulting in thousands of layoffs and ended programs.

Addressing reporters in Guatemala City on Wednesday, Rubio said he issued waivers for certain programs that assist in gathering biometric information to better identify fugitives, as well as bolster technology and K-9 units to identify shipments of deadly fentanyl and precursor chemicals, showing “firsthand the kind of foreign aid America wants to be involved in.”

“This is an example of foreign aid that’s in our national interest. That’s why I’ve issued a waiver for these programs, that’s why these programs are coming back online, and they will be functioning, because it’s a way of showing to the American people this is the kind of foreign aid that’s aligned with our foreign policy, with our national interest,” Rubio said.

Rubio is welcomed by Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martinez at La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City on Feb. 4, 2025. (JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

‘VIPER’S NEST’: USAID ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION, MISMANAGEMENT LONG BEFORE TRUMP ADMIN TOOK AIM

America’s top diplomat said the United States wants some fugitives who are “strategic objectives, meaning they help us strengthen our partners, and they help us to cut the head off the snake of a transnational group that’s particularly dangerous.” He said the State Department would be “working very closely” with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department in “prioritizing our extradition requests so that they align with our strategic objective with regards to who it is that we’re going after.”

The State Department announced on Wednesday that “the government of Panama has agreed to no longer charge fees for U.S. government vessels to transit the Panama Canal,” saving the U.S. government “millions of dollars a year.”

However, the Panama Canal Authority denied having made any adjustments to the tolls or transit agreements of the canal despite the State Department’s announcement, adding that they are “ready to establish a dialogue with the relevant officials of the United States regarding the transit of warships.” Earlier this week, Rubio voiced frustration about U.S. Navy ships having to pay to transit through the canal despite the U.S. being under treaty agreement to defend the canal if it’s attacked.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Guatemala’s President Bernardo Arevalo at the Culture Palace in Guatemala City on Feb. 5, 2025. (JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

“Secretary of State Marco Rubio is such a breath of fresh air & he’s proven to be incredibly effective in implementing President Trump’s PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH vision for the world,” Rep. Carlos Giménez, a Republican ally of Rubio in Congress representing south Florida, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Panama has agreed to drop its ‘memorandum of understanding’ with Communist China & to waive the toll for U.S. Navy ships transiting the Canal Zone. Panama must continue to work with the United States to evict Communist China from their country & achieve a productive, long-term deal that prioritizes both of our countries’ shared interests.”

Besides the canal, Rubio has focused his trip on immigration, praising the Panamanians for the decreased flow of migrants through the Darien Gap and overseeing a deportation flight of Colombian nationals back to Colombia.

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Rubio secured two agreements with first, El Salvador, and then Guatemala on Wednesday, for the countries to accept deportees from the U.S.

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 6, 2025
Arab Americans for Trump group changes name after president’s Gaza takeover proposal

A pro-Trump group is changing its name after President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. “take over” Gaza. The group formerly known as Arab Americans for Trump, is now going by the name Arab Americans for Peace.

“We believe that his ideas, as well-intentioned as they might be, rubbed a lot of people the wrong way,” Bishara Bahbah, the founder of the organization formerly known as Arab Americans for Trump, told Reuters. “We’re opposed to any transfer of Palestinians, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, out of their homeland.”

On Tuesday, during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump introduced the idea of the U.S. taking control of the Gaza Strip.

TRUMP SAYS US WILL ‘TAKE OVER’ GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABLIZE MIDDLE EAST

Then-Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, center, listens to Albert Abbas, owner of The Great Commoner, left, as Massad Boulos looks on during a visit to a cafe on Nov. 1, 2024, in Dearborn, Michigan. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,” Trump said during Tuesday evening’s joint press conference. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site.”

The president emphasized the need to “do something different” in Gaza, where Hamas and Israel have fought for nearly 16 months.

“If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years,” Trump warned during the press conference.

Trump’s plan to build “an economic development” in the war-torn Gaza Strip has been met with mixed reactions. The group now known as Arab Americans for Peace is far from alone in its rejection of the idea. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., slammed Trump’s proposal, saying that it did not put “America first.”

Hamas, whose Oct. 7 massacre kicked off the latest war with Israel, called Trump’s proposal a “recipe for creating chaos.” The terror group that has controlled Gaza since 2006, one year after Israel gave up the strip of land and expelled its citizens from the area.

“What President Trump stated about his intention to displace the residents of the Gaza Strip outside it and the United States’ control over the Strip by force is a crime against humanity,” a senior Hamas official also told Fox News on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump (left) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right). (Getty Images/Fox News Digital)

‘PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH’: TRUMP AND NETANYAHU EXPECTED TO DISCUSS IRAN, HAMAS AT WHITE HOUSE MEETING

Prime Minister Netanyahu praised Trump’s idea during an appearance on “Hannity” on Wednesday.

“I think it will create a different future for everyone,” Prime Minister Netanyahu told “Hannity.”

“The actual idea of allowing for Gazans who want to leave, to leave. I mean, what’s wrong with that?” Netanyahu asked. “They can leave. They can then come back. They can relocate and come back, but you have to rebuild Gaza. If you want to rebuild Gaza, you can’t have — this is the first good idea that I’ve heard.”

After nearly 16 months of war, Hamas and Israel are engaging in a ceasefire deal, which has already seen the release of several hostages, including an American citizen. In the first phase of the deal, 33 hostages are set to be released. Details of the second phase have not been made public.

Aerial view of protesters taking part in the March on the DNC in Chicago, Illinois, on Aug. 19, 2024. (Fox News Digital)

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Israel’s war against Hamas became a divisive issue within Democratic circles ahead of the 2024 election. The “uncommitted” movement in Michigan encouraged protest votes against former President Joe Biden when he was running for a second term.

After Biden ended his reelection bid and former Vice President Kamala Harris took his place, the group Abandon Harris – which started as Abandon Biden – endorsed Jill Stein and urged Americans to vote against pro-Israel candidates. There were also several anti-Israel protests during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

The organization then-known as Arab Americans for Trump played a large role in Trump’s campaign outreach to the Arab American community in 2024. Many believe the group played an instrumental role in Trump’s ability to break Republicans’ losing streak in Dearborn, Michigan, which has a large Arab-American population.

Trey Yingst contributed to this report.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

February 6, 2025
Newsom praises ‘very productive’ Trump meeting as he seeks more federal wildfire money

California Gov. Gavin Newsom hailed President Donald Trump following a “very productive” meeting at the White House on Wednesday.

Newsom traveled to Washington to push for increased federal funding for recovery efforts after wildfires devastated tens of thousands of acres in the Los Angeles area. The governor held two meetings on Capitol Hill before traveling to the White House and petitioning Trump for “unconditional disaster aid,” his office said.

“As we approach one month since the devastating wildfires across Southern California, we continue to cut red tape to speed up recovery and clean up efforts as well as ensure rebuilding efforts are swift,” Newsom said in a statement. “We’re working across the aisle, as we always have, to ensure survivors have the resources and support they need.”

“Thank you President Trump for coming to our communities to see this first hand, and meeting with me today to continue our joint efforts to support people impacted,” he added.

TRUMP MEETS WITH CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS, FIRE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS TO SEE LA WILDFIRE DAMAGE FIRST HAND

California Gov. Gavin Newsom met President Donald Trump on Wednesday. (AP/Getty Images)

“The Governor expressed his appreciation for the Trump Administration’s early collaboration and specifically thanked EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin for his agency’s swift action, including over 1,000 personnel on the ground focused on debris removal,” Newsom’s office added in a statement.

NEWSOM CALLS TRUMP’S CLAIMS ‘PURE FICTION’ AFTER HE POINTED FINGER OVER CALIFORNIA FIRE TRAGEDY

Trump met with Newsom as he arrived in Los Angeles late last month — just four days after his inauguration as president — to survey the fire damage. Newsom approved some $2.5 billion in recovery work, which he hopes will be reimbursed by the federal government.

A house burns as the Palisades Fire rages on at the Mandeville Canyon in Los Angeles, California, on Jan. 11, 2025. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton )

After the outbreak of the fires early last month, Trump repeatedly criticized Newsom’s handling of the immense crisis. He has accused the governor of mismanaging forestry and water policy and, pointing to intense backlash over a perceived lack of preparation, called on Newsom to step down.

“Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!” Trump charged in a social media post on Jan. 8, as he repeated a derogatory name he often labels the governor.

Trump also placed blame for the deadly wildfires on Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, another Democrat, and the policies approved by state lawmakers in heavily blue California. In an executive order issued last month, he described management of the state’s land and water resources as “disastrous.”

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump meet residents as they tour a fire-affected area in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on Jan. 24, 2025. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump had threatened to withhold wildfire aid until certain stipulations were met in California, including changes to water policy and requiring an ID to vote, but now appears willing to work with Newsom.

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The president declared that “we’re looking to get something completed. And the way you get it completed is to work together.”

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 6, 2025
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent calls for Trump tax cuts to be made permanent

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent addresses President Donald Trumps economic and fiscal goals during his first interview on Kudlow since joining the administration.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday signaled that the White House wants Trump’s tax cut package from 2017 to be extended permanently before their expiration this year, rather than a temporary extension.

Bessent appeared on FOX Business Network’s “Kudlow” for an exclusive interview with host Larry Kudlow and addressed reports that Republicans in Congress are considering opting for a five or 10-year extension of the tax cuts to help comply with reconciliation rules, rather than making them permanent.

“President Trump has a mandate. He came in to do big things. And one of the big things that this administration wants to do is make the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent – and that permanency will continue to make the U.S. the number one economy in the world,” Bessent said.

“We’re going to bring down inflation, we’re going to cut regulations, and we’re going to get the tax cut. The goal is still for them to be made permanent,” he added.

TRUMP OUTLINES TAX CUT PLANS, TELLS WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM ‘MAKE YOUR PRODUCT IN AMERICA’

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, left, is calling for Congress to make President Donald Trump’s tax cuts permanent. (Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Secretary Bessent went on to say that the Trump administration plans to use “current policy scoring” for the bill to help it move through Congress.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is responsible for scoring tax and spending legislation for its budget impact over time. CBO is currently required to use a current law baseline, which assumes that laws set to expire at a certain point in time do so at that time, when analyzing legislation or making budget projections. A current policy baseline would assume that certain laws are extended even if the law says they are due to expire.

“Up until a year ago, I was a civilian, I’ve been looking at CBO numbers for 35 years in my day job in the investment business, but I never understood the way this scoring worked. And it is tilted toward spending, and that’s why the spending has gotten out of control here in Washington,” he said.

PRESIDENT TRUMP FACES KEY FISCAL DEADLINES AS SECOND TERM BEGINS

Bessent said that Republicans need to come together on the tax bill to avoid the largest tax cut in U.S. history. (DOMINIC GWINN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Congressional rules for budget reconciliation allow bills to bypass the Senate’s 60-vote threshold to overcome the legislative filibuster – but the bill can’t contain non-budget related provisions and can’t increase budget deficits beyond a set amount in a 10-year budget window.

To comply with those rules, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act contained some provisions that were permanent, such as the lower corporate tax rate, while other provisions were made temporary with several key policies set to elapse at the end of this year.

SCOTT BESSENT CONFIRMED BY SENATE TO SERVE AS TRUMP’S TREASURY SECRETARY

President Donald Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law in 2017. Some of its key provisions are set to expire at the end of 2025. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Notable provisions that are due to expire at the end of 2025 include those that lowered personal income tax rates, nearly doubled the standard deduction that most taxpayers claim when filing and expanded the child tax credit, among other items.

Bessent said that failing to extend the tax cuts would result in the largest tax hike in history, which would have a negative impact on the U.S. economy and Americans while also hurting the budget deficit through reduced growth.

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“What’s going to blow not only a hole in the budget deficit, in the economy and in the lifestyles of working class Americans [is] if we do not get this tax bill done,” Bessent explained. “As I said in my Senate hearings, this is pass-fail for our side of the aisle, and we will have the largest tax hike in history – the largest tax hike in history – and that will be on the people on our side who do not try to move this forward.”

February 6, 2025
Zelenskyy wants nukes or NATO; Trump special envoy says ‘slim and none’ chance

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week said that if the U.S. cannot guarantee a quick path toward NATO membership, then there are alternative security options Kyiv would accept: nuclear weapons.

But don’t think the United States is eager to agree to those terms.

“The chance of them getting their nuclear weapons back is somewhere between slim and none,” retired Lt. General Keith Kellogg, special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, told Fox News Digital. “Let’s be honest about it, we both know that’s not going to happen.”

In 1994, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine agreed to give Russia its nuclear arms in exchange for reassurances from Russia, the U.S. and the U.K. that its sovereignty and independence would be respected – a treaty Moscow has violated with its repeated invasions – and in an interview on Tuesday, Zelenskyy argued that Ukraine should be given its arms “back” if a timely NATO membership is off the table.

TRUMP UNIQUELY PLACED TO ‘WHISPER’ IN ERDOGAN’S EAR OVER TURKISH REGIONAL AMBITIONS: GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, says Kyiv should be given NATO membership or nukes to defend against Russia. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

But Kellogg, the man tasked by President Donald Trump to help bring an end to the three-year war, said rearming Ukraine with nuclear weapons is a non-starter.

“Remember, the president said we’re a government of common sense,” he said. “When somebody says something like that, look at the outcome or the potential. That’s using your common sense.”

Zelenskyy on Tuesday confirmed his willingness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face if that is the best option for bringing an end to the war, though the Kremlin chief has not agreed to any in-person meeting with the Ukrainian leader.

Trump on Sunday said that initial talks had begun with both Ukraine and Russia, and Kellogg this week confirmed that Kyiv and Moscow will need to make concessions if there is going to be a peace deal.

TRUMP’S ‘RARE’ PRICE FOR US MILITARY AID TO UKRAINE CALLED ‘FAIR’ BY ZELENSKYY

The administration has been tight-lipped on what sort of compromises will need to be made, particularly when it comes to the biggest hot-button issue for both Zelenskyy and Putin: Ukrainian NATO membership.

Kellogg wouldn’t comment on where Trump lands when it comes to backing either Ukraine with a membership in the security alliance or Russia in denying its southern neighbor access to the top coalition.

Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg (Drew Angerer/Getty Images/File)

“That’s one of the reasons I’m going next week to Europe, to actually see them face-to-face,” he said. “I can bring that back to the president and say, ‘OK, Mr. President, this is their concern. This is what the issues are.’”

Kellogg is set to travel to the Munich Security Conference, which runs Feb. 14-16, where he said he will meet with world leaders to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine and get a better idea of where nations like the U.K., Germany and Denmark, along with other top providers of military aid to Ukraine, stand on negotiations to end the war.

ZELENSKYY WARNS PEACE TALKS WITHOUT UKRAINE ‘DANGEROUS’ AFTER TRUMP CLAIMS MEETINGS WITH RUSSIA ‘GOING WELL’

“As you develop the plans to end this carnage, you have to make sure that you’ve got the feel of everybody in play,” Kellogg said. “Once we get to have these face-to-face discussions, then you can really kind of work … on concessions.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte last month urged member nations to increase their support for Ukraine, an issue he said is vastly important when it comes to bolstering NATO deterrence in the face of the Russia, China, North Korea, Iran bloc.

Then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Trump Tower in New York on Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

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“If we get a bad deal, it would only mean that we will see the president of Russia high-fiving with the leaders of North Korea, Iran and China, and we cannot accept that,” Rutte said. “That will be geopolitically a big, a big mistake.”

Rutte has urged NATO nations to ramp up defense spending and warned that if Russia comes out on top in this war, it will cost NATO allies “trillions” not “billions.”

Kellogg will also press NATO allies to increase defense spending and, as directed by Trump, to start shouldering the burden of the war in Ukraine.

February 6, 2025
Patrick Mahomes responds to possibility Trump will attend Super Bowl LIX

Donald Trump is expected to become the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl Sunday to watch Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs attempt to become the first team in NFL history to win a third straight Super Bowl.

Mahomes gave his thoughts on Trump attending the game to reporters Wednesday.

“It’s always cool to be able to play in front of a sitting president,” Mahomes said. “Someone that is at the top position in our country.”

SIGN UP FOR TUBI AND STREAM SUPER BOWL LIX FOR FREE

Earlier Wednesday, when Trump was asked who he expected to win the Super Bowl, the president didn’t give a definitive answer but alluded to Mahomes’ success.

“I don’t want to say, but there’s a certain quarterback that seems to be a pretty good winner,” Trump said when asked which team he’s rooting for.

President Donald Trump, accompanied by Ivanka Trump, speaks before signing the National Security Presidential Memorandum to launch the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity initiative. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

While Trump didn’t identify Mahomes by name, he has expressed fondness and respect for the quarterback and his wife Brittany in recent months. The other quarterback playing in the game, Eagles star Jalen Hurts, has yet to win a Super Bowl.

Mahomes recognized Trump was probably talking about him and gave his thoughts about the cryptic praise from the president.

“It’s cool to hear that he’s seen me play football and respects the game that I play,” Mahomes told reporters Wednesday.

HOW TO WATCH SUPER BOWL LIX BETWEEN CHIEFS, EAGLES STREAMED ON TUBI

Mahomes’ mother, Randi Mahomes, endorsed Trump just days before the Nov. 5 election in a video to OutKick.

Other Chiefs figures have also acknowledged the historical impact Trump’s presence will bring to the game.

Gracie Hunt, the daughter of Chiefs team owner Clark Hunt, spoke to Riley Gaines on OutKick’s “Gaines for Girls” podcast and reacted to Trump’s remarks.

“It’s pretty cool. It’s pretty awesome,” she told Gaines. “Sometimes, I just look at whoever I’m talking to, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, that just wasn’t on my 2025 bingo card.’ But, wow, that’s just absolutely incredible.”

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce called it an “honor.”

CHIEFS DYNASTY TIMELINES: HOW LOVABLE LOSERS BECAME AN EVIL EMPIRE

“I think, you know, no matter who the president is, I know I’m excited because it’s the biggest game of my life, you know. And having the president there, you know, it’s the best country in the world. So, that’d be pretty cool,” Kelce said.

The tight end said this despite dating Taylor Swift, a longtime Democrat who supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

Mahomes declined to endorse a candidate in the recent election when reporters pressed him about it Sept. 11, but he did encourage people to vote in the best interest of their families.

“I don’t want my place and my platform to be used to endorse a candidate or do whatever, either way,” Patrick said at the time. “I think my place is to inform people to get registered to vote. It’s to inform people to do their own research and then make the best decision for them and their family.”

Super Bowl LIX will be streamed on Tubi. (Tubi)

Brittany incited controversy and support in August when it was revealed she liked an Instagram post by Trump that laid out his 2024 policy agenda. She addressed the backlash multiple times and appeared to double down on her support for Trump with additional social media likes. Trump even thanked her for the support in a post on Truth Social.

After Swift endorsed Harris Sept. 10, Trump said in an interview on “Fox & Friends” the next morning he liked Brittany “much better” than Swift.

Patrick Mahomes commended his wife’s influence Sept. 11 when asked about Trump’s comments about her.

“I think you see Brittany does a lot in the community,” Mahomes told reporters. “At the end of the day, it’s about me and my family and how we treat other people.”

After the Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship game Jan. 26, Trump sent a congratulatory post to the team on Truth Social.

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After the Eagles won their only Super Bowl in February 2018, they skipped out on visiting Trump at the White House.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

February 6, 2025
Senate GOP effort to move on Trump budget before House gets leader Thune backing

FIRST ON FOX: Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., came out in support of a GOP effort in the upper chamber to get moving on legislation to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda.

It would be a significant departure from current plans for the House to pass a bill first, amid infighting by House Republicans over spending levels.

“I appreciate Chairman Graham’s leadership in crafting a budget resolution that will unlock the ability to pass a reconciliation bill to secure the border, rebuild our military, and deliver a much-needed down payment on energy security,” Thune told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement.

“I am supportive of Chairman Graham’s efforts to advance the president’s priorities in the Senate, and I look forward to continuing our conversations with our House colleagues,” he said.

SENATORS LEAPFROG HOUSE REPUBLICANS ON ANTICIPATED TRUMP BUDGET BILL

Thune said he supports Graham’s effort to move on the President’s agenda in the Senate. (Getty Images)

Earlier on Wednesday, ahead of a lunch with key Republicans, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., unveiled his plan to advance the bill through a key procedural hurdle next week. The House planned to move a bill this week, but leaders were forced to punt after conservatives balked at what they saw as a low threshold for spending cuts to offset the cost of new funding to implement Republican border and defense policies.

Now, with Thune’s blessing, Graham’s plan is primed to quickly maneuver through the Senate, getting a significant advantage over any competing House GOP efforts.

Republicans in Washington, D.C., are preparing to use the budget reconciliation process to achieve a wide range of Trump proposals from border security to eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay.

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

FORMER GOP LEADER MCCONNELL FALLS WHILE EXITING SENATE CHAMBER AFTER TURNER CONFIRMATION VOTE

U.S. Capitol Building (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

At the same time, with razor-thin margins in the House and Senate, the party can afford very few defectors.

The first step in the crucial budget reconciliation process is marking up and advancing a bill through the Senate and House budget committees.

The budget that is headed to the Senate’s committee would be part of a two-pronged approach, with the first bill including Trump’s priorities for border security, fossil fuel energy and national defense.

This plan would see a second bill focusing on extending Trump’s tax policies from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) later in the year.

In a statement, Graham confirmed his plan to move forward on the two-bill plan. His office advised that next week there would indeed be a committee vote on a Fiscal Year 2025 budget resolution, which “will be the blueprint that unlocks the pathway forward for a fully paid for reconciliation bill to secure the border, bolster our military and increase American energy independence.”

SENATE TEES UP TRUMP BUDGET CHIEF PICK RUSSELL VOUGHT FOR FINAL CONFIRMATION VOTE

Graham chairs the Budget committee. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

“To those who believe that Republicans should fulfill their promises on border security, mass deportation of criminal illegal aliens: I agree,” Graham said.

“That is why the Senate Budget Committee will be moving forward next week to give the Trump Administration’s Border Czar, Tom Homan, the money he needs to finish the wall, hire ICE agents to deport criminal illegal immigrants, and create more detention beds so that we do not release more dangerous people into the country. This will be the most transformational border security bill in the history of our country. It’s time to act,” he continued.

While many Senate Republicans have espoused a preference for two bills to be passed this year through the key budget reconciliation process, they have faced significant opposition in the House, where the House Ways & Means Committee and House GOP leaders have pushed for one large bill with all of Trump’s priorities.

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

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House leaders had intended to make the first move in the process. But the Senate passing their own bill first could essentially force the lower chamber to contend with whatever product comes from the other side of Capitol Hill, instead of dictating their starting point themselves.

Trump has previously said he preferred one large bill, but avoided demanding it. Rather, the president has left it with Congress, urging them to employ whichever strategy can be carried out quickest.

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 6, 2025
Trump executive order on protecting women’s sports draws response from NCAA

The NCAA responded to President Donald Trump’s executive order to keep biological men out of women’s sports Wednesday night.

Trump signed the “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order in the East Room of the White House in front of female athletes on National Girls & Women in Sports Day.

NCAA President Charlie Baker responded to the executive order in a statement, saying it provided a “clear, national standard.”

Baker said the NCAA Board of Governors would review it and take steps to align the organization’s policy in the coming days.

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President Donald Trump waves after signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women’s and girls sports in the East Room of the White House Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“The NCAA is an organization made up of 1,100 colleges and universities in all 50 states that collectively enroll more than 530,000 student-athletes,” the statement said. “We strongly believe that clear, consistent and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today’s student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions. To that end, President Trump’s order provides a clear, national standard.

“The NCAA Board of Governors is reviewing the executive order and will take necessary steps to align NCAA policy in the coming days, subject to further guidance from the administration. The Association will continue to help foster welcoming environments on campuses for all student-athletes. We stand ready to assist schools as they look for ways to support any student-athletes affected by changes in the policy.”

Trump was joined by Independent Women ambassadors Riley Gaines, Payton McNabb, Paula Scanlan, Sia Liilii, Lauren Miller, Kim Russell, Kaitlynn Wheeler, Linnea Saltz and Lily Mullens.

NCAA President Charlie Baker speaks during a press conference celebrating the 25-year anniversary of the NCAA moving its national office to Indianapolis Aug. 13, 2024, at NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis. (Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar/USA Today Network)

“This doesn’t have to be long. It’s all about common sense,” Trump said before signing the order, adding that “women’s sports will be only for women. The war on women’s sports is over.”

RILEY GAINES: THE ALL-OUT WAR ON FEMALE ATHLETES ENDS NOW, THANKS TO PRESIDENT TRUMP

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a briefing before Trump signed the executive order that it “upholds the promise of Title IX.”

Leavitt said Trump expected the NCAA and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee to comply.

“He does expect the Olympic committee and the NCAA to no longer allow men to compete in women’s sports,” she said. “I think the president, with the signing of his pen, starts a very public pressure campaign on these organizations to do the right thing for women and for girls.

“Again, this is an incredibly popular position. There have been many notable female athletes who have had the courage to speak out against some very powerful institutions in this country. They deserve to have a voice and a say. The president is bringing their voice to the highest level of the White House. He expects these organizations to comply with this federal executive order he will be signing today.”

Felicia Martin, vice president of the NCAA’s Eligibility Center, spoke at a congressional briefing in Washington Wednesday to celebrate National Girls & Women in Sports Day and suggested the NCAA Board of Governors is already discussing potential policy changes once Trump’s executive order goes into effect.

President Donald Trump signs an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women’s and girls sporting events in the East Room of the White House Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“We know that this is an issue and a national conversation happening around participation,” she said. “The Board of Governors is right now having conversations about what potential next steps might be, but this is absolutely one of those issues that is ongoing.

“But without a national standard that can be applied across the board, all of us are making decisions based on what we think is the best for student-athletes and opportunities.”

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Martin added that she expects more clarity on a national standard later in the day from Trump. She also said the Board of Governors would make its decisions on any policy changes based on the specific details of the executive order.

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

February 5, 2025
Trump Treasury head defends Elon Musk’s DOGE despite critics’ ‘squawking’

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent addresses President Donald Trump’s economic and fiscal goals during his first interview on ‘Kudlow’ since joining the administration.

Since billionaire Elon Musk joined forces with President Donald Trump to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), various Democrats and other critics have complained over the Tesla founder’s influence on the federal government.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, however, came to Musk and DOGE’s defense on “Kudlow” Wednesday.

“Elon Musk is the greatest entrepreneur of this generation,” Bessent told FOX Business host Larry Kudlow in his first interview since joining the Trump administration.

“DOGE is not going to fail. They are moving a lot of people’s cheese here in the capital, and when you hear this squawking, then some status quo interest is not happy,” he continued.

WHAT HAS DOGE CUT SO FAR?

Bessent’s defense comes after weekend reports claimed the Treasury Department granted DOGE personnel access to the federal government’s payment system. The Treasury spends roughly $6 trillion per year on payments for federal agencies.

Since then, a Treasury Department official told members of Congress on Tuesday that a tech executive working with DOGE, will have “read-only access” to the government’s payment system, stressing that it is committed to safeguarding the system after the department was granted access.

‘Varney & Co.’ host Stuart Varney discusses Elon Musk’s DOGE helping President Trump shut down USAID as more government slashing could be on the way.

The official wrote a letter in response to lawmakers who were concerned that DOGE’s access to the government’s payment system for the federal government could lead to security risks or missed payments for various programs, including Social Security and Medicare.

“At the Treasury, our payment system is not being touched,” Bessent said Wednesday. “We process 1.3 billion payments a year. There is a study being done — can we have more accountability, more accuracy, more traceability that the money is going where it is. But in terms of payments being stopped, that is happening upstream at the department level.”

PALANTIR CEO TOUTS ELON MUSK’S DOGE, ABILITY TO HOLD ‘SACRED COW OF THE DEEP STATE’ ACCOUNTABLE

The Treasury’s payments are managed by its Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which disburses nearly 90% of all federal payments and conducts more than 1.2 billion transactions per year, according to its website.

While lawmakers have expressed concerns that Musk possesses too much power within the U.S. government, Bessent emphasized the billionaire’s efforts are part of the Trump administration’s “mandate” from the American people.

“The U.S. doesn’t have a revenue problem. We have a spending problem. I think we can up the revenues, we can up the growth, and most importantly, President Trump got elected because of this affordability crisis… What is he going to do for the affordability crisis? Real wage growth for working Americans is the best way to fix this,” Bessent said.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent addresses President Donald Trump’s economic and fiscal goals during his first interview on ‘Kudlow’ since joining the administration. (Getty Images/Fox News / Fox News)

Bessent argued “gigantic government spending” fueled economic growth under the Biden administration but failed to bring about “real” wage growth.

In contrast, Bessent explained how the newly-elected Trump administration will tackle the affordability crisis by re-privatizing the economy, cutting taxes and regulations, addressing the growing deficit and boosting domestic energy production.

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FOX Business’ Landon Mion and Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.

February 5, 2025