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Tag: Trump

USDA inspector general escorted out of building after Trump firing: report

The former inspector general of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was escorted out of her office Monday after she “refused to comply” with her termination, according to Reuters.

Phyllis Fong, who has worked for the USDA for 22 years, was fired on Friday, but she reportedly told her colleagues that she planned to continue working. At the time, the government employee said she believed that the newly inaugurated Trump administration was acting improperly by firing officials so suddenly.

In an email obtained by Reuters, Fong said the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) had “taken the position that these termination notices do not comply with the requirements set out in law and therefore are not effective at this time.”

Fong, who was appointed as inspector general by President George W. Bush, also worked for the CIGIE from 2008 to 2014, after being elected the council’s first chairperson. According to the USDA’s website, Fong’s job as inspector general involved “audits, investigations, and other oversight activities relating to USDA’s programs and operations.”

INSPECTATOR GENERAL DISMISSED BY TRUMP CALLS MASS FIRINGS A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY

Phyllis Fong, who has worked for the USDA for 22 years, was removed from the agency on Jan. 27. (Getty Images | USDA)

“The Office of Inspector General (OIG) provides leadership in promoting economy and effectiveness in USDA programs and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse,” the description reads. “Ms. Fong’s priorities as IG have been to focus OIG’s resources on the protection of public health and safety related to USDA’s mission and operations, and to improve the management and financial integrity of the Department’s programs.”

Since Jan. 20, President Donald Trump has fired several government employees across dozens of agencies. Inspectors general are one of many targeted employees, along with those in DEI roles.

On Saturday, a White House official told Fox News that 17 independent watchdogs at various federal agencies were sacked late Friday. The inspectors general worked for the Defense Department, State Department and Energy Department, in addition to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Veterans Affairs and more.

TRUMP SAYS IRON DOME CONSTRUCTION WILL BE ‘IMMEDIATE,’ SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER

U.S. Department of Agriculture (File)

At the time, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, expressed concern that the sudden firings may have violated federal law that requires the president to give 30 days’ notice to Congress of intent to fire independent watchdogs, according to the Associated Press.

“There may be good reason the IGs were fired. We need to know that if so,” Grassley, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement. “I’d like further explanation from President Trump. Regardless, the 30 day detailed notice of removal that the law demands was not provided to Congress.”

Former President Donald Trump headlines a Republican National Committee spring donor retreat in Palm Beach, Fla., on May 4, 2024. (Donald Trump 2024 campaign)

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Fox News Digital reached out to Fong, the White House and the USDA for comment.

Reuters and Fox News’ Lucas Tomlinson and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

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

January 29, 2025
‘You frighten people’: Top 5 most memorable moments from Wednesday’s Trump nominee hearings

The latest confirmation hearings for President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees were packed with fiery exchanges with lawmakers, interruptions from protesters, and tearjerking testimonies that came as the Senate works to fill out the president’s administration.

Several candidates under consideration to head key positions in the Trump administration were grilled by lawmakers during their Senate confirmation hearings on Wednesday.

The hearings were off to a fiery start with the Senate Finance Committee’s questioning of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services. The Senate also held confirmation hearings for Howard Lutnick, Trump’s longtime friend, who he picked to head the Department of Commerce, and Kelly Loeffler, who is being considered to lead the Small Business Administration (SBA).

1. Democratic senator to RFK Jr.: ‘You frighten people’

During the heated confirmation hearing of Kennedy, Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., told the Trump nominee that he frightens people, specifically referring to his stance on vaccines.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s choice to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, appears before the Senate Finance Committee for his confirmation hearing at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite)

“Americans are going to need to hear a clear and trustworthy recantation of what you have said on vaccinations, including a promise from you never to say vaccines aren’t medically safe when they, in fact, are, and making indisputably clear that you support mandatory vaccinations against diseases that will keep people safe,” Whitehouse said during the hearing. “You’re in that hole pretty deep.”

Whitehouse then referenced a recent measles outbreak in Rhode Island as he pressed Kennedy on his vaccine stance.

“Frankly, you frighten people,” Whitehouse told the Trump nominee.

However, Kennedy pushed back on the claims that he is anti-vaccine, noting that all his children are vaccinated.

2. Protesters disrupt RFK Jr. hearing

Kennedy’s Senate confirmation hearing was disrupted by several protesters who snuck into the Senate Finance Committee hearing room.

After Kennedy told lawmakers that he is not against vaccines, one protester stood up and was heard shouting, “You lie.”

3. Lutnick gets emotional talking about brother’s tragic 9/11 death

Howard Lutnick, who was introduced by Vice President JD Vance, shared an emotional story about his brother being tragically killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City.

Lutnick’s brother, Gary, was tragically killed while working at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, along with 657 of the Lutnick brothers’ friends at their financial firm, Cantor Fitzgerald, the commerce nominee described during the hearing.

Lutnick said that he took his son to kindergarten that day, sparing his life.

Howard Lutnick, President Donald Trump’s choice to be Secretary of Commerce, appears before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee for his confirmation hearing, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

“The company was located on the top five floors of the World Trade Center. I still can’t say it without being emotional, sorry, but no one in the office survived,” he said on Wednesday, appearing to hold back tears.

“I made the decision that I’ve made enough money in my life,” Lutnick said. “I can take care of myself. I can take care of my family. It is now my chance to serve the American people.”

4. RFK Jr. refutes claim he compared CDC to ‘Nazi death camps’

Kennedy and Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., went back and forth after the Democratic senator claimed the Trump nominee previously likened the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to “Nazi death camps.”

Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock speaks onstage during the ‘Vote GA Blue’ concert on Dec. 28, 2020, in Stonecrest, Georgia. (Paras Griffin)

“You compared the CDC work to Nazi death camps. You’ve compared it to sexual abusers in the Catholic Church. You’ve also said that many of them, as in the direct quote, belong in jail,” Warnock said during the hearing on Wednesday.

Asked if he stands by the statements, Kennedy refuted the claim.

“I don’t believe that I ever compared the CDC to Nazi death camps. I support the CDC. My job is not to dismantle or harm the CDC. My job is to empower the scientists,” Kennedy said. “I never said it.”

Warnock read a transcript of Kennedy’s remarks at a conference making the reference, but the HHS nominee further defended the intent of his statement.

“I was comparing the injury rate of children towards other atrocities,” Kennedy said. “I wouldn’t compare the CDC to Nazi death camps.”

5. SBA defends Trump after senator claims he ‘acted illegally twice’ this week

SBA pick Kelly Loeffler got into a heated exchange with a member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee while defending Trump against Democratic claims that he “acted illegally” twice in the past week.

“The president has already acted illegally twice in the last 5 days. He fired the inspectors general. That was illegal, under the law. He froze all funding on Monday night. That was also against the law,” Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts claimed during his questioning of Loeffler.

Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., waits for Vice President Mike Pence to arrive for her swear-in reenactment for the cameras in the Capitol on Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. (Getty Images)

“So it’s not as though he won’t ask you to do something that is illegal and unconstitutional, he’s been doing it all week. And this is the first week,” he added.

However, Loeffler immediately came to the defense of Trump and doubled down on her support of the president’s recent actions.

“If I could just, for the record, note that these were not illegal actions,” Loeffler told the committee. “I support the president’s actions. It’s in his right to select members of the executive branch, that’s what he’s doing. And he’s certainly in the right to stop wastefully spending as most presidents do when they come in to pause wasteful spending.”

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Markey began speaking over Loeffler as she defended the president before changing the subject.

Fox News’ Emma Woodhead contributed to this report.

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.

January 29, 2025
Trump begins second term in stronger position than the first: poll

President Donald Trump is kicking off his second tour of duty in the White House in a stronger polling position than during the start of his first administration eight years ago, a new national poll indicates.

Forty-six percent of voters say they approve of the job the Republican president is doing so far, with 43% disapproving, according to a Quinnipiac University survey released on Wednesday.

The poll was conducted Jan. 23-27, during Trump’s first week back in the White House following his Jan. 20th inauguration.

The president’s approval rating is an improvement from Quinnipiac polling in late January 2017 – as Trump began his first term in office – when he stood at 36% approval and 44% disapproval.

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING SHOWS

President Donald Trump pauses while speaking before signing the Laken Riley Act in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The survey indicates a predictable huge partisan divide over the GOP president.

“Republicans 86-4 percent approve of the job Trump is doing, while Democrats 86-8 percent disapprove,” the poll’s release highlights. “Among independents, 41 percent approve, while 46 percent disapprove and 13 percent did not offer an opinion.”

While Trump’s first approval rating for his second term is a major improvement from his first term, his rating is below the standing of his predecessor, former President Biden, in the first Quinnipiac poll from his single term in office.

CLICK HERE FOR FOX NEWS COVERAGE OF TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS

Biden stood at 49%-36% approval at the start of February 2021.

His approval rating hovered in the low to mid 50s during his first six months in the White House. But Biden’s numbers sank into negative territory in the late summer and autumn of 2021, in the wake of his much-criticized handling of the turbulent U.S. exit from Afghanistan, and amid soaring inflation and a surge of migrants crossing into the U.S. along the nation’s southern border with Mexico.

Then-President Joe Biden speaks about his administration accomplishments, on Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Biden’s approval ratings stayed underwater throughout the rest of his presidency.

Trump has kept up a frenetic pace during his first week and a half in office, with an avalanche of executive orders and actions. His moves not only fulfilled some of his major campaign trail promises, but also allowed the returning president to flex his executive muscles, quickly put his stamp on the federal government, and also settle some longstanding grievances.

“In our first week in office, we set records, taking over 350 executive actions,” Trump touted on Wednesday. “That’s not been done before, and it has reportedly been the single most effective opening week of any presidency in history.”

TRUMP MOVING AT ‘WARP SPEED’ DURING HIS FIRST DAYS BACK IN OFFICE

According to the new poll, six in ten approve of Trump’s order sending U.S. troops to the southern border to enhance security.

“The huge deployment of boots on the ground is not to a dicey, far away war theater, but to the American border. And a majority of voters are just fine with that,” Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said.

The poll indicates 44% support deporting all undocumented immigrants, while 39% back deporting only those convicted of violent crimes.

President Donald Trump reviews the troops during his Inauguration ceremony in Emancipation Hall of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. (Greg Nash/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

According to the survey, 57% disapprove of Trump’s pardoning or commuting the sentences of more than 1,500 people convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters aiming to upend congressional certification of Biden’s 2020 election victory.

Meanwhile, by a two-to-one margin, those questioned gave a thumbs down to Biden’s issuing of preemptive pardons – in his final hours in office – for five members of his family who haven’t been charged with any crimes. Voters were divided on Biden’s preemptive pardons for politicians and government officials who Trump had targeted for retaliation.

The poll also indicates that 53% disapprove of Elon Musk – the world’s richest person – enjoying a prominent role in the new Trump administration, with 39% approving.

Elon Musk is welcomed to the stage by then-President-elect Donald Trump at a rally in the nation’s capital on the eve of Trump’s second inauguration, on Jan. 19, 2025 in Washington D.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Democrats lost control of the White House and the Senate majority and failed to win back control of the House in November’s elections. And the new poll spells more trouble for them.

Only 31% of respondents had a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, with 57% seeing the party in an unfavorable light.

“This is the highest percentage of voters having an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party since the Quinnipiac University Poll began asking this question,” the survey’s release noted.

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Meanwhile, the 43% of those questioned had a favorable view of the GOP, with 45% holding an unfavorable opinion, which was the highest favorable opinion for the Republican Party ever in Quinnipiac polling.

Quinnipiac questioned 1019 self-identified registered voters nationwide. The survey’s overall sampling error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.

January 29, 2025
Newsom bill could spend tax money to defend illegal immigrants from Trump deportation push: CA lawmaker

California Republican Rep. Bill Essayli is seeking answers from liberal Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration about whether bills introduced in the legislature’s special session to “Trump-proof” the state would thwart the president’s mass deportation program.

During a hearing on Tuesday to discuss two bills that Newsom has proposed, which allocates a $50 million initiative to bolster the state’s legal defenses against anticipated federal policies from President Donald Trump’s administration, Essayli questioned officials from Newsom’s office about whether the funds would be used “to defend illegal immigrants from deportation.”

“It’s not very clear to me, but basically, these groups provide free legal services to illegal immigrants,” Essayli told Fox News Digital in an interview. “And what I wanted to know is, if they’re going to be defending illegal immigrants from deportation who have criminal records, and they could not answer the question. I think the answer is, absolutely they are.”

IS NOW THE RIGHT TIME … TO FIGHT DONALD TRUMP?’: CA HOUSE SPEAKER DODGES FIERY QUESTIONING FROM REPORTER

California Assemblyman Bill Essayli questions state officials on whether money in a bill before the assembly could be used to defend criminal illegal immigrants from deportation. (California State Assembly)

During the hearing, Essayli asked one of Newsom’s officials if the money would be used to defend criminal illegal immigrants from deportation.

“Assembly member, as a budget staffer, I can only tell you what the grant is for, I don’t know that I can get you that level of guarantee,” she responded.

She later added she’s “not certain about that” when asked further if any funds given to nonprofit organizations would go to defending criminal illegal immigrants.

Newsom’s proposal includes earmarking $25 million to the California Department of Justice to enhance its capacity to sue the Trump administration over policies that could “harm Californians,” including environmental regulations and abortion access. An additional $25 million is designated for nonprofit organizations to defend “immigrant families.”

‘DEVASTATING’: CALIFORNIA HAD RECORD RAINFALL LAST YEAR, BUT LACKED INFRASTRUCTURE TO STORE IT

Newsom and Trump face off during the president’s trip to California to survey wildfire damage. (Fox News)

“All of this is for show, just to say, ‘Oh, we had a public hearing on these bills,’ and then we’re supposed to vote,” Essayli said. “We didn’t get any questions answered.”

Spokesperson for Newsom’s office, Brandon Richards, told Fox News Digital in a statement that “none of this funding will be used to support immigration-related services for criminals. Period.”

Fox News Digital followed up with Newsom’s office inquiring whether funds would be used to defend any illegal immigrants in California from deportation. In response, Richards repeated his previous statement.

The Trump administration has been moving full steam ahead with first deporting illegal immigrants who have already been convicted of committing crimes. In the last week, the Department of Homeland Security said that “law enforcement officials have removed and returned 7,300 illegal aliens.”

NEWSOM PROPOSES $25M FROM STATE LEGISLATURE TO ‘TRUMP-PROOF’ CALIFORNIA

President Donald Trump after signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Newsom called a special legislative session quickly after Trump’s electoral victory to secure additional funding for the state’s legal defense against the administration. Reacting to the development on his TruthSocial account at the time, Trump said, “He is using the term ‘Trump-Proof’ as a way of stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to ‘Make California Great Again,’ but I just overwhelmingly won the Election.”

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The state has a history of legal battles with the Trump administration, having filed 123 lawsuits during his first term, primarily concerning environmental, illegal immigration and healthcare issues. California was also among the first states to establish itself as a “sanctuary state” for transgender transition treatments for minors, a practice that Trump barred from receiving federal support through an executive order on Wednesday.

The California Senate has already approved Newsom’s proposal, and the Assembly will vote Thursday. If the Assembly passes the measures without amendments, they will be sent to Newsom’s desk by Friday.

Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.

Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.

January 29, 2025
Lee Zeldin confirmed to lead key environmental agency in Trump administration

The Senate voted on Wednesday to confirm former Rep. Lee Zeldin to head the government’s leading agency on environmental rules and regulations.

President Donald Trump tapped Zeldin, who previously served as a congressman from New York’s 1st Congressional District from 2015 to 2023, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under his administration. During his tenure in Congress, Zeldin, an Army Reserve lieutenant colonel, launched a campaign for governor in New York, when he trailed only five percentage points in the largely Democratic state.

Zeldin underwent a confirmation hearing earlier this month, when he was questioned on climate change by members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

In a 56 to 42 vote on Wednesday, the senate confirmed Zeldin to head the EPA in a final floor vote on his nomination.

ZELDIN GRILLED BY DEMOCRATS ON CLIMATE CHANGE, TRUMP’S STANCE ON CARBON EMISSIONS DURING EPA HEARING

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the EPA, appears before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

If confirmed on Wednesday, Zeldin will head the agency that surveys environmental issues, provides assistance to wide-ranging environmental projects, and establishes rules that align with the administration’s views on environmental protection and climate change.

During his confirmation hearing, Zeldin pledged that if confirmed, he would “foster a collaborative culture within the agency, supporting career staff who have dedicated themselves to this mission. I strongly believe we have a moral responsibility to be good stewards of our environment for generations to come.”

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, with athlete Riley Gaines, outside the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (J. Conrad Williams, Jr./Newsday RM)

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The latest round of voting comes as Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., continues to advance the confirmation process to push through Trump’s Cabinet nominees.

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.

January 29, 2025
Trump Commerce secretary pick vows to sell all his business interests if confirmed

Kudlow panelists Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., unpack the president-elects economic team picks and ideas.

President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of Commerce, billionaire Howard Lutnick, says he will sell all of his business interests if confirmed in order to prevent any conflicts of interest.

Howard Lutnick testifies during his Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation confirmation hearing on Jan. 29, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

“My plan is to only serve the American people. So I will divest – meaning I will sell all of my interests, all of my business interests, all of my assets, everything,” Lutnick, the CEO of investment firm Cantor Fitzgeral said during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

HOWARD LUTNICK, TRUMP COMMERCE SECRETARY PICK, SAYS IT’S ‘NONSENSE’ THAT TARIFFS CAUSE INFLATION

“I’ve worked together with the Office of Government Ethics, and we’ve reached agreement on how to do that, and I will be divesting within 90 days upon my confirmation,” he told the committee. “So I should have no business interests, therefore no conflicts of interest.”

Howard Lutnick has vowed to divest all his business holdings within 90 days if he is confirmed to lead the Commerce Department. (Christopher Goodney/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Lutnick’s pledge would be no small feat to carry out. The Associated Press noted that his financial disclosures show he has positions at more than 800 businesses and other private entities.

PRESIDENT TRUMP, HIS ADMINISTRATION AND CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS: THEIR SALARIES

Lutnick, 63, joined Cantor Fitzgerald fresh out of college and has led the firm since 1991. But he said it will be time to pass the baton if he is confirmed to lead the Commerce Department.

Donald Trump, then the Republican presidential nominee, and Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick attend Annual Charity Day hosted by Cantor Fitzgerald on Sept. 12, 2016, in New York City.

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“I made the decision that I’ve made enough money in my life. I can take care of myself. I can take care of my family,” Lutnick told the committee, adding, “It is now my chance to serve the American people. And so, upon confirmation, my businesses will be for sale and someone else will lead them going forward.”

January 29, 2025
Trump blasts Fed, Jerome Powell for not cutting interest rates

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., discusses the importance of cutting the federal budget on ‘Making Money.’

President Donald Trump unleashed on the Federal Reserve and Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday, after the central bank decided to hold interest rates steady rather than making a cut, as the president had wanted.

“Because Jay Powell and the Fed failed to stop the problem they created with Inflation, I will do it by unleashing American Energy production, slashing Regulation, rebalancing International Trade, and reigniting American Manufacturing, but I will do much more than stopping Inflation, I will make our Country financially, and otherwise, powerful again!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

President Donald Trump (CHIP SOMODEVILLA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“The Fed has done a terrible job on Bank Regulation,” the president continued. “Treasury is going to lead the effort to cut unnecessary Regulation, and will unleash lending for all American people and businesses. If the Fed had spent less time on DEI, gender ideology, ‘green energy, and fake climate change, Inflation would never have been a problem. Instead, we suffered from the worst Inflation in the History of our Country!”

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This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

January 29, 2025
Sen. Kaine claims Trump will ‘stiff’ workers that take buyouts

Sen. Tim Kaine is claiming that President Donald Trump is going to “stiff” federal employees who accept buyout offers instead of returning to the office, telling workers “Do not be fooled by this guy.”

The Trump administration is offering buyouts for nearly all federal employees, including those who work remotely, as part of the president’s efforts to get employees back into the office, but they only have until Feb. 6 to opt-in. However, Kaine argued on the Senate floor Tuesday night that Trump has no such grounds to make that kind of deal.

“The federal employees received an interesting email at the end of the day today…. that said, from the administration, if you tender your resignation by next Friday, we will guarantee you payment through the end of September whether or not you show up for work. So tender your resignation and then boy, it’s just going to be a gravy train, you are just going to get paid for seven months without working,” Kaine said.

“The president has no authority to make that offer. There’s no budget line item to pay people who are not showing up for work. This is a guy who made this promise to contractors again and again and again when he was a private business guy. ‘Oh, come work for me on my casino.’ ‘Come work for me in a hotel.’ ‘We’re going to do a handshake. We’re going to do a contract.’ The contractor does the work and then finds out they get stiffed,” Kaine continued.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFERS BUYOUTS TO FEDERAL EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING REMOTE WORKERS

Sen. Tim Kaine is claiming the Trump administration will “stiff” federal workers who take buyout offers instead of returning to the office full-time. (Al Drago/Joe Raedle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“So my message to federal employees who receive this is, yeah, the president has tried to terrorize you for about a week and then gives you a little sweetheart offer: ‘If you resign in the next week, we’re just going to pay you for doing nothing for the next seven months.’ Don’t be fooled. He’s tricked hundreds of people with that offer. If you accept that offer and resign, he’ll stiff you just like he stiffed the contractors. He doesn’t have any authority to do this. Do not be fooled by this guy,” the Virginia Democrat also said.

When asked to respond Wednesday, the White House referred Fox News Digital to a statement by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, in which she said “After four years of incompetence and failure, President Donald Trump is committed to making our government efficient and productive again.

“American taxpayers pay for the salaries of federal government employees and therefore deserve employees working on their behalf who actually show up to work in our wonderful federal buildings, also paid for by taxpayers,” Leavitt added Tuesday.

TRUMP FIRES TWO DEMOCRATIC COMMISSIONERS ON CIVIL RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AS WHITE HOUSE TARGETS DEI

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that it’s “absolutely false” to suggest the buyout offers are a way to purge the government of people who disagree with Trump’s views. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

This morning, a reporter asked Leavitt if the buyouts are a way to purge the government of people who disagree with Trump.

“That’s absolutely false. This is a suggestion to federal workers that they have to return to work. And if they don’t, then they have the option to resign. And this administration is very generously offering to pay them for eight months,” she said.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on Jan. 27, as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt listens. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)

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“Six percent of the federal workforce in this city actually shows up to work. That’s unacceptable. We’re all here at work at the office. There are law enforcement officers and teachers and nurses across the country who showed up to the office today. People in this city need to do the same,” Leavitt also said. “It’s an overwhelmingly popular policy with people outside of Washington D.C. The president campaigned on this and his administration is keeping a promise.”

Fox News’ Greg Wehner and Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

January 29, 2025
Trump to send 30,000 ‘criminal illegal aliens’ to Guantanamo Bay

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he would sign an executive order for the Pentagon to prepare Guantanamo Bay to detain 30,000 “criminal illegal aliens.”

“Today I’m also signing an executive order to instruct the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing the 30,000 person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay,” Trump said. “Most people don’t even know about it.”

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TOUTS 969 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS IN ONE DAY: ‘HERE ARE SOME OF THE WORST’

FILE – In this photo reviewed by U.S. military officials, the sun sets behind the closed Camp X-Ray detention facility, on April 17, 2019, in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

He said they need 30,000 beds to house the detainees, adding that putting them there will ensure they do not come back.

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“It’s a tough place to get out of,” Trump added.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @GregWehner.

January 29, 2025
Trump signs Laken Riley Act into law as first legislative victory in new administration

President Donald Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law Wednesday, marking the first piece of legislation to become law in his second administration.

The measure, which advanced through the House and Senate in January, directs Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain illegal immigrants arrested or charged with theft-related crimes, or those accused of assaulting a police officer.

The law also allows states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for harm caused to their citizens because of illegal immigration.

CONGRESS SENDS LAKEN RILEY ACT TO TRUMP’S DESK AS FIRST BILL OF GOP’S WASHINGTON TAKEOVER

Jose Ibarra, left, was found guilty on 10 counts in the death of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, right. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)

The law’s name honors a nursing student who was killed during a jog on the University of Georgia’s campus by an illegal immigrant. Jose Ibarra, who previously had been arrested but never detained by ICE, received a prison life sentence for killing 22-year-old Laken Riley.

The measure received support from all House Republicans and 48 Democrats, and all Senate Republicans and 12 Senate Democrats.

Meanwhile, critics of the measure claim that the law will pave the way for mass detention, including for those who’ve committed minor offenses like shoplifting.

Sarah Mehta, senior border policy counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement after the Senate voted to advance the measure ahead of a final vote, “This is an extreme and reactive bill that will authorize the largest expansion of mandatory detention we have seen in decades.”

LAKEN RILEY ACT PASSES HOUSE WITH 48 DEMS, ALL REPUBLICANS

President Donald Trump signs a second executive order during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena on the inauguration day of his second presidential term, Jan. 20, 2025. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

“While we are disappointed this bill will pass the Senate, it is notable that so many senators opposed it and recognized the need for actual immigration reform — not the chaos and cruelty this legislation will unleash,” Mehta said.

Trump promised to crack down on illegal immigration during his campaign, and declared a national emergency at the southern border following his inauguration. He also immediately ordered the expulsion of migrants without the possibility of asylum.

On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt cautioned foreign nationals considering entering the U.S. that they will be detained and kicked out of the country.

TIDAL WAVE OF BORDER SECURITY BILLS HIT HOUSE AS REPUBLICANS MOVE FAST ON DC TAKEOVER

On Jan. 28, 2025, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt cautioned foreign nationals considering entering the U.S. that they will be detained and kicked out of the country. (Samuel Corum/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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“So to foreign nationals who are thinking about trying to illegally enter the United States, think again,” Leavitt told reporters Tuesday at the White House press briefing. “Under this president, you will be detained and you will be deported. Every day, Americans are safer because of the violent criminals that President Trump’s administration is removing from our communities.”

Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

January 29, 2025