Trump not committing to putting US troops on the ground in Gaza, White House says
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that President Donald Trump isn’t committing to deploying U.S. troops to Gaza after suggesting Tuesday that the U.S. would “take over” the Gaza strip. “It’s been made very clear to the president that the United States needs to be involved in this rebuilding effort, to ensure stability in the region for all people,” Leavitt told reporters Wednesday at a White House press briefing. “But that does not mean boots on the ground in Gaza. It does not mean American taxpayers will be funding this effort. It means Donald Trump, who is the best dealmaker on the planet, is going to strike a deal with our partners in a region.” Leavitt said that Trump is an “outside of the box thinker” who is “a visionary leader who solves problems that many others, especially in this city, claim are unsolvable.” TRUMP SAYS US WILL ‘TAKE OVER’ GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABLIZE MIDDLE EAST Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. would “take over” the Gaza Strip in a “long-term ownership position” to deliver stability to the region. “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,” Trump said Tuesday evening in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site.” “Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,” he said. “Do a real job. Do something different. Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years.” Trump said that “all” Palestinians would be removed from Gaza under his plan. But Leavitt described their removal as “temporary” during the rebuilding process and said that Trump and his team were sorting out specific details with allies in the region regarding next steps. “Again, it’s a demolition site right now,” she said. “It’s not a livable place for any human being. And I think it’s actually quite evil to suggest that people should live in such dire conditions.” ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER LAUDS TRUMP’S LEADERSHIP WHEN ASKED IF BIDEN SHOULD TAKE CREDIT FOR CEASEFIRE But the proposal for the U.S. to take over Gaza has sparked massive backlash, including from Palestinian, Iran-backed militant group Hamas, designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization. “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 told Fox News on Wednesday. Trump’s statements also left Democratic lawmakers in shock. “I’m speechless, that’s insane,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told Jewish Insider. “I can’t think of a place on Earth that would welcome American troops less and where any positive outcome is less likely.” ‘PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH’: TRUMP AND NETANYAHU EXPECTED TO DISCUSS IRAN, HAMAS AT WHITE HOUSE MEETING Some Republicans also voiced caution, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told Jewish Insider that the proposal “might be problematic,” but that he would “keep an open mind.” “We’ll see what our Arab friends say about that,” he said. “I think most South Carolinians would not be excited about sending Americans to take over Gaza.” Meanwhile, Sen. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., didn’t appear phased by the remarks. “I think he wants to bring a more peaceful, secure Middle East and put some ideas out there,” Thune told reporters Wednesday. Fox News’ Emma Colton and Greg Norman contributed to this report.
DOGE targets Medicare agency, looking for fraud
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and has gained access to payment and contracting systems in search for potential fraud, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. Trump’s DOGE has already gutted USAID, but Musk argued on X that Medicare and Medicaid are where the “big money fraud” is happening. CMS oversees Medicare, the health coverage program for older and disabled Americans, and Medicaid, for lower-income enrollees, which provides insurance for over 140 million U.S. citizens. The CMS regularly deals with improper payments that represent fraud or abuse but might also be due to a state, contractor, or provider missing an administrative step. RUBIO PAUSES FOREIGN AID FROM STATE DEPARTMENT AND USAID TO ENSURE IT PUTS ‘AMERICA FIRST’ WSJ reported, citing one of the people familiar with DOGE’s work at CMS, that Musk’s allies have not been given access to databases that include identifiable personal health information of Medicare or Medicaid enrollees. The new campaign comes just days after DOGE targeted USAID, leading to the firing of 50 top officials and the organization being folded into the State Department. AFTER RAUCOUS FIRST WEEK IN OFFICE, DONALD TRUMP TO KEEP HIS FOOT ON THE GAS Signs were also removed from USAID’s headquarters in the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., and the DOGE team took over the computer systems, sources said. USAID is responsible for distributing civilian foreign aid and development assistance to countries around the globe. Musk referred to the organization as a “viper’s nest.” The agency managed approximately $40 billion in appropriations last year, according to the Congressional Research Service. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION NEEDS MORE PLANES TO CARRY OUT DEPORTATIONS: REPORT The actions came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio, acting on Trump’s executive order, paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and USAID. The 90-day pause has halted thousands of U.S.-funded humanitarian, development and security programs worldwide and forced aid organizations to lay off hundreds of employees because they can’t make payroll. Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner, Chris Pandolfo, the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Energy Sec. Wright outlines Day 1 priorities: Refilling SPR, promoting ‘energy addition, not subtraction’
Energy Secretary Chris Wright has outlined eight “Day 1 Priorities” he aims to accomplish, several of which he laid out in his inaugural address at the Energy Department headquarters Wednesday. Wright, the CEO of Colorado oilfield services company Liberty Energy, said he will prioritize refilling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), modernizing the U.S. nuclear stockpile, streamlining federal permitting for energy development, and abiding by the mantra: “Advance energy addition, not subtraction.” In his remarks at the department’s building near Pierre L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., Wright spoke about his childhood love of science and how that focus led him to pursue work in the field. Wright said he met President Donald Trump about a year ago, and the two businessmen connected over their support for unleashing American energy prowess and highlighting how U.S. energy dominance positively affects many other aspects of life. CHRIS WRIGHT CONFIRMED SECRETARY OF ENERGY Wright said Trump had a “simple vision” that “energy is good and that we need more” of it, particularly domestically-sourced. “So we just connected. And he asked me, ‘Would you be secretary of energy?’ And I said, ‘Boy, if I’m asked to serve my country, I don’t have to think about that one.’” He called the Energy Department the gem of the American government and said he has long been entranced by contemporary advancements in the field, from German chemist Otto Hahn splitting the atom in 1938 to Adm. Hyman Rickover creating the first nuclear-powered machines in submarines. “I want to better energize our country, strengthen our country, advance science… and get the politics out of all of this.” “Energy is not political: it is the basic infrastructure that allows us to live great lives, to allow whatever our dream is, whatever our vision is,” he said. TOP SENATE REPUBLICAN HITS BACK AS DEM CALLS FOUL ON TRUMP CONFIRMATION HEARINGS Wright added that there is no such thing as clean or dirty energy, and that in reality, there is “no free lunch” when it comes to the byproducts of the production process: “It’s about tradeoffs.” Other “day one” priorities Wright has outlined include a return to “regular order” on liquefied natural gas exports. Wright has been a longtime advocate of hydraulic fracturing – famously going as far as drinking fracking fluid to prove environmentalist critics wrong about its effect on nature. Pennsylvania and North Dakota are epicenters of fracking, while New York retains the subterranean resources to do so but is under a statewide ban. Wright has also pledged to strengthen the power grid’s reliability and security. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP There have been blackouts occasionally in recent years from overtaxed grid areas, notably in California around 2001. There have also been security threats to energy transmission, including from a Catonsville, Maryland, woman who conspired to destroy the region’s power grid. Then-FBI Director Christopher Wray said Sarah Beth Clendaniel “plotted to disable the power grid around the entire Baltimore region” in 2018, after becoming acquainted with a Florida man who espoused White supremacist “accelerationist” ideologies. Under Wright’s tenure, the Energy Department also plans to promote home appliance affordability and choice – a break from the Biden administration’s efforts to restrict usage of gas stoves. Former President Joe Biden also spent part of the nation’s SPR in what critics called a bid to assuage energy price spikes for political purposes. Wright said he would promote the refilling of the SPR, as well as modernize the U.S. nuclear stockpile, Fox News has learned.
Major California Democrat predicts Kamala Harris would be ‘field-clearing’ if former VP runs for governor
California Attorney General Rob Bonta says he will support former Vice President Kamala Harris if she decides to run for Golden State governor in 2026. Bonta, a former state lawmaker who has served as California attorney general since 2021, says he will run for re-election next year rather than launch a gubernatorial campaign, putting to rest speculation about his next political moves. “Kamala Harris would be a great governor,” Bonta said in an interview with Politico. THESE DEMOCRATS MAY RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2028 “I would support her if she ran. I’ve always supported her in everything she’s done. She would be field-clearing,” he said as he added that he had not spoken directly with Harris about any potential run for governor. WHY CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM IS MEETING WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP AT THE WHITE HOUSE Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is term-limited and cannot run for re-election again in 2026. Harris served as San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general and represented the Golden State in the U.S. Senate before becoming vice president. There has been plenty of speculation since her election defeat last November to President Donald Trump regarding Harris’ next political move, with the two potential options likely being launching a 2026 gubernatorial run in her home state or seeking the presidency again, in 2028. VANCE IN ‘CATBIRD SEAT,’ BUT HERE ARE THE OTHER REPUBLICANS WHO MAY ALSO RUN IN 2028 Sources in the former vice president’s political orbit say no decisions have been made about any next steps. However, Harris, in a video message to the Democratic National Committee, as it huddled for its winter meeting last weekend, pledged to be with the party “every step of the way,” which appeared to be a signal she still has political ambitions. The Democrats’ field for governor in the heavily blue-leaning state is already crowded. Among the more than half-dozen candidates already running for governor are Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis – a Harris ally – and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Former Rep. Katie Porter, who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic Senate nomination last year, has expressed interest in launching a campaign. Additionally, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who served in Congress and as California attorney general before joining the Biden administration, is also seen as a potential contender.
Former GOP leader McConnell falls while exiting Senate chamber after Turner confirmation vote
Former Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., fell on a small set of stairs on Wednesday as he was exiting the Senate chamber after a confirmation vote for Housing and Urban Development secretary nominee Scott Turner. McConnell, who is 82 years old and a survivor of childhood Polio, fell down the stairs and was quickly assisted by Sens. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. It is not clear whether he suffered any injuries, but Fox News was told the former leader appears to be OK. McConnell’s office did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital.
Trump’s Small Business Administration nominee advances to Senate floor
The Senate’s Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee voted Wednesday by a 12–7 margin to advance the nomination of President Donald Trump’s pick for the Small Business Administration (SBA) administrator to the Senate floor. Kelly Loeffler, a prominent business executive and philanthropist who served as a senator from Georgia for two years, appeared before the committee on Jan. 28 and pledged to donate her annual $207,500 salary to charity. Loeffler and her husband, Jeff, created a Fortune 500 financial services and technology company together. “Like President Trump, Senator Loeffler left behind a successful career in the private sector to advance the America First agenda,” Loeffler spokeswoman Caitlin O’Dea told Fox News Jan. 28. “Should she be confirmed, she will continue the practice of donating her federal salary to charities and nonprofits across the country — and put her full focus on working to make the Small Business Administration a gateway to the American Dream for entrepreneurs across the country.” TRUMP CABINET NOMINEE LOEFFLER PLEDGED TO DONATE SALARY IF CONFIRMED Loeffler, whose net worth is estimated at roughly $1 billion, previously donated her annual Senate salary of $174,000 between 2019 and 2021 to more than 40 Georgia charities and nonprofits. Those organizations included food banks, faith groups and organizations opposed to abortion, foster care/adoption groups as well as organizations promoting health care, agriculture, education, law enforcement and disaster relief. Loeffler also sparred with Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass, during her confirmation hearing over the Trump administration’s announcement that it would freeze federal funds and grants. On Jan. 27, the Office of Management and Budget released a memo ordering a pause on all federal grants and loans aiming to eradicate “wokeness” and the “weaponization of government” to improve government efficiency. LEAVITT PUSHES BACK ON MEDIA’S ‘UNCERTAINTY’ ABOUT FEDERAL FUNDING FREEZE The White House pulled the memo on Jan. 29, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the move didn’t equate a “recission of the federal funding freeze.” Markey asked Loeffler whether she believed the move was lawful or not, amid concerns from members of Congress that the Trump administration attempted to circumvent Congress and withhold funds. “I fully agree with President Trump’s decision to stop wasteful spending,” Loeffler told Markey. “It resulted in a landslide victory that many Americans were waiting for relief against excessive government spending.” Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Senate tees up Trump budget chief pick Russell Vought for final confirmation vote
The Senate on Wednesday advanced President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Russell Vought, to a final confirmation vote. The cloture motion passed with a strictly party-line vote, 53-47. The entire Democratic caucus opposed Vought, as they promised to do. Republicans have backed Vought’s nomination and claim he is prepared for the role since he led the office during Trump’s first administration. But Democrats remain staunchly opposed due to Vought’s stance on the Impoundment Control Act – a 1974 law that reinforces Congress’ power of the purse. Vought told lawmakers in multiple confirmation hearings he believes the act is unconstitutional, and argued presidents historically could spend less than what Congress had approved prior to the legislation. ‘ULTRA-RIGHT’: TRUMP BUDGET CHIEF PICK RUSSELL VOUGHT FACES FIRE FROM DEM SENATORS Vought’s statements on the issue left Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., “astonished and aghast” during a confirmation hearing with the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC). “I think our colleagues should be equally aghast, because this issue goes beyond Republican or Democrat,” Blumenthal said last month. “It’s bigger than one administration or another. It’s whether the law of the land should prevail, or maybe it’s up for grabs, depending on what the president thinks.” Some Republicans have also appeared concerned with Vought’s views on impoundment. Senate Budget Committee Chair Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said last month he also shared some concerns and would disclose them at a markup hearing for Vought’s nomination. Meanwhile, other Republican lawmakers share Vought’s stance on impoundment. For example, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, introduced legislation in December 2024 that would repeal the Impoundment Control Act. Lee argued that the law’s “unconstitutional limitations” on the executive branch have “contributed to a fiscal crisis.” TRUMP’S TREASURY NOMINEE TURNS THE TABLES ON SANDERS IN TESTY EXCHANGE ABOUT BIDEN’S ‘OLIGARCHY’ COMMENTS Vought’s nomination sparked additional outrage after the OMB issued a memo late last month ordering a pause on all federal grants and loans aiming to eradicate “wokeness” and the “weaponization of government” to improve government efficiency. The White House rescinded the memo two days later, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the move didn’t equate to a “recission of the federal funding freeze” and that the executive orders mentioned in the memo still remain in effect. Democrats claimed the memo was an attempt to bypass Congress and was an overreach of power from the executive branch. “As much as Trump desires it, the president is not a king. As much as Trump desires it, a law is not a suggestion,” Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Budget Committee ranking member, told reporters. In response, Democrats urged the Senate to reject Vought’s nomination following a Budget Committee vote to advance him, cautioning that Vought would attempt to impound funds again if he’s confirmed. TRUMP TREASURY PICK: EXTENDING TRUMP TAX CUTS ‘SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ECONOMIC ISSUE’ Trump ought to pull Vought’s nomination altogether, or else he will “become baggage” for the American people and for the Trump administration, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters. “What happened this week should be a lesson to President Trump,” Schumer said. “Mr. Vought will be the architect of more losing for President Trump.” But HSGAC Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Vought is the person Washington needs to “say enough is enough” and cut government spending. “Mr. Vought has been a consistent advocate for fiscal sanity and has continually suggested strategies to decrease excess spending,” Paul said during a confirmation hearing before HSGAC. OMB is responsible for developing and executing the president’s budget, as well as overseeing and coordinating legislative proposals and priorities aligned with the executive branch.
You’re hired! Here’s who passed Congress’ Trump cabinet test and how stormy their hearings were
As of Wednesday, 11 of President Donald Trump‘s cabinet nominees have been successfully confirmed to their posts. While some, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, sailed through, while others, like Attorney General Pam Bondi, saw their confirmation process marred with pointed confrontations and deep dives into their personal lives, as was the case for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. MARCO RUBIO: STATE Rubio, a longtime Florida senator from Miami, and the son of Cuban immigrants, enjoyed a relatively calm confirmation hearing when it came to interactions with lawmakers. However, several Code Pink protesters, angry over what their shirts denoted as the “killing of children in Gaza,” had to be removed from the room due to outbursts. The final protester shouted at Rubio in Spanish, to which the now-secretary remarked that his protesters are at-times bilingual. KASH PATEL ENRAGES ADAM SCHIFF IN CLINTONIAN BATTLE OVER WORD ‘WE’; JAN 6 SONG Rubio was confirmed unanimously 99-0. At the time, Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, was still lieutenant governor and had not been seated in Vice President JD Vance’s place. PETE HEGSETH: DEFENSE A veteran and former Fox News host, Hegseth laid a more contentious path through the confirmation process. Hegseth earned two Bronze Stars and several other medals while serving in the Army National Guard. He joined Fox News Channel in 2014 and resigned upon his Pentagon nomination. Questions arose about allegations he drank heavily at times and was abusive towards women. Several people in Hegseth’s orbit, including fellow Fox News personalities, rebuffed the claims against him. While Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., offered praise for Hegseth’s confirmation – later telling reporters he clearly answered every question put to him – other lawmakers did not view the nominee the same way. When protesters disrupted the hearing, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said they appeared to be from the “Chinese Communist [Party] front-group” Code Pink and upset about Hegseth’s support for Israel. “I support Israel’s existential war in Gaza. I assume, like me and President Trump, you support that war as well,” Cotton said. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., also grilled Hegseth about his qualifications to lead America’s troops. ZELDIN GRILLED IN CONFIRMATION HEARING “I do not believe that you can tell this committee or the people of America that you are qualified to lead them. I would support you as a spokesperson for the Pentagon,” he said. Critics, including Fox News contributor Joe Concha, claimed irony in the lawmaker’s grilling – as Trump previously dubbed Blumenthal “Da Nang Dick” after claims surfaced that Blumenthal had misrepresented his own military service during the Vietnam War. In the end, a 50-50 split, brought on by GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joining all Democrats in opposition, led to Vance having to cast his first tie-breaking vote of the congressional session to confirm Hegseth. DOUG BURGUM: INTERIOR Interior Secretary Doug Burgum received substantive Democratic support in his final confirmation vote of 80-17 last week. Three Democrats did not vote. His confirmation hearing’s tenor was also mixed, with fellow North Dakotan, Sen. John Hoeven, calling him the right man for the job. Some Democrats, including Sens. Catherine Cortez-Masto and Mazie Hirono, however, offered pointed questions about environmental issues and other concerns during the hearing. When Cortez-Masto asked about the Trump administration repealing electric vehicle credits, Burgum said he “support[s] economics and markets” and highlighted the comparatively high costs of electric vehicles. Burgum grew up in eastern North Dakota, near a grain elevator his grandfather operated. He reportedly met future Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in college and later “bet the farm” to invest a quarter million dollars in 1983 in a tech startup called Great Plains Software. He eventually became president of the company, which was purchased by Microsoft around the turn of the century. He served as North Dakota’s governor in recent years, briefly mounting a 2024 presidential bid before dropping out to endorse Trump. SCOTT BESSENT: TREASURY South Carolina billionaire Scott Bessent was confirmed as Trump’s second-term Treasury secretary on Jan. 28. With the confirmation, Bessent became the highest ranking openly gay cabinet official in U.S. history. Bessent was born in Conway, South Carolina, just inland from the famous “Calabash” seafood area in North Carolina and the resort city of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He previously worked for several global investment management companies for decades, notably including a stint as chief investment officer for Soros Fund Management, led by left-wing Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros. His politics, however, appear to greatly differ from those of Soros himself – as Bessent once called Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act “‘single most important economic issue of the day.” During his confirmation process, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., was a noted foil. Warren reportedly sent Bessent more than 100 written questions on subjects spanning from housing to financial oversight ahead of his testimony, according to PBS. He was confirmed by a relatively bipartisan 68-29, with one Republican and two Democrats not voting. SEAN DUFFY: TRANSPORTATION Former Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., was confirmed in a comparatively more peaceful process than other nominees. Duffy enjoyed a relatively cordial hearing before Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and the Senate Commerce Committee. However, 22 Democrats still voted against his confirmation, with Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., not voting. Within a day of his confirmation, Duffy was faced with a catastrophic midair collision over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., involving a military helicopter and an American Airlines-sanctioned passenger flight from Kansas to Reagan National Airport. All of those aboard both aircraft died as the fuselage crashed into the shallow but frigid Potomac, just yards shy of the Arlington, Virginia, airport’s runway. Soon after, Duffy had to simultaneously handle the fallout from a medical plane crashing near the junction of US-1 and PA-73 in northeast Philadelphia. The doomed plane spewed jet fuel as it crashed, setting a row of homes on Cottman Avenue ablaze. Six Mexican nationals on board and one Pennsylvanian on the ground was killed, according to news reports. CHRIS WRIGHT: ENERGY Energy
Trans lawsuit lobbed against Trump admin based on ‘faulty interpretations’: Legal expert
As LGBT advocates and medical organizations challenge the Trump administration’s ban on transgender treatments for minors, legal expert Sarah Marshall Perry of the Heritage Foundation warns that this lawsuit is just the “tip of the iceberg,” driven by “faulty interpretations,” with more legal battles expected in the coming months. “This is a $5 billion a year industry,” Perry said. “I would not expect what I like to call the gender ghouls to go quietly into that good night, they are going to suddenly be faced with a devastating reckoning on exactly where their bottom line lies.” “If they want to fight for private insurance coverage through Cigna or Blue Cross Blue Shield, that’s entirely their prerogative,” Perry said, adding that these companies have “very big lobbying presences” to pursue coverage through private insurers. LGBTQ+ ADVOCATES, FAMILIES SUE TRUMP ADMIN FOR ENDING FUNDING OF TRANSGENDER HEALTHCARE UNDER 19 “There is a reason that this type of so-called medical care proliferated, and that’s because they had governmental cover,” she said. The lawsuit was filed in Baltimore federal court and seeks an immediate injunction to delay the implementation of President Donald Trump’s executive order from last week. “Over the past week, hospitals across the country have abruptly halted medical care for transgender people under nineteen, canceling appointments and turning away some patients who have waited years to receive medically necessary care for gender dysphoria,” the lawsuit reads. “This sudden shutdown in care was the direct and immediate result of an Executive Order that President Trump issued on January 28, 2025 — Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation — directing all federal agencies to ‘immediately take appropriate steps to ensure that institutions receiving Federal research or education grants end gender-affirming medical care for people under nineteen (the ‘Denial of Care Order’).” The group of plaintiffs claims executive orders are unlawful and unconstitutional, saying the Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse. TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDERS BANNING ‘RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY,’ DEI INITIATIVES IN THE MILITARY However, Perry argued that existing federal coverage for gender-related procedures for minors stems from a misinterpretation of the Supreme Court’s 2020 ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, a decision that several federal courts have since ruled does not support such policies. “Remember that we’re dealing with the vestiges of an administration that was all in on gender identitarianism and was manipulating federal case law to be able to push through policies that have already been struck down,” Perry said. “I think the President is acting wisely in an anticipatory stance to make sure that the federal funding cap is turned off, while we can get some of these challenges through court and determine whether or not, first, if there is a parental right to these particularly controversial procedures.” She said that a federal judge already ruled against former President Joe Biden’s re-interpretation of Title IX, referring to U.S. District Court Chief Judge Danny Reeves vacating the regulation in January, in which the previous administration had expanded sex discrimination protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Reeves ruled that Biden’s expansion contradicted the original intent of Title IX, stating that incorporating gender identity into the statute “eviscerates the statute and renders it largely meaningless.” CRACKING DOWN ON TRANS TROOPS: TRUMP ORDER NIXES PREFERRED PRONOUNS, RESTRICTS FACILITY USE Perry noted that various federal statutes, including the Affordable Care Act’s anti-discrimination provisions, were “manipulated” by the previous administration to advance gender identity policies and noted that courts have increasingly pushed back against these interpretations. “I think he is rightly acting in an anticipatory fashion,” Perry said of Trump. “He is the chief enforcer of the law, and he has drawn a line in the sand, saying we’re going to cut the tap off until we find a way to get clarity on this, but in the meantime, we are not going to continue to fund the things that we know have catastrophic, devastating effects on minor kids.” The lawsuit is the latest addition to those suing Trump over his gender-related executive orders. The executive orders, signed in late January, include a reinstatement of the ban on transgender troops in the military, a ban on federal funding for sex changes for minors and a directive requiring federal agencies to recognize only “two sexes,” male and female, in official standard of conduct. A White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital they do not comment on pending litigation. On the campaign trail, Trump promised to weed out “radical gender ideology” as one of his key administrative focuses. The Supreme Court will also rule on a major case this term about a Tennessee law that will determine whether gender transition procedures can be banned for minors. Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
Trump holding Oval Office meeting with Texas Gov. Abbott over ‘securing the southern border’
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott meets at the White House on Wednesday with President Donald Trump to discuss their efforts to beef up security along America’s southern border with Mexico. “Governor Abbott is meeting with President Trump to discuss their continued partnership in securing the southern border and keeping Americans safe,” Abbott press secretary Andrew Mahaleris told Fox News Digital when asked about the Oval Office get-together. Ahead of his meeting with Trump, the three-term conservative Lone Star State governor met with Tom Homan, the president’s border czar. TEXAS’ ABBOTT MAKES MAJOR MOVE IN BORDER SECURITY BATTLE “Looking forward to meeting with President Trump today. Earlier this morning, I spoke with Tom Homan about immigration enforcement strategies. Today, and the coming days, should be great for Texas,” Abbott wrote in a social media post. It would be hard to find another governor who has done more to support, and help implement and endorse, Trump’s hardline border security and immigration agenda. Texas, under Abbott’s leadership, has spent billions of dollars on border security the past couple of years under Operation Lone Star. And now the GOP-dominated legislature is proposing allocating an additional $6.5 million to implement Trump’s border and immigration agenda. And this week, Abbott, in an unprecedented move, gave Texas National Guard soldiers the power to arrest undocumented immigrants in coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Trump, speaking to an overflow crowd of supporters gathered at the U.S. Capitol for his inauguration last month, praised Abbott. “He’s doing a great job. He’s doing a phenomenal job, but now you’re going to have a partner that’s going to work with you,” Trump said. And Abbott returned the compliment this past weekend, as he delivered his State of the State address. “We have a president who will partner with Texas to deny illegal entry,” Abbott said. “To support that mission, I have ordered Texas state agencies to assist the Trump administration with arresting, jailing and deporting illegal immigrants.”