White House calls Democrat criticism of DOGE ‘unacceptable’ and ‘incredibly alarming’
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed Democrats Wednesday for their criticism of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), calling it “unacceptable” and “incredibly alarming.” “Some elected Democrats are so steamed about DOGE – Congresswoman LaMonica McIver says we are at war. Ilhan Omar says we might actually see somebody get killed. And Chris Van Hollen says we have to fight this in the Congress, we have to fight this in the streets. So what now?” Leavitt was asked by Fox News’ senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy. “It’s unacceptable, the comments that have been made by these Democrat leaders, and frankly, they don’t even know what they’re talking about, because President Trump was elected with a mandate from the American people to make this government more efficient,” Leavitt responded. “He campaigned across this country with Elon Musk vowing that Elon was going to head up the Department of Government Efficiency and the two of them with a great team around them were going to look at the receipts of this federal government and ensure it’s accountable to American taxpayers. That’s all that is happening here,” Leavitt continued. “And for Democrat officials to incite violence and encourage Americans to take to the streets, is incredibly alarming, and they should be held accountable for that rhetoric.” DEMOCRAT LAWMAKERS FACE BACKLASH FOR INVOKING ‘UNHINGED’ VIOLENT RHETORIC AGAINST MUSK Leavitt also said during her daily White House press briefing, “If you heard that type of violent, enticing rhetoric from our side of the aisle, from Republican leaders on Capitol Hill, I think there would be a lot more outrage in this room today.” On Tuesday, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said, “What we are witnessing here is the biggest heist in American history.” “This is the most corrupt bargain we’ve ever seen in American history: Elon Musk gives $250 million to elect Donald Trump, and Donald Trump turns over the keys to United States government to Elon Musk and his billionaire friends and his cronies,” Van Hollen said during a protest outside the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C. “Are we going to let that stand? Hell no, we are not going to let that stand,” Van Hollen added, later vowing, “We have to fight this in the courts, we have to fight this in the Congress, we have to fight this in the streets. We need to fight this all over America.” USAID EMPLOYEE SAYS STAFFERS HID PRIDE FLAGS, ‘INCRIMINATING’ BOOKS WHEN DOGE ARRIVED “Shut down the city! We are at war!” Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., shouted into a microphone. On Monday morning, hundreds of employees for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) reported they were locked out of the agency’s computer system and that its headquarters in Washington, D.C., was closed on Monday. The agency’s fate is hanging in the balance as DOGE is working on an apparent overhaul of the agency. “The level of disrespect actually is criminal because there are crisis response teams that are around the world that really rely on having access to their emails – having access to apps that they can utilize if there’s danger to them,” Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., told MSNBC, according to The Hill. “All of those accesses are cut off.” “So we might actually see somebody get killed. An American who works for the American government might be harmed in some of those countries that they’re operating in,” she reportedly added. Fox News’ Emma Colton and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Washington sends first group of Indian migrants with US military plane to home country
A U.S. military plane carrying a group of Indian migrants landed in India early Wednesday morning as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda, a U.S. Transportation Command official confirmed to Fox News Digital. The outlet also reported that India is the farthest destination a military aircraft has ever flown to for deportations under Trump’s administration. According to the official, the C-17 aircraft flew from Miramar, near San Diego, yesterday and landed in Amritsar, in northern India, around 3:30 ET. The plane carried between 104 and 205 nationals and marked the first time Washington authorized a military aircraft for deportations to India, according to Reuters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, have been largely discussing immigration issues since Trump took office. The White House confirmed that Trump has invited Modi to come visit next week. INDIA’S MODI SPEAKS WITH ‘DEAR FRIEND’ PRESIDENT TRUMP AMID HOPES OF FURTHERING TIES According to the Pew Research center, there are about 725,000 Indians who have been illegally residing in the U.S. since 2022, marking India as the third top source of illegal U.S. immigration after Mexico and El Salvador. TRUMP SAYS HE’S NOT CHANGED HIS MIND ON H-1B VISAS AS DEBATE RAGES WITHIN MAGA COALITION Indian nationals often arrive in the U.S. through H-1B visas, a foreign worker visa that allows American employers to hire foreign workers. This legal pathway of entry has been hotly contested by some Trump supporters. The president, however, dismissed immigration concerns after having a “productive call” last month that focused on “expanding and deepening cooperation.” “We have a very good relationship with India,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One after his call with Modi. The president continued to express confidence that India will “do what is right.” Fox News’ Kyra Colah and Reuters contributed to this report.
Former Texas lawmaker Scott Turner confirmed to lead HUD
Turner served in the Texas House from 2013-2017.
Guatemala agrees to accept deportees from other countries, in deal with Rubio
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo confirmed that his country is willing to accept migrants of other nationalities being deported from the U.S. under President Donald Trump’s administration. Arevalo made the announcement during a visit from Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday. The new agreement declares Guatemala a “safe third country” for deportation, with the U.S. paying for migrants to be eventually returned to their home countries. “We have agreed to increase by 40% the number of flights of deportees both of our nationality as well as deportees from other nationalities,” Arevalo said, speaking during a news conference with Rubio. The agreement is similar to but less expansive than the one Rubio reached with El Slavador’s president, Nayib Bukele, on Tuesday. Bukele said his country would accept U.S. deportees of any nationality, including American citizens and legal residents who are imprisoned for violent crimes. RUBIO HEADS TO PANAMA, LATIN AMERICA TO PURSUE TRUMP’S ‘GOLDEN AGE’ AGENDA “We have offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system,” Bukele wrote on X Monday night. “We are willing to take in only convicted criminals (including convicted U.S. citizens) into our mega-prison (CECOT) in exchange for a fee. The fee would be relatively low for the U.S. but significant for us, making our entire prison system sustainable.” TRUMP ANNOUNCES VENEZUELA WILL TAKE CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS BACK Rubio said the Salvadoran president “has agreed to the most unprecedented, extraordinary, extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world.” “We can send them, and he will put them in his jails,” Rubio told reporters, referring to illegal immigrants behind bars in U.S. prisons. “And, he’s also offered to do the same for dangerous criminals currently in custody and serving their sentences in the United States, even though they’re U.S. citizens or legal residents.” While Bukele did extend the offer to include violent American criminals, it is highly unlikely that part of the offer would actually happen, since it is illegal to deport U.S. citizens. A U.S. official said the Trump administration has no plans to deport American citizens, but noted that Bukele’s offer was significant. The proposal with El Salvador, known as a “safe third country” agreement, could potentially be an option for Venezuelan gang members convicted in the U.S. if Venezuela refuses to accept them, and Rubio said Bukele offered to accept detainees of any nationality. Bukele also said he would take back all Salvadoran MS-13 gang members in the U.S. illegally, and promised to accept and incarcerate criminal illegal aliens from any country, especially those affiliated with Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
New York Democrat eyeing Stefanik’s seat ripped Border Patrol, corrections officers in resurfaced interview
The Democratic candidate who will run to replace outgoing Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik in upstate New York can be heard in a resurfaced interview condemning U.S. Border Patrol for apprehending illegal immigrants and disparaging off-duty corrections officers and local American laborers he hired to work on his dairy farm. Blake Gendebien, the owner and president of Twin Mill Farms in Lisbon, New York, since 2002, was tapped Tuesday to run in an eventual special election in New York’s 21st Congressional District. The U.S. House seat will be vacated by Stefanik, President Donald Trump’s nominee to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, but the powerful House Republican still awaits a Senate confirmation vote. With the special election timeline hanging in the balance, the 15 Democratic chairmen of NY-21 announced their unanimous support for Gendebien, championing him as “an authentic voice that will fight for sensible solutions.” The Democrats categorized Gendebien, who also serves as vice chairman of the Agri-Mark Dairy Cooperative covering New York and New England, as a husband, father, small business owner and former school board member who “will fight to lower costs and secure our borders.” Celebrating him as “an outsider to the political arena,” they said Gendebien “embodies the voice and grit that distinguishes this district.” NY DEMS WORKING TO KEEP STEFANIK’S HOUSE SEAT VACANT FOR MONTHS IN LATEST SCHEME AGAINST TRUMP: ASSEMBLYMAN Republican state leadership, however, quickly condemned Gendebien as a “far-left Democrat,” arguing that the candidate “not only supported Joe Biden’s open border policies, but also bailed out illegals from ICE.” New York GOP Chair Ed Cox referenced the dairy farmer’s past comments made in a more than hour-long interview with a local newspaper reporter on March 13, 2013. According to the recorded audio reviewed by Fox News Digital, Gendebien voiced frustrations about the labor market in upstate New York. Among his comments, he claimed local correction officers “don’t have much self-worth,” and described North County workers as not having “practical independence and ability to think,” in contrast to his foreign farm laborers. “Far Left Democrat Blake Gendebien even castigated hardworking North Country workers as ‘awful‘ people who ‘drank too much,’” Cox said in a statement. “This radical Far Left Democrat is a longtime major donor and groupie of leftist, gun-grabbing, Taxin’ Tedra Cobb, a supporter of Kathy Hochul, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and a public supporter of Biden’s inflation policies, which devastated NY21 families. Democrats didn’t do their homework when they selected Blake Gendebien and his catastrophic statements. Republicans will easily hold this seat in the upcoming special election, because the North Country is unquestionably Trump Country.” In the 2013 interview, Gendebien is heard explaining why he much preferred “Hispanic labor,” generalizing local residents as having drinking problems and being involved in child custody disputes. “If it weren’t for the Hispanic labor, I wouldn’t be doing this,” Gendebien said while describing the process for milking cows. “So there’s three Hispanic employees. They would need to be replaced by probably six local people. And it’s hard to find one person that does not have domestic abuse problems, alcohol problems, wage garnishments.” “So when you hire these local guys, all of a sudden you’re bombarded with social program stuff like what do you call it? I don’t even – I’m not in that world, so I don’t know,” he went on. “So the court will call you. Is Brian showing up to work? What is Brian making? He has a child with this girl. He has a child with this girl. He has a court date. He needs to appear on this day. So you’ve got all of these plans and these guys have to leave for court all the time because they’re in custody battles and, what’s it called, child support battles. And they want you to lie and tell that you don’t make this money. And it’s just awful. And they show up late. They show up. They drink too much. There is just no labor force out there.” Regarding other farm help, Gendebien said he hired a corrections officer. STEFANIK LOOKS BACK TO FIERY EXCHANGES WITH COLLEGE LEADERS IN SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARING: ‘WATERSHED MOMENT “You probably know that they don’t have much self-worth in their jobs as corrections officers, so they’ll work extra time and get maybe three, four weeks’ vacation. And in that vacation they will do things, plumbing or electrician work or something, just so that they feel some self-worth,” Gendebien told the reporter. “So we gave him all hunting rights. You can hunt all 800 acres and he does the work for basically materials. But he also gets some self-worth. He gets the hunting rights, and we get a guy that we trust to do a lot of work and a good deal. He did my house, he did the barn. He did a lot of things.” At one point, Gendebien complained that a Border Patrol agent took one of his workers, an illegal immigrant, into custody. “So Border Patrol is up and down this road,” Gendebien relayed to the reporter, according to the audio archived by the Library of Congress. “As far as I know, these guys are illegal. I have all their paperwork, and I’m not obligated to check. Not obligated to E-Verify. So I get the same paperwork from them as I get from anyone else. And we move along. But Border Patrol will profile by skin color, crossing the road and they’ll stop. And then they will interrogate and scream at the person.” After Border Patrol confronted one farmworker and took him into custody, Gendebien said he called up the high school’s soccer coach, a 30-year Border Patrol agent, who told him that new Border Patrol agents sent to upstate New York from places like Arizona want to make more apprehensions, causing some friction within leadership at their command. Gendebien said the man told him, “I don’t pick up farmworkers, but we get young men and women from Arizona that are gung-ho, and
USAID has ‘demonstrated pattern of obstructionism,’ claims top DOGE Republican in letter to Rubio
FIRST ON FOX: The Senate chair of the DOGE Caucus is exposing a “demonstrated pattern of obstructionism” at the U.S.’ top aid agency in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, outlined how the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been “stonewalling” her office for years as she sought documents to ensure taxpayer dollars weren’t wasted at the agency, which is now under the microscope of billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). “USAID’s spending shows a blatant disregard for the wishes of American taxpayers, and it is time to disrupt the system,” Ernst told Fox News Digital. “The agency has been wasting millions of tax dollars on things like tourism in Lebanon, Sesame Street in Iraq, sending Ukrainians to Paris Fashion Week and so much more.” In one instance, the Iowa Republican claims USAID misled her staff to believe that details about funds going to businesses in Ukraine were classified, funds that in some instances were used for travel to fashion shows and film festivals. ‘VIPER’S NEST’: USAID ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION, MISMANAGEMENT LONG BEFORE TRUMP ADMIN TOOK AIM In 2024, after months of delays, USAID finally agreed to offer Ernst’s staff a review of recipients of taxpayer-funded assistance to businesses in Ukraine, according to the letter. But the agency insisted the documents be reviewed in a sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF), suggesting the records would be classified. “These requirements were all presented to my staff under the false pretense that this data was classified,” Ernst wrote to Rubio. “Only after demanding to speak to your USAID Office of Security, my staff uncovered that this data was, in fact, unclassified.” Ernst said that based on her staff’s review, it appears that over 5,000 Ukrainian businesses received U.S. taxpayer-funded assistance, with awards of up to $2 million each. WHAT IS USAID AND WHY IS IT IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS? That trade assistance was in some instances used to bankroll business owners attending glamorous film festivals and fashion shows in cities like Berlin, Paris and Las Vegas. She also accused the agency of “misleading” her office on the costs of indirect aid. Negotiated indirect cost agreements (NICRA) allowed contractors to use more than 25 percent of the total award on costs like “rent for a partner’s corporate headquarters, advocacy costs, and other miscellaneous expenses.” Ernst said her staff reached out in November 2022 asking USAID for information on NICRAs with grant recipients. The agency responded, “USAID does not have a system to track or report on this data, as it is not possible to compare indirect costs between for-profit and nonprofit organizations,” according to Ernst. In February 2023, Ernst followed up with a link to a publicly reported NICRA database that USAID confirmed does exist. The agency then said that it “protects the confidential business information of its implementing partners, including NICRAs… outside the scope of a formal oversight request by a committee of jurisdiction.” Then, Ernst partnered with former House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul to give USAID the request from a “committee of jurisdiction.” “Even then, USAID refused to permit my staff to acquire the documents or take substantive notes on the NICRA rates. The lack of transparency was alarming because the NICRA rates far exceeded staff’s expected range of indirect costs allowed.” USAID CLOSES HQ TO STAFFERS MONDAY AS MUSK SAYS TRUMP SUPPORTS SHUTTING AGENCY DOWN Ernst said: “In the wake of this series of significant misjudgments and oversight obstruction by USAID, it is of the utmost importance to conduct a full and independent analysis of the recipients of USAID assistance.” She also pointed to Chemonics, a government contractor that USAID’s inspector general found over-billed the U.S. government by $270 million through fiscal year 2019. Chemonics led a $9.5 billion USAID project to improve global health supply chains that, “led to 41 arrests and 31 indictments related to illicit resale of USAID funded commodities on the black market, and fueled ongoing allegations that Chemonics falsely portrays its projects’ outcomes to secure future contracts with USAID,” Ernst wrote. “No more stonewalling,” said Ernst. “We need to scrutinize every last dollar being spent by this rogue agency.” In a notice posted on its website Tuesday night, USAID announced that all direct hire staff would be placed on leave globally, except for designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs. The Trump administration is now exploring merging the agency with the State Department and Rubio has been appointed its acting director. Rubio told reporters in El Salvador the “functions of USAID” must align with foreign policy and called it a “a completely unresponsive agency.” Democratic lawmakers, meanwhile, staged a protest outside the USAID headquarters on Tuesday, arguing that the agency is essential for flexing U.S. soft power throughout the world, preventing and monitoring disease outbreaks, and safeguarding U.S. national security. “USAID is the backbone of America’s soft power, helping to stabilize fragile regions and protect U.S. interests abroad,” said Reps. Greg Meeks, top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sara Jacobs,Calif., top Democrat on the Africa subcommittee. “Weakening it will fuel global crises, endanger American security, embolden other nations like China and Russia, and leave the Trump Administration solely responsible for the fallout.”
Foreign policy experts split on whether Trump will follow through with Gaza takeover: ‘It’s a wakeup call’
Middle East and foreign policy experts are split on President Donald Trump’s eyebrow-raising call for the U.S. to “take over” Gaza, with some arguing it is a reversal of his “America First” policy and others saying it is just the catalyst required to secure lasting change in the region. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., led the charge opposing Trump’s proposal on Wednesday, declaring on X that taking over Gaza would be “yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers’ blood.” Some Middle East experts see Trump’s move differently, however. James Carafano, a senior counselor at the Heritage Foundation, argued that Trump’s proposal was “dressing down to the entire international community.” “[It’s] a wake up call that the world really needs to get serious. The notion that we could ever have a safe harbor in the Middle East where people can organize something like Oct. 7 again is unthinkable,” he told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. “We are not going back to the bad old days of a hellhole run by Hamas and funded by UNRWA, so people need to start putting some serious equity on the table.” ‘LEVEL IT’: TRUMP SAYS US WILL ‘TAKE OVER’ GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST THE HISTORY OF GAZA AMID TRUMP’S PLAN TO REBUILD ENCLAVE Michael Singh, managing director at the Washington Institute for Near East policy, argued that Trump’s offer is meant to be a catalyst for the region, rather than a real plan for the U.S. to deploy in Gaza. “President Trump obviously likes to be provocative, and his proposal on Gaza is certainly that,” Singh told Fox. “It will elicit strong reactions in the region, but at its heart are two principles that are spot on: America needs to take a leadership role in the Middle East on one hand, but our regional partners need to step up and do more on the other.” “I do not think the U.S. will take over Gaza; but if President Trump’s salvo prompts regional states to step forward with practical ideas of their own and to do more to address regional crises, it will have served its purpose,” he added. TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST ENVOY EXPLAINS GAZA TAKEOVER PROPOSAL: ‘MORE HOPE’ FOR PALESTINIANS’ FUTURES While delivering remarks alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhyahu on Tuesday, Trump said that Palestinians should be settled outside the Gaza Strip, and that the U.S. will transform the region, which he described as a “demolition site.” “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip,” Trump declared, saying, “we’ll own it, and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site … level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.” “I do see a long term ownership position,” Trump said of the region. Joe Truzman, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies who focuses on Palestinian militant groups and Hezbollah, argues Trump is serious about his plan rather than using it as diplomatic posturing. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “A plan to end the cycle of violence is in the United States’ interest and does not conflict with Trump’s America First policy,” Truzman told Fox, noting that the weakened state of Hamas and Iran’s terrorist proxies in the region present a unique opportunity. “Trump is serious about his plan. Hamas, Iran, and other bad actors in the region who’ve been heavily invested in the conflict understand this. How they react in the coming days and weeks will be an important sign of what is in store for the region,” he added, predicting pushback from al-Qaeda and other groups that benefit from instability in the region.
Senators leapfrog House Republicans on anticipated Trump budget bill
FIRST ON FOX: The Senate will look to beat House Republicans to the punch next week on plans to enact President Donald Trump’s agenda via the budget reconciliation process. Ahead of a weekly lunch meeting hosted by Senate Steering Committee Chairman Rick Scott, R-Fla., a plan was unveiled by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to push for a vote next week on a first bill, with plans for an additional reconciliation bill later in the year, a Senate Republican source told Fox News Digital. The first bill would include Trump’s priorities for border security, fossil fuel energy, and national defense. The second bill would focus on extending Trump’s tax policies from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). HOUSE DELAYS KEY VOTE ON TRUMP BUDGET BILL AFTER CONSERVATIVE FURY OVER SPENDING CUTS House leaders had intended to make the first move in the process. The Senate passing their own bill first, however, would essentially force the lower chamber to contend with whatever product comes from the other side of Capitol Hill rather than start from a position of their own choosing. It would also shift gears to a two-pronged reconciliation bill blueprint, in opposition to what many House Republicans have favored in a large, one-bill approach. Graham has notably been liaising with the House Freedom Caucus leaders on the subject all week, two sources told Fox News Digital. The caucus has notably preferred a two-pronged approach, in line with many Senate Republicans. Worry about this scenario playing out had already begun to surface in the House Republican conference. “I think there’s a lot of frustration right now,” one GOP lawmaker told Fox News Digital. “They’ve been trying to be inclusive, but not every open forum they’ve offered is giving members the ability to say, ‘I feel like people are listening to me,’ because I don’t know that’s the case right now.” They added, “There’s some concern now that if we don’t move forward with something soon, that the Senate is going to jam us.” Trump has espoused a preference for a one bill approach previously but held off from demanding it. He noted to lawmakers that he wanted to get the reconciliation process done and to do so quickly, leaving it in Congress’ hands. The Senate GOP source shared that senior White House staffers were present at the steering lunch on Wednesday.
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.