Donald Trump picks Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta as ambassador to Italy
Fertitta, owner of the Houston Rockets and Landry’s restaurant group, hosted a fundraiser for Trump earlier this year.
Rockin’ around the congressional Christmas tree
“Rockin’ around the Christmas treeAt the Christmas party hop” – Brenda Lee It’s a yuletide tradition on Capitol Hill. An annual custom of rockin’ around a congressional Christmas tree, festooned with hundreds of legislative ornaments, Advent appropriations and mistletoe modifications. A political Polar Express chugs through the halls of Congress nearly every December. It’s always the last piece of legislation huffing out of the congressional station. WHAT TO EXPECT AS REPUBLICANS TRY TO SALVAGE SPENDING PACKAGE, AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN “All aboard!” hollers the conductor. Get your Noel needs loaded into the baggage car of this train, or it’s going to be left behind. So, lawmakers decorated their “Christmas tree” in the only way they know how. That resulted a few days ago in the colossal 1,547-page interim spending bill to avoid a government shutdown. The sheer scope of the bill was breathtaking. You want a hippopotamus for Christmas? You surely would have gotten it with this plan. It wasn’t long until House Republicans pulverized the legislation. “It’s another cram down,” fumed Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, the morning after congressional leaders released the bill. “Here’s what you get. ‘Do this or shut the government down.’ So, it’s very disappointing.” Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., didn’t gift wrap his criticism. “It’s a total dumpster fire. I think it’s garbage,” decreed Burlison. “It’s shameful that people celebrate DOGE coming, and yet we’re going to vote for another billion dollars to be added to the deficit. It’s ironic.” Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., mocked his colleagues for talking out of both sides of their mouths when it came to spending. “We keep on saying we want to take the deficit and the debt seriously. But we keep on voting to increase it. You can’t have it both ways,” he said. “This is irresponsible.” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, lamented this was business as usual. “I mean, the swamp is going to swamp, right?” proffered Roy. THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO WHAT HAPPENED TO THE INTERIM SPENDING BILL House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said the following in the fall: “We have broken the Christmas omni. I have no intention of going back to that terrible tradition. There won’t be a Christmas omnibus,” Johnson declared Sept. 24. “We won’t do any ‘buses.’” So, yours truly pressed Johnson about his promise after frustrated Republicans upbraided him during a House GOP Conference meeting. “You said back in September there would be no more Christmas omnibuses. You were not doing anymore ‘buses,’” I asked. “But how is this not yet another Christmas tree at the holidays?” “Well, it’s not a Christmas tree. It’s not an omnibus,” responded Johnson. Johnson is technically right. In appropriations parlance, it’s not a true omnibus — even though outside observers and many lawmakers themselves might colloquially refer to the massive bill as an “omnibus.” An omnibus is where Congress gift wraps all 12 individual spending measures into one package. A “minibus” is where a handful of bills are bundled together. Even so, I reminded Johnson of the opprobrium directed at this legislation. “They called this cram down. They said it was garbage. Those are your own members calling it that,” I noted. “Well, they haven’t even seen it yet,” said Johnson, even though the bill materialized the night before. “I’ve got a couple of friends who will say that about any end-of-year funding measure. This is not an omnibus, OK? This is a small CR (continuing resolution) that we’ve had to add things to that were out of our control.” The legislation was stocked with a hefty price tag to cover the entire cost of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. A radioactive pay raise for lawmakers. Health care provisions. Language about concert ticket prices. Emergency aid for farmers. And $110 billion to help cover devastation from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. “It was intended to be, and it was until recent days, a very simple, very clean CR stopgap funding measure to get us into next year when we have a unified government,” said Johnson. “But a couple of intervening things have occurred. We had, as we say, acts of God. We had these massive hurricanes.” But then Elon Musk torched the bill. President-elect Trump demanded an immediate debt ceiling increase. Debt limit deals are one of the most complex and contentious issues in Congress. They require weeks if not months of painstaking negotiations. HOUSE GOP LEADERS SCRAMBLE FOR PLAN B AFTER TRUMP, MUSK LEAD CONSERVATIVE FURY AGAINST SPENDING BILL This wasn’t as simple as presenting Santa at the mall a wish list of items for Christmas morning. The bill began bleeding support just hours before the House planned a vote. But to paraphrase Charles Dickens’ opening line in “A Christmas Carol” about Jacob Marley, “That bill was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever, about that.” Democrats were flabbergasted at outside last-minute ultimatums. Especially since Johnson attended the Army-Navy football game last week with Trump. How could they not have discussed the contours of this bill? “It was blown up by Elon Musk, who apparently has become the fourth branch of government,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., scoffed about the bill. “So, who is our leader, (House Minority Leader) Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., supposed to negotiate with? Is it Mike Johnson? Is he the speaker of the House? Or is it Donald Trump? Or is it Elon Musk. Or is it somebody else?” Johnson and company then prepped a svelte 116-page bill to fund the government. But bipartisan lawmakers roasted that measure faster than chestnuts by an open fire. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., mocked Republicans for insisting that they adhere to their internal “three-day rule.” That allows lawmakers to ponder bills for three days before a vote. Yet Republicans were now racing the new bill to the floor faster than shoppers rushing home with their treasures. “Have you printed it? How many pages is it? What happened to the 72-hour rule?” mocked Moskowitz. The bill plummeted to an embarrassing defeat on the House floor.
Trump nominates TV producer, creator of ‘The Apprentice,’ to serve in new administration
President-elect Trump announced Saturday he has tapped the creator of “The Apprentice” to serve a diplomatic role in the United Kingdom. In a Truth Social post, Trump named Mark Burnett, a British-American TV producer who was born in London, as the next U.S. special envoy to the United Kingdom. “It is my great honor to appoint Mark Burnett as the Special Envoy to the United Kingdom,” the president-elect said. “With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role.” In addition to creating Trump’s former show “The Apprentice,” Burnett also created “Shark Tank” and led production of other programs such as “Survivor” and “The Martha Stewart Show.” In his Truth Social post, Trump said the producer had created some of the “biggest shows in Television History” and touted his achievements. TRUMP NOMINATES PAIR TO HELP LEAD DOJ, ANNOUNCES FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION PICK “He is the former Chairman of MGM, and has won 13 Emmy Awards!” the Republican wrote. “Mark will work to enhance diplomatic relations, focusing on areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment opportunities, and cultural exchanges. Congratulations Mark!” No one is currently serving as a U.S. special envoy to the United Kingdom. Special envoy roles are typically temporary in nature and meant to fulfill a specific mission, though Trump did not specify the purpose of the role in his announcement. GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR? Earlier in December, Trump tapped Warren A. Stephens to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the Court of St. James, also known as the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom. “Over the last 38 years, while serving as the president, chairman, and CEO of his company, Stephens Inc., Warren has built a wonderful financial services firm, while selflessly giving back to his community as a philanthropist,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “Warren has always dreamed of serving the United States full-time. I am thrilled that he will now have that opportunity as the top Diplomat, representing the U.S.A. to one of America’s most cherished and beloved Allies.” Burnett did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
Lawmakers react to stopgap funding and averting government shutdown
As the dust settles on Congress frantically passing a stopgap bill at the eleventh hour to avoid a government shutdown, lawmakers are having their say on a chaotic week on Capitol Hill. President Biden signed the 118-page bill into law on Saturday, extending government funding into March, the White House announced. The bill provides over $100 billion in disaster aid for those affected by storms Helene and Milton in the U.S. Southeast earlier this year. It also includes a $10 billion provision for economic assistance to farmers. President Biden has not yet publicly commented on the passage of the legislation, nor has President-elect Trump, although sources tell Fox that the incoming president is not that happy about the bill, because it does not suspend the debt ceiling. PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGNS STOPGAP FUNDING BILL INTO LAW, NARROWLY AVERTING SHUTDOWN House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who faced criticism from both Republicans and Democrats for his handling of the negotiations, said after the House vote that the result was “a good outcome for the country.” He said he had spoken with Trump and that the president-elect “was certainly happy about this outcome, as well.” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., considered the legislation a win for his party. “The House Democrats have successfully stopped extreme MAGA Republicans from shutting down the government, crashing the economy and hurting working-class Americans all across the nation,” Jeffries said, referring to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., praised Democrats, including Jeffries and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., for “their unity and courage withstanding the Trump-Musk irresponsibility.” “Democrats will always fight to protect the needs of America’s working families, veterans, seniors, farmers and first responders against the GOP’s agenda for billionaires and special interests.” A bulging 1,547-page continuing resolution was thrown into disarray earlier in the week following objections by Elon Musk and President-elect Trump. A slimmed-down version was then rejected by House members on Thursday before the House approved Speaker Mike Johnson’s new bill overwhelmingly on Friday by 366 votes to 34. The Senate worked into early Saturday morning to pass the bill 85-11, just after the deadline. WHITE HOUSE PRESSED ON BIDEN REFUSING TO SPEAK PUBLICLY AHEAD OF SHUTDOWN Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer praised the passage of the funding legislation early Saturday. “There will be no government shutdown right before Christmas,” Schumer wrote on X. “We will keep the government open with a bipartisan bill that funds the government, helps Americans affected by hurricanes and natural disasters, helps our farmers and avoids harmful cuts.” Meanwhile, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said the revised funding package keeps government funded at current levels, delivers aid to Americans suffering from natural disasters and protects agricultural supply chains. “Not only is this straightforward bill much more palatable to me, but it respects the taxpayers we represent, unlike the previous backroom boondoggle I opposed that was over 1,500 pages long and gave unnecessary and costly giveaways to the Democrats,” Malliotakis wrote on X. “Passing this legislation today gives us what we need until President Trump is sworn in and settled so our Republican trifecta can deliver the results the American people voted for.” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., questioned why President Biden appeared to play a limited role in negotiations. “People fail to recognize that even though the focus has been on President Trump, Joe Biden is actually still the president, which is really mind-boggling, because nobody’s heard from him in weeks,” Lawler told Fox and Friends Weekend on Saturday, adding that the debt ceiling has been used as a “political piñata for decades.” “The party in the minority uses it as leverage in a negotiation, and I think what President Trump is trying to avoid is giving Democrats a loaded gun to hold to his head here.” Elsewhere, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., applauded the Senate for approving the D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act, which he had introduced and helped pass in the House. The bill would give the District of Columbia control of the 174-acre RFK campus and revive potential plans for a new Washington Commanders stadium. The surprising move came after a provision in the initial continuing resolution (CR) — to transfer control of the RFK campus from the federal government to the District — was eliminated from Thursday’s slimmed down version of the bill. “The Senate’s passage of the D.C. RFK Stadium Campus Revitalization Act is a historic moment for our nation’s capital. If Congress failed to act today, this decaying land in Washington would continue to cost taxpayers a fortune to maintain,” Comer said. “Revitalizing this RFK Memorial Stadium site has been a top economic priority for the city, and I am proud to have partnered with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to get this bill across the finish line and to the President’s desk. This bipartisan success is a testament to the House Oversight Committee’s unwavering effort to protect taxpayers and our full commitment to ensuring a capital that is prosperous for residents and visitors for generations to come,” he added. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump announces newest nominations to lead DOJ, regulate US railroads
President-elect Trump dropped his latest round of nominations Saturday afternoon, including two picks to help lead the Department of Justice (DOJ) and one to work within the Department of Transportation (DOT). In a Truth Social post, the president-elect announced he was nominating Aaron Reitz to lead the DOJ’s Office of Legal Policy. Trump wrote that Reitz would “develop and implement DOJ’s battle plans to advance my Law and Order Agenda, and restore integrity to our Justice System. “Aaron is currently Senator Ted Cruz’s Chief of Staff, and was previously Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Deputy, where he led dozens of successful lawsuits against the lawless and crooked Biden Administration,” Trump continued, adding Reitz would work closely with Trump’s pick for U.S. attorney general, Pam Bondi. “Aaron is a true MAGA attorney, a warrior for our Constitution, and will do an outstanding job at DOJ. Congratulations Aaron!” TIDE TURNS FOR HEGSETH AS TRUMP’S DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINEE GOES ON OFFENSE Trump followed up his first announcement by naming Chad Mizelle as the next chief of staff at the DOJ, who is also slated to work with Bondi. “During my First Term, Chad was General Counsel and Chief of Staff at the Department of Homeland Security, where he helped to secure our Border, and stop the flow of illegal drugs and aliens into our Country,” the Republican leader explained. “Chad is a MAGA warrior, who will help bring accountability, integrity, and Justice back to the DOJ.” GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR? In a third post, Trump named David Fink as the next administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), describing his nominee as a “fifth generation Railroader.” “David will bring his 45+ years of transportation leadership and success, which will deliver the FRA into a new era of safety and technological innovation,” Trump said. “Under David’s guidance, the Federal Railroad Administration will be GREAT again. Congratulations to David!” Later on Saturday, Trump announced that he was nominating Tilman J. Fertitta, the owner of the Houston Rockets, to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Italy. “Tilman is an accomplished businessman, who has founded and built one of our Country’s premier entertainment and real estate companies, employing approximately 50,000 Americans,” Trump’s post described. “Tilman has a long history of giving back to the community through numerous philanthropic initiatives, which include children’s charities, Law Enforcement, and the medical community.”
Trump nominates pair to help lead DOJ, announces Federal Railroad Administration pick
President-elect Trump dropped his latest round of nominations Saturday afternoon, naming two picks to help lead the Department of Justice (DOJ) and one to work within the Department of Transportation (DOT). In a Truth Social post, the president-elect announced he was nominating Aaron Reitz to lead the DOJ’s Office of Legal Policy. Trump wrote that Reitz would “develop and implement DOJ’s battle plans to advance my Law and Order Agenda, and restore integrity to our Justice System. “Aaron is currently Senator Ted Cruz’s Chief of Staff, and was previously Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Deputy, where he led dozens of successful lawsuits against the lawless and crooked Biden Administration,” Trump continued, adding Reitz would work closely with Trump’s pick for U.S. attorney general, Pam Bondi. “Aaron is a true MAGA attorney, a warrior for our Constitution, and will do an outstanding job at DOJ. Congratulations Aaron!” TIDE TURNS FOR HEGSETH AS TRUMP’S DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINEE GOES ON OFFENSE Trump followed up his first announcement by naming Chad Mizelle as the next chief of staff at the DOJ, who is also slated to work with Bondi. “During my First Term, Chad was General Counsel and Chief of Staff at the Department of Homeland Security, where he helped to secure our Border, and stop the flow of illegal drugs and aliens into our Country,” the Republican leader explained. GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR? “Chad is a MAGA warrior, who will help bring accountability, integrity, and Justice back to the DOJ.” In a third post, Trump named David Fink as the next administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), describing his nominee as a “fifth generation Railroader.” “David will bring his 45+ years of transportation leadership and success, which will deliver the FRA into a new era of safety and technological innovation,” Trump said. “Under David’s guidance, the Federal Railroad Administration will be GREAT again. Congratulations to David!”
GOP Rep-elect outlines how DOGE, Trump agenda will get country ‘back on track’: ‘No more business as usual’
Newly elected GOP Congressman Derek Schmidt told Fox News Digital that the efforts of DOGE will be critical in the next Congress and explained why he is optimistic that Republicans will be on the same page in January to push through President-elect Trump’s agenda. “It’s no more business as usual,” Schmidt, elected in November to represent Kansas’ 2nd Congressional District, told Fox News about the impact of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as the two lobbied against a 1,500 page continuing resolution that was being debated in the House and opposed by some conservatives for containing too much “pork.” “Look, that was the top-line message from the voters last November. They want us to make progress on some of these issues, and we’re not going to make progress by continuing to do the same things and expecting a different result. So, you know, it’s going to be messy. It’s going to be tumultuous, but that’s what it takes in order to get this country back on track.” Schmidt told Fox News Digital that DOGE reforms are part of what Trump ran on. ‘NO CHOICE’: DOGE LEADERS RALLY HOUSE CONSERVATIVES AGAINST 1,500+ PAGE ‘PORK-FEST’ “That’s what President Trump promised. That’s what many of us ran on. And that’s what I at least intend to be part of accomplishing,” Schmidt said. “So anything that helps put the genie back in the bottle, that helps move us back in the direction of this, you know, this federal system, this remarkable system of self-government that our founders gave us and that we have drifted so far from, especially since the New Deal, I think is something I want to be part of trying to help fix. I want to leave this country better for my kids than I found it, and that will not be true if we don’t start getting a handle on runaway federal spending. And on this, the sprawling, grotesque federal bureaucracy that is unaccountable to voters.” Despite a net loss of two seats in the 435-member House in November, Republicans will hold a fragile 220-215 majority when the new Congress convenes next month giving them a razor-thin margin for error when attempting to advance Trump’s agenda. Schmidt told Fox News Digital that he expects some “dissension” in the next Congress, which he called “the nature of Democratic self-government” but says he feels confident Republicans will unite on the big issues. “I think we’re going to get the president’s agenda adopted, look, I think a couple of things are true. One, to the extent that I’ve met my fellow incoming class members in the House and to the extent I’ve talked with current House members, there seems to be a broad sense that everybody knows we’ve got to deliver,” Schmidt, who served as Kansas attorney general for over a decade, said. “We have this trifecta, so-called, that the voters have given us. They’ve trusted us to do what we said we’re going to do, and everybody, even though they may have different perspective disagreements, understands we’ve got to deliver, and that means we’ve got to find ways to hang together.” TOP DOGE SENATOR TO DEMAND LAME-DUCK BIDEN AGENCIES HALT COSTLY TELEWORK TALKS, CITING VOTER MANDATE Schmidt continued, “Number two. What’s different now from, you know, a few times in the past when things have lined up is we have a strong Republican president. President Trump pulled no punches. He was very clear on the campaign trail the direction he wants to take the country, the types of policies that he wants enacted, and the voters approve that, not with just a win in the Electoral College, not with just a win for him in the popular vote, but also with the trifecta to help deliver that so we don’t have to figure out what the agenda is. We have to listen to what the voters said by electing President Trump, what he articulated on the voter’s behalf. And we have to step up, hang together and deliver results.” After winning both the Electoral College and the popular vote, Schmidt told Fox News Digital it is clear that Trump has a “mandate” from the American people and that House Republicans understand that a deadlock in Congress won’t be something the voters are content with. “I think the voters knew what they were choosing, and they made that decision and I also think it’s very important, you know, to keep in line what I believe was the top line message, which is do something, make progress on these issues,” Schmidt said. “If we don’t like as the electorate, if we don’t like what you’ve done, will judge that two years, four years, six years down the road. But do something. This sort of deadlock of accomplishing very little is an unacceptable way to lead the greatest nation on earth. And so I think that sense is pretty widely accepted among at least most of us who are entered into public office, and we’ve got a spirit of let’s get together and act.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital asked Schmidt what he is most looking forward to when serving in Congress, and he outlined his excitement about taking part in what he called the “extraordinary experiment” of American governance. “I don’t I don’t mean to sound like Mr. Smith goes to Washington, but there is a certain element of truth in the idea that each of us who is allowed to represent a group of Americans has an opportunity to be part of this extraordinary experiment in self-government that is still going despite all of its warts and imperfections,” Schmidt said. “A lot of people who came before us paid great price at great personal expense to build this country into what it is today. We have an opportunity, those of us serving, myself included, to be part of rewriting or writing the next chapter in the American
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President Biden signs stopgap funding bill into law, narrowly averting shutdown
The White House has announced that President Biden signed a stopgap funding bill into law on Saturday, extending government funding into March and avoiding a shutdown. The bill includes $100 billion in disaster aid and a one-year farm bill. The Senate worked into early Saturday morning to pass the bill 85-11, just after the deadline following a chaotic week on Capitol Hill. President Biden has not yet publicly commented on the passage of the legislation. “H.R. 10545, the ‘American Relief Act, 2025,’ which provides fiscal year 2025 appropriations to Federal agencies through March 14, 2025, for continuing projects and activities of the Federal Government; provides disaster relief appropriations and economic assistance to farmers; extends the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018; and extends several expiring authorities,” a White House statement reads. This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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