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$36 trillion national debt inspires new ‘fiscal responsibility’ group led by Democrat

trillion national debt inspires new ‘fiscal responsibility’ group led by Democrat

FIRST ON FOX: The advocacy group Concord Coalition has tapped former Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux, D-Ga., to lead its new “fiscal responsibility” group aimed at lowering the country’s $36 trillion in national debt.  Concord Action said they will lead a grassroots effort to achieve a “sustainable” national budget. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital ahead of the launch, Bourdeaux, the group’s president and executive director, previewed Concord Action’s plan to pressure Congress to balance the budget.  “We are getting ready to launch Concord Action, which will complement the Concord Coalition and is intended to build on all the grassroots energy out there around the debt and deficit, to try to start moving the needle in Congress to bring fiscal responsibility and fiscal discipline to Washington,” Bourdeaux said.  Bordeaux, who represented Georgia’s 7th Congressional District for one term beginning in 2021, worked on bipartisan legislation to tackle the national budget crisis during her tenure. She was a member of the Blue Dog Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility and Government Reform, a national group that says it’s committed to reducing the federal deficit through bipartisan policy development. TRUMP BUDGET BILL EXTENDING FIRST-TERM TAX CUTS SURVIVES HOUSE VOTE TRUMP’S ‘GOLD CARD’ VISA PLAN A BOON FOR AMERICAN ECONOMY, EXPERT SAYS: ‘MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL’ Georgia had a Republican-led legislature while Bourdeaux led Georgia’s Senate Budget and Evaluation Office from 2007 to 2010. Bourdeaux played an advisory role to the Georgia State Senate in balancing the budget during the 2008 economic downturn. “I was director of Georgia’s Senate Budget and Evaluation Office during the Great Recession,” Bourdeaux said. “I helped Georgia balance its budget during the worst fiscal crisis in modern memory. One message coming out of that is it can be done. I was working largely with the Republican leadership to balance the budget. But when we did that, those budgets passed by broad and bipartisan majorities. So this can be done through our regular democratic processes. I want to bring that sensibility to what we’re working on here in Concord.” Bordeaux said to expect a digital campaign with a newsletter to get the public involved in Concord Action’s grassroots efforts. There will also be a town hall element to build energy on the ground.  A 2024 Fox News Voter Analysis found the economy was the top issue for Americans, with 4 in 10 voters saying inflation was the most important factor in their vote. Voters had a negative view of the economy, with almost two-thirds rating the economy as not good, 40%, or downright poor, 24%.  As the country approaches another government shutdown deadline and Congress begins budget negotiations for fiscal 2026, Bordeaux said it’s a necessary time to launch Concord Action.  “I think the issue of the debt and deficit is particularly salient to everyone,” Bordeaux said. “We’ve obviously just been through inflation. We’ve seen interest rates rise. So it really is top of mind for lots of Americans right now.” Concord Action said they will pressure Congress to stop adding to the federal debt and create a “sustainable budget” through “fiscal responsibility.” “We just experienced some pretty serious inflation, and it was driven in part by the deficit in the growing debt,” Bordeaux said.  “We are $36 trillion in debt right now just based on our current trajectory. The Congressional Budget Office thinks we will add another $25 trillion to that,” she said. “We are spending more on just the interest on debt than we spend on national defense, more than we even spend on Medicare. It’s really starting to put a lot of pressure on a lot of big priorities that we have for this country. It is extremely important that we address this now.”

Riley Gaines, DOGE, Silk Road: Who’s in the audience for Trump speech to Congress?

Riley Gaines, DOGE, Silk Road: Who’s in the audience for Trump speech to Congress?

Former NCAA athlete Riley Gaines, Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, and a state-level DOGE official are just some of the faces Americans will get a glimpse of inside the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday night. Members of Congress spoke with Fox News Digital about their guests for President Donald Trump’s first address to a joint session of Congress for his second term. Rep. Marianette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, said she invited Gaines after they both attended a White House event where Trump signed an executive order aimed at limiting transgender athletes’ participation in school sports. Girls’ sports was a top issue for Miller-Meeks during her close House race in 2024. Meanwhile, a spokesman for Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., told Fox News Digital he would be bringing Ross Ulbricht, founder of the darkweb platform Silk Road. TUNE IN: LIVE COVERAGE OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TUESDAY NIGHT ON FOX NEWS His operation of the site, which was known for facilitating the trafficking of firearms and narcotics, saw him get arrested by the FBI and hit with a sentence of double life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.  Ulbricht was pardoned by Trump, who called him a victim of a weaponized government. In another nod to the Trump administration’s work so far, Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, is attending the speech with the chair of her home state’s own DOGE task force. Emily Schmitt, who works as chief administrative officer and general counsel for Sukup grain manufacturing company, was appointed to the role by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds following Trump’s own Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts, led by Elon Musk. Hinson herself is a member of the House DOGE Caucus. Among the guests of House GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., are U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame honorees Buzz Schneider and Rob McClanahan. The Minnesota natives were part of the Gold Medal-winning 1980 U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team. TRUMP’S UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF EXECUTIVE ACTION Their victory over the Soviet Union that year inspired the sports film, “Miracle on Ice.” Guests invited by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Main Street Caucus Chairman Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., were a nod to Republicans’ backing of law enforcement, Fox News Digital learned. Roy’s guest is Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Lt. Chris Olivarez. Johnson is bringing Meade County Sheriff Pat West, who solved a sex trafficking case involving a 13-year-old girl who was abducted by a 33-year-old male sex offender, the congressman’s office said. The border also remains a top issue for Republicans, which Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, is reflecting by inviting the father of Sarah Root, an Iowa native who was killed by an illegal immigrant. A provision known as “Sarah’s Law” made it into the Laken Riley Act, the first bill Trump signed when he returned to office. On the other side of the aisle, Democrats are using their guest tickets to message against Trump’s policies. TOP WILDEST MOMENTS FROM PRESIDENTIAL SPEECHES TO CONGRESS Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Mark Warner of Virginia, and Rep. April McClain Delaney of Maryland, are bringing former federal workers who lost their jobs during Trump and Musk’s DOGE housecleaning efforts. Warner’s office told Fox News Digital the senator was “bringing a laid-off park ranger from the Fredericksburg national battlefield.”  “She is a cancer survivor who now has no health insurance,” Warner’s office said of his guest. Not all Democrats are following suit, however. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia is attending with Al Lipphardt, commander in chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), from Stone Mountain.

Political strategists lay out how Trump should kick off his 4-year term

Political strategists lay out how Trump should kick off his 4-year term

President Donald Trump will make the first address of his second term to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. His first six weeks were dominated by ongoing executive actions, redefining international relations and government efficiency efforts. Political strategists shared with Fox News Digital what to expect from Trump’s big speech.  Republican strategists say Trump should tell the story of his first six weeks, drawing contrast with former President Joe Biden’s administration. Meanwhile, Democrats are focused on what they say is Trump’s failure to lower prices.  Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., is tasked with the party’s rebuttal.  “Trump is going to contrast himself with the previous administration. The previous administration was weak and directionless. No one knew who was in charge. No one really understood what the Biden administration stood for. There couldn’t be a more dramatic change from Biden to Trump,” political columnist Kristin Tate said.  Republicans say Trump should highlight the themes of his first six weeks and explain how his executive actions reflect his greater vision for the country.  HOW TO WATCH AND WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT TRUMP’S TUESDAY ADDRESS TO A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS “He needs to tell a story. He needs to weave in all the things he’s done, all this progress over the last month into a story and a theme and tell it,” Republican strategist Matt Gorman said. “He did it really well during his inauguration. It’s a status update. I think it’s really important that he weaves all of these actions and all the things he’s done into one big story about what it means for us as Americans but also what it means for his vision for the next three and four years.” FOUNDER OF CATHOLIC MINISTRY WORD ON FIRE TO ATTEND TRUMP ADDRESS TO CONGRESS Republican strategists told Fox News Digital that Trump should tell Americans how he has already delivered on key campaign promises, including slowing illegal border crossings, reversing Biden’s green energy policies, his “de-weaponization” of the Justice Department and his work to eliminate DEI. “I expect, and he will, take a victory lap on some of those items because it represents promises made, promises kept. But then he needs to cast the forward-facing vision: Where do we go from here? What are the big-ticket legislative items? How do we get past this legislative debate over one big bill or two separate initiatives and focus on what those bills contain, because time is fleeting,” said Republican strategist Colin Reed. Reed said Trump should focus on “the legislative priorities and go beyond just the executive orders.” And as leaders grapple with the fallout of Trump’s heated meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, Reed said Trump could reset the narrative on Tuesday night.  “For everything that’s happened over the last few days on foreign policy, I think it’s an opportunity for him to reset the narrative on what he wants to do domestically,” Reed said. “The events of Friday are going to obviously cast a shadow over tomorrow. But look, President Trump is in many ways dealing with the leftover mess [of] his predecessor on the global front. In his mind, the issues he’s facing, the challenges that happened in Ukraine would not have happened on his watch. He still has the residue of the Biden administration to deal with. That’s going to be an overarching narrative for the foreseeable future,” Reed added. TUNE IN: LIVE COVERAGE OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TUESDAY NIGHT ON FOX NEWS To contrast Trump’s speech, the Democratic National Committee argues that Trump is failing to deliver on his campaign promise to lower costs and boost the economy. DNC Chair Ken Martin has been traveling the country leading up to Tuesday night, telling Americans about the chaos Trump and Elon Musk are creating throughout the U.S.  During Trump’s fifth address to a joint session of Congress, Democrats and Republicans agreed that he is unlikely to invite new Americans into the fold.  “He’s president for everyone, but I don’t expect Democrats to suddenly have a change of heart. They’re trying to figure out less what they think about Trump and more what they’re going to do about him. And they don’t have an answer for the latter at all. They’re very much in an era of confusion right now in their party, trying to figure out what they stand for and how they’re going to adjust to actually get a majority of voters, again, just to support them,” Gorman added.  Brad Bannon, president of Bannon Communications Research, said Trump has done very little in his first few weeks to appeal to anyone beyond his “base MAGA vote.” “I don’t see any sign that he’s trying to appeal to anybody who didn’t vote for him last year,” Bannon said. “He has control of Congress, a compliant Supreme Court. It seems to me everything he’s done … has been to appeal to the people who already support him, and he’s not making any effort to reach out. I would be very surprised if he does Tuesday night.” Tate, however, urged Trump to extend an olive branch to moderate Democrats during his speech. “I even believe that he is going to reach out across the aisle and throw some compliments to some of the more moderate Democrats. He really needs to do this. Sen. [John] Fetterman from Pennsylvania would be a great first choice to highlight as a Democrat who is not blinded by hateful partisanship but is rather looking to find common ground to help everyday Americans,” she said. “Trump has a lot to be proud of, and rest assured he will shine a light on all of those grand achievements which have taken place in such a short period of time, and he is going to paint a grand vision for the future of America, including not just what America represents, but what it can be at its finest,” Tate continued.  Trump has the headlining speech Tuesday night, but Democrats also have an opportunity

Trump report card: Conservative and liberal analysts reveal their grades for president on top issues

Trump report card: Conservative and liberal analysts reveal their grades for president on top issues

Fox News Digital spoke to two political analysts on where President Trump stands grade wise with the American public on some of the top issues heading into his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.  Rob Bluey, president and executive editor of the Daily Signal, and Julian Epstein, longtime Democratic operative, attorney, and former chief counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, gave Trump grades of A-F on some of the top issues he is expected to touch on in his speech.  Immigration:  BLUEY: A “Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and border czar Tom Homan are among the most visible members of the Trump administration,” Bluey told Fox News Digital.  FOUNDER OF CATHOLIC MINISTRY WORD ON FIRE TO ATTEND TRUMP ADDRESS TO CONGRESS “Their work is paying off. Customs and Border Protection is encountering a record-low number of illegal aliens at the southern border. Thanks to combination of increased enforcement and the threat of deportation, President Trump is delivering on his promise to end illegal immigration. He’ll need more resources from Congress to finish the job and finally secure the border.” EPSTEIN: A  “Promises made, promises kept, the public is strongly behind him on this, and Democracies don’t survive too long under the Biden open borders approach,” Epstein said.  Foreign Policy:  BLUEY: B “President Trump promised to end the war between Russia and Ukraine in 24 hours. That’s proving to be more difficult, mostly because of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s unrealistic demands,” Bluey said. “After Friday’s blowup in the Oval Office, it’s unclear when peace talks will resume. In the Middle East, Trump is hoping to replicate the success of the Abraham Accords negotiated during his first term. Trump set the tone with his ultimatum for Hamas to release hostages, although there are approximately 59 still in captivity. With the first phase of the ceasefire coming to an end, it’ll take more U.S. diplomacy to get a deal done.” EPSTEIN: B “The Zelenskyy Presser meltdown didn’t make anyone look good on the global stage, Epstein said. “Rule #1: get your act together before you go public. And where are our hostages in Gaza?  On the other hand, Trump is playing three-dimensional chess in each theater, where Biden was playing checkers and never made much meaningful progress.” Culture wars (DEI, trans issue): Bluey: A+ “Using his executive powers, President Trump ordered an end to DEI throughout the federal government—and exposed its deep roots across the bureaucracy,” Bluey told Fox News Digital. “By eliminating DEI jobs, he’s ensuring that taxpayers no longer subsidize this Marxist idea. He also signed an executive order banning men from women’s sports, an iconic moment with young athletes cheering him on. His confrontation with Maine Gov. Janet Mills over the issue shows he’s serious about enforcing it.” Epstein: A  “The American people never wanted the cultural revolution that the far left was trying to impose on race and gender, the president will have a super majority of public support on this,” Epstein said.  TRUMP SET TO CONTINUE UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF ACTIONS, ADDRESS CONGRESS IN 7TH WEEK BACK IN OFFICE DOGE:  Bluey: A “Elon Musk and the DOGE team are on the hunt to save taxpayers $1 trillion, which would cut the budget deficit in half,” Bluey told Fox News Digital. “They’ve already found $65 billion and showcased the results on a public website. But that represents just 6.5% of Musk’s goal, revealing what a daunting task it will be. Fortunately, there’s finally someone in Washington with the guts to cut spending and bring accountability to federal agencies. Musk shows no signs of slowing down, buoyed by recent polls showing support for spending reductions.” Epstein: B+  “Trump, must, will have public support to rid the bureaucracy of all its flab, self dealing and cultural revolutionary ideology,” Epstein said. “But they’re acting like they are in a breathless race against father time on this, when in fact they have time to make sure they don’t cut off important things like cancer research.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Economy: Bluey: B “President Trump acknowledged that inflation will be hard to tame, placing the blame on his predecessor,” Bluey explained. “It’s true that the Biden administration’s spending spree got us into this mess. And it doesn’t help that Trump is also facing a bird flu outbreak causing a spike in egg prices. Voters, however, expect Trump to deliver on his promise to help with the cost of living. His efforts to reduce regulatory burdens and provide tax relief are important steps. He’ll need to keep a watchful eye on Americans’ views of their personal finances to measure his success.” Epstein: B “Biden made a lot of mistakes and did a lot of dumb things, probably the dumbest was back shelving inflation,” Epstein said. “For all of the whirlwind, we’ve seen very little in the way of Trump tackling inflation in the first month. This has to change.” TUNE IN: LIVE COVERAGE OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TUESDAY NIGHT ON FOX NEWS Trump will address Congress on Tuesday night in a speech expected to tout his accomplishments to date while previewing his agenda in the months and years ahead.

Trump to deliver first address of his second term to joint session of Congress

Trump to deliver first address of his second term to joint session of Congress

President Donald Trump is set to address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night for the first time in his second term and is expected to deliver a speech to outline his plans for the nation under the theme of “The Renewal of the American Dream.”  The president is scheduled to speak before all members of Congress on Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST.  THEME OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS REVEALED The speech is not officially called the “State of the Union” because Trump has not been in office for a full year, though it operates in a similar fashion. The yearly presidential address is intended to showcase the administration’s achievements and policies.  The president has been working at a breakneck pace to align the federal government with his “Make America Great Again” policies. The president took more than 200 executive actions on his first day in office on Jan. 20 and has not slowed the pace since.  White House officials exclusively told Fox News Digital that the speech, themed “The Renewal of the American Dream,” will feature four main sections: accomplishments from Trump’s second term thus far at home and abroad; what the Trump administration has done for the economy; the president’s renewed push for Congress to pass additional funding for border security; and the president’s plans for peace around the globe. Trump’s joint address “will be must-see TV,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital.  TRUMP SET TO CONTINUE UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF ACTIONS, ADDRESS CONGRESS IN 7TH WEEK BACK IN OFFICE “President Trump has accomplished more in one month than any president in four years, and the renewal of the American Dream is well underway,” Leavitt said. “In his joint address to Congress, President Trump will celebrate his extraordinarily successful first month in office while outlining his bold, ambitious and commonsense vision for the future.” The president will review his administration’s “accomplishments from his extraordinarily successful first month in office, both here at home and abroad,” White House officials told Fox News Digital. Officials said the president will also discuss what his administration has done and continues to do to “fix the economic mess created by the Biden administration and end inflation for all Americans.” The president is expected to highlight the more than $1.7 trillion in investments made since he took the oath of office to bring manufacturing back to the United States, including increases in energy production, investments in the private sector on AI and more.  Also in the address, the president will push Congress to pass more border security funding to fund deportations and the continued construction of the border wall along the U.S. southern border.  On foreign policy, the president is expected to outline his plans “to restore peace around the world.” A White House official told Fox News Digital that he will lay out his plans to end the war in Ukraine. He will also focus on the work of his administration to ensure the release of all hostages from Gaza. The president posted on his Truth Social account on Monday morning teasing his address, saying, “Tomorrow night will be big. I will tell it like it is!”  When asked for comment on the president’s post, a White House official told Fox News Digital, “As always, President Trump will keep it real and speak the truth.” Fox News Channel, Fox News Digital and Fox News Go will have live coverage of the event Tuesday evening. Fox News Channel will also preview the speech during its prime-time and afternoon programming.