Fox News Politics Newsletter: Supremes Thaw Out Frozen Aid
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Elon Musk PAC thanks Trump for ‘saving the American Dream’ in new million-dollar ad –Dem Rep. Al Green, booted from Trump’s address to Congress, doubles down on impeachment -Conservatives erupt with praise on social media after Trump’s speech to Congress: ‘Run through a wall’ The Supreme Court on Wednesday denied the Trump administration’s request to block a lower court’s order for the administration to pay nearly $2 billion in foreign aid money, delivering a near-term reprieve to international aid groups and contractors seeking payment for previously completed projects. In a 5-4 ruling, the justices said that the Feb. 26 deadline imposed by a lower court for the Trump administration to pay the funds had already expired and directed the case back to the district court to clarify any additional details on payment. “Given that the deadline in the challenged order has now passed, and in light of the ongoing preliminary injunction proceedings, the District Court should clarify what obligations the Government must fulfill to ensure compliance with the temporary restraining order, with due regard for the feasibility of any compliance timelines,” the Court said…Read more ‘WE NEED GREENLAND’: Trump says America would welcome Greenland during joint address to Congress GREEN TO GOLD: Trump touts $5 million ‘gold card’ as new path to citizenship ‘WORST PRESIDENT’: 6 times Trump bashed Biden in address to Congress THUMBS UP: Snap polls reveal how speech watchers reacted to Trump’s address to Congress ‘INAPPROPRIATE’: Trump earns largely positive speech reaction, but ejected Dem’s behavior widely deemed inappropriate: CNN poll ‘MAKING AMERICA HEALTHY’: Trump NIH appointee defends president’s research funding cuts, lays out new vision for future CONFESSED: ISIS-K member confessed to scouting Abbey Gate attack route, training Moscow attackers: affidavit ‘READY TO FIGHT’: China, reacting to Trump tariffs, promises to ‘fight till the end’ in trade war ‘or any other type of war’ ‘FEEL THE PAIN’: Canadian premier threatens to cut off energy to US in response to Trump tariffs: ‘They need to feel the pain’ MONEY TALKS: Columbia battles radical activists, limits entry to former Israeli leader’s visit as Trump weighs pulling $5B ‘THEY ARE AFRAID OF THIS’: After Trump speech, AOC tells Democrats to organize in GOP districts against Medicaid cuts BAD SIGN: ‘Squad’ member delivers real-time whiteboard responses to Trump: ‘No king!’ ‘OLIGARCHIC SOCIETY’: Bernie Sanders seethes US has become ‘oligarchic society’ following Trump speech TRUMP CARD: GOP rebels head to White House for meeting to avoid government shutdown ‘MOST DIVISIVE’: House Minority Leader Jeffries describes Trump’s address to Congress as ‘most divisive’ in American history GRASS IS GREENER: Dueling Al Green censure efforts stir frustrations within GOP as Republicans demand consequences STANDING O: Independents and Republicans went wild for Trump’s declaration that ‘America is back’ WILL HE RUN?: Buttigieg says he’s ‘looking at’ possible Senate run in battleground state ‘TREMENDOUS LOSS’: Texas Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner dead at 70 ‘DEFIANT’: Resolution punishing Al Green circulates House after Dem is thrown out of Trump speech NOT MOVING THE DIAL: Democrats unimpressed by Trump’s gesture to family of young girl killed by illegal migrants ‘SHERLOCK HOLMES’ NOT NEEDED: Inside Elon Musk’s Huddle with GOP senators: Don’t need to be ‘Sherlock Holmes’ to find waste ‘COMPLICATED QUESTION’: Democrats refuse to define ‘woman’ when pressed on Capitol Hill ‘ATROCIOUS’ ALLEGATIONS: Andrew and Tristan Tate face Florida criminal probe days after US homecoming ‘BIG IMPACT’: Red state sheriff credits Trump’s border policies for already helping his small county DC ‘EVOLUTION’: DC Black Lives Matter Plaza to get new look, replace street mural as part of ‘evolution’ Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
DJ Daniel visits Trump in Oval Office following joint address honor: ‘One more thing I’ve got for ya’
DJ Daniel, a 13-year-old brain cancer survivor with a dream of working in law enforcement, visited President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House just hours after warming millions of hearts Tuesday night when he was named an honorary Secret Service member during the president’s joint address to Congress. In a video shared on X, Daniel could be seen standing next to Trump in the Oval Office before saying, “There’s one more thing I got for ya: a big hug.” The president responds, “OK good, that’s very nice,” as they embrace. 13-YEAR-OLD CANCER SURVIVOR EARNS STANDING OVATION AS HE BECOMES SECRET SERVICE AGENT DURING TRUMP SPEECH Trump then shakes Daniel’s father’s hand and asks how he is doing, before adding, “That was a big evening last night, right? That was a big evening.” The Texas boy’s expression during the surprise Tuesday night went viral on social media, along with video of his father holding him up in the air to hug director of the U.S. Secret Service Sean Curran, who presented him with a customized Secret Service badge. SOCIAL MEDIA EXPLODES AFTER DEMS DO NOT STAND FOR 13-YEAR-OLD CANCER SURVIVOR: ‘TRULY SICK PEOPLE’ “I was not expecting it,” Daniel told “Fox & Friends” co-host Steve Doocy on Wednesday. “Nobody even told us [it was going to happen].” Doctors gave him just five months to live after his brain cancer diagnosis in 2018, yet he survived and endured numerous surgeries. During the address, Trump noted Daniel’s father had been on a “quest” to make his son’s dream of becoming a police officer come true, and Daniel had already been sworn in as an honorary member of several local police departments. Daniels later told “Fox & Friends” he hoped the brown cowboy hat he gifted Trump from Texas made it past security. Tuesday night’s honor was not the first heartwarming moment for Daniels caught on camera. Tennessee Highway Patrol shared a flashback video of Daniel being sworn in as an honorary trooper and Nashville Police Department officer in 2022. “From an honorary Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper and @MNPDNashville Police Officer, to the newest honorary Special Agent of the United States @SecretService – Congratulations #DJDaniel,” the agency wrote. Fox News’ Taylor Penley contributed to this report.
House Speaker Mike Johnson’s chief of staff arrested for alleged DUI after Trump’s address to Congress
The chief of staff for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was recently arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated, Fox News can confirm. Hayden Haynes was arrested just before midnight on Tuesday evening for allegedly getting behind the wheel of a vehicle while drunk. The arrest took place around an hour after President Donald Trump‘s joint address to Congress wrapped up. U.S. Capitol Police (USCP), who did not identify the suspect, confirmed the arrest to Fox News. “A driver backed into a parked vehicle last night around 11:40 p.m,” a USCP spokesperson said. “We responded and arrested them for DUI.” HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED DURING PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S 6TH WEEK IN OFFICE Haynes has worked in Johnson’s office since 2017 and became chief of staff in October 2023, according to LegiStorm records. He was Johnson’s campaign manager in 2016. A Louisiana native, Haynes graduated from Louisana Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in 2011, later earning a graduate degree from Gonzaga University in 2014. In a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, Johnson’s office said that the speaker still has “full faith and confidence” in Haynes’ “ability to lead the Speaker’s office.” TRUMP GIVES JOHNSON ‘COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT’ AHEAD OF SPEAKERSHIP FIGHT “The Speaker is aware of the encounter that occurred last night involving his Chief of Staff and the Capitol Police,” the statement read. “The Speaker has known and worked closely with Hayden for nearly a decade and trusted him to serve as his Chief of Staff for his entire tenure in Congress.” “Because of this and Hayden’s esteemed reputation among Members and staff alike, the Speaker has full faith and confidence in Hayden’s ability to lead the Speaker’s office.” Before the arrest took place, Johnson appeared on “Hannity” to praise Trump’s speech and said that Democrats “brought shame on themselves and their party” by disrupting the event. “I’m sure it was received as well at home as it was there by the Republicans and the audience up in the gallery,” Johnson said. “It was really shameful what the Democrats did. I mean, they really it was quite a spectacle. They brought shame on themselves and their party.” “But the American people are following what the president is delivering, and they are appreciating it.”
Vance takes victory lap in border visit as illegal immigrant numbers plummet
Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday took a victory lap as he toured the southern border, hailing a sharp drop in border encounters that he tied directly to the policies of the Trump administration. Vance, alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, toured the border in Eagle Pass, Texas. They met with Texas officials, including Gov. Greg Abbott, participated in an aerial tour of the border and observed a stretch of recently built border wall. In remarks to the press, Vance referenced remarks President Donald Trump made in his speech to the joint session of Congress on Tuesday. VANCE HEADS TO SOUTHERN BORDER AS TRUMP TOUTS SHARP DROP IN CROSSINGS: ‘THEY HEARD MY WORDS’ “It turns out we didn’t need new laws. We didn’t need fancy legislation. We just needed a new President of the United States. And thank God, that’s exactly what we have,” Vance said. The trio also visited a Border Patrol detention facility before participating in a roundtable discussion with local and national participants. “Border security is national security,” Hegseth told Fox News before the trip. He added, “We’re sending those folks home, and we’re not letting more in. And you’re seeing that right now.” Vance pointed to numbers saying that crossings had dropped from 1,500 a day to 30 a day, and an 85% reduction in those dying at the border. TRUMP HONORS LIVES OF LAKEN RILEY, JOCELYN NUNGARAY WHILE CELEBRATING STRIDES ON SECURING BORDER “Every single day that we continue to keep this border safe, that means less migrant crime. That means less fentanyl coming into our communities. That means more safety and security for the people of the United States of America,” he said. “Our mission is very clear. Our objective is to keep the American people safe,” Gabbard said, highlighting the president’s designation of cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Trump, whose campaign centered on cracking down on illegal immigration, had signed executive orders to declare a national emergency at the border and deploy the military. He also ordered the resumption of border wall construction and the end of Biden parole policies. The Pentagon quickly deployed troops and opened up Guantánamo Bay to flights of migrants. The Department of Homeland Security has taken limits off of interior enforcement and expanded the use of expedited removal, while the State Department secured additional cooperation with countries to return migrants. That’s in addition to an interior enforcement campaign that has led to the arrests of thousands of illegal immigrants throughout the country, including in “sanctuary” cities. In February, there were just 8,326 southern border encounters, down from 189,913 in February 2024. The administration has so far removed more than 55,000 illegal immigrants from the U.S. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE A Border Patrol source told Fox News that there were just 271 total encounters for the entire southern border on Tuesday, and just 14 in the Del Rio Sector where Vance is visiting. Trump also pointed to a drop in crossings during his address on Tuesday evening. “Within hours of taking the oath of office, I declared a national emergency on our southern border and I deployed the U.S. military and Border Patrol to repel the invasion of our country. And what a job they’ve done. As a result, illegal border crossings last month were by far the lowest ever recorded, ever,” he said. “They heard my words, and they chose not to come.” Fox News’ Brooke Taylor and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Democrats, protesters gather at DOGE’s ‘ground zero’ to protest spending cuts
FIRST ON FOX: Democratic lawmakers joined protesters outside what they described as “ground zero” for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to oppose recent spending cuts by the newly formed cost-cutting department. Protesters, some of whom say they were laid off from their federal jobs during DOGE cuts, gathered outside the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Tuesday ahead of President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress. Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and representatives Don Beyer, D-Va.; Kweisi Mfume, D-Md.; Glenn Ivey, D-Md.; and Johnny Olszewski Jr., D-Md., attended the protest, and some revealed they would not be attending Trump’s speech later that evening. “This is ground zero. This is where Elon Musk and DOGE have taken up shop,” Olszewski said at the protest. DOGE SLASHES NEARLY $1M FOR ALPACA FARMING IN PERU, OTHER QUESTIONABLE GRANTS IN LATEST WASTEFUL SPENDING CUT “It’s where the fight is really happening,” the congressman added. This is an agency that is supposed to have a workforce that reflects the diversity of our country and is supposed to be based on merit, and we’re not seeing that. In fact, we’re seeing the opposite.” Protesters held signs that said “Evict DOGE from OPM now,” “Federal employees are taxpayers too,” and “We all deserve better.” Mfume, speaking at the event, claimed the cost-cutting initiative was “anti-American.” “Even if you worked for a snake, a snake would tell you we’re getting ready to take your job,” Mfume said, before saying he needed to “calm myself” when talking about Musk. “Every event like this is a small step in the right direction,” Beyer said. DOGE INITIAL FINDINGS ON DEFENSE DEPARTMENT DEI SPENDING COULD SAVE $80M, AGENCY SAYS One attendee, Cecilia, said she was sent an email “overnight” saying she had a few hours to “pack up and leave.” “I worked here. I dedicated over 16 years of federal work in this place, and I was part of an entire department that was dismantled,” the woman said. The White House told Fox News Digital the protests would not deter the administration’s cost-cutting efforts. “Protests will not deter President Trump and Elon Musk from delivering on the promise to establish DOGE and make our federal government more efficient and more accountable to the hardworking American taxpayers across the country,” Harrison Fields, special assistant to the president and principal deputy press secretary, told Fox News Digital in a statement. While some Democrats skipped the president’s joint address in protest of the administration’s actions, Trump used the speech to highlight DOGE’s work to cut costs. “I have created the brand-new Department of Government Efficiency,” Trump said before highlighting areas where “wasteful spending” had been cut. “Under the Trump administration, all of these scams — and there are far worse — but I didn’t think it was appropriate to talk about them,” the president said. “They’re so bad. Many more have been found out and exposed and swiftly terminated by a group of very intelligent, mostly young people headed up by Elon, and we appreciate it. We found hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud.”
Blue state GOP lawmaker goes viral for exposing state’s spending proposals: ‘People were appalled’
Debates over the Golden State’s spending practices continue to make waves nationwide, and one California Republican lawmaker is going viral as a result. Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego, was one of several Republican lawmakers removed or shifted from their committee assignments by the state house speaker last week, but DeMaio believes his removal from the budget committee after only two hearings was deliberate. “You may have removed me from the budget committee, but you will not deter me from getting the truth out to the taxpayers in California about your wasteful spending and your money laundering of taxpayer money to far left-wing political groups,” DeMaio told Fox News Digital in an interview. “We will expose you, and we will allow the public to decide whether that’s what they want to see happen with their money,” he added. LOS ANGELES MAYOR KAREN BASS RECALL EFFORT LAUNCHES A spokesman for Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas’ office told Fox News Digital the speaker “routinely address[es] committee needs throughout the year, and his goal is to always ensure members are in optimal roles to collaborate effectively and deliver for Californians.” According to KCRA, Republicans have retained vice chair roles, and some Democrats were also booted off committees in the process. Democrats have argued that the behavior of some Republicans in hearings is a distraction curated for social media and defeats the purpose of meetings. In recent weeks, DeMaio has gone viral for his questioning of California officials, particularly when it comes to the state’s budget. He prompted an answer from a state budget official revealing that $9.5 billion is being spent on MediCal for illegal immigrants, which is higher than a previous $6 billion projection. “They were embarrassed. It made national news. People were appalled across the state of California so much money is going to illegal immigrants just for healthcare,” DeMaio said. He also suggested the state enlist Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to help improve processes in the state. DeMaio is also making the case that a “COVID-19 workplace outreach” program is being used to back left-leaning groups that do political work outside the scope of its namesake, according to the California Globe. SKYROCKETING HEALTHCARE COSTS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SPARKS BORDER STATE OUTCRY “In 2025, we are actually still spending $25 million in taxpayer money on a COVID-19 workplace education program. Isn’t that so 2020? This is completely unnecessary,” he said. The scrutiny comes amid an ongoing debate about the Golden State’s overall financial health for the upcoming fiscal year as Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office argues his proposal is balanced, while Republicans believe it will run up a deficit. “The budget I present to you today builds on a framework that balanced the books over two years instead of just one — an unprecedented effort to address the budget shortfall we faced. However, work remains to ensure California’s finances remain in order in the years to come,” Newsom said in a statement in January. FEDS BUST MASSIVE ALLEGED GUATEMALAN HUMAN SMUGGLING RING OPERATING OUT OF CALIFORNIA CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Despite the mix of praise and backlash, DeMaio believes it’s important to put a spotlight on the Golden State. “The reason why all Americans should be carefully watching what’s going on in California is that the bad ideas coming to your state actually usually get their start in California,” DeMaio said. “They use California as a petri dish for their far left-wing extremist ideas, and then they export these bad ideas to other states, and they claim that it’s successful out here.”
Resolution punishing Al Green clears Dem blockade, advances to House-wide vote after Trump speech
A resolution to reprimand Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, survived a procedural hurdle late Wednesday afternoon, teeing the measure up for a House-wide vote. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., introduced a censure resolution against the Texas Democrat earlier in the day amid widespread GOP anger at Democrats who protested President Donald Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday. Democrats pushed for a vote to table the resolution, which would have effectively killed it. But it failed to pass, and a vote on the measure itself is expected sometime this week. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP CONCLUDES REMARKS AFTER DECLARING ‘AMERICA’S MOMENTUM IS BACK’ Fox News Digital was told that Newhouse had been in contact with House GOP leadership about his resolution since Trump’s speech ended last night. There had been multiple resolutions circulating among House Republicans to censure Green for interrupting Trump’s speech, but Newhouse’s appears to be the measure with House GOP leaders’ blessing. “I believe it is the first one out of the gate,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA, told reporters on Wednesday morning. “I think [Green’s protest is] unprecedented. Certainly in the modern era. It wasn’t an excited utterance. It was a, you know, planned, prolonged protest.” The 77-year-old Democrat was removed from Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday night after repeatedly disrupting the beginning of the president’s speech. He shouted, “You have no mandate,” at Trump as he touted Republican victories in the House, Senate and White House. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had Green removed by the U.S. Sergeant-At-Arms. TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS Green remained defiant when he stopped to speak with the White House press pool on the first floor of the U.S. Capitol after being thrown out of the second floor House chamber, where Trump was speaking. “I’m willing to suffer whatever punishment is available to me. I didn’t say to anyone, don’t punish me. I’ve said I’ll accept the punishment,” Green said, according to the White House press pool report. “But it’s worth it to let people know that there are some of us who are going to stand up against this president’s desire to cut Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.” In addition to Newhouse’s resolution, Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, has his own measure with more than 30 House GOP co-sponsors. The House Freedom Caucus is backing a third censure resolution being led by Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz.
DOGE says seven grants for trans animal testing canceled, audits expanded: ‘Shady expenditures happening’
The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on Wednesday said several grants for transgender experiments on animals have been canceled, and a pilot program to audit federal agencies with unused credit cards has expanded amid “a lot of shady expenditures happening,” said DOGE leader Elon Musk. The cost-cutting group said the National Institutes of Health (NIH) canceled seven grants, some of which included $532,000 to “use a mouse model to investigate the effects of cross-sex testosterone treatment” and another $33,000 to test “feminizing hormone therapy in the male rat.” DOD TELLS CIVILIAN WORKFORCE TO IGNORE ELON MUSK’S REQUEST TO REPORT PRODUCTIVITY In a statement, the agency said it remains committed to “advancing biomedical research under NIH’s priorities and promoting radical transparency in alignment with the @POTUS agenda.” “Our work is driven by accountability to all Americans as we push forward in science and public health,” it wrote on X. In recent weeks, Republicans have railed against taxpayer funds being used for transgender animal studies. During a Feb. 6 House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing titled: “Transgender Lab Rats and Poisoned Puppies: Oversight of Taxpayer Funded Animal Cruelty,” Justin Goodman of the White Coat Waste Project (WCW) watchdog group said the federal government spent millions on “transgender animal testing.” MUSK TELLS CABINET THAT DOGE EMAIL WAS ‘PULSE CHECK’ FOR WORKERS, WARNS US WILL ‘GO BANKRUPT’ WITHOUT ACTION “In a lot of these cases, they involve mice, rats, monkeys, who are being surgically mutilated and subjected to hormone therapies to mimic female to male or male to female gender transitions, gender-affirming hormone therapies, and then looking at the biological, psychological and physiological effects of the gender transitions, looking at the effects of taking vaccines after you’ve transitioned these animals from male to female or female to male, looking at the size of their genitals changing after you’ve put them on estrogen or testosterone therapies to transition them,” Goodman said at the hearing. In addition to the canceled grants, DOGE said a pilot program to audit federal agencies for unused and unneeded credit cards has expanded to 16 more agencies. After two weeks, 146,000 credit cards were deactivated. “As a reminder, at the start of the audit, there were ~4.6M active cards/accounts, so still more work to do,” a DOGE post on X states. Musk said many of the limits on government-issued credit cards are up to $10,000. “There are still almost twice as many credit/purchasing cards as people in the government, and the limits are $10,000! A lot of shady expenditures happening,” he said.
‘Couldn’t clap for a 13-year-old boy’: GOP slam ‘childish’ Dem silence on supporting cancer survivor
President Donald Trump designated 13-year-old brain cancer survivor DJ Daniel an honorary Secret Service member during his joint address to Congress on Tuesday night. Republican lawmakers said it was “childish” that Democrats refused to stand for the boy. “I think the Democrats really embarrassed themselves. I mean, they wouldn’t even stand up for DJ, who survived cancer. I mean, it’s childish,” Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said. Republicans told Fox News Digital they were “disappointed” with Democrats on Tuesday night for not standing to honor DJ during his big moment. Fox News Digital reached out to 28 Democratic lawmakers but only received two responses. SOCIAL MEDIA EXPLODES AFTER DEMS DO NOT STAND FOR 13-YEAR-OLD CANCER SURVIVOR: ‘TRULY SICK PEOPLE’ “After the Secret Service gave him his [badge] and he sat back down, but then he reached back up and hugged the Secret Service chief, it made me cry. I had tears. I was wiping a freaking tear,” Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., told Fox News Digital over the phone. “I clapped and was touched – not rolling my eyes,” she added. When asked to comment on Democrats not standing for Daniel, Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., told Fox News Digital: “That was a moving story. What Trump left out, of course, is he’s cutting research for cancer, which is pretty, pretty bad.” Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., also broke his silence in a social media post ripping Democrats on Wednesday afternoon. “A sad cavalcade of self owns and unhinged petulance. It only makes Trump look more presidential and restrained. We’re becoming the metaphorical car alarms that nobody pays attention to – and it may not be the winning message,” Fetterman posted on X. DJ DANIEL,13-YEAR-OLD BRAIN CANCER SURVIVOR, THANKS TRUMP FOR SURPRISE HONOR DURING SPEECH TO CONGRESS “I was so disappointed that my Democratic colleagues couldn’t stand and show love for so many of the Americans that were recognized tonight. That was really heartbreaking to me,” Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., said. Britt said it was a “huge misstep by so many of my colleagues” to not honor Americans with “heartbreaking” and “challenging stories.” “You have a little 13-year-old boy with brain cancer who has worked diligently to overcome that. And for him, when his dad lifted him up, for him to look out across that room and not to have everyone in there standing and cheering for him was heartbreaking,” Britt added. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said it was “extraordinary” that Democrats couldn’t stand for the Americans being recognized Tuesday night. “To see my Democrat colleagues refuse to stand for a young boy who is battling cancer, who has the opportunity tonight to be recognized for that, to refuse to stand for police officers. It’s just really extraordinary,” Hawley said. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., said it was “disgusting” and a “total disregard for the American people” that Democrats refused to applaud. “It was disgusting. The behavior was completely out of line with decorum. I think the fact that you had Democrats refusing to applaud for a child with cancer, refusing to applaud for the widow of a slain police officer, refusing to applaud for the mother of a victim of a crime who was murdered by an illegal immigrant – that speaks volumes to not only their depraved inhumanity, but their total disregard for the American people,” Lawler said. More Republicans slammed Democrats’ decorum Tuesday night as “embarrassing” and “disgraceful.” “Honestly, the biggest thing is [it is] super embarrassing for the Democrats. I think they totally disparaged themselves today by just standing there. Couldn’t clap for a 13-year-old boy? Pretty sad,” Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, said. “American people [are] seeing how disgraceful they acted tonight, not even standing for a child who has survived brain cancer, not even standing for the families who have lost loved ones because of the border crisis that they created,” Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, said. Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., said Democrats were being disrespectful to the “presidency of the United States” last night with their protest signs and chants. Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was removed from the House chamber for protesting minutes into Trump’s address. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., used a whiteboard to write real-time reactions to Trump’s speech, including phrases like, “No king!” Republicans said they delivered standing ovations on bipartisan issues during President Joe Biden‘s past State of the Union speeches. “There’s a lot of times they should have stood. We did when Biden was president. Of course, we didn’t stand a whole lot, but when it was a bipartisan issue, we all stood.” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said. “We suffered through four years of Joe Biden. When the first lady came up, we gave her a standing ovation as Joe Biden went through the people he had in the audience honoring them. We stood up and clapped for them. I mean, why wouldn’t somebody stand up and clap for a little 13-year-old boy who’s been through brain cancer, and they deputize him to the Secret Service?” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., added. Republican lawmakers told Fox News Digital they had never seen Democrats be “deliberately disruptive” and “kicked out of the House chamber” during a joint address to Congress. “I’ve been here 14 years. I’ve never seen anybody kicked out of the House chamber during a State of the Union address, nor have I ever seen people refuse to stand or even clap in response to pretty innocuous statements, not just innocuous statements, but statements that Americans overwhelmingly agree with,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said. “It didn’t look very good for America,” he added in reference to Green being removed from the chamber. “I don’t think my Democrat colleagues stood for a single portion of that speech,” Hawley said. “There was some heckling at the beginning, to put it mildly. I’ve never seen anything like that in a joint session of Congress, deliberately disruptive to the point of being, I think, dangerous.” While many Democrats did not stand for DJ on Tuesday night, chants of “DJ!”
Trump NIH appointee defends president’s research funding cuts, lays out new vision for future
President Donald Trump’s pick to be the next Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, spent much of his confirmation hearing Wednesday defending the president’s decision to put a 15% cap on indirect research costs dispersed by the NIH. Bhattacharya, a physician, Stanford professor of medicine and senior fellow at the university’s Institute for Economic Policy Research, would not explicitly say he disagreed with the cuts, or that, if confirmed, he would step in to stop them. Rather, he said he would “follow the law,” while also investigating the impact of the cuts and ensuring every NIH researcher doing work that advances the health outcomes of Americans has the resources necessary to do their work. Bhattacharya also laid out a new, decentralized vision for future research at NIH that he said will be aimed at embracing dissenting ideas and transparency, while focusing on research topics that have the best chance at directly benefiting health outcomes of Americans. Bhattacharya added that he wants to rid the agency’s research portfolio of other “frivolous” efforts, that he says do little to directly benefit health outcomes. MEASLES PREVENTION AND PROTECTION CRITICAL UNDER HHS SECRETARY RFK JR.: CONTRIBUTOR “There’s a lot of distrust about where the money goes because the trust in the public health establishment has collapsed since the pandemic,” Bhattacharya said. “I think transparency regarding indirect costs is absolutely worthwhile. It’s something that universities can fix by working together to make sure that where that money goes is made clear.” Democratic Sens. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Ed Markey of Massachusetts both pressed Bhattacharya specifically about research that looks into health issues that impact minorities — an area Democrats worry could be undermined at the NIH due to Trump’s campaign against the Left’s views on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). “The health needs of minority populations in this country are a vital priority for me … I want to make sure the research that the NIH does addresses those health needs, and I don’t see anything in the president’s orders that contradicts that, in fact, quite to the contrary,” Bhattacharya said. “What I’ve heard from [Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] and from the president is ‘Let’s make America Healthy,’ meaning all Americans.” MULTIMILLION0DOLLAR BIDEN-ERA COVID-19 VAX PROJECT HALTED BY TRUMP’S HHS When Alsobrooks cited a project Bhattacharya worked on related to Alzheimer’s disease, which included mentoring “diverse” professionals, he said that his understanding of that part of the project meant mentoring researchers with a diverse set of ideas, not a diverse set of skin colors. “I think fundamentally what matters is: Do scientists have an idea that advances the scientific field they’re in?” Bhattacharya replied. “Do they have an idea that ends up addressing the health needs of Americans?” Bhattacharya acknowledged that “identifying” health disparities among minority groups is important, but emphasized the need for research that drives meaningful outcomes. Bhattacharya also challenged the premise of a similar line of questioning from Markey, who argued Trump was utilizing ideological flashpoints to “slow” life-saving research. TRUMP ADMIN LAYS OUT WHO EXACTLY WAS CUT AT HHS IN FACE OF ‘DEMOCRAT HYSTERIA’ “I don’t agree with you, senator, that President Trump is opposed to [speeding up research]. In fact, quite the opposite, he is quite in favor of making America healthy,” Bhattacharya told Markey. “I don’t believe that ideology ought to determine whether one gets research or not.” In addition to addressing numerous questions from Democrats about Trump’s funding cuts, Bhattacharya also outlined his plans to reform the NIH’s research portfolio during his Wednesday confirmation hearing. Trump’s NIH nominee said he hopes to focus on cutting-edge research and other “big ideas” as opposed to continuing to put all the federal government’s money into research that doesn’t involve the same ambitious goals. He also briefly spoke about improving the frequency of “validation research” and increasing the number of NIH applications funded for younger investigators. Concerns from Republicans during the hearing included whether Bhattacharya would continue supporting research investigating the link between vaccines and autism, something Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said has been proven over and over again to have no link, and whether he will permit the continued use of aborted fetal tissue in NIH-funded research. SCIENTISTS EXPECT MAJOR ‘MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS’ DESPITE TRUMP’S CAP ON NIH RESEARCH FUNDING Bhattacharya agreed with Cassidy that the linkage between autism and vaccines is clear — there isn’t one. However, he acknowledged that others may disagree with him. In line with his commitment to embracing dissenting ideas and promoting free speech in medical research, he suggested that commissioning studies could help the public gain a clearer understanding that no link exists. On the issue of halting the use of aborted fetal tissue, during Trump’s first term, he banned its use, and Bhattacharya said he would follow the president’s lead on the issue.