FIRST ON FOX: Freshman GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno is introducing a bill that would declare English as the official language of the United States.

The bill, named the English Language Unity Act of 2025, would "declare English as the official language of the United States" and "establish a uniform English language rule for naturalization, and to avoid misconstructions of the English language texts of the laws of the United States."

Variations of the bill have been put forward in the past, including in 2023 from then Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who said at the time that English "has been a cornerstone of American culture for over 250 years" and that it "is far past time for Congress to codify its place into law, which is exactly what this bill does."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Moreno, who was born in Colombia, said, "JD Vance was right – English is the official language of the United States and, as one of the only naturalized citizens serving in the Senate, I should know."

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"The proudest moment of my life was when I became an American citizen at 18, a process that showed me just how foundational the English language is to the American way of life. It’s long past time we enshrine this simple fact into law."

While English is the most commonly spoken language in the United States, the country is one of a handful that do not have a national language. 

SENATE REPUBLICANS INTRODUCE BILL TO REFORM BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, FOLLOWING TRUMP’S CONTROVERSIAL ORDER

Polling conducted by Rasmussen in 2021 showed that 73% of American adults believe that English should be the official language of the United States.

While critics of the effort have called it xenophobic and claim it demeans non-English speakers, former GOP Congressman Bob Good, who introduced similar legislation in the House when he served in Congress, argued the legislation is necessary. 

"In the melting pot of the United States of America, our common English language promotes unity and fosters cultural integration," Good said in 2023.

"The English Language Unity Act is a common-sense measure that will strengthen America… It is also in the best interests of our legal immigrants, as proficiency in English helps them assimilate into our culture, succeed in the workplace, and reach their greatest potential."

On Monday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) claimed during MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show" that only Congress can shut down agencies, not President Donald Trump or Elon Musk.

The post Warren: ‘Only Congress’ Can Shut Agencies Down, Not Trump or Musk appeared first on Breitbart.

House Republicans are racing to get ahead of their Senate counterparts on plans to pass sweeping conservative policy legislation and advance President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Plans to take the first step in the budget reconciliation process this week were scuttled in the House, with fiscal hawks pushing GOP leaders to raise their proposed floor for spending cuts after balking at an initial rough proposal presented last month at the House Republican issues retreat in Miami.

Meanwhile, the Senate is moving full steam ahead with their own plan to advance a budget resolution on Wednesday and Thursday. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., unveiled the upper chamber’s plan on Friday.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters that same day that he was hopeful the House Budget Committee would take up the lower chamber’s resolution on Tuesday.

SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN

"We’ve got a few more people we’ve got to talk with and a couple of more boxes to check, but we are almost there," Johnson said. "The expectation is that we will be marking up a budget next week, potentially as early as Tuesday, the resolution. That will, of course, begin the process and unlock the whole reconciliation process, which I think we can wrap up in a short amount of time."

Two House GOP lawmakers told Fox News Digital on Friday that the plan would call for a minimum of $2 trillion to $2.5 trillion in spending cuts over a period of 10 years.

Republicans plan to use their majorities in the House and Senate to pass a wide swath of Trump policy initiatives, from extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to funneling more cash to operations at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The budget reconciliation process makes that possible by lowering the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to a simple 51-seat majority. Because the House already operates on a simple majority threshold, it will allow Republicans to skirt Democratic opposition to pass their agenda — provided the measures included involve budgetary or other fiscal matters, as reconciliation rules call for.

A group of House Republicans, including Johnson, were at the White House on Thursday to discuss the process.

Trump told lawmakers he wanted the reconciliation plans to include eliminating taxes on tipped and overtime wages, no taxes on seniors, and no taxes on Social Security payments.

While they agree on the overall policies that need to pass via the reconciliation process, House and Senate Republicans differ in their preferred approach.

House Republicans are aiming to put all of Trump’s priorities on taxes, border security, energy, and defense into one large bill — complete with deep spending cuts to offset the new funding.

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The Senate plan, meanwhile, would split the process into two bills. The first, unveiled by Graham on Friday, includes Trump’s border, energy and defense policies. A second bill would deal with taxes.

But House GOP leaders are concerned that the intense political maneuvering the process takes will mean they run out of time before passing a second bill with Trump's tax cuts at the end of this year.

A Ways & Means Committee memo sent earlier this year projected the average American household could see taxes rise by over 20% if those provisions expire at the end of 2025.

Trump himself has repeatedly called for "one big, beautiful bill," but said he ultimately was not concerned about the packaging as long as all of his priorities were passed.

Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., referred to Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del. — who identifies as a transgender woman — as "Mr. McBride."

"The chair recognizes the gentleman from Delaware, Mr. McBride, for five minutes," Miller said in the House chamber on Thursday.

"Thank you, Madam Speaker," McBride replied, before proceeding to deliver a speech.

While McBride did not respond to Miller's comment, when Miller next recognized Rep. Nanette Barragán, D- Calif., to deliver a speech, Barragán began by saying, "Thank you, Mr. Speaker."

TRANSGENDER CONGRESS MEMBER ‘MYSTIFIED’ THAT GOP ‘PRIORITIZES’ TRANS ATHLETE BANS IN GIRLS SPORTS

Fox News Digital reached out to McBride's office to request a comment from the lawmaker on Friday — a spokesperson pointed to McBride's full floor speech, which is featured in a post on the @Rep_McBride X account. 

"This morning, I delivered my first speech on the floor of the house," the Feb. 6 tweet begins.

During the speech, the Democrat declared, "Piece by piece, department by department, the Trump administration is defunding critical federal services, purging employees, consolidating power, and cutting and gutting programs that Delawareans rely on. They are trying to decimate the federal government and sell it for parts to line the pockets of donors at the expense of working people."

SPEAKER JOHNSON MAKES CLARIFICATION AFTER STATEMENT REGARDING TRANSGENDER HOUSE MEMBER

"They do not want to make government more efficient. They want to prove that government can't work, by making it not work," McBride asserted.

Miller, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, declared in a post on X that she had "refused to deny biological reality" on the chamber floor.

FIRST OPENLY TRANS REP-ELECT CLAIMS GOP SPOTLIGHTING TRANSGENDER ISSUES AN ‘ATTEMPT TO DISTRACT’ VOTERS

"President Trump restored biological truth in the federal government, and I refuse to perpetuate the lie that gender is open to our interpretation. It is not," the Republican added.

Ask many of Congress' frequent fliers, and they'll tell you Ronald Reagan National Airport has sent up red flags for years. 

"I've long been very, very nervous about congestion at Reagan National," said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.

"The congestion of the airspace around Reagan and D.C. as a whole definitely played a part in this," said Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., a former firefighting pilot. "The sheer number of aircraft in the air is as high as it's ever been."

"A lot of aircraft transit up and down the Potomac," said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a former Navy combat pilot and astronaut. "Getting in and out of certain areas. The Pentagon. Other military installations. Reagan right there in that highly trafficked area."

"Whenever I'm at Reagan and I see new gates being built, the terminal getting larger, I realize that there will never be another inch of runway. The skies are pretty congested," said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. "I often think there's too much activity for this small plot of land. And I'm sure there'll be a reevaluation of all of that."

REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT CRASH: MILITARY BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER COLLIDES MIDAIR WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES JET

The nation’s worst air disaster in nearly a quarter-century spilled into the Potomac River just short of Washington’s Reagan National Airport on Wednesday night. Sixty-seven people died after American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kan., collided with an Army Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter feet from the runway.

Aviation experts say flying in and out of Reagan National is one of the most complicated airports in the country. The approach from both the north and south is over water. Pilots must navigate a narrow corridor above the river – but not fly over the nearby Pentagon. That’s to say nothing of piercing Washington, D.C.’s super-protective airspace. The White House and U.S. Capitol are clearly visible when planes take off to the north.

Moreover, the airport is known for notoriously short runways. The runway on which the American Eagle flight attempted to land stretches a little more than 5,200 feet. Slightly less than a mile in length.

That’s not even the main runway. Standard commercial runways average around 13,000 feet. The longest runway at Reagan National is about 7,000 feet. Plus, all three runways cross one another. Such a configuration is rarely seen at modern airports.

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Last spring, there were two incidents where planes nearly crashed into one another while crossing runways.

The runways are some of the most overused in the entire American flight system. The airport was designed to handle 14 million passengers annually. But that number spiked to 25 million in 2023. The airport accommodates a staggering 800 takeoffs and landings each day.

There were efforts to close Reagan National when Dulles International Airport opened in 1962. Dulles is a monstrosity of a campus. However, it resides nearly 30 miles from Washington, D.C., proper. The nation’s movers and shakers never gravitated to Dulles when it was so easy to fly into Reagan National, deplane, catch a cab and arrive at the State Department for a meeting 15 minutes later.

Lawmakers, aviation, national security officials and the Secret Service conducted serious conversations about permanently closing the airport after 9/11. It was thought that air traffic in and out of Reagan National posed too much of a risk to the seat of government. It wouldn’t take much for hijackers to commandeer an aircraft and reroute it to Capitol Hill.

After all, one plane crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11. The fourth plane – which went down in a field near Shanksville, Penn. – was ultimately bound for the Capitol.

DC PLANE CRASH: POTOMAC RIVER DIVERS' SEARCH FOR BODIES COMPLICATED BY CONDITIONS OUT OF THEIR CONTROL

That said, advocates for maintaining Reagan National argued it was nearly impossible to hijack a plane taking off and immediately send it barreling toward the Capitol. It takes a while to engineer a hijacking. There was simply not enough time to execute such a plan seconds after takeoff.

Still, authorities shuttered Reagan National for more than three weeks following 9/11. New safety rules were in place once the airport re-opened. Planes couldn’t have more than 156 seats. All passengers were required to be seated a half-hour before landing. Air marshals patrolled most if not all flights in and out of the airport.

The feds loosened many of those restrictions anywhere from a few months to nearly four years after 9/11. But that didn’t diminish questions about the safety of this particular airport.

VICTIMS IDENTIFIED IN DC PLANE CRASH INVOLVING AMERICAN AIRLINES JET AND MILITARY HELICOPTER

However, proponents of maintaining Reagan National had some of the most powerful allies in the nation: Members of Congress.

Lawmakers keep insane schedules. In fact, the invention of the jet airplane contributed to such bedlam. Lawmakers are in high demand in their districts or states – and on Capitol Hill. That’s to say nothing of conferences in Aspen or Halifax – and glitzy fundraisers in New York or San Francisco. So air travel, coupled with access to a nearby airport, is paramount in the modern Congress.

The importance of aviation is even incorporated into the Congressional vernacular.

Mondays or Tuesdays are often deemed "fly-in" days. The House and Senate don’t truly get going until late in the day during the first day of the week. Thus, votes on Monday might not unfold until 5:30 pm et in the Senate and 6:30 in the House. Depending on if the House (and sometimes the Senate) convenes on a Monday or Tuesday, Thursdays and Friday are considered "getaway" days. The House might cut town by late morning or noon on a getaway day. If the Senate doesn’t toil for five days (which has happened a lot this year, but not this week), the last vote often hits around 2:15 or 2:30 pm. on a Thursday.

Thus, lawmakers have a vested interest in keeping Reagan National operational. Even after 9/11.

Congress reauthorized programs for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for five years in 2024. But one of the most contentious issues in the bill was whether Congress should authorize additional daily "slots" for Reagan National. New, regular flights commence in a few weeks to Las Vegas, San Diego, Seattle, San Antonio and San Francisco. Lawmakers have blessed an increase of about 50 additional daily "slots" at Reagan National since the turn of the century.

It’s telling that only four senators opposed the FAA bill last year. All four were the local Washington, D.C., area senators: former Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., – who just retired – along with Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Mark Warner, D-Va., and Kaine.

The Senate confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on a bipartisan vote Tuesday. Duffy faced a crisis by Wednesday night. By Friday, the new secretary tightened up airspace around Reagan National for helicopters.

But like everything in Washington, the key to Reagan National is all about access. It’s hard to find any major airport on the planet located so close to the levers of power.

And as long as the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, a myriad of federal agencies and lobbying shops exist in Washington, it’s doubtful that Reagan National is going anywhere.

Fox News' Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., whose vote cemented Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's confirmation last month, opened up about the effort to corroborate last-minute allegations against President Donald Trump's nominee.

"Anytime you have an allegation and somebody is willing to put it in sworn testimony, you owe it to the process to review it and not just dispose it out of hand," the North Carolina Republican told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

"And that's exactly what I did. And then I arrived at the conclusion that I'd support Pete's nomination"

DEMS DISMISS CALLS FOR APOLOGY AFTER JEFFRIES VOWS 'FIGHT' AGAINST TRUMP AGENDA 'IN THE STREETS'

Hegseth was confirmed after a tie-breaking vote from Vice President JD Vance, making the final margin 51-50. 

Three Republicans — senators Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voted against Hegseth.

Given the Republican conference's 53-seat majority, nominees can only afford to lose three votes, assuming all Democrats are opposed and each senator is in attendance. 

ELIZABETH WARREN GRILLED RFK JR. ON DRUG COMPANY MONEY, BUT RECEIVED OVER $5M FROM HEALTH INDUSTRY

Tillis' decision on whether to back Hegseth was not disclosed until minutes before he cast his vote. If he became the fourth Republican to oppose Hegseth, the confirmation would have failed. 

The senator asked Hegseth several additional questions after the new allegations surfaced and the hours until his confirmation vote wound down. 

The nominee's response letter, which proved to be to Tillis' satisfaction, was shared on X by Hegseth during the vote. 

Speaking on the subject with Fox News Digital, the senator explained he had "developed a reputation for completing due diligence" and that he takes his role seriously. 

According to Tillis, he agreed to speak with Hegseth's former sister-in-law, Danielle, before she filed a sworn affidavit alleging that he made his ex-wife Samantha fear for her safety, in addition to claims of alcohol abuse.

'OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC': BIPARTISAN SENATORS TARGET FENTANYL CLASSIFICATION AS LAPSE APPROACHES

Danielle is not the sister of Hegseth's ex-wife. She is the former wife of his brother. 

The call between the senator and Danielle was about "what conceptually would be in the affidavit," Tillis said.

"And I said, 'If that's true, and it could be corroborated, then it would carry weight,'" Tillis recalled. 

However, he said the lack of corroboration left the allegations without credibility. 

"I could never speak directly to a person who could corroborate the testimony of one person," he said. 

After Hegseth's confirmation, it was reported that sources said Tillis had "personally assured" Danielle that if she provided the affidavit, it would be significant and might persuade Republicans to oppose the defense secretary nominee, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

Asked about the report, Tillis emphasized that he gave the caveat that it must be corroborated in his conversation with Danielle. 

"Corroboration means at least two people have to be involved, and they have to be involved in the event, not a bystander. And I was unable to. I attempted to do it, but I was unable to get to that point. And, therefore, I had to make the same judgment that I did with the other allegations," he explained. 

TENSION BUILDS AROUND TULSI GABBARD’S CONFIRMATION WITH KEY GOP SENATORS UNDECIDED

Tillis wouldn't divulge whether Danielle or her attorney suggested she had been a witness to the alleged events. 

"I'm not going to get into those discussions because I do know that my conversation was leaked a couple of hours after I had it on Sunday. Clearly, I would have no reason to do it. But I don't leak private conversations. I don't even discuss them at any level of detail," he said.

Multiple requests for comment to Danielle's attorney, Leita Walker, from Fox News Digital went unanswered. 

Congressional Democrats are dismissing the White House's demand for an apology after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., urged people to "fight" President Donald Trump's agenda "in the streets."

"Right now, we're going to keep focus on the need to look out for everyday New Yorkers and everyday Americans who are under assault by an extreme MAGA Republican agenda that is trying to cut taxes for billionaires, donors, and wealthy corporations and then stick New Yorkers and working class Americans across the country with the bill," the Democrat said during a press conference. 

"That's not acceptable. We are going to fight it legislatively. We are going to fight it in the courts. We're going to fight it in the streets," he continued. 

ELIZABETH WARREN GRILLED RFK JR ON DRUG COMPANY MONEY, BUT RECEIVED OVER $5M FROM HEALTH INDUSTRY

A spokesperson for Jeffries, Christie Stephenson, told Fox News Digital, "The notion that Leader Jeffries supports violence is laughable. Republicans are the party that pardons violent felons who assault police officers. Democrats are the party of John Lewis and the right to petition the government peacefully."

She also referred to the comments as promoting "nonviolent protest" on X.

'OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC': BIPARTISAN SENATORS TARGET FENTANYL CLASSIFICATION AS LAPSE APPROACHES

"You should really get a quote from one of the violent criminals President Trump just let on the streets. Or the one who immediately got picked up on child pornography charges," a spokesperson for House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., told Fox News Digital.

The lawmakers were likely referencing Trump's recent move to pardon nearly all defendants with charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital.

TENSION BUILDS AROUND TULSI GABBARD’S CONFIRMATION WITH KEY GOP SENATORS UNDECIDED

Jeffries' remark was quickly shared by the Trump White House's rapid response team Friday on X before Republicans began calling for an apology. 

A senior White House official told Fox News Digital, "Hakeem Jeffries must apologize for this disgraceful call to violence."

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., also demanded an apology, writing on X, "House Minority Leader [Jeffries] should promptly apologize for his use of inflammatory and extreme rhetoric.

"President Trump and the Republicans are focused on uniting the country; Jeffries needs to stop trying to divide it."

SCOOP: KEY GOP SENATOR WHO HESITATED ON PETE HEGSETH PUSHES KASH PATEL FOR FBI

Senate Republican Conference Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., told Fox News Digital in a statement, "The Democratic Leader’s comments are deranged but not unexpected. Senate Republicans are fighting to make America safer and more prosperous while the Democrats remain obsessed with protecting criminal illegal aliens, identity politics, and unhinged attacks on President Trump."

On social media, rank-and-file Democratic lawmakers remained silent on the comment from Jeffries. 

FIRST ON FOX: Multiple U.S. senators are putting their political affiliations aside to reintroduce bipartisan legislation to combat the rise of deadly fentanyl amid a national opioid crisis.

Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., are leading nearly a dozen colleagues in reintroducing the Halt Lethal Trafficking (HALT) Fentanyl Act.

The legislation would permanently classify fentanyl-related substances in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. This classification is currently temporary. 

Drug overdoses, largely driven by fentanyl, are the leading cause of death among young adults 18 to 45 years old, and synthetic opioids like fentanyl account for 66% of the total U.S. overdose deaths.

Yet, the drug’s Schedule I classification is set to expire in just a couple of months, on March 31.

The bill will be processed through the Senate Judiciary Committee, which Grassley notably chairs. Given the bill sponsor's role on the committee, the measure is expected to be prioritized and ultimately sent to the floor for full Senate consideration — which many bills are not. 

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"The Biden administration’s open border was an invitation to drug cartels smuggling Chinese fentanyl into the U.S., fueling the U.S. overdose epidemic," Cassidy noted in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. "Law enforcement must have the tools necessary to combat this trend. We cannot let this Schedule I classification lapse."

From August 2021 to August 2022, nearly 108,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdoses.

The surge was primarily fueled by synthetic opioids, including illegal fentanyl, which are largely manufactured in Mexico from raw materials supplied by China.

In 2022, there were over 50.6 million fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills seized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, more than doubling the amount seized in 2021.

"Cartels fuel this crisis by marketing their poison as legitimate prescription pills," said Grassley in a statement. "They also avoid regulation by chemically altering the drugs to create powerful fentanyl knock-offs."

Congress closed the loophole in 2018 by temporarily classifying fentanyl-related substances under Schedule I. 

TRUMP ADMIN TOUTS PURGING 'WORST' ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIMINALS FROM US STREETS: 'WORKING TIRELESSLY'

By making this classification permanent, the HALT Fentanyl Act would ensure law enforcement has the tools they need to combat the deadly drugs, its sponsors say.

Heinrich said in a statement that he is working to deliver tools that law enforcement personnel need to keep deadly fentanyl off the streets and out of communities.

"Permanently scheduling fentanyl and its analogues will help federal and local law enforcement crack down on illegal trafficking and allow prosecutors to build stronger, longer-term criminal cases," he said. "Our HALT Fentanyl Act will help stop the flow of these deadly drugs into our communities and save lives."

The legislation also removes barriers that impede the ability of researchers to conduct studies on fentanyl-related substances and allows for exemptions if such research provides evidence that it would be beneficial for specific substances to be classified differently than Schedule I, like for medical purposes.

Cassidy, Grassley and Heinrich were joined by Sens. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Todd Young, R-Ind., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., John Kennedy R-La., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., in introducing the legislation.

"Americans know the carnage of fentanyl all too well. The HALT Fentanyl Act would save lives in Louisiana and across the country by empowering law enforcement to seek justice against dealers who are working with cartels to profit off feeding poison to Americans," Kennedy told Fox News Digital in his own statement. 

The U.S. House of Representatives previously passed the HALT Fentanyl Act in March 2023.

The Congress needs new revenue in order to pass a budget and unlock the reconciliation process—whether in "one big beautiful bill" or two—if it is going to accomplish President Trump’s agenda without bleeding massive and ongoing amounts of deficit spending.

The national debt is currently more than $36 trillion. We pay interest on that debt, an expenditure which is growing rapidly. And we need to pay that debt down not raise it with higher debt service. We also need new expenditures—a massive increase in procurement in the Department of Defense for example—expenditures that, if not at least partially offset by cuts to ongoing spending or new revenue, will see the debt cross $40 trillion in the president’s second term. Here are four suggestions for the GOP budgeteers:

1. Americans are thrifty. They have socked away more than $37 trillion in retirement savings in 401(k) plans and traditional IRAs. Those savings have never been taxed. They will be taxed upon withdrawal. Most savers don’t want to withdraw that money until they retire and their tax bracket drops. In fact, a lot of that will be never be withdrawn by the folks who saved it but will be passed on to heirs. So, Congress, open a one time window that allows those savers to convert those funds to Roth IRAs for a one-time flat tax of say 10% or 15% or whatever yields the present value of the deferred taxation. Get the money now for use in the budget/reconciliation process.

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2. Sell federal land and federal spectrum rights. Credit to AEI’s Matt Continetti for this suggestion. The U.S. has a lot of land and a lot of spectrum. Auction some of it. Maybe a lot of it. That will increase productivity in the country and bring in revenue.

TRUMP ADMIN TO PAUSE GRANTS, FEDERAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS FOLLOWING EXECUTIVE ORDERS

3. Make so-called "sin taxes" great again. In recent years, many states have legalized both marijuana and online gambling. Those are facts. They are stubborn. They were both bad policy choices, but states have the police power unless preempted by federal legislation. The Congress has no stomach for outlawing either industry, so impose a federal tax on every sale of a marijuana-related product and on every single gambling transaction over the internet. Preempt the states’ revenue streams and put the first dollars of the taxes on those activities into the federal treasury and perhaps the states will rethink these bad ideas. If not, at least the malign developments of dope and betting will help the country as a whole pay for the negative externalities of both and with the debt and deficit.

4. Enact in the new budget a 10 percent "reduction-in-force" of the federal civilian workforce and make that authorization "notwithstanding any other law or regulation." Congress built the beast of the federal administrative state. It can authorize the president to take an ax to it—no questions asked. Every business in America knows that when the books don’t balance, the workforce gets trimmed. Time for the federal government to do the same thing, difficult as it is for the employees affected.

There are four sources of new revenue to use in the first new budget. They alone will yield trillions in one-time revenue and billions in ongoing revenue without raising income taxes. C’mon Congress. Get creative.

Hugh Hewitt is host of "The Hugh Hewitt Show," heard weekday mornings 6am to 9am ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh wakes up America on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel’s news roundtable hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990.  Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcast, and this column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.

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FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., is going all in for President Donald Trump's controversial FBI director nominee, Kash Patel, despite being considered a wildcard vote ahead of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's nomination. 

In a significant show of support, Tillis will introduce Patel in the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing Thursday morning. His speech will be short and sweet, Tillis explained. 

"I will be sharing about 700 words on his background, his upbringing, his work as a prosecutor, his work in the administration," the Republican shared in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. 

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The senator will also distribute several versions of a Patel-themed bingo game to his colleagues on the committee. 

The "K$H Bingo" game includes subjects Tillis expects to be brought up by Democrats during the hearing. The sheet includes subjects such as "Deep State," "Enemies List" and Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), among others. 

"I'm also going to be providing a bingo card because I know what everybody else is going to bring up," he said. "We know what the words are. And they already started it, because when they ran out of things to attack [attorney general nominee] Pam Bondi on, they started attacking Kash."

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"We know what they're going to do. And I want to make it clear to them there's no Perry Mason moment," the North Carolina senator said. "I'm not going to let innuendo and rumors rule the day. I'm going to hold them accountable."

Tillis' hard push for Patel to be advanced and confirmed by the Senate comes just days after Hegseth's confirmation came down to his vote, which wasn't at all assured to be in Hegseth's favor. 

PETE BUTTIGIEG GIVING 'SERIOUS LOOK' TO 2026 SENATE RUN IN TRUMP-WON MICHIGAN

It wasn't until several minutes after the Hegseth vote had already begun that Tillis released a statement revealing he would support him. He previously told reporters he was still doing due diligence after new allegations surfaced against the nominee. 

Hegseth's former sister-in-law had claimed in an affidavit that Hegseth abused alcohol and made his ex-wife, Samantha Hegseth, fear for her safety. Tillis told reporters only hours before the confirmation vote he was looking for any corroborating evidence regarding the allegations. 

Hegseth answered additional last-minute questions from Tillis, which proved to be to the senator's satisfaction, since he ultimately voted yes and secured Hegseth's confirmation. 

"Look, I have an obligation to one person in advise and consent, and that is the President of the United States. I take it seriously," the senator explained. 

GARY PETERS, DEMOCRATIC SENATOR FROM TRUMP STATE, WON'T SEEK RE-ELECTION

"I take it very seriously," he reiterated. "I did with Pete. I ultimately voted for him and had to dispose of the allegations or assess the allegations that came at the eleventh hour."

The North Carolina Republican also shared that he thinks his support will be beneficial for Patel. 

"I believe I've established — even though I can be a pain to some people — as tedious as I can get with completing my due diligence. I think that it brings with it a certain amount of credibility, and that's why it's so important to me. I have to be consistent," Tillis said. 

The latest confirmation hearings for President Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees were packed with fiery exchanges with lawmakers, interruptions from protesters, and tearjerking testimonies that came as the Senate works to fill out the president's administration.

Several candidates under consideration to head key positions in the Trump administration were grilled by lawmakers during their Senate confirmation hearings on Wednesday.

The hearings were off to a fiery start with the Senate Finance Committee's questioning of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services. The Senate also held confirmation hearings for Howard Lutnick, Trump's longtime friend, who he picked to head the Department of Commerce, and Kelly Loeffler, who is being considered to lead the Small Business Administration (SBA).

During the heated confirmation hearing of Kennedy, Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., told the Trump nominee that he frightens people, specifically referring to his stance on vaccines. 

"Americans are going to need to hear a clear and trustworthy recantation of what you have said on vaccinations, including a promise from you never to say vaccines aren't medically safe when they, in fact, are, and making indisputably clear that you support mandatory vaccinations against diseases that will keep people safe," Whitehouse said during the hearing. "You're in that hole pretty deep."

Whitehouse then referenced a recent measles outbreak in Rhode Island as he pressed Kennedy on his vaccine stance.

"Frankly, you frighten people," Whitehouse told the Trump nominee. 

However, Kennedy pushed back on the claims that he is anti-vaccine, noting that all his children are vaccinated. 

Kennedy's Senate confirmation hearing was disrupted by several protesters who snuck into the Senate Finance Committee hearing room. 

After Kennedy told lawmakers that he is not against vaccines, one protester stood up and was heard shouting, "You lie."

Howard Lutnick, who was introduced by Vice President JD Vance, shared an emotional story about his brother being tragically killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City.

Lutnick's brother, Gary, was tragically killed while working at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, along with 657 of the Lutnick brothers' friends at their financial firm, Cantor Fitzgerald, the commerce nominee described during the hearing. 

Lutnick said that he took his son to kindergarten that day, sparing his life. 

"The company was located on the top five floors of the World Trade Center. I still can't say it without being emotional, sorry, but no one in the office survived," he said on Wednesday, appearing to hold back tears.

"I made the decision that I've made enough money in my life," Lutnick said. "I can take care of myself. I can take care of my family. It is now my chance to serve the American people."

Kennedy and Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., went back and forth after the Democratic senator claimed the Trump nominee previously likened the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to "Nazi death camps."

"You compared the CDC work to Nazi death camps. You've compared it to sexual abusers in the Catholic Church. You've also said that many of them, as in the direct quote, belong in jail," Warnock said during the hearing on Wednesday. 

Asked if he stands by the statements, Kennedy refuted the claim. 

"I don't believe that I ever compared the CDC to Nazi death camps. I support the CDC. My job is not to dismantle or harm the CDC. My job is to empower the scientists," Kennedy said. "I never said it."

Warnock read a transcript of Kennedy's remarks at a conference making the reference, but the HHS nominee further defended the intent of his statement.

"I was comparing the injury rate of children towards other atrocities," Kennedy said. "I wouldn't compare the CDC to Nazi death camps."

SBA pick Kelly Loeffler got into a heated exchange with a member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee while defending Trump against Democratic claims that he "acted illegally" twice in the past week.

"The president has already acted illegally twice in the last 5 days. He fired the inspectors general. That was illegal, under the law. He froze all funding on Monday night. That was also against the law," Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts claimed during his questioning of Loeffler.

"So it's not as though he won't ask you to do something that is illegal and unconstitutional, he's been doing it all week. And this is the first week," he added.

However, Loeffler immediately came to the defense of Trump and doubled down on her support of the president's recent actions.

"If I could just, for the record, note that these were not illegal actions," Loeffler told the committee. "I support the president's actions. It's in his right to select members of the executive branch, that's what he's doing. And he's certainly in the right to stop wastefully spending as most presidents do when they come in to pause wasteful spending."

Markey began speaking over Loeffler as she defended the president before changing the subject.

Fox News' Emma Woodhead contributed to this report.

DORAL, Fla. — The House GOP’s three-day annual retreat has ended without public progress on Republicans’ budget reconciliation plans, and some lawmakers are getting nervous about falling behind schedule.

"After two days at our House Republican winter retreat, we still do not have a plan on budget reconciliation and our Speaker and his team have not offered one," Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote on X Wednesday morning.

"Basically, just get started doing something. We have only been presented with the same policy and budget cut proposals that we have been presented with for a month now at all our meetings and at a full Saturday conference meeting earlier this month."

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters Tuesday an initial "blueprint" would be "prepared by tomorrow, by the time we leave." 

TRUMP DHS REPEALS KEY MAYORKAS MEMO LIMITING ICE AGENTS

The budget reconciliation process allows the majority party in the House and Senate, in this case Republicans, to pass a broad-ranging conservative policy overhaul, provided the contents are relevant to the budget and other fiscal matters. It does so by lowering the threshold for passage in the Senate from 60 votes to 51.

It starts with a budget resolution that includes instructions for specific committees to work toward changes to fiscal policy law under their respective jurisdictions, including topline numbers.

When asked by reporters about whether he expects those broad toplines to emerge on Wednesday morning, Johnson said, "We'll be getting to that final number. What we've emphasized with our group is that we want to have some flexibility in the how the instructions are given to the committees.

"Stay tuned for the number. It will be substantial, because it has to be. I mean, we have a $36 trillion federal debt, and we're committing that in this process. Anything we do is going to be deficit neutral, at least, or deficit-reducing," he said.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT DOGE AND ITS QUEST TO SLASH GOVERNMENT WASTE, SPENDING

Johnson said later in the press conference, "The objective is to, by the time we leave here today, to have a blueprint that will inform the budget committee for when they work on that budget resolution."

The details and parameters of that blueprint are not immediately clear.

By Wednesday afternoon, however, a majority of lawmakers who were staying at President Donald Trump’s golf resort in Doral, Florida, left without a sense of their next steps.

"I think the general feeling is leadership needs to make a play call and start executing on it," one House GOP lawmaker told Fox News Digital. 

Asked about being optimistic about leaders making that call soon, the lawmaker said, "They better if they want to get this done."

Another House Republican said the meetings were "productive" but with a caveat — "as long as leadership takes our input, ideas and concerns seriously."

Other GOP lawmakers signaled they were exasperated by weeks of "listening sessions" among Republicans that have not led to specific directives from House leaders.

Some were more optimistic, however. A third House Republican told Fox News Digital, "I think Speaker Johnson has us pointed the right way and the eight committees that will make up reconciliation have a plan."

"I think it will come together," they said. 

Johnson said he was confident that the House Budget Committee would have its "blueprint" to work from when Congress is back "to the hill," which is next week.

"That's going to happen, and we'll get it through the whole chamber. And we'll be voting on that by late February," he said.

Every abortion is a "tragedy," President Donald Trump's Health and Human Services nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., told lawmakers Wednesday. 

While Kennedy previously voiced support for abortion even in the late stages of pregnancy, Kennedy told the Senate Finance Committee Wednesday he would carry out Trump’s policy priorities concerning abortion. 

"I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy," Kennedy said at his confirmation hearing. "I agree with him that we cannot be a moral nation if we have 1.2 million abortions a year. I agree with him that the states should control abortion. President Trump has told me that he wants to end late-term abortions, and he wants to protect conscience exemptions." 

"I serve at the pleasure of the president," Kennedy said. "I’m going to implement his policies."

MULTIPLE OUTBURTS ERUPT AT RFK JR HEARING: ‘YOU ARE’

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 625,978 abortions were reported from 48 areas in 2021. 

Trump has said on multiple occasions that he supports abortion in certain instances, and said that "powerful exceptions" for abortion would remain in place under his administration.

Meanwhile, Kennedy has altered his position on abortion several times in the past year. Kennedy, a former Democrat who ran as an independent presidential candidate in the 2024 election, has historically stated that he doesn’t believe the government should step in with a woman’s choice to end a pregnancy, despite his "personally pro-life" stance.

RFK JR RIPS DEM SENATOR FOR PUSHING ‘DISHONEST’ NARRATIVE ON PAST VACCINE COMMENTS: ‘CORRECTED IT MANY TIMES’

In May, Kennedy said he supported abortions in the third trimester, although he later followed up and said he does back some restrictions. 

Kennedy’s views appeared at odds with one another, and Democratic lawmakers said they were "confused" by his answers on abortion. 

"Mr. Kennedy, I’m confused. You have clearly stated in the past that bodily autonomy is one of your core values. The question is, do you stand for that value or not?" Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., said during the confirmation hearing. "When was it that you decided to sell out the values you have had your whole life in order to be given power by President Trump?"

RFK JR. LIKELY TO BE CONFIRMED AS HEALTH SECRETARY, DR. SIEGEL SAYS

Other lawmakers voiced concerns about Kennedy’s nomination, including Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island. 

"Frankly, you frighten people," Whitehouse said, after claiming that there was a measles outbreak in Rhode Island for the first time since 2013 amid a broader discussion about Kennedy’s stance on vaccines. 

Kennedy pushed back on "news reports" that he is anti-vaccine and anti-industry in his opening statements Wednesday, noting that all his children are vaccinated. He also has previously said that he isn't interested in taking "away anybody's vaccines."

Fox News Digital's Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report. 

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., noted that a Boy Scout proposed a policy of not taxing workers younger than age 18.

The congressman from the Bluegrass State listed several reasons why he loves the idea.

"A 15 yr old Boy Scout working on his merit badge just sent me this idea: No taxes on workers under 18 yrs old. I love it because: 1. They need experience to pick a college major 2. They need to develop a work ethic 3. The economy needs more workers 4. They don’t get to vote," Massie wrote in a post on X.

MASSIE AND OTHER REPUBLICANS PUSH ‘NATIONAL CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY ACT’ TO PROTECT AMERICANS' GUN RIGHTS

Someone responded to the lawmaker, suggesting that youths "don’t make enough money for the most part and get it back when they file taxes. It is a good lesson on how to file taxes and gives them a chance to get a return," the person opined.

Massie replied, "Sounds like conditioning to be sheeple. Hard pass."

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., indicated that high minimum wages box young people out of the job market.

REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS PUSH TO ABOLISH ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL’ ATF

"So many of our youth have lost the opportunity to enter the workforce due to high minimum wage requirements. High taxes, insurance, and paid leave requirements are a few of many issues as well. Small business owners are unable to invest in first-time workers or provide them with skills training for their future," she tweeted.

"Great points!" Massie replied.

He has previously suggested that the U.S. should nix the federal income tax entirely.

MASSIE DROPS COLORFUL ANALOGY OPPOSING FOREIGN AID, MOCKS SPEAKER JOHNSON WITH AI-GENERATED IMAGE

"The federal income tax was unconstitutional for most of our [country's] existence. The founders of this country would have never agreed to it. We should repeal it," he tweeted in February 2024.

Massie has also spoken out against foreign aid.

"My position of ‘no foreign aid’ might sound extreme to some, but it’s far more extreme to force future generations of Americans into indentured servitude to our foreign creditors," he noted in a 2023 post.

The Senate is scheduled to vote Monday afternoon to confirm President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Treasury Department.

The Senate voted on Saturday to advance Scott Bessent’s nomination by a 67–23 margin and his confirmation is expected Monday. 

Bessent recently appeared before the Senate Finance Committee for his confirmation hearing, where he called to extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that Trump approved during his first term. 

"This is the single most important economic issue of the day," Bessent, a hedge fund billionaire from South Carolina, told lawmakers. 

TRUMP TREASURY PICK: EXTENDING TRUMP TAX CUTS ‘SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ECONOMIC ISSUE’

"If we do not renew an extension, then we will be facing an economic calamity," Bessent said. "And, as always, with financial instability, that falls on the middle and working class."

Bessent cautioned that a "gigantic" middle-class tax increase would occur if the tax cuts expire.

Many of the reforms included in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are scheduled to end in 2025. Groups like Americans for Prosperity, a grassroots network founded by the billionaire Koch Brothers, claim that millions of Americans will face a hike of more than $1,500 in taxes in 2026 if the cuts are not renewed. 

GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP'S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR?

But critics of Trump’s tax plan, including Democratic lawmakers like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and groups like the liberal public policy institute Center for American Progress, argue the cuts only benefited the wealthy and claim the perks failed to reach ordinary workers.

However, Bessent said Trump and his administration will create a "golden age" of economic prosperity for all Americans.

TRUMP'S TREASURY NOMINEE TURNS TABLES ON SANDERS IN TESTY EXCHANGE ABOUT BIDEN'S OLIGARCHY COMMENTS 

"Today, I believe that President Trump has a generational opportunity to unleash a new economic golden age that will create more jobs, wealth and prosperity for all Americans," Bessent said at his confirmation hearing. 

Trump’s economic plan includes extending the 2017 tax cuts and imposing tariffs ranging from 10% to 20% on all imported goods. For countries like China, that number could go up to 60%. 

Bessent, who previously wrote an op-ed for Fox News Digital supporting the use of tariffs, backed the Trump administration's employment of tariffs in multiple exchanges with lawmakers during his confirmation hearing. 

The Treasury Department is responsible for managing federal finances and oversees agencies that include the IRS.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is inviting President Donald Trump to address a joint session of Congress on March 4.

SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON: EVERY AMERICAN SHOULD ROOT FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP'S SUCCESS

In a letter first obtained by Fox News Digital, Johnson wrote to the new president, "Thanks to your strong leadership and bold action in the first days of your presidency, the United States is already experiencing a resurgence of patriotism, unity, and hope for the future."

"Your administration and the 119th Congress working together have the chance to make these next four years some of the most consequential in our nation’s history," the speaker wrote.

HONORING TRUMP: SPEAKER JOHNSON SAYS FLAGS TO FLY FULL-STAFF AT US CAPITOL DURING PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION

"To that end, it is my distinct honor and great privilege to invite you to address a Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in the Chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives, to share your America First vision for our legislative future. I eagerly await your response."

The letter comes just before Trump is expected to address House Republicans at their annual issues conference and retreat, being held this year in South Florida.

JOHNSON REVEALS TRUMP'S WISHES ON DELIVERING HUGE POLICY OVERHAUL IN CLOSED-DOOR MEETING

House GOP lawmakers will be meeting at Trump’s golf course and resort in Doral for three days as they work to hash out a roadmap on government spending and plans for a major conservative policy overhaul.

Trump signaled for weeks before being sworn in that he was positioning for a very active first 100 days of his new administration.

Republicans now control both the House and Senate as well as the White House. But with razor-thin majorities in both chambers, GOP lawmakers will need to vote in near lock-step to carry out Trump’s plans.

They gathered for a moment of silence at 1:19 pm, the moment the bomb exploded.

The attack 50 years ago today was aimed at the heart of American liberty. 

It targeted a place where our nation was forged during the revolution and where George Washington took his leave knowing the future of his new nation was secured.

On December 4, 1783, nine days after the British evacuated New York City, Washington held a banquet at Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan to bid farewell to his troops.

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, DECEMBER 4, 1783, WASHINGTON BIDS FAREWELL TO HIS TROOPS AT FRAUNCES TAVERN IN NYC

On January 24, 1975, the Puerto Rican separatist group, the FALN, planted a bomb that ripped through the historic site at lunchtime, killing four and wounding more than 50 others in lower Manhattan. Sixty-six-year-old banker Harold Sherburne, 28-year-old businessmen Alex Berger and 32-year-old James Gezork were killed.

"They were really attacking the American people," says Joe Connor, whose father, Frank, was a 33-year-old banker who was killed in the terrorist attack.

"They attacked Fraunces Tavern because that's where George Washington bade farewell to his officers after the Revolutionary War, where the Sons of Liberty met and was a symbol of American liberty and justice and freedom, and they couldn’t abide by that."

Joe was 9 years old the day his father was killed, and in the decades since, he has dedicated his life to bringing justice for his father and the other victims. He is the author of "Shattered Lives: Overcoming the Fraunces Tavern Terror," which is also now a documentary. Connor has, with other families, elected officials and law enforcement, waged a mission to hold the terrorists to account.

No one has ever been charged in the attack, but the man believed to be the terrorist group's chief bomb maker, Willie Morales, escaped to Cuba, where he has lived along with an estimated 50 other U.S. fugitives. A bill in Congress named for Joe's father and New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster, who was killed by Black Liberation Army militant Joanne Chesimard, aka Assata Shakur, who also is on the lam in Cuba, demands Havana return the fugitives.

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, OCTOBER 25, 1944, FIRST KAMIKAZE SUICIDE PILOTS ATTACK US NAVY IN WORLD WAR II

"It's a very concise, clear bill demanding the return," says Connor. "There has been a mystique about the Castro regime and Che Guevara, of some fanciful romantic view of these people. But they were nothing but Marxist thugs and were waging their own war on the United States for many, many years."

In his final days in office, former President Joe Biden removed Cuba from the State Department list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.

President Donald Trump immediately put Havana back on the list, and in his first term also vowed to put pressure on Cuba to return Morales and the other fugitives.

During his U.S. Senate confirmation hearing, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for Cuba to cough up the criminals who remain on the lam.

"There are fugitives of American justice, including cop killers and others who are actively hosted in Cuba and protected from the long arm of American justice by the Cuban regime. So, there is no doubt in my mind that they meet all the qualifications for being a state sponsor of terrorism," Rubio said.

Over the last two decades, FALN members have been granted clemency, as if the years that passed lessened their crimes. President Barack Obama commuted the 70-year sentence of Oscar Lopez Rivera, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy and charged with other crimes. President Bill Clinton offered clemency to the terrorist group's imprisoned members, which eleven accepted in 1999.

NYPD SAYS 'NOT A TERRORIST ATTACK' AFTER 10 SHOT OUTSIDE NYC EVENT SPACE ON NEW YEAR'S DAY

At a ceremony marking the bombing, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the bombing "was terrorism in its purest form, meant to frighten, intimidate, to injure, maim and kill in order to achieve their political purpose.

"For 50 years, no one has been held accountable for this attack, which remains an open investigation by the NYPD and the Joint Terrorism Taskforce," Tisch said. "Our department never forgets."

Before the ceremony marking the bombing, there was an emotional luncheon attended by family members, dozens of former FBI agents, survivors of the bombing and others.

Joe Connor's son, Frank, named for his grandfather and who is studying to be a priest, gave the benediction.

"We remember the four men who were killed 50 years ago today in this very place, and all of those whose lives were cut short by terrorism."

Joe noted how the gathering was being held by the door where the bomb, which consisted of ten pounds of dynamite, was placed inside an unassuming briefcase.

"Cuba has to eventually turn these people over, and the only way that will happen is by keeping them on the State Sponsor of Terrorism list and by keeping the pressure on Cuba," he says. "This is the moment to do it."

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and a slew of other House Republicans are pushing a proposal that would compel states to allow Americans to carry guns in public areas.

The measure, dubbed the "National Constitutional Carry Act," would prohibit states and localities from limiting U.S. citizens from carrying firearms in public if they are eligible to have the weapons under state and federal law. 

"By prohibiting state or local restrictions on the right to bear arms, H.R. 645 upholds the original purpose of the Second Amendment—to ensure the security of a free state—while safeguarding individual liberties against government infringement," Massie noted, according to a press release.

MASSIE DROPS COLORFUL ANALOGY OPPOSING FOREIGN AID, MOCKS SPEAKER JOHNSON WITH AI-GENERATED IMAGE

Specifically, the text of the measure stipulates that "No State or political subdivision of a State may impose a criminal or civil penalty on, or otherwise indirectly limit the carrying of firearms (including by imposing a financial or other barrier to entry) in public by residents or nonresidents of that State who are citizens of the United States and otherwise eligible to possess firearms under State and Federal law."

"Any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage of a State or a political subdivision of a State that criminalizes, penalizes, or otherwise indirectly dissuades the carrying of firearms (including by imposing a financial or other barrier to entry) in public by any resident or nonresident who is a United States citizen and otherwise eligible to possess firearms under State and Federal law, shall have no force or effect," the measure reads.

The measure would not apply to locations "where screening for firearms is conducted under state law," and it would not block the owners of privately-owned facilities from banning guns on their premises. 

Massie and others had previously pushed such a proposal last year as well.

IN ONE U.S. TOWN, RESIDENTS ARE LEGALLY REQUIRED TO OWN GUNS AND AMMO

In 2021, Massie shared a family Christmas photo in which each person was holding a gun.

"Merry Christmas!" the staunch gun rights advocate wrote when sharing the photo, adding, "ps. Santa, please bring ammo."

In a 2022 post, he criticized the term "Gun Violence," asserting that it "is part of the language leftists use to shift blame away from evil perpetrators of violence" and that it "suggests that guns are to blame instead of people, which sets the table for their anti-second amendment agenda."

"There’s a reason you never see a Communist, a Marxist, or even a Socialist politician support the right of common people to keep and bear arms: Those forms of government require more submission to the state than armed citizens would tolerate," Massie also tweeted in 2022.

REP. MASSIE LAUNCHES ‘MAXIMUM TRIGGERING’ WITH FAMILY CHRISTMAS PHOTO: ‘SANTA, PLEASE BRING AMMO’

The congressman's press release lists dozens of House Republicans as original cosponsors, including: Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Eric Burlison of Missouri, Ben Cline of Virginia, Michael Cloud of Texas, Mike Collins of Georgia, Eli Crane of Arizona, Brandon Gill of Texas, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Andy Harris of Maryland, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Nick Langworthy of New York, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Mary Miller of Illinois, Barry Moore of Alabama, Nathaniel Moran of Texas, Andrew Ogles of Tennessee, John Rose of Tennessee, Chip Roy of Texas, Keith Self of Texas, Victoria Spartz of Indiana, Claudia Tenney of New York, Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, Randy Weber of Texas and Tony Wied of Wisconsin.

Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., claimed in a post on X that "white supremacy and xenophobia" are the political right's "true religion" and that the values of those on the right do not stem from Christ's life and instruction.

"It's long been known that the true religion of the right is white supremacy and xenophobia. None of their real values are from the life and teachings of the Christ of the Christian Bible..." she wrote in a post on her @SummerForPA account.

Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., fired back at the congresswoman.

SEN. DAVE MCCORMICK ‘OPTIMISTIC’ ABOUT WORKING WITH SEN. FETTERMAN TO FIND ‘COMMON GROUND’: ‘EMBRACING’ CHANGE

"None of us should take lectures from someone who has repeatedly demonstrated antisemitic behavior and is now condemning millions of her fellow citizens who simply want freedom, opportunity and secure borders," he declared in a tweet.

Lee swiftly fired right back at him.

"Senator, I'm condemning those who profess to follow the teachings of Christ but do not love their neighbor or do right unto the least of these. Is that you? When he's hungry, will you feed him or cut SNAP benefits? When he's a stranger, will you invite him in or build a wall?" she replied.

‘SQUAD’ MEMBER SURVIVES CHALLENGE FROM CENTRIST DEMOCRAT AFTER ANTI-ISRAEL RHETORIC THREATENED RE-ELECTION

Lee has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since early 2023. 

McCormick was just sworn in as a senator earlier this month.

Lee has criticized newly-inaugurated President Donald Trump's executive orders.

WHITE HOUSE OPM ORDERS ALL DEI OFFICES TO BEGIN CLOSING BY END OF DAY WEDNESDAY

"Trump’s executive orders scapegoat Black + brown communities while his billionaire donors profit off the polluted air, overcrowded detention centers, and prison labor these EOs create. Immigrants aren’t why your wages are low and costs are high—it's the billionaires," she declared in a post on her @RepSummerLee X account.

On Monday, Donald Trump made history. 

Then, he immediately made policy, issuing plenty of strong executive orders to begin reforming our government and enforcing our laws subverted by the Biden administration. Republicans in Congress must do our part to support President Trump by sending a constant supply of solidly conservative legislation to be signed into law at his desk. 

During the election, President Trump made several key promises to the American people. Fortunately, Congress stands ready to deliver on these promises immediately. 

With President Trump’s leadership, we will secure our southern border, swiftly deport illegal aliens, prosecute vile criminals, and end the tyranny of unelected bureaucrats. We will bring opportunity to the hardworking families of America and achieve prosperity for the nation.

DONALD TRUMP IS OUR PRESIDENT AND DEMOCRATS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO

To start repairing the grave damage inflicted by Joe Biden, Congress should pass the SAVE Act. Doing so would prevent illegal, non-citizen voting by requiring ID to register to vote and cast ballots in federal elections. Congress should also pass the VALID Act, which forbids the Department of Homeland Security from admitting illegals and shuttling them around the country using the CBP One app.

The America First Act – which forbids giving federal benefits to illegals that the Biden administration let into our country – should also be a top priority. And of course, we must provide resources for additional border security, Border Patrol and ICE agents, and logistical operations to return millions of undocumented foreign nationals to their home countries.

Perhaps an even bigger task than building walls and battling cartels will be permanently uprooting the rogue federal employees who have become accustomed to running the government from within the deep state. 

TRUMP’S (SECOND) FIRST 100 DAYS GIVES DEMOCRATS OPPORTUNITIES

The REINS Act was crafted precisely to take control from unelected bureaucrats and return it to the people via their elected representatives. It requires that lawmaking be done by lawmakers as Article I, Section 7 of the U.S. Constitution mandates, preventing agencies from foisting expensive and destructive regulations upon the American people.

Addressing the affordability crisis for American families will require more than stopping expensive regulations. We need to let Americans keep more of their own money and invest it back into businesses and jobs by reauthorizing one of President Trump’s original policy victories, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. 

We should also tackle the hidden tax hitting everyone’s wallets – inflation. This means that legislators will face the single hardest decision in Washington politics: to say "no" when confronted with problematic, omnibus spending bills written in secret and not subjected to adequate debate and discussion.

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The clock is ticking. Our razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives is guaranteed for only two years, and it’s an unfortunate reality that the second year will be full of recesses for members to campaign for re-election. That means even less time for legislating. 

We cannot afford to repeat 2018, when Democrats took the House and crippled our ability to pass President Trump’s legislative agenda during the second half of his term. Republicans must act quickly. 

Fortunately, our leadership seems to have the sense of urgency it lacked eight years ago. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., insists on a full Monday–Friday work week, and sometimes through weekends. This means no more flying home for long weekends, which was the norm under Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and the House have already passed the Laken Riley Act, which mandates immediate federal detention for certain criminal illegal immigrants. The Senate passed its version as soon as President Trump took office. A good start.

Over 77 million Americans returned Donald Trump to the White House after watching him endure lawfare, political persecution, endless slander by corporate media and liberal politicians, and multiple assassination attempts. If Republicans in Congress wish to earn their loyalty and share in that defiant mandate, we must immediately work to advance the MAGA agenda.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM SEN. MIKE LEE