FIRST ON FOX: Republican lawmakers are mounting a massive effort to repeal the federal inheritance tax, colloquially known as the "death tax."

Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, is leading more than 170 House Republicans on the "Death Tax Repeal Act," which is also backed by the House’s top tax writer, Ways & Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo.

An inheritance or estate tax is levied upon the beneficiary who receives assets upon a person's death. Republicans have long criticized the estate tax as a needless financial burden on grieving families, particularly hitting small family-owned businesses.

It comes as Republicans work on extending President Donald Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, whose provisions expire at the end of this year. Among the measures sunsetting in 2026 is a doubling of the estate tax exemption.

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

Supporters of the federal estate tax point out that it affects a relatively small number of estates. Penalties are triggered for estates worth roughly $13.9 million at the time of death, according to the latest IRS data.

A counterpart bill in the Senate is being led by Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and is backed by 44 senators. 

Both Feenstra and Thune argued it was an unnecessary tax that unfairly affected family farms and small businesses in their home states of Iowa, South Dakota and elsewhere.

BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF 'PURGE' OF 'MINORITY' FEDERAL WORKERS

"The death tax is an egregious double tax that unfairly targets American family farms and small businesses and directly threatens long-held farming traditions in rural Iowa and across the country," Feenstra told Fox News Digital. "It is ridiculous that the federal government sends grieving families a massive tax bill when a loved one passes away."

He said it amounted to "double taxation."

"Family farms and ranches play a vital role in our economy and are the lifeblood of rural communities in South Dakota," Thune told Fox News Digital.

"Losing even one of them to the death tax is one too many. It’s time to put an end to this punishing, burdensome tax once and for all so that family farms, ranches and small businesses can grow and thrive without costly estate planning or massive tax burdens that can threaten their viability."

If Republicans fail to extend Trump’s tax cuts before the end of this year, the estate tax would affect any estates worth roughly $7 million or more, according to Modern Wealth Law.

House Ways & Means Committee Republicans shared a memo late last year that said everyday American households could see taxes rise by over 20% if the tax cuts expired.

Feenstra and Thune’s bill would abolish the tax altogether, however.

Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., is threatening to file articles of impeachment against a federal judge who blocked President Donald Trump's federal funding freeze.

"I’m drafting articles of impeachment for U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr.," Clyde wrote on X.

"He’s a partisan activist weaponizing our judicial system to stop President Trump’s funding freeze on woke and wasteful government spending. We must end this abusive overreach. Stay tuned."

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

U.S. District Judge John McConnell filed a new motion Monday ordering the Trump administration to comply with a restraining order issued Jan. 31, temporarily blocking the administration’s efforts to pause federal grants and loans. 

McConnell’s original restraining order came after 22 states and the District of Columbia challenged the Trump administration’s actions to hold up funds for grants, such as the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant and other Environmental Protection Agency programs. However, the states said Friday that the administration is not following through and funds are still tied up.  

A three-judge panel on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration’s appeal of the order on Tuesday.

McConnell has come under fire by Trump supporters and conservatives who have accused him of being a liberal activist. 

Clyde and others have cited a video of McConnell in 2021 saying courts must "stand and enforce the rule of law, that is, against arbitrary and capricious actions by what could be a tyrant or could be whatnot."

"You have to take a moment and realize that this, you know, middle-class, white, male, privileged person needs to understand the human being that comes before us that may be a woman, may be Black, may be transgender, may be poor, may be rich, may be — whatever," McConnell said in the video, according to WPRI.

Elon Musk wrote on X in response, "Impeach this activist posing as a judge! Such a person does great discredit to the American justice system."

BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF 'PURGE' OF 'MINORITY' FEDERAL WORKERS

Clyde confirmed he was preparing articles of impeachment when asked by Fox News Digital on Thursday.

"For a federal judge to deny the executive their legitimate right to exercise their authority is wrong," Clyde told Fox News Digital. "This type of judge, this political activist – this radical political activist – should be removed from the bench."

When reached for a response to Clyde's threat, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island said McConnell "often sits down with members of the media upon request" but did not comment on pending cases.

Trump’s allies have been hammering the judges who have issued a series of decisions curbing the president’s executive orders.

Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., threatened to prepare impeachment articles against another judge earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer of the U.S. Southern District of New York, for blocking Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Treasury records.

Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., said in a statement on Tuesday that a complex partial seizure was ruled as the cause of the episode where he paused during a House floor speech on Monday.

While delivering his speech, the long-serving lawmaker abruptly stopped speaking for several seconds, before uttering a few words and then proceeding to stand silently for around 14 seconds. 

When he resumed speaking, his remarks were halting and punctuated with awkward pauses.

FORMER GOP LEADER MCCONNELL FALLS WHILE EXITING SENATE CHAMBER AFTER TURNER CONFIRMATION VOTE

After the incident occurred on Monday, Larson's office indicated in a statement that "he had what was likely an adverse reaction to a new medication and is having tests administered by the House Attending Physician out of an abundance of caution." The statement indicated that the lawmaker "later participated in multiple meetings in his office and was alert and engaged."

Then Larson's statement on Tuesday indicated that a complex partial seizure was ruled as the cause of the incident.

"Yesterday, at around noon, I experienced a medical incident on the House floor, when my speech momentarily paused. Following the incident, I saw the House Attending Physician, Dr. Monahan, who referred me for further evaluation. After a round of tests, it was determined that the cause of the brief pause in my speech was a complex partial seizure," the congressman explained.

DOCTORS USING AI-DRIVEN DEVICES TO HELP DETECT SEIZURE ACTIVITY IN PATIENTS

The 76-year-old lawmaker has been a House member for more than a quarter-century — he took office in 1999.

"Fifteen years ago, I had a heart valve replacement due to a variation in the shape of my aortic valve that I was born with. Sometimes, people with this condition can later develop symptoms such as the momentary change in speech or movement that was apparent yesterday," Larson continued. 

"The doctors have prescribed medication that, according to them, will greatly reduce the chance of this happening again. I will be able to resume an active schedule, including my duties as a Member of Congress, beginning tomorrow, when I plan to be present and voting on the House floor," he noted. 

STRANGE CONNECTICUT LAWS, SUCH AS RECEIVING A $99 FINE FOR SELLING SILLY STRING TO A MINOR

"I am grateful to Dr. Monahan and the staff, and I extend my deepest appreciation to my family, friends, colleagues, constituents, and everyone who reached out with their well wishes and offers of support. I am looking forward to getting back to work for the people of Connecticut’s First District." 

EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., will lead a new task force focused on the declassification of federal secrets – including records related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and other documents in the public interest, Fox News Digital has learned. 

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., appointed Luna to chair the "Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets."

FBI UNCOVERS THOUSANDS OF UNDISCLOSED RECORDS CONNECTED TO JFK'S ASSASSINATION

Luna is expected to focus on examining the declassification of materials in the public interest, including the client list of Jeffrey Epstein, and files relating to Sept. 11, 2001, COVID-19 origins, UFOs and more. 

Fox News Digital has learned that Comer and Luna are sending letters to necessary agencies to kick off the declassification investigations. 

Sources told Fox News Digital that Comer and Luna sent letters to the State Department, Department of Energy and the CIA for documents relating to the origins of COVID-19; the National Security Agency and CIA for records relating to JFK, MLK and RFK assassinations; the Department of Defense and the CIA for 9/11 files; and to the Justice Department for documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein. 

The creation of the task force comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order telling the director of national intelligence and other appropriate officials to present a plan for the full and complete release of all JFK assassination records within 15 days. 

He also ordered that officials immediately review the records relating to RFK and MLK assassinations and present a plan for their full and complete release within 45 days. 

TRUMP SIGNS ORDER TO DECLASSIFY FILES ON JFK, RFK AND MLK ASSASSINATIONS

"For too long, the federal government has kept information of public interest classified and the American people are demanding greater transparency. This secrecy has sowed distrust in our institutions," Comer told Fox News Digital, noting that the task force will "build on the Trump administration’s efforts to declassify records of national importance and ensure Americans get the answers they deserve." 

"Rep. Luna is committed to shining a light on the truth and ending the era of secrecy," Comer said. "It’s time to let the sunlight in and finally provide answers the American public has long demanded."

Luna told Fox News Digital that the federal government "has been hiding information from Americans for decades." 

"We have spent years seeking information on the assassinations of President Kennedy, Senator Kennedy, Reverend King, and other government secrets without success," Luna told Fox News Digital. "It is time to give Americans the answers they deserve, which is why I am honored to lead this bipartisan task force that seeks truth and transparency." 

Luna told Fox News Digital that the task force will also investigate "UAPs/USOs, the Epstein client list, COVID-19 origins, and the 9/11 files."

"We will work alongside President Trump and his Cabinet members to deliver truth to the American people," she said. "From this moment forward, we will restore trust through transparency." 

Sources said Luna’s task force is authorized for six months.

Fox News Digital is told that members of the task force will be announced in the coming weeks. 

FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans is pushing to give President Donald Trump more control over the federal spending process, as his administration continues to crack down on funding that does not align with the GOP agenda.

Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., is leading legislation to repeal the Impoundment Control Act, a 1974 Nixon-era law aimed at stopping the president from having unilateral say over government spending.

It would give Trump greater ability to accomplish his goals for Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Clyde told Fox News Digital in an interview.

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

"I think it goes hand in hand with what DOGE is doing right now and with what the president has in mind to do, and that is to make our government more effective and more efficient," Clyde said.

"They're simply bringing the fraud, waste and abuse to light. And, then the rest of us, you know, the president and the executive need to take action on it. And then Congress needs to look at that and say, hey, we need to codify that into law to make sure that it stays beyond just this presidency."

His legislation has more than 20 House GOP co-sponsors and a companion bill in the Senate led by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.

Clyde told Fox News Digital that he intends to raise his bill with members of the Trump administration, which has also driven significant pushback against the Impoundment Control Act.

Russell Vought, Trump’s recently confirmed director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), has previously called the Impoundment Control Act unconstitutional.

Trump himself has made similar arguments.

"Since the Empowered Control Act of ‘74, we have seen a tremendous increase in spending. And I think that's part of the problem right there. The president is required now by law to spend the exact amount that Congress authorizes or appropriates for a specific program," Clyde said.

'WE'RE THE GOLD STANDARD': GOP LAWMAKER CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARING OVER DC PLANE CRASH

"Well, as a small business owner, I understand the rules of business. And I think that if you can accomplish the same goal and be more financially efficient, I think you should be allowed to do that. And I think the president has always had the authority to do that under the Constitution."

Trump has already exercised significant control over existing federal spending commitments. He paused most foreign aid funding soon after taking office last month, as well as other funding streams his administration said necessitated review. 

Parts of Trump’s federal funding freezes have been challenged in court, with a federal judge ordering the White House just this week to comply with an earlier legal order directing them to reinstate funding.

Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, is joining GOP colleagues in the Senate by introducing legislation to protect unaccompanied migrant children from human traffickers.

"Over 300,000 unaccompanied migrant children effectively disappeared under the Biden administration, leaving them vulnerable to trafficking, abuse, and exploitation. Instead of ensuring their safety, these children are released with no follow-up, falling into the hands of cartels and criminals," Luttrell said in a release announcing the Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act of 2024.

Luttrell's legislation is a companion to a bill introduced in the Senate by senators Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and aims to prevent further trafficking of migrant children by implementing proper vetting for adults who sponsor a child in the United States, including vetting for parents, immediate relatives and unrelated adults.

MIGRANT SEX TRAFFICKING SURVIVOR SPEAKS OUT: 'I SAW GOOD PEOPLE DIE'

The bill will also require that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) take steps to vet all adults who will live in the home of a migrant child.

"It is terrifying to think that over 300,000 young, innocent children have been brought into this nation, potentially forced into unsafe conditions and at risk for human trafficking," Scott said in the release. "As a parent or grandparent, it’s unimaginable to think what might happen to these children and that former President Joe Biden allowed this to happen by completely dismantling our immigration system and opening our southern border, completely ignoring the consequences or the tolls on human life."

JUDGE APPROVES EMERGENCY ORDER TO CLOSE MIGRANT GANG-INFESTED AURORA, COLORADO, APARTMENT COMPLEX

The bill aims to put multiple steps in place to prevent trafficking of children, including a prohibition on children being released to a sponsor who is in the U.S. illegally, unless the sponsor is the child's legal guardian or a relative. The bill will also require authorities to complete a home visit prior to a child being released to the sponsor and calls for at least five additional unannounced home visits during the child's first year in the country.

The legislation will also require reporting to Congress on actions being taken to account for current missing children, according to the release.

"HHS must implement thorough vetting to ensure these children are placed with responsible adults — not predators," Luttrell said. "President Biden’s border policies failed everyone, and this legislation will support the Trump administration’s efforts to course correct the disaster we were left with."

The House and Senate are headed for a collision course on federal budget talks as each chamber hopes to advance its own respective proposals by the end of Thursday.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters Tuesday that the House Budget Committee would take up a resolution for a massive bill to advance President Donald Trump's agenda later this week. The panel then scheduled its meeting on the matter for 10 a.m. ET on Thursday. 

Senate Republicans, meanwhile, resolved to push forward with their own legislation after the House GOP missed its self-imposed deadline to kick-start the process last week. 

And while the two chambers agree broadly on what they want to pass via reconciliation, they differ significantly on how to get those goals over the finish line. 

BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF 'PURGE' OF 'MINORITY' FEDERAL WORKERS

"What's the alternative, the Senate version?" Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said when asked if House Republicans could come to an agreement. "When has the Senate ever given us anything conservative?"

House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, caught some members of the Republican conference by surprise at their closed-door meeting on Tuesday morning when he announced to the room that his panel would be advancing a reconciliation resolution, two lawmakers told Fox News Digital.

House and Senate Republicans are aiming to use their congressional majorities to pass a massive conservative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process.

By reducing the Senate's threshold for passage from two-thirds to a simple majority, where the House already operates, Republicans will be able to enact Trump's plans while entirely skirting Democratic opposition, provided the items included relate to budgetary and other fiscal matters.

GOP lawmakers want to include a wide swath of Trump's priorities, from more funding for border security to eliminating taxes on tipped and overtime wages.

House Republicans' plans to advance the bill through committee last week were scuttled after fiscal hawks balked at initial proposals for baseline reductions in government spending – frustrating rank-and-file lawmakers.

"This is a mechanism that needs to happen that some people are getting hung up on," one exasperated House GOP lawmaker said. "Some people are acting as if this – you know, I appreciate they're taking this seriously, but this is just getting the clock started."

More recent proposals traded by the House GOP would put that minimum total anywhere between roughly $1 trillion and $2.5 trillion.

Meanwhile, the Senate's proposal is projected to be deficit-neutral, according to a press release. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., hopes to advance it by the end of Thursday.

Johnson told reporters Tuesday that bill would be dead on arrival in the House.

"I'm afraid it's a nonstarter over here. And, you know, I've expressed that to him. And there is no animus or daylight between us. We all are trying to get to the same achievable objectives. And there's just, you know, different ideas on how to get there," the speaker said.

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

Tensions are growing, however, with Johnson's critics beginning to blame his leadership for the lack of a definitive roadmap.

"We're totally getting jammed by the Senate. Leaders lead, and they don't wait to get jammed," Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, told Fox News Digital. "If I had somebody who was arguing with me about a top-line number, and if I was speaker, they wouldn't be in that position anymore."

"And I would figure out a way to be resourceful working with the conference and working lines of communication, as opposed to hiding everything and then being three weeks late on the top-line number."

Johnson told reporters that details of a plan could be public as soon as Tuesday night.

The Senate's plan differs from the House's goal in that it would separate Trump's priorities into two separate bills – including funding for border security and national defense in one bill, while leaving Trump's desired tax cut extensions for a second portion.

House GOP leaders are concerned that leaving tax cuts for a second bill could leave Republicans with precious little time to reckon with them before the existing provisions expire at the end of this year.

FIRST ON FOX: Republicans lawmakers are renewing efforts to gut federal funding to NPR and PBS amid the Trump administration’s upheaval of the federal bureaucracy.

Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., is leading a bill in the House of Representatives that would halt taxpayer dollars from going to either media broadcaster and reroute existing federal funds to reducing the national debt, according to legislative text previewed by Fox News Digital.

"As a former newspaper owner and publisher, I understand the vital role of balanced, non-partisan media. Unfortunately, these taxpayer-funded outlets have chosen advocacy over accuracy, using public dollars to promote a political agenda rather than report the facts," Tenney told Fox News Digital.

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

The legislation’s Senate counterpart is being led by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who told Fox News Digital, "Americans have hundreds of sources of news and commentary, and they don’t need politically biased, taxpayer-funded media choosing what they should see and hear. PBS and NPR are free to compete in the marketplace of ideas using donations, but their public subsidy should end."

Republicans have long targeted NPR and PBS, accusing both outlets of sharing a liberal bias while receiving government funding.

Less than 1% of NPR's funding comes directly from the federal government, though other funding comes indirectly from grants and dollars allocated to local member stations who then pay fees back to NPR. More than a third of its funding comes from corporate sponsorships.

PBS also gets a mix of federal funds through other avenues.

However, the GOP's demands to end federal allocations to both outlets now come at a time when the executive branch is fervently searching for places to block government spending that does not align with the Trump administration's agenda.

Elon Musk, who is leading Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, has been critical of NPR in the past.

"Defund NPR. It should survive on its own," Musk wrote on his X platform earlier this month.

'WE'RE THE GOLD STANDARD': GOP LAWMAKER CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARING OVER DC PLANE CRASH

Soon after he acquired X, Musk briefly hit NPR with a "State-Affiliated" media label, which is normally reserved for the media arm of authoritarian governments.

Tenney's bill is one of multiple efforts targeting NPR and PBS during this Congress. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who chairs the DOGE subcommittee under the House Oversight Committee, said she wants the heads of each organization to come testify before her new panel.

The hard-line conservative House Freedom Caucus has released its own proposal to enact President Donald Trump's agenda via the budget reconciliation process.

The plan would pair a debt ceiling increase and increased border security funding with deep spending cuts through welfare work requirements and rollbacks on progressive Biden administration initiatives.

It's a sign that House GOP leaders have still not found consensus within the conference on a path forward, despite ambitious plans to get a bill through the chamber at the end of the month.

House and Senate Republicans are aiming to use their congressional majorities to pass a massive conservative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process.

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

By reducing the Senate's threshold for passage from one-third to a simple majority, where the House already operates, Republicans will be able to enact Trump's plans while entirely skirting Democratic opposition, provided the items included relate to budgetary and other fiscal matters.

GOP lawmakers want to include a wide swath of Trump priorities from more funding for border security to eliminating taxes on tipped and overtime wages.

But fiscal hawks have also demanded the package be deficit-neutral or deficit-reducing. Congressional leaders can afford little dissent with their razor-thin majorities and guaranteed lack of Democratic support.

The Freedom Caucus's plan would follow through on conservatives' pleas for deep spending cuts, pairing $200 billion in annual new spending for the border and national defense with $486 billion in spending cuts for the same 10-year period.

It would also include a $4 trillion increase in the debt ceiling, something Trump demanded be part of Republicans' fiscal negotiations.

Spending cuts would be found in codifying rollbacks to the Biden administration's electric vehicle mandates and imposing Clinton administration-era work requirements for certain federal benefits, among other measures.

The legislation leaves out one critical component of Trump's reconciliation goals – the extension of his 2017-era Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

House GOP leaders and Republicans on the Ways & Means Committee had pushed for them to be included alongside border security, debt ceiling, defense and energy measures in one massive reconciliation bill. 

They argued that leaving them for a second bill, which the House Freedom Caucus plan would do, will allow Trump's tax cuts to expire at the end of this year before Congress has time to act.

The two-track approach is also favored by Senate Republicans, who are moving forward with their own plan this week.

Conservatives on the House Budget Committee pushed back against GOP leaders' initial proposals for baseline spending cuts to offset new spending in the reconciliation plan, forcing the House to punt on plans to advance a resolution through the House Budget Committee last week.

Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., later announced plans to advance his own proposal through his committee by Thursday.

BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF 'PURGE' OF 'MINORITY' FEDERAL WORKERS

""The biggest loser this weekend wasn't at the Super Bowl, but rather the American people," Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital. "The clock is ticking, and we are no closer to a budget deal, which is why the House Freedom Caucus released our Emergency Border Control Resolution Budget to secure our border and address Trump's America First Agenda."

House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., said in a statement, "Given the current delay in the House on moving a comprehensive reconciliation bill, moving a smaller targeted bill now makes the most sense to deliver a win for the President and the American people."

Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, said, "The American people voted for Donald Trump to see action – not for Congress to sit on its hands while our short window to pass his America-First agenda closes."

Supporters of the two-bill approach have said it would secure early wins on issues Republicans agree most on while leaving more complex matters like tax cuts for the latter half of the year.

Rep. Jim Jordan, GOP chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., sent employees from the Fulton County District Attorney's office requests Thursday to hand over documents and interviews related to the Jan. 6 Committee as they continue investigating District Attorney Fani Willis. 

"The committee previously wrote to District Attorney Willis requesting documents relating to her coordination with the January 6 Select Committee. Because District Attorney Willis has declined to cooperate, the committee must pursue other avenues to obtain this information," a press release states. 

Jordan and Loudermilk sent letters to Assistant Chief Investigator Michael Hill, Assistant Chief Investigator Trina Swanson-Lucas, Chief Senior District Attorney Donald Wakeford and Deputy District Attorney Will Wooten, requesting "all documents and communications" between the employees and "any member, staff member, agent, or representative of the January 6 Selection Committee." 

THE FANI WILLIS TRUMP FIASCO IS FAR FROM OVER. IN FACT, IT'S JUST GETTING STARTED

The letters also request the employees hand over "all documents and communications referring or relating to records in your possession obtained" from the Jan. 6 Committee. 

All employees were asked to submit the requested documentation no later than Feb. 20. 

The letters sent Thursday say the lawmakers had previously written to Willis "requesting documents relating to her coordination with the January 6 Select Committee."

FANI WILLIS DECLINES TO SHARE JACK SMITH, JAN 6 RECORDS, IN A BLOW TO CONSERVATIVE WATCHDOGS

The lawmakers say they received a letter from Willis in December in which she confirmed the requested documents existed "but declined to produce such materials on the grounds that the materials were 'protected from disclosure by attorney-client privilege, work product privilege, and other common law protections.'"

The DA's office asserted the same claim in a court filing that same month when it declined to turn over any new communications between Willis and special counsel Jack Smith, who had also been investigating alleged efforts by President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The filing asserted that the documents either did not exist or were exempt from disclosure under Georgia law.

GEORGIA APPEALS COURT DISQUALIFIES DA FANI WILLIS AND HER TEAM FROM TRUMP ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney had previously ordered Willis to produce any records of communication with either Smith or the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 within five business days. In doing so, the judge sided with Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group that had filed suit against Willis, determining that Willis had violated the state’s open records act by failing to respond to the lawsuit. 

The House Judiciary Committee launched its investigation into whether Willis coordinated with the House Jan. 6 Committee in December 2023. Jordan and Loudermilk took the lead on the probe after learning that Willis’ office "coordinated its investigative actions with the partisan Select Committee."

The lawmakers said at the time that Willis asked the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 to share evidence with her office.

Willis charged Trump with one count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act, three counts of criminal solicitation, six counts of criminal conspiracy, one count of filing false documents and two counts of making false statements. 

Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts.

Fox News Digital reached out to Hill, Swanson-Lucas, Wakeford, Wooten and the DA's Office but did not immediately hear back. 

Fox News Digital's Breanne Deppisch and Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

FIRST ON FOX: A top House Republican is moving to make it harder for China to procure advanced U.S. technology amid longstanding concerns about intellectual property theft by Beijing.

"My proposed legislation will establish safeguards to prevent future shocks like China's development of DeepSeek using American technology. In addition to the chips China reportedly stockpiled, it appears China used chips under the current export control threshold to achieve this AI breakthrough," House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital.

"This scenario should be a wakeup call — if you give the CCP an inch, it will take a mile. The CCP's craftiness is coupled with a total disregard for legal and security considerations. We already know that the CCP uses technology to oppress its own citizens and to commit acts of espionage and sabotage against the United States, including major cyberattacks."

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

DeepSeek is an artificial intelligence (AI) software company based in Hangzhou, China. Its AI chatbot is known to be similar to ChatGPT, which was made by California-based OpenAI.

DeepSeek’s release of the new high-profile AI model that costs less to run than existing models like those of Meta and OpenAI sent a chill through U.S. markets.

BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF 'PURGE' OF 'MINORITY' FEDERAL WORKERS

Its popularity in U.S. app stores has also renewed concerns about Chinese companies collecting American data, as well as the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) censorship practices.

The surprise DeepSeek release also displayed how China's economic competitiveness has far outpaced the ability of U.S. business leaders and lawmakers to agree on what to do about it. 

The U.S. Commerce Department is now looking into whether DeepSeek used chips that were banned from entering China via sanctions, Reuters reported. 

Green's bill would put export controls on certain national interest technology and intellectual property to China.

It would also call for sanctions against foreign actors who sell or purchase such items to and from China, as well as Chinese entities who knowingly use items covered by the export controls.

A House Oversight Committee hearing devolved into a fight over words on Wednesday after Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., repeatedly used a "slur" to describe transgender people in a hearing on USAID funding.

"USAID awarded $2 million to strengthen trans-led organizations to deliver gender-affirming health care in Guatemala," Mace said. "So to each of you this morning, does this advance the interests of American citizens paying for trannies in Guatemala to the tune of $2 million, yes or no?"

When Mace's five minutes were up, ranking member Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., made a point of parliamentary inquiry to the committee chairman to chide Mace for using the word "trannies," a term "that is considered a slur in the LGBTQ community, and the transgender community."

"Let me please finish without interruption," Connolly said, before Mace cut him off and repeated the term several more times. 

"Tranny, tranny, tranny, I don't really care, you want penises in women's bathrooms, and I'm not going to have it OK, no, thank you – it's disgusting," Mace barked back.

SPEAKER JOHNSON ANNOUNCES NEW CAPITOL BATHROOM POLICY IN RESPONSE TO CONTROVERSY OVER TRANS HOUSE MEMBER

Committee chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., interrupted and permitted Connolly to finish his thoughts. 

"To me, a slur is a slur, and here on the committee, a level of decorum requires us to try consciously to avoid slurs. You just heard the gentle lady actually actively, robustly repeated it," Connolly said. "And I would just ask the chairman that she be counseled that we ought not to be engaged. We can have debate and policy discussion without offending human beings who are our fellow citizens. And so I would ask as a parliamentary inquiry whether the use of that phrase is not, in fact, a violation of the decorum rules."

Mace snapped back that she wasn't going to be "counseled by a man over men in women's spaces or men who have mental health issues dressing as women." 

The South Carolina Republican also made headlines last November with her bill to ban biological males from women's bathrooms in the U.S. Capitol, inspired by the election of Sarah McBride, D-Del., as the first openly transgender woman elected to the House.

TWO HOUSE DEMS JOIN GOP TO BAN BIOLOGICAL MALES FORM GIRLS' SCHOOL SPORTS

With a slight smirk, Comer said, "I'll be honest with the ranking member – I’m not up-to-date on my politically correct LGBTQ terminology."

"We'll look into that and get back with you on that. I don't know what's offensive and what's not. I don't know much about pronouns," he said. 

The hearing, which was about government efficiency and called "Rightsizing Government," began Wednesday morning and included witnesses Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Citizens Against Government Waste president Thomas A. Schatz. 

WHITE HOUSE TO IMPOSE TARIFFS ON MEXICO, CANADA AND CHINA DUE TO ‘INVASION OF ILLEGAL FENTANYL’

The hearing also fell into some confusion when Connolly demanded the committee subpoena the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tech billionaire Elon Musk.

A review of USAID’s recent history shows that it was repeatedly accused of financial mismanagement and corruption long before Trump's second administration, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

Musk has led the charge against USAID – an independent U.S. agency established during the Kennedy administration to administer economic aid to foreign nations – as he leads DOGE’s mission of cutting government fat and overspending at the federal level. 

Fox News Digital's Emma Colton contributed to this report. 

New York Democratic lawmakers are working to keep Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik's House seat vacant until the summer in an unprecedented move hashed out during late-night discussions last week, a Republican Empire State assemblyman told Fox Digital. 

"We still haven't seen the final proposal from the Democrats in Albany, but there's no doubt that Tammany Hall corruption is alive and well in the state capital," Republican New York Assemblyman Matt Slater, who represents the state's 94th district in areas of Putnam and Westchester counties, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive Zoom interview on Sunday morning. 

"It is just blatantly corrupt for the New York State Democrats to keep changing the rules of engagement simply out of self-interest. Meanwhile, New Yorkers are struggling in so many different ways. U-Haul just gave us our worst migration rating ever because there's so many New Yorkers who are fleeing this state. So they can get things done, but they only do it when it benefits them," Slater continued. 

Slater, who serves as the ranking Republican on the state's Election Law Committee, was reacting to state Democrats working to introduce legislation that could keep Stefanik's House seat vacant until June, when the state holds its scheduled primary elections. Stefanik is in the midst of her confirmation process to serve in the Trump administration and is expected to resign her House seat if the Senate confirms her as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. 

STEFANIK LOOKS BACK TO FIERY EXCHANGES WITH COLLEGE LEADERS IN SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARING: 'WATERSHED MOMENT'  

Under current law, New York's governor has 10 days to declare a special election for a vacant seat and an additional 80 to 90 days to hold the election. Stefanik's seat is key for the Republican Party and Trump's second administration, as Republicans hold a slim majority at 218 members to the Democrats' 215 members. 

The state Democrats' anticipated legislation has not yet been introduced, but Democrats were summoned to an emergency conference on Friday evening to reportedly discuss such a bill, Slater explained. He expects to have a copy of the Democrats' bill on Monday morning. 

STEFANIK PLANS TO PUSH TRUMP'S 'AMERICA FIRST' AGENDA AT UN, MAKE SURE IT 'SERVES THE INTERESTS' OF US PEOPLE 

Slater said the Democrats' objective of changing election laws to move the special election back to the summer is part of their bigger agenda to combat the second Trump administration. 

"Speaker Johnson has the hardest job in government right now, trying to keep the Republican conference, caucus together. This obviously would make that margin of Republican control that much more thin and that much more challenging for the speaker and, again, jeopardizing President Trump's agenda to get through Congress. That's their entire mission and goal, the Albany Democrats, is to make sure that they're combating President Trump each step of the way. And this is their latest way of doing it," Slater said. 

He pointed to a bevy of instances in which New York Democrats have leveraged their state power to combat Trump and the Republican Party in recent years, including gerrymandering and "stacking" New York's top court with Democrats. 

NEW YORK APPEALS COURT JUDGES IN TRUMP CASE ROUTINELY DONATED TO DEMOCRATS, RECORDS SHOW

"If you look at the track record of the Democrats, who control every aspect of state government here in New York, they have changed the rules so many times just because it benefits them. Whether it's redistricting, whether it's stacking the Court of Appeals, whether it's allowing the governor to remove her then-indicted lieutenant governor from the ballot. The list goes on and on," he said. 

"And in this case, it will deprive 800,000 New Yorkers of proper representation in Washington. And oh by the way, there were two special elections last year. And the Democrats didn't say anything about changing the rules because fact of the matter is, these are Republican districts that will be impacted, and they are trying to disrupt the Trump administration and, frankly, Leader Johnson from being able to deliver on their agenda."

President Donald Trump nominated Stefanik to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under his second administration. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to advance the New York Republican's confirmation on Thursday, with her full Senate floor vote expected later this week. 

FETTERMAN STILL ENTHUSIASTICALLY SUPPORTIVE OF STEFANIK FOR US AMBASSADOR TO UN: 'ALWAYS WAS A HARD YES' 

Stefanik is expected to resign from the U.S. House to take the ambassadorship if and when the Senate officially confirms her nomination. 

A spokesperson for Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told Gothamist that she "believes it’s critical to increase voter turnout and reduce the cost of election administration, and she would support legislation that achieves that goal."

Slater poured cold water on the office's claim that the proposal is rooted in promoting voter turnout and easing costs, pointing to two special elections held last year – former Democrat Rep. Brian Higgins' seat as well as the February 2024 special election to replace former Republican Rep. George Santos' in a district where Democrats were expected to have an edge over the GOP. Democrats, who have held trifecta control in the state since 2018, did not push to change special election laws last year, Slater noted. 

WHAT STEFANIK'S HOUSE TENURE REVEALS ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF UN AMBASSADOR SHE MAY BE 

"I can't believe how hypocritical the governor and her office can be in this, because let me remind the governor that she had two special elections for Congress last year," he said.

"To sit here and say that this is going to save taxpayer money and increase voter turnout, but you didn't think about that last year when your own party had special elections that you were favored to win? Fact of the matter is, this has everything to do with the fact that this is a Republican seat. This is about control of Republicans in Congress, and this is about disrupting President Trump's agenda in Washington." 

Local outlets have reported the bill could push the special election beyond June to November, when the state holds its general elections, though Slater cast doubt that Democrats would push the envelope that far. 

"If you want to talk about increasing voter turnout and saving taxpayer money, they really don't have an excuse to wait past that June date. And so, you know, yes, it's always a possibility that November is the date that they put in the legislation. But I'm hard-pressed to believe that they would go that far," he said. 

Slater argued that the push from Democrats to approve the special election change is a wake-up call for New Yorkers.

"[It's] so transparently political that New Yorkers need to wake up, and they need to understand that this isn't the leadership that we're asking for. President Trump has a great agenda moving forward, and this is all about disrupting that agenda to put America first," he said.

Stefanik is a longtime Trump ally who chaired the House Republican Conference from 2021 to 2025, making her the fourth-most powerful Republican in the House. She was first elected to the House in blue New York in 2014 at age 30, making her the youngest woman elected to the House at the time.

Fox News Digital reached out to the governor's office on Sunday but did not immediately receive a reply.

DORAL, Fla. — The lawmaker in charge of House Republicans’ elections arm is feeling confident that the GOP can buck historical precedent and hold onto their majority for the entirety of President Donald Trump’s term.

The 2024 elections saw Republicans make significant inroads with Hispanic and Black voters.

National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., said progress would continue heading into the 2026 midterm elections.

BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF 'PURGE' OF 'MINORITY' FEDERAL WORKERS

"We’ve done well with African Americans, comparatively," Hudson told Fox News Digital, referring to years prior. "We've put a lot more effort in reaching out to that community as well and letting them know that we want your votes, and we want to represent you, and we care about the issues that matter to you and your family."

"I think we can do better, and we'll continue to attempt to do better. But, look, our message, our values, our principles are all universal."

He said Republicans’ values also lined up with Hispanic and Latino voters, 42% of whom supported Trump, according to the Associated Press.

"We are focused on the issues you care about," Hudson said the pitch was. "It's crime in your neighborhoods. It's education for your children. It's securing the borders. It's the price of things for your family. I mean, these are all things we campaigned on. But we deliberately went out into the Hispanic community and said, ‘We want your vote.’ And they responded."

Earlier in the interview, he credited Trump with delivering on those values in 2024, and argued that Trump’s policies would get Republicans over the line again next year.

Historically, the first midterm after a new presidential term serves as a rebuke of the party in power.

Democrats won the House of Representatives in a "blue wave" in 2018 during Trump’s first term. Four years later, Republicans wrestled it back under former President Joe Biden.

But the circumstances are somewhat different this time, something Hudson noted.

"We’re in a unique time in history, where you had a president serve four years with all his policies, and then he was replaced by another president who had completely different policies. . . . And then the two ran against each other," Hudson said. "So the American people sort of had a referendum on which president they wanted, which policies they chose, and they overwhelmingly selected Donald Trump."

NONCITIZEN VOTER CRACKDOWN LED BY HOUSE GOP AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS

Trump is in his second term, and Hudson argued that the 2024 presidential race was a referendum between two clear White House records.

"He has a mandate that I think is unique in history. And so this isn't a first-term president going into his first midterm. I mean, this is someone the American people know, and they've chosen," Hudson said.

Hudson also pointed out that Democrats will be defending 13 lawmakers whose districts Trump won, while Republicans only had to hold onto three seats that voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.

"The battlefield out there for us going into 2026 favors Republicans," Hudson said. 

He spoke with Fox News Digital at Trump National Doral golf course and resort in South Florida, where Republicans held their three-day retreat to strategize their agenda.

Hudson was one of the senior Republicans who gave a presentation to fellow lawmakers during the event, where his message was: "We’re on offense this cycle."

"We're going to lean in. We have a lot of opportunity in those Donald Trump seats," Hudson said he told colleagues. "We're going to hold Democrats accountable for their voting against the policies the American people want."

Kansas’ entire congressional delegation is vowing to find answers for the families grieving loved ones after the deadly crash of a flight from Wichita to Washington D.C., which officials have said left no survivors.

A Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines PSA commercial jet that was moments from landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport Wednesday night, temporarily halting all flights in and out of the small but critically located airport.

"Our prayers are with the families and friends of those affected by the tragic plane crash that occurred in our nation’s capital. South Central Kansas is a close community, and it's likely that many of us directly or indirectly know people who were on Flight 5342 on Jan. 29," the lawmakers’ joint written statement said.

VIDEO SHOWS DC PLANE CRASH INVOLVING AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT, BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER

"This is a sad day for Kansans and our nation, and this community, steeped in aviation and manufacturing history, will feel the pain of this catastrophe for years to come. We are grateful for the first responders and rescue crews who worked through the night.

"Our focus now is supporting the family and friends of those who perished, including the crew and military personnel, and then getting answers for the grieving individuals who have lost a loved one and making sure this doesn't happen again."

It was signed by GOP Kansas senators Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran, as well as Republican House representatives Ron Estes, Tracey Mann, Derek Schmidt and the delegation’s lone Democrat, Sharice Davids.

Estes represents much of Wichita, where the flight originated.

Moran said in a press conference shortly after midnight Thursday he was familiar with the flight route, having lobbied American Airlines for it to begin last year.

President Donald Trump briefed reporters on the crisis earlier Thursday, saying there were no survivors from the crash.

Members of Trump’s new Cabinet, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, both promised to find swift answers for the families grieving loved ones after the crash.

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., who represents Arlington County, where the airport is located, similarly said he would work toward accountability.

"As the local representative, I want the families to know that our office is available to serve you in any way that we possibly can in this time of grief and transition and loss," Beyer said at another press conference Thursday morning.

AMERICAN AIRLINES CEO EXPRESSES 'DEEP SORROW' AFTER MIDAIR COLLISION

"And then, also, I’d just note that we are deeply grateful for the people who risked their lives last night on a moment’s notice and spent the whole night on the river in the ice and the wind, serving us."

Beyer added that, through the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) probe into the crash, "we’ve got to make sure that, at the federal level and with the support of Virginia, Maryland, and D.C., we’re doing everything we can to make sure that this does not happen again."

American Airlines has said 60 passengers and four crew members were aboard the plane, and the airline encouraged any loved ones looking for information to call the numbers on its site.

U.S. officials are investigating why the Black Hawk helicopter flew into the path of the descending plane, Duffy told reporters.

"I would say the helicopter was aware there was a plane in the area," he said.

Hegseth said the helicopter was manned by an experienced crew and was undergoing an "annual proficiency training flight."

Duffy told reporters that while the collision was a highly unusual and tragic event, the two aircraft's mutual patterns were not atypical.

EXCLUSIVE: DORAL, Fla. — Leaders within the House GOP's largest caucus are drawing a red line in congressional Republicans' budget talks.

The Republican Study Committee's (RSC) steering group is calling for any budget reconciliation plan to ultimately lead to reductions in the U.S. deficit, which occurs when the federal government's spending outpaces its revenues in a given fiscal year.

"Reconciliation legislation must reduce the federal budget deficit. Our national security depends on our ability to bring about meaningful fiscal reform," the official position, first obtained by Fox News Digital, said. 

RSC leaders met behind closed doors at House Republicans' annual retreat to hash out their stance. GOP lawmakers were at Trump National Doral golf course in Florida for three days of discussions on reconciliation and other fiscal deadlines looming on the horizon.

TRUMP DHS REPEALS KEY MAYORKAS MEMO LIMITING ICE AGENTS

They have been negotiating for weeks on how to use their razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate to pass massive conservative policy changes through the budget reconciliation process.

By reducing the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to a 51-seat simple majority, reconciliation allows a party in control of both congressional chambers to enact sweeping changes, provided they are relevant to budgetary and fiscal policy.

At 178 members, RSC is House Republicans' largest inter-conference group. It often acts as the House GOP's de facto "think tank" on policy matters.

The group is being led this year by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas. Its previous chairman is Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., who was recently elected House Republican Policy Committee chair – an example of RSC's close ties to GOP leadership.

Republican lawmakers have their work cut out for them this year as they work to unify for congressional leaders' preferred timeline for the reconciliation process.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Wednesday that he intends to have a House-wide vote on an initial budget resolution in late February.

But once Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., departs for the Trump administration as expected, House Republicans will not be able to afford any defections to pass legislation along party lines. In the Senate, the GOP can lose two lawmakers to still meet the 51-vote threshold.

And President Donald Trump outlined several specific policies he wants Republicans to include in their reconciliation legislation – including no taxes on tips or overtime pay and more funding for the U.S.-Mexico border – which could add to the federal deficit if not paired with significant spending cuts.

Republicans have floated various ways to achieve those cuts, including adding work requirements to federal benefits and rolling back progressive regulations enacted during the Biden administration.

Johnson said he wanted Republicans' final product to be deficit-neutral or better.

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

"Anything we do, is going to be deficit-neutral at least, and hopefully deficit-reducing, because we think we've got to change that trajectory," he said on Wednesday. "So that is part of the healthy discussion we've been having. And everyone has lots of opinions about that, of course. And, the opinions are welcomed."

The U.S. is running a cumulative deficit of $710 billion in fiscal year 2025 so far, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. It's $200 billion more than the same period in FY 2024.

Meanwhile federal revenues were $1.1 trillion through December, a decrease of 2% from the same period prior, the group said.

DORAL, Fla. — House Republicans have their work cut out for them in the coming weeks, with three fiscal deadlines looming and President Donald Trump pushing for a very active first 100 days of his administration.

Congressional GOP leaders are working on a massive conservative policy overhaul via the reconciliation process. By lowering the threshold for passage in the Senate from 60 votes to a simple 51-seat majority, it allows the party in power to advance their policy goals into law, provided those policies deal with budgetary and other fiscal matters.

"We want to deliver on all the things that President Trump talked about during the campaign… including no tax on tips, which was one of those early items that the president talked about, but also ensuring no tax increases happen. We can fully fund our border security needs, making sure we build the wall out, that we give more technology and tools to our Border Patrol agents," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told Fox News Digital.

"We can produce more energy in America… try to get rid of some of these crazy rules and regulations that add so much cost for no good reason to families."

TRUMP DHS REPEALS KEY MAYORKAS MEMO LIMITING ICE AGENTS

Scalise said it would be "much more robust" than Republicans’ last reconciliation bill passed in 2017 – the last time the GOP controlled Congress and the White House.

His optimism comes as congressional Republicans still appear divided over how best to enact their plans. Senate Republicans and some GOP hardliners in the House have argued that trying to pass a bill with border and energy policies first would give Trump a quick win, while allowing more time for more complex issues like taxes.

But House leaders are concerned that, given Republicans last passed two reconciliation bills in one year in the 1990s with much larger majorities, the two-track strategy could allow Trump’s 2017 provisions to expire and raise taxes on millions of families.

"You have to start somewhere. We're starting with one package," Scalise said. "No disagreement on the details of what we're going to include."

Meanwhile, lawmakers are also contending with the debt ceiling being reinstated this month after it was temporarily suspended in a bipartisan deal during the Biden administration. At least one projection suggests Congress will have until mid-June or earlier to deal with it or risk financial turmoil that comes with a downgrade in the U.S.’s national credit rating.

And coming on March 14 is the deadline to avert a partial government shutdown, which Congress has extended twice since the end of the previous fiscal year on Oct. 1.

The No. 2 House Republican floated the possibility of combining those latter two deadlines.

"The Appropriations Committee, which is not directly involved in budget reconciliation, is simultaneously having a negotiation with the Senate on government funding, you know, working with the White House to make sure it meets President Trump's priorities," Scalise said. 

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"I would imagine the debt ceiling could very well be a part of that conversation in that negotiation."

Scalise spoke with Fox News Digital at the House GOP’s annual retreat, held this year at Trump’s golf club in Doral, Florida.

Lawmakers huddled behind closed doors for three days to hash out a roadmap for grappling with their multiple deadlines and enacting Trump’s agenda.

They also heard from the president himself, as well as Vice President JD Vance.

Trump has on multiple occasions called on Republicans to act on the debt limit to avoid a U.S. credit default. Vance told Republicans on Tuesday that Trump wanted them to do so without giving leverage to Democrats – a weighty task given some GOP hardliners’ opposition to raising or suspending the limit over the U.S.’s $36 trillion national debt.  

House GOP leaders can currently only afford one defection to still pass a bill along party lines.

They’ve been forced to seek Democratic support on government funding multiple times, including most recently in December. 

With no topline agreement reached and roughly 19 days in session before the March 14 deadline to avert a partial government shutdown, it’s becoming increasingly likely that congressional leaders will have to combine all 12 annual appropriations bills into one massive "omnibus," a move also generally opposed by GOP hardliners.

"I think we're getting closer," Scalise said of a topline number for fiscal year 2025 spending. "The House and Senate were apart by a pretty sizable amount of money. They’re trying to negotiate that down to get a resolution."

EXCLUSIVE: Female Republicans in Congress are fighting to change the decadeslong narrative that paints Democrats as the party of women, hoping it transcends to significant gains in future elections.

"We’ve got to get back to our roots of being the party of women," Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital. "I don’t know why we ever allowed the Democrats to hijack the narrative and claim to be the party of women. That’s bull."

Other GOP lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital about this story noted that cost of living, a cornerstone issue for Republicans in the last election, was as much a women's issue as anyone else's.

Republicans have also passed several bills since winning that election that have put women at the focus of conservative policy changes on transgender youth and border security.

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"You should not let the Democrat Party tell you they’re the party of women if they can’t even define what a woman is. So we are going to continue to be strong advocates for young women and girls, whether that’s in professional spaces, in bathrooms or in sports," said Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, referencing a recently passed bill keeping biological male student athletes out of girls' sports teams and locker rooms.

Hinson said she is "a working mom fighting for other working moms."

"Women are oftentimes the most important decision makers in a household, for example. So, when I'm thinking about economic indicators, how are we going to get more women in the workforce? How can we empower more women and families? How can we support more women in sports?" Hinson posed.

Historically, Malliotakis pointed out, it was Republicans who led passage of the 19th Amendment that secured women the right to vote. She also pointed out that it was under President Donald Trump that a museum dedicated to women's history was authorized.

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"President Trump authorized in 2020 the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum. And Joe Biden did nothing with it for four years," Malliotakis said. " "I’ve been pushing a land transfer for the Smithsonian women’s museum to be built, and I think it makes total sense that we would be the party that would do this, considering our history."

As a voting bloc, women have favored Democrats and the left in recent history.

Democrats have also blamed Republicans for the conservative-leaning Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, a move that did appear to translate to electoral success in the 2022 midterms.

Progressives were also historically the biggest supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment, legislation that was pushed primarily during the second-wave feminist movement.

However, Republican women like Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., are now arguing that bills like hers, which would deport illegal immigrants who commit sex crimes against women and other Americans, are what it takes to protect women.

"MAGA is the new feminist," Mace wrote on X this month.

Additionally, Rep. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., one of the few Republican women in the 119th Congress' freshmen class, pointed out that her own story was a testament to GOP meritocracy.

"I was the largest vote-getter in my whole state out of anybody, as a woman, as the first congresswoman in our state. So I think more than anything else, people want folks who are primed for the job, who are competent and ready," Fedorchak said.

"The cost of everything, making ends meet, helping women manage their multiple roles, getting government out of their lives, helping reinforce the role of parents…these are things that are women’s issues."

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers refused to say how many genders there are when confronted just days after President Donald Trump proclaimed that there are only two "not changeable" sexes: male and female.

Former President Joe Biden refrained from defining gender as strictly binary and issued directives supporting the recognition of individual gender identity on federal documents. This included allowing Americans to select "X" as a gender option on their passports, alongside male and female. In contrast, Trump's order, declaring the existence of only two genders, will reverse efforts allowing the use of a gender different from that assigned at birth on documents like driver's licenses.

In the wake of Trump's order, Fox News Digital surveyed lawmakers on Capitol Hill about the number of recognized genders, but most members of Congress refused to answer the question.

"I have one meeting to go to, that's all I'm worried about right now," Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, told Fox when asked how many genders there are.

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Another Democrat, Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., told Fox that there are "two" genders but that "people are often uncertain what there is."

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"These people are ridiculous," Democrat Rep. Greg Casar of Texas said as he walked away. 

Other lawmakers who did not say how many genders there are included Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., and Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn.

Trump is taking aim at several of Biden's federal orders surrounding gender identity, such as revoking the Enabling All Qualified Americans to Serve Their Country in Uniform order, which allowed transgender people to serve in the military. 

Fox News' Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans is urging the Senate to act fast on confirming President-elect Trump's Cabinet nominees amid dramatic hearings and some recent delays in the process.

"As elected officials, Congress is tasked with reflecting the will of the American people. The results of last November make clear that the country wants to see a departure from the past four years of failed Biden-Harris leadership," the letter said.

"We all have a role to play, and for this reason I respectfully urge my Senate colleagues to proceed swiftly with the confirmation of President Trump's executive branch nominees."

The letter is led by Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, and signed by at least 16 House Republican lawmakers, though more may join. 

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It comes after former Fox News Channel host Pete Hegseth clashed with Democrat senators during a hearing on his nomination to be defense secretary on Tuesday. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and others grilled Hegseth on allegations of infidelity and sexual misconduct, which he emphatically denied.

The following day, multiple Senate confirmation hearings were interrupted by protesters. 

Hearings for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to be Homeland Security secretary, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to be Interior secretary and former Rep. Doug Collins to be Veterans Affairs secretary were all delayed, reportedly for various procedural reasons.

"President Trump has selected these nominees based on their shared, strong, and demonstrated commitment to restoring American values and pursuing the best interests of the nation," Fallon's letter read. "When it comes to President Trump's slate of nominees, the sum of the whole is even greater than its parts – we need a united executive branch if we are to right the ship."

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"Thank you for the strong support that many of you have already espoused for President Trump's nominees. We cannot falter nor rebuke the mandate of the American people as we turn the page on the past four years of failed executive leadership."

The letter closed by urging Senate Republicans to give Trump's nominees their "full and unwavering support."

As Fallon's letter noted, the majority of Senate Republicans are expected to fall in line behind Trump's choices. But with just a 53-seat majority, they can afford little dissent to still get the nominees over the line.

First-term Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, said Wednesday that he intends to support Hegseth's confirmation after hearing his testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee. But at a Politico event on Tuesday, he raised doubts about Trump's nominee to be director of national intelligence, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii.

Hegseth, meanwhile, managed to clear a key hurdle on Tuesday when Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said on local Iowa radio station WHO News Radio 1040 that she would support his nomination after previously signaling she had some concerns.