Sen Kennedy urges Trump to come to DC to negotiate spending bill
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., is calling on President-elect Donald Trump to step in and “control” the GOP caucus as a massive interim spending bill and partial government shutdown looms over Washington.
Speaking to Fox News on Thursday, Kennedy suggested Trump is the only person capable of reining in the GOP, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., needs his help to make things happen in D.C.
“There’s one person that can control the Republican caucus in the United States House of Representatives right now, and that’s Donald J. Trump,” he said on “Fox & Friends.”
“Could that change? Sure, but Speaker Johnson cannot [control the caucus]. It’s clear he hasn’t been able to do so. It’s not his fault. I’m not sure anybody could, but he can’t get all the Republicans together in the House and, in order to pass the C.R., he’s got to do that without Democratic support.”
THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO WHAT HAPPENED TO THE INTERIM SPENDING BILL
“I think President Trump could,” he continued. “And I hope he’ll consider coming to Washington.”
As of Thursday, the U.S. national debt – a measure of what U.S. taxpayers are on the hook for to the nation’s creditors – stood at $36,189,345,826,140.62, with the number continuing to climb at a rapid pace. A $2 trillion deficit is also predicted for 2025.
Kennedy called on the president-elect to sit down with Speaker Johnson and incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to come up with a new “skinny C.R. [continuing resolution]” that is more digestible to conservatives who opposed its exorbitant spending.
“Let’s face it, he’s the president now,” Kennedy said of Trump, who doesn’t take office until Jan. 20. “It’s not President Biden.”
“If the president wants to do something on the debt limit, we need to find out what it is and put it in the bill. Then the president’s going to have to help Mike sell it in the House… Speaker Johnson’s problem is that, on the Republican side, he’s got a bunch of free-range chickens. I’m not criticizing them, but they wander off and Mike can’t catch all of them by himself,” he said.
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Conservative opposition sent lawmakers back to the drawing board to chart a new path forward.
President-elect Trump’s pick to co-chair his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk, also opposed the measure as it was, even calling for lawmakers who supported the bill to lose their seats.
Trump’s transition team also released a joint statement by Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance opposing the initial iteration of the deal.
Kennedy said he also saw the bill as problematic.
“It’s a multiple vehicle pile-up,” he said.
“I knew as soon as I saw the bill there was going to be trouble. The thing was as big as a Costco.”
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Accused Ivy League killer’s gesture to the cameras after extradition approved
Luigi Mangione, the suspect accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Dec. 4 in Manhattan, is headed back to New York City after waiving extradition on Thursday morning.
Mangione, 26, faces murder charges in New York, where will be transported as soon as possible from Pennsylvania, where he is currently in custody on other charges.
“Our intention is to keep our case active,” Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks said Thursday after the conclusion of Mangione’s court proceedings, adding that the suspect’s charges in New York are the “primary” case, and Blair County officials will continue to work with New York officials.
Mangione arrived at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg around 7:40 a.m. Thursday and was escorted by police. He did not say anything as he entered the building.
UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO MURDER SUSPECT LUIGI MANGIONE INDICTED IN NEW YORK
A New York Police Department officer also walked in through that back entrance, and NYPD officers were seen sitting in the entire front row of the room where Mangione’s court proceedings took place.
Several people outside the courthouse held signs that read “Deny, Defend, Depose,” the same message that Mangione allegedly left on shell casings at the scene of Thompson’s murder and words that are commonly used among insurance providers when they reject claims.
WATCH: LUIGI MANGIONE ARRIVES IN COURT:
The court covered his extradition hearing, as well as a preliminary hearing for his other firearms and fraudulent ID-related charges in Pennsylvania. The first hearing regarding his state charges ended around 9:20 a.m. The suspect’s Altoona-based attorney, Thomas Dickey, spoke to Mangione, who nodded his head, ahead of the extradition hearing portion of Thursday’s proceedings.
Mangione’s defense officially filed his extradition waiver later on Thursday morning, which Judge David Consiglio signed, approving the suspect’s return to Manhattan.
Mangione may also be facing federal charges in the near future, according to The New York Post.
“The federal government’s reported decision to pile on top of an already overcharged first-degree murder and state terror case is highly unusual and raises serious constitutional and statutory double jeopardy concerns,” his New York defense attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, told Fox News Digital. “We are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought.”
New York prosecutors say Mangione plotted to travel to New York; find Thompson, a Minnesota resident in town for UnitedHealthcare’s annual shareholder conference; and kill him. Mangione allegedly shot Thompson from behind with a 3D-printed ghost gun and suppressor.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Tuesday announced that a grand jury indicted Mangione on one count of first-degree murder, in furtherance of terrorism; two counts of second-degree murder; two counts of second-degree criminal weapons possession; four counts of third-degree criminal weapons possession; one count of fourth-degree criminal weapons possession; and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument.
Prosecutors say Mangione fled New York City within an hour after the crime and traveled to Altoona, Pennsylvania.
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Altoona police arrested Mangione in a McDonald’s five days later on Dec. 9 after receiving a tip from an employee. The suspect allegedly presented local police with a fake ID and appeared to start shaking when they asked if he had been in New York recently.
Police said the suspect took a bus from New York City to Philadelphia, and then from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and on to Altoona — a rust-belt town nestled between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.
Officials also found a handwritten manifesto condemning the health care industry, as NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny previously told Fox News. The manifesto specifically mentioned UnitedHealthcare.
UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO MURDER SUSPECT COULD SEE MOST SERIOUS CHARGE DOWNGRADED: DEFENSE ATTORNEY
While officials have not commented on an official motive, the public has speculated that the suspect had strong grievances with both the health care insurance industry.
The 26-year-old suspect is originally from Maryland and has recently lived in California and Hawaii. Mangione graduated valedictorian from the Gilman School, a private, all-boys high school in Baltimore, in 2016. He went on to receive his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020.
The day after his arrest in Altoona, on Dec. 10, Mangione announced that he would not waive extradition.
“We did not waive extradition and we’re contesting extradition. We are going to fight this along the rules and with the constitutional protections that my client has,” Magione’s attorney, Thomas Dickey, told reporters outside the Blair County Courthouse on Dec. 10.
Sources told Fox News on Tuesday, though, that Mangione plans to give up that fight and waive extradition, clearing the way for his return to New York City. If he does waive extradition, he will immediately be transported into NYPD custody.
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New York officials, meanwhile, say they are doing everything they can to get Mangione back to Manhattan.
“Now that [DA Bragg] has filed an indictment for the murder of Brian Thompson, New York stands ready to do whatever it takes to hold the killer accountable,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul wrote on X Wednesday. “We’ve heard reports that the defendant will waive his extradition rights. If not, I am prepared to request a governor’s warrant as soon as possible to ensure he is held and tried in New York.”
Christmas thrown into chaos as workers at online retailer walk off the job
Thousands of Amazon workers organized under the Teamsters union went on strike at 6 a.m. Thursday after the company’s “repeated refusal to follow the law and bargain.”
Amazon Teamsters at seven facilities in Skokie, Illinois; New York City, Atlanta, San Francisco and Southern California are participating in the “largest strike” against the trillion-dollar company in American history, the union said in a news release. Workers at other facilities are prepared to join them.
Though Teamsters says it represents about 10,000 people across ten Amazon facilities in the U.S., the company doesn’t recognize workers’ affiliation with the union.
Amazon says the Teamsters union is “intentionally [misleading] the public” because they don’t represent Amazon employees and drivers, company spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement to Fox Business.
AMAZON WORKERS PLAN TO STRIKE BETWEEN BLACK FRIDAY AND CYBER MONDAY
“For more than a year now, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public – claiming that they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers’. They don’t, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative,” Nantel said. “The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges against the union.”
Nantel also said the company “does not expect any impact on our operations.”
Teamsters spokesperson Kara Deniz responded to Amazon’s statement, saying the company is “gaslighting the American public with their false narratives.”
“The truth is, over 20 bargaining units, representing nearly 9,000 employees have successfully organized because for many years the company has exploited and abused workers, and these workers are fed up and fighting back,” Deniz said.
“No matter how massive Amazon’s corporate PR machine is, they cannot fool the American public into believing drivers delivering Amazon packages in Amazon-branded vans don’t actually work for Amazon,” Deniz continued. “No one believes this nonsense. Amazon needs to stop avoiding their legal obligation to these workers and get to the bargaining table now.”
The strike comes after Teamsters says Amazon ignored the union’s Dec. 15 deadline to negotiate new contracts for higher wages, better benefits and safer work conditions.
“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed. We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said in the release.
He continued: “These greedy executives had every chance to show decency and respect for the people who make their obscene profits possible. Instead, they’ve pushed workers to the limit and now they’re paying the price. This strike is on them.”
TEAMSTERS UNION LAUNCHES NEW DIVISION TO HELP AMAZON WORKERS: ‘DEFENDING WORKERS FROM UNCHECKED EXPLOITATION’
Amazon Fulfillment Centers across the country will have primary picket lines set up by local unions, Teamsters said, and warehouse workers and drivers without collective bargaining agreements can legally honor them by withholding their labor.
“Amazon is one of the biggest, richest corporations in the world,” said Gabriel Irizarry, a driver at DIL7 in Skokie, Illinois. “They talk a big game about taking care of their workers, but when it comes down to it, Amazon does not respect us and our right to negotiate for better working conditions and wages. We can’t even afford to pay our bills.”
Amazon said team members are already offered competitive pay, immediate health benefits, a 401k match and career growth opportunities, adding that the company’s average base wage was increased to $22 per hour in September.
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In an X post on Wednesday night, Teamsters said its Amazon workers have run out of patience for the company and they are getting “strike ready” to win the contract they deserve.
“What we’re doing is historic,” said Leah Pensler, a warehouse worker at DCK6 in San Francisco. “We are fighting against a vicious union-busting campaign, and we are going to win.”
14-year-old student and teacher killed in Christian school shooting identified
The teenage student and substitute teacher who were killed during the shooting at a Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday have been identified, as new details about the alleged shooter have been revealed.
The Dane County Medical Examiner shared its report late Wednesday with Fox News Digital, and identified 14-year-old student Rubi Patricia Vergara and 42-year-old teacher Erin M. West as the deceased victims in a shooting at the Abundant Life Christian School.
The report stated that West, of Deforest, and Vergara, of Madison, were both pronounced dead at the scene and that preliminary results of the examinations confirm that both died as a result of “homicidal firearm related trauma.”
The report also identified the alleged shooter as 15-year-old Natalie “Samantha” L. Rupnow, who was also pronounced dead at the scene as a result of “firearm related trauma.”
MADISON, WISCONSIN, SCHOOL SHOOTING SUSPECT IDENTIFIED AS 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL
The medical examiner said that more testing is still underway at this time.
“These deaths remain under investigation by the City of Madison Police Department and the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office. No further information will be released at this time,” the report read.
According to an obituary, Vergara was a freshman at Abundant Life Christian School and was described as being “an avid reader, lover of art, and singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band.”
Vergara’s aunt told Fox News Digital that it has been a “very hard week” for their family, and they are trying to get through her niece’s funeral, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday in Madison.
The Madison Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that two guns were recovered from the school following the shooting. However, only one gun was allegedly used by Rupnow.
MADISON, WISCONSIN, SCHOOL SHOOTING LEAVES 2 DEAD, 6 INJURED; JUVENILE SUSPECT DEAD
During a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said “identifying a motive is our top priority.” He said the motive appears to be a combination of factors, but he did not elaborate any further.
“Every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever. We need to figure out and try to piece together what exactly happened,” Barnes said.
Police were speaking with Rupnow’s father and other family members, who were cooperating, and searching Rupnow’s home, Barnes said. He declined to offer additional details about the shooter, partly out of respect for the family.
SCHOOL SHOOTER’S MOM JENNIFER CRUMBLEY HAD ‘TAINTED’ TRIAL, ATTORNEYS SAY IN REQUEST TO TOSS CONVICTION
“He lost someone as well,” Barnes said of Rupnow’s father. “And so we’re not going to rush the information. We’ll take our time and make sure we do our due diligence.”
Barnes added that two students are still in critical condition with life-threatening injuries. A teacher and three other students were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Barnes said two of those individuals have since been released.
James and Rebekah Smith, whose 17-year-old daughter is a student at the Abundant Life Christian School, told Fox News that they know all the victims and their families.
The Smiths said their daughter wasn’t in the same class as Rupnow, the alleged shooter, or knew her well, but said that Rupnow was new to the school and had enrolled sometime during the current semester.
They added that their daughter and her group of friends said they never saw Rupnow speaking to anyone at school.
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Rebekah Smith said the teacher who was killed had a daughter who was in sports with the Smiths’ daughter, and they talked with the mother at the games all the time.
She added that the victim had been a long-term substitute teacher at the school and just became a full-time teacher this year.
Trump weighs in on threats to oust Speaker Johnson amid spending bill backlash
EXCLUSIVE: President-elect Donald Trump told Fox News Digital that House Speaker Mike Johnson will “easily remain speaker” for the next Congress if he “acts decisively and tough” and eliminates “all of the traps being set by Democrats” in the spending package.
Fox News Digital spoke exclusively with the president-elect Thursday morning, just hours after the bipartisan deal to avoid a partial government shutdown was killed.
JOHNSON HIT WITH POSSIBLE SPEAKERSHIP RIVALS AS CONSERVATIVES REBEL OVER GOVERNMENT FUNDING PLAN
“Anybody that supports a bill that doesn’t take care of the Democrat quicksand known as the debt ceiling should be primaried and disposed of as quickly as possible,” Trump told Fox News Digital.
Vice President-elect JD Vance met with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Wednesday night. The two spoke about the potential continuing resolution for about an hour. Vance said the two had a “productive conversation,” and said he believes they will “be able to solve some problems here” and will continue “working on it.”
The chaos surrounding the effort to pass legislation to avert a government shutdown is putting the upcoming speaker vote in focus, as Johnson has struggled to keep the party fully united.
But the president-elect told Fox News Digital that Johnson will “easily” keep his role as speaker.
“If the speaker acts decisively, and tough, and gets rid of all of the traps being set by the Democrats, which will economically and, in other ways, destroy our country, he will easily remain speaker,” Trump told Fox News Digital.
The speaker vote is set for Jan. 3, 2025.
The now-dead-on-arrival 1,547-page bill was set to be a short-term extension of fiscal year (FY) 2024 government funding levels, aimed at giving lawmakers more time to agree on funding the rest of FY 2025 by the Friday deadline.
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In addition to funding the government through March 14, the bill included more than $100 billion in disaster aid to help Americans affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene. It also included $10 billion in economic relief for farmers, as well as health care reform measures and a provision aimed at revitalizing Washington, D.C.’s RFK stadium and its surrounding campus.
The bill also proposed a pay raise for members of Congress.
Members of the House Freedom Caucus said they felt blindsided by what they saw as unrelated policy riders being added to the bill in last-minute negotiations.
Several GOP lawmakers granted anonymity to speak freely said Johnson would see challenges to his speakership bid in early January over the matter.
Sources said top Republicans like House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., were mentioned in early talks about alternatives.
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But a person close to Donalds told Fox News Digital in response, “At this time, the congressman has not made any statements regarding the future of House leadership.”
And a spokesperson for Emmer told Fox News Digital, “Whip Emmer supports Speaker Johnson and is focused on doing the job he was elected to do.”
And a source close to Jordan told Fox News Digital that the Ohio Republican is “not interested in challenging Johnson.”
Stunning new data shows voters were right to question Biden-Harris job numbers
Numerous polls conducted prior to and following the 2024 presidential election show that one of voters’ top concerns was the state of the economy. This was especially the case among voters who cast their ballot for Donald Trump.
This phenomenon has puzzled countless supporters of the Biden-Harris administration, who have insisted for years that the United States has enjoyed a booming economy under the leadership of Joe Biden.
For proof, the White House and an endless list of left-wing political pundits have often pointed to employment and unemployment figures as proof for the Biden-Harris administration’s economic success.
But voters intuitively knew better. No number of headlines in The New York Times or excited rants on cable news shows could convince them that America’s economy is running strong.
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Now, Trump voters have the numbers to back up their suspicions.
A new report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia shows that the Biden-Harris administration’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) overestimated employment in 25 states across the country in the second quarter of 2024. By contrast, the report found that initial employment numbers from BLS were too high in only two states. (The second quarter of 2024 is the most recent period for which the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank has updated data.)
According to the Philadelphia Fed, its updated, expanded data reveals second quarter state payroll employment by 0.1 percent, suggesting a net jobs loss during that period compared to one year prior.
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The preliminary employment data provided by the White House had indicated earlier this year that there had been an in states’ employment numbers during the same period. According to the Biden-Harris administration’s original numbers, the sum of states’ employment figures showed a national increase in employment of 1.8%. The national survey data showed an increase of 1.1%.
The Philadelphia Fed’s researchers believe both these figures were wildly wrong.
The Philadelphia Fed believes the Biden-Harris administration’s previously reported employment figures were off by 1.2 to 1.9 percentage points, depending on the survey data used. That might seem small, but when applied to employment figures in all 50 states, we are talking about overestimating employment nationally by as many as 3 million jobs.
How could the Biden-Harris administration have been off by so much?
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Although it is incredibly difficult to prove, it’s reasonable to suspect that the White House might have rigged the employment surveys to make it appear as though the economy was in better shape.
The biggest reason to believe that the White House could have deliberately deceived Americans is that previous employment figures are rarely revised to the extent that the second quarter 2024 numbers will end up being adjusted, according to the Philadelphia Fed’s other reports.
For example, the Philadelphia Fed estimates preliminary state employment data for the second quarter of 2023 differed by just 0.1 percentage points from more accurate data reported later in the year.
In fact, I couldn’t find a similarly flawed example in all of the Philadelphia Fed’s other 2024 or 2023 reports about state employment data. The state employment figures reported by the Biden-Harris administration in the second quarter of 2024 appear to be off by more than every other quarter in both years.
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I did, however, discover similar employment overestimations in some 2022 reports. I am sure it’s only a coincidence that 2022 was yet another important election year.
It is also worth noting that in the 2022 reports showing substantial differences between preliminary state employment numbers and more accurate later reporting, the more accurate numbers revealed much lower employment than previously thought. As I noted previously, this was also the case in the most recent report released by the Philadelphia Fed for the second quarter of 2024.
In other words, over the past three years, when the Biden-Harris administration has dramatically revised its state employment figures, it has most often revised them downward.
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Could it be a coincidence that these errors have typically benefited the White House? Or is it possible that the Biden-Harris administration has been deliberately fooling people into thinking employment is much higher than it actually is?
Only time and a congressional investigation will tell.
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Major development in ongoing drone mystery causing Americans increasing concern
The Federal Aviation Administration issued temporary flight restrictions prohibiting drone flights over parts of New Jersey following an influx of sightings in recent weeks.
The notice, which expires Jan. 17, 2025, said drone operations in support of national defense, homeland security, law enforcement, firefighting, search and rescue or disaster response missions are not included in the restrictions.
Commercial drone operations are allowed with a valid statement of work, but there must be an approved special governmental interest airspace waiver and all applicable FAA regulations must be followed.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said the White House, and more broadly the U.S. government, does not seem concerned about the increased sightings in New Jersey and other northeastern states.
“Look, I’m the speaker of the House. I have the exact same frustrations that you do and all of us do. We don’t have the answers. The administration is not providing them,” Johnson said in a Fox News appearance.
The speaker said he set up a meeting last week with officials from the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, and “the answers are not forthcoming.”
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On Saturday, Biden administration officials hosted a call addressing concerns surrounding the recent drone sightings.
Representatives from the FBI, the FAA, the National Security Council, the DHS and the DoD attended the call.
An FBI official said the agency has received 5,000 tips since the first mysterious drone was seen flying above New Jersey in November, but of those 5,000 tips, fewer than 100 warranted further investigation.
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The FBI official added that investigators have found no evidence of large-scale unmanned drone activity despite the recent uptick.
“We’re doing our best to find the origin of that specific … those drone activities,” the official said. “But I think there has been a slight overreaction.”
Incoming border czar assures CNN that deportations are coming ‘day one’
Incoming border czar Tom Homan declared that mass deportation of illegal immigrants will start on “day one,” in an interview with CNN on Wednesday.
Homan, who President-elect Trump tapped to oversee border security and deportation operations during his second administration, spoke to CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins about what his border security agenda will look like once the new administration is in place.
“Day one – ICE officers across the country will be out on the streets,” Homan answered, replying to the anchor’s question about when “mass deportations” would begin.
ILLINOIS GOVERNOR SAYS ‘VIOLENT’ ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SHOULD BE DEPORTED, OPEN TO MEETING WITH TRUMP OFFICIALS
Homan told Collins such a project would start as soon as possible as there are many “public safety threats” due to illegal immigration in America, currently.
“Right out of the gate — the president has made it clear, and I‘ve made it clear — the priority right out of the gates, is public safety threats and national security threats. And there’s plenty of them to find,” he insisted.
The incoming border czar, who also served as the head of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s deportation branch during the Obama administration, added that President Biden’s lack of border enforcement has led to this national security and public safety threat.
“I looked at the data under the Biden administration, the deportation of criminal aliens have decreased 74 percent,” he said. “So, we have all those folks that the Biden administration failed to deport, plus you got this over ten million encounters on the southern border that came across.”
“So, the public safety threats are plenty, and it’s going to keep us busy,” Homan added.
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The New York Times recently reported that the Biden administration saw the highest rate of immigration in U.S. history. Citing a new Congressional Budget Office report, the outlet noted that net migration throughout Biden’s term will end up being around eight million people.
Sixty percent of this net migration is illegal immigration, the report noted, adding that Biden’s “welcoming immigration policy during his first three years in office” was one of the factors in this immigration surge.
The Times also reported, “After taking office, [Biden’s] administration loosened the rules on asylum and other immigration policies, making it easier for people to enter the United States. Some have received temporary legal status while their cases wend through backlogged immigration courts. Others have remained without legal permission.”
Additionally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) numbers provided to GOP lawmakers in September revealed that there are more than 7 million illegal immigrants who are not detained but awaiting, or going through, the process of being removed from the U.S.
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Among these are 425,431 convicted criminals and 222,141 with pending criminal charges.
Homan is not one to mince words with the media about the upcoming deportation strategy. The newly appointed border czar went viral in October for his answer to a question on “60 Minutes” on how he would avoid family separation when deporting illegal immigrants.
“Families can be deported together,” Homan answered.
Homan also publicly called out Democratic Denver Mayor Mike Johnston after he said he was prepared to go to jail over his opposition to the Trump administration’s border policies. Homan told Fox News Channel last month he’d be willing to oblige Johnston, saying, “But, look, me and the Denver mayor, we agree on one thing. He’s willing to go to jail, I’m willing to put him in jail.”
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