Defense Secretary Hegseth calls for cuts at Pentagon: ‘Revive the warrior ethos’
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the agency to develop plans to slash 8% from the Department of Defense budget in each of the next five years to align with President Donald Trump’s priorities, specifically to achieve peace through strength, officials said.
Hegseth is asking for plans in an effort to identify offsets from the Biden administration’s fiscal year 2026 budget that could be realigned from low-impact and low-priority Biden-legacy programs, a statement from Pentagon spokesman Robert Salesses said.
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Hegseth ordered the proposed cuts to be drawn up by Monday, according to a memo.
“The time for preparation is over. We must act urgently to revive the warrior ethos, rebuild our military, and reestablish deterrence,” Hegseth wrote. “Our budget will resource the fighting force we need, cease unnecessary defense spending, reject excessive bureaucracy, and drive actionable reform including progress on the audit.”
The Washington Post first reported the memo. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Pentagon.
Salesses said that the money saved could be used to realign the defense agency towards Trump’s new priorities, including the “Iron Dome for America,” his catchphrase for a missile defense system.
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“The Department of Defense is conducting this review to ensure we are making the best use of the taxpayers’ dollars in a way that delivers on President Trump’s defense priorities efficiently and effectively,” he said.
“The Department will develop a list of potential offsets that could be used to fund these priorities, as well as to refocus the Department on its core mission of deterring and winning wars,” he added. “The offsets are targeted at 8% of the Biden Administration’s FY26 budget, totaling around $50 billion, which will then be spent on programs aligned with President Trump’s priorities.”
The cuts will allow the Defense Department to halt all unnecessary spending that set the military back under the Biden administration through climate change and other “woke” programs, Salesses said. Hegseth has stressed that the U.S. aims to “revive the warrior ethos.”
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The request for cuts comes amid a separate order from the Trump administration to fire thousands of probationary DOD employees, which is being overseen by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Surprising new numbers on Trump’s performance so far in the White House
Three new national polls released on Wednesday indicate President Donald Trump’s approval ratings are edging down slightly since taking over the White House one month ago.
Forty-five percent of voters questioned in a Quinnipiac University survey said they approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president, with 49% disapproving.
That’s down from a 46%-43% approval/disapproval in a Quinnipiac poll conducted in late January, during the president’s first week back in office following his inauguration.
A new national poll from Gallup indicated the president at 45% approval and 51% disapproval, down from 47%-48% approval/disapproval late last month.
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And according to a Reuters/Ipsos national survey also released on Wednesday, the president stood at 44% approval and 51% disapproval. Trump registered at 45%-46% approval/disapproval in the previous poll by Reuters/Ipsos, which was conducted late last month during the first week of the president’s second administration.
The latest Quinnipiac poll was conducted Feb. 13-17, with Gallup in the field Feb. 3-16, and Reuters/Ipsos conducting their survey Feb. 13-18.
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New surveys this week from other polling organizations indicate Trump’s approval ratings remain above water.
Trump has kept up a frenetic pace during his opening weeks back in the White House, with an avalanche of executive orders and actions. His moves not only fulfilled some of his major campaign trail promises, but also allowed the returning president to flex his executive muscles, quickly put his stamp on the federal government, make major cuts to the federal workforce, and also settle some longstanding grievances.
Trump has signed nearly 70 executive orders since his inauguration, according to a count from Fox News, which far surpasses the rate of any recent presidential predecessors during their first weeks in office.
The president, never shy about advertising his accomplishments, took to social media last week to tout “THREE GREAT WEEKS, PERHAPS THE BEST EVER.”
And at a news conference Tuesday, Trump argued that “incredible things are happening in our country.”
“I think we’ve made more progress in three weeks than they’ve made in four years,” he added, as he appeared to point to his predecessor in the White House, former President Biden.
While Trump’s approval ratings for his second term are an improvement from his first term — he started in 2017 in negative territory and remained underwater throughout his tenure in the White House — his numbers are below where Biden began his single term in office.
Biden’s approval rating hovered in the low to mid 50s during his first six months in the White House, with his disapproval in the upper 30s to low to mid 40s.
However, Biden’s numbers sank into negative territory in the late summer and autumn of 2021, in the wake of his much-criticized handling of the turbulent U.S. exit from Afghanistan and amid soaring inflation and a surge of migrants crossing into the U.S. along the nation’s southern border with Mexico.
Biden’s approval ratings stayed underwater throughout the rest of his presidency.
The new polls indicate a massive partisan divide over Trump’s performance.
Nine in 10 Republicans questioned in the Quinnipiac survey gave Trump a thumbs-up. But his approval dropped to 43% among independents and just 4% among Democrats.
It was a similar story in the Gallup poll.
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“Ninety-three percent of Republicans, 37% of independents and 4% of Democrats approve of Trump’s job performance overall,” the release from Gallup highlighted.
Meanwhile, the Gallup poll noted that while Trump’s ratings have edged down, Americans’ approval of Congress has surged 12 points since early January, to 29% in their latest survey. That’s the highest approval rating for Congress in Gallup polling since May 2021.
Elon Musk weighs sending Americans checks using saved funds
Elon Musk expressed interest in a proposal to use savings from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to give taxpayers a “DOGE dividend” payment.
X user James Fishback wrote a post that tagged Musk and outlined his plan to take 20% of the savings found by DOGE to send it back “to hard-working Americans as a tax refund check. It was their money in the first place!”
Fishback noted that if DOGE achieves its goal of cutting $2 trillion in federal spending, that would provide the 78 million taxpaying households in the U.S. with about a $5,000 refund or “DOGE dividend” per household, with the remainder used to pay down the national debt.
“Will check with the President,” Musk replied in response to Fishback’s post.
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Although DOGE has set a high-end goal of $2 trillion in savings, Musk has suggested that $1 trillion in savings would be a success and explained that goal in an appearance with President Donald Trump on Fox News’ “Hannity” on Tuesday night.
“The overall goal is to try to get a trillion dollars out of the deficit,” Musk said. “If the deficit is not brought under control, America will go bankrupt.”
“This is a very important thing for people to understand. A country is no different from an individual, in that if an individual overspends, an individual can go bankrupt. And so can a country,” he said. “And the massive waste, fraud and abuse that has been going on, which is leading to a $2 trillion a year deficit.”
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DOGE claims an estimated $55 billion in savings achieved to date from canceling certain federal leases and contracts, asset sales, fraud deletion, regulatory savings and workforce reductions.
While Musk appeared open to the idea of a DOGE dividend on Tuesday night, he said on Wednesday morning that balancing the budget should be the focus given DOGE’s efforts.
Musk wrote in a post on Wednesday, “We need to balance the budget as first priority,” in a response to a post by Scott Adams that raised concerns the DOGE dividend could result in the government using the DOGE savings as a “piggy bank.”
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The federal government ran a more than $1.8 trillion budget deficit in fiscal year 2024, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
It’s expected to grow above $2 trillion annually in the years ahead according to the CBO’s projections, leaving DOGE and the Trump administration with a significant gap to close if they intend to balance the budget.
Former NFL punter arrested over protest of Make America Great Again plaque
Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe was arrested after protesting at a City Council meeting in Huntington Beach, California, on Tuesday.
The reason for Kluwe’s protest revolved around a sign proposed for Huntington Beach’s public library, which would have the words “Magical,” “Alluring,” “Galvanizing” and “Adventurous” next to each other. The words spell out MAGA.
“Through hope and change our nation has built back better to the golden era of Making America Great Again!” the signage reads.
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Video captured Kluwe speaking at the City Council meeting, where he criticized the MAGA movement, which is normally associated with President Donald Trump’s campaign message, “Make America Great Again.” He opined that it was “a Nazi movement.”
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All seven of the Huntington Beach City Council members are Republicans.
“I will now engage in the time-honored American tradition of peaceful civil disobedience,” Kluwe said at the end of his speech to the City Council before walking up to the front where the council members were sitting.
Video posted by HB Protect on X showed police officers quickly arresting Kluwe, who was face down on the floor with a crowd cheering behind him for his actions. The City Council’s feed cut out before Kluwe was seen rushing the council members.
He was then carried out by three police officers, two of whom holding one arm each and the other carrying the former punter’s legs.
Kluwe was charged with disrupting an assembly. He told the Orange County Register he was released around four hours after his arrest. He said his belief was that the plaque was more “propaganda” than celebrating the library, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Kluwe, 43, played eight years in the NFL, all for the Minnesota Vikings, from 2005-12. He did have short stints with the then-Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks.
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Kluwe has been outspoken in the past, criticizing homophobia in the NFL while also supporting same-sex marriage and gay rights. He claims to have been fired from the Vikings for his views on same-sex marriage.
Trans runner who defeated 12-year-old girl defends biological men in women’s sports
Nathanielle Morin, Canadian advisor to the Federal Minister of Women, released a statement this week defending the advisor’s participation in women’s marathons as a transgender biological male.
Morin referenced President Donald Trump’s recent executive order that prevents trans athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports in the statement.
“I am aware that my participation in so many competitions will be talked about because of my medical history. The situation in the United States and the comments of certain politicians do not help either,” Morin wrote.
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“With all due respect to the level I compete at (amateur recreational), the state of scientific research in the field (for the amateur recreational level) and the fact that I have undergone a medical transition, I consider that I have the legitimacy to participate in the right category, unless the law prohibits me from doing so. Let us remember that in Canada, no law prohibits it. As for other countries, I will comply with the local laws in force when it applies.”
Morin added that additional medical research will be considered as the advisor weighs whether to continue competing in women’s marathons.
On Tuesday, Morin made a post on X that further addressed the advisor’s status as a trans marathon runner.
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“Trans folks only want to fully integrate as their authentic self and be happy, in our society,” Morin wrote.
Morin most prominently competed in the 5 kilometer BougeBouge run on Feb. 4, 2024. There, Morin came in first place with a time of 25:32, earning the title of “fastest female” across all age categories.
The runner-up to Morin was a girl in the 10-12 age category who ran at 26:08, who would have come in first place had Morin had not competed.
If Morin competed in the men’s category, the transgender runner would have come in 10th place among all male participants.
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As of June 2017, all places within Canada must comply with the Canadian Human Rights Act, equal opportunity and/or anti-discrimination legislation prohibiting discrimination against gender identity or gender identity expression. The law protects the inclusion of all trans athletes in women’s and girls’ sports.
Trump’s recent executive order in the U.S. states that any publicly funded institution that allows trans athletes to compete in girls’ or women’s sports will lose its federal funding.
Trump has also repeatedly suggested that Canada join the U.S., potentially as the 51st state.
Trump signs executive order ending taxpayer funding for illegal immigrants
President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order Wednesday eliminating federal taxpayer benefits for illegal immigrants.
The order will direct all federal agencies to identify all federally funded programs currently providing any financial benefits to illegal immigrants and “take corrective action.” The order is intended to ensure that any federal funds to states and localities “will not be used to support sanctuary policies or assist illegal immigration.”
It will also mandate improvements in eligibility verification to prevent federal benefits from going to anyone in the U.S. illegally.
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The order will show that Trump is “committed to safeguarding federal public health benefits for American citizens who are truly in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans.”
“The surge in illegal immigration, enabled by the previous Administration, is siphoning dollars and essential services from American citizens while state and local budgets grow increasingly strained,” a White House fact sheet states.
The House Homeland Security Committee estimated that taxpayers could pay as much as $451 billion to care for illegal immigrants and gotaways that have entered the U.S. unlawfully since January 2021, the sheet said.
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The order is part of Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration through law enforcement raids and other measures to combat the flow of illegal migrants into the U.S.
The White House noted that the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) estimated that American taxpayers spend at least $182 billion annually to cover the costs incurred by the presence of 20 million illegal immigrants and their children.
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That figure includes $66.5 billion in federal expenses and an additional $115.6 billion in state and local funds.
Coast Guard busts boat filled with 20 illegal immigrants off coast of blue state
A Coast Guard crew on Tuesday found 20 illegal migrants in the waters off the Southern California shores.
The crew of the Cutter Haddock intercepted a 30-foot panga-style vessel 21 miles off Point Loma, the Coast Guard said.
The boat was spotted by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations patrol aircraft and notified the Coast Guard. A small boat crew on the Haddock rushed to the boat and found the migrants.
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Video footage released by the Coast Guard shows the crew heading toward the boat under the cover of darkness.
Aboard the boat were 17 men and three women, who claimed Mexican and Chinese nationalities.
The migrants were handed off to the U.S. Border Patrol.
As the southern land border remains secure following the Trump administration‘s crackdown on illegal immigration, some migrants have sought to skirt authorities by entering the United States via the ocean via beaches along the California coast, some local officials have said.
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“In the last month or so, we’ve had a large increase in the number of pangas that have come up on our beach,” San Clemente Mayor Steve Knoblock previously told Fox News Digital. “It happens, and nobody seems to notice. No one seems to capture it. There’s no interdiction, and we’ve been having them with much greater frequency.”
“President Trump has done a great job of securing the Mexican border in San Diego, but we’re getting people from 150 countries that are coming up by water,” Knoblock added. “It’s like the land invasion has been stopped, but the sea invasion is starting.”
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San Clemente is located on the border of Orange and San Diego counties. The city is considering working with border authorities to install and monitor cameras to focus on the waters off the coastal enclave to spot boats carrying illegal migrants.
Newly confirmed commerce secretary ready to carry out Trump’s economic agenda
After his recent confirmation, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has hit the ground running with a focus on achieving President Donald Trump’s economic goals.
“That’s our goal. Balance the budget of the United States of America by the end of Donald Trump’s term. And I am so pumped up for it because we are going to make America the greatest country on earth by a country mile,” Lutnick said on “Jesse Watters Primetime” Wednesday.
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The Republican-controlled Senate voted to confirm Lutnick on Tuesday as Trump’s commerce secretary, less than a week after senators voted to invoke cloture on his nomination. He needed a simple majority for a full Senate confirmation, getting confirmed on a 51- 45 tally on Tuesday.
“The Democrats didn’t show up for me at all,” he joked. “I guess they’re afraid of good government.”
Lutnick, chair and CEO of investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, is one of the wealthiest people to serve in a presidential administration. Lutnick vowed to divest his financial interests upon confirmation to remain impartial.
Trump nominated Lutnick to serve as commerce secretary two weeks after he was elected. Lutnick was a co-chair of Trump’s 2024 presidential transition team.
The “pumped up” secretary addressed findings from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a development he helped set up prior to Trump’s inauguration.
Lutnick detailed his “agreement” with Musk, saying “Elon was going to cut $1 trillion of waste, fraud and abuse. Think about it. We have almost $4 trillion of entitlements, and no one’s ever looked at it before.”
“You know Social Security is wrong. You know Medicaid and Medicare are wrong. So he’s going to cut a trillion, and then we’ll get rid of all these tax scams that hammer against America, and we’re going to raise $1 trillion of revenue.”
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Lutnick also told Fox News host Jesse Watters that the Trump administration’s “objective” to balance the federal budget will happen by the end of his term.
The now-commerce secretary has previously said he aligns with Trump’s “trade and tariff agenda,” which seeks to remedy trade imbalances by imposing reciprocal tariffs. His confirmation indicates a milestone for Trump’s America First policy agenda.
“Donald Trump announced the External Revenue Service, and his goal is very simple. His goal is to abolish the Internal Revenue Service and let all the outsiders pay,” he said.
Lutwick went on to say the current trade “tax scam” is “going to end” under the Trump administration.
“We’ve got to use tariffs. We’ve got to use the External Revenue Service to take care of America and cut the scams and the abuse, the waste,” Lutwick said.
“It’s so exciting because think of how great America will be under Donald Trump and what we’re trying to do.”
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