Author: NOVA Corp

President Donald Trump tapped Nick Adams to serve as special presidential envoy for American tourism exceptionalism, and values. 

“Mr. President, it is the honor of a lifetime to serve as your special presidential envoy for American tourism, exceptionalism and values,” Adams declared in a video that he posted on social media.

“The United States is a nation that, since its inception, was destined for greatness. And the story of American greatness is the most captivating, exciting and inspiring in the history of the world. Now the greatest president we have ever seen has bestowed upon me the duty to tell this story near and far, to reignite a love for America at home, and relight the sacred beacon atop the shining city on a hill for the entire world to see,” he said.

OLYMPIC LEGEND KATIE LEDECKY SHARES WHAT SHE’S LEARNED ABOUT AMERICA

In a statement to Fox News Digital on Tuesday, White House spokesman Davis Ingle said, “Nick Adams is an America First patriot who will represent our country well as we celebrate our Nation’s 250th anniversary of independence, and we look forward to working with him to further showcase and advance America’s excellence across the world stage.”

Adams wrote in a post on X, “I am deeply grateful for President Trump’s continued friendship and confidence in me to serve in this critical role. I will thrust forward into this role and never relent in spreading the message of the greatness of America!” 

TRUMP’S IRAN STRATEGY SHOWCASES ‘DOCTRINE OF UNPREDICTABILITY’ AMID STRIKE THREATS AND SUDDEN PAUSE

Adams is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Australia, according to the website nickadamsusa.com.

Last year, Trump announced he would nominate Adams to serve as ambassador to Malaysia, but the nomination never ultimately came up for a vote in the Senate.

TRUMP APPOINTS CHARLIE KIRK’S WIDOW ERIKA TO AIR FORCE ACADEMY BOARD OF VISITORS

Back in 2020, Trump appointed Adams to serve on the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ board of trustees.

Former special counsel Jack Smith sought more than two years’ worth of phone records for now-FBI Director Kash Patel while Smith was investigating President Donald Trump, according to a tranche of documents released Tuesday by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

Two subpoenas showed Smith’s team asked Verizon for Patel’s phone records dating from October 2020 through February 2023. Patel first announced the subpoenas’ existence in February, calling them “outrageous and deeply alarming” at the time.

Patel worked in the first Trump administration from 2019 through January 2021, before becoming an outspoken pro-Trump firebrand as a private citizen, meaning the subpoenas stretched back into his time as a government official.

GOP LAWMAKER ACCUSES JACK SMITH OF ‘SPYING’ ON CONGRESS AT TENSE HOUSE HEARING OVER TRUMP PROBE

The subpoenas were accompanied by one-year, court-authorized gag orders, meaning Verizon was ordered by the court not to alert Patel of their existence. It is common for prosecutors to subpoena phone records, also known as toll records, as part of investigations. The records would not include contents of messages but would show with whom Patel communicated and when.

Grassley released the documents ahead of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing examining Arctic Frost, the FBI investigation that led to Smith prosecuting Trump over the 2020 election. Patel was also a known witness in a separate FBI probe into Trump’s handling of classified documents, and it is unclear which of the investigations the subpoenas pertained to.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, voiced at the start of the hearing what many Republicans have said about the Biden DOJ’s efforts to investigate Trump, noting how the expansive probes targeted hundreds of Republican individuals and entities.

“If Watergate taught us anything, it is that even a single abuse of power carried out by a handful of individuals can shake the foundations of our republic,” Cruz said. “But what we confront today, the Biden administration’s Arctic Frost scheme is not a single act. It is a modern Watergate, trading a break-in at one office for a digital sweep into approximately 100,000 private communications. More than a dozen senators and thousands of individuals lives.”

Smith, who became special counsel in November 2022 and resigned when Trump took office, has since appeared before Congress for public and closed-door testimony and repeatedly defended his work as by-the-book and apolitical.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., noted during the hearing that Patel testified to a grand jury as part of the classified documents investigation and that it was “obvious” why Smith was interested in Patel.

“Patel made himself a fact witness in that investigation,” Whitehouse said. “He went on podcasts bragging about how he planned to post classified information online at Donald Trump’s direction, and how he’d personally witnessed Donald Trump declassify records.”

The new documents released by Grassley also included briefing materials Smith’s team prepared for Attorney General Merrick Garland that noted the FBI’s investigative work was “going well,” that meetings were happening among top FBI and DOJ officials and D.C. federal judges and that Smith was relying on the Democrat-led Jan. 6 Committee’s work to help with his investigation.

Fox News Digital reached out to the FBI for comment.

Nearly a dozen Illinois Democrats are declining to defend their votes against the Laken Riley Act after the killing of a Loyola student allegedly by an illegal immigrant who, under the law, could have been detained following a prior arrest.

Sheridan Gorman, 18, was shot and killed by Jose Medina-Medina, authorities allege, who had previously been picked up for shoplifting in Cook County. That charge would have qualified him to be held for federal detention and processing instead of being released back onto the streets, where he could reoffend, under the act named for a Georgia college student slain by another illegal immigrant repeat offender.

DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital that Gorman’s death could have been prevented if not for sanctuary state and city policies and if a law like the Laken Riley Act had been in effect sooner.

“Sheridan Gorman — just like Laken Riley and countless other American victims — would still be with us today and with their families if it were not for sanctuary politicians’ refusal to cooperate with ICE,” Bis said.

CHICAGO LAWMAKER RIPPED OVER ‘DISGUSTING’ RESPONSE TO COLLEGE STUDENT KILLED BY ALLEGED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT

The Illinois delegation voted 11-5 against the Laken Riley Act, with Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider not voting due to a medical emergency but later saying he would have voted “no.”

All three Republicans, along with Democratic Reps. Nikki Budzinski and Eric Sorenson, voted for the act, but 11 other Democrats opposed it, along with Schneider.

“While I firmly believe that the government has a responsibility to keep our communities safe and do everything in its power to keep dangerous criminals off our streets, this bill, as written, opens the door to the targeting and detention of innocent people, something clearly prohibited by our Constitution,” Schneider said in a January 2025 statement, going on to say he would support something more along the lines of the Lankford-Sinema immigration bill opposed by President Donald Trump.

Schneider said at the time the Laken Riley Act used the student’s death to “score cheap political points.” He did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

Nine of the 11 Democrats who voted “no” did not respond or did not provide comment, except Reps. Jonathan Jackson of Chicago and Jan Schakowsky of Evanston.

Jackson, the son of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, told Fox News Digital that Gorman’s murder is a “senseless tragedy.”

“My deepest condolences go out to her family, friends, and the entire community who are mourning this unspeakable loss. The person responsible for Sheridan’s murder must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

“But let’s be clear: this is about more than a single piece of legislation,” Jackson said in reference to the Laken Riley Act.

DEM GOVERNOR UNDER FIRE AFTER ILLEGAL ALIEN ALLEGEDLY STABS WOMAN TO DEATH AT BUS STOP: ‘HEINOUS’

“I encourage my colleagues to prioritize bills that strengthen, not divide, our communities and policies which would build safer, thriving communities, and save lives, by investing in effective community-based violence interventions.”

A Schakowsky spokesperson directed Fox News Digital to a public statement by the retiring Democrat:

“There are no words for a loss like this. Sheridan Gorman was just 18 years old, with her whole life ahead of her. My heart is with her family, her friends, and every member of the Loyola community mourning this senseless tragedy,” Schakowsky said, while however offering no comment on the Laken Riley Act itself.

DHS was adamant that Gorman’s death was preventable had the Laken Riley Act been made law.

“These politicians would rather release criminal illegal aliens from jails into our communities to perpetuate more crimes and create more victims. Sheridan Gorman was failed by open border policies and sanctuary politicians who released this illegal alien twice before he went on to commit this heinous murder,” Bis told Fox News Digital.

She called on Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago leaders to stop releasing criminal illegal immigrants back on the streets and said Trump signed the Laken Riley Act to prevent cases just like Gorman’s.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED IN COLLEGE STUDENT’S MURDER HAULED INTO COURT IN LATEST ARREST

She said 21,400 illegal immigrants have been arrested or detained thanks to the Laken Riley Act in one year since its passage.

Meanwhile, nine other Illinois Democrats remained officially mum on their no votes.

A representative for Rep. Danny Davis of Chicago said the congressman was on another call when a reporter followed up earlier, but Fox News Digital never received a call back.

Requests for comment were sent to Reps. Delia Ramirez, Robin Kelly, Mike Quigley and Jesus Garcia of Chicago; Bill Foster of Aurora; Lauren Underwood of Naperville; Sean Casten of Downers Grove; and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg.

Sens. Richard Durbin and Tammy Duckworth also voted “no” and did not respond to requests for comment.

Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., who authored the House version of the Laken Riley Act, said in a statement that he did so to get criminals like Medina-Medina off the streets.

“This young woman (Gorman) had her whole life ahead of her, and it was taken away by an illegal alien who had already been arrested in a sanctuary city,” Collins said. “If [the act] had been law in 2023, she would still be alive today.”

Ahead of a Tuesday hearing where Minnesota lawmakers will discuss food stamp fraud, Fox News Digital spoke to a millionaire who says he was able to qualify for food stamps through a loophole — one that he hopes will soon be closed as the state grapples with a massive fraud scandal.

Rob Undersander, a retired engineer who volunteers to help seniors navigate the government benefits system, said he learned during training that eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Minnesota was based on income only, not assets. Because his retirement income was low, he realized he could qualify even though he had significant savings and property.

To test the system, Undersander applied for benefits in Stearns County in 2016 and was approved within weeks. He later said he collected thousands of dollars in SNAP benefits over more than a year, which he donated to charity, in an effort to draw attention to the issue.

“I strongly support SNAP benefits for truly needy individuals, but when we have nearly one in seven Americans receiving food support in the wealthiest nation on earth, with historically low unemployment rate, something is wrong,” Undersander told Fox News Digital. “One might call the current eligibility rules fraud by design. And given the current climate of fraud and abuse of taxpayer-funded benefits in Minnesota, I’m hoping that there will be a new bipartisan effort to reduce and eliminate both.”

BROOKE ROLLINS, ROBERT KENNEDY JR: WE’RE BRINGING FAMILIES MORE HEALTHY FOODS IN A SNAP

As Minnesota continues to deal with an exploding fraud scandal that could reach into the tens of billions of dollars, Undersander will testify in front of the Minnesota House Public Safety Committee on Thursday in a hearing on a SNAP reform bill introduced by GOP state Rep. Pam Altendorf.

The bill would tighten eligibility rules for food stamp benefits by requiring stricter income and asset verification before recipients can enroll in SNAP.

Over the 10 years since he first exposed the flaw in the SNAP system, Undersander has become a vocal advocate of making changes, even testifying before Congress, but says nothing has been done by the elected officials. 

“I have purchased lobster and filet mignon on my EBT card,” Undersander said. “Isn’t that crazy?”

“During former President Joe Biden’s administration, federal spending on SNAP climbed to record highs at $128 billion in 2021 and $127 billion in 2022, largely driven by COVID-19 relief measures that expanded access to food assistance,” FOX Business reported in November.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT NEW STATE LAWS IN 2026 ON WAGES, SNAP BENEFITS AND CLIMATE TAX

Last year, SNAP cost $99.8 billion, with participants receiving an average of $187 in monthly benefits, federal data show.

In a November press release, Altendorf’s office reported that Minnesota distributed nearly $725 million in benefits in 2020, but that total jumped to nearly $2 billion in 2021, marking a 174% increase in just one year.

“SNAP is meant to help needy Minnesotans put food on the table, not to subsidize people who already have significant financial resources,” America First Policy Institute Health & Harvest Campaign Director Matt Schmid, who is also testifying on Thursday, told Fox News Digital.

“It’s unacceptable that under Minnesota’s current system, even millionaires and lottery winners can qualify for taxpayer-funded benefits. That is a fundamentally broken system.”

AFPI experts argue that states can reform the SNAP program and limit budget impacts by improving oversight and closing key loopholes. They note that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act requires states to manage the program more effectively or take on more of the cost burden, putting states like Minnesota at risk due to high error rates. 

They also emphasize that certain loopholes make SNAP harder to administer and contribute to payment errors, and that eliminating broad-based categorical eligibility would strengthen income and asset verification.

“Reintroducing basic guardrails like an asset test is a common-sense step to restore integrity, ensure benefits go to those who truly need them, and protect the long-term viability of the program,” Schmid said. “This isn’t about taking help away. It’s about making sure SNAP works the way it was intended to.”

The push for tighter SNAP rules comes as Gov. Tim Walz faces ongoing criticism over major fraud scandals in Minnesota’s welfare system, including hundreds of millions in fraudulent food aid payments uncovered in recent years.

Earlier this year, Fox News Digital reported that a Minnesota woman was sentenced to about one year in federal prison for running a $325,000 SNAP fraud scheme with family members. 

Prosecutors said they used fake identities and fraudulent documents to obtain EBT cards and maximize benefits, then withdrew and sold the funds for profit. She was also ordered to repay the stolen money.

Fox News Digital reached out to Walz’s office for comment on the legislation and efforts he has taken to combat SNAP fraud.

This is cobbled together talking to senior Senate Republican sources.

Senate Republicans are developing a plan to fund most aspects of DHS — leaving out controversial programs like certain ICE operations — to end the five-and-a-half week partial government shutdown. This emerged after a meeting at the White House last night. There is a lot to sort out at the GOP Conference luncheon at the Capitol today.

However, Fox is told that the Senate could start to move forward on a plan to end the DHS shutdown “as early as tonight.”

SCHIFF, BOOKER DEFLECT ON SHUTDOWN BLAME AMID TERROR CONCERNS, THOUSANDS OF DHS WORKERS WITHOUT PAY

The new plan would fund ICE investigations — like cartels, traffickers and child predators. But they will leave unfunded programs for “enforcement and removal.”

Ironically, this idea would mirror what Democrats have tried to do on multiple occasions. Democrats have asked unanimous consent on the floor to pass bills to fund DHS — sans ICE.

So, Republicans have come around to the position that this is the only way out of this cul-de-sac — even if it reflects the Democratic position.

Still, Republicans contend they are “calling the Democrats bluff.”

“We’re going to have to move forward and give them what they want,” said one Senate Republican source, referring to the Democrats.

THUNE REVEALS REASON DEMOCRATS ARE ‘SCARED’ TO REOPEN DHS

But the question is whether Democrats will balk — especially since this was their idea. Regardless, this approach would still need Democratic buy-in and need 60 votes to clear a filibuster.

Fox is told that this is NOT pre-baked with House Republicans. The House and Senate would have to sync up to end the shutdown. Lawmakers on both sides are increasingly freaked out about the possibility of a terrorist attack — to say nothing of watching lengthy lines at airports.

Now the question is what Republicans can do with the SAVE America Act.

SEN KENNEDY SAYS HE WOULD ACCEPT DEMOCRATS’ OFFER TO ‘OPEN UP EVERYTHING’ BUT ICE

Fox is told that Republicans hope to extract a promise from Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to come off the SAVE America Act — and resume that debate after the Easter/Passover recess.

But that bill lacks the votes to pass.

In addition, Republicans are looking at stuffing some provisions from the SAVE America Act into a budget reconciliation package. By nature, a reconciliation package is NOT subject to a filibuster and only needs a simple majority to pass. However, reconciliation requires bills be fiscal in nature and deal with numbers, not policy.

It is possible Republicans could fund the enforcement and removal programs at ICE under budget reconciliation. But portions of the SAVE America Act are dicey. Fox is told that Republicans could try to focus on the “money” aspects of the SAVE America Act — such as withholding dollars from states which don’t require photo ID, et al. But getting those provisions past the Senate umpire, Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, is challenging. MacDonough could rule out of order policy provisions pertaining to the SAVE America Act in a reconciliation measure.

Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., is introducing new legislation aimed at closing a legal loophole protecting the beneficiaries of Medicaid fraud from prosecution, Fox News Digital has learned.

Moody’s STOP FRAUD in Medicaid Act is routed in her experience as Florida’s attorney general, where she was limited to prosecuting Medicaid fraud only on the provider side. The legislation would grant state attorneys general and their Medicaid Fraud Control Units to investigate and prosecute the recipients of fraudulent benefits as well.

“I fought fraud as Florida’s Attorney General, recovering millions of dollars for taxpayers, and I’m fighting it now as a U.S. Senator: finding and closing gaps in our laws to increase enforcement,” Moody said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

“The STOP FRAUD in Medicaid Act gives State AGs the authority to pursue and prosecute not just providers but recipients looking to bilk taxpayers. This will go a long way to winning our War on Fraud,” the statement continued.

COMER TO SAY TIM WALZ ‘ENABLED FRAUD,’ FAILED WHISTLEBLOWERS IN BOMBSHELL MINNESOTA HEARING

Moody’s office says federal prosecutors can go after fraud recipients under anti-kickback laws, but said federal groups often let the “small fish” skate by. Empowering MFCUs would go a long way toward picking up the slack, they say.

The proposed law could be particularly effective in states like Minnesota, where years of apparently rampant fraud has led to a quagmire of investigations and finger-pointing.

A new state audit investigating the fraud in Gov. Tim Walz’s Minnesota revealed that the state’s Department of Human Services (DHS) failed for years to properly investigate Medicaid kickback allegations.

SENATE DOGE LEADER MOVES TO FORCE ‘RECEIPT’ FOR EVERY TAX DOLLAR AFTER MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL

Kickbacks were a key component of fraud schemes uncovered in the state’s autism services program, with prosecutors describing how providers used financial incentives to attract and retain families in order to maximize Medicaid billing, CBS News reported in December.

In one case, investigators said an autism center operator fraudulently billed millions while using tactics that included offering payments or benefits tied to enrollment, illustrating how kickbacks helped drive inflated claims and contributed to large-scale misuse of public funds intended for children with autism.

The audit recommended that DHS “should amend its administrative rule defining ‘fraud’ to clearly include kickbacks” and said the legislature should intervene if that doesn’t take place.

In a press release, Minnesota House Fraud Prevention Committee Chair Kristin Robbins, a Republican state representative running for governor, wrote, “The continued lack of accountability for the rampant fraud in this state is astounding.”

READ MOODY’S BILL – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:

Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform have launched an investigation into what they categorize as “rampant taxpayer fraud in California’s hospice programs.”

“Recent reporting has revealed alarming evidence of fraudulent activity in California’s hospice programs, including agencies overbilling Medicare and fraudulently enrolling beneficiaries without their knowledge,” a letter to Golden State Gov. Gavin Newsom states.

“The Committee is concerned your administration does not have sufficient internal controls to prevent and detect fraud and is not conducting proper oversight of these hospice programs. As a result, Americans across the country are paying for California’s rampant hospice fraud and vulnerable patients are being exploited,” the letter declares.

CALIFORNIA BUILDING WITH DOZENS OF HEALTH CARE, HOSPICE PROVIDERS RAISES EYEBROWS AMID FRAUD SPECULATION

The lawmakers are demanding information from Newsom.

“The Committee is requesting documents and communications regarding California’s oversight and internal controls to detect and prevent fraud for its federally funded hospice programs,” the document notes.

DOCTOR DENIES KNOWING ABOUT RAMPANT LA-AREA MEDICARE FRAUD USING HIS PROVIDER NUMBER

The letter is signed only by Republicans.

“California took decisive action on hospice fraud years ago. In 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation placing a moratorium on new hospice licenses — a policy that remains in effect today, preventing bad actors from entering the system while strengthening oversight of existing providers,” a Newsom spokesperson said in a statement, according to CBS News.

Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office on Tuesday.

LOS ANGELES HOSPICE FRAUD REACHES BILLIONS AS MEDICARE PROVIDERS SCAM FEDERAL SYSTEM WITH FAKE COMPANIES

A statement released by the governor’s office in January says in part, “The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) facilitates a multi-department and multi-agency Hospice Fraud Task Force that includes representation from the California Health & Human Services Agency (CalHHS), Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), California Department of Social Services (DSS), and California Department of Justice’s DMFEA.”

CBS News reported that a Newsom spokesperson said, “This work is delivering results, as more than 280 hospice licenses have been revoked over the past two years and an additional 300 providers are under investigation. The state continues to take coordinated action to suspend Medi-Cal payments, revoke licenses, and pursue prosecutions.”

A new House bill would ensure members of Congress feel the pain of the ongoing partial government shutdown the same way as many Americans across the country.

Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, is introducing the End Special Treatment for Congress at Airports Act, which is a House counterpart to legislation that sailed through the Senate last week.

Hinson argued that members of Congress should be held to the same standards as their constituents at airports during the funding stalemate, despite lawmakers generally being eligible for expedited screening and security escorts to bypass lines.

“Thanks to Democrats’ political games, TSA agents are working without pay, and many American families are facing 4-plus-hour wait times at airports during spring break,” Hinson told Fox News Digital.

HOUSE GOP TARGETING VULNERABLE DEMS OVER DHS SHUTDOWN, TSA CHAOS

“Some Members of Congress are avoiding the chaos they’ve created by getting preferential treatment and skipping the lines at airports,” she added. “My bill with Senator John Cornyn will eliminate these perks and ensure they face the consequences of inaction.”

The Iowa Republican’s bill would ban the use of taxpayer dollars to give lawmakers special treatment and require them to go through the same security screenings as everyday Americans. The measure would keep restrictions for lawmakers in place even after DHS funding is restored.

SCHUMER KNOCKS TRUMP ON IRAN, PLAN TO SEND ICE TO AIRPORTS: ‘ASKING FOR TROUBLE’

The bill’s introduction comes as the 38-day shutdown — the second-largest in U.S. history — continues to wreak havoc on U.S. travelers across the country due to staffing shortages at airports.

This Friday will mark the second full pay period in which Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents will miss their paychecks, leading thousands to call off work to make ends meet.

More than 400 TSA agents have quit their jobs since the shutdown began on Feb. 14, the department said last week.

Major airport systems across the country from Houston to New York reported hourslong wait times in security lines on Monday. The spring break travel season has appeared to worsen airports’ staffing constraints.

TRUMP SAYS ICE WILL DEPLOY TO AIRPORTS MONDAY TO ASSIST TSA AMID FUNDING STANDOFF

Hinson’s legislation is likely to get widespread support in the House, though it is unclear when it would receive a floor vote.

“I’m grateful to Congresswoman Hinson for joining my effort to restore fair practices for all airport travelers by introducing companion legislation in the House, and I urge other Members to support our mission to stop this unfair perk,” Cornyn said in a statement.

The Senate approved the Texas Republican’s bill by unanimous consent last Thursday. 

TSA has paused lawmaker escorts since the beginning of the funding lapse. However, members of Congress could still be receiving special assistance at airports from other entities.

Though DHS talks have picked up in recent days, the funding standoff could still fail to reach a resolution this week.

Democrats have largely refused to support a full-year DHS spending bill as the party demands reforms to immigration enforcement. Republicans, by contrast, have opposed Democrat-led efforts to fund specific DHS subagencies while leaving the department’s immigration and border security functions unfunded.

Hinson is running for an open Senate seat vacated by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who is retiring. She is backed by President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans’ campaign arm.

The Senate quietly passed legislation that would require lawmakers to join the general public in airport security lines, ending a long-held privilege, as the Homeland Security shutdown continues.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, pushed the End Special Treatment for Congress at Airports Act, which unanimously passed the upper chamber. The bill comes the DHS shutdown snarls air travel. 

Chaotic scenes are unfolding at airports across the country, particularly in Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans and New York, with security lines stretching for blocks. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees are going without pay, and many are not reporting to work.

SCHUMER GAMBIT FAILS AS DHS SHUTDOWN HITS 36 DAYS AND AIRPORT LINES GROW

Despite increasing delays and hardships for both federal workers and travelers, Senate Democrats have so far not backed down from their shutdown position as they pursue stricter reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Cornyn said on the Senate floor that the “only reason I can fathom, other than being completely out of touch, that our Democratic colleagues would do this is because not all members of Congress are being forced to experience the same mess of their own making right now.”

“As many Americans probably don’t know — but most of us in Washington do — airports around the country allow members of Congress to bypass the usual TSA security screening process,” Cornyn said.

DHS SHUTDOWN TIED FOR SECOND-LONGEST EVER AS DEMS AGAIN BLOCK FUNDING AMID AIRPORT CHAOS, TERRORISM CONCERNS

“In other words, they get to skip the line,” he continued. “This should end today. Instead of enduring the same travel tribulations and security requirements that everyone else has to meet, members of Congress are getting an unfair perk while TSA officers have to work without pay.”

Cornyn’s bill would do just that, requiring lawmakers to undergo the same TSA screening as the general public and halt federal funds used to provide expedited or preferential access at security checkpoints.

THUNE, GOP BLAST DEMS IN DHS STANDOFF; LANKFORD SAYS THEY FEAR ICE OVER IRAN

It would also prevent lawmakers from skipping standard screening or receiving priority treatment based on their official status, but would allow them to continue participating in TSA PreCheck or similar programs.

While the bill passed the Senate, it must still be considered in the House before it can become law.

The legislation comes as both sides of the aisle acknowledge the situation at the nation’s airports. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats have tried and failed to pass a standalone funding bill for TSA as the shutdown continues — in part to ease airport disruptions and shift blame to Republicans.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans have been blocked five times in their attempts to reopen the entire agency, along with several other efforts to pass temporary funding.

The Department of Justice will argue Tuesday that lower courts are undermining the federal government’s ability to manage the southern border in a closely watched Supreme Court case about how migrants make asylum claims.

DOJ lawyers wrote in court papers ahead of the arguments that an appeals court was wrong to restrict the government’s ability to limit how it processes migrants into the country. The lawyers said the ruling stripped the executive branch of a necessary tool, first used during the Obama administration, to respond to surges of illegal migration, which the Trump administration has sought to curb after officials encountered more than 10 million migrants at the border during the Biden administration.

“Administrations of both major parties have opposed the decision, which deprives the Executive Branch of a critical tool for addressing border surges and preventing overcrowding at ports of entry,” the DOJ lawyers wrote. “This Court should reverse.”

The case, Noem v. Al Otro Lado, centers on whether migrants who are stopped on the Mexican side of the U.S.–Mexico border can be treated as having “arrived in the United States” under the Immigration and Nationality Act. If they can be designated as having arrived in the country, they would be entitled to apply for asylum, which would require border officials to process their asylum claims.

USCIS HALTS ‘ALL ASYLUM DECISIONS’ AFTER DC SHOOTING OF NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS

The DOJ lawyers, led by Solicitor General John Sauer, argued that the immigration law’s language was clear.

“In ordinary English, a person ‘arrives in’ a country only when he comes within its borders,” they wrote. “A person does not ‘arrive in the United States’ if he is stopped in Mexico.”

BORDER CROSSINGS PLUMMET TO HISTORIC LOWS; TRUMP’S ENFORCEMENT POLICIES YIELD BIG RESULTS

The case stems from a lawsuit brought in 2017 by the immigrant rights group Al Otro Lado and more than a dozen unnamed asylum seekers.

The plaintiffs challenged the practice of “metering,” which was first used during the Obama administration and allowed U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to turn migrants away, saying border facilities were over capacity and that they should come back later.

‘TRUMP EFFECT’ TOUTED AS SOUTHERN BORDER NUMBERS STAY LOW, INCLUDING NEW RECORD

Immigration law requires the United States to allow migrants arriving at the border to claim asylum by saying they fear persecution in their home country. Once they make the claim, a legal process begins, and, if the claim is granted, the migrant is given a pathway to live and work legally in the United States. Border hawks have argued the asylum system is rife with abuse as migrants make meritless asylum claims at the border and then never show up for their hearings.

The plaintiffs’ lawyers said in court papers that metering was an unlawful “turnback policy.”

“Petitioners zero in on a single preposition—the word ‘in’— to urge an interpretation that renders the rest of the statutory text non-sensical,” they wrote.

Unlike prior administrations, when the United States saw influxes of illegal migration, President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has drastically curbed arrivals at the southern border. But the DOJ lawyers argued that the executive branch should have the option to practice metering if needed without judicial interference.

A ruling in the case is expected by the summer.