Category: USA Politics

Airline industry leaders blasted lawmakers Sunday over the effects of the latest government shutdown, warning that federal aviation workers are being left unpaid as air travel demand surges. 

In an open letter, airline CEOs said air travel has once again become “the political football” in a shutdown fight, urging Congress to immediately fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and permanently protect key aviation employees from future pay disruptions.

The DHS shutdown, which began Feb. 14, has now stretched on for a month.

The latest revelation comes as war in the Middle East drags on, heightening concerns over domestic sleeper cell threats and threatening to further disrupt global energy flows, driving up jet fuel prices and increasing costs for airlines.

DEMS VOTE TO KEEP DHS CLOSED DESPITE AIRPORT CHAOS, IRANIAN SLEEPER CELL THREAT

“This problem is solvable, and there are solutions on the table. Now it’s up to you, Congress, to move forward on bipartisan proposals that will get federal aviation workers—including TSA officers, U.S. Customs clearance officers at airports and air traffic controllers—paid during shutdowns,” wrote executives from American Airlines, United, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and Alaska Air Group, as well as airfreight titans Atlas Air Worldwide, UPS and FedEx.

The group called on lawmakers to pass several pending measures, including the Aviation Funding Solvency Act, the Aviation Funding Stability Act and the Keep America Flying Act, which would ensure that air traffic controllers and TSA officers continue to be paid regardless of the government’s funding status. 

They pointed to the immediate toll on frontline workers, noting that TSA officers “just received $0 paychecks” and arguing that it is “simply unacceptable” for employees responsible for national travel security to go without pay.

The letter also underscored the broader consequences for travelers and the economy. 

TRAVEL IS ABOUT TO GET MORE EXPENSIVE AS IRAN CONFLICT SPARKS JET FUEL CRUNCH

“With spring break travel in full swing, FIFA World Cup 2026 right around the corner and celebrations for America’s 250th birthday throughout the year, the stakes are especially high,” the executives wrote, adding that the pressure on the aviation system is mounting. 

Airlines are expecting a record 171 million passengers this spring, they said, but travelers are already facing checkpoint delays of two, three and even four hours. 

Airlines said they are trying to reduce the disruption by holding flights for delayed passengers and rebooking others, but warned that Congress must act to keep the aviation system functioning smoothly and safely.

“It’s past time for the government to make sure that TSA officers, U.S. Customs clearance officers at airports and air traffic controllers are paid for the job they do.”

A new wave of Republican women running in competitive congressional races is aiming to chip away at Democrats’ long-held advantage with female voters — and flip key seats that could determine control of the House this November.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, one of these candidates, Laurie Buckhout, a former cattle rancher, U.S. Army veteran and mother, knocked the Democratic Party for trying to “pigeonhole” female voters into a single category.

“The Democrats try way too hard to pigeonhole us women in a certain role while they still can’t define what a woman is,” she quipped.

She believes that despite the rhetoric, Democrats are “really out of touch when it comes to women voters.”

DEMOCRATS SINK TO NEW VOTER LOW, REPUBLICANS ALSO UNDERWATER: POLL

“They try to own that gender and try to stuff them in a box,” she went on. “’This is how you’re going to vote. Don’t tell your husband. This is how you are going to think.’ Republicans don’t do that.”

This midterm election, Buckhout is running to unseat Democratic Rep. Don Davis in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District. The district stretches across the northeastern corner of the state from the border with Virginia to the Atlantic coast. After narrowly losing to Davis in the 2024 election, Buckhout’s campaign has already garnered significant momentum this time around. She defeated a field of four other Republican candidates in the March 3 primary and, just this week, was further bolstered by an endorsement from President Donald Trump.

As the dominant party in an off-year midterm cycle, many expect that Republicans will take a beating at the ballot box this November. Buckhout, however, thinks it will be a very different story in North Carolina. With the GOP barely grasping onto a razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives, every seat matters.

“I can tell you the people of North Carolina, especially eastern North Carolina, they want to live their lives with a minimum of government interference, they don’t want big government leaning in, telling them how to live their life, what to do, taking their money out of their pockets for more and more taxes for programs that they don’t need and they didn’t vote for,” she said. “So, I can tell you that we feel very good about this being a Republican election, taking this, adding another seat to the House.”

Buckhout is not the only female Republican candidate who stands a good shot at flipping a blue district red this year.

In one of the GOP’s top targeted districts, Carrie Buck, a former school principal and self-described minivan mom, is angling to unseat Rep. Dina Titus in Nevada‘s 1st Congressional District in Las Vegas. As of the latest Federal Election Commission filings, Buck has significantly outraised Titus, further signaling the incumbent’s vulnerability.

MINIVAN MOM PUTS DEM INCUMBENT ON NOTICE IN TOP GOP TARGET DISTRICT: ‘SHE HAS DONE NOTHING FOR US’

Buck told Fox News Digital that after serving in Congress since 2013, Titus has “had her chance, and Nevada families are still waiting for results.”  

“I spent 30 years in classrooms — teaching, running schools, and working to fix problems. During that same time, Dina Titus was in public office, unable and unwilling to address the challenges Nevadans face: rising inflation, soaring crime rates, an open border, and failing schools,” she said.

On the East Coast, Tiffany Burress, a New Jersey attorney who is a newcomer to the political scene, is running to unseat Democratic Rep. Nellie Pou, who is considered vulnerable.

If the GOP could pick up the seat, it would be a huge boon in retaining the majority.

“Voters are ready for something different, and that’s how I know we’re going to win,” Burress told Fox News.

She knocked Pou, saying she has “spent decades living on the taxpayers’ dime,” and “puts extreme progressive agendas ahead of the priorities of our district” by voting with the likes of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., nearly 94% of the time.

LEGALIZE PROSTITUTION EFFORT LEFT CANDIDATE ‘SHOCKED’ IN BLUE STATE WITH RAMPANT HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Similarly, Barb Regnitz, in Indiana’s 1st Congressional District, is running to flip a long-held Democratic seat currently filled by Rep. Frank Mrvan.

Regnitz, who is a former software engineer and current Porter County commissioner, told Fox News Digital that “for almost 100 years, Republicans have been powerless to stop the failed policies of the far-left that have resulted in falling incomes, struggling industry, and increasingly unsafe communities right here in Northwest Indiana.”

“I’m running for Congress because I believe our district deserves serious, principled leadership focused on results, not rhetoric,” she said.

Down in Texas, another Republican woman, Jessica Steinmann, is fighting to retain a Republican seat north of Houston, being left vacant by Rep. Morgan Luttrell, who opted not to seek re-election.

Steinmann served in President Donald Trump’s Justice Department during his first term as director of the Office for Victims of Crime.

She told Fox News Digital she is running for Congress “because the next two years of President Trump’s administration are critical for our country.”

“I was proud to serve in the first Trump administration, where I saw firsthand what strong, America First leadership can accomplish,” she said, adding, “I’m confident that message will carry us to victory in November.”

The Obama Foundation is looking for 100 unpaid volunteers to work alongside the former president’s highly paid cronies at the $850 million Obama Presidential Center in Chicago when it opens in June.

Officials are pitching the no-paycheck gigs as rooted in former President Barack Obama’s legacy of civic engagement. The recruitment campaign comes after Fox News Digital reported that the organization’s CEO, former top Obama aide Valerie Jarrett, earned $740,000 in 2024.

Foundation officials told Fox News Digital the volunteers will complement about 300 full- and part-time employees at the long-delayed center, which the organization is promoting as a $3.1 billion economic catalyst for the Windy City’s South Side.

The new program will see 75 to 100 volunteers, known as “ambassadors,” greet and direct visitors around the campus and share information about exhibits at the 22-story museum tower, athletic center and Chicago Public Library branch, among other amenities. It is expected to expand in the future. 

The foundation describes the volunteer program as a key component of its mission, saying volunteers represent its values both onsite and in the community.

TAXPAYERS ON THE HOOK FOR LAWN CARE, FIXING HINGES AT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARIES. TRUMP-LED REFORMS AIM TO STOP IT

It is unclear what the salary range for those paid workers will be. However, the foundation’s most recent tax filings provide insight into compensation at the organization’s senior levels.

Federal filings viewed by Fox News Digital show Jarrett earned $740,000 in 2024, 2023 and 2022, while several former Obama White House officials have collected six-figure salaries as foundation executives.

Total salaries and benefits at the foundation climbed from $18.5 million in 2018 to $43.7 million in 2024 as staffing expanded to 337 employees and annual revenue reached nearly $210 million, according to the filings. The foundation’s main office is located in Chicago’s Hyde Park, where it runs leadership and community programs in the U.S. and abroad.

OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER BREAKS SILENCE OVER CONTROVERSIAL BUILDING DESIGN

Still, the foundation is looking to have a cohort of unpaid volunteers help out at the new presidential center. It’s common for presidential libraries, museums and nonprofit cultural institutions to employ unpaid volunteers.

“Volunteerism has been central to President Obama’s vision of civic life since his earliest days as a community organizer on Chicago’s South Side,” the foundation said in a press release.

Jarrett, one of the Obamas’ closest advisors, said in a statement that the center will be “a place where the world meets the best of the city of Chicago, and our volunteers will help bring that vision to life every day.”

She became CEO in 2021 and is overseeing development of the 19.3-acre campus in Jackson Park.

OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER SLAMMED FOR PROMOTING ‘FAR-LEFT’ AGENDA ON PUBLIC LAND

The foundation has promoted the center as a catalyst for economic revitalization on Chicago’s South Side, citing $3.1 billion in projected economic activity over 10 years and 5,000 construction jobs tied to the $850 million campus. Those figures come from an economic assessment conducted by Deloitte Consulting LLP.

According to the foundation, more than 50% of construction contracts have been awarded to diverse firms, 33% of the construction workforce has come from South and West Side communities, and 798 residents have enrolled in construction pre-apprenticeship programs.

The center is scheduled to open on Juneteenth, the federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

Other former Obama administration officials have also earned substantial compensation at the foundation in past years, including former White House political director David Simas, who earned more than $600,000 annually while leading the organization from 2017 to 2020, and Adewale Adeyemo, who later became Biden’s deputy Treasury secretary and earned roughly $540,000 during his tenure. 

Several other senior leaders with Obama administration ties have earned between roughly $300,000 and $400,000 annually, according to tax filings.

Repairs have been completed following the historic Potomac River sewage spill in Washington, D.C., less than a month after President Donald Trump approved a disaster declaration that allowed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help.

“Emergency repairs to the Potomac Interceptor are complete,” DC Water said Saturday. “Full flow has been restored and the C&O Canal has been fully drained as part of site restoration. Since Jan 19, crews worked around the clock to stabilize the site and protect the Potomac River.”

The declaration came after a sewage pipe interceptor ruptured on Jan. 19, releasing more than 240 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a disaster emergency over the Potomac sewage spill and requested federal assistance with the cleanup.

Trump said he was worried the Potomac River would still stink when America250 celebrations kick off this summer, according to the White House.

SEWAGE SPILL SENDS E COLI SURGING IN THE POTOMAC RIVER NEAR DC

The president had directed his ire toward Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and other local leaders in Virginia and Washington, D.C., on the issue, claiming incompetence led to the disaster.

Moore and his office, however, pushed back on Trump’s assertions, claiming the federal government has oversight over the sewer utility.

“This is a Washington, D.C., pipe on federal land,” Moore told Fox News Digital last month. “Maryland has nothing to do with this. In fact, the only thing Maryland did was when we saw a neighbor who was in need. That’s why I ordered people, our people to go support them, and that’s what we’ve been doing the past month.”

“We’ve been doing essentially the federal government’s job because it’s the federal government’s job to be able to protect the Potomac interconnector because that’s federal land,” Moore said. “For the president now to come and attack me on this, I find that to be … absurd.”

The sewage pipes are managed by DC Water, an independent utility based in the District of Columbia.

A class action lawsuit was filed by a Virginia resident on March 6 that accused DC Water of negligence.

The plaintiff, Nicholas Lailas, who is a recreational boater, is seeking compensation for people “whose property interests in and use and enjoyment of the Potomac River … have been impaired by Defendant’s conduct,” the lawsuit said.

He is seeking unspecified damages.

Fox News’ Stephen Sorace and Jasmine Baehr and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Former Arizona senator Kyrsten Sinema admitted to having an affair with her former bodyguard while in office and while he was still married — an admission that came by way of an explosive new court filing in the state of North Carolina, seeking to dismiss a so-called “homewrecker” lawsuit filed by the bodyguard’s estranged wife.

Sinema, who served in the Senate from 2019 to 2025, acknowledged the relationship with her former bodyguard, Matthew Ammel, in a motion to dismiss the “alienation of affection” lawsuit filed in North Carolina by his estranged wife.

The complaint accused Sinema of engaging in “intentional and malicious interference” in Ammel’s marriage and sought $25,000 in damages from Sinema as a result of allegedly “willful and wanton” conduct. 

KYRSTEN SINEMA RIPS SENATE DEMOCRATS FOR APPARENT FLIP-FLOP ON FILIBUSTER NOW THAT THEY NEED IT

Neither the motion to dismiss, nor the sworn declaration Sinema submitted to the court, seeks to dispute the nature of her affair with Ammel — described as both “romantic and intimate.”  

Rather, the filings argue that the case should be dropped because the communications in question occurred “exclusively outside” the boundaries of the Tar Heel state.

Combined, the new filings leave little to the imagination regarding the nature of the affair between Sinema and Ammel, which began in May 2024 in Sonoma, Calif., and involved months of phone calls, emails, and Signal messages, in addition to various romantic relations in cities across the U.S. cities.

KYRSTEN SINEMA’S SWITCH TO INDEPENDENT DESCRIBED AS ‘GUT PUNCH’ TO DEMOCRATS: ‘NO WIGGLE ROOM’

“I keep waking up during my sleep and reaching over for your arms to hold me,” Sinema told Ammel in one Signal message, which she recalled was sent in June 2024 from Scottsdale, and received by Ammel while in Kansas.

That fall, another Signal exchange between the two was apparently interrupted by Ammel’s estranged wife. She allegedly responded to Sinema directly, stating: “Are you having an affair with my husband? You took a married man away from his family.”

Just six states, including North Carolina, still recognize “alienation of affection” lawsuits, though the ones that do still require the spouses to meet a difficult legal burden.

In order to succeed in the lawsuit, plaintiffs in an “alienation of affection” lawsuit must prove to the court three things: First, that the marriage had real affection and a viable relationship before any third-party involvement; second, that the “love and affection” was destroyed, or significantly diminished; and finally, that the defendant directly “caused the destruction of that marital love and affection.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Sinema for comment.

Virginia’s Democratic senators aren’t budging from their position against funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without reforms, despite a deadly shooting involving a suspect with links to ISIS.

Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., have both consistently voted with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and their colleagues against the GOP’s attempts to reopen the agency in their push for stringent reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Senate Republicans have warned of the necessity to reopen DHS out of concern about an increase in terrorist activity in the U.S. following Operation Epic Fury in Iran.

OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY SHOOTER IDENTIFIED AS MOHAMED JALLOH, FORMER NATIONAL GUARD MEMBER, ISIS SUPPORTER

That became a reality on Thursday when the FBI announced it was investigating the shooting at Old Dominion University, which left one person dead and two others wounded, as an act of terrorism after identifying the alleged shooter as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former member of the Army National Guard who was convicted of supporting ISIS.

Kaine argued that Senate Democrats have repeatedly tried to reopen chunks of the agency, either through a bill that carved out funding for ICE and CBP or through standalone funding bills that Republicans have blocked.

“Senate Democrats have repeatedly moved to fund — and Senate Republicans have repeatedly blocked — TSA, CISA, the Coast Guard and other entities within DHS that help keep us safe,” Kaine said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

‘YOU CAN CRY ABOUT IT’: TEMPERS FLARE IN SENATE AS DHS SHUTDOWN DEBATE ERUPTS, STALEMATE DIGS DEEPER

Warner said in a statement to Fox News Digital that he was “heartbroken by the loss of Lt. Col. Brandon A. Shah” and lauded the Old Dominion University students who subdued Jalloh.

But he pointed the finger at FBI Director Kash Patel for playing a role in the incident and demanded that Patel “answer for how the FBI lost track of a known, convicted terrorist sympathizer who was then able to get his hands on a gun and murder an American citizen.”

“Following Director Patel’s mass firings of experienced FBI agents and counterterrorism experts, this tragedy emphasizes serious concerns about whether his leadership has left Americans more vulnerable to threats,” Warner said.

DEMS VOTE TO KEEP DHS CLOSED DESPITE AIRPORT CHAOS, IRANIAN SLEEPER CELL THREAT

Separately, the lawmakers panned ICE’s handling of Abdul Jalloh, who was charged with the murder of Virginia resident Stephanie Minter earlier this year.

When asked if Virginia counties should have cooperated with ICE to detain Jalloh, an illegal immigrant with a rap sheet of 30 arrests dating back to 2014, Kaine countered, “How about ICE cooperating with counties?”

“ICE had this guy repeatedly and let him go,” Kaine said. “And so should counties do more? Yeah, but what about ICE? Why would ICE, beginning in, like, 2017, 2018 — and that was during Trump’s presidency — not take cases like this seriously?”

Warner called her murder a tragedy and said, “No one can doubt the fact that somebody who has been arrested 30 times should not be in this country.”

Democrat darling and Texas Senate candidate James Talarico is taking heat after it was discovered that, as a public school teacher in San Antonio, he made his sixth-grade students write “Obama memoirs” celebrating his election.

Corey DeAngelis, a school choice advocate and research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, called the assignment “disqualifying” for a Senate hopeful in Texas.

In a Facebook post by Talarico dated Nov. 13, 2012, he announced, “Today, we finished writing our Obama memoirs,” explaining that “students wrote a memoir of Election Night from the point of view of a member of the Obama family.”

One of the memoirs shared by Talarico showed one of his students writing as if they were former President Barack Obama’s child, saying, “I was crying when my father was giving his speech” and praising “those lovely words that came out of his mouth” during his election night speech.

DEMOCRAT RISING STAR CALLED OUT FOR ‘CREEPY’ COMMENT ABOUT TRANSGENDER CHILDREN

The Democratic Party has high hopes that Talarico, a progressive state representative, can flip a critical Senate seat blue and become the first Democratic senator from Texas in decades. Since winning the party’s nomination, however, many have called out his history of progressive statements, including saying “God is nonbinary” and using the Bible to justify abortion.

In another Facebook post, dated Nov. 16, 2012, Talarico shared an image of a poster board full of Obama memoirs with a banner reading “Mr. Talarico’s Wall of Fame.” The display featured more than a dozen memoirs along with photos of Obama and his family, as well as presidential seals and Obama’s campaign emblem. Talarico commented, “Our Wall of Fame has been updated with our awesome Obama Family Memoirs!”

The Obama memoirs are not the only posts from Talarico’s teacher account drawing criticism. Some have also taken issue with a Sept. 14, 2011, post depicting a classroom “free thinker” display. Among the figures labeled as free thinkers were Obama, Bill Gates, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro. 

LEGALIZE PROSTITUTION EFFORT LEFT CANDIDATE ‘SHOCKED’ IN BLUE STATE WITH RAMPANT HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Other figures included in the display ranged from Ludwig van Beethoven to Frida Kahlo to Jay-Z. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling was also included. Not included, however, were any Republican or conservative leaders.

Some have also criticized Talarico for a Sept. 4, 2012, post in which he encourages students to watch the Democratic National Convention to see Castro, a former mayor of San Antonio, give the keynote speech.

DEMOCRAT RISING STAR CALLED OUT FOR ‘CREEPY’ COMMENT ABOUT TRANSGENDER CHILDREN

Conservative commentator Steve Guest slammed Talarico for this, writing on X, “What Talarico was doing as an ‘educator.’” 

The National Republican Senatorial Committee also chimed in, writing, “James Talarico made his public school students write ‘Obama memoirs’ and encouraged them to watch the DNC What else was he telling Texas kids in his classroom?”

A Talarico spokesman responded to conservative critics in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

“John Cornyn, Ken Paxton, and the billionaires who prop them up are scared of James Talarico for good reason: our campaign is building a movement poised to change the politics of this state and take power back for working people,” press secretary JT Ennis said. “While they spend their time lobbing stale attacks to mislead Texans, we are uniting the people of Texas to win in November.”

Talarico will be facing off against either incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, or state Attorney General Ken Paxton this November. Cornyn and Paxton are currently locked in a bitter primary runoff that will come to a head this May. 

A U.S. judge in Boston on Friday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump from ordering colleges to collect and turn over detailed data on race and student admissions, delivering a near-term reprieve to 17 Democratic attorneys general who sued to block the policy from taking force. 

U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV, a George W. Bush appointee, issued a temporary restraining order Friday that blocked the administration from immediately ordering the detailed information from colleges and universities across the U.S.

Trump announced the new effort last August as part of a broader push from the administration to ensure universities were not using race as a factor for admissions, in accordance with a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that blocked so-called “race-conscious” admissions.

JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA

The ruling forced many colleges to fundamentally alter their admissions process for the first time in decades. But Trump and some Republicans have criticized what they argue is a lack of compliance with the ruling, arguing that many universities have failed to adjust their admissions processes quickly or fully enough to comply. 

Trump’s August memo directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to require colleges to report more data to the federal government “to provide adequate transparency into admissions.”

EX-JUDGES BLAST TOP TRUMP DOJ OFFICIAL FOR DECLARING ‘WAR’ ON COURTS

As part of that effort, all universities that receive federal funding were ordered to submit to the Education Department race and gender admissions data dating back years, as well as information regarding the total undergraduate applicant pool and enrollment size. 

But the Democratic attorneys general who sued to block the policy argued this week that they had not been given enough time to compile the large amount of data — roughly seven years’ worth— required by the administration.

They also argued that the effort by the Trump administration is an attempt to turn the Education Department’s primary statistical agency, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), into a “mechanism for law enforcement and the furthering of partisan policy aims.”

TOP US COURT HANDS TRUMP A WIN ON DEPORTATIONS AS SCOTUS CHALLENGE LOOMS

Judge Saylor’s temporary order effectively extends the deadline by another 12 days, through March 25, to allow the court to consider the case made by the states, and to provide for an “orderly resolution of the issues,” according to the brief order.

It was not immediately clear whether the Trump administration would appeal the order. Neither the Justice Department nor the Department of Education immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Democrats on Capitol Hill are accusing Republicans of walking away from attempts to shrink the size of a partial government shutdown that began on Feb. 14, arguing that the impasse over funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) doesn’t need to hold up funding for other agencies.

It’s a position that Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., believes his party has repeatedly made clear.

“We’re totally ready to fund FEMA, TSA, Coast Guard, other elements. But while ICE continues to misbehave, we need to make sure that there’s an agreement about their behavior. And the Republicans are holding the rest of DHS hostage,” Whitehouse said, listing the other agencies also tied to DHS.

“That’s on them,” he added.

SCHUMER, DEMS AGAIN BLOCK DHS FUNDING, FORCE STATE OF THE UNION SHOWDOWN

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, scoffed at what they view as Democratic calls to avoid the heart of the gridlock.

“That’s extremely hypocritical because we’ve already funded ICE,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said, noting that the agency had already received allocations through Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill last year.

“So, the only thing they’re doing is hurting the air-traveling public through TSA. They’re hurting them and not accomplishing what they’re saying they’re trying to accomplish. It’s shameful,” Cornyn said.

DHS SHUTDOWN TRIGGERS TSA ‘EMERGENCY MEASURES’ AS LAWMAKER WARNS AIRPORTS COULD FEEL ECONOMIC PAIN

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., echoed Cornyn’s thinking, arguing that lawmakers should address DHS funding.

“All of Homeland Security needs to be funded. We’re not going to pick part of it not being funded. It’s making our country less safe,” Scott said.

The lapse in funding for DHS hit the one-month mark Saturday with no resolution in sight over the 10 operational reform demands Democrats have made regarding any funding for ICE.

SWALWELL PRESSED ON DEMOCRATS’ RESISTANCE TO FULLY FUNDING DHS AMID IRAN THREAT

Among others, Democrats are demanding a ban on masks for ICE agents, an end to roaming patrols, stiffer warrant requirements and visible identification markings. Their demands came about in the wake of the deaths of two civilians in Minnesota who lost their lives in escalated confrontations with immigration enforcement.

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said it was squarely on the Trump administration to make those incidents more unlikely in the future.

“Trump has a responsibility to put safeguards around a corrupt agency that is endangering the constitutional privileges of everybody,” Markey said.

HOUSE DEMOCRATS VOTE TO CONTINUE DHS SHUTDOWN DESPITE IRAN THREAT, NOEM’S OUSTER

Without those demands, Democrats say there’s no way to press on towards funding ICE.

“Frankly, we have a simple menu of fixes to ensure that ICE and CBP follow the same standards as state and local law enforcement. We get agreement on that we can move ahead,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told Fox News Digital.

Republicans maintain the demands would handcuff President Donald Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown efforts.

Republicans can’t advance funding legislation in the Senate without the help of at least 7 Democrats. Republicans hold 53 seats in the chamber and need 60 votes to break the threat of a filibuster.

Virginia Democrats have sent a sweeping gun-control package to Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk, while West Virginia lawmakers are debating the opposite approach — a proposal that would allow residents to lawfully obtain machine guns.

The dueling efforts highlight how sharply gun policy is diverging across the old Virginia border. More than 160 years after West Virginia split from Virginia during the Civil War, the two states are again charting very different political paths — with Democrats in Richmond advancing new firearm restrictions while Republicans in Charleston explore expanding Second Amendment rights.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signaled she looks forward to “reviewing” the sweeping firearms ban from state Sen. Saddam Salim, D-Dunn Loring, when it reaches her desk next week.

“As the mother of three daughters in Virginia public schools and a former federal law enforcement officer who carried a gun every day, Governor Spanberger knows how important it is to make sure kids and families are safe,” Spanberger’s office said in a statement to Richmond’s ABC affiliate.

GUN RIGHTS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY DEBATED AT SUPREME COURT

“The governor is grateful for the efforts of legislators and advocates to address gun violence in Virginia communities, and she looks forward to reviewing all legislation that comes to her desk.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger’s office to ask whether she plans to sign Salim’s bill but did not receive a response before publication.

The push comes as the political landscape in the two states continues to diverge. Republicans dominate West Virginia’s legislature with 31-2 and 91-9 supermajorities, and the Mountain State is one of just two states — along with Oklahoma — with no Democrat-majority counties. Democrats, meanwhile, strengthened their hold on Virginia’s government in 2025 and captured the governor‘s mansion.

The assault weapons ban was introduced in January at the very start of the expanded Democratic majority’s rule in Richmond. Salim told FairfaxNow that there are “so many assault weapons in circulation” and that his bill will “gradually” take them off the street but stop short of retroactively criminalizing possession of any of the slew of newly-categorized “assault weapons.”

The Bangladesh-born lawmaker has also questioned how schools can remain safe spaces for children without requiring active-shooter drills.

His proposal would ban a wide range of firearms and features, including semi-automatic center-fire pistols with magazines exceeding 15 rounds, rifles with detachable magazines and weapons with certain characteristics such as collapsible or thumbhole stocks and threaded barrels.

The scope of the proposed restrictions drew criticism from Republican lawmakers.

State Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, assembled a mashup video of Virginia Democrats describing the need for the bill, captioning the clip: “Clueless Confident Dangerous and still writing the law.”

MIKE LEE UNVEILS NATIONAL CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY BILL TO OVERRIDE ‘HOSTILE’ STATE GUN LAWS

“On this list, pretty much everything is a bad firearm,” said state Sen. Bill Stanley Jr., R-Rocky Mount. “We should stop harming the people who are law-abiding citizens, especially in my region.”

During floor debate, Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Mount Vernon, said: “The only way you can see if something has a threaded barrel or not is to look inside it. Your assault rifle with its telescopes and tripods and lasers and everything else …”

Stanley responded by reminding lawmakers that “millions of Virginians own firearms” and “billions of pieces of ammunition.”

“If we were the problem, you would know about it,” he said, as debate veered into quips about “turkey rifles” — a phrase that quickly circulated on X — before Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Orange, said it was “evident” that Democrats “have a hard time understanding [gun] nomenclature.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Surovell for comment.

RELATED IMAGE: https://cms.foxnews.com/wp/wp-admin/upload.php?item=7225208

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Allegheny Front, lawmakers were instead debating how best to expand the Second Amendment rights of Mountaineers.

West Virginia State Sens. Chris Rose, R-Monongalia, and Zachary Maynard, R-Chapmanville, drafted the Public Defense and Provisioning Act — which would permit the transfer of machine guns to residents, among other provisions.

The lawmakers cited the Second Amendment’s language and said the favorable decision in D.C. v. Heller “clarifying” “unrestricted access” under the militia clause to “resist tyranny,” among other reasons — while citing Washington administration official Tench Coxe’s assertion, “Congress has no power to disarm the militia.”

APPEALS COURT DECLARES DC BAN ON CERTAIN GUN MAGAZINES UNCONSTITUTIONAL

“It therefore is in the public interest that the State provide a means whereby machine guns may be obtained by citizens.”

Rose told Fox News Digital the bill would address “a longstanding issue in federal firearms law and to reaffirm the constitutional protections afforded to West Virginians under the Second Amendment and Article III, Section 22 of the West Virginia Constitution.”

“I have long been clear that I am a Second Amendment absolutist, and I believe the Constitution means exactly what it says when it states that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,” Rose said Friday, adding the bill showed states can assert their role in protecting constitutional rights and examining federal laws that have gone untested.

Rose’s bill hit a roadblock as West Virginia’s legislative session winds down, with Senate President Randy Smith, R-Blackwater Falls, deciding the full chamber would not take it up after it advanced through the Judiciary Committee, citing potential legal challenges.

“With an issue as critical as the protection of our Second Amendment rights, we must ensure the legislation we pass will survive legal challenge. This would not have,” said Smith, who also serves as lieutenant governor.

The proposal raises questions about the federal 1986 Hughes Amendment, which prohibits civilian transfers of machine guns manufactured after that year. A Judiciary Committee attorney told West Virginia Watch the restriction may not apply if the transfer were conducted through a state agency such as the West Virginia State Police.

During a hearing, Sen. Joey Garcia, D-Fairmont, also questioned whether the proposal could conflict with federal firearms laws.

Gun Owners of America reportedly worked with Rose on the legislation and has defended its legal footing.

With Smith’s decision and the session nearing its end, lawmakers are expected to revisit the proposal next year. A West Virginia House Republican source told Fox News Digital that chatter is already building around reviving the bill.

“As the lobbyists and Senate advocates are saying, there will be a huge push in the off-season to build this coalition and make this happen.”

Smith told WVW that he welcomes a new bill next year, but that proponents should pay closer attention to the legislative calendar to avoid last-minute issues.

“For now, [we’re] probably going to have to let this stand,” a West Virginia Senate Republican source told Fox News Digital.

On Friday, Charleston did, however, approve a bill from Del. Charles Horst, R-Falling Waters, providing license-free concealed carry for 18-20-year-olds.