Category: USA Politics

Republicans face high hurdles as they defend their razor-thin control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections, but the Senate GOP campaign chair says he remains “incredibly optimistic” his party can not only hold but expand its current 53–47 majority.

Republicans are battling stiff political headwinds as the party in power in the nation’s capital traditionally loses seats in the midterms, and a rough political climate fueled by economic concerns amid persistent inflation and President Donald Trump‘s underwater approval ratings.

“There’s no doubt the climate has gotten more and more difficult by the day, it seems like at times,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chair Sen. Tim Scott said in a recent Fox News Digital interview.

But he added, “The good news is we have a president who made promises, he’s been keeping those promises, and we have been able to recruit the highest quality candidates anyone could want in every single battleground state.”

WHAT THE SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHIEF TOLD FOX NEWS

The NRSC chair told Fox News Digital in December 2025 that in the battle for the majority, “54 is clearly within our grasp right now, but with a little bit of luck, 55 is on our side.”

Asked again a week ago, Scott said, “I think we have a possibility of more than 53 seats.”

STRATEGY SESSION: TRUMP TEAM HUDDLES ON MIDTERM MESSAGING 

Scott’s rival, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told Fox News Digital in January that “President Trump is creating a toxic agenda that’s harming people.”

And Gillibrand emphasized she’s “optimistic that we have a shot to take back the majority.”

Here’s a look at the top 10 Senate seats that could flip in the midterms.

Longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins is the only Republican senator running for re-election this year in a state that then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried in her 2024 presidential election defeat to Trump.

And Collins has seen a deterioration of her poll numbers among Mainers from her last re-election six years ago.

But Collins, who has long been a top target of the rival Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) has proven impossible to beat, to date.

Complicating the Democrats’ push to flip the seat is a competitive primary between two-term Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who has the tacit backing of longtime Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and the DSCC, and veteran and oyster farmer Graham Platner, who is running to the left of the governor and who is backed by progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Republicans are defending an open seat in the southeastern battleground state, with GOP Sen. Thom Tillis retiring at the end of 2026. 

Democrats landed their top recruit when former two-term Gov. Roy Cooper launched a Senate campaign in summer 2025. Cooper enjoys tons of name ID in North Carolina and is 6–0 when running statewide races.

Republicans are rallying around former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley, who has the president’s backing.

The race is expected to be one of the most expensive and competitive Senate showdowns this year.

Democrats scored another major recruiting victory when former longtime Sen. Sherrod Brown announced he would challenge Republican Sen. Jon Husted.

A former lieutenant governor, Husted was appointed to the Senate a year ago after then-Sen. JD Vance stepped down to serve as vice president.

Ohio, once a premiere general election battleground, has turned red over the past decade, and Democrats view Brown as their only competitive candidate in the race to serve the final two years of Vance’s term.

Brown lost re-election in 2024 by roughly four points while Trump carried Ohio by 11 points.

Similar to North Carolina, the showdown is expected to be very expensive and competitive.

Democrats were given a big boost in the red-leaning state when former Rep. Mary Peltola announced in February that she would challenge GOP incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan.

Peltola lost re-election 15 months ago in the at-large district that covers the entire state by three points, while Trump carried Alaska by 11 points.

Republicans are defending an open seat in Iowa, a onetime swing state that’s shifted to the right over the past decade.

But the GOP has rallied around Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is backed by Trump, in the race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst.

Hinson, a former local TV news anchor who flipped a Democratic-held seat in 2020, is seen as a rising star in the party.

Democrats have a contested primary that includes state Rep. Josh Turek, a Paralympian, state Sen. Zach Wahls and military veteran Nathan Sage.

Longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas is in the middle of a competitive and combustible GOP nomination runoff battle against state Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton.

Trump, to date, has stayed neutral in the runoff, which will be held in late May.

Cornyn enjoys the backing of Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the NRSC, which worries that the seat would be vulnerable if Paxton, who has plenty of political baggage, wins the primary.

The Democrats, who are eyeing the seat in the right-leaning state, nominated state Rep. James Talarico, a rising star in the party.

Republicans are optimistic they can flip a seat in the Great Lakes battleground, where Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is retiring.

The GOP, led by Trump, has coalesced around former Rep. Mike Rogers, who lost an extremely close Senate race in 2024 even as Trump won Michigan by one point.

The Democratic primary is a three-way race between center-left Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a self-described “pragmatist,” and progressive physician Abdul El-Sayed, who is backed by Sanders.

The primary already has exposed divisions on the future of the state’s manufacturing sector and support for Israel, and the nominee won’t be decided until August.

Republicans view first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff as the most vulnerable Democratic senator seeking re-election in the midterms.

The aim was to paint Ossoff, the only Senate Democrat running for re-election in a state Trump won in 2024, as a far-left progressive.

But ousting Ossoff won’t be easy, in part because the senator’s robust fundraising has built a massive war chest.

And Republicans are in the middle of an ugly three-way between Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, and former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, who has the backing of term-limited popular, conservative Gov. Brian Kemp.

Trump has remained neutral, to date, ahead of the May primary. 

Republicans are hoping to flip the long-held Democratic Senate seat in New England’s only swing state, thanks to the retirement of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the first woman in the nation’s history to be elected governor and senator.

While most Democrats are rallying around four-term Rep. Chris Pappas, there’s a spirited primary on the Republican side between two former senators seeking a return to Capitol Hill. Former Sen. John E. Sununu, an older brother to former Gov. Chris Sununu, has the backing of the president. But Trump’s first-term ambassador to New Zealand, former Sen. Scott Brown, remains in the race.

Republicans are trying to break their 16-year losing streak in U.S. Senate elections in the Granite State.

The retirement of Democratic Sen. Tina Smith is giving the GOP hopes they can flip the seat in the blue-leaning state.

And the NRSC landed what they say is a top-tier recruit in former NBC sports reporter turned conservative pundit and activist Michele Tafoya.

Tafoya is part of a crowded GOP field that also includes 2024 Senate nominee Royce White, a former NBA basketball player; retired U.S. Navy officer Tom Weiler, a 2022 GOP congressional nominee; former state Senator David Hann and former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze.

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flannagan, a progressive, is facing off against more moderate Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, who appears to have the backing of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in the race for their party’s nomination.

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — Vice President JD Vance hinted California may be targeted next with major fraud investigations and revealed that fraud discovered in the Minneapolis area has “probably been $19 billion at least” since the administration began investigating in the Twin Cities.  

In January, Vance announced an interagency task force within the Department of Justice that specifically targets fraud, and reports suggest the vice president will soon lead a new task force established through a Trump executive order. 

“We know there’s a lot of fraud in California, and we’re trying to get to the bottom of exactly what it looks like and what we’ve done in the Trump administration,” Vance said in response to a question by Fox News Digital. 

He took questions after a speech Friday afternoon at the Power House event center that focused on the economy, public safety and election integrity. 

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

“And the president has really empowered us to do this, is to take the first national look at the way the American people have been defrauded over many, many years,” Vance added. 

In January, President Donald Trump was critical of California, announcing the “fraud investigation of California has begun” and saying the state was “more corrupt than Minnesota.”

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom defended the Golden State’s fraud protection in February, saying that California’s Franchise Tax Board has blocked billions in fraud in recent years.

“In the actual world where adults govern, Gavin Newsom has been cleaning house,” a spokesperson for Newsom told Fox News Digital. “Since taking office, he’s blocked over $125 billion in fraud, arrested criminal parasites leaching off of taxpayers and protected taxpayers from the exact kind of scam artists Trump celebrates, excuses and pardons.

“Gavin Newsom runs a state,” the spokesperson added. “Donald Trump runs his mouth. Again and again, we’ve shown that the programs they are attempting to call out are programs the federal government is administering, not the state. We suggest they get their house in order.”

Vance on Friday pointed to fraud that has occurred in Minnesota, telling Fox News Digital and reporters that taxpayer dollars are footing the bill for the illegal misuse of funds.

JD VANCE SPEARHEADS ‘WAR ON FRAUD,’ PROMISES TO ROOT OUT TAXPAYER MONEY ‘STOLEN’ BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

“You asked about Minnesota, [and] we think that there’s probably been $19 billion at least to fraud just committed in Minneapolis in the surrounding areas,” Vance explained. “Let me give you an example of this because it’s not just the American people being defrauded. It’s not just your tax dollars that are being stolen out of your wallet and given to fraudsters.

“It’s the fact that the services we need to deliver to needy people are not getting delivered because they’re going to fraudsters.”

Federal investigators in Minnesota launched a probe in 2022 into the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, which prosecutors later identified as a key player in what became one of the largest COVID-19 relief fraud cases uncovered.

REPORT EXPOSES BILLIONS IN UNCOVERED FRAUD, WASTE AS WATCHDOG COALITION OFFERS SUPPORT TO TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN

As the investigation progressed, authorities said they uncovered roughly $250 million in fraudulent claims, with 78 people ultimately charged in the alleged scheme.

Prosecutors have also suggested the broader fraud linked to related programs could total as much as $9 billion.

Independent journalist Nick Shirley took to the streets of Minneapolis in late December 2025 and discovered one organization that claimed to be a type of daycare, where the word “learning” was misspelled on the front door of the business. 

Vance poked fun at the organization, which has since shut its doors, during his response to Fox News Digital reporter’s question Friday.

“When you have a Somali fraudster come into the United States illegally and then set up a school to collect tax dollars, and the name of the school is the Quality Learning Center, but when they put the sign up, they take the ‘n’ out. So, it says ‘Quality Learing Center,’” Vance explained.

“I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to send my kids to a school where they can’t spell ‘learn.’ That group was getting millions of dollars from the American taxpayer.”

The top executive of a public relations and political consulting firm who is married to a former top Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson, is demanding an apology from Senate Democrats for allegations he used his wife to improperly secure lucrative contracts from the agency.

In a letter Thursday addressed to Sens. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Benjamin Yoho took aim at a figure mentioned by Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., claiming his company, The Strategy Group for Media, had secured $143 million in subcontracts.

Yoho clarified that The Strategy Group for Media had been hired for media work at DHS, but not to the degree Schiff had outlined.

“We provided limited production services, for which we received $226,137.17 for video and audio production, a sum representing approximately one-tenth of one percent of the contract value [Schiff] referenced,” Yoho wrote in his letter.

HAKEEM JEFFRIES SAYS DEMS WILL NOT BACK FUNDING BILL FOR ‘KILLING MACHINE’ DHS EVEN IF NOEM IS FIRED

He also noted that the services didn’t directly go to DHS.

“The facts are The Strategy Group for Media was hired by Safe America Media LLC to serve as a subcontractor to them for production work,” Yoho explained, referring to a separate company partnering with the agency.

Yoho is married to Tricia McLaughlin, the former assistant secretary for public affairs at DHS who left her job last month.

DHS DEFENDS MCLAUGHLIN AFTER ALLEGATIONS HUSBAND’S COMPANY PROFITED MILLIONS FROM AD CONTRACTS: ‘BASELESS’

The pair’s connection to DHS came under scrutiny in the Senate when former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was probed by lawmakers about a $220 million ad campaign she had used to highlight the agency’s work. Democrats like Schiff hinted that some of that $220 million figure had ended up lining the pockets of those with close ties to the agency.

HOUSE GOP LEADER LAUNCHES SENATE BID AS TRUMP TAPS MARKWAYNE MULLIN FOR DHS

“This statement is factually incorrect, and I respectfully request that you have your colleague correct the official record and issue an apology,” Yoho wrote.

Noem was removed as head of DHS shortly after President Donald Trump learned she told senators that he had approved the $220 million DHS ad campaign that featured her prominently throughout. 

Reports surfaced after the hearings saying that Trump was “furious” with Noem over her performance in bicameral Judiciary Committee hearings earlier this month, particularly over a contract for an advertisement that Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., and others grilled her on.

Trump reportedly took issue with her suggesting to Kennedy that Trump approved a taxpayer-funded ad subcontracted to a firm connected with her inner circle, according to National Review.

Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; and Peter Welch, D-Vt., for comment.

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — Vice President JD Vance traveled to North Carolina and hosted an event Friday to tout the economy, advocate for Republicans to win elections in the Tar Heel State, and touch on the situation in Iran.  

Vance was also joined by former RNC chairman and GOP Senate nominee Michael Whatley and Small Business Association Administrator Kelly Loeffler at a local event space.

“In just a very brief time, we’ve seen new home purchases rise to their highest level in five years,” Vance said. “Since the last time Donald Trump was president, we’ve seen the cost of rents drop for six months in a row.” 

“We’ve seen the average tax refund that’s going to come to the people of North Carolina, about $3,700 per family,” Vance added. “And we see interest rates that are the lowest they’ve been since the last time that Donald J. Trump was president.”

VANCE TELLS MINNEAPOLIS TO ‘STOP FIGHTING’ ICE AS WHITE HOUSE DOUBLES DOWN ON CRACKDOWN

Vance was introduced by Loeffler, the former Georgia senator whom Trump appointed to lead small business advocacy as head of the SBA last February. 

“Together, we’re cleaning up massive, wasteful spending and the abuse of government programs,” Loeffler told the audience. “And you’ve seen that the fraud that sent your hard-earned tax dollars overseas and the Democrats open borders, defund the police agendas that invited violent crime into what should be safe communities, taking the lives of innocent victims like arenas.”

Vance addressed the situation in Iran, both to the crowd and in response to a question posed by an AP reporter. The vice president pointed to nuclear capability in Iran as the primary reason for the U.S. engagement.

NC SENATE SHOWDOWN ESCALATES AS TRUMP RALLIES BEHIND WHATLEY TO KEEP GOP SEAT

“You all know that right now, we are engaged in a military operation to ensure, as the president has said repeatedly, that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,” Vance said. “That is a simple, simple principle and standard. Frankly, every president. Has taken affirmative steps to ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”

When asked what he advised the president before strikes began in Iran, Vance said he wasn’t giving out information from classified briefings in the situation room.

“I’m not going to show up here and in front of God and everybody else, tell you exactly what I said in that classified room, partially because I don’t want to go to prison, and partially because I think it’s important for the President of the United States to be able to talk to his advisers without those advisers running their mouth to the American media,” Vance explained.

VANCE CALLS WALZ ‘A JOKE,’ CLAIMS MINNESOTA GOVERNOR ENABLED MASSIVE FRAUD

Vance also strongly advocated for Whatley’s campaign for senate, slamming his Democrat opponent and pushing for the GOP candidate in what will be a contentious and competitive election in November. 

Whatley won the GOP primary in North Carolina to fill retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis’ seat, and now faces former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in the general election. 

“Roy Cooper is one of these people who clearly cares way more for foreign countries than he does the United States of America,” Vance said. “You see the passion in his voice when he talks about protecting illegal aliens. You’ll never hear that passion when he’s talking about the people in this room.”

AFTER ROUGH 2025 ELECTIONS, TOP GOP HOPEFUL SAYS CONSERVATISM’S FUTURE RUNS THROUGH SOUND ECONOMIC MESSAGE

“You hear the passion in his voice when he talks about sending hundreds of billions of dollars to the war in Ukraine,” the vice president added. 

A spokesperson for Cooper responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, blasting Whatley and denying claims he protects criminals. 

“Roy Cooper is the only candidate who spent his career prosecuting violent criminals and keeping thousands of them behind bars as attorney general, and signing tough on crime laws and stricter pretrial release bail policy as governor,” the spokesperson told Fox. “DC insider and Big Oil lobbyist Michael Whatley is desperate to distract from his support for hundreds of millions in cuts to local law enforcement and public safety efforts that keep North Carolinians safe.”

Vance concluded the event after answering a question from Fox News Digital regarding progress made by a fraud task force that was launched in January under the Department of Justice and individual states he was planning to target, in addition to Minnesota.

“We know there’s a lot of fraud in California, and we’re trying to get to the bottom of exactly what it looks like and what we’ve done in the Trump administration,” Vance said. “And the president has really empowered us to do this, is to take the first national look at the way the American people have been defrauded over many, many years.”

The vice president revealed that there was “at least” $19 billion in fraud uncovered in Minneapolis and the surrounding area under the Trump administration. 

The Cuban government is in talks with Trump administration officials, the country’s president said Friday, as Havana works to halt a potential regime change as it deals with a spilling energy crisis. 

In a 90-minute news conference broadcast by state media, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said talks with Washington were aimed at finding solutions to the political differences that divide the communist island and the United States, The New York Times reported. 

However, changes to Cuba’s political system are off-limits, Lianys Torres Rivera, Cuba’s chief of mission in the United States, told POLITICO in an interview.

MILLIONS LOSE POWER ACROSS CUBA AS TRUMP SANCTIONS CONTINUE TO FUEL ONGOING ENERGY CRISIS

Cuba’s economy has struggled following the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from his home in Caracas at the start of the year. The Trump administration immediately cut off oil exports to the island.

A number of key sectors across the island are under considerable strain, including its transportation, health and education systems, Torres Rivera said. She noted that as many as 11,000 children are on waiting lists for surgeries and procedures at health clinics.

 “They have no money. They have no anything right now,” President Donald Trump said in February. “Maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba.”

Trump has said a deal with Havana “would be very easily made.”

In January, Trump declared a national emergency via an executive order over Cuba, accusing the communist regime of aligning with hostile foreign powers and terrorist groups.

FAMILY MEMBER OF AMERICAN KILLED BY CUBAN FORCES IN BOAT SHOOTOUT SAYS HE WAS ON ‘DIABOLICAL’ MISSION

Last week, he said Cuba was “negotiating with [Secretary of State] Marco [Rubio] and myself and some others. And I would think a deal would be made very easily with Cuba.”

Trump has charged Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and someone who has actively championed regime change, with negotiations with Cuba. 

Friday was the first time the Cuban government formerly acknowledged talks with Washington. 

Amid talks, Rubio’s main counterpart has been Raul Rodriguez Castro, the grandson of Raul Castro, the island’s de facto leader and its former president. 

Díaz-Canel said the talks with the United States were needed, in part, “to determine the willingness of both sides to take concrete actions,” the Times reported. 

He added that he would soon welcome an FBI team to take part in the investigation stemming from 10 Cubans who lived in the United States who got into a firefight with the Cuban coast guard last month. 

“Agendas are built, negotiations and conversations take place, and agreements are reached — things we are still far from because we are in the initial phases of this process,’’ Díaz-Canel said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House. 

Ric Grenell’s successor as the president of the Trump Kennedy Center was revealed Friday afternoon after President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to make the announcement.

The change will officially be announced on Monday as the Trump Kennedy Center’s board meets to officially suspend its activities and launch construction efforts.

Grenell, who has a background in foreign policy and assumed control of the center in February of last year in addition to his special envoy role, is being replaced by Matt Floca, the Trump Kennedy Center’s current vice president of facilities operations.

US JUDGE ORDERS SUSPECT DETAINED FOR THREATENING TO KILL RICHARD GRENELL

A person familiar with Grenell’s thinking said the transition was a result of the construction-focused shift for the organization and consistent with plans President Donald Trump outlined in posts to social media at the beginning of February.

“I have determined that the fastest way to bring the Trump Kennedy Center to the highest level of success, beauty and grandeur is to cease entertainment operations for an approximately two-year period of time,” Trump said in a post to Truth Social last month.

The source added that the change in the Trump Kennedy Center’s leadership is reflective of the organization’s focus for the time being.

“I mean the whole thing is turning into a construction zone,” the source said. “It’s going to be a construction zone and [Ric is] not a construction guy.”

WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA TO DEPART TRUMP–KENNEDY CENTER AMID REPORTED FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES

Trump also highlighted Floca’s new appointment online.

“As Vice President of Operations, Matt has helped us achieve tremendous progress in bringing the Center to the highest level of Excellence! A Complete Reconstruction of THE TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER will begin after the July 4th Celebration,” Trump wrote.

He went on to praise Grenell’s performance in the executive role, saying, “Ric Grenell has done an excellent job in helping to coordinate various elements of the Center during the transition period, and I want to thank him for the outstanding work he has done.” 

The renovations are slated to cost $257 million, according to figures approved by Congress in Trump’s signature Big Beautiful Bill last year.

Grenell declined to respond to inquiries about what his next role would be.

President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. had carried out a bombing raid on Iran’s Kharg Island, a strategically important island in the Persian Gulf that serves as one of the country’s main oil export hubs.

Located off Iran’s southern coast, Kharg Island is home to major oil terminals that have long been central to Iran’s energy trade and economic lifeline. 

Because so much of the country’s crude oil exports pass through the island, it is widely viewed as one of Iran’s most sensitive and strategically important pieces of infrastructure.

“Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“Our Weapons are the most powerful and sophisticated that the World has ever known but, for reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision,” he added.

Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., announced plans Thursday to introduce legislation allowing the U.S. to denaturalize and deport naturalized citizens who commit or support terrorism after a recent string of attacks involving immigrants who obtained citizenship.

On Thursday, Moore called out the “horrific pattern” of naturalized citizens committing acts of terror against the American people, saying it “must end.”

Moore announced he will be introducing a bill in Congress to denaturalize and deport any naturalized citizen who commits an act of terror, plots to unleash terror, joins a terrorist group or otherwise aids and abets terrorism.

Almost immediately, Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, and Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., vowed to support the bill.

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This week, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Lebanon, allegedly attempted to ram his vehicle into a Michigan synagogue filled with children and teachers. The same day at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a naturalized citizen from Sierra Leone, opened fire on a class of Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) students, killing Lt. Col. Brandon Shah.

Days before, Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, the children of naturalized citizens from Turkey and Afghanistan, allegedly attempted to bomb an anti-Islam demonstration outside the mayor’s mansion in New York City. At the start of the month, Senegalese-born naturalized citizen Ndiaga Diagne killed three people and injured over a dozen in a shooting in Austin.

After this week’s attacks, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., renewed his call to pass another bill known as the Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation (SCAM) Act. 

Schmitt is the Senate sponsor of the bill, which, if passed, would expand and clarify grounds for denaturalization if an individual participates in fraud against a government program, joins a terrorist organization or is convicted of an aggravated felony or espionage. 

The bill was introduced in the House in January by Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., amid widespread outrage over the rampant Medicaid and children’s services fraud scandal, which heavily involved the Somali immigrant community.

TRUMP WARNS OF IRANIAN ‘SLEEPER CELLS’ AS CANADA IS ACCUSED OF HARBORING REGIME OPERATIVES

On Thursday, Schmitt posted on X that “after the SAVE America Act, we must pass the SCAM Act so we can denaturalize & deport those who are here to hurt Americans. We must denaturalize those who shouldn’t be here.”

Under current laws, the U.S. government may strip citizenship from a naturalized individual only in very limited circumstances, such as when it was obtained through fraud. There is also a very high standard of proof on the government to show that fraud occurred during the process of obtaining citizenship.

The SCAM Act, however, would expand the government’s ability to denaturalize, allowing it to revoke citizenship from a person who engages in terrorism, commits fraud, commits espionage or commits felonies within 10 years of becoming a citizen.

WE’RE IN DANGER OF MORE TERROR ATTACKS — AND THIS IS THE MOST INDEFENSIBLE PART OF IT ALL: SEN TED CRUZ

In another post, Schmitt emphasized “we need to give the Trump admin the SCAM Act. Under current law, it is practically impossible to denaturalize these terrorists.”

He said the SCAM Act “will allow the Trump admin to denaturalize and deport those who should never have been granted citizenship in the first place.”

Jurors delivered a mixed verdict Friday in the federal trial of nine people accused of carrying out a 2025 “ambush” attack on an ICE detention facility in North Texas.

Nine defendants accused of being part of a North Texas “Antifa cell” were convicted by a federal jury in Fort Worth for their roles in the July 4, 2025, attack on the Prairieland ICE Detention Center, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Jurors delivered the verdict around 2:30 p.m. Friday at the federal courthouse in Fort Worth following roughly a day and a half of deliberations, FOX 4 News reported.

“The guilty verdicts in today’s case go to show this FBI’s 24/7 commitment to identifying, locating, and dismantling ANTIFA members and their networks,” Kash Patel told Fox News Digital. “I want to thank our Dallas field office and great partners for delivering justice. If you attack federal law enforcement this FBI will use every resource at our disposal to hunt you down.”

FEDERAL AGENTS DEPLOY TEAR GAS, RUBBER BULLETS ON PROTESTERS OUTSIDE MINNEAPOLIS FEDERAL BUILDING

During the 12-day trial, which began Feb. 23, 2026, jurors heard testimony from more than 45 witnesses and reviewed over 210 exhibits tied to the charges against the nine defendants, the DOJ said.

Benjamin Song was convicted of the most serious charge — attempted murder — for shooting Alvarado Police Lt. Thomas Gross, according to FOX 4.

All but one of the nine defendants — Daniel Estrada — were found guilty of providing material support to terrorists, rioting, conspiring to use and carry explosives, and using explosives during a riot, FOX 4 reported.

ICE RE-ARRESTS TWO VENEZUELAN MEN AFTER FEDERAL JUDGE’S RELEASE ORDER

Daniel Estrada, who was not present the night of the incident, was convicted of concealing records and conspiracy to conceal documents, according to FOX 4.

Maricela Rueda was also convicted of conspiracy to conceal documents.

“Antifa is a domestic terrorist organization that has been allowed to flourish in Democrat-led cities — not under President Trump,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “Today’s verdict on terrorism charges will not be the last as the Trump administration systematically dismantles Antifa and finally halts their violence on America’s streets.”

LEFT INSISTS ANTIFA ISN’T A REAL ORGANIZATION DESPITE MULTIPLE VIOLENT, PUBLIC INCIDENTS: ‘MADE UP’

Authorities say the July 4, 2025, attack outside the Prairieland ICE Detention Facility in Alvarado involved fireworks, damage to buildings and vehicles, and gunfire directed at officers. 

Prosecutors argued the attack was orchestrated by Song and carried out by members of a North Texas Antifa cell, FOX 4 reported.

Defense attorneys argued there was no ambush and said the defendants did not intend for any violence to occur.

“The calculated, violent attack at ICE’s Prairieland facility was an abhorrent way for antifa terrorists to ‘protest’ the way this agency enforces the law — but these verdicts make clear that those who choose violence over lawful expression will face the full force of the American justice system,” ICE Director Todd Lyons said in a statement.

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., claimed he offered Republicans a chance to spare the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from the ongoing government shutdown that’s poised to hit the one-month mark on Saturday after another failed DHS vote on Thursday.

Republicans believe the offer was little more than political theater that ignored the core of the funding gridlock as concerns about Iranian sleeper cell threats and airport chaos rise. 

“I just offered a UC to fund FEMA and Republicans shot it down,” Schiff said, referring to the Senate process to pass legislation on the spot, known as “unanimous consent.”

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., a lawmaker who has blocked UCs on the shutdown in the past, blasted Democrats for, in her view, trying to punt the negotiations on larger DHS disagreements.

SENATE TO TAKE TEST VOTE TO END 27-DAY DHS SHUTDOWN

“We would like that opportunity to continue funding the Department of Homeland Security in its entirety. Look, the people who sent us here expect more,” Britt said in remarks on the Senate floor.

“They expect us to have tough conversations. They expect us to figure out a pathway forward. And that’s exactly what we’re trying to do today.”

A fired-up Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., accused Senate Democrats of trying to rip the agency apart at a moment it was designed for, as the war in Iran has spurred threats of retaliation in the U.S. by sleeper cells.

“And that’s at a time when our homeland is under attack, all warning lights are flashing red, and they want to peel apart, piece by piece, the Department of Homeland Security, the comprehensive department of our government to protect the American people, because they want to stand with illegal immigrant criminals,” Barrasso said.

Schumer declared that Senate Democrats would continue to provide piecemeal funding bills to reopen certain portions of the agency, like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), while negotiations continued.

Funding for the Department of Homeland Security lapsed on February 14 over gridlock of a set of demands Democrats made regarding operational reforms for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — reforms Republicans believe will handcuff President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

FEMA was slated to receive $32 billion in 2026, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Among other items, Democrats have demanded a no-mask policy, an end to roaming patrols, stiffer warrant requirements for detentions and clearly visible identification for ICE agents.

DHS SHUTDOWN DRAGS INTO WEEK TWO AS IRAN THREAT, SOTU CLASH COMPLICATE HILL TALKS

Although talks are ongoing, lawmakers have said critical disagreements remain.

Like ICE, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) operates under DHS alongside other agencies like the Coast Guard, the Secret Service and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have voiced concern that the unrelated reforms to ICE that Democrats have demanded are threatening the country’s readiness to respond to natural disasters.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., hinted that Democrats would like to eliminate that possibility.

“We just asked for a UC to get it done… so,” Cantwell said on the DHS funding dispute.

TSA WORKERS BRACE FOR MISSED PAYCHECKS AS DEMOCRATS HOLD FIRM ON DHS FUNDING

According to Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Katie Britt, R-Ala., DHS employees missed their first full paycheck this week. Additionally, FEMA reserve funding has dropped to $4 billion, the primary account used to coordinate disaster response and recovery efforts.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.