Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) says he is ready to assist President Donald Trump in lowering drug prices if the commander-in-chief is &#8220;serious&#8221; about doing it.
The offer came on Monday after Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-signs-order-to-reduce-drug-prices-tells-rest-of-world-to-pay-up?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Trump+Signs+Order+To+Reduce+Drug+Prices%2C+Tells+Rest+Of+World+To+Pay+Up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unveiled</a> an executive <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/05/delivering-most-favored-nation-prescription-drug-pricing-to-american-patients/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">order</a> that aims to align U.S. prescription drug prices to match the lowest amount offered to other developed nations, promote &#8220;direct-to-consumer&#8221; sales at these rates, and prevent foreign countries from &#8220;freeloading&#8221; on American-funded pharmaceutical innovation.
&#8220;I agree with President Trump: It is an outrage that the American people pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs,&#8221; Sanders said in a <a href="https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-statement-on-trumps-executive-order-on-prescription-drugs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. &#8220;It is beyond unacceptable that we pay, in some cases, ten times more for the same exact prescription drugs than people in other major countries. But let’s be clear: The problem is not that the price of prescription drugs is too low in Europe and Canada. The problem is that the extraordinarily greedy pharmaceutical industry made over $100 billion in profits last year by ripping off the American people.&#8221;
Sanders added: &#8220;Further, as Trump well knows, his executive order will be thrown out by the courts. If Trump is serious about making real change rather than just issuing a press release, he will support legislation I will soon be introducing to make sure we pay no more for prescription drugs than people in other major countries. If Republicans and Democrats come together on this legislation, we can get it passed in a few weeks.&#8221;
Trump unveiled his executive order during a press conference at the White House. He was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H79QL4UDU44" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joined</a> by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who in the 2024 cycle ran unsuccessfully for the presidency while challenging the Democratic Party&#8217;s establishment, just like Sanders did in 2016 and 2020. Kennedy Jr. said that Democrat leaders have promised Americans for 20 years they would lower drug prices without actually doing it and asserted that Trump&#8217;s effort now was the &#8220;fulcrum&#8221; of Sanders&#8217; campaigns for the White House.
&#8220;I have a couple of kids who are Democrats, are big Bernie Sanders fans, and when I told them that this was gonna happen, they had tears in their eyes because they thought this was never going to happen in our lifetime, and we finally have a president who&#8217;s willing to stand up for the American people,&#8221; Kennedy Jr. said.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) echoed the call for action, urging Congress to make Trump’s move <a href="https://x.com/HawleyMO/status/1921950612104601836" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;permanent&#8221;</a> through legislation he introduced with Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT).
Their <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/in-bipartisan-push-hawley-welch-introduce-major-legislation-to-lower-prescription-drug-prices/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bill</a>, the &#8220;Fair Prescription Drug Prices for Americans Act,&#8221; would keep pharmaceutical companies from charging higher drug prices in the United States than the average in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and the United Kingdom, with penalties of 10 times the price difference per unit sold for violations.

Senator Bernie Sanders

Bernie Offers To Help Trump If He’s ‘Serious’ About Lower Drug Prices

Bernie Sanders

Congress

Donald Trump

Drugs

Health Care

Josh Hawley

Politics

U.S. Senate

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) reintroduced the anti-corruption PELOSI Act on Friday, aiming to ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks, while President Trump signaled he would sign such legislation into law.
The legislation, whose acronym PELOSI stands for &#8220;Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments,&#8221; and is named after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose husband has drawn <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/deceptive-tactic-nancy-pelosi-disclosed-180000159.html">scrutiny</a> for millions in suspected insider trading.
&#8220;Members of Congress should be fighting for the people they were elected to serve — not day trading at the expense of their constituents,&#8221; Hawley <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-reintroduces-pelosi-act-to-ban-congress-from-trading-stocks/">stated</a>, according to a press release from his office.
&#8220;Americans have seen politician after politician turn a profit using information not available to the general public,&#8221; the Missouri Republican added. &#8220;It&#8217;s time we ban all members of Congress from trading and holding stocks and restore Americans&#8217; trust in our nation&#8217;s legislative body.&#8221;
Under Hawley&#8217;s proposal, elected officials and their spouses would be barred from owning individual stocks while serving in Congress.
The legislation would still allow investment in broader financial instruments such as mutual funds, ETFs, and Treasury bonds.
The bill provides a six-month grace period for compliance after enactment. Any lawmaker refusing to divest would face financial penalties and surrender profits to the federal treasury.
The Government Accountability Office would be required to audit congressional compliance with the law within two years of enactment and submit a report to congressional ethics committees, according to the <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Hawley-PELOSI-Act.pdf">legislation</a>.
When asked on Friday by a reporter if he would support a ban on congressional stock trading, President Trump said he would “absolutely” sign such a bill.
&#8220;Well, I watched Nancy Pelosi get rich through insider information, and I would be okay with it. If they send that to me, I would do it,&#8221; the President said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
It is time! Pass my PELOSI Act now &#8211; no stock trading by members of Congress <a href="https://t.co/w1enBmv0BG">https://t.co/w1enBmv0BG</a>
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1915759963386822771?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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A 2022 New York Times investigation <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/09/13/us/politics/congress-members-stock-trading-list.html">identified</a> at least 97 members of Congress who reported stock trades that potentially intersected with their committee work, raising questions about whether elected officials were using privileged information to enrich themselves.
The issue has <a href="https://publicconsultation.org/united-states/stock-trading-by-members-of-congress/">garnered</a> bipartisan support for reform, with polls consistently showing over 80% of Americans favor banning congressional stock trading.
Similar legislation has been introduced in previous sessions of Congress but failed to advance to a floor vote in either chamber despite widespread public support.

119th Congress Begins Its Term On Capitol Hill

Sen. Hawley Reintroduces PELOSI Act To Curb Congressional Stock Trading, Trump Signals Approval

Corruption

Insider Trading

Nancy Pelosi

Paul Pelosi

Stock Market

WASHINGTON — Missouri&#8217;s Republican senator Josh Hawley unleashed on Code Pink activists who confronted him in the halls of Congress on Thursday, videos first obtained by The Daily Wire show.
As the senator took a question from a reporter about TikTok, the head of Code Pink, Medea Benjamin, questioned Hawley, &#8220;How about weapons to Israel?&#8221; holding a phone up to his face to record his response. Hawley, aware of which group she was with, quickly responded: &#8220;Oh, you&#8217;re the China people! You are 100% funded by the Chinese Communist Party.&#8221;
Code Pink is a far-left anti-war group known for its antisemitism and ties to China. The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/05/world/europe/neville-roy-singham-china-propaganda.html">New York Times reported</a> in 2023 that the group is part of a &#8220;lavishly funded influence campaign&#8221; working closely with &#8220;the Chinese government media machine&#8221; to promote the CCP — it has, in turn, gone as far as defending the Chinese detention of Uyghur Muslims.
The group, which has aligned with Hamas since its October 7, 2023 terrorist attack against Israel, has <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2024/09/17/josh-hawley-fires-back-protesters-swarmed-him-after-hearing-code-pink-palestine-ccp/">repeatedly protested</a> against Hawley, who has defended the Trump administration in its efforts to deport anti-Israel protesters who promote Hamas on college campuses.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
NEW: Videos obtained by <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDailyWire</a> show <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HawleyMO</a> unleashing on pro-CCP Code Pink activists protesting against Israel.
&quot;It is a moral travesty what you do,&quot; he tells Code Pink&#39;s Medea Benjamin. &quot;You have blood on your hands&#8230;you&#39;re awash in blood and dirty money.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/8BeeLBZkgb">pic.twitter.com/8BeeLBZkgb</a>
&mdash; Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1907951358717624669?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;You&#8217;re deflecting from all the money you take from AIPAC! You&#8217;re a foreign agent!&#8221; the activist exclaimed on Thursday. &#8220;You&#8217;re a baby killer because you want to send more bombs to kill more children in Gaza.&#8221;
Hawley responded, interjecting between her responses: &#8220;You are anti-semite&#8230;.anti-Israel, pro-China, pro-CCP, it is disgusting. Your organization has defended the Uyghurs being violated, being persecuted, it is a moral travesty what you do.&#8221;
&#8220;Where is the blood on your hands?&#8221; he continued emphatically. &#8220;You have blood on your hands. You&#8217;re awash in blood and dirty money and I hope that you are accountable for that one day.&#8221;
She continued to follow him as he walked away, surrounded by reporters.
Another video obtained by The Daily Wire shows Benjamin pursuing Hawley, asking why he is sending taxpayer dollars to &#8220;bomb people in Gaza,&#8221; questioning, &#8220;Are you America first? Are you America first?&#8221;
At this point, another activist appears on the scene, this one dressed in a black and white keffiyeh, and she tells Hawley, &#8220;You&#8217;re a baby killer.&#8221;
&#8220;You&#8217;re a baby killer,&#8221; he responded. &#8220;The Uyghur babies? Their blood is on your hands. The blood of the Chinese is on your hands. And of course of the Jews.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The Code Pink activists followed Hawley, berating him for supporting Israel. 
Hawley was giving it right back.
&quot;You&#39;re just a Jew hater, right? You&#39;re along for the ride?&quot; 
&quot;You are rabidly anti-Israel. You are absolutely morally despicable. You are appalling.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/PRsRs17dDo">pic.twitter.com/PRsRs17dDo</a>
&mdash; Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1907951360764510557?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The second, younger activist laughs as she films close to Hawley&#8217;s face and asks, &#8220;You&#8217;re a Christian Zionist right?&#8221;
&#8220;Oh no, no, don&#8217;t accuse ME of things,&#8221; he responded. &#8220;You&#8217;re a Jew hater. You would destroy the nation of Israel.&#8221;
&#8220;Sir, you&#8217;re a public official,&#8221; laughs the activist. &#8220;You&#8217;re a public official!&#8221;
&#8220;Which means what, I can&#8217;t speak truth to power?&#8221; he asked.
They continue to argue as the senator leans in and tells the activist: &#8220;You love China, you are taking their money, and you are rabidly anti-Israel. You are absolutely morally despicable and I look forward to one day, the moral come-uppance that you will deserve.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m a health care worker!&#8221; the activist pipes up. &#8220;I save lives!&#8221;
&#8220;You are appalling,&#8221; he responds. &#8220;You don&#8217;t save lives, you are killing Jews and loving it. You are despicable.&#8221;
&#8220;You are a war criminal, baby killer,&#8221; responds the younger activist, raising her voice emotionally as the senator departs. In the background, the elderly activist calls after him, &#8220;Baby killer, you have blood on your hands.&#8221;
During a Senate Help Committee last week on antisemitism on campuses, the senator grilled a Democrat witness on what is being done to protect students on college campuses for anti-semitism. Hawley strongly defended the decision to deport Ivy League anti-Israel ringleader Mahmoud Khalil, saying: “I want to say for the record, I’m glad [Mahmoud Khalil] is gone, and I hope he never comes back.&#8221;
Code Pink did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire.

Congress Meets To Work On Budget Reconciliation Process

Hawley Unloads On Code Pink Activists: ‘You’re Awash in Blood And Dirty Money’

Abortion

Code Pink

Gaza

Israel

The Senate confirmed former TV star and heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz today in a strictly partisan vote to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where he will oversee more than $1.5 trillion in federal health spending.
The 53-45 vote split perfectly along party lines, with Oz now set to oversee insurance coverage for more than 160 million Americans.
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) expressed concern over Oz’s previous stances regarding transgenderism and abortion, but voted for the former GOP Senate candidate in the end on Thursday.
When reached for comment in March, an Oz spokesperson <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-trump-nom-dr-oz-is-committed-to-protecting-children-from-trans-procedures?row=0&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Trump+Nom+Dr.+Oz+‘Committed’+To+Protecting+Children+From+Trans+Procedures&amp;category=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The Daily Wire: “Dr. Oz fully understands the harms caused to minors by such procedures and is committed to implementing President Donald J. Trump’s agenda of protecting children so they can grow to live out their God-given potential.&#8221;
The statement, which comes shortly after Oz advanced out of the Senate Finance Committee by a 14-13 vote, seems to have cleared up some apprehensions about where Oz stood on the hot-button issue, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-exposed-kamalas-radical-stances-on-gender-americans-voted-against-it">drove many voters to the polls</a> in November.
Oz had also defended Roe v. Wade in 2019, but in a 2022 op-ed, the doctor clarified his pro-life position.
Oz takes the helm amid a significant downsizing at HHS, where a reorganization launched Tuesday by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency eliminated 10,000 jobs department-wide.
The cuts directly led to the firing of 300 CMS employees, but closed five HHS offices tasked with assisting states with Medicare issues, with similar cutbacks indirectly affecting Oz’s new venture, Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/03/senate-confirmation-mehmet-oz-medicare-medicaid-00270913">reports</a>.
During the confirmation hearings, Oz closely aligned himself with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda to “Make America Healthy Again” by focusing on combatting obesity and supporting preventative care measures.
“The deeper promise that we should all be making to America is we’re going to make it easy for America to do the right thing when it comes to their health,” Oz <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/04/03/mehmet-oz-cms-medicaid-confirmation/">said</a> during his confirmation hearing, per The Washington Post.
The new administrator will immediately <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/03/senate-confirmation-mehmet-oz-medicare-medicaid-00270913">face</a> Medicaid reform demands, as House Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee seek $880 billion in savings to curb what they claim is substantial waste and abuse in the program, according to Politico.
“Let’s be aggressive in modernizing our tools to reduce fraud, waste and abuse. This will stop unscrupulous people from stealing from vulnerable Americans and extend the life of the Medicare trust fund,” Oz said in his Senate hearing, notes The Hill.
Prior to his confirmation, Oz hosted a popular daytime television show from 2009 to 2022 and suffered a narrow defeat in 2024 for Pennsylvania&#8217;s Senate seat against Democrat John Fetterman.
Mary Margaret Olohan contributed to this report.

Mehmet Oz

Senate Confirms Dr. Oz As Head Of Medicare And Medicaid Services

John Fetterman

Trump Administration

WASHINGTON — Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump&#8217;s nominee to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told The Daily Wire on Tuesday evening that he is opposed to all transgender procedures on minors.
&#8220;Dr. Oz fully understands the harms caused to minors by such procedures and is committed to implementing President Donald J. Trump&#8217;s agenda of protecting children so they can grow to live out their God-given potential,&#8221; an Oz spokesman told The Daily Wire on Tuesday evening.
The statement, which comes shortly after Oz advanced out of the Senate Finance Committee by a 14-13 vote, may clear up some apprehensions about where the nominee stands on hot-button transgender issues, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-exposed-kamalas-radical-stances-on-gender-americans-voted-against-it">drove many voters to the polls</a> this fall. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) had voiced concerns about Oz&#8217;s record on both transgender issues and abortion, pointing out that in the past, Oz had &#8220;praised trans surgeries for minors and supported hormone treatments &amp; puberty blockers for kids in the past,&#8221; as well as &#8220;criticized state laws protecting life.&#8221;
&#8220;I hope he’s changed his views to match President Trump!&#8221; Hawley tweeted this week. &#8220;We need the Trump agenda at CMS.&#8221;
A member of Oz&#8217;s team told The Daily Wire on Tuesday night that Oz had requested a meeting with Hawley, but the Missouri senator declined. A source close to the Missouri Republican countered that Hawley did not decline the meeting, but was rather following standard Senate procedure in waiting to schedule his meeting with Oz until he received answers to the questions he sent over in his petition, which Oz has not provided.
On Tuesday evening, after hearing that Oz had promised to implement the president&#8217;s agenda on protecting children from irreversible transgender procedures, a spokesman for the senator told The Daily Wire of Oz: “We look forward to hearing from him.”
<div id="attachment_897759" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-trump-nom-dr-oz-is-committed-to-protecting-children-from-trans-procedures/mehmet-oz-testifies-in-senate-nomination-hearing-to-be-administrator-of-the-centers-for-medicare-and-medicaid-services" rel="attachment wp-att-897759"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-897759" class="wp-image-897759 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205122882-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205122882-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205122882-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205122882-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205122882.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>Dr. Mehmet Oz arrives for his confirmation hearing with the Senate Finance Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on March 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)</div>
The Daily Wire previously reported that Oz had drawn fire for his past stances on abortion when he campaigned for a Pennsylvania senate seat in 2022. Notably, Oz had defended Roe v. Wade in 2019 as a measure that prevents coat hanger abortions, saying he did not “want to interfere” with a woman’s ability to abort her baby, accusing pro-lifers of “picking fights,” and suggesting that pro-life laws would make businesses leave red states.
Oz clarified where he stood in a 2022 op-ed where he promised: “I will be a bold voice in the Senate and a proud champion for the pro-life movement. I won’t ever shy away from sharing my pro-life beliefs, even as pro-abortion advocates in medicine, the media, and Big Tech try to silence me.”
Hawley is a staunch defender of both children targeted by transgender ideology and unborn babies whose lives are lost through abortion, and has positioned himself as a sort of safeguard over the past few months since Trump&#8217;s inauguration.
In January, he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/president-trump-to-pardon-imprisoned-pro-life-activists-within-days">urged the president</a> to release the pro-life prisoners imprisoned by President Joe Biden&#8217;s Justice Department (which Trump did), <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-tale-of-two-phone-calls-how-josh-hawley-fought-for-victims-of-bidens-doj">intervened</a> as Texas Children’s whistleblower Eithan Haim faced DOJ punishment (the case against him was dropped), and most recently lobbied against the Food and Drug Administration’s newly selected chief counsel Hillary Perkins by airing scrutiny of her record on abortion and vaccines (she resigned the following day, and <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/josh-hawley-smears-a-pro-life-lawyer-food-and-drug-administration-confirmation-vote-fb95c8e9?st=zgWXUA&amp;reflink=article_imessage_share">accuses</a> Hawley of smearing her).
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Senator Hawley’s written questions for Dr. Mehmet Oz, nominee for Administrator of CMS <a href="https://t.co/8xquP0SICy">pic.twitter.com/8xquP0SICy</a>
— Senator Hawley Press Office (@SenHawleyPress) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenHawleyPress/status/1902170714376941604?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
A source close to Hawley <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-how-the-fdas-chief-counsel-went-from-hired-to-fired-in-two-days">told The Daily Wire earlier this month</a> that the senator&#8217;s vociferous opposition to Perkins at the FDA stemmed from his concerns that the Biden administration’s abortion drug rules completely undermine the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, and that the senator is worried about the Trump administration waffling on handling the matter of abortion drugs.
Oz&#8217;s nomination next heads to a full senate vote.

US CMS administrator nominee Mehmet Oz – confirmation hearing

EXCLUSIVE: Trump Nom Dr. Oz ‘Committed’ To Protecting Children From Trans Procedures

Transgender

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) announced on Thursday that he plans to introduce a bill to stop federal judges who have made rulings that have blocked President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration from taking certain actions.
&#8220;District Court judges have issued RECORD numbers of national injunctions against the Trump administration &#8211; a dramatic abuse of judicial authority. I will introduce legislation to stop this abuse for good,&#8221; Hawley <a href="https://x.com/HawleyMO/status/1902713549488623844" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post on X.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt recently <a href="https://x.com/Ronxyz00/status/1901283097276043593" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Trump&#8217;s second term faced 15 injunctions in one month, a statistic that <a href="https://harvardlawreview.org/print/vol-137/district-court-reform-nationwide-injunctions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outpaces</a> the number levied against the federal government during the first few years of the Biden administration.
Some judges have ordered elements of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort led by Elon Musk to cease. Another one <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/congressman-introduces-articles-of-impeachment-against-judge-blocking-trump-deportations?topStoryPosition=undefined" target="_blank" rel="noopener">halted</a> Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to deport illegal migrants, including violent criminals.
Joining &#8220;The Charlie Kirk Show,&#8221; Hawley <a href="https://x.com/charliekirk11/status/1902459440886165941" target="_blank" rel="noopener">argued</a> district courts do not have the &#8220;power&#8221; to rein in executive branch actions on the national level except in &#8220;really extraordinary circumstances.&#8221; He contended that one of two things needs to happen.
&#8220;Either the Supreme Court needs to intervene and make clear there&#8217;s only one court that can issue rules for the whole country — that&#8217;s the Supreme Court,&#8221; the senator declared. &#8220;And &#8230; if they won&#8217;t do that, Congress needs to legislate.&#8221;
House Republicans have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/impeachathon-ensnares-growing-number-of-get-trump-judges" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unveiled</a> articles of impeachment against several judges they feel are delivering rulings that are unfavorable to the Trump administration out of political animus. Trump himself <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114183576937425149" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voiced</a> support for impeaching these judges.
On Tuesday, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chief-justice-john-roberts-speaks-out-against-trump-backed-push-to-impeach-judges" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a rare statement pushing back on the GOP impeachment push and declaring the &#8220;normal appellate review process exists&#8221; for the purpose of fighting a judicial decision.
While a simple majority to impeach could be achieved along party lines in the House, a bipartisan group of 67 senators would be needed for removal — an outcome that faces long odds considering the GOP&#8217;s slim majority in the upper chamber.
Earlier this month, the House Judiciary Committee <a href="https://issa.house.gov/media/press-releases/issa-legislation-stop-rogue-federal-judges-passes-house-judiciary-committee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">advanced</a> legislation from Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) called the &#8220;No Rogue Rulings Act&#8221; that, if enacted, <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1526/text" target="_blank" rel="noopener">would</a> amend the U.S. Code to &#8220;limit the authority of district courts to provide injunctive relief.&#8221;
Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8EpUuMGza0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Wednesday on CNN that Republicans would &#8220;try to look to pass it on the House floor and move it through the process&#8221; and suggested there could be &#8220;another legislative remedy&#8221; in addition to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jordan-hearings-judges-injunctions-against-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hearings</a>.

Sen. Josh Hawley

Hawley Aims Legislative Hammer At Judges Stalling Trump’s Agenda

Judges

U.S.

Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/josh-hawley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Josh Hawley</a> (R-MO) introduced a bill Wednesday to allow children harmed by transgender procedures to sue the doctors and hospitals that carried out the operations.
Hawley’s <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Hawley-Protecting-Children-from-Chemical-and-Surgical-Mutilation.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bill</a> would enable individuals to sue the pediatric gender clinics and doctors who gave them cross-sex hormones or performed transgender surgery on them as minors. The legislation comes after President Donald Trump signed an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-signs-executive-order-protecting-kids-from-irreversible-gender-transition-procedures" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> blocking federal funding for any hospital that performs such procedures. 
“Our children should no longer suffer from irreversible and dangerous child mutilation procedures, which the Biden administration enabled and promoted,” Hawley <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-renews-effort-to-protect-kids-from-mutilation-following-trump-executive-order/">said</a>. “I welcome President Trump’s strong action to reverse this child abuse and look forward to working with his administration to advance legislation that protects our kids.” 
Hawley’s legislation, known as the “Protecting Our Kids from Child Abuse Act,” would allow lawsuits “against pediatric gender clinics and other entities pushing gender-transition procedures that cause bodily injury to children or harm the mental health of children.”
The bill follows closely Trump’s <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/protecting-children-from-chemical-and-surgical-mutilation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a>, which called for the attorney general to work with Congress to pass a law allowing lawsuits against entities that performed transgender procedures on minors. 
These procedures include providing children with puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, performing surgeries to remove the breasts of girls who identify as boys, and genital procedures. Puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones have been linked with heart problems, fertility issues, and can harm bone development. 
Entities that could be held liable include pediatric gender clinics, doctors, and universities that house or operate gender clinics. 
A lawsuit could be brought up to 30 years after the harmed individual turned 18, and the person could be entitled to both punitive and compensatory damages. The bill would also ban federal funding from going toward pediatric gender clinics, universities that operate pediatric gender clinics, and any gender procedure on a minor. 
Trump’s executive order said that the government would no longer fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support transgender procedures on children. 
“Today, it was my great honor to sign an Executive Order banning the chemical castration and medical mutilation of innocent children in the United States of America,” Trump said on Truth Social. “My Order directs Agencies to use every available means to cut off Federal financial participation in institutions which seek to provide these barbaric medical procedures, that should have never been allowed to take place!”

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Hawley Introduces Bill To Allow Lawsuits Against Doctors Who Perform Trans Procedures On Kids

transgender surgery

As President Donald Trump swiftly pardoned January 6 political prisoners and pro-life activists targeted by the Biden Justice Department, another victim was anxiously seeking help as he realized the former administration&#8217;s case against him was being accelerated.
Texas Children&#8217;s whistleblower Eithan Haim and his wife got on the phone with Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican who has been aggressively outspoken on the weaponization of the government against Americans, specifically on culture issues like abortion and transgender ideology. Hawley spoke out in Haim&#8217;s defense when Haim initially sounded the alarm about transgender procedures being performed on children at the Texas hospital.
&#8220;He was very worried that a warrant might be issued for his imminent arrest and the DOJ was pushing to start the trial as quickly as possible,&#8221; Hawley shared in a Friday evening phone call with The Daily Wire. The senator suggested that these officials sought &#8220;to make it difficult to do what DOJ ultimately did today&#8221; — which was to drop the charges against Haim. 
The Haims asked Hawley if there was anything he could do to help them. So the senator got on the phone with Acting Attorney General James McHenry.
&#8220;I called him this morning,&#8221; Hawley said. &#8220;I just told him that I talked to Dr. Haim&#8230;I said, &#8216;Here&#8217;s where I think this stands. Your U.S. attorney in the Southern District does not appear to be dropping this case at all. In fact, they appear to be accelerating.&#8217; He was alarmed by this. And said, &#8216;Well, I wanna look into this immediately and see what we can do.'&#8221; 
&#8220;Two hours after we got off the phone, they issued the one sentence dismissal,&#8221; Hawley said. 
The Missouri Republican described that swift action as &#8220;an incredible testament to this administration.&#8221;
The Daily Wire&#8217;s Brent Scher <a href="https://x.com/BrentScher/status/1882892000460243301">was on the phone with Haim</a> when his wife gave him the news that he was no longer being prosecuted. Haim, ecstatic at the news, celebrated: “The judge just signed it! It’s f***ing over!”
<div id="attachment_865639" style="width: 854px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-tale-of-two-phone-calls-how-josh-hawley-fought-for-victims-of-bidens-doj/dr-eithan-haim-6" rel="attachment wp-att-865639"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-865639" class="wp-image-865639 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2158150966-844x576.jpg" alt="" width="844" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2158150966-844x576.jpg 844w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2158150966-300x205.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2158150966-768x524.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2158150966-1536x1048.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2158150966-2048x1397.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 844px) 100vw, 844px" /></a>(Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;I have never seen or heard of an administration moving this quickly,&#8221; Hawley told The Daily Wire. &#8220;They moved super fast on the pro-life prisoners&#8230;with Dr. Haim, I hope and trust someone has been reviewing his case at main DOJ, but to really jump into it today and just BOOM, say, we&#8217;re going to draw this to a close, which is the right thing to do, I think is incredibly impressive.&#8221;
Asked if the Trump DOJ has interest in looking into the officials hastening Haim&#8217;s case, Hawley said that McHenry seemed surprised that the U.S. attorney in the Southern District was accelerating the case.
&#8220;I assume that U.S. attorney will be replaced,&#8221; Hawley said. &#8220;Hopefully that change will come soon. All I can say is, he was great to talk to, he said he would look into this immediately, and man, he did very quickly.&#8221;
The Justice Department dropping charges against Haim is an &#8220;incredible vindication for the rule of law,&#8221; Hawley said, &#8220;but also for his courage, because the truth is he came forward to expose illegal gender transition surgeries.&#8221;
&#8220;Under Texas laws and regulations, they were not supposed to be being performed by this hospital on minors, and the hospital was doing it anyway and concealing it. And so he came forward and by the way, he did it in full compliance with the law. He was very careful not to reveal any personal information, but he exposed the fact that the hospital was violating state law, and who knows how many people&#8217;s lives, how many children&#8217;s lives, he may have saved by doing that because they had to stop after he exposed them,&#8221; the senator shared. 
&#8220;And of course,&#8221; he concluded, &#8220;for that courage, the Biden administration prosecuted him and would have thrown him into federal prison. That was their goal. It&#8217;s unbelievable. This is a vindication of him. It is a vindication of his courage, and it&#8217;s a real vindication for the rule of law.&#8221;
This was not the only major culture case Hawley was involved in over the past week. Hawley spoke to Trump on Thursday morning, shortly before the president pardoned the pro-life activists.
&#8220;What I said to him is, &#8216;This is a great time to pardon all those folks,'&#8221; Hawley shared, noting that the March for Life would take place the following day.
&#8220;All credit to him, they were clearly working on it, ready to go, and he pulled the trigger on it,&#8221; the senator said. &#8220;I think the credit goes to them&#8230;.the bureaucracy doesn&#8217;t usually move this quickly unless you have someone at the top who really wants it to move.&#8221;
Hawley was the first to receive strong assurances from Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that Kennedy would protect life if confirmed. That revelation pacified many in the pro-life community, who were concerned about Kennedy and his past comments on abortion. On Friday, Hawley shared that he had also urged Trump himself to reinstate HHS conscience protections immediately, saying there is no reason to wait on these pro-life policies that Trump had adopted in his first term.
&#8220;I had a great conversation this morning with <a class="css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3 r-1loqt21" dir="ltr" role="link" href="https://x.com/realDonaldTrump">@realDonaldTrump</a> about the pro-life prisoners unjustly persecuted and imprisoned by the corrupt Biden Administration,&#8221; Hawley tweeted shortly after his Thursday call with the president. &#8220;I urged him to pardon them swiftly. They have done nothing wrong!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I had a great conversation this morning with <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> about the pro-life prisoners unjustly persecuted and imprisoned by the corrupt Biden Administration. I urged him to pardon them swiftly. They have done nothing wrong!
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1882457633065701555?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
For now, Hawley is confident that Trump will enact these pro-life protections. And he has a growing cohort of Americans who are very grateful to him for his intercession.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP-RALLY

A Tale Of Two Phone Calls: How Josh Hawley Fought For Victims of Biden’s DOJ

Republican lawmakers praised President Donald Trump over an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/president-trump-to-pardon-imprisoned-pro-life-activists-within-days?topStoryPosition=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expected pardon</a> for pro-lifers prosecuted and imprisoned by the Biden administration over peaceful protests at abortion facilities.  
Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said Thursday that it would be a victory for America after The Daily Wire reported that pardoning the pro-lifers targeted by the Biden administration was an immediate priority for Trump’s team and could come in a matter of days. Under Biden, the Justice Department successfully prosecuted nearly two dozen pro-lifers under the FACE Act, a Clinton-era law that makes it a federal crime to stand in front of an abortion facility entrance. 
&#8220;It is tremendous news to hear the news that President Trump will soon pardon the brave pro-life Americans who were unjustly targeted by Biden’s weaponized DOJ,” Roy told The Daily Wire. “These Americans are peaceful, pro-life Americans who were singled out and targeted by their government solely because of their beliefs.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/chiproytx?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@chiproytx</a> reacts to <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDailyWire</a>: &#8220;It is tremendous news to hear the news that President Trump will soon pardon the brave pro-life Americans who were unjustly targeted by Biden’s weaponized DOJ. These Americans are peaceful, pro-life Americans who were singled out and… <a href="https://t.co/NVoZ5mIu3r">https://t.co/NVoZ5mIu3r</a>
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1882472912491340198?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Roy also urged the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/roy-introduces-bill-to-repeal-law-used-to-imprison-pro-life-activists">passage of a bill</a> he has sponsored to repeal the FACE Act, which has been disproportionately used against pro-lifers despite assurances it is also supposed to protect churches and crisis pregnancy centers. Lee has sponsored a companion bill in the Senate. 
“A victory for people of faith and the rule of law in America Unjust &amp; unequal application of the FACE Act against Pro Life activists stops under President Trump. Let’s pass my bill with [Chip Roy] to repeal the FACE Act to end these political persecutions forever,” Lee <a href="https://x.com/SenMikeLee/status/1882480643566878875" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. 
Other lawmakers also celebrated the news of the impending pardons. 
“Weaponizing the DOJ against pro-life protestors exercising their First Amendment rights was wrong,” West Virginia Rep. Riley Moore <a href="https://x.com/RepRileyMoore/status/1882473829517377850" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “Great news as the March for Life comes to Washington tomorrow!!”
Over the past few days, Republicans have urged Trump, who previously spoke out against the arrests of the pro-lifers, to issue the pardons. 
On Thursday, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) <a href="https://x.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1882478265928982656" target="_blank" rel="noopener">highlighted</a> the plight of several of the pro-lifers currency imprisoned from the Senate floor. 
&#8220;This is a grotesque assault on the principles of this country. That is why I have urged President Donald Trump to pardon all of these pro-life prisoners unjustly persecuted&#8230;by the corrupt Biden Administration, and I do mean corrupt,” Hawley said. 
Hawley specifically mentioned multiple pro-life activists currently in prison, like Bevelyn Williams (41 months) and Lauren Handy (57 months), and those facing prison like 89-year-old Eva Edl. Edl, who survived a World War II-era Yugoslavian concentration camp, faces 10 years in prison over a conviction in Detroit over a peaceful pro-life protest. 
“From a man who used his power illegitimately to pardon his own family, to pardon his own son, to excuse his own kin of wrongful, willful illegalities, protected drug lords, and killers, and murderers, and kingpins, and yet sent concentration camp survivors to prison because they spoke up for life, it does not get morally worse than that,” Hawley said of Biden. 
“President Trump can turn the chapter on this dark period of our history. He can right the wrongs that this last administration perpetrated,” he added. “He can begin to restore the requirements that the conscience of our country puts in front of us.&#8221;
Citing reporting of their trial from The Daily Wire, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) <a href="https://x.com/leif_lemahieu/status/1882486514845962535" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sent</a> a letter to Trump on Thursday urging him to pardon six pro-lifers convicted in Nashville last year, including one currently in prison and one set to go to prison.
Trump is expected to issue the pardons in a matter of days.
Mary Margaret Olohan contributed to this report.

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‘Victory’: Republican Lawmakers Praise Expected Pardon Of Pro-Lifers Imprisoned By Biden

Chip Roy

FACE Act

Joe Biden

Pro-Life Movement

Members of the pro-life community are anxiously awaiting word that President Donald Trump will pardon the activists imprisoned by the Biden Justice Department for trying to prevent abortions.
Trump issued a sweeping executive order on Monday that granted full pardons for about 1,500 criminal defendants related to the January 6 Capitol Riot, making good on many campaign promises to free those targeted by the Biden DOJ. 
He has also repeatedly criticized the Biden Justice Department for targeting pro-lifers on “outrageous charges,” promising on the campaign trail to “rapidly review the cases of every political prisoner who’s unjustly victimized by the Biden regime…so we can get them out of the gulags and back to their families where they belong.”
The Thomas More Society, which represented many of the defendants during their federal trials, formally petitioned for the pardons last week, and urged Trump on Wednesday to issue the pardons. Wednesday is the 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which the Supreme Court struck down in 2022 largely thanks to votes from Trump appointees.
Both Thomas More Society Executive Vice President Peter Breen and lawyer Steve Crampton told The Daily Wire that this Roe anniversary would be a great day for Trump to issue the pardons. 
&#8220;Today would be an incredible day for him to do that,” Breen told The Daily Wire on Wednesday morning, discussing possible pardons. 
The law firm posted on X, formerly Twitter, calling on Trump to keep his promise, writing: “During your victorious campaign, you pledged to restore justice to the pro-life political targets of Biden’s DOJ. On today’s anniversary of Roe v. Wade, please keep your promise to these peaceful pro-lifers.”
Paul Vaughn, one of the pro-lifers targeted by the Biden Justice Department, seconded this sentiment in his own social media posts.
&#8220;Amen. Today is as good a day as any,&#8221; he wrote to Trump. &#8220;The Pro-lifers could eat dinner with their families tonight instead of yet another prison meal.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Amen. Today is as good a day as any. <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a><a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> The Pro-lifers could eat dinner with their families tonight instead of yet another prison meal.<a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDailyWire</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DailySignal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DailySignal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TCNetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TCNetwork</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TuckerCarlson</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/LilaGraceRose?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LilaGraceRose</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/GRTL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GRTL</a><a href="https://twitter.com/ClevelandRTL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ClevelandRTL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MiaCathell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MiaCathell</a> <a href="https://t.co/wycOjl7ZO8">https://t.co/wycOjl7ZO8</a>
&mdash; Paul TN (@vaughnshire) <a href="https://twitter.com/vaughnshire/status/1882132372885512557?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On Tuesday, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) said he hoped that Trump would free the prisoners, whose sentences range from six to 57 months.  
“I hope President Trump will shortly pardon the pro-life prisoners unjustly targeted &amp; jailed by the Biden Administration. They deserve to be free,” Hawley posted on X. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I hope President Trump will shorty pardon the pro-life prisoners unjustly targeted &amp; jailed by the Biden Administration. They deserve to be free
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1881856067669491993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
The Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU) also called on Trump to pardon Lauren Handy, its director of activism, who is currently serving a 57-month sentence over a protest at a notorious late-term abortion facility in Washington, D.C. She won’t be free until July 2027. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Prolife activist Lauren Handy has been in prison for 17 months. Months ago she sustained an ankle injury and still hasn’t healed. Some days she can’t walk from the pain. She must be pardoned to return home and heal. Her 57 month sentence is too long.
— PAAU (@PAAUNOW) <a href="https://twitter.com/PAAUNOW/status/1881817919392502227?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
“Prolife activist Lauren Handy has been in prison for 17 months. Months ago she sustained an ankle injury and still hasn’t healed,” the organization said. “Some days she can’t walk from the pain. She must be pardoned to return home and heal. Her 57 month sentence is too long.” 
In addition to Handy, the group urged for all 20 other defendants successfully prosecuted under Biden to be pardoned and freed. 
The Daily Wire&#8217;s Matt Walsh repeatedly pushed for the pro-lifers to be pardoned, saying on Wednesday: “They are political prisoners who should not spend one more moment in jail under a Trump Administration. I pray that their pardons are coming immediately.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
They are political prisoners who should not spend one more moment in jail under a Trump Administration. I pray that their pardons are coming immediately. <a href="https://t.co/tVA2Ni7JPk">https://t.co/tVA2Ni7JPk</a>
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1882135057902739643?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
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On Tuesday, Republican Rep. Chip Roy (TX) introduced a measure alongside 20 House Republicans to repeal the FACE Act, pointing out its disproportionate use against pro-life activists, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/roy-introduces-bill-to-repeal-law-used-to-imprison-pro-life-activists">reported</a>. 
“Now that we have a Republican trifecta in the House, Senate, and White House, Congress should move quickly to repeal this law and ensure that no future president can weaponize it against pro-lifers ever again,” Roy said. “No more excuses, let’s get it done.”

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Pro-Life Community Anxiously Awaits Trump Pardons For Imprisoned Activists

Republicans and Democrats blasted FBI Director Chris Wray and Homeland Security Secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/alejandro-mayorkas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alejandro Mayorka</a>s on Thursday after they refused to publicly testify before the Senate Homeland Security Committee. 
The two Biden administration officials wanted to give lawmakers a closed-door briefing, saying they could not publicly testify. This request was slammed by lawmakers who said it would damage trust in the government and break precedent. 
Mayorkas was expected to be asked about FEMA&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-fema-official-ordered-relief-workers-to-skip-houses-with-trump-signs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">guidance</a> to skip homes showing support for Donald Trump during relief operations in Florida. Multiple Republicans, including Sens. Rand Paul (KY) and Katie Britt (AL), have already demanded answers from Mayorkas about the instructions, which led to at least 20 homes being skipped. 
Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), who chairs the committee, said the officials&#8217; request for the briefing to be classified was “without merit&#8221; and the first time in 15 years that the head of the FBI and DHS have refused to testify publicly. 
“Americans deserve transparent, public answers about the threats we face. Secretary Mayorkas and Director Wray’s refusal to speak publicly about their department’s work will only increase the concerns that many Americans have about our nation’s security at a challenging time, flout the Committee’s efforts to conduct responsible oversight, and will deal a serious blow to trust in our government,” he <a href="https://x.com/SenGaryPeters/status/1859600207878443326" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. 
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) called for Wray to resign and suggested that the Senate hold the two in contempt.
“Secretary Mayorkas and Director Wray’s refusal to testify publicly today in the Senate is an outrage — and a brazen attempt to avoid oversight for the political abuses at FEMA, the FBI and more. I look forward to Director Wray’s resignation,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) <a href="https://x.com/HawleyMO/status/1859603608544616660">said</a>. 
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
“This is Mayorkas &amp; Wray giving the middle finger to the American people. They are REQUIRED BY LAW to testify. And now they’re saying it’s good enough to post something on a website? Both are unfit for office. The Senate should subpoena them immediately and hold them in contempt,” Hawley said in another <a href="https://x.com/HawleyMO/status/1859617500016546136">post</a>. 
The FBI and DHS released statements saying that the officials could only meet with lawmakers behind closed doors. 
“FBI leaders have testified extensively in public settings about the current threat environment and believe the Committee would benefit most from further substantive discussions and additional information that can only be provided in a classified setting,&#8221; the FBI <a href="https://thehill.com/national-security/5001921-senate-homeland-security-chair-criticizes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. 
In a statement, DHS <a href="https://x.com/maxpcohen/status/1859613325979533762" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that Mayorkas had already “testified 30 times during his tenure” and that it “takes seriously its obligation to respond to Congressional requests for testimony.”

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‘Brazen’: Mayorkas And Wray Blasted For Refusing To Publicly Testify Before Senate

Alejandro Mayorkas

Christopher Wray

Department of Homeland Security

FEMA

U.S. Politics

Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/josh-hawley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Josh Hawley</a> (R-MO) urged his GOP colleagues on Wednesday to give President-elect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a>&#8216;s Cabinet nominees &#8220;a shot&#8221; and hear them out during confirmation hearings.
Trump has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-demands-next-gop-senate-leader-allow-recess-appointments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indicated</a> he wants to use recess appointments to install <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/cabinet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cabinet</a> members, bypassing the typical process of hearings and votes, as not all his picks got a warm reception from Republicans.
But during a Fox News interview, Hawley pushed the view that &#8220;every single one of these nominees needs to have a confirmation hearing as quickly as possible&#8221; and said he plans to support all of them.
&#8220;I would just say to my Senate colleagues, listen, let these guys testify,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Give them a shot. I know some of these Senate GOP folks are saying, ‘Oh I&#8217;ve got concerns.’ That&#8217;s what a hearing is for.&#8221;
Hawley, who was speaking with host Jesse Watters, continued: &#8220;Don&#8217;t go out and bash these people and I tell you: at least allow them to make their case. And listen, I think they&#8217;ve got momentum.&#8221;
One firebrand Cabinet pick in particular — <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/matt-gaetz-resigns-from-congress-following-attorney-general-nomination" target="_blank" rel="noopener">now-former</a> Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/matt-gaetz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Gaetz</a> (R-FL) for the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-nominates-matt-gaetz-for-attorney-general" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attorney general</a> role — has dismayed Democrats and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/13/us/politics/matt-gaetz-attorney-general-senate-republicans.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">even some members</a> of Trump&#8217;s own party.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
Republican senators <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/nov/20/lindsey-graham-josh-hawley-say-meeting-matt-gaetz-/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">met</a> with their colleague, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance (R-OH), and Gaetz earlier in the day as part of the Trump transition team&#8217;s effort to win over their support.
Hawley said he thought the meeting &#8220;went great and it&#8217;s full steam ahead.&#8221; He also dismissed the notion that some Republicans decided to vote against Gaetz even before talking with him.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve read about my colleagues, some of them here in the Senate who say, &#8216;We&#8217;ve got deep concerns.&#8217; Of course I&#8217;m reading all of the slander and garbage in the press,&#8221; Hawley explained.
Hawley said the ruckus over Gaetz, which includes coverage of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/matt-gaetz-resigns-from-congress-following-attorney-general-nomination" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a House ethics investigation</a> into him, and others is nearly what Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh dealt with as a nominee.
&#8220;The answer to that is let the guy speak,&#8221; Hawley said, adding Gaetz &#8220;deserves to be able to address this himself. He deserves to be able to lay out his vision and the president&#8217;s vision for the DOJ.&#8221;
Hawley argued Trump should be allowed to have a Cabinet that &#8220;reflects his agenda&#8221; and noted that he believes the press and &#8220;the establishment&#8221; despise the breadth of the president-elect&#8217;s coalition.

Hawley To Senate GOP Colleagues: Let Trump’s Cabinet Picks Testify Before Judging

Cabinet

Matt Gaetz

Presidential nomination

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