Texas Senator John Cornyn introduced a bill Tuesday that would end all federal funding for transgender procedures on both children and adults.
The Stop Funding Genital Mutilation Act would ensure that no dollars from Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) pay for transgender medical procedures, like removing the breasts of girls who identify as boys, or the administration of cross-sex hormones.
“Texas taxpayers should not be forced to foot the bill for dangerous and often debilitating ‘gender transition’ procedures that are driven by radical ideology masquerading as health care,” Cornyn told The Daily Wire.
The text of the proposal, also sponsored by Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), follows the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/long-overdue-house-republicans-vote-to-end-federal-funding-for-transgender-procedures?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98Long+Overdue%E2%80%99%3A+House+Republicans+Vote+To+End+Federal+Funding+For+Transgender+Procedures">same lines</a> as the “one, big, beautiful” bill passed by the House, which also ends all funding for transgender procedures. 
Cornyn said that he would fight to ensure that the Senate’s version of the reconciliation spending bill would cut funding for transgender procedures like the House. His introduction of the bill comes as he faces a contentious primary challenge from Attorney General Ken Paxton, also a firm opponent of transgender procedures. 
President Donald Trump made opposing transgender ideology a key plank of his 2024 platform, a position that proved popular with both Republicans and independents. In January, he signed an executive order slashing federal funding for entities that perform transgender procedures on minors. 
A recent review by the Department of Health and Human Services found that the arguments for transgender procedures on minors were not backed by scientific evidence. 
“The ‘gender-affirming’ model of care includes irreversible endocrine and surgical interventions on minors with no physical pathology,” the review summary <a href="https://opa.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2025-05/gender-dysphoria-report-exec-summary.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “These interventions carry risk of significant harms including infertility/sterility, sexual dysfunction, impaired bone density accrual, adverse cognitive impacts, cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders, psychiatric disorders, surgical complications, and regret.”
Over two dozen states, including Texas and Oklahoma, have enacted laws protecting kids from transgender procedures.
“Before they can vote, drive, or get a tattoo, some children are pushed into irreversible gender-transition procedures with no proven long-term health benefit,” Lankford said. “These treatments can cause lasting harm, and taxpayers should not be forced to fund them.”
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-sen-marshall-urges-gop-to-end-funding-for-trans-surgeries">introduced</a> a similar bill last month that would also defund transgender procedures by amending the IRS code to no longer consider the life-altering procedures as health care.

US Senator John Cornyn (R-TX)

EXCLUSIVE: Senate GOP Proposal Would End Federal Funding For ‘Genital Mutilation’ Procedures

James Lankford

John Cornyn

Senate

Texas

transgender surgery

WASHINGTON—Border Czar Tom Homan is celebrating the passage of President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful” reconciliation bill, arguing in an interview with The Daily Wire that the bill is pivotal to protecting the southern border and empowering border authorities to do their jobs.
“We’ve made a lot of progress on the border, but we want to keep it permanent,” he told The Daily Wire outside the White House Wednesday, ahead of the bill&#8217;s passage. “We need the money, not just for the border, but interior enforcement operations. Money for the border is gonna help continue building the border wall. Every place the border barrier&#8217;s been built, illegal immigration went down, illegal drug flow went down, so we gotta put more border wall up.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Our <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MaryMargOlohan</a> talks with <a href="https://twitter.com/RealTomHoman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealTomHoman</a> at the White House about how important passing the &#8220;Big, Beautiful&#8221; budget bill is for his efforts to secure the border.
&#8220;If we want to continue this massive deportation effort— we need the money. &#8221; <a href="https://t.co/RrPDjgAlkc">pic.twitter.com/RrPDjgAlkc</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1925639091455934564?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
The Republican-led House passed the bill in a 215 to 214 vote early Thursday morning, a significant victory for the president after back-to-back, all-night sessions in the Rules Committee and on the House floor.
The Trump administration has emphasized the massive role that the bill would play in securing the border. As he spoke with The Daily Wire on Wednesday, Homan broke down the specifics of how the bill would assist in guarding the United States from illegal entries.
There’s also technology in the existing border wall that must be implemented, Homan argued. Particularly in areas where there is not a wall, or authorities are unable to build a wall, the border czar said it is important to have the technology to “let us know when someone’s crossing the border.”
“We need the technology added to the wall so border patrol agents can communicate to one another in dead areas. It&#8217;s gonna let us know when people approach the wall, climb over the wall, dig under the wall. We need that technology. So wall and technology plus technology where there&#8217;s not a wall, right?”
“Also, technology at the ports of entry,” he added. “So trade can continue at a fast pace, but we have best technology, find drugs and other contraband coming through the ports.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also needs money, Homan pointed out.
“ICE is in the hole right now,” he explained. “They&#8217;ve got about 50,000 people in beds. We&#8217;re funded for 34,000. ICE is already in the hole, so if we want to continue this massive deportation operation, we need more money.”
He also touted the Trump administration’s success on the border thus far.
“We&#8217;re doing great. Right now, the criminals arrested by ICE are about three times higher than Joe Biden under the same timeframe, but it should be 10 times higher because Joe Biden wasn’t doing anything. So we need more money to do more.”
“People are asking, they don&#8217;t think there&#8217;s enough deportations, not enough ICE arrests,” he continued. “I agree with &#8217;em. I&#8217;m pushing for more arrests. We need money to do it. We need more money for boots on the ground. More money for detention beds. We should have at least a hundred thousand beds.”
“We need more for transportation contracts. We need more money for contractors to do jobs that don&#8217;t require a badge and gun. A badge and gun shouldn&#8217;t be doing administrative work. We need &#8217;em on the street wrestling bad guys. So we need money for all those things.”
Homan repeatedly emphasized that securing the border should be a bipartisan issue, noting that &#8220;there are a handful of Democrats that believe in border security and national security.&#8221;
&#8220;But as a party, you’re never gonna get every vote from every Democrat,&#8221; he noted. &#8220;&#8216;Cause I think a lot of &#8217;em put politics over public safety plus politics over national security.”
“I think there&#8217;s a political firestorm right now,” he explained. “I don&#8217;t think Democrats are ever gonna agree. Our success shows their failure. Our success shows the lies of the last administration saying the border is secure, showing they&#8217;re vetting everybody, and all the lies they told we&#8217;re proving &#8217;em wrong.”
“We&#8217;re proving &#8217;em wrong by arresting people that they released, they said were vetted. We find out they have significant criminal histories. We&#8217;re arresting national security threats every week that they said didn&#8217;t exist, and we truly secured the border. So I think our success shows their failure and they don’t wanna show that,” Homan shared.
Homan pointed out to The Daily Wire that he’s been involved with border security since 1984.
“I’ve worked for six different presidents. I&#8217;ve seen hundreds of policies come and go. I know what works, what doesn&#8217;t. What we&#8217;re doing right now is working. It&#8217;s a game changer.”
“There’s people who don&#8217;t want [us] to succeed,” he emphasized. “There’s members of Congress truly that don&#8217;t want President Trump to succeed, and I find that shocking as an American, as a taxpayer, as someone who&#8217;s dedicated 40 years to doing this, it&#8217;s shocking that every member of Congress, regardless of political opinion, why would you not want the President of the United States to succeed in securing the border and removing public safety threats and national security threats from this country?”
“Give us some money to deal with it, prove that you&#8217;re really representing your constituents,” he concluded. “Prove that you actually care about the safety and security of this country. Love your community more than you hate President Trump.”

White House Border Czar Tom Homan Speaks To Reporters At The White House

Border Czar Hails Big, Beautiful Bill: ‘We Need More Money’ To Deport Illegals

Donald Trump

House of Representatives

Reconciliation

Tom Homan

Secretary of State Marco Rubio faced off with Senator Chris Van Hollen during a fiery Senate hearing on Tuesday over student visas, illegal immigrant gang members, and USAID.
The two faced off after the Maryland Democrat spent over seven minutes criticizing Rubio and expressing regret for having supported his confirmation.
“I have to tell you directly and personally that I regret voting for you for Secretary of State,” Van Hollen said following his opportunity to question Rubio, choosing instead to deliver a long rant.
“Your regret for voting for me confirms that I am doing a good job based on what I know about your record,” Rubio fired back.
The Senate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-votes-unanimously-to-confirm-marco-rubio-as-secretary-of-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unanimously confirmed</a> Rubio in January.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rubio-threatens-to-snatch-visas-from-pro-hamas-thugs-at-columbia-university?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Rubio+Threatens+To+Snatch+Visas+From+%E2%80%98Pro-Hamas+Thugs%E2%80%99+At+Columbia+University" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RUBIO THREATENS TO SNATCH VISAS FROM ‘PRO-HAMAS THUGS’ AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY</a>
Rubio responded to Van Hollen’s criticism of the secretary traveling to El Salvador, where illegal alien gang members have been deported and imprisoned.
“In the case of El Salvador, absolutely, absolutely. We deported gang members. Gang members. Including the one that you had a margarita with,” Rubio quipped. “The guy is a human trafficker and that guy is a gangbanger and the evidence is going to be clear in the days to come. You are going to see who you went to defend.”
Van Hollen immediately interrupted before being told to be silent by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair James Risch (R-ID).
“He can’t make unsubstantiated comments like that,” Van Hollen said. “Secretary Rubio should take that testimony to federal court in the United States because he hasn’t done it under oath.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sipping-margaritas-dem-senator-finally-meets-deported-illegal-immigrant-in-el-salvador" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Van Hollen visited</a> 29-year-old illegal immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who is detained in a Salvadoran mega-prison, in April. Photos went viral of the two drinking margaritas while meeting at a restaurant.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-trump-and-rubio-put-america-first-in-100-days?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=How+Trump+And+Rubio+Put+America+First+In+100+Days" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HOW TRUMP AND RUBIO PUT AMERICA FIRST IN 100 DAYS</a>
“Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the ‘death camps’ &amp; ‘torture’, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!” El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said in a <a href="https://x.com/nayibbukele/status/1913028548001923259">post on X</a> that mocked the meeting.
Rubio attempted to address his former colleague’s remarks on USAID, despite the senator&#8217;s interruptions, explaining that he believes wasteful spending was cut. Rubio pointed out $10 million was cut from a program giving male circumcisions in Mozambique and $227,000 for “Big Cats YouTube channel,” and $14 million for “social cohesion” in Mali.
“I don’t know how that makes us stronger or more prosperous as a nation,” Rubio said.
The two also faced off over Rubio revoking student visas from campus disruptors, including the case of Turkish Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk, who had her visa terminated over her alleged “activities in support of Hamas.”
“A visa is not a right, it is a privilege,” Rubio said. “People apply for student visas to come into the United States and study, and if you tell me that you are coming into the United States to lead campus crusades, to take over libraries and try to burn down buildings and acts of violence, we’re not going to give you a visa.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/homeland-security-to-screen-immigrants-and-foreign-students-social-media-for-anti-semitism?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=29&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Homeland+Security+To+Screen+Immigrants+And+Foreign+Students%E2%80%99+Social+Media+For+Anti-Semitism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HOMELAND SECURITY TO SCREEN IMMIGRANTS AND FOREIGN STUDENTS’ SOCIAL MEDIA FOR ANTI-SEMITISM</a>
In 2024, Ozturk wrote an op-ed calling on her university to acknowledge the “Palestinian genocide” and to divest from companies with ties to Israel.
The Department of Homeland Security previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/morning-brief-trumps-liberation-day-doge-pr-battle-self-deportation-push" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said it had found</a> Ozturk to have “engaged in activities in support of Hamas,” though details are scarce, and a federal judge ordered her release on May 9.
“The bottom line is if you come here to stir up trouble on our campuses, we will deny you a visa,” Rubio said. “These kids pay money to go to school, and they have to walk through a bunch of lunatics who are here on student visas.”
Rubio added that the State Department will continue to revoke visas and stated, “I hope we can find more of these people.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Rubio Faces Off With Democratic Senator During Heated Confrontation

antisemitism

Marco Rubio

Trump Administration

USAID

WASHINGTON —When Donald Trump announced his cabinet picks at the beginning of the year, there were more than a few skeptics who doubted the president would ever get his nominees confirmed. Trump&#8217;s list featured controversial names like Pete Hegseth, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Tulsi Gabbard. Even some of his staunchest supporters figured they wouldn&#8217;t all make it.
One hundred days into the administration, however, every member of Trump&#8217;s cabinet has been confirmed, save his nominee for ambassador to the United Nations. How was this accomplished? Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
&#8220;We confirmed his cabinet at the fastest rate in 20 years,&#8221; Thune explained to The Daily Wire in a sit-down interview. &#8220;We kept the Senate in session for 10 consecutive weeks for the first time in 15 years, and we hit 200 votes in the Senate for the first time at this point, going back to the Reagan administration.&#8221; 
&#8220;We&#8217;re doing the work,&#8221; he emphasized. &#8220;There&#8217;s a lot more to do. And obviously, making sure that all those key positions are filled in the administration is a big part of that. But then we&#8217;ve gotta start delivering on the legislative agenda, and that&#8217;s where you get into energy independence. It&#8217;s where you get into rebuilding the military, securing the border, providing tax relief for the American people, and reducing spending, and getting our country on a more sustainable fiscal path. Those are the things that the president campaigned on, and we need to deliver on for the American people.&#8221; 
Asked who, or what, presented the biggest hurdle to getting the president&#8217;s nominees confirmed, Thune laughed.
&#8220;Well, you know, it depended on the nominee,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We had different issues and individuals that we were working with&#8230;We just had to make sure, we have 53 Republicans, we had to have at least 50 of them, and then with Vice President Vance in the chair, we can get to 51. And we had that circumstance a couple of times, at least, on a couple of the nominees. But each one was slightly different, and [had] different things that they were responding to.&#8221;
Each nominee had to contend with a variety of questions during the confirmation hearings. Hegseth faced an avalanche of media attacks on his personal life, from allegations of sexual impropriety and accusations of heavy drinking — which he denied — to scrutiny over his tattoos. Kennedy faced criticism of his stances on vaccinations, and Gabbard was attacked for her stances on foreign policy and more.
&#8220;But at the end of the day,&#8221; Thune said, &#8220;we got &#8217;em all in.&#8221; 
The Senate majority leader argued, like many of the president&#8217;s top supporters, that the voters who elected Trump also effectively chose his cabinet. The messaging from the White House has been clear: to buck the president&#8217;s nominees was to buck the will of the American people. On top of that, top Trump supporters warned wavering Republicans that their seats would be in danger if they fought the president&#8217;s cabinet choices.
In December, as the incoming Trump administration geared up for inauguration and their fight for the cabinet nominees, Trump confidant Charlie Kirk said the party should make lawmakers who get in the way of the Trump agenda pay the price, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/charlie-kirk-has-thoughts-on-which-republicans-need-a-primary-challenge">telling The Daily Wire with a grin</a>:  “It’s gonna be primary season sometime soon.&#8221;
From his Senate office on Capitol Hill this week, Thune suggested that Trump&#8217;s decisive victory in November was even more reason for Republicans to get on board with the president&#8217;s agenda. That was, in part, why he fought to get the nominees through so quickly — <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-first-100-days-of-confirmations-in-the-second-trump-administration/">research by the Brookings Institution</a> found that Trump&#8217;s nominees were confirmed at a pace that surpassed three of the past four administrations.
&#8220;I think it&#8217;s important in any administration when a president wins an election, especially as decisively as President Trump won this last election in November, they deserve a lot of deference when it comes to the people that they want in those various agencies and departments and delivering on his agenda,&#8221; Thune said. &#8220;So we work to get &#8217;em all through and, knock on wood, so far been very successful with that. We got a long ways to go.&#8221; 
Vice President JD Vance was also a key player in the fight for Trump&#8217;s cabinet, Thune shared, describing how the vice president was deployed to speak with wary senators and bring them into the fold.
&#8220;The vice president was great,&#8221; the Senate majority leader said. &#8220;Several times we had strategies on each of these people that some of our senators needed to hear from, and Vice President Vance was very helpful in making calls.&#8221; 
Vance, who previously served as a senator from Ohio,  &#8220;developed a high level of trust and confidence with Republican senators,&#8221; Thune said.
The vice president has been credited with persuading Republicans Todd Young of Indiana and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana to support Gabbard and Kennedy, respectively.
Cassidy <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5133547-vance-senate-trump-nominees/">described</a> Vance as an “honest broker” after their interactions, and Young told reporters of the vice president: &#8220;He listened a lot more than he talked, and he, frankly, seemed to be effective on his end in getting from me the concessions that were required to get to a ‘yes.'&#8221;
“He came through,&#8221; added Young. &#8220;He delivered for me, and I’m grateful for that, and that’s why he was able, in the end, to deliver for the president.”
Vance&#8217;s time in the Senate helped him in this effort, Thune reflected.
&#8220;He had been here and knew a lot of &#8217;em to start with, which was an advantage,&#8221; the majority leader said. &#8220;But I also think that he was very committed to helping the president get these folks confirmed and was willing to do whatever we needed him to do,&#8221; he added. &#8220;There were a number of times where we had him engaging in conversations/ We had other senators talking to senators.&#8221;
At the end of the day, however, it was Trump who was the most influential player in getting &#8220;folks to support and vote for his agenda,&#8221; Thune said.
&#8220;It was a team effort,&#8221; Thune said, &#8220;and we&#8217;re all kind of part of that team.&#8221;
&#8220;I think that the President&#8217;s agenda is the one the American people wants to see accomplished,&#8221; he told The Daily Wire. &#8220;They want us to be good partners with him. And I think in the end, if we can succeed on the things the president campaigned on, the American people voted for, they&#8217;re going to want to continue to see Republicans in majorities in the House and the Senate and a Republican in the White House.&#8221;

Untitled design (29)

How The Senate Got Trump’s Entire Cabinet Confirmed In 100 Days

John Thune

White House

The Department of Government Efficiency has helped federal agencies terminate 8,500 contracts, saving taxpayers up to $160 billion in the first 100 days of President Donald Trump&#8217;s second term, it says. It also axed nearly 10,000 grants totaling $33 billion, including many from USAID.
It&#8217;s terminated nearly 650 leases, resulting in about $311 million in savings.
That totals about a fifth of the trillion dollars that Elon Musk hoped to cut from the federal budget — though many of the big-ticket savings were costs set to be spread over multiple years. And it remains to be seen whether it can keep cutting at the same pace, or whether the trajectory will slow with low-hanging fruit exhausted.
Musk has said he will soon spend significantly less time on DOGE as he returns focus to his private companies. He is currently classified as a “special government employee,” meaning he can only serve 130 days per year.
Other savings, not included in those figures, are likely to be realized over the long term thanks to process reforms spurred by DOGE. That includes revamping how federal expenditures are tracked, requiring each outlay to have an explanation, and cross-referencing expenditures with other databases to stop fraudulent or disallowed payments.
DOGE’s most important accomplishment may be shaking up Washington&#8217;s culture with a new spirit of optimism and creativity. Its existence has inspired department heads to make bold decisions in their own right. Items that conservatives had criticized for decades, but believed they had no choice but to accept, are now on the table. Some small agencies have been essentially <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/author/luke-rosiak#:~:text=Inside%20The%20Now,By%20Luke%20Rosiak" target="_blank" rel="noopener">abolished outright</a>.
The office is operating out of the organizational skin of the U.S. Digital Service, an entity established by President Barack Obama to bring Silicon Valley talent into government for short-term stints. Obama created the legal structure for the group to operate out of the White House, and set a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-doge-origin-story-how-barack-obama-laid-the-groundwork-for-elon-musk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">precedent of partisanship</a>. The old USDS was so overtly liberal that when The Daily Wire visited its office on the White House complex on February 7, it was taunting the president with a “Hate Has No Home Here” poster in its window.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-913599" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/hate-has-no-home-768x576.jpeg" alt="" width="768" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/hate-has-no-home-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/hate-has-no-home-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/hate-has-no-home.jpeg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></div>
Now renamed the U.S. DOGE Service, it is formally run by Amy Gleason, a healthcare executive who worked at USDS during the first Trump administration.
Many of the contract terminations listed on <a href="https://doge.gov/savings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DOGE’s website</a> have relied on tech expertise, axing shockingly expensive payments for software to Beltway consulting firms. The biggest contract terminations are:
<ul>
<li>Nearly $3 billion for an “Office of Refugee Resettlement Influx Care Facility” to house “up to 3,000 unaccompanied alien children.” The contract was to Family Endeavors, which hit a contracting jackpot after adding a former Biden administration official to its payroll. Half a million children were separated from their parents because of a loophole that granted them the ability to stay in the United States if they were unaccompanied. The federal government kept the children secret from state child welfare agencies, even though they were vulnerable to sex and labor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/guatemalan-traffickers-exploit-bidens-unaccompanied-alien-children-program-records-suggest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">traffickers</a>, and one-third of unaccompanied minors <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/whistleblowers-detail-how-85000-unaccompanied-minors-went-missing-after-biden-admin-dropped-them-off-with-sponsors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disappeared</a> after they were sent to live with “sponsors.”</li>
<li>Up to $1.9 billion for a seven-year contract providing technology services to the IRS. The contract to Centennial Technologies was signed in August 2024, and no money was spent before it was cancelled, according to federal records. In the last 10 years, Centennial has been listed as receiving only $15 million in government contracts.</li>
<li>Up to $1.7 billion to A1FedImpact LLC for tech work for the Defense Health Agency. Federal contracting records list the potential total as $2.4 billion.</li>
<li>A $1 billion contract to Securigence LLC, another government IT company in the Virginia suburbs outside Washington, D.C., was cut in half. The contract was for “multi-network support services” for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.</li>
<li>A proposed $318 million contract to the Office of Personnel Management for “human resources related products and services” was cancelled before it was awarded.</li>
</ul>
The largest grants cancelled were:
<ul>
<li>$2.6 billion from USAID to the Gavi Foundation for “the global community’s Immunization Agenda 2030, which was endorsed by the World Health Assembly in May 2020.” Nearly a billion dollars was spent before it was cancelled.</li>
<li>A $1.5 billion contract from the Department of Health and Human Services to Texas was cut in half, with no details provided.</li>
<li>Most of the money from a $1 billion USAID grant to the World Health Organization for “polio and immunization” was halted before it went out the door.</li>
<li>Nearly half a billion was shaved off a $1.5 billion grant to Public Health Foundation Enterprises, Inc., operating as Heluna Health. Since 1998, the nonprofit had received a few million per year from the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health, operating as a pass-through that sends the money to other groups performing public health research or interventions. In 2020, that jumped to half a billion, and nearly $3 billion in 2021.</li>
</ul>
In other ways, DOGE has fallen short of its hopes, sometimes after running into the buzz-saw of institutional Washington. Courts, appeals panels, unions, and government rules have all bogged down attempts to implement layoffs or access government data.
The “Fork in the Road” buyouts offered to federal employees to reduce salary expenses — modeled after the choice Musk offered to Twitter employees after acquiring the company, were underwhelming — with fewer employees accepting the offer than would typically retire or leave government on their own in a given year.
Thousands of employees who didn’t accept the buyout have since been targeted with “reduction in force” layoffs, but some have been ordered reinstated by courts, and are now on paid leave. Federal personnel rules, which the Office of Personnel Management has not moved to rewrite, give strong deference to employees with the longest tenure, and could wind up pushing low-paid junior employees out of the workforce, while <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-laying-off-dei-employees-could-backfire-thanks-to-bizarre-federal-rules?author=Luke+Rosiak&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=13&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=How+Laying+Off+DEI+Employees+Could+Backfire+Thanks+To+Bizarre+Federal+Rules" target="_blank" rel="noopener">keeping more highly compensated</a> and deeply entrenched ones — sometimes doing junior work at senior salaries.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-doge-origin-story-how-barack-obama-laid-the-groundwork-for-elon-musk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A DOGE Origin Story: How Barack Obama Laid The Groundwork For Elon Musk</a>
Katie Miller, a spokesperson for DOGE, declined to provide The Daily Wire with a list of DOGE’s top accomplishments or comment on whether it is on track.
Ultimately, savings will only reduce the deficit if Congress aggressively slashes annual funding to agencies or passes “recision” packages that claw back money that was previously appropriated.
DOGE earned the support of the American people, even though its cuts could be painful, because Musk made a compelling case that spending money we don’t have was irresponsible and would lead to a debt bomb where a significant portion of federal expenditures did nothing more than pay interest on past debt. But Republicans may weaken that justification, and imperil support for DOGE, by passing a budget that makes the deficit grow even faster, thanks to military spending increases and tax cuts that more than cancel out any spending savings.
So far, the Republican-led government has not returned spending to pre-pandemic levels, much less cut it below that baseline. Between 2015 and 2018, the government spent about $5 trillion a year, according to the <a href="https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/federal-spending/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Treasury Department</a>. That jumped to $8 trillion in 2020 and 2021, and $7 trillion in 2024.
According to the <a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/whats-senates-concurrent-fy-2025-budget" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget</a>, the Republican-led Senate’s plan for a 2025 budget would allow legislators to add $5.8 trillion to deficits over the next nine years, and require only 0.005% of projected spending through 2034 to be cut in order to pay down the deficit.
It said the Senate plan’s lack of spending reductions coupled with its tax breaks means that it would be worse for the deficit than major welfare programs and Joe Biden&#8217;s American Rescue Plan, and that the <a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/2025-reconciliation-tracker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Senate plan</a> would cut only a few billion from Democrat priorities like urban affairs, while adding hundreds of billions in deficit spending to Republican priorities like the military.
The Daily Wire has outlined remaining opportunities for savings, including:
<ul>
<li>Reform food stamps to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-can-food-stamps-buy-junk-food-how-doge-could-save-billions-and-maha?author=Luke+Rosiak&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=70&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Why+Can+Food+Stamps+Buy+Junk+Food%3F+How+DOGE+Could+Save+Billions+And+MAHA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exclude junk food and corner stores</a></li>
<li>Abolish the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/job-corps-spends-764k-per-graduate?author=Luke+Rosiak&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Federal+%E2%80%98Job+Corps%E2%80%99+Spends+Up+To+%24764K+Per+Graduate.+Participants+Go+On+To+Earn+%2417K+Annually." target="_blank" rel="noopener">$2 billion Job Corps</a></li>
<li>Reform <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/activist-judges-rubber-stamp-billions-in-suspect-social-security-disability-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Social Security’s disability program</a></li>
<li>Abolish all <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-zealand-scrapped-all-social-science-funding-trump-could-too?author=Luke+Rosiak&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=34&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=New+Zealand+Scrapped+All+%E2%80%98Social+Science%E2%80%99+Funding.+Trump+Could+Too." target="_blank" rel="noopener">“social science” funding</a></li>
</ul>

Untitled design (26)

100 Days Of DOGE: Elon Musk’s Initiative Says It Cut $200 Billion. What’s Next?

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Spending Bill

Senator Roger Marshall on Thursday will introduce a measure to keep taxpayer dollars from going toward transgender medical procedures on both children and adults.
The Kansas Republican&#8217;s bill, the &#8220;No Subsidies for Gender Transition Procedures Act,&#8221; would ensure that transgender medical procedures  — such as removing the breasts of girls who identify boys — would not be considered healthcare under IRS code. The Kansas Republican told The Daily Wire that he designed the bill specifically with an eye towards including it in the &#8220;one, big, beautiful&#8221; bill backed by President Donald Trump working its way through Congress.
“Americans overwhelmingly agree that hard-earned taxpayer dollars should not go toward paying for harmful gender transition procedures,” Marshall said.
“This legislation delivers on President Trump’s promise, puts a halt to the misuse of federal funds for gender transition procedures on both minors and adults, and defends our nation’s values. As the reconciliation process continues, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation and ensure it is included in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill.”
Marshall pointed to the proposal&#8217;s focus on amending the tax code and mandatory spending as reasons why it should fall under Trump&#8217;s &#8220;beautiful bill proposal.&#8221;
One major component of the bill would be to prohibit transgender procedures being funded with dollars from Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This would mean no more taxpayer funding for procedures like removing the breasts of women identifying as men or surgeries to create pseudo-male and female genitalia.
Marshall&#8217;s proposal would also end tax deductions for transgender medical procedures by changing the definition of health care used by the IRS.
From 2016 to 2021, the Defense Department spent around $15 million on transgender procedures for military members, according to Marshall&#8217;s office. Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia also include the procedures in their Medicaid policies.
Fellow Republican Senators Bill Cassidy (LA), Pete Ricketts (NE), and Mike Lee (UT) are backing the bill while Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) introduced a companion bill in the House.
“Taxpayers should never be forced to fund dangerous and irreversible gender transition surgeries. The No Subsidies for Gender Transition Procedures Act sets a sweeping precedent by applying to both adults and minors and applying to as many federal funding streams as possible,” Tenney said.
“This will ensure that regardless of the age of the individual looking to mutilate themselves, the American taxpayer will not be forced to subsidize it. We are working to ensure that not a dime of federal funds can be used to pay for gender transition procedures.”
Trump has already taken aim at the funding of transgender procedures for children, signing an executive order blocking funding from hospitals that facilitate the &#8220;mutilation&#8221; of kids.

US-CONGRESS-ECONOMY-CREDIT

EXCLUSIVE: GOP Senator Sets Out To Codify Trump Order On Transgender Surgery Funding

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Kansas

Nadine Menendez, the wife of former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), was convicted on Monday of accepting bribes in a scheme that involved her husband while he was chairing one of the most powerful committees in the Senate.
The 58-year-old wife of the former senator was found guilty on 15 counts in the same New York courtroom where her husband was convicted last year, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-21/bob-menendez-s-wife-convicted-of-bribery-scheme?srnd=homepage-americas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Prosecutors said that Nadine and her 71-year-old husband, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison, were &#8220;partners in crime.&#8221;
Nadine&#8217;s charges included bribery, obstruction of justice, and conspiring to make Bob Menendez an agent of Egypt, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/nyregion/nadine-bob-menendez-wife-guilty-bribery-trial.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>. During her husband&#8217;s time in office, Nadine helped Menendez collect bribes, including cash, gold bars, and a Mercedes-Benz. In return, the former Democratic senator who chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee pushed for military aid for the Egyptian government and helped secure a monopoly for an Egyptian American businessman, according to prosecutors.
“This is about the defendant being partners in crime with a U.S. senator, helping a politician put his power up for sale,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Monteleoni said during closing arguments last week. “When there’s money on the line for her, the defendant sprung into action to get Menendez to take an official act or to promise that he would.”
The jury ultimately agreed with the prosecution after deliberating for over six hours. Nadine is scheduled to be sentenced on June 12. She faced a separate trial from her husband as she battled breast cancer. Last month, the former senator said it was &#8220;cruel and inhumane&#8221; to start the trial for Nadine while she struggles with breast cancer.
&#8220;My wife, who had breast cancer reconstructive surgery just days ago, is being forced by the government to go to trial tomorrow. Only the arrogance of the SDNY [Southern District of New York] can be so cruel and inhumane. They should let her fully recover!&#8221; Menendez <a href="https://x.com/SenatorMenendez/status/1901646953290568135" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>.
The couple began dating in 2018 and were married in 2020. During former Sen. Menendez&#8217;s trial, his lawyers attempted to shift blame to Nadine for accepting bribes without his knowledge. Menendez&#8217;s attorney, Avi Weitzman, argued that Nadine &#8220;kept him in the dark&#8221; about her financial struggles, and the couple had separate bank accounts and credit cards.
During a raid in 2022, authorities found hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold bars in a closet and seized a Mercedes at the couple&#8217;s New Jersey home. Lawyers for former Sen. Menendez argued that he did not have a key to his wife&#8217;s closet. Menendez remained in his Senate seat following the bribery charges and throughout the trial. He finally resigned from the Senate after the guilty verdict.
The former Democratic senator is <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/biden-sen-bob-menendez-seeks-pardon-trump-rcna188214" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> seeking a pardon from President Donald Trump after he failed to get clemency from former President Joe Biden.

Bob and Nadine Menendez

‘Partners In Crime’: Wife Of Disgraced Former Dem Senator Convicted Of Bribery Scheme

Bob Menendez

Bribery

Crime

Democrat

U.S.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) announced Tuesday he will travel to El Salvador to check on Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 gang member imprisoned in the Central American nation, and push for his release.
The Democrat confirmed the plan after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-senator-ultimatum-bring-back-deported-ms-13-suspect-or-ill-go-to-el-salvador" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warning</a> earlier in the week that he would make the trip if Garcia — a man residing in Maryland who was detained in March, deported, and sent to the Terrorism Confinement Center in his home country of El Salvador — was not returned to the United States.
&#8220;It should be a priority of the U.S. government to secure his safe release, which is why tomorrow I am traveling to El Salvador,&#8221; Van Hollen <a href="https://x.com/maxpcohen/status/1912280054010187815" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement. &#8220;My hope is to visit Kilmar and check on his wellbeing and to hold constructive conversations with government officials around his release.&#8221;
The Trump administration has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/facilitate-not-effectuate-wh-responds-to-scotus-ruling-on-mistakenly-deported-salvadoran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> Garcia, who entered the United States illegally but got permission to stay in 2019, of being a member of MS-13. Garcia&#8217;s attorneys have <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kilmar-abrego-garcias-court-trump-deportation-el-salvador-president/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> denied that their client is part of the gang. Last week, the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/scotus-rules-partially-against-trump-in-deported-migrant-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a ruling that said the government must “facilitate,” but not necessarily “effectuate,” Garcia&#8217;s return. A legal battle over Garcia&#8217;s deportation is ongoing, with the judge overseeing the case <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.578815/gov.uscourts.mdd.578815.79.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ordering</a> federal officials to testify on whether they are working to get Garcia back.
On Monday, White House aide Stephen Miller <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/stephen-miller-blames-doj-saboteur-for-claiming-salvadoran-migrant-mistakenly-deported" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dismissed</a> claims that Garcia was deported by mistake and contended that the withholding order the suspect received six years ago is no longer valid because the Trump administration has designated MS-13 as a foreign terror organization. And, during a White House meeting with President Donald Trump, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-officials-bukele-tear-into-cnn-reporter-who-asked-if-illegal-alien-will-be-returned-to-u-s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a> that he would not send Garcia back. &#8220;How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?&#8221; Bukele said, adding, &#8220;I don&#8217;t have the power to return him.&#8221;
Van Hollen claimed in his statement that Garcia endured an &#8220;abduction and unlawful deportation&#8221; and insisted that the federal courts &#8220;ordered the safe return&#8221; of his &#8220;constituent.&#8221; The senator also said: &#8220;We must urgently continue working to return Kilmar safely home to Maryland.&#8221;
Multiple Democrats in Congress have <a href="https://x.com/yassaminansari/status/1911960635296100456" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expressed</a> interest in joining Van Hollen in El Salvador. Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/04/15/house-democrats-el-salvador-cecot-trump-bukele" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), fresh off a record-breaking Senate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spartacus-cory-booker-breaks-record-for-longest-senate-floor-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">speech</a> criticizing Trump&#8217;s policies, is among those looking to make a trip to the country.
On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mind-boggling-white-house-slams-dems-as-senator-threatens-el-salvador-trip-for-ms-13-suspect" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slammed</a> Democrats when asked for a response to the &#8220;priorities&#8221; of Senate Democrats on the illegal immigration issue given Van Hollen was volunteering to visit El Salvador.
&#8220;It&#8217;s mind-boggling, the priorities of the modern-day Democratic Party. I think it&#8217;s atrocious that to have Democrats in Congress on Capitol Hill, who swear an oath to protect their constituents and to serve them in Washington, D.C., spending more time defending illegal immigrant gang members than their own constituents and law-abiding American citizens like Rachel Morin,&#8221; Leavitt <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1912199992590168533?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1912199992590168533%7Ctwgr%5Ef885b7b7ef77539db8d0f07a2004ecbab266ba79%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.dailywire.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
Morin, a 37-year-old Maryland mother of five, was found dead in August 2023 after she went out to exercise on a hiking trail. Earlier this week, Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez — who has been identified as an illegal immigrant from El Salvador — was <a href="https://people.com/man-convicted-killing-raping-md-mom-rachel-morin-11715380" target="_blank" rel="noopener">convicted</a> of raping and murdering Morin.
Van Hollen released a statement on Tuesday in response to the verdict.
&#8220;While the conviction of Rachel Morin’s killer will not return Rachel to her family where she rightfully belongs, this verdict brings a measure of justice that they so deserve,&#8221; Van Hollen <a href="https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hollen-statement-on-conviction-of-rachel-morins-killer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;I’m grateful to the law enforcement officers who brought her killer into custody and for our legal process for delivering this justice. As I have said in the past, the American people deserve meaningful action to reform our broken immigration system, improve public safety, and strengthen our border security. We can do this while also supporting our immigrant communities and respecting the rights of individuals who are here legally – I am committed to doing both, and I will continue pressing my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to move forward on this issue.&#8221;

Senator Chris Van Hollen

Dem Senator Headed To El Salvador On Mission To Bring MS-13 Suspect Back To America

Congress

Deportations

El Salvador

Illegal Immigation

Maryland

Politics

Former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers is running for Senate again in Michigan, jumping into the race on Monday to fill the seat of retiring Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat.
Rogers said in his announcement video that Michigan &#8220;for too long&#8221; has &#8220;been represented by two-faced politicians who say they&#8217;re moderates but vote as radicals when they get elected.&#8221; Michigan has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 1994, and last November, Rogers became the latest candidate in a long line of Michigan Republicans who failed to win back a Senate seat for the GOP when he lost to Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin by more than 19,000 votes.
&#8220;As your next senator, I won&#8217;t just represent Michigan, I&#8217;ll fight for it,&#8221; Rogers said. &#8220;I&#8217;ll stand with President Trump, and we will deliver on the mandate given to him by the American people.&#8221;
&#8220;For me, it will always be America and Michigan first, rewarding hard work and investing in the skilled trades, cutting wasteful spending, lowering the costs of gas, groceries, and prescription drugs,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Alongside President Trump, I&#8217;ll fight to bring good, high-paying manufacturing jobs back to Michigan, and I guarantee we&#8217;ll protect Social Security for our seniors.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
President Trump needs strong allies in the Senate to help him deliver on the mandate given by the American people. 
That means bringing manufacturing jobs back to Michigan, protecting seniors’ social security, lowering the costs of gas, groceries &amp; prescription drugs, and… <a href="https://t.co/MBNn5gcZ4t">pic.twitter.com/MBNn5gcZ4t</a>
&mdash; Mike Rogers (@MikeRogersForMI) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeRogersForMI/status/1911736873946317227?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, threw his support behind Rogers shortly after the Michigan Republican announced his run for Senate.
&#8220;Mike will always put Michigan first, fight for the needs of working families, and stand up to communist China,&#8221; Scott <a href="https://x.com/votetimscott/status/1911738722401255471" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on X. &#8220;Michigan is a battleground state, and with @MikeRogersForMI as our candidate, I know we will add this seat to President Trump&#8217;s Senate Majority in 2026.&#8221;
Rogers is the first high-profile Republican to jump into the 2026 Senate race. Tudor Dixon, the GOP&#8217;s 2022 gubernatorial nominee, is considering a Senate bid, but she has yet to make a decision. On the Democratic side, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow announced her run for the seat earlier this month. Michigan Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel is also considering a run. Former presidential candidate and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who recently moved to Michigan, ruled out a Senate run last month.
Rogers was endorsed by then-candidate Donald Trump in the 2024 election and appeared with him multiple times during campaign rallies in the Great Lakes State. Trump won Michigan over former Vice President Kamala Harris by more than 80,000 votes on his way to the White House, but Trump&#8217;s strong showing in the swing state didn&#8217;t trickle down the ballot enough to pull Rogers across the finish line.
Before he spent time in the U.S. House from 2001 to 2015, Rogers served in the U.S. Army and worked as a special agent for the FBI. He was also interviewed to potentially become the FBI director after Trump fired James Comey in 2017.

Mike Rogers

Former Michigan GOP Congressman Launches 2nd Senate Bid After Coming Up Short In 2024

2026 Midterms

Democrats

Elections

Michigan

Republicans

President Trump&#8217;s NASA administrator nominee, Jared Isaacman, vowed at his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday that America would dominate the new space race with China, with the agency focusing on simultaneous moon and Mars missions without requiring budget increases.
Isaacman <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/senate-committee/senate-commerce-committee-considers-nasa-and-fcc-nominations/658331">testified</a> in front of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, &amp; Transportation, and when asked by committee chair Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) about the practicality of simultaneous moon and Mars missions, he didn’t flinch.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think we have to make any tough trades here, Senator. I think if we can concentrate our resources at the world&#8217;s greatest space agency, we don&#8217;t have to make a binary decision of moon versus Mars or moon has to come first versus Mars,&#8221; Isaacman told the Senate Commerce Committee in response to questioning about NASA&#8217;s priorities.
&#8220;I think we can do the moon and Mars and beyond,&#8221; Isaacman said in response to similar questioning by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
The 42-year-old entrepreneur and astronaut delivered a stark warning about the growing competition with China in space, declaring that &#8220;space is the ultimate high ground. We cannot afford to cede that ground.&#8221;
When Senator Cruz displayed a poster depicting Chinese astronauts potentially beating Americans to the lunar surface, Isaacman confidently remarked, &#8220;Senator, I only see the left-hand portion of that poster,&#8221; referring to the part of the image showing American astronauts reaching the moon first.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
“Senator, I only see the left hand side of that poster” &#8211; absolute mic drop moment from <a href="https://twitter.com/rookisaacman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rookisaacman</a> at his confirmation hearing today to be the next <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASA</a> Administrator! <a href="https://t.co/ylKYIuNBHX">pic.twitter.com/ylKYIuNBHX</a>
&mdash; Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) <a href="https://twitter.com/Erdayastronaut/status/1909989209349255474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
If confirmed, Isaacman would bring significant private sector and spaceflight experience to NASA, having commanded and even personally funded multiple space missions, including Polaris Dawn in 2024, which featured the first commercial spacewalk by a civilian astronaut.
When pressed by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) on whether the space agency could simultaneously pursue multiple ambitious goals given possible DOGE budget cuts, Isaacman insisted that NASA &#8220;was built to do the near impossible&#8221; and reminded Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) that NASA already has “a pretty extraordinary budget … it&#8217;s close to every federal law enforcement agency combined times two.”
Isaacman faced multiple questions about his relationship with SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who has been a key ally to the Trump administration. &#8220;my loyalty is to this nation, the space agency, and their world-changing mission,&#8221; Isaacman stated unequivocally in response to the Michigan Senator&#8217;s inquiry, &#8220;NASA is the customer. [SpaceX/Contractors] work for us, not the other way around.&#8221;
The nominee outlined an ambitious vision for America&#8217;s space agency beyond just moon and Mars missions, with his priorities including making NASA financially self-sustaining, investing in nuclear propulsion technology, recruiting top scientific talent, using social media to inspire young Americans about space exploration, and expanding deep space science missions with more probes, rovers, and telescopes.
The renewed focus on space exploration comes as China has rapidly <a href="https://www.space.com/china-moon-base-south-pole-2035">advanced</a> its own ambitions, recently announcing plans to establish a permanent lunar base by 2035. Beijing&#8217;s space program has seen unprecedented growth over the past decade, with successful missions to the far side of the moon and the deployment of its own space station. National security experts have increasingly warned that allowing China to establish dominance in space could threaten American technological superiority and military capabilities.
Isaacman, who founded payment processing company Shift4 Payments and has personally flown to space as commander of the all-civilian Inspiration4 mission, outlined specific strategies to make NASA financially self-sustaining. He emphasized the need to &#8220;unlock the true economic potential of space&#8221; by developing stronger partnerships between the agency, academic institutions, and private industry.
Isaacman concluded his testimony by reiterating his commitment to American leadership in space. &#8220;We will do this not just to expand our knowledge or strengthen our national security, but to improve all life on Earth and inspire the next generation to reach even further,&#8221; he said.
Trump announced Isaacman’s nomination in December 2024: “Over the past 25 years, as the Founder and CEO of Shift4, Jared has demonstrated exceptional leadership, building a trailblazing global financial technology company. He also co-founded and served as CEO of Draken International, a defense aerospace company, for over a decade, supporting the U.S. Department of Defense, and our Allies.&#8221;
“Jared’s passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era,” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113595378122687080">said</a> on Truth Social.

Jared Isaacman Testifies In His Senate Nomination Hearing To Be NASA Administrator

‘Moon, Mars, And Beyond’: Trump’s NASA Pick Promises American Dominance In New Space Race

Elon Musk

NASA

Space

SpaceX

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday that he will challenge Senator John Cornyn in 2026, citing the Texas Republican’s frequent opposition to President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Paxton made the announcement during an appearance on Fox News&#8217; “The Ingraham Angle,&#8221; telling host Laura Ingraham that &#8220;it&#8217;s definitely time for a change in Texas.&#8221;
&#8220;We have a great U.S. Senator, Ted Cruz, and it&#8217;s time we have another great senator that will actually stand up for Republican values, fight for the values of the people of Texas, and also support Donald Trump in the areas he&#8217;s focused on, in a very significant way,&#8221; Paxton said. &#8220;That&#8217;s what I plan on doing.&#8221;
Paxton told Ingraham it was &#8220;hard to think of the things&#8221; Cornyn has &#8220;done good for Texas or for the country,&#8221; slamming the senator for &#8220;things like his gun restrictions, his lack of wanting to fund a border wall, and even opposing President Trump&#8217;s election in 2016 and in the most recent election.&#8221;
&#8220;There&#8217;s certainly many things to focus on that he has not done,&#8221; Paxton added, &#8220;and I think it&#8217;s time that somebody held him accountable for that.&#8221;
The attorney general also railed against Cornyn in a statement announcing his run, in which he pledged to “take a sledgehammer to the D.C. establishment.”
“John Cornyn has been in Washington for over two decades, and he has turned his back on President Trump and the America First Agenda time after time.”
“Texans deserve far better than a senator who thinks it’s ‘naive’ to build a border to protect our citizens,&#8221; Paxton said.
Paxton, who has served three terms as attorney general, has frequently criticized Cornyn. In a March interview with Punchbowl News, Paxton <a href="https://punchbowl.news/article/senate/paxton-plots-to-take-on-cornyn/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slammed</a> Cornyn for pushing gun control legislation and supporting American aid to Ukraine.
“I’m going to start calling him ‘Senator Ukraine,’ because he’s funding Ukraine more than he’s funding our border, and that’s a problem in Texas,” Paxton said.
Paxton has emerged as a leading voice on major issues, using his office to protect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-texas-ag-investigating-school-officials-who-said-theyd-break-the-law?row=0&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Tim+Rice&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Texas+AG+Launches+Probe+Into+Schools+Scheming+To+Get+Boys+Onto+Girl+Sports+Teams&amp;category=News">women&#8217;s sports,</a> defending Texas A&amp;M&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-texas-ag-to-defend-texas-am-over-decision-to-ban-campus-drag-shows?row=0&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Texas+AG+To+Defend+Texas+A%26M+Over+Decision+To+Ban+Campus+Drag+Shows&amp;category=News">decision</a> to ban a campus drag show, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-arrests-48-year-old-woman-for-performing-illegal-abortions-operating-fake-clinics?row=0&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;title=Texas+Arrests+48-Year-Old+Woman+For+Performing+Illegal+Abortions%2C+Operating+Fake+Clinics&amp;category=News">prosecuting</a> a woman who performed illegal abortions.
Cornyn, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/john-thune-elected-senate-majority-leader?row=0&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;author=Tim+Pearce&amp;title=John+Thune+Elected+Senate+Majority+Leader&amp;category=News" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost</a> the race to succeed Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell as Majority Leader, is <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/12NQYwfF1_c06LvP2Imx-54dTMjXJxrI2sz7MujKphFg/edit?tab=t.0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">serving</a> his fourth term in the upper chamber. A mainstay in Republican politics, he previously served as chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and as Senate Majority Whip.
Senate Republican leaders have <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/06/politics/cornyn-texas-senate-primary/index.html">reportedly asked</a> Trump to endorse Cornyn to put a stop to what could be a costly and high-profile primary. Speaking to CNN&#8217;s Manu Raju, Cornyn demurred on the question of Trump&#8217;s endorsement, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/06/politics/video/sen-john-cornyn-gop-texas-primary-donald-trump-manu-raju-digvid">noting</a> that &#8220;his endorsement will be important&#8221; and saying Trump will &#8220;make an endorsement when he&#8217;s ready.&#8221; Cornyn also said that he and the president have &#8220;a very good relationship.&#8221;
But it&#8217;s unclear if Trump — who once <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/20/donald-trump-ken-paxton-attorney-general/">floated</a> the idea of tapping Paxton as U.S. Attorney General — would back Cornyn, whom the president <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4120760-trump-rips-weak-ineffective-cornyn-romney/">once called</a> &#8220;weak [and] ineffective.&#8221;
A recent poll found that Paxton leads Cornyn by 20 points, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/us/politics/paxton-cornyn-senate.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> earlier this month.

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Will Challenge Senator John Cornyn

Ken Paxton

Conservatives celebrated on Thursday as the Senate voted 52-45 to confirm Harmeet Dhillon to a top Justice Department position.
Dhillon, a conservative lawyer who fought Biden’s COVID vaccine mandate, will now become the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ. She was confirmed in a mostly partisan vote, with one Republican, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, voting alongside Democrats against Dhillon’s confirmation.
Throughout her legal career, Dhillon has fought for free speech, religious liberty, and defended President Donald Trump when a group of leftist voters attempted to throw him off the ballot in Colorado during the 2024 election.
“I’m extremely honored by President Trump’s nomination to assist with our nation’s civil rights agenda. It has been my dream to be able to serve our great country, and I am so excited to be part of an incredible team of lawyers led by [Attorney General Pam Bondi]. I cannot wait to get to work!” Dhillon said after she was first nominated by Trump. “I would not be here today without my amazing mother and brother’s support, and my beloved father Tejpal and husband Sarv, who did not live to see this day. I hope I will honor their memories, with God’s grace.”
Conservatives celebrated Dhillon’s confirmation, saying that she was a welcome addition to the DOJ.
“Congrats to my former lawyer [Harmeet Dhillon] on her confirmation as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights,” conservative activist Robby Starbuck <a href="https://x.com/robbystarbuck/status/1907922482050617740" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on X. “No one will fight harder to ensure that EVERY American has their civil rights protected. A fearless champion for justice!”
The Dhillon Law Group, which was founded by Dhillon, posted a video featuring Daily Wire host Ben Shapiro and others congratulating her after the Senate vote wrapped up. 
“Hey Harmeet, I just want to say thank you so much for all the work you’ve done with Daily Wire to preserve free speech and free access to work and all the rest of the things that you’ve helped us with,” Shapiro said. “I can’t wait to see what you do at the DOJ. They put you in literally the perfect position to kick ass.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
BIG CONGRATULATIONS from all of us at the Dhillon Law Group to our founder and FORMER managing partner, <a href="https://twitter.com/HarmeetKDhillon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HarmeetKDhillon</a> on her confirmation today as the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. You’re going to do great things! <a href="https://t.co/wuBHIe9aBg">pic.twitter.com/wuBHIe9aBg</a>
&mdash; Dhillon Law Group (@dhillonlaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/dhillonlaw/status/1907921768565833761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
One of Dhillon&#8217;s best-known cases was when she <a href="https://www.dhillonlaw.com/lawsuits/the-daily-wire-challenges-biden-administration-vaccine-mandate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">represented</a> The Daily Wire in the legal fight that led to the Supreme Court blocking the Biden administration from enforcing a COVID vaccine mandate for private employers. With Dhillon’s help, The Daily Wire became the first major company to file a lawsuit against the emergency mandate in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.

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