Lawmakers clash over Trump gas tax holiday as Iran war drives prices higher

Trump backs gas tax suspension amid Iran tensions, facing backlash and GOP skepticism

May 13, 2026 4:22pm EDT / Fox News

By Hannah Brennan Fox News

Lawmakers offer competing solutions to rising fuel costs, with some backing gas tax relief and others pushing alternative policies or a tougher stance on Iran. (Credit: Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital)

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Capitol Hill lawmakers are clashing over President Donald Trump’s proposal to suspend the federal gas tax as prices climb past $4 a gallon amid the conflict with Iran.

Democrats are urging the president to “end the war,” while Republicans are split on whether the plan would deliver real relief.

“He’s got to bring this war to an end if he wants these gas prices to come down,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said. “And he’s gotta stop this war and stop looking for other gimmicks.”

“Why doesn’t he just end the Iran war, which is an illegal war, so that would take care of those issues?” Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said. “He did not get authorization. It’s on President Trump. And the rise in gasoline and everything else, it’s on him.”

DEMOCRATS POUNCE ON $4 A GALLON GAS, BLAME TRUMP’S IRAN WAR FOR ‘BROKEN PROMISE’

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, participates in a news conference in Washington, D.C., June 4, 2024.(Nathan Posner/Anadolu)

Lawmakers made those comments after Trump backed a temporary suspension of the federal gas tax Monday as escalating tensions with Iran pushed fuel prices higher nationwide. Gas prices have climbed to an average of $4.51 a gallon, and diesel prices have risen to $5.66 as of Wednesday, according to AAA.

“I mean, we want to keep costs low,” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said. “Higher gas prices add costs to groceries and everything else, and, so, I think it’s something worthy to consider, and I’d be amenable to it.”

The suspension would potentially slash the cost of each gallon of gasoline by 18.4 cents and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced legislation Monday to suspend the federal gas tax after Trump backed the idea. Hawley’s Gas Tax Suspension Act would provide relief at the pump for at least 90 days, while also allowing for an additional 90-day extension if prices remain elevated.

ENERGY SECRETARY WRIGHT SAYS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OPEN TO SUSPENDING FEDERAL GAS TAX AMID PRICE SURGE

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., during a joint Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security and Government Affairs committees hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on July 30, 2024.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Support for suspending the gas tax has emerged from both parties, but other lawmakers have proposed alternative methods to address rising gas prices.

“I think that year-round E-15 is a better idea,” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said. “Year-round, E-15 would bring down the price of gas maybe 30, 40 cents a gallon. You throw in our credit card bill, it would bring it down another dime, 15 cents a gallon. So, I think those are probably two better ideas to do it.”

E-15 is a cheaper, ethanol-blended gasoline that cannot be sold nationwide during the summer months due to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s pollution rules. Some Republicans, like Marshall, argue year-round access to E-15 would lower gas prices more effectively than a gas tax suspension.

ARAB ALLIES RECOGNIZE IRAN’S DANGER, LAWMAKERS SAY, AS REGION VIEWS REGIME CHANGE CAUTIOUSLY

A sign displays unleaded gasoline and diesel fuel prices at a Chevron gas station in Victorville, Calif., March 17, 2026.(Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

While some lawmakers focused on lowering costs at the pump, others argued the U.S. should maintain or even escalate pressure on Iran despite rising prices.

“Let’s finish Iran — the IRGC anyway — once and for all,” Bacon said. “The Iranian people are great people, but their government is our enemy. They’ve been the most ruthless enemy that we’ve had over four decades.

“They should be pummeled.”

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Bacon’s comments reflect the opinions of a group of Republicans who argue the surge in gas prices is a consequence of taking on Iran, warning that backing off pressure could carry far greater risks.

“Iran with a nuclear weapon is a threat to America and the whole region,” Bacon said.

Hannah Brennan is a Digital Production Assistant on the Politics team. She previously interned at the Aspen Daily News, where she covered local government meetings, community developments, cultural events and nationally significant political events. Her reporting included coverage of the Aspen Security Forum and appearances by prominent leaders such as former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. She graduated early with high distinction from the University of Colorado Boulder in December 2025 and joined Fox News Digital in January 2026.

DHS Secretary Mullin on ICE’s role at FIFA World Cup: “We’re not there to go round up” people

2026-05-13T18:35:00-0400 / https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dhs-secretary-mullin-interview-ice-fifa-immigration-fema-hantavirus/

Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin told CBS News that arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at this summer’s FIFA World Cup in the U.S. are not off the table, but said the agency will not be at the global sporting event to “round up” non-citizens.

Mullin spoke to CBS News exclusively on Tuesday, almost two months into his time at the helm of the Department of Homeland Security.

The agency has dealt with months of upheaval, including its longest shutdown in history, the departure of former Secretary Kristi Noem and controversy over the Trump administration’s approach to immigration enforcement following the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. Now the department is entering into a busy period marked by the World Cup, hurricane season and an outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship.

DHS and its components, including ICE, are expected to play a major role in security at the World Cup, which will host dozens of international soccer teams and upward of a million foreign tourists across 11 American cities.

Asked whether he could assure Americans that ICE’s purpose at the World Cup will be security rather than arresting undocumented migrants, Mullin emphasized the agency’s broader mission of enforcing the U.S.’ customs laws.

“It’s Immigration and Custom[s] Enforcement,” he said. “So what do you find at a tremendous amount of sporting events? Counterfeit products, counterfeit tickets. You have counterfeit clothing being sold on the streets.”

The secretary noted that ICE has long been present at major sporting events, including the Super Bowl, and argued the agency is newly controversial because “media and the public” — then clarifying “the Democrats” — have “made them some type of villain.”

Mullin said that in some cases, law enforcement agents will encounter criminal targets at major sporting events, including people wanted for murder, drug trafficking or other serious crimes, as well as individuals flagged internationally through Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization.

“When they’re at these sporting events, we’re not out there doing immigration enforcement,” he said. “But we are looking for, maybe we have people that shouldn’t be in this country because they’re on terrorist watchlists.”

Pressed on whether the mission at the World Cup is not immigration enforcement, he left room for the possibility of ICE arrests at the sporting event.

“Well, ICE always says immigration enforcement. We’re always going to do that. But we’re not there for solely that purpose. We’re in there to do our job,” he said. “We’re not there to go round up mass individuals, but we are always looking for the worst of the worst. We’re going to continue to do that.”

ICE is expected to get a new leader at the end of this month, as acting ICE Director Todd Lyons leaves the federal government and David Venturella takes over as interim head.

Mullin said Venturella, a longtime immigration official who previously worked at for-profit prison company GEO Group, will run ICE while DHS searches for a permanent director. The agency has not had a Senate-confirmed director in years.

“We want to put somebody there that’s permanent,” Mullin said. “David is going to be a good placeholder, but he’ll be our deputy once we find someone to take the director’s position.”

Mullin on DHS shutdown: “We quit having the ability to be proactive”

Two weeks ago, most of DHS emerged from the longest government shutdown in American history. Funding for the agency had lapsed in mid-February due to disputes in Congress over Democrats’ push to make reforms to the department’s immigration-focused agencies, a push that was amplified after two U.S. citizens were fatally shot by immigration agents in Minnesota.

Lawmakers approved funding last month for all of DHS except for ICE and Border Patrol until September. Congressional Republicans are aiming to separately fund those two agencies through fiscal year 2029 without Democratic votes.

The 76-day shutdown stretched parts of DHS to the breaking point. Hundreds of Transportation Security Administration officers left work due to missed paychecks, employees were furloughed, Coast Guard facilities faced electricity and water shutoffs due to unpaid bills, and DHS offices ran out of even basic essentials like paper clips.

Asked what another shutdown would do to DHS, Mullin said the department would continue to deliver for the American people — but warned of mounting national security consequences.

“The American people saw [DHS] is still going to deliver on mission, but it’s going to continue to hurt our morale and put the American people at risk,” he said.

Mullin said that near the end of the shutdown, DHS could no longer operate as aggressively as it wanted.

“At some point you have to quit being proactive,” he said. “Towards the end of the shutdown, we quit having the ability to be proactive. … Not as proactive as we wanted to. We just have to choose missions.”

He added that the U.S.’ “adversaries didn’t shut down” during that period, and were aware that DHS was vulnerable.

The secretary cited workforce losses as a major compounding problem, with DHS’s cybersecurity agency – dubbed CISA, or the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency – losing 1,100 people over the past year and TSA losing 8.6% of its workforce. TSA’s work, he noted, extends well beyond airports.

“They’re responsible for … security over our pipelines, our infrastructure system,” Mullin said. “They operate a lot of venues like FIFA. They’re going to have 11 venues that they’re going to be providing security for at these games.”

Pressed on whether another shutdown would pose a national security problem, Mullin offered a blunt assessment: “These have huge national security implications. We have 22 components, all of them deal with national security.”

Hantavirus: “This is not COVID”

Mullin said DHS is getting daily updates on hantavirus as public health officials worldwide deal with a deadly outbreak linked to a Dutch-flagged cruise ship, and is coordinating with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the White House.

He drew a sharp distinction between hantavirus and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is not COVID,” he said. “This is not COVID at all.”

He said DHS is taking it seriously, but Americans should not be afraid amid the outbreak.

Mullin says FEMA will show up, but states must do more

With hurricane season set to begin June 1, the secretary said governors should not expect the Federal Emergency Management Agency to vanish — but should anticipate a renewed emphasis on state recovery.

The Trump administration has floated shrinking the size of FEMA or eliminating it altogether. Earlier this month, a council appointed by President Trump proposed a major overhaul of FEMA, suggesting a leaner agency that shifts more responsibility to states to prepare for disasters.

Mullin said most governors understand that disaster response is a shared responsibility.

“They understand that the state has responsibility and the federal government isn’t there to take care of all their problems,” he said. “The states have a role, and we have a role.”

He also said the agency is “talking to governors every day,” and “with the exception of one governor, it’s just been a great conversation.”

Mullin declined to name the governor, saying only: “At some point, if I’ve got to expose this governor, I will be happy to expose this governor. But right now, I’m going to give this gentleman the benefit of the doubt, and we’re going to work through it.”

Mullin said FEMA’s public assistance has not slowed, but he argued that the agency was never designed to handle every stage of recovery. Asked what he would tell Americans in hurricane zones who fear FEMA will not show up, he answered unequivocally.

“We’re still going to show up,” he said. “Absolutely we’re going to show up.”

The DHS secretary also praised Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie as examples of what he considers effective state response.

“Florida could be a model on how to handle disasters,” he said. “And if Florida can do it, then other states can do it too.”

The secretary closed by arguing that the federal government cannot be the answer to every state and local government’s disaster needs.

“If you think the government is here to take care of all your problems, you’re sadly mistaken,” he said. “We’re there to help you get started again on your very, very worst day.”

Johnson and Jeffries appoint bipartisan task force to reform sexual harassment reporting process on Capitol Hill

2026-05-13T23:22:47.987Z / CNN

By Lauren Fox

PUBLISHED May 13, 2026, 7:22 PM ET

The US Capitol at dusk on Tuesday.

Graeme Sloan/Getty Images

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries appointed a bipartisan task force that will work to reform the way sexual harassment claims are handled in Congress.

The effort will be lead by Republican Rep. Kat Cammack and Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez. Each of the women is their party’s respective women’s caucus chair.

The announcement comes amid increased scrutiny over how Congress handles allegations of sexual misconduct and growing frustration even among the institution’s own members about the arduous and complicated reporting process for victims. It also comes after two House members — Eric Swalwell, a Democrat, and Tony Gonzales, a Republican — resigned after both men faced threats of expulsion from Congress.

Congress has long struggled to police itself even after there was a major overhaul to the way it dealt with sexual harassment and other workplace issues in the wake of the #MeToo movement in 2018.

Since that time, the House Ethics Committee, the only entity with the power to make recommendations to punish members of the House, has also come under the microscope as members have criticized the panel for taking sometimes years to offer recommendations.

“Together, we will push for bipartisan changes to make the reporting process faster and more accessible and increase education and training resources, prioritizing staff and survivors at every step. This effort builds on the work of members of the DWC, who have pushed for better support and protections for survivors for years. We bring that expertise and dedication to this partnership,” Leger Fernández said in a statement.

“This effort has the support of Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries because this issue transcends politics. It’s about dignity, accountability, and ensuring that every person who comes to work in the People’s House is treated with respect and protected from abuse,” Cammack said in a statement. “The reality is that coming forward is extraordinarily difficult. Fear of retaliation, damage to careers, public scrutiny, and institutional pressure often silence victims long before justice has a chance to speak. We cannot claim to support women while ignoring the very real barriers that prevent them from reporting misconduct in the first place.”

The effort comes as both Johnson and Jeffries have had to navigate the political implications of losing members of their caucuses to resignations following allegations of sexual misconduct.

“To state the obvious, all women should feel comfortable and safe working in the halls of Congress. As a father who has two daughters working on Capitol Hill — this is as personal to me as it is to anyone,” Johnson said in a statement. “I am happy that Reps. Cammack and Leger Fernández, the respective chairs of the Republican and Democratic Women’s Caucuses, will lead this bipartisan partnership to find ways we can continue to make Capitol Hill safer for women and all staff.”

中国媒体：花旗将获中国第七张外商独资券商牌照

2026年5月14日 07:51 / 联合早报

中国媒体报道，美国花旗将获得中国第七张外商独资券商牌照。

中国媒体报道，美国花旗将获得中国第七张外商独资券商牌照。 （路透社档案照片）

中国媒体报道，美国花旗将获得中国第七张外商独资券商牌照。

据中国财新网报道，在中国证监会行政许可审批进度最新公示信息中，花旗证券（中国）有限公司的《证券公司设立审批》已不再显示，意味着中国第七家外商独资券商牌照的审批工作已走完流程。

报道称，美国总统特朗普星期三（5月13日）起访问中国，花旗集团董事会主席兼行政总裁范洁恩（Jane Fraser）作为商界领袖代表之一随行。

不包括花旗在内，中国有六家外商独资券商，即摩根大通证券（中国）、高盛（中国）证券、渣打证券（中国）、法巴证券（中国）、瑞穗证券（中国），以及由控股转为独资的瑞银证券。

21经济网早前报道，瑞穗证券今年1月完成工商登记正式成立，注册资本23亿元人民币（4.31亿新元）。

Federal judge blocks US sanctions against UN expert on Palestinian territories

May 13, 2026 10:27 PM UTC / Reuters

By Karen Sloan

UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

May 13 (Reuters) – A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked U.S. sanctions against Francesca ​Albanese, a U.N. expert on the ‌Palestinian territories, finding that the Trump administration likely violated her free-speech rights by imposing the measures ​after she criticized U.S. ally Israel’s war in ​Gaza.

The sanctions barred her from entering the ⁠U.S. and banking there. Albanese, an Italian ​lawyer who is U.N. special rapporteur on the ​Israel-occupied Palestinian territories, recommended the International Criminal Court pursue war-crimes prosecutions against Israeli and American nationals.

Jumpstart your morning with the latest legal news delivered straight to your inbox from The Daily Docket newsletter. Sign up here.

• Albanese’s husband ​and daughter, who is a U.S. ​citizen, sued the Trump administration, opens new tab in February, alleging that the ‌U.S. ⁠sanctions are “effectively debanking her and making it nearly impossible to meet the needs of her daily life.”
• U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in ​Washington found ​that Albanese’s ⁠residency outside the U.S. does not undercut her protections under the ​First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution ​and ⁠that the Trump administration sought to regulate her speech because of the “idea or message ⁠expressed.”
• Albanese ​has described sanctions as part ​of a broader U.S. strategy to weaken international accountability ​mechanisms.

Reporting by Karen Sloan; Editing by Cynthia Osterman

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

As Trump fuels Vance vs. Rubio speculation, his vice president makes anti-fraud push

2026-05-13T23:55:41.215Z / CNN

By Kit Maher

PUBLISHED May 13, 2026, 7:55 PM ET

Vice President JD Vance speaks during a press conference at the Eisenhower Executive Office building in Washington, DC, on Wednesday.

Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images

President Donald Trump hosting a televised competition to choose his successor?

Doesn’t sound like him, joked Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday, days after his boss polled a Rose Garden audience on whether Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio should head the 2028 presidential ticket.

Unlike Trump, neither man is talking about their future political ambitions, instead letting their public profiles and actions speak for themselves. And Vance — who compared himself to the kid in “Home Alone,” with both Trump and Rubio in China this week — had the White House campus to himself on Wednesday for an event on fraud.

He announced several new efforts to combat fraud in federal healthcare programs — including one targeting California, whose Democratic governor, himself a 2028 hopeful, is a frequent sparring partner for the administration. But Vance also took reporters’ questions on Iran and cracked a few jokes.

“Well, I just don’t think it sounds like the president of the United States to have a televised competition for who would succeed him as his apprentice,” Vance deadpanned when pressed by CNN on why Trump seems to enjoy pitting him and Rubio against each other.

The president on Monday asked attendees at a Rose Garden dinner to cheer for their preference.

“Who’s it gonna be? Is it gonna be JD? Is it gonna be somebody else? I don’t know,” he said.

And while the audience appeared to clap a little louder for Vance, who attended the event, Trump didn’t cast a vote, instead referring to the pair as the “dream team” and “perfect ticket.”

Vance insisted Wednesday he’s focused on doing his work and that Americans would be put off if he spent energy angling for the top job right now.

“I love Marco. I think he’s a great secretary of state. He’s become a very, very dear friend, but I think both of us are very much focused on accomplishing the American people’s business right now,” he said.

But the 2028 speculation — fanned by Trump’s public comments — is only building as Vance and Rubio, who held his own press briefing at the White House last week, take turns seizing the spotlight.

Vance, who walked out to the podium hours after Trump and Rubio arrived in Beijing, explained why he’s on the home front this week focused on leading the administration’s task force combatting fraud, a job Trump tasked him with earlier this year.

“The president just landed in China a few hours ago,” Vance said, noting how Secret Service protocols require him to stay stateside when Trump is overseas. “On days – today – I sometimes feel like Macaulay Culkin in ‘Home Alone.’ I walk into the White House and it’s very quiet and no one’s there.”

Appearing alongside Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, Vance pushed back on criticism that the administration’s anti-fraud efforts are political in nature.

“If you have a crooked governor, they’re not going to work with us, and we’re going to have to use other tools to ensure that they do,” Vance said. “But I think that there are a lot of governors, Democrat and Republican, who recognize that this is a very serious problem.”

The vice president will take his anti-fraud message on the road on Thursday, when he appears in Bangor, Maine — home to one of the most competitive Senate races in November’s midterms. He said he’ll also campaign with former Gov. Paul LePage, who’s running for a US House district that the GOP has high hopes of flipping this year.

Vance has consistently traveled domestically as vice president, visiting states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina to be Trump’s messenger on what the administration sees as its policy wins. He has fundraised as Republican National Committee finance chair and talked to young conservatives at Turning Point USA events.

But on the same day Vance was in Iowa last week, stumping for a Republican congressman, Rubio was holding court in Washington as the first Cabinet secretary to fill in for press secretary Karoline Leavitt during her maternity leave. His team capitalized on a moment when he was asked about his hope for America by crafting a campaign-like video that sent the 2028 rumor mill spinning.

It came during an eventful stretch for the secretary of state, who also visited Pope Leo XIV last week and added another role to his resume: wedding DJ, according to video on social media.

Vance has previously appeared at the White House briefing room podium and is expected to return in Leavitt’s absence, according to a White House official.

And on Wednesday, he took questions from the press on a range of topics, including the looming foreign policy questions of the day.

Vance — who was dispatched to Pakistan for talks with the Iranians last month — noted how he was on the phone earlier in the day with envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner talking about the state of negotiations to end the war.

He was also asked to explain Trump’s comment on Tuesday that he’s not motivated by Americans’ financial situation when he’s pushing for a deal with Iran.

Vance defended Trump, arguing his remark had been taken out of context, before adding that the administration does care.

“Of course, the president and I and the entire team, we care about the American people’s financial situations.”

Lutnick testified he knew little about Epstein, his next-door neighbor

May 13, 2026 / 6:41 PM EDT / CBS News

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said he was unaware for years that his next-door neighbor Jeffrey Epstein was a registered sex offender, according to a transcript of testimony released Wednesday by the House Oversight Committee.

Lutnick also described a “crude” remark Epstein once made about getting “the right kind of massage.”

“He said it to me, and my wife is standing next to me, and we looked at each other, and we left,” Lutnick said.

Lutnick recounted that conversation as he voluntarily testified before the committee behind closed doors on May 6. He faced questions about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and his evolving statements about their history.

That day, Democrats on the committee accused Lutnick of being evasive, saying he “made a farce of the English language” in order to mislead the public, and calling on him to resign over his changing accounts of his interactions with the late sex offender.

But GOP Rep. James Comer, the Oversight Committee’s chairman, said Democrats were twisting Lutnick’s words and had come into the interview to push a “narrative” to damage President Trump.

“It’s never about holding people accountable that should have prosecuted Epstein years ago. It’s always about Donald Trump,” Comer told reporters on May 6.

The files revealed that Epstein and Lutnick were in business together as recently as 2014, investing simultaneously in a now-shuttered advertising company called Adfin.

Lutnick said during the deposition that he was unaware Epstein was also an early investor in the company.

Lutnick has for years insisted he had little relationship with Epstein, who was his neighbor in New York City, but has more recently acknowledged visiting Epstein’s private island with his family in 2012 — after the files documenting the trip were made public.

Lutnick, his wife, Allison, and their children visited Little St. James, Epstein’s Caribbean island, not long before Epstein and Lutnick invested in Adfin. An undated photo from the files shows Epstein and Lutnick among a group of men on the island.

An undated photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Howard Lutnick (in blue shirt) on Epstein’s island. U.S. Department of Justice / Internet Archive

Lutnick, the former chairman of the financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, has previously said he cut ties with Epstein in 2005, three years before Epstein entered a guilty plea to state prostitution charges in Florida.

Lutnick told the committee he purchased the property next to Epstein’s home on New York’s Upper East Side in 1997, but didn’t move in until after renovations were complete in 2005. Lutnick said he met Epstein just three times, including his family’s island visit.

During the 2005 visit, a coffee and tour of Epstein’s townhouse that Lutnick said his wife also joined, he said he was turned off by a crude comment related to a massage table in the home, and he concluded he didn’t want a relationship with Epstein. He also described one other meeting, a discussion about Epstein’s foyer.

Lutnick was the latest in a parade of powerful people to testify for the committee after their names or pictures appeared in the more than 3 million pages of records known as the Epstein files. Others who testified include the executors of Epstein’s estate, as well as former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and billionaire businessman Les Wexner. They have not been accused of wrongdoing and denied any knowledge of Epstein’s abuses.

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi has agreed to testify before the panel later this month.

It never ends: GOP moves to fund border, Democrats blast Trump spending

May 13, 2026 7:18pm EDT / Fox News

Republicans are using a special process called budget reconciliation to bypass Democrats

By Chad Pergram Fox News

Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on Congress facing a June 1 deadline for I.C.E. and Border Patrol funding on ‘Special Report.’

This story never ends.

The government is still not fully funded for the rest of the fiscal year – meaning September 30.

Yes. The House and Senate approved a bipartisan bill funding most of the Department of Homeland Security in late April. It’s similar to what the Senate approved unilaterally in late March. But the House never took it up until just before a recent Congressional recess.

Now the GOP is trying to go around Democrats and pass a three-year bill to fund ICE and the Border Patrol. Democrats never secured reforms at ICE. So they aren’t willing to help out. That’s why Republicans are using a special process called budget reconciliation to bypass Democrats.

President Donald Trump holds a design of a proposed presidential ballroom at the White House.(Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg)

The only hitch is that it takes a while. The goal is to pass this bill by June 1.

House GOP pushes back on Senate’s ‘skinny’ plan to end record-breaking DHS shutdown

Republican Congressional leaders initially wanted to make this bill rather spare, just funding ICE and Border Patrol. But they expanded that measure to include $1 billion for President Trump’s ballroom security after the recent assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

So Democrats are launching a blitz about the ballroom.

RELATED: REPUBLICANS QUESTION TRUMP BALLROOM FUNDING IN DHS BILL

“Republicans say let them eat cake and demand American taxpayers build Trump a palace while they’re at it,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) “These ‘ballroom Republicans’ have a constituency of one: Donald Trump’s ego.”

“The president just plowed down the East Wing of the White House. And it sits there as a gaping hole waiting to be filled. It was going to be his billionaire buddies filling it. Now it’s the American taxpayers,” complained Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)

Senate Republican leaders initially insisted that the latest funding bill only stick to funding Border Patrol and ICE.

“While my personal preference is to put as much as you possibly can in this reconciliation vehicle, there may only be an appetite for Border Patrol or ICE,” said Rep. Russell Fry (R-S.C.)

But the decision by GOP leaders to shove $1 billion into the bill opens the floor for other Republicans to stuff additional priorities into this budget reconciliation measure.

“I’d love to see the SAVE Act in some form or fashion,” said Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) on Fox, referring to the bill which requires proof of citizenship to vote.

“There are a lot of good conservative wins that we can put forth for the American people,” said Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) on Fox Business.

Some pro-life Republicans are pushing an extension of a ban on money for Planned Parenthood. The prohibition expires later this year.

“It’s been a very thorny issue. It’s all under negotiation right now,” said President Trump.

Meantime, Republicans accuse Democrats of returning to their mantra to defund the police as they fight Border Patrol and ICE funding. Democrats remain opposed because they never secured the safeguards they wanted for ICE after what happened this winter in Minnesota.

“My Democrat colleagues refused to provide a single dollar for the men and women who protect our borders,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as Democrats criticize a DHS funding proposal.(Mariam Zuhaib/AP Photo)

Efforts to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security emerged as a flashpoint in recent years. There are too many controversial policy areas fused together under one federal roof. That’s why there’s now a bipartisan plan to permanently split up DHS.

“It’s just become too big. It’s become too bureaucratic,” said Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), one of the chief sponsors of the bill.

The legislation would make the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) its own cabinet-level department. The Secret Service would report directly to the President. And the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) would head to the Department of Transportation.

Consider the consternation by travelers with the government not paying TSA during the 43-day comprehensive government shutdown. The same thing happened over the winter and into the spring as DHS remained unfunded.

Moskowitz believes his legislation would curb some government shutdowns. And, it would shield tourists from fiscal fallout.

“The American people’s travel cannot be held up in the political dysfunction of Washington,” said Moskowitz.

But that debate is for another day. The immediate question is if the Republican-led House and Senate can advance the package to finish off funding for ICE and CBP.

Secret Service Director Sean Curran met with Senate Republicans over lunch Tuesday to defend the $1 billion request.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) was skeptical after she emerged from the meeting, noting that the Administration needed to provide “justifications” and “details,” not “just toplines.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) as he defends a DHS funding proposal on Capitol Hill.(Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) defended the spending request.

“You’ve got a President with three assassination attempts just in the last two years. And obviously the money that’s in there is about securing the building. And the Secret Service has a job to protect the president. We need to make sure they have the tools to do it,” said Thune.

After the meeting, Thune said Curran “did a very good job of laying it out and developing the case for why these resources need to be used.”

Other lawmakers need to hear more.

House lawmakers sit in the chamber on Capitol Hill.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“I don’t know if they’re talking about infrastructure dollars or other kind of technology,” said Rep. Dave Taylor (R-Ohio). “I need to see the details before I pass judgment on whether or not the request is reasonable.”

Remember that Republicans want to support the President. But they also don’t want anything attached which will hold up ICE and Border Patrol funding. Especially this late in the game.

“Members are diving in a little bit. They want to understand how much of this is really related to security,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) “Obviously, we have to keep the President and his guests safe. But when you’re talking about $1 billion, members are going to ask a lot of questions. They’re digging into details. I don’t think we know exactly how this shakes out yet.”

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Here’s what we do know: The Senate Budget Committee won’t meet until late next week to prep its version of the bill – regardless of what’s in or out of it.

The Senate must then conduct a “vote-a-rama” which goes around the clock to adopt the measure. Then whatever the Senate adopts goes to the House.

This won’t play out until the final days of next week, just before the Memorial Day recess. President Trump established June 1 as a deadline for finishing this bill.

The House just adjusted its schedule for next week. The House won’t meet for votes until next Wednesday, May 20. That means there’s a chance the House may need to hang around Washington for part of Memorial Day weekend to pass the bill. The House and Senate are both scheduled to be out of session for Memorial Day week itself.

If lawmakers pass this bill, the fight over all government funding for Fiscal Year 2026 will finally conclude. That’s sixteen months after House and Senate committees were hearing testimony from cabinet departments and agencies about what they needed for last fall.

RELATED: SENATE TAKES MAJOR FIRST STEP TO PREVENT FUTURE SHUTDOWNS WITH PAINFUL ACCOUNTABILITY PLAY

And yet this story continues.

Even if they pass this final tranche of funding for DHS, lawmakers have to start again on the spending hamster wheel for this fall. Otherwise, there’s another government shutdown on October 1.

Chad Pergram currently serves as Chief Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.

鉴于美国总统特朗普力推宽松货币政策，人们普遍预期沃什会更倾向于降息，但他将面临来自美联储内部的挑战。图为沃什4月21日在国会出席参议院银行委员会的确认听证会。 （路透社档案照片）

美国参议院周三以54票赞成、45票反对的投票结果，正式确认特朗普总统提名的沃什出任美国联邦储备局下一任主席，任期四年。

参议院已在一天前，即5月12日投票确认沃什（Kevin Warsh）出任美联储理事。

沃什2006年至2011年曾担任美联储理事，近年来对美联储持批评态度，主张调整美联储沟通策略和通胀衡量指标。

美联储现任主席鲍威尔的任期将于5月15日到期。由于联邦检察官1月初就美联储办公楼翻新项目发起刑事调查，对美联储“独立性”遭政治干预的担忧导致沃什出任美联储理事和主席提名的确认在参议院银行、住房和城市事务委员会一度遇阻。

沃什此前承诺，将对美联储进行“体制变革”。但由于通胀率仍高于美联储2%的长期目标，且由于特朗普发动的伊朗战争而持续攀升，沃什不太可能说服美联储利率决策委员会的其他成员立即降息。这可能会让他容易受到特朗普的攻击，特朗普曾多次就利率决策抨击鲍威尔。

布鲁金斯学会高级研究员韦塞尔告诉法新社：“沃什面临的最大挑战很可能是与特朗普总统打交道。总统不尊重美联储的独立性，他希望利率走低。”

哥伦比亚大学法学教授贾奇认为，尽管沃什是特朗普钦点的人选，就像九年前的鲍威尔一样，但没有理由相信美联储面对的降息压力会减轻。

她说：“美联储官员已经意识到，这位总统愿意动用一切可用手段胁迫他们屈服于他的要求。”

民主党人反对沃什的任命，认为鉴于特朗普的立场，沃什无法维护美联储在货币政策上的独立性。特朗普已明确表示，他期待沃什降低利率。

NAACP says Tennessee redistricting intentionally discriminates on basis of race

May 13, 2026 11:44 PM UTC / Reuters

By Kanishka Singh

Demonstrators protest inside the Tennessee state Capitol on the final day of a special session in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., May 7, 2026. REUTERS/Seth Herald/File Photo

WASHINGTON, May 13 (Reuters) – U.S. civil rights group NAACP said on Wednesday the new congressional map approved last week by Tennessee ​Republicans intentionally discriminated on the basis of race against Black ‌voters.

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• The United States’ largest civil rights group said it filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.
• The lawsuit ​alleges Tennessee lawmakers “intentionally redrew Congressional District 9 – a district anchored ​in Memphis for more than 50 years – to crack ⁠the majority-Black district across multiple districts, with the intent of eliminating ​Black voting power and depriving them of a meaningful opportunity to ​elect candidates of their choice,” the NAACP said.
• Tennessee Republicans approved a new congressional map last week, as several other Southern states seek to leverage a U.S. Supreme ​Court decision from late April that severely weakened the landmark Voting Rights ​Act.
• The redistricting plan “violates the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution by ‌intentionally ⁠discriminating on the basis of race,” NAACP said.
• Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett and the state Election Commission had no immediate comment on the suit in which their offices were named as defendants.
• Republican ​President Donald Trump launched a national ​mid-decade redistricting ⁠battle between Democrats and Republicans last year ahead of this year’s midterm elections.
• The Republican Party is aiming ​in the elections to retain its current thin ​majorities in ⁠the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.
• Republican-led states are moving to test new limits of minority-vote protections following the Supreme Court’s April 29 ⁠decision.
• Civil ​rights groups have sued to challenge the ​redrawing of districts that have a significant population of communities of color.

Reporting by Kanishka ​Singh in Washington; additional reporting by Bianca Flowers; Editing by Lincoln Feast.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.