President Donald Trump unveiled an executive order reinstating a ‘maximum pressure’ campaign against Iran on Tuesday, coinciding with a visit from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House. 

Trump voiced that he was ‘torn’ on signing the order and admitted he was ‘unhappy to do it,’ noting that that the executive order was very tough on Iran. 

‘Hopefully, we’re not going to have to use it very much,’ Trump told reporters Tuesday. 

The order instructs the Treasury Department to execute ‘maximum economic pressure’ upon Iran through a series of sanctions aimed at sinking Iran’s oil exports. 

His first administration also adopted a ‘maximum pressure’ initiative against Tehran, issuing greater sanctions and harsher enforcement for violations. 

Lawmakers are also interested in exerting more pressure on Iran. For example, Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and John Fetterman, D-Penn., along with lawmakers in the House, introduced a resolution on Thursday that affirms that all options should remain on the table in dealing with Iran’s nuclear threat. 

Graham said in a statement Thursday that should Iran obtain a nuclear weapon it would prove ‘one of the most destabilizing and dangerous events in world history.’ 

Additionally, Graham said ahead of Netanyahu’s visit that the moment is right to eliminate Iran’s nuclear threat now, and that the U.S. should back Israel if it chooses to ‘decimate’ Iran’s nuclear program.

‘Israel is strong. Iran is weak. Hezbollah, Hamas have been decimated,’ Graham said in an interview with Fox News Sunday. ‘They’re not finished off, but they’ve been weakened. And there’s an opportunity to hit the Iran nuclear program in a fashion I haven’t seen in decades. And I think it would be in the world’s interest for us to decimate the Iranian nuclear threat while we can. If we don’t, we will regret it later.’

Strict sanctions were reimposed upon Iran after Trump withdrew from the Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in May 2018. The 2015 agreement brokered under the Obama administration had lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for limits on Iran’s nuclear program. 

Meanwhile, Trump signaled in January some optimism about securing a nuclear deal with Iran when asked if he backed Israel striking Iran’s nuclear facilities. 

‘We’ll have to see. I’m going to be meeting with various people over the next couple of days,’ Trump told reporters Jan. 24. ‘We’ll see, but hopefully that could be worked out without having to worry about it.’

‘Iran hopefully will make a deal. I mean, they don’t make a deal, I guess that’s OK, too,’ Trump said. 

Other executive orders that Trump signed on Tuesday include pulling the U.S. out of the United Nations Human Rights Council and cutting funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). 

Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded President Donald Trump’s leadership when asked who should take credit for the ceasefire deal reached in the waning days of the Biden administration.

‘Prime Minister Netanyahu, we’ve heard Joe Biden and Donald Trump take credit for the hostage and ceasefire deal. Who do you think deserves more credit?’ Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Netanyahu as he joined Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday. 

‘I think President Trump had a great force and powerful leadership to this effort. I appreciate it,’ Netanyahu responded. ‘He sent a very good emissary. He’s helped a lot. And, you know, I’ll just tell you, I’m happy that they’re here. And I’m sure the president is happy that they’re here. And I would think that’s about enough.’ 

Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal Jan. 15, just days before Biden exited the White House, and Trump entered it, on Jan. 20. The ceasefire followed a meeting between Trump’s then-incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Netanyahu. 

Credit for the ceasefire was claimed by both Biden and Trump, with the 46th president taking a victory lap for the achievement in the opening remarks of his farewell address to the nation. 

‘After eight months of nonstop negotiation, my administration — by my administration — a cease-fire and hostage deal has been reached by Israel and Hamas, the elements of which I laid out in great detail in May of this year,’ Biden said in his farewell address. 

‘This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely implemented by the incoming administration. That’s why I told my team to keep the incoming administration fully informed, because that’s how it should be, working together as Americans.’ 

At another point of Tuesday’s joint press conference, Netanyahu argued that chances of peace in the Middle East increase when he and Trump — and Israel and the U.S. overall — work side by side. 

‘When Israel and the United States work together, and President Trump and I work together, you know, the chances go up a lot [to reach the second phase of the ceasefire deal],’ he said. ‘It’s when we don’t work together, when Israel and the United States don’t work together, that creates problems. When the other side sees daylight between us, and occasionally in the last few years … then it’s more difficult.’ 

Trump invited Netanyahu to the White House to discuss the ceasefire deal’s future, and Iran’s grip in the Middle East and resettling Gaza residents in other nations.

Iran has been at the forefront of Hamas’ war on Israel, assisting in funding the effort. Trump said during the press conference that war would not have broken out if he had been president back on Oct. 7, 2023 — citing that Iran was financially hobbled under his first administration. 

‘Iran was in big trouble when I left. They were broke,’ Trump said. ‘They didn’t have money for Hamas. They didn’t have any money for Hezbollah. You had no problem. October 7th could have never happened when I left.’ 

Netanyahu vowed during the press conference that he would bring home the remaining hostages in Hamas captivity, while adding that ‘Hamas is not going to be in Gaza’ much longer. 

Trump added that Gaza is too dangerous for even the soldiers currently on the ground. 

‘It’s too dangerous for people. Nobody wants to be there,’ he said. ‘Warriors don’t want to be there. Soldiers don’t want to be there. How can you have people go back? You’re saying go back into Gaza now? The same thing’s going to happen.’ 

‘It’ll only be death,’ he said. 

Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk’s DOGE efforts to slash government waste and streamline the federal bureaucracy include the hiring of several up-and-coming young software engineers tasked with ‘modernizing federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.’ 

Six young men between the ages of 19 and 24 — Akash Bobba, Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Gautier Cole Killian, Gavin Kliger and Ethan Shaotran — have taken up various roles furthering the DOGE agenda, according to a report from Wired.

Bobba was part of the highly regarded Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology program at UC Berkeley and has held internships at the Bridgewater Associates hedge fund, Meta and Palantir.

‘Let me tell you something about Akash,’ Grata AI CEO Charis Zhang posted on X about Bobba in recent days. ‘During a project at Berkeley, I accidentally deleted our entire codebase 2 days before the deadline. I panicked. Akash just stared at the screen, shrugged, and rewrote everything from scratch in one night — better than before. We submitted early and got first in the class. Many such stories. I trust him with everything I own.’

Coristine, a recent high school graduate who studied mechanical engineering and physics at Northwestern, previously worked for Musk’s Neuralink project, Wired reported.

Bobba and Costine reportedly work directly under Anna Scales as ‘experts’ at the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM). 

Kliger is listed on LinkedIn as a special advisor to the director of OPM and attended UC Berkeley in 2020. Kliger has also worked at the AI company Databricks. Kliger’s substack contains a post, ‘The Curious Case of Matt Gaetz: How the Deep State Destroys Its Enemies,’ as well as another titled ‘Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense: The Warrior Washington Fears.’

Another post on the substack is headlined, ‘Why I gave up a seven-figure salary to save America.’

Killian is listed as a volunteer for DOGE who attended McGill University after graduating from high school in 2019. Wired reported that Killian previously worked as an engineer at a company called Jump Trading that deals with high-frequency financial trades and algorithms.

Shaotran was studying computer science at Harvard University last year and is the founder of Energize AI, an OpenAI-backed startup. Additionally, Shaotran participated in a ‘hackathon’ sponsored by an Elon Musk company where he finished in second place. 

Farritor, who dropped out of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has a working GSA email address, was previously an intern for SpaceX and is also a Thiel fellow. 

In 2023, at 21years old, Farritor became the first person to successfully decode text inside a 2,000-year-old Greek scroll using AI, according to the University of Nebraska website.

According to Wired, Bobba, Coristine, Farritor and Shaotran have working GSA emails along with A-suite level clearance that allows them to work on the top floor at GSA with access to all IT systems. 

Fox News Digital reached out to OPM and GSA for comment. 

Speaking to Fox News’ Peter Doocy in the Oval Office Tuesday, President Donald Trump praised the intelligence of some of the young hires working for DOGE.

‘That’s good,’ Trump said of the hires as young as 19. ‘They’re very smart, though, Peter. They’re like you. They’re very smart people.

‘No, I haven’t seen them,’ Trump said when asked if he had met the team. ‘They work, actually, out of the White House as smart people, unlike what they do in the control towers. We need smart people. We should use some of them in the control towers, where we were putting people that were actually intellectually deficient. That was one of the qualifications is you could be intellectually deficient.

‘No. We need smart people. Some are young and some are not young. Some are not young at all. But they found great things. Look at the list of things. I’ll … maybe I’ll do it tomorrow. I’ll read off a list of 15 or 20 things that they found inside of the USAID. It has to be corrupt.’

Elon Musk has also publicly posted online about the qualifications he is looking for and the strength of his team. 

‘If you’re a hardcore software engineer and want to build the everything app, please join us by sending your best work to code@x.com,’ Musk posted on X in January. ‘We don’t care where you went to school or even whether you went to school or what ‘big name’ company you worked at. Just show us your code.’

In another X post this week, Musk wrote, ‘Time to confess: Media reports saying that @DOGE has some of world’s best software engineers are in fact true.’

Wired cited sources who raised concerns about Musk’s team’s clearance, and Democrats in Congress have been railing against DOGE in recent days, arguing that DOGE has received improper access to various government systems. 

Musk has pushed back on the criticism from Democrats, including allegations about DOGE’s involvement in treasury payment oversight. 

‘The @DOGE team discovered, among other things, that payment approval officers at Treasury were instructed always to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups. They literally never denied a payment in their entire career. Not even once,’ Musk, the chair of DOGE, posted early Saturday morning to X. 

Musk also responded to Democratic critics, including those upset about his efforts to push reforms at USAID, saying the ‘hysterical reactions’ demonstrate the importance of DOGE’s work.

‘An unelected shadow government is conducting a hostile takeover of the federal government,’ a post on Democratic New York Sen. Chuck Schumer’s X account states, echoing remarks the lawmaker made during a press conference. 

‘DOGE is not a real government agency. DOGE has no authority to make spending decisions. DOGE has no authority to shut programs down or to ignore federal law. DOGE’s conduct cannot be allowed to stand. Congress must take action to restore the rule of law.’

Musk described the effort to slash government waste and bureaucracy as a one-time opportunity.

‘Hysterical reactions like this is how you know that @DOGE is doing work that really matters,’ he wrote in response to Schumer. 

‘This is the one shot the American people have to defeat BUREAUcracy, rule of the bureaucrats, and restore DEMOcracy, rule of the people. We’re never going to get another chance like this. It’s now or never. Your support is crucial to the success of the revolution of the people.’

Since its creation last month, DOGE’s X account has provided updates on its work to cut government spending, including an announcement last week that it had cut more than $1 billion from federal spending through now-defunct diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and personnel. 

‘DOGE is fulfilling President Trump’s commitment to making government more accountable, efficient and, most importantly, restoring proper stewardship of the American taxpayer’s hard-earned dollars,’ a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

‘Those leading this mission with Elon Musk are doing so in full compliance with federal law, appropriate security clearances and as employees of the relevant agencies, not as outside advisors or entities. The ongoing operations of DOGE may be seen as disruptive by those entrenched in the federal bureaucracy, who resist change. While change can be uncomfortable, it is necessary and aligns with the mandate supported by more than 77 million American voters.’

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report

The Senate voted late Tuesday to confirm Pam Bondi, President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, voting 54-46 to install the longtime prosecutor and former Florida attorney general to head the U.S. Department of Justice. 

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., bucked his party to make the vote bipartisan. He was the only Democrat to join Republicans in support of the nominee. 

Bondi’s confirmation comes as both the Justice Department and FBI have been under scrutiny by Democrats in Congress who have raised concerns over Trump’s recent decision to pardon or commute the sentences of 1,600 defendants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots and to oust more than 15 inspectors general and special counsel investigators. 

To date, there are no known plans to conduct sweeping removals or take punitive action against the agents involved in the Jan. 6 investigations.

But U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove sparked fresh concerns last week after he directed the acting FBI director to identify all current and former bureau employees assigned to the Jan. 6 cases for internal review. 

The effort prompted FBI agents to file two separate lawsuits Tuesday seeking emergency injunctive relief in federal court, arguing in the lawsuits that any effort by the DOJ or FBI to review or discriminate against agents involved in the Jan. 6 probe would be both ‘unlawful and retaliatory’ and a violation of civil service protections.

Bondi has repeatedly said she will not use her position to advance any political agenda, a refrain she returned to many times during her hours-long confirmation hearing. 

‘Politics has to be taken out of this system,’ Bondi told the Senate Judiciary Committee last month. 

Bondi’s nomination earned praise both from Republicans and some Democrats in the chamber for her composure and her ability to deftly navigate thorny and politically tricky topics and lines of questioning from some would-be detractors. 

She was widely expected to glide to confirmation after the hearing, and her nomination had earned the praise of more than 110 former senior Justice Department officials, including former attorneys general and dozens of Democratic and Republican state attorneys general, who praised her experience and work across party and state lines.

Those backers described Bondi in interviews and letters previewed exclusively by Fox News Digital as an experienced and motivated prosecutor whose record has proven to be more as a consensus builder than a bridge-burner.

‘It is all too rare for senior Justice Department officials — much less Attorneys General — to have such a wealth of experience in the day-to-day work of keeping our communities safe,’ former Justice Department officials wrote in a letter urging her confirmation.

Bondi’s former colleagues in Florida also told Fox News Digital they expect her to bring the same playbook she used in Florida to Washington, this time, with an eye toward cracking down on drug trafficking, illicit fentanyl use and cartels responsible for smuggling drugs across the border.

Democrat Dave Aronberg, who challenged Bondi in her bid for Florida attorney general, told Fox News Digital in an interview he was stunned when Bondi called him after winning the race and asked him to be her drug czar.

He also praised Bondi for staring down political challenges before noting that when she took office in Florida, Bondi ‘received a lot of pushback’ from members of the Republican Party’ for certain actions, including appointing a Democrat to a top office. 

‘But she stood up to them, and she did what she thought was right, regardless of political pressure,’ Aaronberg told Fox News Digital on the eve of her confirmation vote. ‘So, that’s what gives me hope here, is that she’ll right the ship and refocus the Department of Justice on policy not politics.’ 

In floor remarks Monday evening, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley praised Bondi’s prosecutorial experience and her time as a public servant, noting that she made history as the first female attorney general in Florida. 

Bondi ‘fought against pill mills, eliminated the backlog of rape test kits and stood for law and order,’ Grassley told lawmakers shortly before the Senate cloture vote, noting that Bondi ‘was easily re-elected to a second term’ as state attorney general ‘because she did such a great job.’

Democrats are warning that Americans will face higher costs and end up paying the price for new tariffs President Donald Trump is imposing against Mexico, Canada and China. 

The White House announced Friday that in response to an ‘invasion of illegal fentanyl’ to the U.S., it would impose a 25% tariff on all goods entering the United States from Mexico and Canada, a 10% tariff on Canadian energy and a 10% tariff on all goods entering the U.S. from China. 

Tariffs against China went into effect Tuesday, although Trump agreed to push back tariffs against Mexico and Canada by at least one month after discussions with each respective country about securing the border.

While Trump acknowledged Friday the tariffs might result in ‘temporary, short-term disruption,’ Democrats claim American taxpayers will end up hurting and paying the price. 

According to one Washington think tank, the nonpartisan Peterson Institute for International Economics, these rounds of tariffs are expected to cost U.S. households roughly $1,200 a year annually. 

As a result, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., took a jab at Trump and mocked the president’s coined expression about a ‘golden age’ of economic prosperity. 

‘President Trump kickstarted a golden age of higher costs for American families with his 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico,’ Schumer said Monday on the Senate floor. ‘Two of our four biggest trading partners by issuing his tariffs. Donald Trump is yet again rigging the game for his billionaire friends, while doing nothing to lower costs for American families.’

‘The Trump tariffs will make gas prices go up, and we should not listen at all to Donald Trump when he says it’s about stopping fentanyl,’ Schumer said. ‘That’s nonsense. There are other ways to stop fentanyl without making inflation worse and raising costs on the American family.’

Additionally, Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., introduced legislation Thursday that would increase legislative branch oversight before imposing new tariffs. Specifically, the legislation would require the president to brief Congress on tariff proposals and impacts on the U.S. economy and foreign policy interests.

The measure, known as the Stopping Tariffs on Allies and Bolstering Legislative Exercise of (STABLE) Trade Policy Act, also would require approval from Congress before executing any new tariffs on U.S. allies or other free trade agreement partners. 

Coons warned that the American people would pay the price for the tariffs, which he labeled the ‘largest tax increase’ on Americans in a long time. Coons also cautioned that imposing tariffs on Mexico and Canada would turn them into ‘nervous neighbors’ and could jeopardize relationships with allies. 

‘China, Mexico, and Canada are our three largest trading partners,’ Coons said in a statement Friday. ‘It’s the largest tax increase on working Americans in a long time, and it will cost them thousands of dollars every year. President Trump is making America expensive again.’ 

Experts have warned that the costs of foods like avocados, dairy and certain meats could go up as a result of the tariffs. For example, Kelly Beaton, the chief content officer at The Food Institute, noted that the U.S. receives a large portion of hog and beef imports from Canada. These tariffs ‘will undoubtedly’ lead to higher import costs, and, ultimately, higher beef and pork prices for American consumers, she said, Fox Business reports. 

Likewise, Democratic Reps. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., and Don Beyer, D-Va., also introduced legislation in January that would block Trump from using emergency powers to implement tariffs, amid concerns that American consumers would end up footing the bill.

‘Not only would widespread tariffs drive up costs at home and likely send our economy into recession, but they would likely lead to significant retaliation, hurting American workers, farmers, and businesses,’ DelBene said in a statement on Jan. 15. 

In response to Americans absorbing costs from the tariffs, Trump said in a post Sunday on Truth Social: ‘WILL THERE BE SOME PAIN? YES, MAYBE (AND MAYBE NOT!). BUT WE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, AND IT WILL ALL BE WORTH THE PRICE THAT MUST BE PAID.’

While Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told NBC News’ ’60 Minutes’ he predicted tariffs would drive up consumer costs, other Republicans like Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. told Fox News Sunday that the tariffs are designed to ‘get these countries to change their behavior.’

The tariffs were being imposed due to an ‘unprecedented invasion of illegal fentanyl that is killing American citizens,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday.  

Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke on Monday, resulting in the postponement of the tariffs against Mexico for one month. Additionally, Sheinbaum promised to dispatch 10,000 troops to the U.S.–Mexico border. 

Likewise, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled plans for a $1.3 billion border plan, requiring reinforcements at the border with ‘new choppers, technology and personnel, enhanced coordination with our American partners, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl.’

‘Nearly 10,000 frontline personnel are and will be working on protecting the border,’ Trudeau said in a social media post on X on Monday. 

While Trudeau initially unveiled plans for Canada’s own 25% tariffs on up to $155 billion in U.S. imports on items such as fruit and alcohol. But Trudeau said Sunday the tariffs were on pause for at least 30 more days amid negotiations with the U.S. 

Trudeau also said that ‘we will list cartels as terrorists, ensure 24/7 eyes on the border, launch a Canada- U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering.’ 

Fox News’ Brooke Singman and Daniella Genovese contributed to this report. 

Support for President Donald Trump’s vision for the U.S. to ‘take over the Gaza Strip,’ level it and rebuild the area came flooding in on Tuesday after a news conference announcing the plan.

The comments were made following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in which Trump claimed the U.S. would take over the Strip and make it safe again.

‘The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,’ Trump stated. ‘We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site.’

Trump’s sentiments were echoed by many officials across the social media platform X.

‘Trump’s proposed USA takeover of the Gaza Strip may sound out of the box, but it is brilliant, historic and the only idea I have heard in 50 years that has a chance of bringing security, peace and prosperity to this troubled region,’ Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman wrote.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Cabinet Secretary Taylor Budowich also expressed that it was ‘Time to think different, stop the killing!’

‘Pres. Trump’s pursuit of peace and prosperity for all is truly visionary. Gaza shouldn’t be a pile of rubble that provides refuge to terrorists, especially when it so easily can become Dubai 2.0. Time to think different, stop the killing!,’ he wrote on X.

In a second post, he said that there is a need for lasting peace.

‘President Trump’s bold and unwavering pursuit for peace continues with a humanitarian’s heart. The killing must stop, the war must end, and we must realize lasting PEACE. That’s why the United States will work with Israel to secure Gaza and find a lasting home for the Palestinian people,’ Budowich stated.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed with the president, saying that ‘Gaza MUST BE FREE from Hamas. As @POTUS shared today, the United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again. Our pursuit is one of lasting peace in the region for all people.’

Netanyahu said during the news conference with Trump that the Gaza Strip has become ‘a symbol of death and destruction for so many decades and so bad for the people anywhere near it.’

He also lauded Trump’s tenacity and ability ‘to think outside the box’ during his comments to the press. 

Sen. Rick Scott seemingly agreed with Netanyahu, writing in an X post, ‘Hamas terrorists murdered babies and burned people alive. They are evil monsters. Thank God we finally have a president who is committed to standing with Israel and working with Netanyahu on how to support their efforts to get terrorists out of Gaza and bring every hostage home.’

Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne is one of many who stand for the president’s radical movement to change how this country is being run and agrees this is the right move for peace.

‘The world is looking to the United States for leadership and President @realDonaldTrump is delivering lasting peace! Today’s announcement put Hamas, Iran, and all our enemies on notice — the U.S. will NOT continue the status quo that has empowered terrorists and created a humanitarian disaster,’ she said.

Not everyone is onboard, though Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry issued a statement to Trump, noting a call for an independent Palestinian state was a ‘firm, steadfast and unwavering position.’ 

‘The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that the position of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the establishment of the Palestinian state is a firm, unwavering position, and His Highness the Prime Minister – may God protect him – has affirmed this position in a clear and explicit manner that does not allow for any interpretation under any circumstances,’ the statement said.

Saudi Arabia and the U.S. are in negotiations over a deal to diplomatically recognize Israel in exchange for a security pact among other terms.

‘The duty of the international community today is to work to alleviate the severe human suffering endured by the Palestinian people, who will remain committed to their land and will not budge from it,’ the Saudi statement said.

Hamas also wrote a statement criticizing Trump’s comments.

‘We reject Trump’s statements in which he said that the residents of the Gaza Strip have no choice but to leave, and we consider them a recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region,’ the group said.

Hamas has recently reaffirmed control over the Gaza Strip following the start of the ceasefire and has said they will not release hostages without an end to the war and Israeli forces’ full withdrawal.

Overseas missions for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have reportedly been told to shut down and that staffers were being recalled to the United States by Friday. 

CBS News reported that Peter Marocco, the director of foreign assistance at the State Department who was tapped by State Department Secretary Marco Rubio to run USAID, told the agency’s leadership that those who do not comply will be evacuated by the military. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to USAID and the State Department. 

USAID has come under scrutiny by the Trump administration over what it is spending. 

‘For decades, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been unaccountable to taxpayers as it funnels massive sums of money to the ridiculous — and, in many cases, malicious — pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats, with next-to-no oversight,’ the White House said Monday. 

USAID allocated millions of dollars for programs the Trump administration considers controversial and that frequently involved diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives launched during the Biden administration, critics say.

During an interview with Fox News that aired Tuesday, Rubio said USAID has ‘basically evolved into an agency that believes that they’re not even a U.S. government agency.’

‘That they are a global charity. That they take the taxpayer money and spend it as a global charity, irrespective of whether it is in the national interest or not in the national interest,’ he said. 

The goal was always to reform the agency, Rubio said, but that ‘now we have rank insubordination.’ 

‘Their basic attitude is: ‘We don’t work for anyone. We work for ourselves’,’ he said. ”No agency of government can tell us what to do’.’

Rubio said a common complaint among U.S. embassies around the world is that USAID isn’t cooperative and ‘undermines the work that we’re doing.’

On Tuesday, Sen. Jodi Ernst, R-Iowa, said every dollar given to USAID needs to be scrutinized.

In a series of posts on X, Erst noted millions in aid that were allegedly funneled to fund good causes ended up in the hands of bad actors. 

She noted $9 million in humanitarian aid to feed civilians in Syria that allegedly ended up in the hands of terrorists, as well as another $2 million spent on Moroccan pottery classes and promotion. 

Other projects included trade assistance to Ukraine to pay for models to attend Fashion Weeks events in New York City, London and Paris and millions spent to help Afghans grow crops instead of opium. 

‘The results: opium poppy cultivation across the country nearly doubled, according to the UN,’ she wrote. 

‘USAID asked, ‘Can you tell me how to get how to get to Sesame Street?’ and ended up in Iraq,’ she wrote in another post. ‘USAID authorized a whopping $20 million to create a Sesame Street in Iraq.’

Saudi Arabia said it would not establish ties with Israel unless a Palestinian state is created, shooting down U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that the Saudis were not demanding a Palestinian homeland when he floated the idea of the U.S. government taking control of the Gaza Strip.

Trump said on Tuesday at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he wants the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war, after Palestinians are resettled in other countries.

‘The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,’ Trump said at the White House. ‘We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site.’

‘Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,’ he said. ‘Do a real job. Do something different. Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years.’

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the country rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their homeland, stressing that its position on the Palestinians is not up to negotiation.

The statement noted that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has affirmed the kingdom’s position in ‘a clear and explicit manner’ that does not make other interpretations possible under any circumstances.

Any proposed displacement of Palestinians, an idea Trump has suggested multiple times since retaking office last month, is a highly sensitive matter for both Palestinians and Arab countries.

Trump said on Jan. 25 that he wanted Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations to accept more Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip, potentially moving out enough people to ‘just clean out’ the area.

‘You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over,” he said at the time.

Amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Palestinians feared they would suffer from another ‘Nakba,’ meaning catastrophe in Arabic, which refers to the displacement and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the 1948 war at the birth of the State of Israel.

The U.S. had led months of diplomacy to convince Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel and recognize the Middle Eastern country. But the war in Gaza, which began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish State, prompted the Saudis to abandon the matter amid Arab anger over Israel’s offensive.

Trump wants Saudi Arabia to follow in the footsteps of countries including the United Arab Emirates, a Middle East trade and business hub, and Bahrain, which signed the Abraham Accords in 2020 and normalized ties with Israel.

Saudi Arabia establishing ties with Israel would be a grand prize for the Jewish State because the kingdom has huge influence in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world, and it is the world’s biggest oil exporter.

Reuters contributed to this report.