Today, we celebrate the strength of our democracy. In record numbers, Americans from every corner of this country cast their ballots, showing up and making their voices heard. This turnout reaffirms a commitment to our democratic ideals that we can all be proud of. Our heartfelt thanks go out to the poll workers who worked tirelessly to ensure this election was safe, fair, and accessible. They exemplify the spirit of service that sustains our democracy.

I also extend my congratulations to President Trump on his victory. He is our President, and I am committed to supporting him in moving this country forward. Vice President Kamala Harris deserves our appreciation as well, having delivered her concession speech this afternoon with dignity. The peaceful transfer of power remains the cornerstone of our democracy, and her commitment to that tradition deserves our respect and admiration.

As we reflect on this election, one lesson stands out clearly: The candidate who appeals to the sensible majority of Americans – the center – wins. Yes, the more extreme voices on both sides of the aisle turned out for their candidates. But neither side alone could carry this election. It is the sensible majority of our nation that made the difference.

It is also true that candidates who campaign to the moderate middle but govern to their base live to regret their decision. This was true of both President Trump in 2016 and President Biden in 2020. Each used their first term to cater to the extremes of their party. And in each case, the voters punished them in the next election.

In this 2024 election, Trump was again the candidate better able to connect with the concerns of the sensible majority – prioritizing the economy, securing our borders, and responding to the core needs of working Americans. I urge President Trump and my Republican colleagues in Congress to remember who put them in office.

Let me be clear: This victory was not a triumph for extremism and it is a rejection of the narrative that our country is so paralyzed by polarization as to be unable to find common ground. The truth is that a strong, sensible middle remains in America, seeking leaders who will deliver real, practical solutions to their everyday concerns. Year after year, this middle calls for change – not for the sake of change alone, but because they’ve been disappointed by too many empty promises from leaders who, once elected, ignore the center and lean into partisanship.

If any leader or party wants to build a durable majority in America, they must deliver for the sensible majority. They must prioritize policies with broad appeal, ones that answer the needs of hardworking families. This is what governing for the middle looks like, and it’s essential if we hope to restore trust in our institutions.

It is equally essential that we protect and preserve the checks and balances that sustain our democracy. In a time of heightened partisanship, how we make our laws matters just as much as what laws we pass. For example, the 60-vote threshold in the Senate – the filibuster – requires both parties to work together and keeps one side from imposing sweeping changes every time power shifts. Making America great requires consensus and common sense. It cannot, and should not, be a party-line vote.

Now that the election is behind us, I invite all Americans to join me in setting partisanship aside and focusing on the path toward renewed prosperity. The demonization of our fellow citizens must end. I hope we can find ways to come together, to create the necessary compromises that will restore prosperity, protect our security in a volatile world, and leave a better country for our children and grandchildren.

I wish President Trump success in this endeavor because, at the end of the day, when our president succeeds, our country succeeds. Healing and unity won’t be easy, but they are essential if we are to address the pressing issues facing American families today.

History has shown us time and again that Americans are tough and resilient. We have faced down the Civil War, endured the heartbreak of losing leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and U.S. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and emerged stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic. Each time, we overcame because our democracy—and our people—are rooted in shared values and strength.

This moment calls us to renew our commitment to one another and to the ideals that define us as a nation. We can, and we must, move forward together. With unity, purpose, and respect, there is no challenge we cannot meet.

The Pentagon failed its seventh consecutive audit on Friday as the agency was unable to fully account for its massive $824 billion budget, though officials were confident the Department of Defense ‘has turned a corner’ in understanding its budgetary challenges going forward.

The audits resulted in a disclaimer of opinion, which means auditors were provided with insufficient information to form an accurate opinion of the accounts.

Of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) 28 reporting entities that had standalone audits, 9 received an unmodified audit opinion, 1 received a qualified opinion, 15 received disclaimers, and 3 opinions remain pending, the Pentagon said.

But with the goal of achieving a clean audit by 2028, Michael McCord, Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer, said the agency ‘has turned a corner in its understanding of the depth and breadth of its challenges.’ 

‘Momentum is on our side, and throughout the Department there is strong commitment—and belief in our ability—to achieve an unmodified audit opinion,’ he said in a statement.

The objective of earning an unmodified audit opinion is mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act.

McCord told reporters at a briefing on Friday that he would not say that the agency ‘failed’ as it had ‘about half clean opinions.’

‘So if someone had a report card that is half good and half not good, I don’t know that you call the student or the report card a failure,’ he said.

Independent public accountants and the DoD Office of Inspector General closely examined the financial statements for the audit.

McCord emphasized in a statement that the path to a clean audit is clear.

‘Significant work remains and challenges lie ahead, but our annual audit continues to be a catalyst for Department-wide financial management reform, resulting in greater financial integrity, transparency, and better-supported warfighters,’ he said.

The former White House coronavirus response coordinator on Sunday said she is looking forward to the Senate confirmation hearing of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who President-elect Trump tapped for his secretary of Health and Human Services, as a unique opportunity to have a transparent discussion on the health of Americans.

Dr. Deborah Birx, who served in Trump’s first administration, appeared on CBS’ ‘Face the Nation,’ where she was asked at length about Kennedy potentially leading the agency. and his views on health issues such as vaccines.

‘That’s why when he talks about transparency, I’m actually excited that in a Senate hearing he would bring forward his data and the questions that come from the senators would bring forth their data,’ Birx said of Kennedy. ‘What I know for sure is he’s a very smart man who can bring his data and his evidence base forward.’ 

When Birx was asked about Kennedy’s past controversial comments on vaccines, she said he has raised concerns about issues that ‘many Americans believe already is a problem.’

‘Every mom is seeing a classroom of kindergartners where one of the children has autism,’ she said. ‘That’s scary to moms and dads. They want to know why. So it’s not good enough for us to just say vaccines don’t cause autism. It’s us finding what is the cause of autism.’

Birx, who served under Trump from 2020 to 2021, said a Senate confirmation hearing would be a great forum to see data from both sides of the argument.

‘That hearing would be a way for Americans to really see the data that you’re talking about that we can’t see that causation right now, but what is causing it?’ Birx said, adding that addressing the cause of autism in children will be ‘critical.’

Birx said the White House’s messaging surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine did not help matters.

‘I think what has confused people is we weren’t clear about what COVID vaccines do and don’t,’ she said. ‘And so now people are questioning, well, what are my childhood vaccines do and don’t. And they don’t understand that some of the vaccines that their children are getting protect them from both disease and create herd immunity. And some of them that they get are just for their child, like H Flu and pneumovax to prevent their child from getting very serious illness.’

‘And we’re just not explaining all of this correctly,’ she added of vaccines and what they do.

As for Kennedy’s potential appointment, Birx said there’s one important thing Kennedy can do to help him achieve success.

‘I think the most important thing is what team he would bring with them, because you’re talking about really a large cap corporation with a highly diverse group, which you have to really bring together and, frankly, eliminate some of the duplications between these agencies to really become more cost-effective.’

A new report revealed Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign paid more than double what was previously reported for the Oprah Winfrey town hall event.

FEC filings, first reported by the Washington Examiner, show the Harris campaign made two $500,000 payments to Winfrey’s Harpo Productions on Oct. 15, a month after Winfrey’s town hall with Harris and weeks before the pair appeared at a Harris Philadelphia rally. Now, two sources have told The New York Times the full price of the event with Winfrey was closer to $2.5 million.

Harris’ campaign spent $1.5 billion, or $100 million per week during her 15-week presidential run, according to the Times. Democrat donors say they are still being bombarded with requests, and the Democratic Party is reportedly $20 million in debt from the failed campaign. 

Some of the reported spending included nearly $9,000 in ice cream from high-end shops like Sweet Lucy’s Ice Cream and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.

Harris’ campaign reportedly used almost $15,000 on food delivery services such as Uber Eats and DoorDash from July through the end of the race in early November, the Times reported.

During a two-week period in October, Harris’ campaign reportedly spent $2.6 million on travel aboard private jets. 

The campaign also spent $900,000 to reserve ad space on Las Vegas’ Sphere in the final week of the election, although she still lost Nevada by three points.

The bulk of the extravagant spending reportedly went to celebrity appearances and performances and influencer partnerships meant to boost campaign events. 

Winfrey, a billionaire, insisted she was ‘paid nothing’ when confronted by TMZ.

A Harpo Productions spokesperson acknowledged to Variety that the company took money from the campaign but claimed it was for ‘production costs.’

‘Oprah Winfrey was at no point during the campaign paid a personal fee, nor did she receive a fee from Harpo,’ the spokesperson said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.

Fox News Digital’s Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report. 

Stepheny Price is writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com

President-elect Trump announced on Sunday that he has picked Brendan Carr to serve as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) starting in January.

Carr, who is currently the senior Republican member of the FCC, was first nominated to the commission by Trump in 2017. In a statement released on Sunday night, Trump commended Carr and noted that he had ‘been confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate three times.’

‘His current term runs through 2029 and, because of his great work, I will now be designating him as permanent Chairman,’ Trump wrote.

The Republican leader went on to call Carr ‘a warrior for Free Speech’ who has ‘fought against the regulatory Lawfare that has stifled Americans’ Freedoms, and held back our Economy.’

‘He will end the regulatory onslaught that has been crippling America’s Job Creators and Innovators, and ensure that the FCC delivers for rural America,’ Trump added.

‘Congratulations to Chairman Brendan Carr on a job well done,’ the president-elect’s statement concluded. ‘Lead us into a great future, Brendan!’

In an X post on Sunday, Carr thanked Trump and wrote that he is ‘humbled and honored to serve as Chairman of the FCC.’

Carr recently made national headlines after he ripped the ‘Saturday Night Live’ cast for platforming Kamala Harris as a guest without inviting Trump, which violates FCC rules.

‘NBC has structured this in a way that’s plainly designed to evade the FCC’s rules,’ the official said shortly after the episode aired. ‘We’re talking 50 hours before Election Day starts, without any notice to other candidates, as far as I can tell.’

Carr later told Fox News Digital that the Harris appearance ‘[made] clear that [‘SNL’] wanted to weigh-in in favor of one candidate before the election.’

‘That’s exactly why, for decades, we’ve had an equal time rule on the book, is to prevent that,’ the Republican explained. ‘Because remember, broadcasters are placed in a special position of trust. They’re not just like any other person with a soapbox on the corner. They have a license from the federal government that obligates them to operate in the public interest.’

Earlier in November, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) urged Trump to appoint Carr as the next FCC chairman, calling him a ‘great partner to the men and women in law enforcement.’

‘Commissioner Carr has more than 20 years of private and public sector expertise in communications and technology policy as well as a deep institutional knowledge of the FCC,’ Patrick Yoes, national president of the FOP, wrote in a letter. ‘He would make an outstanding FCC Chairman who will ensure the United States continues to lead the world in telecommunications advancements and innovations.’

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Eric Revell contributed to this report.