A conservative watchdog says Trump’s much-hyped DOGE cuts are a drop in the bucket compared to America’s ballooning entitlement spending.

OpenTheBooks, a conservative fiscal watchdog group, released a report on Thursday showing that mandatory spending for Medicare and Social Security vastly outweigh any cuts to discretionary spending ushered in by the Trump administration.

The report was released as lawmakers clash over government funding, with the fight centered on Democratic plans to expand Obamacare.

‘Government shutdowns offer taxpayers a much-needed reality check on the massive scale of federal spending and our unsustainable debt and deficits,’ OpenTheBooks CEO John Hart said in a statement to Fox News Digital. ‘Policymakers need to wake up and take a much closer look at safety net spending, which is the largest share of our budget and is highly susceptible to fraud.’

Of the $6.9 trillion spent by the federal government in 2024, $912 billion went to Medicare, and $1.5 trillion went to Social Security, according to OpenTheBooks. 

Meanwhile, OpenTheBooks highlights the rescission package passed by Congress in July, which largely focused on cuts to the United States Agency for International Development, saved around $9 billion and DOGE cuts saved taxpayers around $150 billion. 

‘The amounts of disputed savings in 2025 pale in comparison to our spending on safety net programs,’ the OpenTheBooks report states. ‘If the flow of money in the federal government could be viewed from a jet cruising at 30,000 feet, Medicare would be the Mississippi River and Social Security would be the Columbia River while USAID and ‘woke’ spending programs would be barely visible, tiny streams.’

In particular, OpenTheBooks zeroed in on just one aspect of Medicare funds — those that are allocated for prescription drug coverage. The fiscal watchdog found that the top 1,000 providers in the system are linked to more spending in 2024 — $10.9 billion — than was saved by the July rescission package. According to OpenTheBooks’ findings, the top ten providers are associated with nearly the same amount of savings ushered in by the Trump administration’s $1.1 billion in cuts to PBS and NPR.   

‘We are not implying that any of these providers are engaging in anything other than lawful conduct on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries,’ the report asserts. ‘Yet, it is also true that healthcare spending in the United States is grossly inefficient and fraudulent at a large scale. In June, the Department of Justice charged 324 defendants for defrauding Medicare of $14.6 billion. Meanwhile, last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that insurers ‘pocketed $50 billion from Medicare for diseases no doctor treated.’’

OpenTheBooks’ report argues that if American taxpayers want to understand the costs, benefits, vulnerabilities and potential savings, related to federal government spending, then they must fight for transparency.

‘When taxpayers see where their money is flowing, especially in times of heated debates and shutdowns, they can hold policymakers accountable to better direct its flow,’ the report concludes. 

A federal judge appointed by Ronald Reagan has made headlines this year for penning some of the most blistering opinions against President Donald Trump’s executive orders — including in one case where he was criticized by two Supreme Court justices for failing to adhere to the high court’s emergency guidance. 

U.S. District Judge William Young, a Reagan appointee, has spent nearly four decades on the federal bench. He most recently authored a scathing, 161-page opinion on Tuesday in a case involving Trump’s attempts to deport and crack down on pro-Palestinian protesters and activists on college campuses.

Young said the Trump administration’s actions were illegal and an unconstitutional violation of free speech protections under the First Amendment. He also used the decision to criticize, at some length, Trump’s broader conduct, which he described as ‘bullying.’

Trump, Young argued, is a president who fundamentally misunderstands the country he was elected to serve. Young described Trump as focused largely on ‘hollow bragging’ and on ‘retribution’ at all costs.

‘Yet government retribution for speech (precisely what has happened here) is directly forbidden by the First Amendment,’ Young quipped.

It’s not the first time Young has raised eyebrows for his public dressing-down of the commander in chief. 

Young in June ruled that the Trump administration acted illegally when it slashed funding for research grants at the National Institutes of Health, siding with the grant recipients and ordering the funding be restored. He also used the opinion to describe the cuts as ‘appalling’ evidence of what he said was ‘racial discrimination’ and ‘discrimination against the LGBTQ community.’

‘That’s what this is,’ Young said at the time, adding that, in his decades on the federal bench, he had ‘never seen government racial discrimination like this.’

‘I would be blind not to call it out,’ he said, adding later, ‘Have we no shame?’

The Trump administration appealed Young’s injunction to the First Circuit Court of Appeals, which declined to stay the ruling while the case continued to play out.

However, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 in August to lift the injunction — and two justices took that opportunity to chastise Young, at least to some degree, for the manner in which he went about issuing the opinion.

Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh chastised Young for failing to adhere to an emergency ruling the court granted in April, which allowed Trump to follow through with slashing tens of millions of dollars in education grants for funding so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. 

 ‘When this Court issues a decision, it constitutes a precedent that commands respect in lower courts,’ Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh said in the August opinion.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, in writing the dissent, appeared to sympathize with Young’s view, noting at one point: ‘Calvinball has only one rule: There are no fixed rules,’ she said. ‘We seem to have two: that one, and this administration always wins.’

Young, for his part, apologized for the error. But it appears to have done little to quell his desire to speak out on what he argued Tuesday is Trump’s apparent disregard for free speech protections. 

‘I fear President Trump believes the American people are so divided that today they will not stand up, fight for, and defend our most precious constitutional values so long as they are lulled into thinking their own personal interests are not affected,’ Young said Tuesday, before adding: ‘Is he correct?’

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., accused the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of endangering women’s health, saying the agency approved another chemical abortion drug without the thorough safety review it had promised.

Hawley argued the move shows both regulatory failure and the influence of a company that refuses to define ‘woman’ in its materials.

‘This is shocking. FDA has just approved ANOTHER chemical abortion drug, when the evidence shows chemical abortion drugs are dangerous and even deadly for the mother. And of course 100% lethal to the child,’ he wrote on X on Thursday afternoon.

Hawley added, ‘FDA had promised to do a top-to-bottom safety review of the chemical abortion drug, but instead they’ve just greenlighted new versions of it for distribution. I have lost confidence in the leadership at FDA.’

Evita Solutions describes its mission as to ‘normalize abortion’ and make it ‘accessible to all.’ On its website, the company says it ‘believes that all people should have access to safe, affordable, high-quality, effective, and compassionate abortion care, regardless of their race, sex, gender, age, sexuality, income, or where they live.’

It adds, ‘We know that you can make the best choice for your body.’

According to the FDA, Evita received approval in a Sept. 30 letter obtained by Reuters.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Hawley said the FDA’s decision was even more troubling given that its promised safety review has barely begun.

‘I just, I can’t figure out what’s happening at the FDA. I’m totally baffled by it,’ Hawley said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the FDA and Evita Solutions for comment on the matter.

In another post, Hawley blasted the FDA for partnering with a company that ‘doesn’t even believe there is such a thing as a ‘woman.’’

Evita Solutions now joins GenBioPro in producing the generic version of Mifepristone, the abortion pill originally made by Danco Laboratories. Mifepristone blocks progesterone, a hormone needed to sustain pregnancy, and is followed by misoprostol to complete the process.

The approval comes as abortion drugs face mounting opposition from conservative lawmakers, religious organizations, and pro-life groups.

Religious groups like Inspire Investing and Alliance Defending Freedom have campaigned against the drug, while the Restoration of America Foundation (ROAF) has pressed lawmakers for accountability.

Last month, ROAF called on the Senate Finance Committee to hold Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accountable at a hearing, demanding answers about the removal of safety protocols for the abortion pill Mifepristone.

In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, ROAF warned that the rollback leaves women more vulnerable and shifts costs to taxpayers. The group said the Biden-era changes endanger women by allowing abortion pills to be prescribed via telehealth and sent through the mail.

Hawley said the FDA should restore the safeguards put in place under the Trump administration.

‘What needs to happen is the FDA needs to get in line with the president’s policy and put back into place the safety regulations President Trump had. Ditch the Biden approach and go back to President Trump’s approach,’ Hawley said.

Under the Biden administration, the FDA for the first time allowed telehealth prescribing and mail-order delivery of abortion pills. Previously, the agency required Mifepristone to be dispensed in person to screen for complications such as ectopic pregnancy.

Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr and Reuters contributed to this report.

A judge is set to sentence Nicholas Roske on Friday for attempting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the weeks leading up to the high court’s landmark Dobbs decision.

The Department of Justice has asked for 30 years in prison, while Roske’s attorneys have asked for eight years.

In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutors said Roske showed up at Kavanaugh’s house on June 8, 2022, armed with a pistol, ammunition, a knife, a crowbar and tactical gear, intending to kill the conservative justice and three other justices.

The potential impact of Roske’s conduct was ‘immeasurable and staggering,’ prosecutors said.

‘By targeting and planning to kill ‘at least one,’ but ‘shooting for 3’ justices of the Supreme Court, the defendant sought single-handedly and irrevocably to alter an entire branch of the United States government through violence,’ they wrote.

Roske’s attorneys argued in their own memorandum that three decades in prison, which included terrorism and other enhancements, did not fit the crime.

Roske pleaded guilty in April to one count of attempting to murder a Supreme Court justice, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The defense attorneys noted how Roske called 911 soon after arriving at Kavanaugh’s house and ‘self-reported her plans, intentions, and actions’ instead of moving forward with attacking Kavanaugh.

Roske’s lawyers also said Roske suffered severe depression and that their client’s ominous online searches about mass shootings and various justices, which the DOJ factored into its sentencing recommendation, were not indicative of an intent to murder multiple justices.

‘As any internet user knows, Googling and doom-scrolling, even in dark corners of the internet, does not equate to criminal intent,’ the defense attorneys wrote. ‘A user’s internet content is voluminous, intensely personal, and can easily be taken out of context.’

Two weeks prior to the sentencing hearing, Roske’s attorneys also notified the court that while their client’s name had not formally changed, Roske wanted to begin going by the name ‘Sophie’ and female pronouns. 

‘Out of respect for Ms. Roske, the balance of this pleading and counsel’s in-court argument will refer to her as Sophie and use female pronouns,’ the footnote stated.

Roske’s sentencing comes at a time when judges have repeatedly raised alarms about threats they have received from ideologically-driven suspects across the political spectrum.

The attempted assassination in 2022 occurred just two weeks before the Supreme Court handed down its landmark decision overturning Roe v. Wade, an expected decision that had drawn protesters to the Supreme Court building and conservative justices’ houses for weeks leading up to it.

Last year, an Alaska man named Panos Anastasiou was indicted on charges of sending hundreds of messages to Supreme Court justices that included threats to murder them. 

Anastasiou stands accused of making specific threats toward six justices of shooting, strangling, ‘lynching’ and beheading them.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., revealed to Fox News Digital that he is one of three Republicans in Congress who was surveilled by the Biden administration’s ‘Quiet Skies’ program, a program that has been shut down due to overreach concerns.

Earlier this week, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Rand Paul, R-Ky., convened a hearing examining alleged Biden administration abuse of the program, which was terminated by DHS in June, and revealed that three current Republican members of Congress were surveilled or monitored either as a sitting member or while seeking elected office.

GOP Rep. Abe Hamadeh tells Fox News Digital he was informed that he was one of those members of Congress and was surveilled in December 2022.

‘It sadly doesn’t surprise me,’ Hamadeh explained. ‘At the time, if you remember, I mean banks were shutting down accounts if they promoted conservative viewpoints, if they were selling ammo or guns and the banks were being pressured by the Biden administration. You had social media companies censoring political voices that they didn’t agree with. So it shows you the depths that the federal government, how much sway they have, not just within the bureaucracy of the government, but also with private organizations and private actors as well.‘

Hamadeh called the timing of his surveillance ‘interesting’ because ‘during the time period that I was challenging the results of my election in 2022 when I was running for attorney general, where that race was decided by 280 votes out of 2.5 million.’

Hamadeh continued, ‘You know, this is a very legitimate challenge. This is something that both sides of the aisle have done routinely. So you don’t know if that was a factor. And I would assume so, because at the time it was such a hostile environment with President Biden when he was in power. I mean, my God, they were calling MAGA fascists. They were calling us threats to democracy constantly.’

Hamadeh also called it ‘peculiar’ that he is a former U.S. Army Reserve intelligence officer with top secret clearance who traveled overseas both on deployment and in his personal capacity. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced in June it would be ending the Quiet Skies program, which left some Americans subject to additional screenings at airport security.

The department says the agency was overly politicized to either benefit or hurt specific people and ran a bill of roughly $200 million annually. According to DHS, the program kept a watchlist as well as a list of people exempted. The department says Quiet Skies has not prevented any terrorist attacks but will continue to use other methods to assure safe air travel.

‘It is clear that the Quiet Skies program was used as a political rolodex of the Biden Administration — weaponized against its political foes and exploited to benefit their well-heeled friends. I am calling for a Congressional investigation to unearth further corruption at the expense of the American people and the undermining of US national security,’ DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.

The TSA’s ‘Quiet Skies’ program was established in 2010 to identify passengers for enhanced screening on some domestic and outbound international flights.

Paul said earlier this year that he received records confirming that federal air marshals surveilled now-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard during domestic flights last year, ‘reporting back information related to her appearance and even how many electronics she was observed using.’ 

‘I’m glad to see that the Senate, Senator Rand Paul got to the bottom of it and also that Department of Homeland Security has now effectively terminated the Quiet Skies program as well,’ Hamadeh told Fox News Digital. 

‘Also, it’s odd that there’s only three Republican members of Congress that were targeted. I mean, I’m assuming, there’s Democrats who have a lot of interesting travel here that I serve with as well. I’m sure that there are things that would flag them. So it makes you question what the Biden administration, who they were focusing on, who they were targeting specifically. I mean look at Tulsi Gabbard. I mean what? What a complete 180 for now to have her be running the intelligence agencies as the director of national intelligence. And it goes to show you what we were fighting.’

In a press release earlier this week, Paul commended Noem for ending the program but said the work is ‘not done.’

‘We must make sure that this program does not come back under another name. Every official who directed or approved surveillance of Americans for protected speech must be removed from office. Full transparency must become the rule rather than requiring a year of investigation,’ Paul said. ‘The result will be a process that respects the Constitution, ends real life shadow bans against Americans and gives all of us the assurance that our government is focused on protecting us, not on chasing political ghosts.’

Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s office for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Cameron Arcand contributed to this report

The federal government entered its third day of a shutdown without a clear off-ramp in sight as the Senate gears up to once again vote on a short-term funding extension Friday.

Lawmakers will again vote on the GOP’s continuing resolution (CR) and congressional Democrats’ counter-proposal on Friday. There’s been little movement on Capitol Hill since the last failed vote, given that some either left Washington, D.C., or did not come to the Hill, in observance of Yom Kippur.

In fact, the Senate floor was open for less than three hours on Thursday, with only a handful of lawmakers giving remarks to a mostly empty chamber.

Republicans hope that more Senate Democrats will peel off and vote for their bill, but it’s unlikely. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and most of his caucus are firmly rooted in their position that expiring Obamacare tax credits must be dealt with now.

And Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he isn’t planning on keeping lawmakers in town over the weekend if the House GOP’s bill fails for a fourth time. Still, bipartisan talks are happening among the rank-and-file members to find some way to reopen the government.

‘I’m glad that people are talking,’ Thune said. ‘I think there are a lot of Democrats who want out of this, you know, grapple that Schumer is running now, so I’m hoping that perhaps that will lead somewhere. But it all starts with what I’ve said before, reopen the government, and I think that’s what we got to have … happen first.’

There are some ideas being tossed back and forth among Senate Republicans and Democrats, like agreeing to work on the subsidies until Nov. 21 under the GOP plan, or compromising on a shorter CR that lasts until Nov. 1 to coincide with the beginning of open-enrollment for Obamacare.

‘We’re not asking for a full repair of a broken system,’ Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said. ‘We understand how badly the healthcare system is working, but it’s going to be so much worse if the Republicans continue on this path of cutting healthcare for millions of Americans.’

Thune threw cold water on the latter idea.

‘Well, and what’s the House going to come back and vote on, a one-month as opposed to seven weeks? I mean, think about this right now. We’re really kind of quibbling over pretty, pretty small stuff,’ he said.

Schumer made clear over the last several days that he wants bipartisan negotiations to craft a funding extension with Democratic and Republican input, but the GOP argues that their bill, which is backed by President Donald Trump, would unlock future bipartisan negotiations on spending bills.

But Republicans argue that his insistence on negotiating is more about political optics than actually finding a path out of the shutdown.

‘This Democrat shutdown is nothing but a cynical political shutdown, with Senator Schumer kowtowing to his radical left-wing extremists,’ Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said on the Senate floor. ‘He’s desperately recoiling, fighting to stave off a primary and to save his party from the piranhas in their own midst.’

And while talks at the lower level are ongoing, some contend that ultimately it will be Trump’s decision on what happens next.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said on the Senate floor, ‘Unfortunately, right now, our Republican colleagues are not working with us to find a bipartisan agreement to prevent the government shutdown and address the healthcare crisis.’

‘We know that even when they float ideas, which we surely do appreciate, in the end, the president appears to make the call,’ Klobuchar said. 

The White House doubled down in a new memo on its messaging against the Democrats’ shutdown position and claimed that if the Democrats’ demands are met, nearly $200 billion would flow to healthcare for illegal immigrants.

The memo, first obtained by Fox News Digital, argued that congressional Democrats’ desire to repeal the healthcare title of President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill,’ now dubbed the Working Families Tax Cut Act, could see just over $192 billion in spending on healthcare for illegal immigrants.

‘Democrats are demanding these reforms be repealed as a condition of keeping the government open for four weeks,’ the memo read. ‘This would result in the federal government spending nearly $200 billion on healthcare for illegal immigrants and non-citizens over the next decade — nearly enough to fund the entire Children’s Health Insurance Program over the same period— all while repealing reforms that strengthen care for the most vulnerable Americans.’

Senate Democrats have so far blocked three attempts by Republicans in the upper chamber to pass the House GOP’s short-term funding extension, which would keep the government open until Nov. 21 while lawmakers work to fund the government with appropriations bills.

For now, there is no clear path forward to end the shutdown, which began on midnight Wednesday.

Democrats also have their own plan that Republicans have similarly blocked that would keep the government open until Oct. 31, and it would claw back canceled funding for NPR and PBS and repeal the healthcare section of the president’s signature piece of legislation.

Trump and Republicans have accused Democrats of shutting down the government in a bid to provide healthcare for illegal immigrants, rather than their desire to extend expiring Obamacare tax credits.

‘That is a damn lie,’ Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor. ‘Not $1 of Medicare, Medicaid or [Obamacare] is allowed to go to undocumented immigrants, not a dollar. So why do they keep saying this? This seems to be their theme because they’re afraid to talk about the real issue. It’s typical that the Republican response is to have a diversion, try to scare people emotionally.’

However, the White House lays six provisions within the ‘big, beautiful bill’ that, if repealed, would see funding once again flow to provide healthcare for illegal immigrants.

Among the changes brought on by the megabill are provisions that would end Medicaid funding for most non-citizens, end the enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for emergency care for illegal immigrants, end Medicare funding for most non-citizens and end Obamacare funding for most non-citizens.

There are also provisions that close the ‘California loophole,’ which the White House charged other states abused to draw in more funding for illegal immigrants, and a ‘special rule’ that subverts language within Obamacare that prevents most immigrants from receiving Medicaid for five years by allowing immigrants earning below the poverty line to get Obamacare premium subsidies.

‘Democrats’ funding proposal would put American Patients Last by undoing critical [Working Families Tax Cut Act] reforms, thereby spending nearly $200 billion in taxpayer money on healthcare benefits for illegal immigrants and other non-citizens,’ the memo read. 

After living through the Oct. 7 massacre while reporting from southern Israel and covering the war that unfolded in Gaza over the past two years, my takeaway is clear.

Hamas must release the hostages, lay down their arms and end the suffering of the Palestinian people.

In his 20-point peace plan, President Donald Trump has offered the residents of Gaza a future. A path forward. A chance at life. This flame of hope will be quickly extinguished without clear-minded and selfless decision-making by the remnants of Hamas leadership still alive in the aftermath of the conflict.

Regardless of your position on the war, objective observers would agree that this is a fork in the road for the Gaza Strip. Accepting the deal ultimately leads to Gaza being rebuilt, a new moderate government being ushered in and the start of a process that could lead to future discussions about Palestinian statehood. Rejecting the agreement will lead to Israel taking the entirety of the enclave, killing thousands more people and possibly making Gaza’s residents leave for other countries.

Hamas should consider what was being discussed just over six months ago, when both President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were approving a plan to forcefully displace Palestinian civilians from Gaza. The current agreement lets them stay, rebuild and maintain their culture. 

It’s not a perfect plan, but it’s far better than the alternative. Israel has promised to continue with their ground operation against Hamas. The outcome for Hamas will be the same either way. They’ll either be out of power diplomatically or militarily. The latter traps the Palestinian people in the line of fire and could see them pushed from their land for good. 

The suffering of innocent noncombatants in this war must end. That includes the hostages who were forcefully dragged from their homes two years ago. Hamas official Ghazi Hamad said in a recent interview that the hostages are being treated with Islamic principles. Holding civilians against their will in tunnels while refusing them access to the Red Cross is not within the bounds of Islamic principles. The hostages should be immediately released.

In our reporting, I’ve been critical of Israel’s military operation against Gaza due to the mass killing of civilians and widespread destruction in pursuit of a goal that still seems ever fleeting: defeating Hamas, a group built around an ideology, that could be easily rebranded under a new name. 

An estimated 65,000 people have been killed in the Israeli campaign. Israeli officials privately do not disagree with that number, but stress that among the total are thousands of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists. 

Yes, the combatant to civilian ratio is relatively low for recent global conflicts. No, that doesn’t make the deaths of civilians any less notable.

In addition to saving their own people, ensuring the Palestinians maintain traditions on their own land and charting a healthy path forward for the next generation, Hamas would also get amnesty for their own leadership and fighters. They would get to live.

In remarks from President Trump alongside Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, the commander in chief did something very important. He humanized Palestinians and Israelis. He rightly said, ‘There are many Palestinians who wish to live in peace.’ 

Trump also spoke about the families of the hostages, who hold up signs speaking to him, asking for his help to bring their loved ones home. His comments spoke directly to civilian populations who have greatly suffered. 

The Trump peace plan has been praised by countries around the world, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, the United Kingdom, France and Italy. The question now is if it will be accepted by Hamas.

The answer lies in the ability of negotiating countries to convince Hamas of the stark reality. The future of the Palestinian people, the lives of the hostages and control of Gaza are at risk.

Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday blamed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for the government shutdown, saying Schumer listened to far-left members of the Democratic Party over his fear of a primary challenge from fellow New York lawmaker and progressive ‘Squad’ member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Vance criticized Schumer and congressional Democrats in remarks about the shutdown during a White House press briefing, saying there were ‘a lot of different answers’ about why the Democrats shutdown the government before he laid out the ‘reality.’

‘But the reality here, and let’s be honest about the politics, is that Chuck Schumer is terrified he’s going to get a primary challenge from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,’ Vance said. ‘The reason why the American people’s government is shut down is because Chuck Schumer is listening to the far-left radicals in his own party because he’s terrified of a primary challenge.’

Vance further excoriated Schumer, saying if the shutdown persists, the senator’s wing of the Democratic Party is responsible for the fallout.

‘Our troops are not getting paid starting today because of the Chuck Schumer wing of the Democratic Party,’ the vice president said. ‘We have people who require food assistance, low-income Americans who require food assistance, who will not get it unless we reopen the government, thanks to Chuck Schumer and his wing of the Democratic Party. 

‘We have flood insurance as we start hurricane season in the southeastern part of our country. That flood insurance is going to disappear because of Chuck Schumer and the far left of the Democratic Party.’

Vance reiterated lawmakers’ need to reopen the government, which entered a partial shutdown Wednesday after the midnight funding deadline passed with Democrats and Republicans failing to agree on a funding bill.

Another reason the Democrats forced a shutdown, according to Vance, was that Democrats want to reinstate Biden-era federal funding for emergency healthcare for illegal immigrants that was ended under the Trump administration.

‘So, I’d invite Chuck Schumer to join the moderate Democrats and 52 Senate Republicans, do the right thing, open up the people’s government and then let’s fix health care policy for the American people,’ Vance said.

The White House responded to a separate question following up on Vance’s remarks about Schumer and Ocasio-Cortez. 

‘I think that certainly Sen. Schumer was not expecting three moderates to break with him last night,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. ‘In fact, last night you heard Sen. Schumer say he can’t guarantee that he will be able to hold his caucus together.’

Leavitt said the White House encourages Democrats to have ‘the courage to do the right thing’ and vote on the resolution to keep the government funded.

Vice President JD Vance brushed off outrage over President Donald Trump sharing a video meme depicting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero, saying he was confused by claims it was ‘racist.’ 

‘Oh, I think it’s funny,’ Vance said Wednesday when asked if posting sombrero memes was ‘helpful’ while trying to reach a government funding agreement with Democrats. ‘The president’s joking and we’re having a good time. You can negotiate in good faith while also poking a little bit of fun at some of the absurdities of the Democrats’ positions and even, you know, poking some, some fun at the absurdity of the Democrats themselves.’ 

‘I’ll tell Hakeem Jeffries right now, I make this solemn promise to you, that if you help us reopen the government, the sombrero memes will stop,’ he quipped. 

Vance joined the White House press briefing Wednesday to address the government shutdown that took effect earlier that morning after Democrat and Republican lawmakers failed to reach a funding bill agreement. The administration has pinned blame on Democrats for the shutdown, arguing members of the party are trying to push through a measure that would provide healthcare to illegal immigrants, which Democratic lawmakers have denied. 

Vance’s response follows Trump posting a meme video Monday to Truth Social that depicted Jeffries wearing a mustache and a sombrero while mariachi music played in the background. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also was depicted in the video, with an AI-generated voice stating ‘nobody likes Democrats anymore’ due to ‘our woke, trans’ agenda. 

The video included profanities and mocked Democrats as trying to appeal to illegal immigrants as prospective new voters. 

Jeffries, as well as other Democrats and media outlets, characterized the video as ‘racist.’ 

‘Mr. President, the next time you have something to say about me, don’t cop out through a racist and fake AI video,’ Jeffries told reporters Tuesday, according to Politico. ‘When I’m back in the Oval Office, say it to my face.’

Fox News Digital reached out to Jeffries’ office for comment and has not yet received a reply. 

Vance also took issue with media outlets making a point to clarify to viewers that the video was ‘AI-generated,’ pointing to the comical mustache and sombrero in the video that indicated it was a joke. 

‘Hakeem Jeffries said it was a racist, and I know that he said that,’ Vance said. ‘And I honestly don’t even know what that means. Like, is … he a Mexican-American that is offended by having a sombrero meme?’ 

‘And I saw one of the major TV stations put the meme up and then say, this is AI generated. And he had like the curly animated mustache, too. … Do you really not realize the American people recognize that he did not actually come to the White House wearing a sombrero and a black, curly animation mustache, like, give the country a little bit of credit,’ he continued. 

When asked about another AI video Trump shared and then deleted on Truth Social in September — which depicted futuristic-looking ‘med beds’ that can cure illnesses — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump enjoys sharing memes online. 

‘He likes to share memes. He likes to share videos, he likes to repost things that he sees other people post on social media as well. And I think it’s quite refreshing that we have a president who is so open and honest directly himself,’ she said.