It’s Political vs. Career Staffers in Battle Over Foreign Aid Freeze

Just before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, when the Trump administration's federal aid freeze was scheduled to begin, a D.C. judge issued a ruling pausing it for a week, setting the stage for a high-profile legal fight. It's not the only conflict playing out over the freeze. 

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'Equity and Environmental Justice,' 'LGBTQI+ Inclusive Development Policy,' and 'Latinx Politics': Inside the Battle Between Political and Career Staffers at the State Department and USAID

When the Trump administration implemented a 90-day freeze of foreign aid aimed at ensuring the funding is "consistent with U.S. foreign policy under the America First agenda," Secretary of State Marco Rubio allowed career staffers to submit waivers for projects they felt were aligned with that agenda. Those staffers went on to submit some 200 waivers for programs that would have cost taxpayers $1.2 billion this week alone, including some that pertained to "environmental justice" and "LGBTQI+ Inclusive Development." 

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Senate confirms Trump's transportation nominee



On Tuesday, the Senate overwhelmingly confirmed Sean Duffy to head the Department of Transportation.

Duffy, who previously served in Congress from 2011 to 2019, sailed through his confirmation with bipartisan support in a 77-22 vote. Several Democrats, including Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, voted to confirm Duffy.

'Sean Duffy understands the transportation challenges that rural states like South Dakota face, and he’ll bring valuable experience that will help him manage our nation’s sprawling transportation system.'

Duffy's nomination also passed unanimously through the Senate Commerce Committee on Monday, paving the path for a smooth confirmation.

Duffy is the fifth member of Trump's Cabinet to be confirmed. Most recently, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was quickly confirmed on Monday with votes from both sides of the aisle. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also received bipartisan support through their confirmations.

"Sean Duffy understands the transportation challenges that rural states like South Dakota face, and he’ll bring valuable experience that will help him manage our nation’s sprawling transportation system," Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Monday. "I look forward to working with him in his new role."

Other nominees are slated for a tougher confirmation battle closer to DOD Secretary Pete Hegseth's. Hegseth was narrowly confirmed after three Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, voted to tank his nomination. As a result, Vice President JD Vance had to cast the tie-breaking vote in Hegseth's favor.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was tapped to serve as Health and Human Services secretary, Tulsi Gabbard, who was recruited to be director of National Intelligence, and Kash Patel, who was nominated to head the FBI, are all scheduled for their confirmation hearings on Thursday.

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Senate confirms Trump's treasury pick



The Senate voted Monday to confirm Scott Bessent, President Donald Trump's pick to head the Treasury Department.

Bessent secured his confirmation in a 68-29 vote, making him the fourth member of Trump's Cabinet to be confirmed.

'We’ll erase debt, restore financial privacy, and unlock new technologies for a prosperous future. The golden age starts now.'

Bessent first advanced out of the Senate Finance Committee with a 16-11 vote. After his nomination passed the committee, the Senate voted 67-23 for cloture to move to the final confirmation vote.

"As Treasury Secretary, I’m committed to eliminating income taxes, replacing them with a fair consumption tax, and adopting a gold-backed currency," Bessent said in a Monday post on X following his confirmation. "We’ll erase debt, restore financial privacy, and unlock new technologies for a prosperous future. The golden age starts now."

The hedge fund billionaire sailed through his confirmation with bipartisan support, similar to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Other nominees are expected to have a much narrower confirmation, like that of Pete Hegseth, who was confirmed to serve as secretary of defense on Friday after Vice President JD Vance cast the tiebreaking vote.

Some of the most contested nominees will be in the hot seat this week, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifying on Wednesday and Thursday in an attempt to secure his spot heading the Department of Health and Human Services.

Tulsi Gabbard, who was tapped to serve as director of national intelligence, and Trump's FBI pick, Kash Patel, will also testify on Thursday.

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American Voters Broadly Support ICC Sanctions Under Senate Consideration, Poll Finds

A majority of American voters support congressional efforts to sanction the International Criminal Court, a new poll shows. The poll, which conservative firm GrayHouse conducted last week, surveyed 800 registered voters. When asked if they would back congressional efforts to protect "American soldiers from potential International Criminal Court (ICC) investigations by imposing sanctions," 55 percent […]

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Trump Readies Executive Order Redesignating Houthis as Foreign Terrorist Organization

The Trump administration is readying an executive order that will redesignate the Iran-backed Houthi rebels as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), according to senior U.S. officials briefed on the matter.

President Donald Trump is slated to sign the order later on Wednesday, the officials said. The order fully restores tough American sanctions on the Yemen-based terror group that the Biden administration lifted in 2021. Trump added the Houthis to America’s FTO list in the waning days of his first administration, but the Biden White House reversed the move amid efforts to ease diplomatic tensions with Iran.

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Trump State Department Tells Embassies and Outposts: Only Fly the Stars and Stripes

The Trump State Department implemented a landmark "One Flag Policy" policy on Monday, barring U.S. outposts at home and abroad from flying any other flag but the Stars and Stripes. The newly issued order, a copy of which was obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, effectively bans American facilities from displaying flags affiliated with left-wing movements, including the pride and Black Lives Matter flags that flew over U.S. government buildings under Biden.

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What's next for Trump's Cabinet nominees?



Now that President Donald Trump has been officially inaugurated, the Senate will continue the confirmation process to solidify his Cabinet.

Most recently, former Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on Monday to serve as secretary of state. He was sworn in on Tuesday morning, the day after Trump's historic inauguration.

Rubio was the first of Trump's Cabinet to be officially confirmed, but several other nominees have already begun their confirmation process. Most notably, Pete Hegseth, who was tapped to head the Department of Defense, Pam Bondi, who was nominated for attorney general, and Kristi Noem, who was recruited to lead the Department of Homeland Security, all made headlines during their confirmation hearings last week.

'While some nominees are well on their way to confirmation, others are still awaiting their hearings.'

After going through their confirmation hearings, the nominees will face the next procedural hurdle in the Senate: committee votes. Trump's treasury nominee, Scott Bessent, will be up for a committee vote on Tuesday and is expected to be confirmed.

Hegseth, Noem, John Ratcliffe, who was nominated to be director of the CIA, and Russell Vought, who was nominated for director of the Office of Management and Budget, all made it through their respective Senate committee votes on Monday. Ratcliffe is expected to be next in line for his confirmation vote.

While some nominees are well on their way to confirmation, others are still awaiting their hearings, like Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, Trump's nominee for U.N. ambassador. Stefanik made her confirmation debut on Tuesday before the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, and she is projected to be on the glide path to confirmation.

Doug Collins, Trump's nominee to head the Department of Veterans Affairs, is also facing his first confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

After committees vote to approve a nominee, the nomination then moves to the Senate for a full vote. Many of those Senate votes have not yet been scheduled.

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Dismantling The Deep State Begins On Day One Of Trump 2.0

On Monday, the new administration made clear that 'the State Department will have an America-First foreign policy.'

Senate Confirms Rubio in 99 to 0 Vote, Cementing Trump's First Official Cabinet Member

The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed Marco Rubio as America's new secretary of state on Monday evening, fast-tracking the now-former Florida senator through a confirmation process in which he gained broad backing from lawmakers in both parties.

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