Ossoff’s latest quarterly filing shows that more than 80% of the money he raised last period came from out-of-state donors. The report, which details contributions from individuals who have given at least $200 this cycle, also reveals that over half of his maxed-out donors hail from California, New York or the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia region.

After the release of an October filing, Ossoff’s team touted in a press release that, in the face of “heavy spending from GOP Super PACs,” it raised $12 million during the last third-quarter filing period that runs from July 1 through Sept. 30.

The same press release said Ossoff’s “re-election juggernaut” was “overwhelmingly” powered by small donors with an average of $36 from approximately 233,000 donors. If a donor has not given an aggregate of at least $200, that donor’s contribution remains undisclosed in FEC filings.

NATIONAL DEMS BANKROLL CAMPAIGN OF ‘FAKE INDEPENDENT’ SENATE CANDIDATE FROM MIDWESTERN STATE

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., has raked in a lot of money from out-of-state donors. Some GOP critics and Capitol Hill insiders have posited that the Georgia Democrat cannot break rank and vote to reopen the government, or he could risk losing his significant support from liberals around the country.  (Megan Varner/Getty Images)

Ossoff is running for re-election in a state Trump won in 2024, albeit by a thin two-point margin. He first arrived in Congress in 2021 after defeating incumbent Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., in a razor-thin election that required a runoff. During that first election cycle, according to The Washington Free Beacon, Ossoff raised 60% of his contributions from outside the state of Georgia.

According to Ossoff’s recent October FEC filing, California is leading the pack in terms of the most donations to his campaign during the third quarter, totaling about 20% of all donations. Georgia is second with about 17.5%.

But when it comes to donors who have maxed out their contribution limits, more of those political donors came from California (33.3%) New York (15.65%) and Massachusetts (10.8%) than from Georgia, which accounted for only 6.1% of maxed-out donors who contributed to Ossoff in the third quarter.

REPUBLICAN DOOLEY JUMPS INTO GEORGIA’S SENATE RACE WHILE TOUTING SUPPORT FOR TRUMP AND TAKING AIM AT OSSOFF

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., is up for re-election after a narrow victory in the 2020 election cycle. (AP Photo/Buddy Carter For Senate)

Given Ossoff’s vulnerability heading into Election Day, GOP strategists and Senate sources say the Georgia Democrat is unlikely to break with his party to vote for reopening the government, fearing it could cost him crucial support from liberal donors nationwide.

“There is no middle ground for him when it comes to these big decisions that have to be made, and I think the shutdown proves that,” Ryan Mahoney, a Georgia-based GOP strategist who has worked with Republican senators in the state told The Washington Examiner.

“His calculus is, ‘Do I vote to open the government up and get crushed and can’t raise a single dollar of low-dollar money, or do I vote to shut the government down and get $3 million [from online fundraising]?’” a Democratic Party insider also told The Hill.

A sign that says “Closed due to federal government shutdown” outside the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Oct. 6, 2025. (Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Ossoff’s campaign declined to comment when reached for this article.

The post Vulnerable Dem senator’s ‘grassroots’ campaign powered by out-of-state cash, mostly by coastal elites appeared first on My Blog.

“It’s the only lever we have,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., responded when asked about the matter.

“We’re doing this because we’re hearing from so many families concerned about their healthcare,” said Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J. “We’re doing this because we’re hearing from them and wanting to address that.” Kim also blamed President Donald Trump and his allies, arguing that “this administration has been unwilling to actually negotiate.”

DEMOCRATS REFUSE TO BUDGE OVER OBAMACARE FIGHT AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said that the government shutdown is “the only lever” Democrats have to extend Obamacare subsidies, passed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Schumer and Jefferies have asked yet again to talk to Trump before Trump goes on an international trip,” Kim lamented. “When we have all this problem here at home, for the amount of money that Donald Trump has organized to send over to Argentina, we could have funded the ACA subsidies for another year.”

Republicans counter that Democrats are the ones refusing to negotiate, noting the Obamacare subsidies at issue don’t expire until year’s end and can be debated once the government reopens.

“The way I see it, 2024 was about one issue above and beyond all else, and that was about lowering costs,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

TOP REPUBLICAN SLAMS KATHERINE CLARK FOR ADMITTING SUFFERING FAMILIES ARE ‘LEVERAGE’ IN SHUTDOWN BATTLE

When asked about his party’s tactics of holding the government hostage to extend Obamacare subsidies, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., insisted that lowering costs is the number-one priority for Americans right now.   (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

But, it was swing-state Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., who objected to the framing of the question, telling Fox News Digital that “this isn’t a political game.”

“I would never say – I’m not going to describe the lives of millions of Americans as a euphemism, as ‘leverage,'” Fetterman shot back in response to the question. “This isn’t a political game. I’m not checking about how it’s polling or who’s going to blink. Millions of Pennsylvanians are going to lose their SNAP benefits and I think we should have them both at the same time.”

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., said he thinks that negotiations to extend Obamacare subsidies can happen in good faith between Republicans and Democrats once they agree to reopen the government.  (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

Fetterman, appearing to side with an argument coming from the GOP that the Obamacare subsidies can be negotiated after the government reopens, said he believes there can be “an honest conversation” between Republicans and Democrats once the government gets to a place where it can turn the lights back on.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“I think plenty of [Republicans] are going to want this too – have that conversation – open up this government, because that’s not leverage, this is a fail,” Fetterman said.

The post Dems pressed on why they are using working families as 'leverage' amid shutdown appeared first on My Blog.

“[Rep. Jeffries], making sure U.S. troops get paid while Democrats keep the government shut down for free healthcare for illegal aliens — that’s called putting America First. But you wouldn’t know about it,” the White House wrote on X in reference to Jeffries’ criticism of the Shutdown Fairness Act.

The legislation was introduced by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and states that its goal is to “appropriate funds for pay and allowances of excepted Federal employees for periods of work performed during a lapse in appropriations, and for other purposes.”

HAWLEY VOWS TO HOLD DEMOCRATS’ ‘FEET TO THE FIRE’ WITH NEW GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FUNDING BILLS

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., holds a press conference on the 14th day of the U.S. government shutdown on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Oct. 14, 2025.  (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., added the bill to the calendar last week, positioning it for a potential vote this week, according to Axios. The outlet noted that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters he would bring the bill up for a vote in the House if it passes the Senate.

Jeffries echoed one of Democrats’ concerns about the legislation, which is that it does not help furloughed employees.

“My understanding is that that is not a comprehensive bill that actually is designed to reopen the government while at the same time addressing the issues that need to be confronted on behalf of the American people, which include lowering the high cost of living and decisively addressing the Republican healthcare crisis,” Jeffries told reporters on Monday.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., talk with reporters following their meeting with President Donald Trump and Republican leaders on the government funding crisis at the Capitol Sept. 29, 2025.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

MIKE JOHNSON FIRES BACK AT HAKEEM JEFFRIES’ ‘DESPERATE’ CALL FOR TELEVISED SHUTDOWN DEBATE

“So, it’s not legislation that I support because it appears to be more like a political ploy to pick and choose — giving Donald Trump discretion — which employees should be compensated and which employees should not be compensated. All employees should be compensated, and that will happen when we reopen the government.”

The White House appeared to take issue with the “political ploy” remark, posting a screenshot of a headline from The Daily Caller highlighting that part of Jeffries’ remarks and its criticism of the congressman.

President Donald Trump speaks to senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico Sept. 30, 2025, in Quantico, Va.  (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

TRUMP INSTRUCTS PENTAGON TO ENSURE TROOPS ARE PAID DESPITE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

President Donald Trump recently bypassed Congress and signed a directive ordering the Department of War to ensure that U.S. troops are paid despite the ongoing shutdown.

The White House said the move is necessary to protect “military readiness” as the budget standoff continued. The order, issued as National Security Presidential Memorandum-8 (NSPM-8), directs the department to use available fiscal year 2026 funds to cover military pay and allowances. Though it is unclear how the Pentagon is reallocating funds to comply with the order.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

While Democrats objected and said the president overstepped, Trump cited his Article II powers as commander in chief in issuing the order, which covers active-duty troops and reservists on service orders.

Fox News Digital reached out to Jeffries’ office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

The post White House slams Jeffries' dismissal of bill to pay troops as government shutdown enters day 22 appeared first on My Blog.

“If you can’t read ‘bridge out ahead’ or communicate with a state trooper at a crash scene, you have no business driving an 80,000-pound truck on American highways,” Harrigan said.

On Wednesday morning, Harrigan unveiled the SAFE Drivers Act alongside cosponsors Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, and Rep. Bob Onder, Mo.

Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., leaves a meeting of the House Republican Conference in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, July 22, 2025. (Tom Williams/Getty)

The bill would instruct states to administer English proficiency tests for applicants pursuing commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) and grant the secretary of Transportation enhanced powers to oversee compliance.

‘ENGLISH ISN’T OPTIONAL’: SENATE GOP BILL TAKES AIM AT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKERS AFTER FLORIDA CRASH

If the secretary determines a state has failed to implement the standard, the bill grants them the ability to withhold funding for other aspects of its commercial driving program.

The bill also includes reporting requirements states must make annually to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration detailing the number of prospective, successful and compliant applicants.

“The SAFE Drivers Act [requires] one uniform English test nationwide before any CDL is issued. No more guesswork, no more state-by-state loopholes, just one standard that keeps Americans safe,” Harrigan said.

DUFFY RESPONDS WITH ‘CROCODILE TEARS’ COMMENT ON BANNED CALIFORNIA TRUCK DRIVER CASE

The SAFE Drivers act comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s decision to withhold $40 million from California after Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old illegal immigrant, struck and killed three people after making an illegal U-Turn in Florida in August. California, where Singh had attained the CDL, had refused to enforce English language requirements, according to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy.

Harjinder Singh, 28, was arrested after allegedly making an unauthorized U-turn in Florida last week that resulted in a crash that left three people dead, officials said. (St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office)

In a separate instance, Jashanpreet Singh, 22, an illegal immigrant who crossed the southern border, allegedly crashed headlong into a traffic jam on Wednesday while intoxicated. He, too, received a CDL from California — after having been released from prison under the Biden administration.

Duffy said that existing requirements should have prevented the administration of a CDL in both cases.

“U.S. Department of Transportation took THOUSANDS of commercial drivers out of service for not speaking English. Now we are withholding $40 MILLION from California for their refusal to do the same. TIME’S UP,” Duffy wrote in a post to X.

Harrigan’s bill isn’t the only piece of legislation that seeks to give Duffy enhanced enforcement mechanisms. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., introduced a bill earlier this month that would deem drivers “out of service” if they fail to meet driving requirements. Harrigan’s bill differs from Lummis’ bill by applying the language requirement before the CDL license is granted.

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy testifies during a hearing before the House Appropriations Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, May 14, 2025. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

SENATE REPUBLICANS TARGET OBAMA-ERA TRUCKING RULE WITH NEW ENGLISH PROFICIENCY BILL

“We have federal rules that require English proficiency, but no standardized test to enforce them, so states like California hand out commercial licenses to drivers who can’t understand basic safety instructions,” Harrigan said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Like other pieces of legislation, the SAFE Drivers Act likely won’t come to the floor for a vote until lawmakers resolve a 23-day shutdown and gridlock over how to fund the federal government. Consideration of a short-term spending bill failed for a 12th time in the Senate on Wednesday.

Leo Briceno is a politics reporter for the congressional team at Fox News Digital. He was previously a reporter with World Magazine.

The post GOP bill would require all truckers to pass English test as highway safety fears grow appeared first on My Blog.

But the debate over how long to extend those levels is already dividing Republican lawmakers, making for a potentially messy fight on the horizon even before the current fiscal standoff ends.

Asked if Republicans would need to consider another extension of the most recent federal spending levels — which have been mostly unchanged since fiscal year (FY) 2024, the last year President Joe Biden was in office — House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital, “I think we’ll have to, having wasted this much time.”

It has been roughly a year and a half since Congress fulfilled its duty of passing a yearly federal budget, and decades since it has been done via 12 single-subject appropriations bills — a goal prized by Republican lawmakers.

BATTLEGROUND REPUBLICANS HOLD THE LINE AS JOHNSON PRESSURES DEMS ON SHUTDOWN

Senate Majority Leader John Thune holds a copy of a continuing resolution bill as he speaks alongside Speaker of the House Mike Johnson during a news conference in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, Oct. 3, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“What would it be, the third year of Biden’s last budget?” House Appropriations Committee member Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, quipped to reporters Wednesday.

GOP-controlled Washington had hoped to pass a conservative budget for FY 2026. To do that, Republicans are pushing an extension of current federal funding levels through Nov. 21, called a continuing resolution (CR), aimed at giving lawmakers more time to strike a longer-term deal.

But that bill has been stalled in the Senate since Sept. 19. Democrats are demanding any spending deal be paired with an extension of COVID-19 pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies set to expire at the end of this year, a request that has been rejected by Republican leaders.

“We put the date in there weeks ago when we passed a bill over a month ago out of the House, because that is what Republican and Democrat appropriators had agreed to,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. “Well, Democrats have eaten up most of that time. And so we know at some point we’ll need a later date, and we don’t want it to be jammed up against a holiday.”

Two House GOP sources told Fox News Digital that multiple options have emerged, including another CR extending into January and a measure that could last the entire fiscal year until next Sept. 30.

House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole said he would prefer another CR into January, so his committee can get its work done. (Getty Images)

Conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus and their allies are pushing for the latter option, believing it to be the best course to keep federal spending levels low. The alternative, a bipartisan deal, would need Democrat support in the Senate and consequently see spending levels rise.

“If we can have a long-term CR, so we have guaranteed funding at current levels when we’ve got Donald Trump and [Office of Management Budget Director] Russ Vought and the strong leadership over the executive branch using taxpayer funds wisely, then that’s a good position to be in,” House Freedom Caucus Policy Chair Chip Roy, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital.

A source close to the House Freedom Caucus told Fox News Digital that its chairman, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., would even support a CR until December 2026, though with the caveat that he would need to see what the actual details were.

That would delay another shutdown fight until after the midterm elections. And the source said Harris believed it would keep threats off of essential workers and military pay for over a year.

58 HOUSE DEMS VOTE AGAINST RESOLUTION HONORING ‘LIFE AND LEGACY’ OF CHARLIE KIRK

But Cole said House appropriators would favor an extension into January.

“I think there’s actually, amongst the appropriators, a heightened sense of urgency because we don’t want a yearlong continuing resolution,” he said. “That’s not a good thing to happen … I talk to my Democratic counterparts, I know that’s not what they want to do.”

Meanwhile, in the upper chamber, where Senate Democrats rejected the Nov. 21 CR nearly a dozen times, Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., suggested a lengthy new measure could be inevitable.

Rep. Chip Roy sits next to Rep. Ralph Norman as he listens during a House Rules Committee meeting on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, May 21, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Clearly now, with the clock having lost several weeks now on the CR, we’re getting farther and farther into the season where we’re going to have to at least do an extension, if not something on a much longer term basis, to fund the government,” Thune told reporters.

Other Republican senators signaled another extension was inevitable as well.

“I would like to see it extended into January, February. I think at the end of the day we spend less money [with a] CR. And again, that’s my bigger purpose here,” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said.

But Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told reporters, “I’m fine with a year-long CR. I’m fine with it. I mean the original CR was to take us to Nov. 21 and that’s only a few weeks away. This shutdown could last until then.”

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com

The post Fiscal disaster scenario during shutdown sends GOP scrambling for new spending plan appeared first on My Blog.

Military families are struggling with the uncertainty that this shutdown has brought and hoping that relief comes soon. Many services are temporarily closed on military bases, with the shutdown affecting families that had been in the process of moving across the country and the globe in the service of their country.

Republicans have repeatedly offered and voted in favor of a clean continuing resolution to fund the government with no partisan policy riders. But their opponents won’t budge.

SOCIAL SECURITY, AIRPORTS, FOOD STAMPS: HOW ARE YOU AFFECTED DURING A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN?

The government shutdown began Oct. 1, with U.S. troops among the most affected. Approximately 1.3 million active-duty troops, including active-duty National Guard and reserve personnel, began the shutdown continuing to work with no pay, but President Donald Trump’s order “to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15” ended this concern, at least, with many troops receiving their paychecks with repurposed research money.

Paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division load an Airforce C-17 Globemaster aircraft to conduct Operation Panther Storm in March at Fort Bragg. (U.S. Army/Sgt. Taylor Hoganson)

Despite troops receiving these emergency repurposed paychecks on Oct. 15, the general anxiety among service members during the shutdown is reflected by a 30% increase in demand this month throughout the country at the Armed Services YMCA, which runs nearly two dozen food banks near military installations across the United States. At some food banks, demand is so high that they must close early because they run out of food. At others, lines have begun forming more than six hours before the food banks open for the day.

Additionally, despite Trump’s order that ensures troops are paid in the meantime, the U.S. military is still under heavy stress, especially at military bases abroad, where service members and their families depend far more on-base services than military families stationed in the United States do. Many of these military facilities abroad have had to temporarily close services because of Schumer’s shutdown.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

Ramstein Air Base in Germany, for example, has temporarily closed its library, aquatics center, UNITE program for morale and recreation, Military and Family Readiness Center Spouse Hub, and civilian personnel office. Other U.S. military bases abroad with some services temporarily closed include RAF Lakenheath, U.S. Army Garrison Benelux, U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach, U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden and Naval Air Station Sigonella.

MORNING GLORY: SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMER MUST END HIS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

Anyone familiar with the military lifestyle knows that frequent moves between bases located all over the globe are a recurring fact of life. Many troops and their families are currently struggling with Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders, as a U.S. Air Force official revealed that airmen who received PCS orders before Oct. 1 are allowed to continue relocating, but those who received orders after the shutdown started are on hold to move.

Video

The Army is facing a similar issue. Even in-progress PCS moves have been halted despite some orders arriving before Oct. 1. This is exceptionally concerning because the shutdown began just after the majority of PCS orders were sent out, meaning many families are waiting to move into their new homes across the country and the world, staying at on-base hotels and spending weeks or even months without the comforts of home.

Those required to make PCS moves during the shutdown are facing financial hardships because of the uncertain environment. One organization estimates that on average, military families spend $8,000 outside of what the government covers in moving expenses — a very large financial burden for families unsure when they will receive their paychecks. Moving expenses are an especially large concern for younger military families who often have very little in savings.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

While military families and personnel are urged to spend less money, they are left to wonder when their next paycheck will come, and how best to prepare their families for continuing negative news.

Among all the negative consequences of the Schumer shutdown, some of the worst are those affecting military personnel and installations. Our service members and their families deserve better than this.

Wilson Beaver is a senior policy advisor for defense budgeting at The Heritage Foundation. 

The post Schumer's shutdown is leaving our troops and their families high and dry appeared first on My Blog.

“On October 23, 2025, the Department of War accepted an anonymous donation of $130 million under its general gift acceptance authority,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to Fox News Digital Friday. “The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of Service members’ salaries and benefits. We are grateful for this donor’s assistance after Democrats opted to withhold pay from troops.”

But it’s unclear how the Trump administration can legally use the funds to pay troops without Congress’ involvement.

The Department of War received an anonymous donation of $130 million Oct. 23, 2025, to go toward paying U.S. troops during the government shutdown.  (Charley Triballeau/Agence France-Presse)

While the government may accept general donations that go toward general funds available to the government, Congress must appropriate that money to go toward federal employees’ salaries, according to Romina Boccia, the director of budget and entitlement policy at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington.

WHITE HOUSE MAY ‘RUN OUT’ OF FUNDS TO PAY MILITARY IF SHUTDOWN CONTINUES, JOHNSON WARNS

“The department is welcome to acknowledge this donor’s intent but that does not change the legal restrictions on Congress needing to appropriate funds to pay military salaries,” Boccia said in a Friday email to Fox News Digital.

Boccia said that the military is only permitted to accept private donations to support institutions like military schools, libraries, and museums, or to support service members or civilian employees who are wounded or killed in the line of duty.

Altering current restrictions would also require congressional intervention, she said.

TRUMP MOVE SPARES TROOPS’ PAY, BUT REPUBLICANS WARN SHUTDOWN RISKS REMAIN

It’s unclear how the Trump administration can legally use the funds to pay troops without Congress’ involvement. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“The only way to get around this restriction is if Congress decided to recategorize troop pay as mandatory or direct spending,” Boccia said.

Mandatory spending does not require annual approval from Congress and applies to programs like Social Security and Medicare, according to the Treasury.

Congress has the power of the purse, and Article I of the U.S. Constitution establishes that Congress is the branch of government with the authority to manage the federal budget.

TRUMP INSTRUCTS PENTAGON TO ENSURE TROOPS ARE PAID DESPITE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

It’s unclear who the donor is, and President Donald Trump said he would not identify the individual unless he received permission to do so, noting he didn’t believe the individual wanted any recognition. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that a “friend” of his had sent the government a $130 million check to go toward paying U.S. service members as their paychecks are on hold due to the budget stalemate.

“He called us the other day and said, ‘I’d like to contribute any shortfall you have because of the Democrat shutdown. I’d like to contribute personally, because I love the military and I love the country,'” Trump said Thursday.

It’s unclear who the donor is, and Trump said he would not identify the individual unless he received permission to do so, noting he didn’t believe the individual wanted any recognition.

The White House referred Fox News Digital to the Department of War and the Department of the Treasury when asked for additional details.

The Hindustan Times speculated that Tesla CEO Elon Musk or Jared Isaacman, a commercial astronaut and the founder and CEO of payment processing company Shift4 Payments, could be the donor.

Musk and Isaacman did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Trump previously signed an order allowing active-duty troops to receive their paycheck earlier in October by funneling unused Pentagon funds originally allocated for research and development. However, Republicans have said the solution is only temporary.

Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House. 

The post Mystery Trump ally donates $130M to cover troops’ paychecks amid shutdown chaos appeared first on My Blog.

“You don’t know nothing” – Baseball Legend Yogi Berra

Socrates may have been claiming ignorance, Berra was talking about baseball, but both may as well have been talking about the government shutdown.

So when will it end?

“You shouldn’t ask me because I’m the guy who said it’ll only last five days,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said on Fox. “But I will tell you, a couple of Democrat senators recently indicated that they think this is going to go ‘til at least the first of November.”

However, Biggs added that he doesn’t “see an end in sight.”

GOVERNMENT ENTERS LONGEST FULL SHUTDOWN IN US HISTORY WITH NO END IN SIGHT

The government shutdown is now entering its fourth week. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Whether you are Socrates or Yogi Berra, we don’t know “nothing.” Which technically means that we do know something.

However, I do know proper grammar.

The one thing that I do know in this case is that I don’t know anything about ending the government shutdown.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN STALLS AS DEMOCRATS DEMAND OBAMACARE SUBSIDY EXTENSION

Regardless… Is it even possible to game out when the government shutdown may end?

Congressional Republicans believed that Democrats would fold after a matter of days once funding lapsed in the wee hours of Oct. 1. Then Republicans argued that Democrats would cry “uncle” once federal workers missed their first paycheck last week. Later, the GOP suggested Democrats would keep the government shuttered through the “No Kings” rallies around the country last weekend.

The GOP argued that Democrats needed to show their base that they were “fighting” against President Donald Trump.

“Now that they had their protests, I just pray that they come to their senses and re-open the government this week,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., says he doesn’t “see an end in sight.”  (Getty Images)

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., accused Republicans of continually changing their reasons for why Democrats are blocking the GOP bill to fund the government.

“In a few days, it will be about something else,” Jeffries said.

So, we enter the ice age of Congressional inactivity as the government shutdown enters its fourth week.

Who could have predicted it?

Then again, who could have predicted thieves could make off with millions of dollars of jewelry inside the Louvre in an historic heist? At least the bandits stole our attention away from the government shutdown for a bit.

SHUTDOWN STANDSTILL: NO HEADWAY UNTIL THERE’S ‘INCENTIVE,’ POLITICOS LAMENT

That said, everyone knows (even if they won’t say it publicly) who will likely end the government shutdown: Trump.

He’s not just the president. Trump has a sway over Republicans in Congress that Ronald Reagan could only envy. So until he joins the fray, the government will remain closed.

“Donald Trump definitively needs to get involved. He needs to get off the sidelines. Get off the golf course and actually decide to end the shutdown that he’s created and that he has allowed to happen,” Jeffries said.

“Donald Trump, instead of leaving the country before he leaves the country, should sit down and negotiate with us so we can address this horrible crisis,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “The president should meet with us. It’s not me, him or anything political. It’s that the people are in crisis every day.”

President Trump met with Republican lawmakers this week. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The president did meet with lawmakers this week, holding court with Senate Republicans for lunch in the renovated Rose Garden.

“Did you notice the white marble floor?” quipped the president.

But Democrats contend that Trump huddled with the wrong party. Schumer characterized it as “a Rose Garden pep rally.”

Trump implored Democrats to bend – and vote for the GOP spending bill.

“They’re getting killed in the polls,” he said.

SCREAMING MATCH ERUPTS BETWEEN HAKEEM JEFFRIES, MIKE LAWLER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CHAOS CONTINUES

“Shouldn’t the president get involved in negotiations at this stage to end this?” yours truly asked Johnson.

“We’re not going [to] pay a ransom to reopen the federal government,” replied the speaker.

“Isn’t the only key to end this shutdown to just have a sit-down negotiation with both sides?” I countered.

“Republicans have nothing to offer to Democrats,” replied Johnson.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., meanwhile, contends that “Republicans have nothing to offer Democrats.” (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

In fact, some Republicans argued that Trump shouldn’t even negotiate.

“If I’ve learned anything about President Trump, it’s his timing. I think that he feels like the timing is not right now. We’re winning the messaging war,” said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan. “So there’ll be a time. But the time is not ripe yet.”

It’s unclear when that time may come, considering that the government has remained shuttered for more than three weeks.

And two weeks ago, Republicans torched Schumer for declaring things got “better” for Democrats the longer the shutdown dragged on, but shutdown fatigue is now setting in on Capitol Hill.

BATTLEGROUND REPUBLICANS HOLD THE LINE AS JOHNSON PRESSURES DEMS ON SHUTDOWN

“Welcome to day 22 of the Democrats’ shutdown,” Johnson declared at the now sonorous daily press briefings delivered by both sides.

“This does suck,” said Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., on Fox Business about the shutdown.

Lawmakers are now seeking shutdown daylight.

“The hope is that we get this shutdown resolved before the end of the month,” Jeffries said.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., expresses hope that the shutdown will be resolved by the end of the month. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

There’s worry about how the shutdown might impact national parks.

“(Here are) the more negative consequences that we’ll start to see without regular staffing. Litter will pile up and park ecosystems will be affected,” said House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark.

Both parties are convinced they’re prevailing in the shutdown.

“What I did hear on our telephone town hall repeatedly (is) ‘Don’t you guys give into these hostage takers,’” said Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho. “I heard that repeatedly.”

“It’s resonating with Americans. What I’m hearing from people in Connecticut is ‘hang tough,’” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Senate holds a test vote Thursday on a bill to pay essential workers who are on the job without a paycheck, but Democrats are skeptical.

“I’d be in favor of paying the federal workers,” said Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt. “That bill, unfortunately, gives a lot of latitude to the president to pick and choose, or, I should say, (White House Budget Director) Russell Vought to pick and choose (who gets paid).”

So while shutdown weariness sets in, no one knows when it might end.

It is said that knowing what you don’t know actually constitutes true knowledge.

And if no one knows the end of the shutdown, that must mean that everyone is pretty smart.

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

The post Government shutdown knowledge: gaming out its potential end appeared first on My Blog.

“I am always going to vote country over my party and if I pay a price within my base, that’s something I am willing to do,” Fetterman said.

Fetterman has been outspoken in his criticism of the shutdown, vocalizing his priorities to fund the military and Capitol Police over party politics. He noted that he’s one of only two Democrats voting to keep the government open.

“I’m not afraid to tell my truth and if I’m going to pay a penalty, I’m not afraid of that,” Fetterman told host Sean Hannity. “It’s wrong to shut our government down.”

FETTERMAN CALLS OUT DEMS’ FLIP: ‘WE RAN ON KILLING THE FILIBUSTER, AND NOW WE LOVE IT’

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., sits on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on October 1, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

This comes after Fetterman labeled the 22-day-long shutdown a “failure” in a post to X Wednesday.

Looming cuts to critical government programs have struck a chord with the Pennsylvania Democrat.

“I refuse to vote to suspend SNAP for millions of Pennsylvanians in my state and across the entire nation,” he insisted.

GOVERNMENT ENTERS LONGEST FULL SHUTDOWN IN US HISTORY WITH NO END IN SIGHT

Millions of Pennsylvanians and 42 million Americans rely on food boughtwith assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps low-income families afford nutritious groceries. The largely federally funded program is reportedly expected to be cut if the shutdown continues.

“That’sgoing to be suspended because our government is shut down,” Fetterman said. “I can’t ever vote for that kind of mass food insecurity.”

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., speaks during a hearing with the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Capitol Hill on May 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The Democratic senator also condemned what he described as “extreme” rhetoric from party leaders, referencing President Donald Trump being labeled a “fascist.”

“Extreme kinds of rhetoric make it easier for those extreme kinds of actions,” he said.

“I refuse to be a part of it and comparing people to Hitler and those things,” he added. “If that’s what’s required to win, then I refuse to.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fetterman cautioned that inflammatory language is steering the country in the wrong direction, saying, “We’ve lost the plot.”

“I refuse to call my fellow citizens fascists or Nazis or those things,” Fetterman said. “If somebody wants to primary me or the party wants to vote me out, I’m going to go down being honest and telling you that this is wrong.”

Fetterman urged both parties to return to decency and cooperation, saying he’s willing to take political heat if it means standing up for his convictions.

“It’s just basic humanity and we’re forgetting that we all need each other,” he concluded.

Nora Moriarty is a Production Assistant at FOX News.

The post Fetterman breaks with Democrats over shutdown, vows to put 'country over party' appeared first on My Blog.

Grassley posted the four-page memorandum on X, saying it proves top Biden administration officials “personally approved” the case — which he referred to as “Arctic Frost” — and that it “unleashed unchecked government power at the highest levels.”

The Iowa Republican added, “My oversight will continue.”

The April 2022 memo, signed by Garland, Monaco and Wray, authorized the FBI’s Washington Field Office to open what the bureau designated a “Sensitive Investigative Matter.” The document details the FBI’s request to examine whether individuals connected to Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign conspired to obstruct Congress’ certification of the Electoral College on Jan. 6, 2021.

TOP GOP SENATOR DEMANDS PROBE INTO WHETHER JACK SMITH ‘UNLAWFULLY’ TRIED TO INFLUENCE 2024 ELECTION

“Following the 2020 Presidential and Vice Presidential election, in an apparent effort to obstruct Congress’s certification of Electoral College, fraudulent certificates of electors’ votes were submitted to the Archivist of the United States, purporting to represent the actual elector votes from the states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin,” the executive summary reads. “Open source reporting and public statements made by individuals closely associated with Donald J. Trump, Inc. (Trump Campaign) present an articulable factual basis indicating the existence of a federal crime, and thus the FBI seeks to open a full investigation.

“Because this investigation involves a SIM as set forth in the Department of Justice memorandum dated February 5, 2020, entitled ‘Additional Requirements for Opening of Certain Sensitive Investigations’ (DOJ Memo), your authorization is required before WFO may initiate this full investigation,” the document continued.

Monaco wrote at the bottom of the document, “Merrick- I recommend you approve,” before initialing and dating it “4/5/22.” Garland ultimately signed off on the investigation on the same day.

DEM REP DEFENDS DOJ OBTAINING GOP SENATOR CALL RECORDS IN 2023: ‘YOU WEREN’T SURVEILLED’

Sen. Chuck Grassley released a memo from former FBI Director Christopher Wray to former Attorney General Merrick Garland to open an investigation into the Trump campaign in April 2022, for allegedly attempting to interfere with Congress’ certification of the 2020 election. (Samuel Corum-Pool, Anna Moneymaker and Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images)

The authorization came more than a year after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and months before now-former special counsel Jack Smith was appointed to oversee related investigations. The memo appears to document an early stage of the Justice Department’s examination of the so-called “fake electors” effort that became a focus of Smith’s probe.

In 2023, Smith subpoenaed phone records belonging to eight Republican senators and one House member, covering a four-day period — Jan. 4 to Jan. 7, 2021 — to examine call activity around the Capitol riot. The subpoenas did not seek call content but instead listed numbers, dates and durations.

The targeted senators included Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

FBI FIRES AGENTS, DISMANTLES CORRUPTION SQUAD AFTER PROBE UNVEILS MONITORING OF GOP SENATORS, PATEL SAYS

Jack Smith, U.S. special counsel, speaks during a news conference in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In addition to the eight senators, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Tuesday that he recently discovered Smith also attempted to subpoena his toll records but that his phone company, AT&T, did not hand them over.

Smith said the records were narrowly tailored and “entirely proper,” adding they were meant to support his investigation into Trump’s alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election results.

Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, speaks during a hearing in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

His lawyers wrote to Grassley, saying the subpoenas complied with Justice Department policy and were routine.

Republicans have broadly claimed they were inappropriately spied on and compared Arctic Frost to the Watergate scandal. Smith’s lawyers emphasized the normalcy of seeking phone records and said public officials are not immune from investigation.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Smith’s attorneys also disputed accusations from FBI Director Kash Patel that the subpoenas were hidden, noting the requests were referenced in a footnote of Smith’s final report and shared with Trump’s defense team in discovery.

Fox News Digital’s Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.

The post Grassley releases memo showing DOJ 'unleashed unchecked government power' on Trump associates appeared first on My Blog.