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The agency staff Vought might recommend cutting and whether the cuts will be permanent
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Office of Management and Budget (OMB) chief Russell Vought and President Donald Trump are in the midst of mapping out cuts to the federal government after lawmakers on Capitol Hill failed to reach a funding bill agreement early Wednesday morning.
Trump set the stage in the lead-up to the shutdown that the federal government is likely to see staffing and program cuts during the shutdown, adding in a message Thursday to Truth Social that many federal agencies are a «political SCAM.»
«I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent,» Trump posted.
HERE’S WHAT TRUMP WANTS TO DO TO RESHAPE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DURING THE SHUTDOWN
«I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity. They are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!»
Office of Management and Budget chief Russell Vought and President Donald Trump are in the midst of mapping out cuts to the federal government after lawmakers on Capitol Hill failed to reach a funding bill agreement. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press )
Fox News Digital spoke with Richard Stern, the Heritage Foundation’s director of the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget, Thursday morning to discuss which agencies the OMB chief would likely target for staffing cuts and if such cuts would be permanent.
How a shutdown enables cuts
Stern explained to Fox Digital that there are a pair of overlapping issues that lead to the government’s staffing size. Agencies are required by various laws to provide certain services to citizens. And, separately, appropriation bills set funding floors on how much money an agency has available to spend on staff payroll.
During a shutdown, however, there is a lapse in funding, meaning agencies do not have «payroll floors from the funding bill,» leaving the executive branch with discretion on how to continue providing required services to citizens, he explained.
«Because the funding bills set effective floors per salary spending, that tends to dictate how many people work for the agencies. In the event of a shutdown, the only requirement on the administration is to ensure that the agencies provide the services and whatnot that are required by law. But those laws don’t say you need, you know, 100 staffers to write a grant or only one staffer,» Stern told Fox Digital in a phone interview.
WHITE HOUSE PREPARES FOR ‘IMMINENT’ FEDERAL LAYOFFS AFTER DEMOCRATS FORCE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
«They simply say, you know, ‘There’s a grant program that has to go out the door under XYZ parameters.’ So, in the event of a lapse in funding, it means that the administration … can lay out a plan saying, ‘Hey, look, you know, we think the Department of Education, for example, could do everything it is legally required to do, but do it with 10% of the workforce,’» he continued.
If the administration determines that an agency can fulfill its legally required services to citizens with fewer people, it will subsequently send reduction in force notices, known as RIFs, to staffers. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
If the administration determines that an agency can fulfill its legally required services to citizens with fewer people, it will subsequently send reduction in force notices, known as RIFs, to staffers.
«If the funding was there, and if the funding law required those staff levels, then you wouldn’t be able to RIF,» he said. «But in the lapse of funding, it gives the White House that opportunity.»
Permanent changes to the government are in a gray zone, however, because RIFs would not be able to take effect until after 60 days.
«Once the RIF notices go out, you … legally need to wait 60 days before the RIF notices can be enacted,» Stern continued. «Really the shutdown would have to last 60 days, beyond that, to actually act on the RIFs.»
The Heritage Foundation expert, who also serves as the conservative think tank’s acting director of the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, stressed that any staffing cuts are not an example of government «downsizing.»
TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE DEMANDS AGENCIES MAP OUT MASS LAYOFFS AHEAD OF POTENTIAL SHUTDOWN
«It’s not downsizing the activities of agencies,» he said. «It’s not reducing what they make available, what services they provide. It’s simply reducing the workforce that’s providing the same level and the same amount of services.»
Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in Washington, D.C. (Getty)
What agencies could be targeted for cuts?
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told a gaggle of reporters Thursday that «thousands» of federal employees could be laid off during the shutdown.
«Look, it’s likely going to be in the thousands. It’s a very good question. And that’s something that the Office of Management and Budget and the entire team at the White House here, again, is unfortunately having to work on today,» Leavitt said.
Stern pointed to a handful of agencies that will likely be targeted for layoffs, citing agencies that have «mission creeped» their original purview into regulatory issues, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as other agencies, like the National Science Foundation, that handle grant writing for programs.
«Probably the Department of Ed is, is kind of the poster child on this one,» he said. «They’ve been talking about, they quite literally only need 10% or so on the staff.»
He also noted the EPA, Department of the Interior and the Department of Labor could face cuts due to the various agencies’ «mission creep into a lot of regulations that are quite harmful to the economy, that are quite harmful to just American families.»
WHITE HOUSE TELLS FEDERAL AGENCIES TO PREPARE LAYOFF PLANS AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN LOOMS
«EPA over … a decade or so, has mission creeped its jurisdiction into more and more regulatory affairs, that just simply the EPA doesn’t have under a statutory capacity,» he said. «They’re regulating outside of the confines, the charge they were given by law, by Congress. So, EPA is another one of those where that makes a lot of sense to cut a lot of the workforce there. Then, at HUD and Department of Labor you have similar things.»
Stern said the administration likely is also eyeing agencies such as the National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities and certain aspects of the Department of Housing and Urban Development that are charged with «running programs that write grants where there’s an enormous amount of legal discretion on who gets the grant money.»
President Donald Trump said the shutdown presented the opportunity for the administration to carry out layoffs as part of a continued mission to slim down the federal government. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press )
«These grants are not serving some critical, or frankly, constitutional role,» he said, adding the grants often land in the hands of universities and promote «left-wing» ideology on topics, such as transgenderism and climate change.
What has Trump said on federal cuts?
Trump said during various public remarks Tuesday, as the deadline clock began to run dry, the shutdown presented him with the opportunity for the administration to carry out layoffs as part of a continued mission to slim down the federal government and snuff out overspending and fraud. Trump, however, repeatedly has stressed he does not support the shutdown, pinning blame on Democrats.
WHITE HOUSE PREPARES FOR ‘IMMINENT’ FEDERAL LAYOFFS AFTER DEMOCRATS FORCE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
«We don’t want it to shut down because we have the greatest period of time ever,» Trump said from the Oval Office Tuesday. «I tell you, we have $17 trillion being invested. So, the last person that wants it shut down is us.
«Now, with that being said, we can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them, like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like,» he continued.
Republicans have pinned the shutdown blame on Democrats, arguing they refused to fund the budget as an attempt to reinstate taxpayer-funded medical benefits for illegal immigrants. Democrats have countered that claim as a «lie» and cast blame for the shutdown on Republicans.
«A lot of good can come down from shutdowns,» Trump added Tuesday. «We can get rid of a lot of things that we didn’t want, and they’d be Democrat things. But they want open borders. They want men playing in women’s sports. They want transgender for everybody. They never stop. They don’t learn. We won an election in a landslide.»
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Trump’s second administration has spotlighted the size of the federal government as bloated since Inauguration Day, including the president launching the Department of Government Efficiency to weed out potential fraud, overspending and corruption and offering federal employees voluntary buyouts in January to leave their posts before rolling out other RIF initiatives across various agencies.
Fox News Digital reached out to OMB’s office for comment on the anticipated cuts but did not immediately receive a reply.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
donald trump,budgets,white house,government shutdown
Los «dos» Hamas
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Former FBI Director James Comey, who was indicted Friday on two federal charges alleging that he issued a false statement to Congress and obstructed justice, previously has called for those who lie under oath to face consequences.
For example, Comey once railed against lifestyle icon Martha Stewart, who was convicted of misleading federal investigators, and said her case served as an example to deter others from lying to officials.
«The Stewart experience reminded me that the justice system is an honor system,» Comey wrote in his book, «A Higher Loyalty,» released in 2018. «We really can’t always tell when people are lying or hiding documents, so when we are able to prove it, we simply must do so as a message to everyone. People must fear the consequences of lying in the justice system or the system can’t work.»
MARTHA STEWART’S ANGER AT JAMES COMEY FOR MAKING HER ‘TROPHY’ CRIMINAL IS ‘UNDERSTANDABLE,’ ATTORNEY SAYS
«There once was a time when most people worried about going to hell if they violated an oath taken in the name of God,» Comey wrote. «That divine deterrence has slipped away from our modern cultures. In its place, people must fear going to jail…To protect the institution of justice, and reinforce a culture of truth-telling, she had to be prosecuted.»
Comey served as the lead prosecutor who indicted Stewart on charges of obstruction of justice and lying to the FBI in 2003, which stemmed from the FBI’s insider trading investigation into Stewart’s friend’s company, ImClone.
Stewart ultimately was convicted on four counts of obstructing justice and lying to investigators. She was sentenced to five months in prison.
Former FBI Director James Comey once railed against lifestyle icon Martha Stewart, who was convicted of misleading federal investigators, and said her case served as an example to deter others from lying to officials. (Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
Comey’s statement in his book aligns with those he made at the time. After the charges were filed against Stewart in 2003, Comey said Stewart’s «case is about lying — lying to the FBI, lying to the SEC and investors.»
«That is conduct that will not be tolerated. Martha Stewart is being prosecuted not because of who she is, but what she did,» Comey said at a news conference in 2003.
Stewart took a swipe at Comey in her Netflix documentary called «Martha,» which was released October 2024.
«It was so horrifying to me that I had to go through that to be a trophy for these idiots in the U.S. Attorney’s office,» Stewart said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Comey for comment and has yet to receive a reply.
Trump–Comey vendetta back in the spotlight
Meanwhile, Comey’s feud with President Donald Trump is also back in the spotlight following Comey’s indictment.
The two men have gone head-to-head against each other for years, dating back to Trump’s first administration amid the FBI’s investigation into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 election, and they have continued to trade barbs during Trump’s second term.
While Trump has lobbed out terms like «sick person» and «untruthful slime ball,» Comey also has hurled criticism against the president and said he’s not fit for office.
HOW JAMES COMEY’S INDICTMENT COULD GO SOUTH FOR THE DOJ
Former FBI Director James Comey is seen at a hearing on Capitol Hill in 2017. (Associated Press)
For example, Comey described Trump as someone who «lies constantly about matters big and small and insists the American people believe it,» and questioned whether Trump embodied U.S. values during an interview in April 2018 with ABC News ahead of the release of his book, «A Higher Loyalty.»
«I don’t think he’s medically unfit to be president — I think he’s morally unfit to be president … that’s not a policy statement,» Comey told ABC News. «Again, I don’t care what your views are on guns, or immigration, or taxes. There is something more important than that, that should unite all of us, and that is our president must embody respect and adhere to the values that are at the core of this country, the most important being truth. This president is not able to do that.»
That same month Comey attracted the ire of Trump, who accused Comey of being a «terrible» FBI director and that it was his «great honor» to fire Comey.
«James Comey is a proven LEAKER & LIAR. Virtually everyone in Washington thought he should be fired for the terrible job he did-until he was, in fact, fired. He leaked CLASSIFIED information, for which he should be prosecuted. He lied to Congress under OATH,» Trump said in a social media post in April 2018.
COMEY DENIES CHARGES, DECLARES ‘I AM NOT AFRAID’
President Donald Trump and former FBI Director James Comey have had a longstanding feud. (Alex Kraus/Bloomberg via Getty Images and photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
«He is a weak and untruthful slime ball who was, as time has proven, a terrible Director of the FBI…It was my great honor to fire James Comey!» Trump said.
Trump fired Comey in May 2017, just after Comey revealed in March 2017 before the House Intelligence Committee that the FBI had launched a criminal investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 election.
At the time, Trump said that he had ousted Comey due to his handling of an investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.
Comey, who previously identified as a Republican, went on to endorse former President Joe Biden in the 2020 election. He also called for «everyone who cares about the rule of law and America’s indispensable role in the world» to get behind former Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee during the 2024 election when she went up against Trump.
TRUMP SAYS COMEY ‘PLACED A CLOUD OVER THE ENTIRE NATION’ WITH CROSSFIRE HURRICANE, REACTS TO INDICTMENT
President Donald Trump said at the time that he had ousted FBI Director James Comey due to his handling of an investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
«Kamala Harris made me feel like it’s finally morning in America,» Comey wrote in a post on X in August 2024.
More recently, Comey and Trump sparred after the former FBI director posted a photo on Instagram in May depicting shells arranged on a beach to spell out «86 47.» The term «86» can mean getting rid of something or someone, and Trump is the 47th president.
Following backlash from Trump allies who interpreted Comey’s post as a threat to remove Trump, Comey said that the thought hadn’t crossed his mind and he opposed «violence of any kind.»
Still, Trump didn’t buy Comey’s explanation.
«He knew exactly what that meant,» Trump told Fox News. «A child knows what that meant. If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant, that meant assassination.»
George Stephanopoulos sits down with former FBI director James Comey for an interview in a «20/20» special on April 15, 2018. (Ralph Alswang/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Following Comey’s indictment, Trump said in a social media post Friday that Comey is «one of the worst human beings this country has ever been exposed to,» and labeled the former FBI director a «DIRTY COP.»
The charges against Comey are tied to his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2020 regarding the FBI’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. Meanwhile, Comey has denied the allegations leveled in the charges against him, and said that he is «not afraid.»
«My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way,» Comey said in an Instagram video. «We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either. Somebody that I love dearly recently said that fear is the tool of a tyrant, and she’s right.»
Fox News’ Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
white house,fbi,donald trump,james comey,justice department
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La Policía británica identificó a las dos víctimas del ataque terrorista en una sinagoga de Manchester durante Yom Kippur
La Policía británica identificó este viernes a las dos víctimas mortales del atentado perpetrado el jueves frente a la Sinagoga de la Congregación Hebrea de Heaton Park. Se trata de Adrian Daulby, de 53 años, y Melvin Cravitz, de 66, ambos residentes de la zona. El ataque, ocurrido en plena celebración de Yom Kippur, la festividad más sagrada del calendario judío, dejó además a tres personas gravemente heridas.
El ataque comenzó cuando un vehículo embistió a varios peatones frente a la sinagoga y, poco después, un hombre fue apuñalado. A las 9:31 (hora local), un testigo dio aviso a las fuerzas de seguridad, informando tanto del atropello como de la agresión con arma blanca.
Siete minutos más tarde, la policía desplegó agentes armados que abrieron fuego contra el atacante, quien, según confirmaron las autoridades, murió en el lugar. A las 9:41, el Servicio de Ambulancias del Noroeste llegó a la zona y brindó asistencia a las personas heridas, cuyos estados de salud aún no han sido precisados.
La investigación identificó al agresor como Jihad Al-Shamie, de 35 años, ciudadano británico de origen sirio. La Policía de Manchester informó que en redes sociales comenzó a circular una fotografía del sospechoso vestido de negro y con un cinturón al que llevaba adheridos varios paquetes blancos, lo que hace sospechar que intentaba simular o portar material explosivo.
Después de ser abatido, la policía localizó un cuchillo junto al cuerpo y un robot desactivador de explosivos inspeccionó el lugar y los objetos hallados sobre el atacante para descartar la presencia de artefactos peligrosos.
El jefe del área metropolitana, Andy Burnham, declaró que “no es un incidente en desarrollo o en curso” y señaló que el sospechoso se encontraba muerto, eliminando el peligro inmediato. Burnham pidió no especular en redes sociales y destacó que la comunidad judía de Manchester estaba preocupada por lo ocurrido.
El jefe de la Policía de Manchester, Sir Stephen Watson, informó que el sujeto llevaba “un chaleco que tenía la apariencia de un dispositivo explosivo”. Subrayó la rapidez de la intervención policial y agradeció la valentía del personal de seguridad y de los congregados, que ayudaron a impedir que el atacante ingresara al templo, que estaba abarrotado por la festividad.
La Community Security Trust (CST), representada por Dave Rich, condenó el ataque como “espantoso en el día más sagrado del año judío” y agradeció la actuación de la policía y del personal de seguridad. Rich explicó que Yom Kippur es un día de alta asistencia a las sinagogas, por lo que existe un operativo conjunto de seguridad entre la policía y CST durante las festividades.
Por su parte, el primer ministro británico, Keir Starmer, regresó de urgencia de una cumbre en Copenhague para presidir una reunión del comité de emergencia COBRA y reforzar la seguridad en todas las sinagogas del Reino Unido. Además, expresó en X sentirse “horrorizado” y reconoció la labor de los servicios de emergencia.
“El hecho de que esto haya ocurrido en Yom Kippur, el día más sagrado del calendario judío, lo hace aún más horrible”, declaró.
En paralelo, el rey Carlos III manifestó encontrarse “profundamente conmocionado y apenado”, mientras que la embajada de Israel en Londres calificó el atentado como “odioso y profundamente perturbador”.
La acción generó además una ola de repudio de organizaciones musulmanas, cristianas y autoridades políticas, que llamaron a la convivencia pacífica y al respeto interreligioso, en un contexto de creciente preocupación por incidentes antisemitas e islamófobos en el Reino Unido desde el ataque de Hamas contra Israel en octubre de 2023 y la posterior guerra en Gaza.
Luego de un día, la Policía Metropolitana de Londres mantiene la zona acordonada y sigue analizando las pruebas recogidas en el área y en posibles ubicaciones vinculadas al sospechoso. Según las autoridades, la investigación avanza “a buen ritmo” y la prioridad es “mantener la seguridad pública”.
(Con información de REUTERS)
Crime,Law Enforcement,Crime,Europe
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