FIRST ON FOX: The Republican-led House Committee on Education and Workforce is demanding financial records from five of the nation’s largest labor unions over allegations that union leaders used funds to support Democratic candidates and progressive causes while spending millions on lavish perks.

In letters obtained by Fox News Digital and sent Thursday, the lawmakers on the committee requested financial records dating back to January 2023 from the United Auto Workers (UAW), United Steelworkers (USW), SMART Transportation Division (SMART-TD), Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), and Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division (BMWED).

«Unions are supposed to be representing workers for their best interests on the job site, for their future goals that they have, and to work together in a commonality that speaks for, I think, in general, all of the workers combined and not just select portions of it,» Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., who also serves as the chairman of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, told Fox News Digital.

«When we see funds that have been used by multiple unions for highly political purposes, and you begin to see that the rank and file aren’t following along with the same political funding purposes of union leadership, common sense says you ought to take a look at it.»

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Multiple reports cited in the letters, including previous Fox News Digital reporting on BMWED’s political spending, allege union leaders spent millions supporting Democratic candidates and progressive causes while also spending heavily on conferences, travel, entertainment and other expenses.

The UAW had the highest reported totals, with nearly $95 million in political spending and nearly $146 million spent on travel and entertainment.

The requests also seek records on lobbying, executive pay, travel, entertainment and conference expenses, along with member complaints, ethics and audit policies, transfers to larger labor organizations, and the use of union funds to cover expenses for spouses, family members, guests or political allies.

The lawmakers argue there is a growing disconnect between union leadership and members, saying many rank-and-file workers have «increasingly supported President Trump and other Republican candidates in recent election cycles.»

«I think it comes down to the leader’s own self-interest,» Walberg said. «That could be political interest, or that could be self-aggrandizement, or in certain cases looks like for monetary purposes, for their own personal benefit.»

In the letters, the lawmakers said that workers «deserve transparency regarding how their dues are spent, the extent to which union leadership consults members before endorsing candidates or engaging in political activities, and whether differing viewpoints within the union are being respected.»

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Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan speaks during a House Workforce and Education Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on June 5, 2025. (OLIVER CONTRERAS/AFP via Getty Images)

Walberg said the committee is examining how some unions spend dues collected under «mandatory membership policies.»

«We have responsibility in our committee for oversight on what goes on in the workplace, what goes in those that represent workers in the work place on both sides of the equation, whether it’s the employer or the union,» he said.

But Walberg said union leaders still face questions about serving workers’ best interests.

«There have been union leaders who have gone to jail and certainly been prosecuted over misuse of funds,» he said. «There seems to be indication that that still is going on in certain major unions.»

Insisting «this is not to be a partisan political motivated effort,» Walberg said the committee’s role is oversight and that evidence uncovered during the investigation could still be referred to the Justice Department.

«We do not have prosecutorial powers,» he said. «We can’t put anybody in jail. We can call for information, and ultimately call for union leadership to come before our committee and answer questions.»

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Supporters hold up signs during a campaign event for U.S. President Donald Trump at Xtreme Manufacturing on Sept. 13, 2020, in Henderson, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The unions were asked to respond by Aug. 17, with the UAW receiving a separate Aug. 18 deadline.

«The committee will continue examining whether current labor law adequately protects workers from political coercion and whether additional transparency requirements are warranted,» according to the letters.

The letters added that the unions’ responses will assist «in determining whether any legislative changes are warranted,» arguing unions have a legal duty to fairly represent members and that workers «should not be compelled to subsidize political advocacy fundamentally at odds with their beliefs or interests.»

Walberg said the investigation is «for a purpose,» one he hopes will hold union leaders accountable.

«I hope that will be very apparent and transparent that we are concerned about the rank-and-file union member who in most cases had no choice about their contributions but should have a clear understanding and the ability to react to that understanding about how their funds are being used for political, cultural, you name it, purposes and have their union leadership brought to light,» he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the UAW, USW, SMART-TD, BLET and BMWED for comment. BMWED declined to comment, while the other unions did not respond by publication.

Una preocupante racha de violencia ha golpeado a la comunidad de migrantes nicaragüenses en Costa Rica durante los primeros días de agosto de 2026. Diversos ataques armados y agresiones con armas blancas ocurridos en distintas regiones del país centroamericano han dejado un saldo trágico de varios ciudadanos de origen nicaragüense muertos y gravemente heridos, hechos que se encuentran bajo una intensa investigación por parte del Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ).

Uno de los sucesos más sangrientos se registró durante la madrugada del pasado domingo (2 de agosto), en la localidad turística de Tamarindo, en el cantón de Santa Cruz, provincia de Guanacaste.

Dos hombres de nacionalidad nicaragüense, identificados por las autoridades con los apellidos Espinoza, de 32 años, y Contreras, de 33, viajaban a bordo de un vehículo cuando fueron emboscados. De acuerdo con los informes preliminares brindados por el OIJ, otro automóvil interceptó a las víctimas y desde su interior desconocidos dispararon en múltiples ocasiones. La ráfaga de proyectiles causó la muerte instantánea de ambos ocupantes, mientras que los perpetradores se dieron a la fuga y continúan sin ser localizados por los cuerpos policiales.

Ese misma noche, en la provincia de Alajuela, un joven de nacionalidad nicaragüense, identificado como Yerling Antonio Hernández Martínez, de 24 años, perdió la vida tras ser atacado con un arma blanca en las afueras de un establecimiento nocturno en Santa Fe de Guatuso.

Informes judiciales detallan que el incidente se desencadenó a partir de una acalorada discusión dentro de un bar, en la que participaron tres hombres. La riña derivó en que dos de los sujetos atacaran a Hernández Martínez con un puñal, propinándole heridas mortales. Pese a la pronta llegada de la Cruz Roja, los socorristas determinaron que el joven ya no contaba con signos vitales. En un rápido operativo, la Fuerza Pública logró la detención de dos sospechosos de participar en el crimen, quienes quedaron a disposición de la Fiscalía.

Apenas unos días después, la violencia volvió a golpear la zona guanacasteca. En la madrugada de ayer, miércoles 5 de agosto, alrededor de la 1:00 a. m., se reportó un grave atentado directo en la comunidad de Corralillo de Filadelfia, en el cantón de Carrillo. Un hombre nicaragüense de apellido Ruiz resultó gravemente herido tras ser acribillado.

Según la reconstrucción de los hechos, el afectado se encontraba dentro de su vivienda cuando escuchó que alguien lo llamaba desde la parte exterior. Al salir a atender la llamada, fue atacado a balazos a quemarropa.

Ruiz sufrió cuatro impactos de bala distribuidos en el tórax, la clavícula y la mano izquierda. Socorristas de la Cruz Roja Costarricense se desplazarán para brindarle los primeros auxilios y trasladarlo de urgencia hacia un centro médico de la localidad, y posteriormente al hospital regional de Liberia debido a la gravedad de sus lesiones.

Esta preocupante seguidilla de hechos violentos pone de manifiesto la vulnerabilidad de una población que ha crecido exponencialmente en territorio costarricense durante los últimos años. El continuo deterioro socioeconómico, la represión política y la sistemática persecución de la disidencia impuesta por el régimen autoritario de Daniel Ortega y Rosario Murillo en Nicaragua han provocado uno de los éxodos migratorios más grandes en la historia reciente de Centroamérica.

Miles de ciudadanos nicaragüenses se ven forzados a abandonar su tierra natal ante el acoso estatal, la falta de libertades fundamentales y la escasez de oportunidades laborales. Costa Rica, por su proximidad geográfica y su histórica tradición de acogida, se ha convertido en el principal destino de refugio para las familias nicaragüenses que buscan salvaguardar sus vidas y construir un futuro digno.

Sin embargo, al llegar al país tico, los migrantes nicaragüenses no solo se enfrentan al reto de la integración laboral y social, sino que también quedan expuestos al alarmante incremento en los índices de criminalidad e inseguridad que enfrenta el país vecino.

Revisión