FIRST ON FOX: House GOP leaders are quietly laying their battle plans for the final month ahead of the November midterm elections.

A new memo being sent to Republicans across the country, first obtained by Digital, reveals four key topics that the House GOP is focusing on in the final four weeks before the election: the border, fraudulent use of taxpayer dollars, the economy, and public safety.

«I think these are the points that the voters actually care most about,» House GOP Chairwoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich., who leads Republicans’ messaging strategy, told Digital. «[Democrats] want open borders. They want to defund the police, they want to take more money out of your pocket and give it to somebody else. They believe in bigger government. We believe in people… So those are the things that we’re really hammering home during this election.»

It comes as Republicans fight an uphill battle to keep control of Congress for the latter half of President Donald Trump’s final term.

REPUBLICANS FACE BRUTAL MIDTERM HEADWINDS. SIX FORCES COULD HELP THEM DEFY HISTORY.

A recent poll found Democrats have a wider path to victory than Republicans in the House. Democrats are projected to win 215 seats compared to 201 for the GOP, meaning the left only needs three more victories out of the 19 possible toss-up races to clinch a majority. Republicans would need to win at least 17 of those races.

10 DEMOCRAT-HELD HOUSE SEATS REPUBLICANS COULD FLIP TO SAVE THEIR MAJORITY

Republicans are also seeing political opportunity in the far-left insurgency that’s gripped the Democratic Party during its primary cycle, warning that socialists are pushing the party further left than the majority of Americans.

On the economy, which is a focus of week two in the GOP memo, Republican incumbents and candidates are encouraged to talk about «putting more money back in Americans’ pockets and creating more opportunities to get ahead through hard work, ownership, and economic freedom.»

HOUSE CONSERVATIVES UNLEASH MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR MIDTERM BLITZ AGAINST DEM ‘SOCIALIST’ INSURGENCY

The economy, including high grocery and gas prices, has become a central issue in the 2026 election cycle.

Democrats have seized on Americans’ struggle with cost-of-living as a political cudgel against Republicans, particularly using Trump’s tariffs on allies like Canada and his war in Iran as arguments against the GOP.

McClain acknowledged Americans’ concerns, urging Republicans to be forthright with their voters but warning that Democrats’ high-tax policies would worsen the situation. She also pointed to the low poverty rate and Trump’s new trade deals as positives the GOP could highlight.

«What we’re not going to do is gaslight the American people, right? That’s what the Democrats did, and it didn’t work well for them,» she said, referencing former President Joe Biden’s handling of high inflation during his term. «But you have to take a look at the alternative. The alternative is absolutely terrifying.»

«We had a massive hole that we were digging out of under Biden. We have more work to do, of course we do, but do you want our trajectory, or do you want to go back to 9% inflation, open borders, and, and higher taxes? Because I tell everybody, every single Democrat voted to raise your taxes. They want more of your money.»

She echoed Trump’s assurances that gas prices would drop when the conflict with Iran ended, adding, «We also don’t want the number one state sponsor of terror to have a nuclear weapon, and we have to protect Americans from that.»

Meanwhile, Trump’s polling is underwater, with the most recent survey from mid-September finding his disapproval rating at 61%. Trump’s favorability remains a high 79% with Republican voters, however, meaning the GOP could still prevail by turning out the base on Nov. 3.

One of the most decisive issues of his 2024 victory proved to be illegal immigration and the border, a fervor Republicans are hoping they can harness again come November.

The memo encouraged Republicans to discuss «protecting America by stopping illegal immigration, enforcing our laws, and knowing who is entering the country.»

McClain pointed to policies promoted by far-left Democrats like abolishing police — and some mainstream Democrats’ backing of sanctuary jurisdictions — as a contrast point for the election, while arguing Republicans were still supportive of legal immigration.

«They tell you they want to defund the police. They tell you they want sanctuary cities. These are their words, not mine. These are the policies… they want,» McClain said. «The Republicans, we want immigration, we believe in immigration, but we want people to come in the right way, and we darn sure want to make sure we know who’s coming across.»

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A hidden scheme draining millions from the federal student aid system and infiltrating college campuses has emerged as a key target of the Trump administration’s fraud crackdown, with officials faulting Biden-era identity verification policies for opening the door to it.

One fraud expert is now highlighting the red flags students and parents must look out for as the fall semester begins, warning fraudsters are fabricating identities to enroll at colleges and collect aid that is meant for legitimate students.

«People, scammers specifically, look for vulnerable places like student loans and unemployment fraud to take advantage of those channels because historically they have been lax in their controls,» Mallory Wortman, senior fraud investigator at financial crime prevention firm Abrigo, told Digital.

In June, the Education Department also said it saved taxpayers nearly $200 million after requiring high-risk applicants to present government-issued identification when applying for federal student aid, Digital previously reported. The identity verification system was integrated into the online FAFSA application, with department officials estimating it will save taxpayers more than $1 billion this cycle.

STOLEN IDS SOLD FOR ‘HAPPY MEAL’ PRICES FUEL BILLIONS IN US BENEFIT FRAUD

The department took aim at weak fraud safeguards under former President Joe Biden, accusing his administration of requiring less than 1% of students to verify their identity following their FAFSA submission during the COVID-19 pandemic era.

The administration has also paired those safeguards with new enforcement efforts. Vice President JD Vance recently announced that more than 870,000 borrowers tied to alleged COVID-era fraud would be suspended from future federal loan programs, saying they could ultimately face federal prosecution.

But the crackdown reflects a simple reality, according to Wortman, who said fraudsters are quick to take advantage of any opportunity where government money is flowing.

«Anytime there’s an opportunity where funds are flowing, like financial aid fraud, or another example would be when there’s unemployment fraud during COVID, they’re gonna use that as a method to get those funds,» Wortman said.

Wortman said fraudsters frequently use so-called «ghost students» to exploit the programs. A «ghost student» is a stolen or fake identity, sometimes created with artificial intelligence (AI), used to enroll in college and collect federal student aid funds, loans or grants.

EXPLOSIVE REPORT FINDS $230M IN ALLEGED K-12 EDUCATION FRAUD AMID TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN: ‘ESPECIALLY HIDEOUS’

She compared the trick to her own time in community college, where she said she watched students enroll, walk away with a financial aid «refund,» then suddenly drop out of classes.

«That’s kind of what we’ve seen, straw student schemes turning into today,» she said, adding today’s fraudsters’ main objective is «attaining the aid rather than pursuing an education.»

As students return to campus, Wortman said there are many signs to look out for.

«They’re going to have multiple applications,» she said. «They’re going to have common information. There’s gonna be some unusual enrollment patterns and then suspicious changes to their account before those funds are disbursed.»

Similar «connections and patterns» can also be spotted in banking records, where Wortman described how fraudsters use elaborate data breaches and phishing messages to trick victims into providing personal information.

«You’re going to have shared information, that unusual movement of funds and then multiple apparently unrelated customers with common either connection activity, IP addresses, and then funds flowing through the account that just don’t make sense,» she said.

TREASURY HAILS SUCCESS OF ANTI-FRAUD PROCESS THAT FLAGGED AND PREVENTED $99 MILLION IN PAYMENTS TO DEAD PEOPLE

According to Wortman, the best defense against these fraudsters starts with keeping a close eye on your personal financial information.

«Just be aware and keep tabs on your personal financial information,» she said.

Despite the heightened focus on the fraud, Wortman said the scam is nothing new and that she is «glad» it is finally being recognized and prevented.

The size of the scam became clear last year when the Education Department revealed it blocked more than $1 billion in fraudulent student aid and identified nearly $90 million that had already been fraudulently disbursed. More than $30 million went to deceased individuals, while more than $40 million went to companies using bots disguised as fake students.

«This has been going on, and I’m glad that they’re finally doing something about it,» she said.

Digital’s Ashley J. DiMella and Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.

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El Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) presentó el 30 de septiembre los resultados de la Encuesta Nacional de Propósitos Múltiples, ENAPROM 2025, que determinó que el 13.4% de los hogares de Guatemala tiene al menos una persona con discapacidad.

La medición busca aportar información para formular, seguir y evaluar políticas públicas sobre las barreras que enfrentan estas personas en el cuidado, el acceso a dispositivos, la salud, el transporte y el empleo.

El relevamiento se concentró en la población de cinco años o más y estableció que el 3,9% presenta mucha dificultad o imposibilidad para realizar al menos una actividad funcional.

La encuesta se realizó mediante entrevistas directas en 5,760 viviendas de las ocho regiones del país e incluyó a residentes habituales de viviendas particulares.

La metodología vinculó las dificultades funcionales con las condiciones del entorno. Para identificar a la población con discapacidad, el INE aplicó el Conjunto Corto de Preguntas sobre Funcionamiento del Grupo de Washington, basado en la Clasificación Internacional del Funcionamiento, de la Discapacidad y de la Salud de la Organización Mundial de la Salud.

Las áreas evaluadas fueron visión, audición, movilidad, cognición, cuidado personal y comunicación. Una misma persona puede presentar dificultades en más de uno de esos dominios, por lo que los porcentajes específicos no deben sumarse.

La discapacidad aumenta a partir de los 60 años

La prevalencia crece de forma sostenida con la edad: alcanza al 1,2% de las personas de cinco a 14 años, al 1.7% del grupo de 15 a 29 años y al 3,5% entre quienes tienen de 30 a 59 años. En la población de 60 años o más, la proporción asciende al 19%.

Las mujeres registran una proporción de discapacidad de 4,1%, frente al 3,6% de los hombres. La diferencia también se observa por área de residencia: el indicador llega al 4,2% en zonas urbanas y al 3,4% en áreas rurales.

La limitación más frecuente es la movilidad: el 1,7% de la población de cinco años o más reportó mucha dificultad o imposibilidad para caminar o subir escaleras. Le siguen las dificultades para ver, incluso con lentes o anteojos, con 1,6%; para oír y para recordar o concentrarse, con 0,8% cada una; para comunicarse, con 0,7%; y para el cuidado personal o vestirse, con 0,5%.

El 71.2% de las personas con discapacidad necesita ayuda para realizar alguna actividad cotidiana y requiere asistencia en un promedio de 2,3 tareas. Caminar o subir escaleras concentra la mayor demanda de apoyo, ya que el 50,5% necesita la ayuda de otra persona para hacerlo.

La asistencia para bañarse o ducharse alcanza al 34,3%; para comunicarse, al 32.9%; para vestirse, al 29,7%; y para acostarse o levantarse de la cama, al 27%. Comer o beber es la actividad con menor proporción de personas que requieren apoyo, con 17.7%.

La necesidad de ayuda cotidiana es mayor fuera de las ciudades: afecta al 76.4% de las personas con discapacidad del área rural, frente al 67.7% de quienes viven en zonas urbanas. La diferencia se repite en cada una de las tareas consideradas por la encuesta.

La falta de dispositivos alcanza a siete de cada 10 personas que los necesitan

El 63,5% de las personas con discapacidad requiere una tecnología de apoyo, como silla de ruedas, bastón, aparato auditivo o prótesis. Entre quienes necesitan esos recursos, el 69,9% no accede a ellos, mientras que el 30,1% cuenta con el dispositivo que requiere.

La demanda de estas tecnologías alcanza al 65% de la población con discapacidad del área rural y al 62,5% de la urbana. Sin embargo, solo el 23,9% de las personas rurales que necesita un dispositivo dispone de él, una proporción inferior al 34,3% registrado en las ciudades.

El acceso también varía según pertenencia étnica. Entre los pueblos indígenas y afrodescendientes, el 22,9% de quienes necesitan un dispositivo de apoyo logra obtenerlo, frente al 33,7% de las personas pertenecientes a otros pueblos.

Las barreras se extienden al entorno doméstico y comunitario. El 51,2% de las personas con discapacidad enfrenta obstáculos en su vivienda, el 50,3% en espacios públicos destinados a la socialización y la vida comunitaria, y el 48,4% en servicios de salud.

Los lugares habituales de culto religioso presentan barreras para el 44,3% de esta población; el transporte público colectivo, para el 43,9%; y las tiendas o comercios cercanos, para el 43,8%. En las instituciones públicas donde se realizan trámites, el indicador es de 37%, mientras que las instalaciones educativas registran el menor porcentaje, con 28,4%.

Las dificultades son más frecuentes en las áreas rurales en la vivienda, los espacios públicos, el transporte y los lugares de culto. En los hogares, por ejemplo, el 56,7% de las personas rurales con discapacidad reporta obstáculos, frente al 47,5% de quienes residen en zonas urbanas.

La creación en 2026 de la Oficina Coordinadora Sectorial de Estadísticas de Discapacidad, solicitada por el Consejo Nacional para la Atención de las Personas con Discapacidad, acompaña la producción de estos datos. La oficina busca articular la generación de estadísticas sobre discapacidad después de la incorporación de módulos específicos en el Censo de 2018 y en distintas encuestas de hogares realizadas desde 2022.

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