INTERNACIONAL
McCaul touts money in Trump tax bill to pay Texas back for fighting Biden border policies
There’s a provision tucked into President Donald Trump’s broadly ranging «big, beautiful bill» that could see Texas get billions of dollars in funds that it spent on the state’s border security under the Biden administration.
The legislation earmarked $12 billion for a grant program allowing states to be reimbursed for costs they incurred trying to stem the flow of illegal immigration during the Democratic administration.
The measure was added to the bill hours before the final vote – but Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the former chairman of the House Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs Committees, told Fox News Digital it was a product of months of negotiation.
«Early on, [Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green, R-Tenn., and I were discussing reconciliation going through the Homeland Security Committee. And, you know, there was about $70 billion for the border,» McCaul said. «Texas bore the brunt of the federal mission the last four years and deserves to be reimbursed. And so he agreed, had a conversation with Governor Abbott, and he agreed.»
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Rep. Michael McCaul spoke with Fox News Digital about the weeks of talks it took to secure billions for states that incurred border-related costs during the Biden administration. (Getty Images)
While the text does not name Texas specifically, Fox News Digital was told that the measure’s inclusion was primarily sought by the Lone Star state’s congressional delegation.
The state of Texas, Fox News Digital was told, had incurred just over $11 billion in costs from Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts to keep the border in his state secure.
«The fact of the matter is, when you look at the costs that were borne, Texas had the lion’s share of [the burden] carrying out the federal mission when the Biden administration completely failed to deliver on border security,» McCaul said. «My state built the border wall and built detention facilities. We bore a lot of costs.»
Operation Lone Star alone cost Texas $11.1 billion, according to The Texas Tribune.
Rather than add it to the initial text of the bill, McCaul said, leaders opted to include it in a «managers amendment» that was added on Wednesday night along with several other issues that lawmakers needed more time to negotiate.
«The legislative process, it’s something I’ve gotten to know over my 20 years and how to get things done up here. And I thought, you know, the way we worked it was strategically very smart,» McCaul said. «It’s going to the Senate now. And Senator Cornyn is going to take it up, be the champion in the Senate.»
The Texas Republican first met with Abbott and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on the matter in early February, Fox News Digital was told.
McCaul said Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger also played a key role (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
McCaul said he also worked closely on the push with Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, who told Fox News Digital that «no state» carried more financial burden from the border crisis than Texas.
«Texas spent $11.1 billion on border security, including $5.87 billion on personnel costs and $4.75 billion on border wall and barriers. When the federal government failed to secure our border and protect our communities, Texans stepped up,» Pfluger said.
Johnson, for his part, thanked McCaul for his efforts in a public written statement.
«Thanks to Rep. McCaul, states that stepped up to protect Americans in the face of Biden’s border catastrophe will be reimbursed for doing the work the Biden Administration refused to do,» the speaker said. «Had those patriotic governors not taken action and used the resources of their state, the devastation from Biden’s wide-open border would have been significantly worse.»
MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE
Green said of the need for the measure, «In the absence of help from the Biden-Harris administration, states were forced to take extraordinary measures to mitigate the crisis and protect their communities by building barrier systems and increasing law enforcement activity.»
And while McCaul and his colleagues’ efforts in the House do not guarantee that Texas will ultimately see those funds, it puts them one step closer to success.
The measure is one aspect in a multi-trillion-dollar bill that Republicans are working to pass via the budget reconciliation process.
By lowering the Senate’s threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51, reconciliation enables the party in power to pass certain fiscal legislation while completely sidelining the minority – in this case, Democrats.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star cost Texas over $11 billion (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
Trump directed Republicans to use reconciliation to advance his policies on taxes, immigration, energy, defense, and the national debt.
The Senate and House must pass identical versions of the bill before it gets to Trump’s desk.
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McCaul told Fox News Digital that he was confident the measure would stay in the Senate bill after conversations with the Trump administration on the matter.
«I anticipate it will go forward,» McCaul said. «I’m, just proud that we were able to get this done. I’m very proud of what my state did to stop the flow of illegals and dangerous actors coming into the country.»
When reached for comment, Abbott told Fox News Digital, «This is a national issue that Texas was proud to address, and we are grateful for the allocation that reduces the financial burden that Texas incurred.»
House Of Representatives,Border security,Republicans
INTERNACIONAL
EEUU afirmó que la vía diplomática con Irán sigue abierta y que los bombardeos no excluyen un posible acuerdo futuro
La Casa Blanca afirmó este jueves que mantiene abierta la comunicación con Irán y que la relación bilateral continúa en “una vía diplomática”, en medio de tensiones provocadas por recientes bombardeos del ejército estadounidense contra instalaciones nucleares iraníes el pasado fin de semana. Así lo expresó la portavoz Karoline Leavitt durante una rueda de prensa, al referirse a los intentos de Washington de alcanzar acuerdos tras la ofensiva militar.
“El presidente Donald Trump quiere la paz, siempre la ha querido, y ahora mismo estamos en una vía diplomática con Irán. El presidente y su equipo, en particular el enviado especial para Oriente Medio, Steve Witkoff, siguen en comunicación con los iraníes”, afirmó Leavitt frente a periodistas.
El ataque del sábado por la noche tuvo como objetivo las plantas de enriquecimiento de uranio en Isfahan, Natanz y Fordow, según detalló la portavoz, quien subrayó que aunque existe disposición para dialogar, aún es temprano para definir una agenda concreta de contactos con Teherán.
Frente a las declaraciones del presidente estadounidense sobre eventuales acercamientos la próxima semana y la posibilidad de que un acuerdo ya no sea imprescindible tras los daños infligidos al programa atómico de Irán, Leavitt indicó que “acaban de realizar este ataque” y pidió paciencia antes de divulgar plazos oficiales.
Por su parte, el ministro de Asuntos Exteriores del régimen iraní, Abbas Araghchi, negó firmemente las especulaciones de que Irán se dispone a reanudar las negociaciones nucleares con Estados Unidos.
“Algunas especulaciones sobre la reanudación de las negociaciones no deben tomarse en serio”, dijo Araghchi en la televisión estatal. “Quiero dejar claro que no se ha llegado a ningún acuerdo, arreglo o conversación para iniciar nuevas negociaciones. Todavía no se ha establecido ningún plan para iniciar negociaciones”.
“No se ha llegado a ningún acuerdo o arreglo para reanudar las negociaciones. No se ha hecho ninguna promesa ni se ha mantenido ninguna discusión al respecto”, declaró Araghchi al canal estatal de noticias iraní IRINN.
“Hemos tenido una experiencia engorrosa con los estadounidenses: que traicionaron las negociaciones en mitad del proceso. Esta experiencia afectará sin duda a nuestras decisiones futuras. Pero esa decisión se tomará en última instancia en función del bienestar del pueblo iraní, no de las emociones ni de ninguna consideración superficial o temporal”, añadió.
Leavitt también informó que ha mantenido conversación “extensa” con Steve Witkoff y aseguró que la diplomacia estadounidense se coordina no solo con las autoridades iraníes, sino también con intermediarios claves como Qatar. Describió a la administración qatarí como un “aliado y socio increíble durante todo este proceso” y recordó que el emirato ha desempeñado un rol central como mediador, junto con Estados Unidos, entre Irán e Israel para propiciar el diálogo y promover un alto el fuego alcanzado el lunes.
Washington mantiene contacto constante con aliados en la región del Golfo Pérsico y el mundo árabe, en línea con los esfuerzos por consolidar “un acuerdo con Irán sobre la alianza con el Estado de Israel”, explicó Leavitt. Aseguró que la relación entre Washington y Tel Aviv “nunca ha sido tan fuerte” y resaltó la expectativa de que más Estados árabes se sumen a los Acuerdos de Abraham, iniciativas de normalización de relaciones diplomáticas con Israel ya adoptadas por Emiratos Árabes Unidos, Sudán, Baréin y Marruecos.
Por otra parte, la portavoz de la Casa Blanca también criticó al líder supremo iraní, el ayatollah Ali Khamenei, porque consideró que ejecuta una estrategia para “salvar las apariencias”, tras sus declaraciones públicas en las que minimizó el impacto de los bombardeos estadounidenses sobre las instalaciones nucleares. “Vimos el video del ayatollah, y cuando se tiene un régimen totalitario, hay que salvar las apariencias”, afirmó Leavitt en referencia a la postura del líder iraní, quien sostuvo que el presidente Trump “exageró” el daño logrado por la ofensiva militar.
El gobierno estadounidense sostiene que, pese a la escalada militar, continúa priorizando el entendimiento diplomático con Teherán y sus aliados regionales, considerando la persistente inestabilidad en el Medio Oriente y la búsqueda de nuevas fórmulas de cooperación.
(Con información de AFP y EFE)
North America,Government / Politics,Washington
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Those who leaked a preliminary assessment — rejected by the White House — on the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities will face justice for sharing the document, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
President Donald Trump and multiple leaders are saying that the strikes destroyed three Iranian nuclear sites.
A leaked report from the Defense Intelligence Agency, published by CNN and the New York Times, cast doubt on that though, saying that the strikes only set back Iran’s nuclear program by several months. CNN first reported the assessment’s findings, citing seven people who were briefed on the report. The outlet reported the findings were based on a battle damage assessment from U.S. Central Command.
Leavitt pushed back on the early assessment’s credibility, claiming the report was «flat-out wrong.»
«Everyone knows what happens when you drop 14 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration,» Leavitt said in a Tuesday statement.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the FBI is conducting an investigation to get to the bottom of the matter and who shared the document with the media.
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, Jun. 26, 2025. (Mark Schiefelbein/The Associated Press)
Additionally, Leavitt told reporters that leaking classified information is a criminal offense and that those who fail to follow the law «need to be held accountable for that crime.»
«This administration wants to ensure that classified intelligence is not ending up in irresponsible hands, and that people who have the privilege of viewing this top secret classified information are being responsible with it,» Leavitt told reporters Thursday.
«Clearly, someone who had their hands on this and it was a very few people, very few number of people in our government who saw this report,» Leavitt said. «That person was irresponsible with it. And we need to get to the bottom of it. And we need to strengthen that process to protect our national security and protect the American public.»
Meanwhile, the U.S., Israel and Iran’s Foreign Ministry have all said that the three nuclear sites U.S. forces struck have encountered massive damage.
EX-CLINTON OFFICIAL APPLAUDS TRUMP’S ‘COURAGEOUS’ IRAN CALL, DOUBTS HARRIS WOULD’VE HAD THE NERVE
U.S. struck three nuclear sites in Iran Saturday. (Fox News)
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei told Al Jazeera Wednesday that the country’s nuclear facilities were «badly damaged,» and Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission said the U.S. strikes were «devastating.»
On Sunday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said that initial battle damage assessments suggest «all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.»
Trump issued a word of caution to Iran Wednesday, should it attempt to repair its nuclear program once more, and said the U.S. wouldn’t hesitate to launch another strike against Iran.
Trump personally called for the firing of one of the reporters who authored the story about the initial assessment, claiming in a Wednesday Truth Social post that the reporter should be «IMMEDIATELY reprimanded, and then thrown out ‘like a dog.’»
RUSSIAN LEADER CLAIMS MULTIPLE COUNTRIES PREPPED TO PROVIDE IRAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOLLOWING US STRIKES
Trump lashes out at Israel and Iran with profanity for breaking ceasefire Tuesday. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Even so, CNN came to the defense of the reporter, Natasha Bertrand.
«We stand 100% behind Natasha Bertrand’s journalism and specifically her and her colleagues’ reporting of the early intelligence assessment of the U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities,» CNN said in a Wednesday statement. «CNN’s reporting made clear that this was an initial finding that could change with additional intelligence. We have extensively covered President Trump’s own deep skepticism about it.»
Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
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