INTERNACIONAL
Vets groups torch Dems for holding up key VA picks, including memorials chief, on Memorial Day
FIRST ON FOX: A slew of veterans’ groups, along with Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins, are criticizing Senate Democrats for delaying key agency nominations over what some have called unserious or «DOGE-type» concerns.
One top nominee currently facing the collective procedural roadblock ahead of Memorial Day is wounded warrior Sam Brown, a former Nevada senatorial candidate and Army captain who was burned over more than one-third of his body when the Humvee he was riding in in Helmand, Afghanistan, hit a roadside IED that incinerated its fuel tank.
He was nominated by President Donald Trump as undersecretary for memorial affairs, which maintains cemeteries and facilitates veterans’ burial ceremonies – about 100,000 per year.
A letter from about two dozen veterans’ groups addressed to Senate VA Committee Chairman Jerry Moran, R-Kan., ranking member Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and caucus leaders was obtained Friday by Fox News Digital.
Doug Collins, left, Sam Brown, right (Getty)
The groups note that they respect the Senate’s advise-and-consent role, but object to the current situation. They note that the VA has the fewest presidentially nominated positions and that other agency nominees receive overnight and weekend considerations at times.
«We will be happy to bring the senators coffee and donuts during such late night and weekend sessions, of course in compliance with the Senate’s gift and ethics rules,» the groups wrote.
Brown and all other nominees since April have been held up by Blumenthal and Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. – but the lawmakers say their move is not personal and instead aimed to halt mass firings and other Trump-era actions.
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, indicated that he would join the two Democrats, after a confirmation hearing for Brown, Marine Lt. Col. James Baehr for general counsel and Army veteran Richard Topping for VA CFO, was mooted in April by the procedural hold.
«We’ve had 2,400 firings so far,» King said, according to Stars & Stripes.
Vietnam Veterans of America, in a separate letter obtained by Fox News Digital, demanded Brown, Baehr and Topping be confirmed summarily.
«All three of these veterans received favorable reports following the April 9th nominations process from the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee,» wrote VVA President Jack McManus.
NEW GOP SENATOR TEARS INTO DEMS ‘SEEKING TO DELAY’ PETE HEGSETH DOD CONFIRMATION
Senate VA Chair Jerry Moran of Kansas (Getty)
McManus said that many Vietnam Vets are concerned about the hold-up and agree that Brown and the others are eminently qualified, blaming «two members of the US Senate Veterans Affairs Committee» for «affecting services to our veterans.»
Another letter from the Independence Fund, which provides resources, including trackchairs, to severely wounded veterans, said a fully staffed VA central office is crucial to its mission.
Last week, when Moran again attempted to confirm Brown by unanimous consent – a voice vote that must have no audible objections – Blumenthal rose to block him.
«The chairman and I share a bipartisan commitment to putting our veterans first. . . . I think we also share a respect for Sam Brown [and] his service to our nation as a decorated veteran,» said Blumenthal.
Blumenthal, whose own service was criticized by Trump with the nickname «Da Nang Dick» after a Vietnamese province, said that Brown’s nomination lacked unanimous support in committee, citing a 10-9 vote.
TRUMP VA PICK DOUG COLLINS ADVANCES TO FULL SENATE VOTE
«This issue is bigger than Sam Brown. It is about information that has been denied to our committee and to us as senators. The secretary of the VA is actively working to undermine our bipartisan oversight efforts.
Blumenthal told Fox News Digital he had a message for Collins: «Before you hire new top VA bureaucrats, you should be rehiring the dedicated veterans you fired.»
«Secretary Doug Collins is denying us essential information that is necessary for our oversight, and we want accountability. All Americans, especially veterans, deserve votes by the full Senate on top nominees—not rubber stamp unanimous consents,» he said, adding Collins can ask the Senate to hold floor-debate on the nominees through regular order.
In comments to Fox News Digital, Collins rejected Blumenthal’s claims and lambasted the delays.
«Imagine how much better off America’s veterans would be if Senators Blumenthal and Gallego cared as much about fixing the department’s broken bureaucracy as they do about preventing wounded combat veterans from coming to work at VA,» he said.
«Despite their obstruction, we will reform the department to make it work better for veterans, families, caregivers and survivors.»
Gallego said he also does not object to Brown personally, and that he is instead seeking agency accountability – saying in a recent statement he wants to reverse «hack-job firings.»
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Primaries were held on Tuesday night to fill the seat being vacated at the end of this year by Rep. Ruben Gallego. (Getty Images)
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Gallego said Collins is «more concerned with three political appointees than the thousands of veterans who are going to lose their jobs and care.»
«I served this country and received care at the VA. I know how important it is for veterans. Abandoning them, like Secretary Collins wants to do, is reckless and un-American. Show Congress the plan on how care won’t be impacted. Anything short of that is political posturing,» he said.
In Gallego’s Arizona, the Phoenix VA hospital is letting go 800 employees, and a 2024 inspector general report found that the site already faced staffing shortages.
Recent surveys of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans show an elevated concern that VA cuts could impact benefits and health care.
Fox News reached out to King for comment for purposes of this story.
Senate,Military Families,Veterans,Cabinet
INTERNACIONAL
Al menos cinco muertos y diez heridos en un ataque israelí en la frontera entre Líbano y Siria
Al menos cinco personas murieron y otras diez resultaron heridas en un ataque perpetrado este jueves por el Ejército de Israel en el paso fronterizo de Masnaa, que se encuentra en la gobernación libanesa de Becá (este), a pesar del alto el fuego alcanzado en noviembre de 2024.
El Ministerio de Sanidad de Líbano informó a través de un breve comunicado recogido por la agencia de noticias NNA de que se trata de un balance preliminar y sostiene que “el ataque del enemigo israelí” tuvo como objetivo un vehículo ubicado en la carretera de Masnaa. Por el momento, el Ejército de Israel no se ha pronunciado al respecto.
Por otro lado, la cartera ministerial confirmó también la muerte de una persona en un ataque aéreo en la localidad de Kfardan, en la gobernación de Baalbek, que se encuentra en el extremo nororiental del país.
Israel justifica este tipo de ataques contra Líbano argumentando que actúa contra actividades del grupo terrorista Hezbollah y que, por ello, no viola el alto el fuego pactado en noviembre, si bien tanto Beirut como el grupo se han mostrado críticos con estas acciones, igualmente condenadas por Naciones Unidas.
El pacto, alcanzado tras meses de combates al hilo de los ataques del 7 de octubre de 2023, contemplaba que tanto Israel como Hezbollah debían retirar sus efectivos del sur de Líbano. Sin embargo, el Ejército israelí ha mantenido cinco puestos en el territorio de su país vecino, algo también criticado por las autoridades libanesas, que exige el fin de este despliegue.
Por otra parte, el Consejo de Ministros de Líbano aprobó este jueves la propuesta de Estados Unidos sobre el desarme de Hezbollah. El anuncio se produjo tras una sesión celebrada en el Palacio de Baabda, en la que el gabinete libanés avaló los objetivos presentes en el documento presentado por el enviado estadounidense Tom Barrack.
El ministro de Información, Paul Morcos, declaró que “el gabinete ha concluido el debate del primer punto de su sesión y ha aprobado los objetivos establecidos en la introducción del documento estadounidense para consolidar el acuerdo de cese de hostilidades”.
Morcos señaló que el gobierno sigue “a la espera de un plan de implementación del Ejército” y afirmó: “Hemos acordado poner fin a la presencia armada en todo el país, incluido Hezbollah, y desplegar el Ejército libanés en las zonas fronterizas”, según declaraciones recogidas por NNA.
El documento estadounidense propone que Líbano adopte medidas que extiendan su soberanía sobre todo su territorio, incluyendo el monopolio estatal sobre la decisión de guerra y paz, así como sobre el uso de las armas. Plantea la progresiva eliminación de la presencia armada de todas las facciones no estatales, incluido Hezbollah, la movilización del ejército en puntos clave de la frontera y la retirada de Israel de las zonas libanesas que ocupa actualmente.
El plan insta a resolver los puntos pendientes con Israel mediante “negociaciones indirectas y medios diplomáticos”, y contempla el retorno de los residentes desplazados a sus localidades afectadas por el conflicto. También reclama una delimitación “permanente y visible” de las fronteras de Líbano con Israel y Siria. Washington ha propuesto una conferencia económica internacional para reconstruir la economía libanesa y canalizar más apoyo a las fuerzas de seguridad del país, vinculando estos pasos a la visión del expresidente Donald Trump para el desarrollo económico nacional.
El enviado estadounidense, Tom Barrack, afirmó este jueves que el gobierno libanés tomó una decisión “histórica” esta semana al avanzar hacia el desarme de Hezbollah, respaldado por Irán, tal como ha solicitado Washington.
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While she is shutting down her sanctuary state’s migrant shelters, critics are accusing Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey of simply shifting the costs over to a program that makes migrants eligible to receive at least $30,000 in housing assistance over two years.
The Boston Herald reported in June that the Healey administration had increased spending in Massachusetts’ HomeBASE program to $97 million in 2025, up from $9.5 million in 2022, according to state data.
The outlet reported that eligible families in the Massachusetts-run shelter system were being provided with $30,000 in rental assistance over two years. According to the Herald, the total caseload for HomeBASE increased under Healey from 1,473 in January 2023 to 7,767 in April 2025, more than a 400 percent increase. The outlet also said that some eligible families could qualify for an additional $15,000 in a third year of assistance but that state officials planned to pause third year assistance in July.
After that report, Massachusetts GOP Chair Amy Carnevale commented that the HomeBASE program amounted to being «shelters by another name.»
DHS SCOOPS UP CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECTED OF KILLING MAN ON LAWNMOWER: ‘SENSELESS TRAGEDY’
As Massachusetts Democratic Governor Maura Healey closes down the sanctuary state’s migrant shelters, she is facing criticism for simultaneously shifting costs to dramatically increase spending on a program that detractors say makes immigrants eligible to receive $30,000 in housing assistance. (Photo by Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images and Joseph Prezzioso/AFP via Getty Images)
«Taxpayers are giving migrant families nearly limitless free rental assistance. Meanwhile, federal action means these families won’t be receiving work permits anytime soon,» she went on, adding, «The migrant shelter crisis is not over, and cost-shifting is not leadership.»
This month, Healey announced the closure of all remaining hotel shelters in the Bay State amid the formal termination of her executive emergency focused on the state’s Biden-era migrant influx.
In a statement emailed to Fox News Digital, Carnevale said that «friends, favors, and failures continue to emerge even as she declares that the migrant crisis is over.»
«Healey should rip off the Band-Aid and tell the public whether these same oversights are occurring in the HomeBASE program,» she continued.
TOM HOMAN PUTS SANCTUARY CITIES ‘ON NOTICE’ AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CRACKS DOWN ON IMMIGRATION
A security guard patrols the emergency overflow shelter for migrants at the Melnea A. Cass Recreation Complex in Boston. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
«The abuse of taxpayer dollars, coupled with a stunning lack of oversight by Maura Healey and her administration, will define her legacy as governor.»
Meanwhile, Jon Fetherston, a former Massachusetts migrant shelter director who blew the whistle about rampant crime and abuse taking place in the system, commented that «instead of creating stability, HomeBase has become a revolving door of short-term rental assistance.»
He said that because migrants often spend the bulk of their $30,000 on upfront costs, many become unable to sustain their housing within months.
«The Healey Administration’s expansion of the HomeBASE program was sold to the public as a solution, one that would save money, reduce shelter dependence, and help migrant families become self-sufficient. But the reality is far different,» he explained. «HomeBASE is now a bloated, mismanaged program that’s failing both the taxpayers who fund it and the migrants it claims to help.»
ICE RAID TIPOFFS FROM DEM LAWMAKER COULD MEAN CHARGES, SAYS DHS REP: ‘LOOKS LIKE OBSTRUCTION’
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Gov. Maura Healey tour a Boston facility housing over 300 migrant families. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
«HomeBASE, in its current form, is a broken promise,» he said. «Taxpayers are footing a nearly $100 million bill with little transparency, no measurable outcomes and no end in sight. The promise of savings from closing hotel shelters is being quietly replaced with backdoor spending that still lacks accountability.
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«This isn’t a hand-up; it’s a setup for failure.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Healey’s office for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
sanctuary cities,massachusetts,immigration,democratic party,border security,migrant crime
INTERNACIONAL
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