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Trump holds Washington hostage over SAVE Act as midterm clock ticks on GOP control
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President Donald Trump is turning the stalled SAVE America Act into a leverage fight on Capitol Hill, tying the bill to unrelated Republican priorities as the party races to use its congressional majorities before the midterms.
The fight now stretches across defense spending, housing legislation, Senate primary politics and the filibuster, as Trump pushes Republicans to move the stalled elections bill before the party’s midterm window narrows.
The latest pressure point came Tuesday, when Trump tied the stalled elections bill to a proposed «Reconciliation 3.0» package seeking $350 billion in new defense spending.
«The SAVE AMERICA ACT, which everyone is asking for, paired with the full funding of our Great Department of War, can be passed, very quickly, ensuring that the United States of America stays FREE for Generations to come,» Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday.
TRUMP’S SAVE AMERICA ACT SHOWS SIGNS OF LIFE IN THE SENATE DESPITE REPUBLICAN REVOLT
President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 6, 2025. (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The SAVE America Act includes Trump’s long-sought voter ID and citizenship verification, which has faced obstacles in the Senate. Trump has warned about the need for voter ID laws for years, including from the 2016 campaign trail.
In late June, Trump announced a last-minute cancellation of the signing of the 21st Century ROAD Act of Housing, while issuing an ultimatum to get the SAVE Act passed.
The housing bill had bipartisan support and would have expanded the supply of homes and lower costs while also giving individual buyers a leg up by banning large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes.
The cancellation came as a shock to members on both sides of the aisle, with Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins saying the decision «made no sense,» while Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Trump refused to sign at the «11th hour.»
«The SAVE America Act has always been a top priority for President Trump, and it remains one. This is commonsense legislation, supported by the vast majority of Americans, that will secure our elections for generations to come,» White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital.
«The president knows how critical this issue is for the American people, and he will not stop fighting until it is passed,» Jackson added.
Democratic lawmakers have argued the SAVE Act would create unnecessary barriers for eligible voters, disenfranchising them.
«In fact, he won’t sign our bipartisan bill to finally bring relief to the housing market until he gets his SAVE Act to rig the midterms and kick millions of American citizens off the voter rolls. America First,» said New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, referencing the housing act.
«Donald Trump thinks that passing a voter suppression law is the most important thing for our country,» posted House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on X.
TRUMP SUFFERS MAJOR SUPREME COURT DEFEAT AS JUSTICES UPHOLD BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP
People complete their ballots. (REBECCA DROKE/AFP via Getty Images)
The SAVE Act also became entangled in the Texas Senate fight between Attorney General Ken Paxton and incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, where the filibuster and Trump’s endorsement became part of the same pressure campaign.
Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton previously sounded the alarm on the importance of getting the bill passed during his campaign in March.
«I would consider dropping out of this race if Senate Leadership agrees to lift the filibuster and passes the SAVE America Act,» he wrote on X at the time.
Cornyn declined to back the SAVE Act even as he signaled he could reconsider his longtime support for the filibuster, sharpening the Texas primary pressure before Trump ultimately endorsed Paxton.
Trump also diverted his attention back to the SAVE Act in another move to push his immigration agenda after a Supreme Court ruling on birthright citizenship.
After the Supreme Court ruled that children born in the United States to parents unlawfully or temporarily present are citizens at birth under the 14th Amendment, Trump turned back to the SAVE Act as part of his broader immigration and elections push.
«The Supreme Court upheld Birthright Citizenship, which is too bad for our Country, but we can easily make it up in Congress through Legislation, with the support of the President, that has now been determined during this process,» Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time.
CONGRESS EYES RARE BIPARTISAN HOUSING WIN WITH OR WITHOUT TRUMP’S HELP
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speaks at a press conference with other members of Senate Republican leadership following a policy luncheon in Washington, D.C., on October 28, 2025. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has cast doubt on the bill’s path forward, saying Republicans do not have the 60 votes needed to overcome a Democratic filibuster.
Trump has pushed Senate Republicans to change the rules and pass the bill by a simple majority, while pressing Democrats to publicly defend their reliance on the filibuster.
Trump has sounded the alarm that the SAVE Act may never pass if it doesn’t cross the finish line before November.
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Republicans and administration officials have joined Trump’s crusade by using their speaking engagements to help push the SAVE Act.
Vice President JD Vance said by passing the legislation to get voter ID, Republicans will stop talking about election fraud.
«We are the only advanced democracy anywhere in the entire world that doesn’t require you to show a voter ID to vote. It’s simple. Just give us election integrity laws, give us voter ID, and then we will have the confidence to say the American people, there’s no cheating,» said Vance. «So stop it and give the American people voter ID.»
The Senate is scheduled to return from its Independence Day recess the week of July 13.
politics, senate elections, donald trump, midterm elections, congress
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Top Trump official reveals how 30-minute military op unlocked Venezuela oil windfall for US buyers
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DALLAS, Texas — The 30-minute U.S. military operation that removed Nicolás Maduro from power has helped clear the way for a sweeping expansion of Venezuela’s battered energy sector, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said, sharing that the country’s national energy production will more than double by the end of 2027.
«Chevron is going to more than double their energy production. In fact, that national energy production in Venezuela will more than double by the end of next year from the intervention on Jan. 3 this year,» Wright told Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the RNC Midterm Convention.
Wright said the military actions in Venezuela helped open the door for a major increase in oil production as the administration has increasingly taken an active role in the socialist country as part of a broader push to expand U.S. influence and investment.
U.S. forces entered Venezuela for Operation Absolute Resolve Jan. 3, capturing Maduro and his wife Flores. War Secretary Pete Hegseth said the attack was part of «massive joint military and law enforcement raid» and lasted less than 30 minutes.
TRUMP TOUTS ACCESS TO 65 BILLION BARRELS OF VENEZUELAN OIL IN DEAL HE SAYS WILL SLASH GAS PRICES
A view of the town of Agua Santa Rosa, on the shores of Lake Maracaibo, among dilapidated houses in Maracaibo, Venezuela, July 27, 2026. (Jose Isaac Bula/Anadolu via Getty Images)
«You had 25 years of communist dictatorship. The standard of living has just plummeted in Venezuela. Eight million Venezuelans fled. About a million of them, and not all of them good actors, came to the United States of America. People tried to beg, borrow, bribe, anything they could to change the Venezuelan government. No luck,» Wright said.
«President Trump is an out-of-the-box, bold foreign policy leader.
«A brief military operation, arrest two criminals and now we have leverage over the government. It’s an existing government. Are they perfect? No. But we have a lot of leverage.»
Chevron scored an investment of more than $7 billion over five years and more than double its Venezuelan oil production to 600,000 barrels per day, according to its press release.
Venezuela controls more than 300 billion barrels of crude reserves, roughly 20% of the world’s total. Despite holding an estimated 17% of the world’s oil reserves, Venezuela produces only about 1% of global output after years of political instability and deteriorating infrastructure undermined its energy industry.
TOP ENERGY TRADER HAILS TRUMP’S VENEZUELA OIL DEAL AS A ‘GENERATIONAL WIN’ FOR GAS PRICES
President Donald Trump takes questions from members of the press aboard Air Force One Jan. 11, 2026, while traveling from Palm Beach, Fla. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Wright said shifting the center of global energy production toward the Western Hemisphere will put the U.S. at the center and major producers, including Canada, Guyana and Mexico supplying more of the world’s oil and gas.
Millions of barrels of new Venezuelan production would be processed through U.S. refineries and produced using American rigs and infrastructure, creating thousands of American jobs, according to the White House.
STATE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES ‘TOTAL COMPLIANCE’ FROM VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT IN RELIEF EFFORTS AFTER MADURO ARREST
Secretary of Energy Chris Wright speaks to Fox News Digital at the RNC Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas. (Fox News Digital)
The administration’s emerging approach to Venezuela could use U.S. leverage with energy investment to prompt political change.
That deal comes with added importance as the war with Iran disrupts oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. The average U.S. price for regular gasoline rose to about $4.22 a gallon Wednesday, according to AAA, up from roughly $3.19 a year earlier.
«We’re solving a 47-year conflict with Iran. We cannot have a nuclear-armed Iran. This is a nation sounding death to America and doing everything they can to implement it. But we’ve massively grown United States natural gas exports, good for our economy, good for the world economy,» Wright said.
energy, socialism, venezuelan political crisis, foreign policy, nicolas maduro
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Cilia Flores solicitó prisión domiciliaria por “problemas de salud” mientras espera el juicio por narcotráfico junto a Maduro
Cilia Flores, esposa del ex dictador venezolano Nicolás Maduro, solicitó a un tribunal federal de Nueva York que se le permita esperar su juicio por narcotráfico bajo arresto domiciliario en lugar de continuar detenida en una prisión de Brooklyn. Sus abogados presentaron el pedido el miércoles ante el juez Alvin K. Hellerstein, con el argumento de que una afección cardíaca que padece desde hace años se agravó desde su ingreso al centro de detención.
Según el escrito judicial, firmado por los defensores Mark Donnelly y Andrés Sánchez, Flores convivía con un “prolapso de la válvula mitral” antes de su arresto y recibía un tratamiento mensual con inyecciones que no ha podido continuar durante su reclusión. En su lugar, el equipo médico del penal le prescribió aspirina infantil, una estatina, diltiazem y nitroglicerina para los episodios de dolor en el pecho.
“Merece la oportunidad de esperar su juicio en confinamiento domiciliario”, escribieron los abogados, quienes detallaron que su clienta perdió más de once kilos, sufrió la pérdida de dos molares y presenta reflujo y gastritis persistentes desde enero. La defensa añadió que médicos recomendaron realizarle un cateterismo cardíaco, procedimiento que podría derivar en intervenciones adicionales y que, según argumentan, requiere un entorno de recuperación distinto al que ofrece una cárcel federal.
El documento también hace referencia a un episodio de salud ocurrido el 29 de julio que, de acuerdo con los propios abogados, “aparentemente” pudo tratarse de un infarto leve, aunque este punto no cuenta con confirmación médica oficial.
La defensa propuso un esquema de detención alternativa: una residencia privada dentro del distrito judicial de Manhattan, custodiada por guardias armados durante las 24 horas, con visitas restringidas a las personas autorizadas por la corte y la fiscalía, líneas telefónicas intervenidas y monitoreo por video. Flores ofreció además asumir los costos del traslado y entregar su pasaporte como garantía adicional para permanecer bajo custodia estadounidense.
Los abogados subrayaron que el personal del centro de detención “ha sido extremadamente respetuoso” con la pareja y que Flores “no cuestiona que ha recibido una atención excelente” por parte de los profesionales médicos que la atendieron tanto en la prisión como en el hospital. Sin embargo, insistieron en que “un centro de detención carece de las condiciones necesarias” para una recuperación adecuada tras eventuales procedimientos cardíacos.
Bajo sello el historial médico de Flores
Paralelamente, el juez Hellerstein aceptó una petición complementaria de la defensa para mantener bajo sello el historial médico de Flores presentado como respaldo del pedido de arresto domiciliario. En su resolución, el magistrado sostuvo que “los tribunales de este circuito autorizan regularmente la presentación de historiales médicos bajo sello”, al considerar que prevalece el interés de la acusada en proteger la privacidad de esa información sobre la presunción de acceso público a los expedientes judiciales.
La fiscalía federal de Manhattan no ha presentado aún una respuesta formal a la solicitud y un portavoz de esa oficina declinó hacer comentarios. El juez tampoco se ha pronunciado sobre el pedido.
Flores, de 69 años, y Maduro, de 63, permanecen detenidos desde el 3 de enero, cuando fuerzas estadounidenses los capturaron en un operativo nocturno en su residencia de Caracas y los trasladaron a Nueva York. Ambos se declararon no culpables de los cargos que los acusan de integrar una conspiración para introducir cocaína en territorio estadounidense.
Las defensas de ambos acusados presentaron además mociones separadas para desestimar la causa, basadas en un reclamo de inmunidad soberana por sus cargos como jefe de Estado y primera dama al momento del arresto. Una audiencia para escuchar los argumentos sobre esas mociones está prevista para el 17 de noviembre, mientras que el inicio del juicio quedó fijado para el 1 de junio de 2027.
Crime,International Relations,Law Enforcement,Crime,Diplomacy / Foreign Policy,North America
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Undercover video exposes Dem Senate nominee’s plan to embrace socialists: ‘Got to be together’
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Roy Cooper, former North Carolina governor and a Democratic candidate for the Senate, believes his party should incorporate a big-tent approach to an emerging wave of socialist candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
When asked if he would sign the Promise to America, a repudiation of socialist stances put out by moderate Democrats, Cooper said he wouldn’t.
«I don’t see any need to,» Cooper said in video footage obtained by Fox News Digital.
«I think the party needs a wide spectrum, particularly at a time when the Republican Party is shrinking and having all kinds of loyalty tests. I think we need to have all kinds of folks to be a part of our party.»
FLORIDA BOARD VOTES TO BAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM PUBLIC COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
Then-Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat from North Carolina, speaks with reporters on Sept. 10, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News)
Cooper’s comment comes as he wages a bid to fill the seat of retiring Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and win over a historically Republican-leaning state. It also raises questions of whether moderate Democrats believe their platforms can coexist with the aims of the DSA.
The DSA espouses positions like abolishing the U.S. Senate, establishing public ownership of corporations and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to their website.
The group paints a picture of what those policies could look like in practice on its website.
«You have no debt. You don’t need health insurance. You don’t pay a mortgage or have a landlord, because comfortable housing is a human right. Your retirement is publicly funded. Food, education, energy, medicine and transportation aren’t for-profit businesses; they are common goods and utilities,» the group states.
Cooper is not affiliated with or backed by the DSA and has pitched himself as a candidate with an ability to reach across the aisle. His campaign has highlighted his ability to work with a Republican-controlled legislature during his tenure as governor from 2017 to 2025.
In his own words, Cooper has pushed back on questions about being tied to the DSA.
TRUMP HERALDED AS GOP ‘KINGMAKER’ AFTER LOUISIANA SENATE RESULTS RATTLE PARTY ESTABLISHMENT
Roy Cooper, governor of North Carolina, speaks to members of the media in the spin room following the second presidential debate at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«For the record, no,» he told the New York Times on whether he was a Communist. «I have a record of working across the aisle. The people of North Carolina know that I can be a senator that puts them first. Before power, before party, before politics. I feel confident that at the end of the day, they’ll send me to Washington.»
When asked if Cooper’s platform is at odds with the DSA’s views, Cooper’s campaign declined to comment, noting that his commitments are reserved for his constituents.
«The only pledge Roy makes is to the people of North Carolina. Roy is not a socialist and he will work with anyone, including Republicans, as he has done his entire career to lower costs for hardworking families and fight for North Carolina,» his campaign told Fox News Digital.
Some Republicans are skeptical of that reasoning.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, believes moderates are afraid to challenge their progressive flank as candidates championing the far left have surged in the 2026 midterm primaries.
«That dynamic is dangerous right now because they are terrified of the extreme left. Finding a middle ground on ideological issues right now is … the prospects for success, particularly between now and election day, are not high,» Cruz said at an energy summit hosted by Club for Growth and Arnold Ventures on Thursday.
«Schumer is truly terrified right now,» he added, referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
In the video interview, Cooper said he believes the party will only weaken itself in its resistance to the administration if it doesn’t band together.
TRAFFIC DRAMA THREATENS TO END DEM GOVERNOR’S TENURE AS VOTERS HEAD TO POLLS IN RHODE ISLAND
Roy Cooper, governor of North Carolina, during a campaign event with Vice President Kamala Harris, not pictured, at Bojangles Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, US, on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Allison Joyce/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«Particularly now when we’re in such difficult straits and we’re in a foxhole right now. We’ve all got to be together to take our government back,» Cooper said.
«We could fall to the autocracy, anytime we don’t stick together. So, I don’t see the need signing something,» Cooper said.
Having secured the Democratic nomination, Cooper now heads to the Nov. 3 general election where he faces off against Republican nominee Michael Whatley, the former chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC).
republicans elections, chuck schumer, ted cruz, politics, democratic party, rise of socialism
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