Latest news with #DOGEcaucus
Fox News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
House DOGE leader pushes tougher penalties for assaults on police K9s, horses amid anti-ICE violence
Following violent incidents in Los Angeles and other cities targeting ICE officers – including assaults on K9s and mounted units – Rep. Aaron Bean introduced legislation to strengthen penalties for those who harm law enforcement animals and their handlers. The news comes after the Department of Homeland Security released new data showing immigration officers collectively are experiencing a 690% increase in assaults against them, as such data tacitly includes animal officers. "Our police dogs and horses serve on the front lines, protecting officers and communities alike," Bean, R-Fla., who chairs the DOGE caucus, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. "They deserve real protection, not just praise – and the 'Leo K9 Protection Act' will deliver tougher penalties against those who harm these heroic animals in the line of duty." The bill, announced late Tuesday at a ceremony outside the Capitol, implements sentences as high as 15 years – and is named for Marion County, Florida, Sheriff's Deputy K9 Leo, who was killed in the line of duty. In February, Leo and his handler responded to a report of battery-by-strangulation at a home in Silver Springs, outside Ocala. When Leo charged the armed suspect, he was shot and died days later. The suspect was killed by return fire from human officers. "Leo did exactly what he was trained to do, and that is to fearlessly defend and protect those deputies – to charge directly at danger," Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods told the Ocala News at the time. Leo's handler, Sgt. Justin Tortora, joined Bean and others on Tuesday, calling the K9 "more than a partner – he was family." "By supporting this bill, we can guarantee that federal working K9s receive the urgent care they deserve and help prevent more handlers from experiencing the heartbreak of losing their partners in the line of duty," Tortora told Fox News Digital. Bean's bill expands federal statutes protecting human officers to apply to local, state or federal police animals assisting federal agencies. It also directs the Department of Transportation to give a "safe harbor" exception to people rushing injured police animals for veterinary care. During violent anti-ICE riots in California, at least two suspects were arrested for assaults on non-human police officers. Dana Whitson of Oro Valley, Arizona, was charged in Los Angeles on several felony counts, including assault upon a peace officer and animal cruelty, after he allegedly assaulted a police horse. Whitson allegedly shoved the horse and struck its muzzle in June, according to local reports. Another man, Iran Castro of El Monte, California, was similarly charged for allegedly yanking the reins of police horses after police had given an order for the protesters to disperse, according to Los Angeles' NBC affiliate. Debbie Johnson, founder of K9s United, which supports and advocates for police animals, celebrated the bill, calling its introduction a "defining moment in the fight to protect federal working K9s who defend our nation every day." "[This] is the result of years of tireless advocacy and we are proud to carry this mission forward. We are deeply grateful to Congressman Bean for standing with us to honor and protect our nation's four-legged heroes," she said.
Daily Mail
26-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Lawmaker seeks to cut millions in union funding
Tanning in Puerto Rico, bubble baths on Zoom. This is what Sen. Joni Ernst (pictured) claims some union members are doing on the taxpayer dime, inspiring the Iowa lawmaker to try and halt millions of dollars in payments to unions. During an event in Washington Wednesday, Ernst highlighted that in 2019, $160 million was spent funding this so-called union time. Federal employees are legally allowed to use official time - essentially working hours on the clock - for union duties like bargaining, resolving disputes and representing fellow colleagues. Citing whistleblower complaints, Ernst said her team has uncovered instances of federal workers using their taxpayer-funded union time to go tanning in Puerto Rico and run real estate businesses in Florida. 'We've caught them in their telework positions, not actually working, but doing other activities,' Ernst charged. Ernst is the founder and chair of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) caucus, which aims to root out major instances of waste of taxpayer funds. The Iowa Senator has introduced two bills to slash taxpayer funded union time, but neither has been considered as stand-alone legislation so far by her colleagues as the Senate prioritizes passing Trump's budget. However, Ernst still plans to try and either add in her legislation at later time, or offer it up as amendment to the Big Beautiful Bill still being negotiated in Congress. Ernst anticipates pushback to the move from her Democrat colleagues: 'I'd love to see the Democrats vote against a common sense piece of legislation. If we cannot get it amended into the one big, beautiful bill, then we will try and live you see it, to get unanimous consent to move it on the floor of the Senate.' Facing re-election in 2026, Ernst has taken strategic steps to align herself with President Donald Trump's agenda and chairing the DOGE caucus falls neatly in line with the administration's cost-cutting priorities. The Daily Mail reached out to the SEIU and AFGE unions for comments and did not receive a reply.
Daily Mail
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Bubble baths and beach bums: Why this pork-chopping lawmaker is aiming to slash millions flowing to unions
Tanning in Puerto Rico, bubble baths on Zoom. This is what Sen. Joni Ernst claims some union members are doing on the taxpayer dime, inspiring the Iowa lawmaker to try and halt millions of dollars in payments to unions. During an event in Washington Wednesday, Ernst highlighted that in 2019, $160 million was spent funding this so-called union time. Federal employees are legally allowed to use official time - essentially working hours on the clock - for union duties like bargaining, resolving disputes and representing fellow colleagues. Citing whistleblower complaints, Ernst said her team has uncovered instances of federal workers using their taxpayer-funded union time to go tanning in Puerto Rico and run real estate businesses in Florida. 'We've caught them in their telework positions, not actually working, but doing other activities,' Ernst charged. The data from 2019 is the latest that has been made available to Ernst since President Joe Biden stopped publishing the figures, raising questions about transparency. One case involved a woman that was jailed for driving over the legal limit for alcohol consumption. After the incident, Ernst noted that the federal worked claimed 'I'm actually on taxpayer funded union time.' Ernst is the founder and chair of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) caucus, which aims to root out major instances of waste of taxpayer funds. The Iowa Senator has introduced two bills to slash taxpayer funded union time, but neither has been considered as stand-alone legislation so far by her colleagues as the Senate prioritizes passing Trump's budget. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks at a protest against firings of federal employees during a rally to defend federal workers in Washington, DC on February 11, 2025 Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, walks to board a bus to the White House with other Senate Republicans for a meeting with President Donald Trump on his spending and tax bill, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington However, Ernst still plans to try and either add in her legislation at later time, or offer it up as amendment to the Big Beautiful Bill still being negotiated in Congress. Ernst anticipates pushback to the move from her Democrat colleagues: 'I'd love to see the Democrats vote against a common sense piece of legislation. If we cannot get it amended into the one big, beautiful bill, then we will try and live you see it, to get unanimous consent to move it on the floor of the Senate. Facing re-election in 2026, Ernst has taken strategic steps to align herself with President Donald Trump 's agenda and chairing the DOGE caucus falls neatly in line with the administration's cost-cutting priorities. The Daily Mail reached out to the SEIU and AFGE unions for comments and did not receive a reply.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House DOGE caucus leader says ‘everybody knew' Elon Musk was exaggerating his cost-cutting achievements
Elon Musk was exaggerating the achievements of the Department of Government Efficiency, and 'most everybody' on Capitol Hill knew it, a GOP lawmaker has said. Republican U.S. Rep. Blake Moore told reporters that, behind the scenes, many were skeptical about the bold claims of the world's richest man. "Most everybody knew Elon was exaggerating what he could do," Moore of Utah told reporters outside the Capitol on Thursday. "He was claiming to find $4 billion a day in cuts he was going to get. One time, he said $2 trillion, he was going to find." "It's a massive exaggeration, and I think people are recognizing that now," he added. It comes in the wake of the explosive fallout between Musk and the president on Thursday afternoon. The two men traded verbal blows from their respective social media platforms, culminating in Musk claiming that Trump was 'in the Epstein files.' Moore is one of three co-leaders of the House DOGE caucus, a bipartisan group of lawmakers who had hoped to support Musk's cost-cutting efforts prior to the blow-up. According to Business Insider, the group had intended to compile a report of potential cost-saving measures for DOGE at the end of the first quarter, but reportedly received little contact from the department. "We've always been a little frustrated that there was such limited interaction," Moore said. "We couldn't really identify where we were to lean in, and we had a ton of folks ready to support it, but there just wasn't that interaction." Moore is among many others in the government who wish to pursue cuts to federal spending through the bipartisan government funding process. '[There are] plenty of Democrats that recognize there's waste in our government,' he said. The bromance between Musk and Trump had been winding down in recent weeks after the tech billionaire criticized the president's "Big Beautiful Bill" – the spending bill that Republicans are trying to get through Congress. Musk is among those arguing that the bill would increase the deficit by trillions of dollars. "When I saw Musk start posting, just parroting false claims about the tax reconciliation bill, it was clear something's amiss," Moore said following the online bust-up. "And so it escalated, yeah. It escalated very quickly."
The Independent
07-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
House DOGE caucus leader says ‘everybody knew' Elon Musk was exaggerating DOGE's achievements
Elon Musk was exaggerating the achievements of the Department of Government Efficiency, and 'most everybody' on Capitol Hill knew it, a GOP lawmaker has said. Republican U.S. Rep. Blake Moore told reporters that, behind the scenes, many were skeptical about the bold claims of the world's richest man. "Most everybody knew Elon was exaggerating what he could do," Moore of Utah told reporters outside the Capitol on Thursday. " He was claiming to find $4 billion a day in cuts he was going to get. One time, he said $2 trillion, he was going to find." "It's a massive exaggeration, and I think people are recognizing that now," he added. It comes in the wake of the explosive fallout between Musk and the president on Thursday afternoon. The two men traded verbal blows from their respective social media platforms, culminating in Musk claiming that Trump was 'in the Epstein files.' Moore is one of three co-leaders of the House DOGE caucus, a bipartisan group of lawmakers who had hoped to support Musk's cost-cutting efforts prior to the blow-up. According to Business Insider, the group had intended to compile a report of potential cost-saving measures for DOGE at the end of the first quarter, but reportedly received little contact from the department. "We've always been a little frustrated that there was such limited interaction," Moore said. "We couldn't really identify where we were to lean in, and we had a ton of folks ready to support it, but there just wasn't that interaction." Moore is among many others in the government who wish to pursue cuts to federal spending through the bipartisan government funding process. '[There are] plenty of Democrats that recognize there's waste in our government,' he said. The bromance between Musk and Trump had been winding down in recent weeks after the tech billionaire criticized the president's "Big Beautiful Bill" – the spending bill that Republicans are trying to get through Congress. Musk is among those arguing that the bill would increase the deficit by trillions of dollars. "When I saw Musk start posting, just parroting false claims about the tax reconciliation bill, it was clear something's amiss," Moore said following the online bust-up. "And so it escalated, yeah. It escalated very quickly."
