FIRST ON FOX: A top House committee is doubling down on its efforts to get documents from the Biden administration about Vice President Kamala Harris’ role in what lawmakers call “the worst border crisis in American history.”

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., wrote to acting Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Troy Miller following up on a request last month for documents and communications between Harris’ office and CBP.

“It is important the Committee and the American people understand Vice President Harris’s role as the border czar in the ongoing border crisis,” Comer said in the letter obtained by Fox News Digital.

TOP HOUSE COMMITTEE DEMANDS INTERNAL DOCS ON HARRIS’ ROLE IN BORDER CRISIS: ‘ABJECT FAILURE’
 

“The mass illegal entry and release of illegal aliens into the United States under the Biden-Harris Administration has contributed to murders, sexual assaults, and serious bodily injuries committed against numerous Americans at the hands of illegal aliens. These crimes should have never happened.”

The letter notes a number of crimes more recently committed allegedly by illegal immigrants, including one by an MS-13 gang member and a rape in New York City, allegedly by two migrants.

Comer says the committee set an Aug 20., deadline, reiterating the request on Aug. 20 and Sept. 6. It now sets a deadline of Oct. 1 and Comer threatens additional action if the request is not met.

TRUMP REVEALS NEW PLEDGE AMID HAITIAN REFUGEE CONTROVERSY: ‘I WILL SAVE OUR CITIES’ 

“If CBP continues to withhold documents and communications on this matter, the Committee will consider alternative measures to obtain this information, including through the compulsory process,” he says.

The fight over the documents comes amid an ongoing debate about who is responsible for the border crisis and which presidential candidate is best suited to fix it. Republicans have blamed the crisis on the policies of the Biden-Harris administration, saying that the historic three-year crisis came as a direct result of the rolling back of Trump-era policies and the implementation of what they say are “open borders” policies by the administration.

They have focused on Harris due to her role tackling “root causes” of migration, which she was given in 2021. It led to her being dubbed the “border czar,” but it’s a title the White House rejected.

The Biden administration has argued it is dealing with a historic hemisphere-wide crisis that needs more funding and immigration reform from Congress to fix a “broken” system. It has pointed to a sharp decrease in numbers since Biden signed an executive order limiting arrivals in June.

Officials say there has been a more than 50% decrease in encounters since then, including August encounters that were 68% lower than August 2023.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

Harris, meanwhile, has been critical of former President Trump for not supporting bipartisan legislation introduced earlier this year that conservatives said would regularize high numbers, but supporters said would increase funding to the border and limit entries into the U.S.

“Last year, Joe and I brought together Democrats and conservative Republicans to write the strongest border bill in decades. The Border Patrol endorsed it. But Donald Trump believes a border deal would hurt his campaign, so he ordered his allies in Congress to kill the deal. Well, I refuse to play politics with our security, and here is my pledge to you: As president, I will bring back the bipartisan border security bill that he killed, and I will sign it into law,” she said at the Democratic National Convention last month.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the vice president said Republicans “continue to block a bipartisan border security bill supported by the Biden-Harris Administration and a bipartisan group of Senators.”

“This Administration has delivered record border security funding, and continues to fight to ensure the border is properly resourced, including by deploying cutting-edge fentanyl-detection machines. The Administration’s executive actions have brought unauthorized crossings to a lower level than when Trump left office,” spokesperson Ernesto Apreza told Fox News Digital. “President Biden and Vice President Harris are leading on border security solutions while congressional Republicans continue to exploit the issue to score political points.”

Researchers in government and taxpayer-assisted private think tanks have hyped the threat of “far-right extremists” while failing to acknowledge growing threats of left-wing violence, critics say, pointing to the two assassination attempts against former President Trump to demonstrate the danger posed by some on the left.

“I think it goes without saying that violence of any kind is intolerable,” legal fellow at Heritage Foundation Zach Smith told Fox News Digital. “It shouldn’t be tolerated in our country. And while I appreciate some of the left have paid lip service to that ideal, they haven’t followed through with their actions. They haven’t followed through in terms of the resources and the willingness to confront the left-wing extremists that we’ve seen.”

Regarding threats against Donald Trump and his associates, Smith said, “We’ve seen condemnations of violence on the left, that’s good, and that’s appropriate.”

WITNESS SAW TRUMP ASSASSINATION SUSPECT FLEE BUSHES, TOOK PHOTO OF GETAWAY CAR

“And yet we still hear many on the left saying things like, ‘Donald Trump is a threat to democracy,’ that type of heated rhetoric,” Smith said. “Unfortunately, I think it was foreseeable that it would lead to these types of actions against Donald Trump and potentially others who support him, which I think, very tragic. And so, if those on the left want to focus on something, I think certainly ratcheting down the rhetoric would be a good place to start.”

While government organizations have categorized right-wing extremism as a major threat to the political landscape, the second alleged Trump gunman who pointed an assault rifle through a chain-link fence 500 yards away from where Trump was playing golf on Sunday – identified as Ryan Routh – backed Democrat candidates and echoed anti-Trump rhetoric on his social media accounts, saying “Democracy is on the ballot” and “we cannot lose.”

“Look at what’s happening with Antifa in many cities like Portland and Seattle, as you mentioned, the left-wing campus acts of violence, the intimidation of Jewish students that are intolerable, that you would hope would get louder condemnation,” Smith said. “And so there certainly does appear to be this double standard that’s playing out too often today.”

The Justice Department’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) have all published reports condemning right-wing violence and citing a rise in right-wing attacks in the last few years.

The NIJ reported this year that far-right extremists have committed more ideologically motivated homicides than far-left or radical Islamist groups since 1990.

WHO IS RYAN WESLEY ROUTH: ALLEGED GUNMAN AT TRUMP GOLF CLUB

“A recent threat assessment by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security concluded that domestic violent extremists are an acute threat and highlighted a probability that COVID-19 pandemic-related stressors, long-standing ideological grievances related to immigration, and narratives surrounding electoral fraud will continue to serve as a justification for violent actions,” the report noted. 

Hans A. von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital, “I’m just astonished that they would make that claim.”

“It was radical left-wing movements headed by BLM and Antifa that were engaged in arson riots, violence in cities across America,” he said. “I don’t seem to recall any right-wing groups burning cities over the country, like they are, like they are talking about there.”

“Any fear we should have today, it’s of the extreme left-wing violence that we have seen over the past few years in cities all across the country and now in two assassination attempts on a major candidate of one of the two major political parties, running for president,” von Spakovsky added.

Right-wing extremist terror incidents in the U.S. surged dramatically in recent years, rising from seven incidents in 2005-2007 to 40 in 2020-2022, according to a 2023 ADL report. According to CharityWatch.org, ADL receives a significant portion, up to 24%, of its “cash revenue,” from “government sources.”

“As a nonpartisan organization that fights antisemitism, extremism and all forms of hate, ADL tracks extremism from the far left to the far right,” an ADL spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Our vast resources and backgrounders provide information on individuals, groups and movements from across the ideological spectrum.”

ALLEGED TRUMP GUNMAN RYAN ROUTH HAS A PAPER TRAIL OF PRO-UKRAINE ADVOCACY: REPORTS

For its part, CSIS reported in 2020, “Based on a CSIS data set of terrorist incidents, the most significant threat likely comes from White supremacists, though anarchists and religious extremists inspired by the Islamic State and al Qaeda could present a potential threat as well.”

In an email, a senior CSIS spokesperson said the organization has “built a data set of all terrorist attacks and plots” in the U.S. since 1994. 

While it is a private nonprofit deriving most of its funding from donations and private sources, according to its website, CSIS also “receives funding from U.S. government entities” as well as “international ally and partner governments.”

Between 2010 and 2021, the Department of Homeland Security also reported 231 domestic terrorism incidents, with 35% being racially- or ethnically-motivated, making them the deadliest, according to the GAO.

“Anti-government or anti-authority motivated violent extremism” was the second most common, according to the GAO, resulting in 15 deaths. 

Several Republican members of Congress are accusing a liberal political action committee of impersonating a GOP staffer to extract potentially damaging information from elected officials and raise funds for Democrats – with one text exchange that targeted a female lawmaker including antisemitic and sexist language, Fox News Digital has learned. 

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said she received a text this summer from a person posing as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s chief of staff. Before long, however, the individual launched into personal attacks, denigrating Luna as a “fake” Jew and making lewd comments about her.

Luna says she’s currently facing a different harassment campaign, too, as her re-election bid comes down to its final weeks. She revealed the bizarre details about the opposition research scheme when Fox News Digital inquired about the other allegations.

A person posing as Abbott’s new chief of staff in July attempted to set up a phony phone call between Luna and Abbott regarding Luna’s re-election effort, according to screenshots of a text conversation supplied to Fox News Digital by Luna’s office.

JUST BECAUSE HUNTER BIDEN PLEADED GUILTY DOESN’T MEAN OUR JOB STOPS: REP. ANNA PAULINA LUNA

“Rep. Luna – Hello, I’m the new [Chief of Staff] to Gov Abbott. May we set up a call for tomorrow? Robert Black,” the first text to Luna on July 18 reads. Robert Black is the name of Abbott’s actual chief of staff, who officially joined the office on July 22, according to a press release from Abbott’s office at the start of July. 

Luna responded: “Yes! What time?” 

“He wants to talk about how to help you beat Fox,” the supposed Abbott staffer said, while suggesting a time for the alleged call. Luna is facing Democratic opponent Whitney Fox in her re-election battle this year. 

“Whitney Fox?” Luna asked, before brushing off concerns over the race. 

“I’m always willing to take advice but full transparency I’m in a R + 8 so we’re not super concerned. Did he see a poll or something?” she asked.

“Hearing from Dems she raised a lot and has oppo,” the phony Abbott staffer responded. 

Another screenshot from the text exchange shows the Abbott office impersonator asking Luna about her border policies and “what do you want Gov to say on border,” but Luna stopped responding. The person then asked Luna, “You there?,” before launching into a series of personal attacks. 

“You are really clever APL. But you’re going to lose. At least you still got your fake t–s,” stated one text.

“Fake smile. Fake life. Fake Jewish person,” the texts continued. “If you were a real Jew, you wouldn’t be texting on the Sabbath.”

ANNA PAULINA LUNA CALLS FOR $10,000 PER DAY FINE ON GARLAND FOR BIDEN-HUR AUDIO TAPE

Luna said she believes the scheme was concocted by a liberal PAC that has targeted fellow lawmakers, including Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert. Boebert told Fox News Digital she set up a time and place to meet with the alleged Abbott staffer when she received similar texts – a meeting that she said could have left her in a “dangerous and compromising situation” if she had actually attended. 

Boebert told Fox News Digital that during the 2024 Republican National Convention in July, her staff received text messages from a person posing as Abbott’s chief of staff. 

“The phone number used, which had an area code from Austin, Texas, claimed Gov. Abbott wanted to meet with me,” Boebert said. She also accused a liberal PAC of carrying out the scheme, which included the individual sending her office “numerous details and texts, including a room number at a specific hotel where many VIPs were staying” for a meeting. 

The meeting was never held, however, as Boebert figured out “the whole thing was a hoax,” but said “if there had been a credible threat waiting for my arrival, this could have been a dangerous and comprising situation for my staff and me.”

“The people involved with this shady organization have a regular pattern of behaving in a mentally deranged manner and have the potential to cause harm, if given the opportunity,” she said. “These sad, obsessed stalkers should be placed on a law enforcement watchlist.”

Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz was also reportedly targeted and had a text exchange with a person he believed worked in Abbott’s office regarding an endorsement during primary season, screenshots of the texts posted by a liberal PAC to X showed. 

FLORIDA REPUBLICAN, DEMOCRAT TEAM UP TO TACKLE STUDENT LOAN DEBT AS BIDEN-HARRIS FORGIVENESS BIDS DERAIL

Fox News Digital reached out to the PAC and its president in direct messages on X but did not receive a response. 

Fox News Digital also called the number that originally texted Luna and left a message inquiring about the matter, but did not receive a call back. 

THERE’S NO WAY THAT I THINK BIDEN WILL BE THE NOMINEE FOR THE ELECTION CYCLE: REP. ANNA PAULINA LUNA

The revelation of the scheme against Luna comes as she faces additional harassment in her Florida district. Luna was first elected to Congress in 2022.

Luna on Saturday posted a lengthy statement on social media explaining that supporters of her political opponent, whom she did not name in the post, launched a social media campaign on Friday “to publicly dox, coordinate, and solicit individuals to send threatening packages to my home address.” 

“If she is ‘’hiding ‘ ‘, I know where she lives if anyone is interested in sending her a love letter…….something.  She dwells riiiiight around the corner,” one message posted to Fox’s campaign Facebook account states, according to Luna. 

Luna said she contacted the FBI, local sheriff’s office and police regarding the threatening messages. The sheriff’s office confirmed to Fox News Digital that it is investigating the matter. The FBI told Fox Digital when asked about the matter that under DOJ policy, it “can neither confirm nor deny the existence of a specific investigation,” as the agency cannot “comment on complaints or tips we may or may not receive from the public.”

Luna unequivocally denounced all political violence in a comment to Fox Digital, and said the menacing social media messages surfaced after her political opponent labeled her a “threat to democracy.” 

“Political violence should never be tolerated,” Luna said on Sunday. “After labeling me a ‘threat to democracy,’ my opponent has yet to condemn her supporters doxxing as well as calling for threatening packages to be sent to my home. This was all done publicly on her social media.”

Luna went on to cite the July assassination attempt on former President Trump, and on Sunday there was an apparent second attempt on Trump’s life.

“This speaks to a bigger issue,” Luna said of the harassment she’s facing. “The radical left is engaging rhetoric that is getting people hurt. Mind you, this is only a few months after an attempted assassination on President Trump. I am one of the most targeted members of Congress and her supporters were soliciting strangers to send things to my home address (that they were providing). This is not just abhorrent but shameful. I have a baby at home.”

“I will never tolerate this type of behavior and I thank my supporters for not engaging in this violent rhetoric,” Luna added.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. 

Ohio’s Republican governor revealed on Monday that reported bomb threats against various sites in Springfield, Ohio, that have been blamed on Republican rhetoric surrounding the Haitian migrant crisis in the town were all “hoaxes.”

“Thirty-three threats; Thirty-three hoaxes,” Gov. Mike DeWine announced during a press conference. “I want to make that very, very clear. None of these had any validity at all.” 

DeWine said during the press conference that many of the threats came from “overseas.”

“We have people unfortunately overseas who are taking these actions,” DeWine added. “Some of them are coming from one particular country.” 

TRUMP REVEALS NEW PLEDGE AMID HAITIAN REFUGEE CONTROVERSY: ‘I WILL SAVE OUR CITIES’

The governor’s office said it is not disclosing the country in an effort to discourage threats to the schools and other buildings.

DeWine also said that dozens of members of the Ohio State Highway Patrol will be stationed in city schools after the threats, with officers sweeping buildings before the arrival of staff and students.

“We know that people are very, very concerned,” DeWine said. “But we’ve moved resources into Springfield. People have the right to feel safe as well as being safe.”

Members of the media and prominent Democrats have relentlessly cited the threats as evidence that comments from former President Donald Trump, Sen. JD Vance and other top Republicans are putting people in danger in Springfield, but the governor’s statements contradict that.

Tom Elliot, founder of the multimedia marketplace Grabien, posted on X that media outlets spent at least 350 hours mentioning the bomb threats and associating them to Trump.

“Last night, Ohio Gov. DeWine announced the bomb threats were all hoaxes. And yet as of this morning, only 3 hours were spent last night announcing the hoax (vs. 35 hours yesterday discussing the original “bomb threats” story), and thus far today only 1 hour announcing they were hoaxes, vs. another 11 hours circulating the original fake news,” Elliot wrote.

“Ohio Democrats were quick to blame Bernie, JD Vance, and President Trump for these bomb threats in Springfield, and their allies in the mainstream media went along with it without evidence,” Reagan McCarthy, communications director for Ohio GOP Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, told Fox News Digital. 

“As it turns out, this was a false smear that has since been debunked. We look forward to their apology.”

TRUMP REVEALS NEW PLEDGE AMID HAITIAN REFUGEE CONTROVERSY: ‘I WILL SAVE OUR CITIES’

The Trump War Room account on X also wondered aloud about a potential apology.

“Where do President Trump and JD Vance go to get their apology from the media who claimed they incited them?” The Trump affiliated account posted on X about the bomb threats.

William Martin, a campaign spokesperson for vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, ripped MSNBC’s Willie Geist on Tuesday morning for blaming Vance’s rhetoric for the bomb threats, saying it was “Disgraceful Fake News.”

The alleged threats played a direct role in the city of Springfield canceling its annual CultureFest celebration that was scheduled for this weekend. 

“In light of recent threats and safety concerns, the City of Springfield has made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s CultureFest celebration,” the city said in a statement. “The decision was made with the utmost consideration for the safety and well-being of our community and event participants.”

The two-day event was scheduled for later this month, and officials said it “celebrates diversity, arts and local culture.” However, officials said that after consulting law enforcement, the decision was made to cancel it to prevent “potential risks” to attendees and staff.

“We deeply regret having to cancel CultureFest, as we know it is a beloved event for our community,” said City Manager Bryan Heck. “However, the safety of our residents and visitors must come first.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

The statement came a day after Wittenberg University had canceled campus activities and increased the number of police on campus due to a threat of a potential shooting which authorities said targeted Haitians.

The Springfield City School District said in a statement Friday that “all threats to the Springfield City School District are taken seriously and will be prosecuted at the highest levels. The district’s messaging to families continues to be one of gratitude for their patience and understanding as our Wildcat Family navigates these events.”

The city has seen a massive influx of Haitian migration in recent years, leading to some complaints from local residents who described the impact it has had on social services and the community. Others have said it has revitalized a town that was seeing decline before the influx.

Amid those claims, however, were viral reports that migrants were eating pets and other animals, which quickly caught national attention in recent weeks.

The city pushed back, saying that there had been no credible reports of pets being abused or harmed by immigrants, but they were echoed by Republicans — including former President Donald Trump at last week’s presidential debate. Trump has also pointed to the alleged impact on the community as representative of broader issues of immigration affecting the United States.

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” Trump said. “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”

Many migrants from Haiti have come through the parole processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, which allow up to 30,000 nationals in a month. Meanwhile, an estimated 300,000 Haitians were recently given protection from deportation via a redesignation of Temporary Protected Status for nationals from Haiti. 

Fox News’ Michael Lee and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

With Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz under congressional scrutiny for his connections to Chinese entities, one top lawmaker fumed at allegations he had appointed a Chinese political party member to a state board.

In August, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., wrote to FBI Director Christopher Wray requesting information on “Chinese entities and officials Governor Walz has engaged and partnered with” as part of its investigation into “elite capture” – or China’s strategy of developing relationships with U.S. political figures.

Last week, the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) reported that one of Walz’s chairperson appointments to the Council of Asian-Pacific Minnesotans (CAPM) is a person with ties to China’s third-largest political party.

HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE INVESTIGATING WALZ OVER LONGSTANDING CONNECTIONS TO CHINA

In 2021, Chang Wang took his seat as vice chair representing Chinese ancestry on the CAPM’s board. His term expires in January. Other ancestries represented on the panel include Tibetan, Polynesian and Bhutanese.

Wang, however, was or is one of 25 members serving on the Central Civil and Judiciary Committee of China Association for Promoting Democracy (CAPD) [party],” the DCNF reported, citing an archived University of Minnesota biography.

In China, minor parties like CAPD effectively operate with the express permission of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). 

CAPD Chairman Cai Daifeng has urged CAPD members to rally around the CCP Central Committee and properly advise the ruling party, according to Chinese state media Xinhua.

When asked about the news in light of his correspondence with the FBI, Comer said it is “deeply concerning.”

GOP VETERAN LAWMAKERS DROP SCATHING ‘STOLEN VALOR’ LETTER AS TRUMP CAMP RIPS ‘FREAKISH TIMOTHY’

“Governor Walz’s documented history and cozy relationship with Chinese entities and officials is … a national security threat,” Comer said.

“Based on information obtained by the House Oversight Committee, the governor’s decision to embrace China with open arms may have allowed the CCP to influence his decision-making as a congressman and governor and potentially would allow the CCP to influence the White House should Vice President Harris be elected.”

The Kentucky lawmaker added that Americans deserve to have the full picture of Walz’s reported ties to the CCP.

“The committee will continue to push the FBI for all relevant information in its possession.”

According to his CAPM biography, Chang studied filmmaking at Beijing Film Academy, holds an art history degree from the University of Illinois-Champaign and got his Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota. His legal focus is immigration law, art law and foreign direct investment.

Fox News Digital reached out to Chang via his Kingsfield Law firm but was unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, Comer indicated that the FBI has “failed” to comply with his month-old request for information.

“The committee requested information about the CCP-affiliated entities and officials with which Mr. Timothy Walz has engaged, as well as any warnings or information the Federal Bureau of Investigation has provided to Mr. Walz or his office about CCP influence operations. The deadline to produce such documents and information has passed, and the Bureau has failed to provide any response to the Committee,” Comer said, calling the bureau’s silence “inexcusable.”

Walz has reportedly visited China about two dozen times, and Comer noted he organized a 1993 trip to the Communist nation for his students. He had been teaching high school in Box Butte County, Nebraska, at the time.

In 2007, Walz was a fellow at Macau Polytechnic University in the autonomous Macau region while he was a member of Congress.

“Macau Polytechnic University exists ‘in alignment with China’s Belt and Road Initiative,’ a political warfare program developed by President Xi Jinping to exert China’s influence worldwide,” Comer said in a separate statement.

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However, Chang told DCNF that his elderly parents are his only ties to China. The outlet added that his current University of Minnesota bio does not include his Chinese political affiliation as the archived link had.

Chang’s parents were scientists at a Chinese academy whose work contributed to military products, according to a Pentagon document.

“Walz… can’t explain away the pattern,” China expert Gordon Chang told Newsmax in a recent interview regarding evidence of ties to Chinese entities.

Walz is not the first Democrat to receive attention for his alleged ties to China or Chinese interests.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., has batted back criticisms in regard to Fang Fang, a suspected Chinese spy who had worked to develop “close ties” with his office as early as 2014.

Swalwell said previously that when the FBI alerted him to Fang’s potential ties to Chinese espionage, he “did everything I hoped everyone would do, which was to cooperate and help the FBI – and she was removed.”

Similarly, when the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., was notified by the feds that her professional driver of 20 years was also suspected of similar ties, she fired him.

Earlier this month, police in New York State arrested an aide to Gov. Kathy Hochul on charges of conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling and money laundering conspiracy.

Linda Sun was hired by the executive chamber “more than a decade ago,” Hochul said in a statement, adding that the Empire State fired her in 2023 over evidence of misconduct. Hochul’s office said Sun was first hired by the executive branch a decade ago – a timeframe that would instead have placed Andrew Cuomo in Albany.

Fox News Digital also reached out to Walz’ office in St. Paul and the Harris campaign for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced Tuesday that he was moving forward with a chamber-wide vote to stop a government shutdown with a bill attached meant to crack down on noncitizen voting. 

“Congress has an immediate obligation to do two things: responsibly fund the federal government, and ensure the security of our elections,” Johnson said in a statement. 

“Because we owe this to our constituents, we will move forward on Wednesday with a vote on the 6-month CR with the SAVE Act attached,” he added. “I urge all of my colleagues to do what the overwhelming majority of the people of this country rightfully demand and deserve – prevent non-American citizens from voting in American elections.”

Johnson is proposing a six-month extension of the current fiscal year’s government funding levels, known as a continuing resolution (CR), and attaching a bill known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which aims to require states to obtain proof of citizenship – in person – when registering an individual to vote and require states to remove noncitizens from existing voter rolls. 

HOUSE GOP DOUBTS GROW AS JOHNSON DIGS IN ON FUNDING FIGHT: ‘PLAYING WITH A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN’ 

Most Democrats oppose the CR with the SAVE Act attached, and the Biden-Harris White House has threatened to veto such a measure. The CR also maintains opposition from some House Republicans. 

“Your bill does NOT responsibly fund government,” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., wrote, responding to Johnson’s statement on X. “It’s 12 bills rolled into one bill that continues the profligate spending that’s ruining our country. The fact that you’ve added a 13th bill to it does not make it a serious solution. Please quit insulting our constituents.” 

“Like an undead but doomed zombie, the CR+Save Act is back,” Massie added in a separate post. “Speaker Johnson is fake fighting by attaching a bright shiny object (that he will later abandon) to a bill that continues our path of destructive spending. I won’t be any part of this insulting charade. I’m a hell no.” 

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Ga., condemned Johnson for calling the vote Wednesday, writing, “This is classic bait and switch that will enrage the base, only one month before the election, when they find out they have been tricked and let down again. The only way to make the SAVE Act a law would be to refuse to pass a CR until the Senate agrees to pass the SAVE Act and Biden agrees to sign it into law.”

That, she wrote, would force a government shutdown on Oct. 1, “because Biden and Schumer both said they will shutdown the government as they are that adamant against the SAVE Act.”

“Johnson will NOT commit to standing up against the Democrats in a shutdown fight and will allow passage of a clean CR in order to fund the government because he believes a gov shutdown will be blamed on Republicans and will hurt their elections,” Greene continued. “Johnson is leading a fake fight that he has no intention of actually fighting.”

“Even with a shutdown and full fight into Oct, it would be too late for the SAVE Act to make a difference for this election because absentee ballots would already be being mailed and early voting already starting. I refuse to lie to anyone that this plan will work, and it’s already DOA this week,” she said. “Speaker Johnson needs to go to the Democrats, who he has worked with the entire time, to get the votes he needs to do what he is already planning to do.” 

“Congress cannot continue kicking the can down the road while our national debt skyrockets, our border remains wide open, and Biden and Kamala’s radical policies remain FULLY funded,” Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, wrote. “I have always and will ALWAYS be a NO on a Continuing Resolution!” 

REPUBLICANS SAY SCHUMER MUST ACT ON VOTER PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP BILL IF DEMOCRAT ‘REALLY CARES ABOUT DEMOCRACY’ 

The congressman who sponsored the SAVE Act, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, slammed Republicans threatening to defect on Johnson’s continuing resolution on Tuesday.  

“Now, there’ll be a govt funding continuing resolution before the election. Only questions: when it comes, how long it lasts, & what could’ve been achieved re: #SAVEAct & non-citizen voting. But a few ‘conservative’ prophets write their self-fulfilling script to achieve failure,” Roy wrote on X. 

Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., also noted how “Ohio, Virginia, Texas, & other states found non-citizens on their voter rolls, with some even casting ballots.”

“The SAVE Act requires proof of citizenship to vote and ensures non-citizens are removed from voter rolls. But Democrats want to shut down the gov so it does not pass,” Tiffany wrote Tuesday. 

The speaker could get some help from Democratic defectors. Five House Democrats broke from their party to vote for the SAVE Act earlier this year.

Former President Donald Trump has supported the SAVE Act. 

Last week, the Republican presidential nominee said on TRUTH Social, however, “If Republicans in the House, and Senate, don’t get absolute assurances on Election Security, THEY SHOULD, IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, GO FORWARD WITH A CONTINUING RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET. THE DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO ‘STUFF’ VOTER REGISTRATIONS WITH ILLEGAL ALIENS. DON’T LET IT HAPPEN – CLOSE IT DOWN!!!” 

A CR through March would mean the government funding debate will be taken up by a new White House – run by either Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris – and a new Congress.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report. 

Only a handful of voters say that last week’s presidential debate caused them to reconsider their support for either Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump, according to a new national poll.

A slew of political pundits and media analysts said that Harris bested Trump in the debate – their first and potentially only face-to-face encounter ahead of Election Day on Nov. 5.

However, only 3% of debate watchers said the showdown in Philadelphia caused them to reconsider whom they may support as president, according to a Monmouth University national poll released on Tuesday.

NEW POLL INDICATES WHICH CANDIDATE HAS THE EDGE IN THE MOST IMPORTANT BATTLEGROUND

Just more than seven in 10 respondents said that the debate between the Democratic and Republican Party presidential nominees did not raise any doubts about the candidate they were already supporting in the White House race. Eight percent of those surveyed said some doubts were raised but that the debate did not change their minds on their support. Additionally, 17% offered that they did not see or hear any part of the debate.

WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKING IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE SHOW

“How much this election is shifting is measured in inches rather than yards right now,” Monmouth University Polling Institute director Patrick Murray said.

“We are basically at the point where turning out 10,000 extra voters in a key swing state could determine the outcome. Polling tells us the broad contours of the race, but it cannot measure these types of micro-shifts,” Murray emphasized.

Trump, in social media posts and in a couple of Fox News Channel interviews following the debate, said that he won the showdown with Harris.

“That was my best Debate, EVER,” he wrote in a social media post.

During a “Fox and Friends” interview, he argued that “we had a great night, we won the debate.”

However, Harris, in her first rally last week after the debate, charged that Trump’s performance “was the same old show, that same tired playbook that we’ve heard for years… with no plans for how he would address the needs of the American people because, you know, it’s all about him, it’s not about you.”

According to the Monmouth poll, 49% of registered voters nationwide said they would either definitely (39%) or probably (10%) vote for Harris. In a separate question, just over four in 10 said they would definitely (34%) or probably (10%) cast a ballot for Trump.

Nearly every national poll conducted after last week’s debate indicates Harris with a lower to mid-single digital advantage over Trump in the race to succeed President Biden in the White House. 

However, it remains a margin-of-error race in the seven key battleground states that will likely determine the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.

Pointing to those surveyed who said they are extremely motivated to vote, Murray spotlighted that “Trump right now is doing better with motivated voters than he is with the overall electorate. This includes a good number of voters who may have sat out the 2020 contest. Perhaps they were exhausted by the Trump era when they stayed home four years ago, but that feeling has faded, and now they are more upset with the Biden presidency.”

“To counter that, Democrats will be trying to light a fire under voters who already have concerns about Trump but aren’t fully engaged in the election,” he added.

The Monmouth University poll was conducted Sept. 11-15, with 803 registered voters nationwide questioned. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) opened an investigation into former Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for allegedly decapitating a dead whale 20 years ago, Fox News Digital confirmed.

The controversy arose in August after Kennedy’s daughter, Kick Kennedy, shared in a resurfaced 2012 Town and Country interview that her father once beheaded a washed up whale with a chainsaw. According to an interview with the outlet, he reportedly attached the whale’s head to his car and drove it to New York. 

However, Kick Kennedy described the event as just an average day for her family.

“Every time we accelerated on the highway, whale juice would pour into the windows of the car, and it was the rankest thing on the planet,” she told the outlet. “We all had plastic bags over our heads with mouth holes cut out, and people on the highway were giving us the finger, but that was just normal day-to-day stuff for us.”

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When asked about the incident, the agency told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that it is “long-standing NOAA practice not to comment on open investigations.”

Kennedy made the initial assertion that he was under federal investigation for the decades-old incident during a campaign event for former President Donald Trump on Saturday.

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The former presidential candidate-turned-Trump ally told rally goers that the investigation was a “weaponization of our government against political opponents.”

The Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund called on the NOAA to investigate the events described by Kennedy’s daughter just days after he suspended his presidential bid to join forces with Trump in August.

The group, which endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president in 2024, claimed that Kennedy violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, as whales remain protected under those laws.

FIRST ON FOX: Republican senators are demanding the Secret Service (USSS) increase former President Donald Trump’s security following a second assassination attempt against him in just over two months. 

“It is imperative that the USSS detail assigned to President Trump be afforded additional protective resources, including greater staffing capabilities that would allow agents to secure a broader perimeter,” Sens. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., penned in a letter to Acting Director Ronald Rowe on Tuesday. 

The second assassination attempt took place on Sunday at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, where the former president was golfing. Suspect Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested after he allegedly pushed the muzzle of an AK-47 through the chain-link fence around the course. 

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The Secret Service opened fire after the suspect was seen raising the firearm, and Routh fled in a black Nissan before being apprehended. 

Marshall and Tuberville, joined by six other senators, including, Sens. James Risch, R-Idaho, Mike Lee, R-Utah, Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Bill Cassidy, R-La., Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., requested that Rowe and the Secret Service “designate President Trump as a protectee with the same level of protective resources afforded to a sitting president.” 

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“In two months, there have been two unprecedented assassination attempts on President Trump’s life. Enough is enough, the current level of Secret Service protection around President Trump is insufficient,” Senator Marshall said. “It is clear to every American that the threats to President Trump have reached a level that warrants additional security. That’s why we are demanding that President Trump receive the same amount of security resources as the President and Vice President. We are not a third-world country. Keeping President Trump safe is non-negotiable and remains paramount; any response less than this or debate around his safety and security is unacceptable,” Marshall said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

In his own statement, Tuberville said, “After two assassination attempts in 65 days, it is clear that the current level of Secret Service protection around President Trump is completely insufficient.” 

“The status quo is completely unacceptable. Former U.S. presidents, and especially those who are running for reelection, should have the best security in the world. We are less than two months from the election. I am calling on President Biden and Vice President Harris to give President Trump the same Presidential protection they have today. Their silence is deafening. We don’t want more tweets, we want action,” he continued. 

The senators asked for “a briefing to Members of Congress and staff regarding the attempts against President Trump’s life, the ongoing threat environment, and how the USSS will continue to operate successfully in their no-fail mission.”

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Additionally, they called on the acting director to provide responses within 10 days to several questions, including what additional protective resources were allocated following the July 13 assassination attempt, and what steps the USSS had taken to further enhance Trump’s protection.

The Republicans referred to a statement from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, indicating that there had been “significant physical and technical enhancements” in July after the first attack. 

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The senators referred to a statement made this week by President Biden, in which he claimed that he had directed his administration to “ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former president’s continued safety.” 

“What additional protective resources will this order allocate, and how will the USSS further ensure President Trump’s protection?” they questioned. 

The DHS and Secret Service did not provide immediate comment to Fox News Digital. 

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the only union among the nation’s top 10 that hasn’t endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in her 2024 faceoff with former President Trump, could make an announcement later this week on whom they’re backing in the White House race.

“We are going to look at any and all options, and I can’t commit to what we’re going to do,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien told reporters at the union’s national headquarters in the nation’s capital.

O’Brien spoke after he and other Teamsters leaders met behind closed doors with Harris on Monday for a roundtable discussion.

The vice president didn’t speak with reporters as she departed the Teamsters headquarters after making her pitch, as the Democrats’ presidential nominee works to maintain her party’s traditional high level of support from organized labor.

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O’Brien late last year announced the union’s first-ever interview process for their 2024 presidential endorsement and invited the major party candidates to make their cases.

The Teamsters met earlier this year with Trump and separately with President Biden, whom Harris succeeded atop the Democrats’ national ticket two months ago.

WATCH: WHAT THE TEAMSTERS PRESIDENT TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT NOT BEING INVITED TO SPEAK AT THE DEMOCRATS’ CONVENTION

O’Brien made history in July as he became the first Teamsters president to address a Republican National Convention.

But his speech also sparked controversy, as he drew the ire of some other top Teamsters leaders and some of the rank-and-file membership. Democrats didn’t invite O’Brien to address their convention last month in Chicago.

O’Brien said on Monday that the Teamsters are finishing up their polling of the union’s membership ahead of an executive board meeting on Wednesday, and added that the results of the polling would be publicly released.

He said the endorsement is “going to come down to the rank and file members, the polling and also the discussion and deliberation of the general executive board.”

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“There’s no secret that the Teamsters union is very different than most unions, and I mean that with total respect; we represent everybody from airline pilots and zookeepers, O’Brien noted. “We don’t just represent registered Democrats, we represent registered Republicans and independents, and so we have to take [that] into consideration.”

“We need to make sure we make the right decisions,” he emphasized. “Our sole focus is representing those workers, negotiating strong contracts and organizing new members.”

O’Brien said the Teamsters asked the same questions of Harris that they did of Biden earlier this year and noted that the president and vice president gave similar answers. 

“There wasn’t a whole lot of difference,” he said.

The Teamsters have asked the presidential candidates about their support for the PRO Act, a sweeping set of union-friendly changes to federal labor law, as well as where they stand on bankruptcy reform and antitrust policies.

Biden made history as the first sitting president to join striking workers on a picket line, and O’Brien highlighted that Biden has been “great for unions.”

O’Brien also reiterated his criticism of Trump’s recent comments in an interview with billionaire business mogul Elon Musk – when the former president praised the tech CEO for retaliating against striking workers by firing them – which is illegal.

Asked if Trump’s comments would impact the Teamsters endorsement, O’Brien said “it plays into the decision.”

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.