After President Donald Trump announced that America ‘will take over the Gaza strip,’ Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., pushed back against the idea, suggesting that the move would betray the ‘America First’ principle Trump voters expected.

During his inauguration speech last month, Trump unequivocally declared that throughout his administration he will ‘put America first,’ echoing a longstanding pillar of his political philosophy, which he also expressed during his 2017 inaugural address.

But Paul is throwing a red flag in response to Trump’s newly unveiled Gaza plans.

‘The pursuit for peace should be that of the Israelis and the Palestinians. I thought we voted for America First. We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers blood,’ Paul declared in a Wednesday post on X.

The senator made the comment in response to a post in which Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared on Tuesday, ‘Gaza MUST BE FREE from Hamas. As @POTUS shared today, the United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again. Our pursuit is one of lasting peace in the region for all people.’

While delivering remarks alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhyahu on Tuesday, Trump said that Palestinians should be settled outside the Gaza Strip, and that the U.S. will transform the region, which he described as a ‘demolition site.’

‘The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip,’ Trump declared, saying, ‘we’ll own it, and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site … level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.’

‘I do see a long term ownership position,’ Trump said of the region.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., called Trump’s proposal ‘ethnic cleansing.’

‘This president is openly calling for ethnic cleansing while sitting next to a genocidal war criminal. He’s perfectly fine cutting off working Americans from federal funds while the funding to the Israeli government continues flowing,’ she declared in a post on X.

In a post on another X account she declared, ‘Palestinians aren’t going anywhere. This president can only spew this fanatical bulls— because of bipartisan support in Congress for funding genocide and ethnic cleansing. It’s time for my two-state solution colleagues to speak up.’

Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., welcomed the president’s remarks.

‘This is what the leader of the free world looks like, folks. President Trump campaigned on securing peace in Gaza, and he’s doing just that. Promises made, promises kept — it’ll never get old,’ she said in a tweet.

The Palestinian terrorist group whose attack on Israel launched the war in Gaza is now calling President Donald Trump’s proposal for the U.S. to rebuild the territory a ‘recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region.’ 

Trump sent shockwaves throughout the Middle East after announcing last night that the U.S. will ‘take over the Gaza Strip,’ level it and rebuild the area. 

‘Instead of holding the Zionist occupation accountable for the crime of genocide and displacement, it is being rewarded, not punished,’ Hamas told the Associated Press Wednesday. 

Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, led to the Israeli military entering the Gaza Strip in their mission to eliminate the Palestinian terrorist group. As a result, the conflict has rendered much of the territory uninhabitable. The U.N. estimated late last year that 1.9 million people – around 90% of Gaza’s population – have been internally displaced. 

Hamas added to the AP that Trump’s plan is a ‘recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region.’ 

‘What President Trump stated about his intention to displace the residents of the Gaza Strip outside it and the United States’ control over the Strip by force is a crime against humanity,’ a senior Hamas official also told Fox News on Wednesday.

‘We demand that the mediators, especially the United States, oblige the occupation to implement the ceasefire agreement in its three stages without procrastination or manipulation, as we are committed to implementing the agreement as long as the occupation commits to it, and any manipulation in implementing the agreement may cause it to collapse,’ the official added.

Trump announced in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House Tuesday that ‘The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,’

 ‘We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site,’ he continued.

‘Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,’ Trump also said. ‘Do a real job. Do something different. Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years.’ 

Fox News’ Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst said the timing of Trump’s comments ‘raises huge questions about the current ceasefire agreement that is supposed to see the remaining hostages released from Gaza.’

‘There are dozens of living hostages inside the Gaza Strip right now being held by Hamas, the group that is currently in control of Gaza. And it would not be surprising if tomorrow, Hamas threatens to step back from the current agreement or puts more pressure at the negotiating table,’ Yingst said in a video posted on X last night.

‘But the timing of these remarks is very significant remembering that these hostages remain in Hamas captivity and Palestinians being removed from Gaza has been a red line not only for Hamas but for regional countries including Egypt, Jordan and others as it relates to the Palestinian people there,’ he added. 

Fox News’ Trey Yingst and Emma Colton contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump urged Iran to begin negotiating with the U.S. for a ‘nuclear peace agreement,’ downplaying the possibility of a devastating military strike on the Islamic nation.

Trump made the statement on social media Wednesday morning, reaffirming the U.S. position that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon. It comes just one day after Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.

‘I want Iran to be a great and successful Country, but one that cannot have a Nuclear Weapon. Reports that the United States, working in conjunction with Israel, is going to blow Iran into smithereens ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED,’ Trump wrote. 

‘I would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper. We should start working on it immediately, and have a big Middle East Celebration when it is signed and completed. God Bless the Middle East!’ he added.

The call for negotiations comes after Trump raised eyebrows Tuesday night by saying the U.S. will ‘take over’ control of the Gaza Strip.

‘The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,’ Trump stated. ‘We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site.’

Netanyahu praised Trump’s ability to ‘think outside the box’ during their joint press conference.

Hamas also wrote a statement criticizing Trump’s comments just hours after his meeting with Netanyahu.

‘We reject Trump’s statements in which he said that the residents of the Gaza Strip have no choice but to leave, and we consider them a recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region,’ the group said.

Hamas has recently reaffirmed control over the Gaza Strip following the start of the ceasefire and has said they will not release hostages without an end to the war and Israeli forces’ full withdrawal.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said Republicans were eyeing $1 trillion as a rough baseline for spending cuts as they prepare a massive conservative policy overhaul.

‘I think when you look at where we are, we’re close to a trillion and still working,’ Scalise said in response to a question by Fox News Digital late Tuesday night. When asked by another reporter later whether Republicans were looking at a $1 trillion baseline, Scalise said, ‘Roughly.’ No final decisions have been made, however.

Republican majorities in the House and Senate are working to codify large swaths of President Donald Trump’s agenda via the budget reconciliation process. 

By lowering the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to 51 out of 100, the maneuver allows the party in power to skirt its opposition to advance its agenda – provided the items included relate to budgetary and other fiscal matters. The House of Representatives already has a simple majority threshold.

Disagreements over where to set the floor for spending cuts have put House Republicans behind on their ambitious schedule for reconciliation, which includes a final goal of getting a bill on Trump’s desk in May.

The House Budget Committee was expected to advance an initial resolution for reconciliation this week. That plan was derailed, however, when spending hawks on the panel balked at House GOP leaders’ initial offer of roughly $300 billion as a starting point for rollbacks to federal funding. They also rejected a higher offer nearing $900 billion in cuts, Fox News Digital was told earlier this week. 

Scalise told reporters Tuesday night that leaders were now looking at next week to advance the bill out of the House Budget Committee.

Conservatives who spoke with Fox News Digital said they doubted the spending cuts would go much deeper than the agreed-upon floor, but Republican leaders have continued to insist there will be opportunities to find areas for cuts beyond whatever level they settle on. 

Scalise also cautioned that negotiators were working against cost estimates by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan group. 

‘There are a lot of numbers floating around. I mean, you know, CBO’s got their numbers, and we’ve had real issues with them, because CBO has been wrong so many times, but yet you still have to start with their numbers,’ Scalise said. ‘And then, you know, what kind of economic growth are you gonna get if you have better energy policy and better regulatory policy? And those are real factors. And our members recognize that, but, you know, you’ve got to come to an agreement on what is that growth factor gonna be? What’s a fair number?’

GOP negotiators met on Tuesday evening to chart a path forward. A source familiar with the meeting said Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., did not commit to anything and discussions are still ongoing. 

Republicans are hoping to use reconciliation to pass several Trump policy goals, from more funding at the border to removing taxes on tipped and overtime wages. Lawmakers are also eyeing new defense funding and pro-fossil fuel energy measures. 

House Republicans had planned to pass their reconciliation bill first, but it appears time could be running short. Senate Republicans have signaled they are ready to move ahead with their own plan if infighting delays the House GOP’s schedule.

Asked about the prospect of the Senate moving first, Johnson told reporters on Tuesday, ‘Senate will not take the lead. We’re going to, and we’re right on schedule.’

Scalise similarly said that delaying the committee mark up to next week will not alter Republicans’ overall timeline.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres seems to be bracing his staff ahead of possible changes in U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump. In a letter distributed to UN staff, Guterres warned of the ‘difficult challenge’ facing the international body.

‘I assure you that we are working closely with colleagues throughout the United Nations system to understand and mitigate the extent of its impact on our operations,’ Guterres wrote in the letter.

‘Now, more than ever, the work of the United Nations is crucial. As we face this difficult challenge, your dedication and support will help us to overcome and move forward. Together, we will ensure that our Organization continues to serve people in need around the world with unwavering commitment.’

In response to a Fox News request for comment, Guterres’ spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said, ‘From day one, US support for the United Nations has saved countless lives and advanced global security.  The Secretary-General looks forward to continuing his productive relationship with President Trump and the US Government to strengthen that relationship in today’s turbulent world.’

‘As President Trump has indicated, the UN plays a crucial role in taking on big challenges so that individual countries don’t have to do it on their own at far greater expense. With the letter, the Secretary-General was keeping staff informed,’ Dujarric added.’

Former Principal Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Hugh Dugan told Fox News Digital that ‘UN entities from the top down are feeling very anxious,’ citing someone extremely senior in the UN. Dugan believes that DOGE and his own organization DOGE-UN are causes of concern for Guterres due to ‘heightened accountability’ from Washington. 

‘And I think that they’re going to have to scramble to show that they’ve been trustworthy with those resources and have been careful in accounting for their ultimate disposition, because I expect that we’re going to find that’s not been the case,’ Dugan said.

This letter was sent just over two weeks after President Trump issued his Executive Order on Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid.

‘It is the policy of the United States that no further United States foreign assistance shall be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States,’ Trump’s order reads.

While the order calls for a 90-day pause in foreign programs, it includes a clause giving Secretary of State Marco Rubio the authority to ‘waive the pause in Section 3(a) for specific programs.’

Trump administration officials claim to have uncovered several areas of government waste when it comes to foreign funding. This includes a $1.5 million US Agency for International Development (USAID) project aimed at advancing DEI in Serbian workplaces and a $2 million program promoting ‘LGBT activism’ in Guatemala.

In her first briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that DOGE and OMB found ‘that there was about to be $50 million taxpayer dollars that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza.’

‘That is a preposterous waste of taxpayer money. So that’s what this pause is focused on, being good stewards of tax dollars,’ Leavitt told reporters at the briefing.

At first glance, the funding for condoms in Gaza could seem like it would be aimed at public health. However, Hamas has used condoms in the past to fly incendiary devices and IEDs into Israel, as the Jerusalem Post reported in 2020.

During his 2024 campaign, Trump took aim at government spending, ultimately introducing DOGE to tackle waste.

Following Trump’s order, Secretary Rubio paused all US foreign assistance programs funded by or through the State Department and USAID pending review.

‘Reviewing and realigning foreign assistance on behalf of hardworking taxpayers is not just the right thing to do, it is a moral imperative,’ the State Department statement read. ‘The Secretary is proud to protect America’s investment with a deliberate and judicious review of how we spend foreign assistance dollars overseas.’

In the same statement, the State Department emphasized Secretary Rubio’s focus on ensuring the programs his department funds are working for Americans and are ‘consistent with US foreign policy under the America First agenda.’

‘Squad’ member Ayanna Pressley blasted business magnate Elon Musk as a ‘Nazi nepo baby’ and ‘godless, lawless billionaire’ during remarks at a rally.

She also seemed to take a jab at Tesla’s Cybertruck.

‘Elon Musk is a Nazi nepo baby, a godless lawless billionaire, who no one elected. Elon, this is the American people. This is not your trashy Cybertruck that you can just dismantle, pick apart, and sell the pieces of,’ she declared.

A video shared on the congresswoman’s @RepPressley X account shows her and others chanting, ‘Hey, hey, ho, ho, Elon Musk has got to go.’

In a post on the lawmaker’s @AyannaPressley account, Pressley had called Musk ‘a Nazi nepo baby who breaks everything he touches,’ claiming, ‘Right now he’s locked himself in a room with grandpa’s Social Security check.’

Musk backed President Donald Trump during the 2024 election and is now spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort to expose government waste.

‘Doge has not looked at, nor is there any interest in, private financial data. What would we even do with it? The outgoing payment review process just looks at potential fraud and wasteful spending to organizations. Corrupt politicians are the ones complaining. I wonder why?’ Musk has noted in a post on X.

The Treasury Department has noted that ‘the ongoing review of Treasury’s systems is not resulting in the suspension or rejection of any payment instructions submitted to Treasury by other federal agencies across the government.’

‘Currently, Treasury staff members working with Tom Krause, a Treasury employee, will have read-only access to the coded data of the Fiscal Service’s payment systems in order to continue this operational efficiency assessment,’ the department noted. 

‘Mr. Krause is conducting this effort in coordination with veteran career Treasury officials, and all operational processes continue to be conducted only by career Treasury staff in accordance with all standard security, safety, and privacy standards,’ Treasury noted. ‘In order to allow him to perform this function, he has been hired as an expert/consultant by the federal government and designated in a role commonly used across Administrations—a ‘special government employee’ —pursuant to applicable law.’

An internal memo being circulated to House Republicans is urging lawmakers to argue that President Donald Trump’s handling of foreign aid is ‘already paying dividends’ and that the Biden administration spent that money on initiatives like ‘a transgender opera in Colombia through the State Department.’

The three-page document, obtained by Fox News Digital through a House GOP source, is being sent to members of Republican leadership as well as lawmakers on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

It includes two pages of recommended talking points, including, ‘America is spending $40 billion in foreign aid annually. Much of those aid dollars are not even reaching the intended recipients and are instead propping up an NGO industrial complex that has, for years, swindled the American taxpayer.’

The memo urged Republicans to argue Trump’s freeze on foreign aid ‘is needed because it’s nearly impossible to evaluate foreign aid programs when they are on autopilot.’

‘A 90-day review period, with commonsense waivers for truly life-threatening situations, is the only way to give the State Department the time needed to root out waste,’ it said.

The State Department issued a freeze on most federal foreign aid days after Trump was sworn into office. Within recent days, Trump and Elon Musk’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ (DOGE) have also led a significant scale-back of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), including making Secretary of State Marco Rubio its acting head.

Opponents of the moves have said it would embolden authoritarian governments that want to see the United States’ stature on the world stage diminished and that it would imperil thousands of lives abroad that depend on the aid.

But Republicans like House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast, R-Fla., a top Trump ally, argue that the moves are justified to evaluate what money is actually going to foreign assistance that aligns with Trump’s agenda.

‘America’s foreign aid is not charity and its goal should not be to advance DEI abroad,’ the committee wrote on X on Monday.

The memo also encouraged lawmakers to point out existing exceptions for ’emergency food assistance’ and ‘life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter, and subsistence assistance, as well as supplies and reasonable administrative costs as necessary to deliver such assistance.’

The third page is dedicated to highlighting where committee Republicans tracked foreign aid as going toward, including ‘$39,652 to host seminars at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on gender identity and racial equality through the State Department’ and ‘$425,622 to help Indonesian coffee companies become more climate and gender friendly through USAID.’

Other priorities listed included ‘$14 million in cash vouchers for migrants at the southern border through the State Department,’ ‘$446,700 to promote the expansion of atheism in Nepal through the State Department’ and ‘$32,000 for an LGBTQ-centered comic book in Peru.’

A group of House Democrats said they were denied entry into USAID headquarters on Monday amid reports of a scale-back in senior officials and others.

‘We are not going to let this injustice happen. Congress created this agency with the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and if you want to change it, you got to change that law,’ said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va.

It’s not clear if all Republicans are on board with Trump’s push, however. A vote to defund USAID last year led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., failed with 127 GOP lawmakers voting against it, compared to 81 in support.

But Trump’s handling of foreign aid has been backed by Republicans known to be national security hawks, including previous House Foreign Affairs Chair Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas.

‘President Trump and his team are right to scrutinize and revamp U.S. foreign aid distribution to ensure every taxpayer dollar serves its intended purpose. And I am optimistic they will do it in a way that strengthens the intention behind these programs and strengthens our national security,’ McCaul said.