Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has suggested that it is his duty to meet with President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees, noting that his decision about whether to vote to confirm the candidates will stem from an open mind and informed perspective.

‘I believe that it’s appropriate and the responsibility of a U.S. Senator to have a conversation with President-elect Trump’s nominees. That’s why I met with Elise Stefanik and Pete Hegseth, just wrapped with Tulsi Gabbard, and look forward to my meetings with others soon,’ Fetterman declared in a post on X.

‘My votes will come from an open-mind and an informed opinion after having a conversation with them. That’s not controversial, it’s my job,’ he continued.

Trump has tapped Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Hegseth to serve as secretary of defense, and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for the role of director of national intelligence.

While Fetterman has previously noted that he plans to support Stefanik, it is unclear whether he will ultimately back Hegseth and Gabbard for confirmation.

Fox News Digital reached out to request comment from the senator, but a spokesperson did not provide any additional insight into Fetterman’s voting plans regarding Hegseth and Gabbard.

Fetterman has been unflinching in his staunch support for Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack against the U.S. ally.

‘Always was a hard YES for @EliseStefanik but it was a pleasure to have a conversation. I support defunding UNRWA for its documented Hamas infiltration and fully look forward to her holding the @UN accountable for its endemic antisemitism and blatant anti-Israel views,’ Fetterman declared in a post earlier this month.

He has also pledged to support Sen. Marco Rubio’s confirmation to serve as secretary of state.

‘Unsurprisingly, the other team’s pick will have political differences than my own,’ Fetterman noted in a post on X last month. ‘That being said, my colleague @SenMarcoRubio is a strong choice and I look forward to voting for his confirmation.’

The Senate voted to pass the $895 billion annual defense policy bill that includes a pay raise for U.S. servicemembers and a provision that restricts transgender care. 

The bill passed 85 to 14, and now heads to President Biden’s desk for his signature. 

The legislation scored a more bipartisan vote in the Senate than it did in the House, where more Democrats voted no on the legislation in protest of the transgender provisions. 

The bill prohibits military health care provider Tricare from paying for transgender care ‘that could result in sterilization’ for children under 18.

The legislation passed the House last week 281-140, with 16 Republicans voting ‘no.’ Only 81 Democrats voted yes – 124 voting no – a much larger margin than in years passed when the legislation typically enjoyed bipartisan support. 

The 1,800-page bill details how $895.2 billion allocated toward defense and national security will be spent. It will be voted on more than two months after the start of the fiscal year. 

The $895.2 billion represents a 1% increase over last year’s budget, a smaller number than some defense hawks would have liked. 

Additionally, while the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) outlines policy, a separate spending bill will actually fund the programs it lays out. That spending legislation will be voted on in the next Congress, when Republicans will have a narrow majority in both chambers. 

A significant portion of the legislation focused on quality-of-life improvements for servicemembers amid record recruitment issues, a focus of much bipartisan discussion over the last year. That includes a 14.5% pay increase for junior enlisted servicemembers and increasing access to child care for servicemembers while also providing job support to military spouses.

The measure authorizes a 4.5% across-the-board pay raise for all servicemembers starting Jan. 1 and a 2% increase for civilian personnel within the Department of Defense.

It also puts more restrictions on Chinese-made drones, fearing their use in the U.S. could be for foreign surveillance. It specifically targets China-based DJI and Autel Robotoics. 

The NDAA mandates that a national security agency must determine within one year if drones from DJI or Autel Robotics pose unacceptable national security risks. If no agency completes the study, the companies would automatically be added to the Federal Communications Commission’s ‘covered lists,’ preventing them from operating in the U.S. 

DJI is the world’s largest drone manufacturer and sells more than half of all U.S. commercial drones. 

The bill recommends a $20 million increase in counter-unmanned aerial systems (UAS) Advanced Development budget and requires the Defense secretary to establish a ‘C-UAS task force’ within 30 days and provide a report to congressional defense committees on the military’s latest counter-drone training efforts within four months.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., led a group of 21 Democratic senators demanding an amendment to remove the transgender care restrictions from the NDAA. That amendment was not included as it would have forced the bill back to the House. Congressional leaders spent months conferencing to find agreement between the chambers and the parties on the yearly must-pass legislation. 

‘Let’s be clear: we’re talking about parents who are in uniform serving our country who have earned the right to make the best decisions for their families,’ Baldwin said in a statement. ‘I trust our servicemembers and their doctors to make the best health care decisions for their kids, not politicians.’

The amendment will affect care for 7,000 children, according to Baldwin, who said she would support the NDAA if not for the provision.

Other Democrats said they had objections to the provision, but the bill’s provisions to strengthen U.S. defenses against China, raise pay for servicemembers, invest in new military technologies and replenish weapons stockpiles. 

‘Of course, the NDAA is not perfect. It doesn’t have everything either side would like … But of course, you need bipartisanship to get this through the finish line,’ said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters Tuesday he shares his colleagues’ ‘frustration’ with House Speaker Mike Johnson’s ‘extreme, misguided provision,’ but he said Democrats during the negotiation process were able to strip out ‘the vast majority of very far right provisions that had passed in the House bill.’

Provisions like a blanket ban on funding for gender transition surgeries for adults did not make their way into the bill. Neither did a ban on requiring masks to prevent the spread of diseases. 

The bill also supports deploying the National Guard to the southern border to help with illegal immigrant apprehensions and drug flow. 

Another provision opens the door to allowing airmen and Space Force personnel to grow facial hair. It directs the secretary of the Air Force to brief lawmakers on ‘the feasibility and advisability’ of establishing a pilot program to test out allowing beards. 

Democrats are also upset the bill did not include a provision expanding access to IVF for servicemembers. Currently, military health care only covers IVF for servicemembers whose infertility is linked to service-related illness or injury.

However, the bill did not include an amendment to walk back a provision allowing the Pentagon to reimburse servicemembers who have to travel out of state to get an abortion.

The bill extends a hiring freeze on DEI-related roles and stops all such recruitment until ‘an investigation of the Pentagon’s DEI programs’ can be completed.

Johnson, meanwhile, touted $31 billion in savings in the legislation that would come from cutting ‘inefficient programs, obsolete weapons, and bloated Pentagon bureaucracy.’

Just days after Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson appeared in a ‘queer’ Broadway spinoff of ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ critics are questioning whether her involvement could compromise her impartiality as the court considers a landmark case about banning transgender surgical procedures for minors.

‘I think it’s a huge mistake for federal judges, especially Supreme Court justices, to engage in activities that clearly put the stamp of approval on an ideological position regarding issues that could come before the court, which is practically the definition of a threat to their impartiality, the appearance of impropriety,’ Heritage Foundation senior legal counsel Thomas Jipping told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

‘It’s unusual for judges to do this sort of thing under any circumstances. But I suppose if this was ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ if this was some recognized, established classic or something, it might be different. But this is obviously an advocacy production, so for a Supreme Court justice to participate in advocacy on an issue that is currently in the courts, and at least broadly speaking, before her, I think it’s a huge mistake,’ he said.

The musical, called ‘& Juliet,’ features prominent LGBTQ+ themes and nonbinary characters. The musical begins where Shakespeare’s original ends. Instead of dying by suicide for love, Juliet chooses to forge her own path, challenging traditional gender roles. On its website, ‘& Juliet’ is described as a ‘hilarious new musical’ that ‘flips the script on the greatest love story ever told.’

Juliet’s best friend, May, is a nonbinary character whose queer relationship is prominently featured and explored throughout the musical.

Jackson joined the Broadway cast, which includes TikTok star Charli D’Amelio and other Broadway performers, for a one-time performance at New York’s Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Saturday night, becoming the first Supreme Court justice to perform on Broadway.

‘& Juliet’ was written by David West Read, best known for his work as a writer and producer on the TV show ‘Schitt’s Creek.’ The musical premiered in November 2019, at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London’s West End. Its Broadway debut followed in November 2022, at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre in New York City.

Liberals have criticized several conservative Supreme Court justices in recent years over ethical concerns, fueling calls for stricter oversight. 

Justice Clarence Thomas has faced scrutiny over his wife’s political activism. Justice Samuel Alito has been criticized for failing to disclose luxury trips funded by wealthy donors with business before the court, while Justice Amy Coney Barrett has drawn attention for her ties to religious groups and their potential influence on cases involving LGBTQ+ issues and abortion. Justice Brett Kavanaugh has also faced criticism over his confirmation process and past financial disclosures.

‘For two, three years now, liberals have been complaining about actions by Supreme Court justices that they say undermine the public’s confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary,’ Jipping said. ‘Liberals in Congress want an enforceable code of conduct. I wonder what they say about this.’

‘Participating in an advocacy, in an exercise of advocacy, for a position on issues that come before the Supreme Court is an egregious violation of that principle in the code of conduct regarding impartiality. I don’t think there’s any question about that,’ he said.

Jackson wore jeans and an all-blue costume with a corset and a flowery hat. In one clip of the performance posted by the production’s social media account, her character excitedly exclaims, ‘Female empowerment, sick!,’ and in another, she sings the Backstreet Boys’ ‘Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely.’

The ‘& Juliet’ marketing team said in an Instagram post announcing the cameo that Jackson’s performance fulfilled a lifelong fantasy of her ‘becoming the first Black, female Supreme Court justice to appear on a Broadway stage.’

‘She should stay on her side of the bench, and judges should protect their impartiality and the appearance of impartiality more, not less. And this, this was really reckless, in my view,’ Jipping added.

This isn’t the first time a Supreme Court justice has stepped into the spotlight of the performing arts. In 1994, Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg appeared as supernumeraries – non-speaking, background roles – in a Washington National Opera production of ‘Ariadne auf Naxos.’ 

The two, known for their ideological differences but close personal friendship, shared a love of opera.

Earlier this month, SCOTUS heard oral arguments in the U.S. v. Skrmetti case. The court’s decision could have sweeping implications, potentially shaping future legal battles over transgender issues, such as access to bathrooms and school sports participation. The court will resume arguments in January and a decision is expected by July 2025.

The Supreme Court’s press office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request by press deadline.

Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.

With one month left in office, President Biden’s approval rating is hitting a new low.

Biden stands at 34% approval and 66% disapproval in a Marquette Law School national poll conducted Dec. 2-11 and released on Wednesday.

That is down four percentage points from October and the lowest approval for Biden in Marquette Law School polling since the president took over in the White House four years ago.

The president’s approval stands in the mid-30s to low-40s in the latest national surveys, including the most recent Fox News national poll, where Biden stands at 41% approval.

Biden’s approval rating hovered in the low to mid 50s during his first six months in the White House. However, the president’s numbers started sagging in August 2021 in the wake of Biden’s much-criticized handling of the turbulent U.S. exit from Afghanistan and following a surge in COVID-19 cases that summer, mainly among unvaccinated people.

The plunge in the president’s approval was also fueled by soaring inflation – which started spiking in the summer of 2021 and remains to date a major pocketbook concern with Americans – and the surge of migrants trying to cross into the U.S. along the southern border with Mexico. 

President-elect Donald Trump ended his first term in office at 47% approval, according to Fox News polling from four years ago.

The new Marquette survey indicates that 53% of adults nationwide say they approve of the way Trump handled his job during his first term in the White House (2017-2021), a three point increase from their October poll. 

‘This is Trump’s highest approval rating since March, when this question of retrospective approval was first asked in the Marquette Law School Poll’s national surveys,’ the survey’s release highlights.

The survey also indicates the public’s divided on Trump’s Cabinet appointments for his second administration, some of which have sparked controversy.

Forty-nine percent of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of cabinet appointments, with 51% disapproving.

According to the Fox News poll, which was conducted Dec. 6-9, 47% approved of the job Trump is doing on picking his cabinet, with 50% giving a thumbs down.

Trump’s favorable rating stands at 49% favorable and 50% unfavorable in the Marquette survey, his highest in his post-first administration period.

The president stands at 37% favorable and 62% unfavorable.

Vice President Kamala Harris has a favorable rating of 41% and an unfavorable rating of 57% in the new poll. That is a decline from 45% favorable and 51% unfavorable in the October poll, when Harris was the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee.

Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance has 35% favorable and 47% unfavorable rating in the new survey.

The Marquette Law School poll has an overall sampling error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has compared America’s practice of doling out aid to foreign countries to a preposterous hypothetical scenario in which an individual waters their neighbor’s yard while their own house burns. 

‘US foreign aid spending is like watering the neighbor’s yard while your house is on fire,’ he tweeted.

The congressman followed up his initial comment by sharing an AI-generated image of House Speaker Mike Johnson holding a hose as flames emerge from a house behind him.

Fox News Digital reached out to request comment from Massie and a spokesperson confirmed that the image was created using AI, specifically, Grok.

Vivek Ramaswamy replied to Massie’s comment about foreign aid by noting, ‘It’s worse – because unlike a household, U.S. government actors are spending *other* people’s money to do it.’

President-elect Donald Trump tapped Ramaswamy and Elon Musk to advocate government cost-cutting via an effort dubbed the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE). 

But getting Republicans on board with drastic spending cuts could prove problematic. 

Massie colorfully warned during a WABC radio interview, ‘I have Republican colleagues who’d rather run over their own mom with a car than to vote to cut spending.’

In a post on X, GOP Rep. Chip Roy of Texas agreed with Massie’s take, noting, ‘He’s not wrong….’

Conservatives have been savaging a government spending proposal released at the last-minute to avert the prospect of a looming partial government shutdown, even as some Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, speak out in favor of it.

‘I had hoped to see @SpeakerJohnson grow a spine, but this bill full of pork shows he is a weak, weak man. The debt will continue to grow. Ultimately the dollar will fail. Democrats are clueless and Big Gov Republicans are complicit. A sad day for America,’ Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., declared in a post on X.

Fox News Digital reached out to request comment from Johnson about Paul and Massie’s comments and the AI-generated image Massie shared, but a Johnson spokesperson pointed to the speaker’s interview on ‘Fox & Friends.’

Johnson noted during the interview that the spending measure kicks the government funding issue until March when Republicans will have control of Congress and the White House, enabling the GOP to ‘decide spending for 2025.’ The speaker also pointed to disaster relief in the measure as well as aid related to farmers.

‘People call me ‘NostraThomas’ for accurately predicting @SpeakerJohnson would use the Christmas recess to force a massive spending bill through Congress. After claiming he would not, Johnson is embracing a D.C. tradition that’s nearly as old as decorating Christmas trees,’ Massie tweeted.

Earlier this year Johnson said there would not be a ‘Christmas omnibus.’ 

Pressed this week by Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram, Johnson said the measure under consideration is ‘not an omnibus.’

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will be asked to explain some of his beliefs about farming and food production by Republicans who are protective of the agricultural industry in their states. This could stand in the way of a smooth confirmation if he doesn’t manage to address their concerns. 

‘They’ve got to be able to use modern farming techniques, and that involves a lot of things, not only really sophisticated equipment, but also fertilizers and pesticides. So, we have to have that conversation,’ Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told reporters. 

‘I’m always going to stand up for farmers and ranchers.’

Hoeven told Fox News Digital he would need certain assurances from Kennedy to support him. 

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told reporters he wants Kennedy ‘to understand that when I started farming in 1960, we raised 50 bushels of corn to the acre. Now, we raise on an annual average about 200 in Iowa. A lot more than that.

‘And you can’t feed 9 billion people on the face of the earth [if] we don’t take advantage of genetic engineering.’

Before meeting with Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Tuesday, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., told reporters he planned to ask him about pesticide use. 

Afterward, it seemed Kennedy addressed any concerns, because Tuberville wrote on X, ‘Our meeting reaffirmed what I already knew: RFK Jr. is the right man to make sure our food is safe, bring transparency to vaccines and health care, and Make America Healthy Again.’

While some Republicans are worried about the agricultural implications of Kennedy’s positions, his food safety stances are providing some level of appeal to certain Democrats, whose votes he could potentially need to be confirmed. 

A number of Democratic senators told Fox News Digital their interest was piqued by Kennedy’s thoughts on food regulations, but none said they had meetings scheduled yet. 

‘His approach to food and nutrition is more direct and perhaps might be more successful than continuing the way we’ve been doing it,’ Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., told Fox News Digital.

‘I’m definitely looking forward to him coming in and testifying.’

A representative for Kennedy did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication.

Things might be moving on the hostage front. Hezbollah has decoupled itself from Hamas in agreeing to a cease-fire. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has returned again to the region for discussion. Qatar kicked Hamas out and said it wanted to reengage on hostage and ceasefire negotiations. Donald Trump named a hostage special envoy and issued a statement warning that there will be ‘hell to pay’ if the Hamas-held hostages were not freed by the time of his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The hostages, which include seven Americans – three presumed living and four unfortunately murdered – have been languishing in Gaza for over 400 days. Will the transition between administrations break the logjam and do something to release them from their captivity?

We can’t know for sure, but we can look to history for lessons from a similar situation. In 1980, Iran took over the US embassy in Iran and held American hostages for 444 days, roiling the US election and riveting the nation. Carter’s entire last year in office was occupied with the hostage crisis. Ted Koppel’s ‘Nightline’ began as a show that covered the crisis before eventually becoming a general interest news show. In that first year, though, ‘Nightline’ seemed like a nightly recap of Carter’s ineptitude. Things worsened when Carter tried a rescue attempt that proved to be an embarrassing failure. His Secretary of State, the dovish Cyrus Vance, resigned in protest – not because the attempt failed, but because he was opposed to even attempting such an effort.

The failure to get the hostages out proved to be an albatross to Carter’s reelection effort. Carter’s preoccupation with the crisis limited his ability to campaign against Ronald Reagan, which he badly needed to do since the situation was dragging down his polling numbers. Carter’s wunderkind pollster Pat Caddell – all of 29 when the hostages were taken – complained to Chief of Staff Hamilton Jordan as election day approached that the hostage situation was killing Carter politically: ‘We are getting murdered. All the people that have been waiting and holding out for some reason to vote Democratic have left us. I’ve never seen anything like it in polling. Here we are neck and neck with Reagan up until the very end and everything breaks against us. It’s the hostage thing.’

The Reagan campaign braced for an ‘October surprise.’ If Carter could negotiate the release of the hostages before the election, would that win sweep the momentum away from Reagan?

During the campaign, Reagan wanted to avoid conduct that could be perceived as interfering with the Carter administration’s negotiations to free the hostages. Reagan told the press that as long as there is hope for getting the hostages back alive, ‘political candidates should restrain themselves in the interest of national unity.’ Yet, on the campaign trail Reagan told voters that he would restore respect for the United States, promising that ‘never again will a foreign dictator dare to invade an American embassy and take our people hostage.’

The hostage crisis was perhaps the paradigmatic example of Reagan’s broader case against Carter’s weak leadership and foreign policy. ‘Foreign confidence in American leadership – to counter the forces of brutality and barbarism’, Reagan said following Carter’s failed rescue attempt, ‘will return only when we as a nation mobilize our spiritual strength, regain our economic strength, rebuild our defense capabilities, and strengthen our alliance with other peace-loving nations.’

Carter ended up losing badly to Reagan, but the forthcoming change in administration brought new energy into the effort to release the hostages. Carter redoubled his efforts, determined to get the hostages out on his watch. Reagan was a new actor on the world stage and the Iranians did not know what to make of him. Although Reagan rarely mentioned the hostages during the campaign, he did respond forcefully to Carter’s late October suggestion that Reagan did not understand things. Reagan blasted back, saying that he didn’t ‘understand why 52 Americans have been held hostage for almost a year now.’ In addition, Democratic and media hysteria about Reagan being some kind of warmonger who wanted to bring about nuclear Armageddon likely impacted the Ayatollah’s calculus on whether to release the American hostages before Reagan’s inauguration.

In the last few months of the administration, the lame duck Carter worked furiously on the hostage issue. He had his representatives negotiating on what eventually became the Algiers Accords, signed on January 19, 1981. Carter was sleeping little and getting constant updates, even late into the night.

Reagan was sleeping when Carter called him at 7am on Inauguration Day with an update on the hostages. Carter had been up all night following the negotiations. Carter called back at 8:30 when Reagan was awake and told him that he thought the hostages would be freed that morning. Carter was overly optimistic. The Iranians, eager to impose yet another indignity on Carter, waited until Reagan was officially inaugurated before officially releasing the hostages.

There is no indication that Joe Biden is working nearly that hard on the American hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. Hamas, which also murdered over 30 Americans, does not seem to fear or even respect Biden very much. Yet a similar dynamic may be at play. Trump’s ‘hell to pay’ statement and his meeting with hostage family members, signals both greater interest in the hostages and less patience for Hamas and its refusals to make any concessions.

News that Hamas has provided Egypt with a list of hostages it would include in a deal with Israel, which for the first time includes American citizens, signals how President Trump’s imminent return to office is impacting the hostage crisis. Come January 20th we can expect more than rhetoric when President Trump, unlike his predecessor, applies the full spectrum of America’s military, intelligence and economic tools to free the hostages. What comes next from Trump when he returns to the Oval Office could force Hamas and its enablers in Qatar and Turkey, to free the hostages before inauguration day. No one thinks that Biden, like Carter, will be pulling all-nighters anytime soon for the hostages, or any other issue. But the echoes of that earlier hostage crisis could serve as a preview of what might happen this time around.

President-elect Trump dropped his most recent round of ambassador nominations on social media Tuesday night, before issuing a warning to Senate Republicans about any potential deals with Democratic lawmakers.

The Republican leader began by nominating Herschel Walker as his choice for U.S. ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. Walker, a staunch Trump ally, ran for the U.S. Senate in 2022 as a candidate from Georgia.

‘I am pleased to nominate Herschel Walker as United States Ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas,’ Trump’s post began. ‘Herschel has spent decades serving as an Ambassador to our Nation’s youth, our men and women in the Military, and athletes at home and abroad.’

Trump went on to call Walker, a former National Football League (NFL) player, a ‘successful businessman, philanthropist, former Heisman Trophy winner, and NFL Great.’ The president-elect also commended Walker’s previous work in the first Trump administration.

‘During my First Term, he served as Co-Chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. Herschel has traveled to over 400 Military installations around the World, removing the stigma surrounding mental health,’ Trump added. ‘He represented the United States at the 1992 Winter Olympics as a member of the U.S. bobsled team.’
 
‘Congratulations Herschel! You will make Georgia, and our entire Nation, proud, because we know you will always put AMERICA FIRST!’

Trump followed up his post about Walker to announce Nicole McGraw as his pick for U.S. ambassador to Croatia. The president-elect described McGraw as a ‘philanthropist, businesswoman, and World renowned art collector.’

‘Nicole has brought fine art to the People through her work leading CANVAS Art Charities, and raised Millions of Dollars for neglected and abused children as a Board Member of Place of Hope,’ Trump wrote. ‘She is a graduate of Southern Methodist University with a BFA in Art History and Studio Art. Congratulations Nicole!’

After issuing the nominations, Trump ended with a note warning Senate Republicans not to make deals with Democrats to ‘fast track’ nominations this month.

‘To all Senate Republicans: NO DEAL WITH DEMOCRATS TO FAST TRACK NOMINATIONS AT THE END OF THIS CONGRESS,’ Trump wrote. ‘I won the biggest mandate in 129 years. I will make my appointments of Very Qualified People in January when I am sworn in.’

Some lawmakers in the new Congressional DOGE Caucus are eyeing a crackdown on federal agencies work-from-home policies when Republicans take over the levers of power in Washington DC next year.

The group’s name is an acronym for Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency, coinciding with the Department of Government Efficiency – also DOGE for short – a new advisory panel commissioned by President-elect Trump and led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

The caucus held its first meeting on Tuesday, which lawmakers described to Fox News Digital as largely ‘organizational.’

DOGE Caucus co-chair Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital the room was full of interested lawmakers.

‘We had 29 sign up to come, so we met in a small conference room. But it was packed – we had over 60 members attend,’ Bean said.

That included three Democrats – Reps. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., Val Hoyle, D-Ore., and the first Democrat to join the DOGE Caucus, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.

Documents given to attendees and shared with Fox News Digital encouraged lawmakers to think of what kind of DOGE goals would be ‘worthwhile lifts,’ ‘quick wins,’ ‘lower priority,’ and ‘low-hanging fruit’ and other ways to organize and prioritize initiatives.

Asked about what some ‘low-hanging fruit’ for the panel would be, Bean said, ‘People going back to work.’

‘We have a problem,’ Bean said. ‘[Federal workers] do a large amount of work from home. Which, that’s a debate – whether or not they’re productive working from home. But if they are working from home, we have between a 6 and 15% occupancy of billions of square foot of commercial buildings that we are spending billions on to upkeep and whatnot. Do we still need that much space if people aren’t using their offices?’

That was echoed by Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, who also attended the meeting.

‘You know, when you take out security, you’ve got one percent of the federal government workers who are going in to work on a regular basis, and we’re paying for 100% of them all to have office space,’ Van Duyne said. ‘There’s lots of low hanging fruit. I just hope we can identify what those are.’

Bean also dismissed accusations from critics of Musk and Ramamswamy’s DOGE push that it was a way for Republicans to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits

‘That is not the intent,’ Bean emphasized. ‘It is not the intent [to be] cutting benefits, of either health or [veterans] or Social Security. But those benefits…have limited shelf life, unless we make reductions elsewhere. So the purpose is not to cut those things, but to safeguard them.’

Other lawmakers who attended said they came away enthusiastic about the group’s cost-cutting and efficiency goals.

‘It was a good introductory meeting of the caucus, kind of challenging us all to think about our expectations and how we can help, you know, take ideas and move them in to bill form and work through the normal committee process to do that,’ Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., said.

‘I’ve even gotten a lot of ideas from constituents…I think this is a really great grassroots effort.’

House GOP Conference Vice Chair Blake Moore, R-Utah, another DOGE Caucus co-chair alongside Bean and Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said ‘there’s a billion and a half ideas, and we need to make it so it’s actually actionable for Vivek and Elon.’

Both Bean and Moore indicated that the next steps for the caucus would be to split up into working groups targeting various aspects of DOGE’s mission.

The next caucus meeting is expected in January, Bean said.