Stories

Browse major news stories and see what officials have said.

Sep 28, 2026· Updated

Six Weeks Before the Midterms, a 30-Second Ad "Paid for by the U.S. Government" Runs on Fox News and Newsmax With Trump Declaring "America Will Never Be a Communist Country" Over the Song "Love Me" — the White House Calls It "Educational and Unapologetically Patriotic," Jamie Raskin Says It "May Be Felony Criminal Theft," and Maggie Hassan Says It "Does Not Have a Clear Official Government Purpose"

In late September 2026, a 30-second spot carrying the disclosure "Paid for by the U.S. Government" began airing repeatedly on Fox News and Newsmax. Set to JMSN's song "Love Me," it shows Trump saying "Together we will defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America. America will never be a communist country," flashes "LARGEST TAX CUTS IN HISTORY," "REIGNITING AMERICAN MANUFACTURING" and "DEFEND LAW AND ORDER AND POLICE," and includes UFC CEO Dana White calling Trump "the toughest, most resilient person I've ever met." AdImpact put the initial buy at about $14,000; ABC News reported the Department of Homeland Security paid for it. The White House called the spots "public service announcements" that are "educational and unapologetically patriotic," arguing "The President is not on the ballot and the ads don't have a call to action." On Sept. 24, Sen. Maggie Hassan, ranking Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee, wrote to Chief of Staff Susie Wiles demanding the cost, funding source and government purpose of the ad by Oct. 8, and Rep. Jamie Raskin said it may violate the Hatch Act and federal theft statutes. Federal appropriations law bars agencies from spending on unauthorized publicity or propaganda.

“It's a great message. I like the message. But it shouldn't be paid for with taxpayer dollars.”
John Thune (R-SD) · Sep 28, 2026

White House

Hatch Act

government advertising

16 statements

Sep 15, 2026

Four Days Before It Takes Effect, States and Cities Sue to Stop Trump's Expanded "Public Charge" Rule — Mamdani Says "New Yorkers Will Be Afraid to See a Doctor or Ask for Help They Are Legally Entitled To," and the White House Answers That "Immigrants Must Be Able to Support Themselves"

On Sept. 14, 2026, two lawsuits were filed in federal court in Manhattan against a Department of Homeland Security rule, set to take effect Sept. 18, that lets immigration officers weigh nearly any public benefit — including Medicaid, SNAP food aid and housing assistance — against people applying for green cards and visas. Earlier policy counted mainly cash assistance and long-term institutional care. New York Attorney General Letitia James leads a coalition of Democratic-led states, joined by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani leads a second suit with Chicago, San Francisco, Santa Clara County, Seattle, King County (Wash.) and the Public Rights Project. Both argue the rule violates the Administrative Procedure Act and exceeds DHS's authority, and both cite the department's own estimate that the rule's "chilling effect" will cut billions of dollars a year in Medicaid, CHIP and SNAP participation, including among families who remain eligible. The White House called the suits an effort "to give benefits to illegal aliens at the expense of American taxpayers."

“Extreme Democrats are once again fighting to give benefits to illegal aliens at the expense of American taxpayers. … Immigrants must be able to support themselves.”
Lauren Bis (R) · Sep 15, 2026

The Justice Department Withdraws a Clinton-Era Opinion and Tells Every Agency of Every State — DMVs and Public Universities Included — to Report Undocumented Immigrants to DHS or Put $76 Billion in Welfare Money at Risk

On Wednesday, September 2, 2026, the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel published an opinion withdrawing a 1998 Clinton-administration opinion and sharply expanding which parts of state government must report people they know to be unlawfully present in the United States to the Department of Homeland Security. The 1996 welfare-reform law conditions participation in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Supplemental Security Income on reporting known undocumented immigrants to federal immigration authorities. The 1998 opinion read that duty narrowly, as binding only the state agencies that actually administer TANF and SSI benefits. The new opinion reads it to reach every agency of any state that takes the money — motor vehicle departments, public universities, and state and local bodies that never touch a welfare file. The stakes are large: federal TANF block grants run past $16.4 billion a year and federal SSI benefits exceed $60 billion. The Office of Legal Counsel said states that do not want the obligation are free to stop taking the funds. The opinion arrived days after a coalition of Democratic attorneys general sued to stop DHS from getting TANF data at all, and it is expected to draw its own legal challenge from Democratic-led states.

“Congress wrote this requirement plainly. When a state chooses to participate in TANF, it accepts the obligation to report illegal aliens in the United States.”
T. Elliot Gaiser (R-DC) · Sep 2, 2026

May 26, 2026· Updated

ICE Pepper-Sprays Senator at Delaney Hall as NJ Governor Denied Entry Amid Detainee Hunger Strike

Over Memorial Day weekend 2026, more than 300 detainees at Delaney Hall — a 1,000-bed private ICE detention facility in Newark, NJ operated by GEO Group — launched a hunger and labor strike protesting spoiled food, inadequate medical care, and lack of due process. New Jersey lawmakers attempted oversight visits and were blocked from entering; on May 26, Sen. Andy Kim was pepper-sprayed by ICE agents in riot gear as he tried to de-escalate clashes between protesters and officers outside the facility. Governor Mikie Sherrill was formally denied entry when she attempted to inspect the facility on May 25. Sen. Cory Booker, Rep. Rob Menendez, Rep. LaMonica McIver, and Rep. Frank Pallone also visited and condemned conditions. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin flatly denied a hunger strike was occurring and accused the lawmakers of staging a "political stunt" for "fundraising clicks."

“What I witnessed and experienced today was shameful. Delaney Hall is a failure; it's this administration's failure. The only way to make this right for our communities is to shut it down and make sure the failures we've seen never happen again.”
Andy Kim (D-NJ) · May 26, 2026

May 20, 2026· Updated

Senate Republicans Advance $72 Billion ICE and CBP Reconciliation Bill

Senate Republicans advanced a nearly $72 billion budget reconciliation package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement ($38.2B) and Customs and Border Protection ($26B) through FY2029, plus $1 billion for White House security upgrades. The Senate Homeland Security Committee approved its portion 8-7 on May 19, 2026, followed by the Budget Committee advancing the bill 11-10 on May 20, clearing it for a Senate floor vote before the planned June 2 recess. The package — the largest immigration enforcement funding proposal in U.S. history — advances via reconciliation, requiring only 51 votes and bypassing a Democratic filibuster.

“I didn't come prepared with the long list of victims of illegal immigrant crime: Laken Riley, Rachel Morin, and a very long list of … I don't have the list of the literally tens of thousands, I think over hundreds of thousands, of children lost, immigrant children shuffled through the system, probably into the hands of sex traffickers.”
Ron Johnson (R-WI) · May 20, 2026