President Donald Trump is open to talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ‘without any preconditions,’ a White House official said, as South Korea’s unification minister warned Pyongyang’s missiles could reach the U.S. mainland.

‘President Trump in his first term held three historic summits with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un that stabilized the Korean Peninsula. U.S. policy on North Korea has not changed,’ a White House official told Fox News Digital. ‘President Trump remains open to talking with Kim Jong Un, without any preconditions.’

South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young used blunt language in Berlin this week, telling reporters, ‘North Korea has become one of the three countries capable of attacking the U.S. mainland,’ according to the Yonhap News Agency. ‘What needs to be acknowledged should be acknowledged rationally.’

The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Chung’s claim.

Yonhap also reported that Chung said Pyongyang’s ‘strategic position is different’ than in 2018, when Trump and Kim held their first summit in Singapore. 

‘Acknowledging this reality should be the starting point’ in dealing with the regime, Chung told reporters.

But experts say North Korea has long held the capability to reach the U.S. mainland with intercontinental ballistic missiles. 

‘They’ve tested ICBMs for a long time,’ said Bob Peters, senior research fellow for strategic deterrence at the Heritage Foundation.

‘The question, then, for a long time, is, do they have a warhead that can go underneath a nose cone on an ICBM that goes by definition, exo atmospheric, comes down and then hits a target with some semblance of accuracy and then detonate and produce a nuclear yield,’ Peters added. ‘That’s been the real question — do they have that capability? That’s not what it sounded like the South Korean minister said.’

Meanwhile, Kim has said dialogue with the U.S. is possible, but on his terms. 

‘If the United States drops the absurd obsession with denuclearizing us and accepts reality, and wants genuine peaceful coexistence, there is no reason for us not to sit down with the United States,’ state media quoted Kim as saying.

A meeting with Kim would make Trump’s fourth sit-down with the dictator, at a time when his nation has once again grown increasingly hostile to U.S. interests. 

In July, the White House said Trump ‘remains open to engaging with Leader Kim to achieve a fully denuclearized North Korea.’ But North Korea asserted it would not meet the U.S. president if he was going to demand denuclearization. 

On Monday, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong told the United Nations General Assembly that his country will never give up its nuclear program, Reuters reported.

Trump is scheduled to travel to Asia later this month for an economic leaders’ summit with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. A senior U.S. official said no Demilitarized Zone meeting with Kim is currently on the agenda.

Reports have suggested Trump may meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Oct. 30-Nov. 1, though plans are still being finalized. 

In a call last month, Xi invited Trump and first lady Melania Trump to visit China. Trump returned the invitation. 

The same official said progress on nuclear talks depends on China. 

‘The first thing that would need to happen is for the Chinese to acknowledge and be more transparent about its own programs,’ the official said.

U.S. estimates put China’s nuclear arsenal at about 600 warheads in 2024, with projections of 1,000 by 2030. North Korea is believed to possess roughly 50 warheads, with enough fissile material for up to 90.

Pyongyang last year declared an ‘irreversible hegemonic position’ after test-firing its Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile, which North Korea has claimed can strike the American mainland.

Trump is strengthening deterrence even as he keeps the option of ‘talks without preconditions’ open.

Bipartisan talks on reopening the government began to materialize less than a day into the shutdown, with Republicans and Democrats trying to find a middle ground on expiring Obamacare tax credits.

The federal government entered its first full day of a shutdown on Wednesday, and so far neither side of the aisle is willing to buckle as the hours ticked by.

Still, in the middle of Senate Republicans’ third attempt to pass the House GOP’s short-term funding extension, a group of nearly a dozen senators huddled on the floor in the first public display of negotiations so far.

‘There are glimmers of hope, and I think they’re bipartisan,’ said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who was in the huddle.

The conversations on the floor came as Republicans demanded that Democrats yield and provide the votes to reopen the government, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., doubled down on his position that Democrats wouldn’t budge without ‘serious’ movement on Obamacare premium subsidies.

‘Donald Trump and Republicans have barreled us into a shutdown because they refuse to protect Americans’ healthcare,’ Schumer said. ‘It’s clear that the way out of this shutdown is to sit down and negotiate with Democrats to address the looming healthcare crisis that faces tens of millions of American families.’

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., appears willing to slowly chip away at Senate Democrats through a de facto war of attrition and plans to bring House Republicans’ bill to the floor for a vote again and again.

The Senate will be out on Thursday to observe Yom Kippur but is expected to return Friday and possibly vote into the weekend on the continuing resolution (CR) that would reopen the government until Nov. 21 to give lawmakers more time to finish work on the dozen spending bills needed to fund the government.

Thune told Fox News Digital that he expected to talk to Schumer ‘in the next day or two.’

‘He’s indicated that he’s interested in doing that,’ Thune said. ‘I’m not sure what we’ll achieve by that, but I think there are, I mean, things seem to be moving on their side. We just keep telling them to ‘give us — open up the government, and we’ll get on with regular business.’’

Thune and Senate Republicans have argued that Senate Democrats’ rejection of the GOP’s CR is hypocritical, given that when former President Joe Biden was in office, Schumer and his caucus routinely voted for ‘clean’ extensions — like the GOP’s current proposal.

But the issue for Democrats was multifaceted. 

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., was among the many lawmakers holding a confab on the Senate floor, and while he didn’t divulge full details of the private talks, he said a major issue for him was about ensuring that a ‘deal is a deal.’

‘Anything we agree to, because it’s not a clean CR if the president will tear it up tomorrow,’ he said. ‘In the past, we voted for clean CRs, but the president has shown that he’ll take the money back.’

Among the options tossed around in the huddle were a 10-day funding extension once floated by Schumer, which he quickly shot down earlier this week, or passing the Republican plan to actually give lawmakers time to negotiate a solution to the expiring tax credits.

Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said there were no high-level discussions quite yet, but that any path forward had to be ‘enforceable.’

‘The bottom line here is that I sense real concern among my Republican colleagues about what happens to the people they represent if we go off the cliff on the Affordable Care Act,’ he said, referring to Obamacare.

And Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., who helped facilitate the conversation, said it’d be ‘great’ if lawmakers were able to get something figured out before the Nov. 21 deadline in the GOP’s bill, but that he and other Republicans were still pushing Democrats to support their legislation.

‘It’s not like there’s anything that they should be objecting to with regard to what’s in the existing bill,’ he said. ‘This is their hostage, and we’re just telling them, ‘Look, we’ve got support on the other side to fix the issues that you have a concern about, but it’s going to take time to negotiate those through.” 

After living through the Oct. 7 massacre while reporting from southern Israel and covering the war that unfolded in Gaza over the past two years, my takeaway is clear.

Hamas must release the hostages, lay down their arms and end the suffering of the Palestinian people.

In his 20-point peace plan, President Donald Trump has offered the residents of Gaza a future. A path forward. A chance at life. This flame of hope will be quickly extinguished without clear-minded and selfless decision-making by the remnants of Hamas leadership still alive in the aftermath of the conflict.

Regardless of your position on the war, objective observers would agree that this is a fork in the road for the Gaza Strip. Accepting the deal ultimately leads to Gaza being rebuilt, a new moderate government being ushered in and the start of a process that could lead to future discussions about Palestinian statehood. Rejecting the agreement will lead to Israel taking the entirety of the enclave, killing thousands more people and possibly making Gaza’s residents leave for other countries.

Hamas should consider what was being discussed just over six months ago, when both President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were approving a plan to forcefully displace Palestinian civilians from Gaza. The current agreement lets them stay, rebuild and maintain their culture. 

It’s not a perfect plan, but it’s far better than the alternative. Israel has promised to continue with their ground operation against Hamas. The outcome for Hamas will be the same either way. They’ll either be out of power diplomatically or militarily. The latter traps the Palestinian people in the line of fire and could see them pushed from their land for good. 

The suffering of innocent noncombatants in this war must end. That includes the hostages who were forcefully dragged from their homes two years ago. Hamas official Ghazi Hamad said in a recent interview that the hostages are being treated with Islamic principles. Holding civilians against their will in tunnels while refusing them access to the Red Cross is not within the bounds of Islamic principles. The hostages should be immediately released.

In our reporting, I’ve been critical of Israel’s military operation against Gaza due to the mass killing of civilians and widespread destruction in pursuit of a goal that still seems ever fleeting: defeating Hamas, a group built around an ideology, that could be easily rebranded under a new name. 

An estimated 65,000 people have been killed in the Israeli campaign. Israeli officials privately do not disagree with that number, but stress that among the total are thousands of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists. 

Yes, the combatant to civilian ratio is relatively low for recent global conflicts. No, that doesn’t make the deaths of civilians any less notable.

In addition to saving their own people, ensuring the Palestinians maintain traditions on their own land and charting a healthy path forward for the next generation, Hamas would also get amnesty for their own leadership and fighters. They would get to live.

In remarks from President Trump alongside Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, the commander in chief did something very important. He humanized Palestinians and Israelis. He rightly said, ‘There are many Palestinians who wish to live in peace.’ 

Trump also spoke about the families of the hostages, who hold up signs speaking to him, asking for his help to bring their loved ones home. His comments spoke directly to civilian populations who have greatly suffered. 

The Trump peace plan has been praised by countries around the world, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, the United Kingdom, France and Italy. The question now is if it will be accepted by Hamas.

The answer lies in the ability of negotiating countries to convince Hamas of the stark reality. The future of the Palestinian people, the lives of the hostages and control of Gaza are at risk.

Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday blamed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for the government shutdown, saying Schumer listened to far-left members of the Democratic Party over his fear of a primary challenge from fellow New York lawmaker and progressive ‘Squad’ member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Vance criticized Schumer and congressional Democrats in remarks about the shutdown during a White House press briefing, saying there were ‘a lot of different answers’ about why the Democrats shutdown the government before he laid out the ‘reality.’

‘But the reality here, and let’s be honest about the politics, is that Chuck Schumer is terrified he’s going to get a primary challenge from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,’ Vance said. ‘The reason why the American people’s government is shut down is because Chuck Schumer is listening to the far-left radicals in his own party because he’s terrified of a primary challenge.’

Vance further excoriated Schumer, saying if the shutdown persists, the senator’s wing of the Democratic Party is responsible for the fallout.

‘Our troops are not getting paid starting today because of the Chuck Schumer wing of the Democratic Party,’ the vice president said. ‘We have people who require food assistance, low-income Americans who require food assistance, who will not get it unless we reopen the government, thanks to Chuck Schumer and his wing of the Democratic Party. 

‘We have flood insurance as we start hurricane season in the southeastern part of our country. That flood insurance is going to disappear because of Chuck Schumer and the far left of the Democratic Party.’

Vance reiterated lawmakers’ need to reopen the government, which entered a partial shutdown Wednesday after the midnight funding deadline passed with Democrats and Republicans failing to agree on a funding bill.

Another reason the Democrats forced a shutdown, according to Vance, was that Democrats want to reinstate Biden-era federal funding for emergency healthcare for illegal immigrants that was ended under the Trump administration.

‘So, I’d invite Chuck Schumer to join the moderate Democrats and 52 Senate Republicans, do the right thing, open up the people’s government and then let’s fix health care policy for the American people,’ Vance said.

The White House responded to a separate question following up on Vance’s remarks about Schumer and Ocasio-Cortez. 

‘I think that certainly Sen. Schumer was not expecting three moderates to break with him last night,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. ‘In fact, last night you heard Sen. Schumer say he can’t guarantee that he will be able to hold his caucus together.’

Leavitt said the White House encourages Democrats to have ‘the courage to do the right thing’ and vote on the resolution to keep the government funded.

Vice President JD Vance brushed off outrage over President Donald Trump sharing a video meme depicting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero, saying he was confused by claims it was ‘racist.’ 

‘Oh, I think it’s funny,’ Vance said Wednesday when asked if posting sombrero memes was ‘helpful’ while trying to reach a government funding agreement with Democrats. ‘The president’s joking and we’re having a good time. You can negotiate in good faith while also poking a little bit of fun at some of the absurdities of the Democrats’ positions and even, you know, poking some, some fun at the absurdity of the Democrats themselves.’ 

‘I’ll tell Hakeem Jeffries right now, I make this solemn promise to you, that if you help us reopen the government, the sombrero memes will stop,’ he quipped. 

Vance joined the White House press briefing Wednesday to address the government shutdown that took effect earlier that morning after Democrat and Republican lawmakers failed to reach a funding bill agreement. The administration has pinned blame on Democrats for the shutdown, arguing members of the party are trying to push through a measure that would provide healthcare to illegal immigrants, which Democratic lawmakers have denied. 

Vance’s response follows Trump posting a meme video Monday to Truth Social that depicted Jeffries wearing a mustache and a sombrero while mariachi music played in the background. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also was depicted in the video, with an AI-generated voice stating ‘nobody likes Democrats anymore’ due to ‘our woke, trans’ agenda. 

The video included profanities and mocked Democrats as trying to appeal to illegal immigrants as prospective new voters. 

Jeffries, as well as other Democrats and media outlets, characterized the video as ‘racist.’ 

‘Mr. President, the next time you have something to say about me, don’t cop out through a racist and fake AI video,’ Jeffries told reporters Tuesday, according to Politico. ‘When I’m back in the Oval Office, say it to my face.’

Fox News Digital reached out to Jeffries’ office for comment and has not yet received a reply. 

Vance also took issue with media outlets making a point to clarify to viewers that the video was ‘AI-generated,’ pointing to the comical mustache and sombrero in the video that indicated it was a joke. 

‘Hakeem Jeffries said it was a racist, and I know that he said that,’ Vance said. ‘And I honestly don’t even know what that means. Like, is … he a Mexican-American that is offended by having a sombrero meme?’ 

‘And I saw one of the major TV stations put the meme up and then say, this is AI generated. And he had like the curly animated mustache, too. … Do you really not realize the American people recognize that he did not actually come to the White House wearing a sombrero and a black, curly animation mustache, like, give the country a little bit of credit,’ he continued. 

When asked about another AI video Trump shared and then deleted on Truth Social in September — which depicted futuristic-looking ‘med beds’ that can cure illnesses — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump enjoys sharing memes online. 

‘He likes to share memes. He likes to share videos, he likes to repost things that he sees other people post on social media as well. And I think it’s quite refreshing that we have a president who is so open and honest directly himself,’ she said.

FBI Director Kash Patel is cutting ties with the Anti-Defamation League that the bureau forged under its former boss James Comey.

‘James Comey disgraced the FBI by writing ‘love letters’ to the ADL and embedding agents with an extreme group functioning like a terrorist organization and the disgraceful operation they ran spying on Americans. That was not law enforcement, it was activism dressed up as counterterrorism, and it put Americans in danger,’ Patel told Fox News Digital.

‘That era is finished. This FBI formally rejects Comey’s policies and any partnership with the ADL,’ he added.

On May 8, 2017, Comey addressed the Anti-Defamation League National Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. and declared his and the FBI’s ‘love’ for the organization. He began by referencing a 2014 speech which he called a ‘love letter to the ADL,’ adding, ‘Three years later I can say, from the perspective of the FBI, we’re still in love with you.’

‘We are not only educating ourselves, we are working with the ADL to build bridges in the communities we serve,’ Comey said in his 2017 speech. 

‘For more than 100 years, you have advocated for fairness and equality… And for all of that, we are grateful. As a law enforcement and national security agency, yes. But also as Americans. As humans,’ Comey said.

He concluded his speech with the words, ‘Love, the FBI.’

The ADL has recently faced backlash from Elon Musk and Republican lawmakers for listing Turning Point USA (TPUSA), Charlie Kirk’s organization, as an extremist group. As a result, the group removed its entire ‘Glossary of Extremism and Hate’ on Tuesday.

‘With over 1,000 entries written over many years, the ADL Glossary of Extremism has served as a source of high-level information on a wide range of topics for years. At the same time, an increasing number of entries in the Glossary were outdated,’ the ADL wrote on X regarding the glossary. ‘We also saw a number of entries intentionally misrepresented and misused.’

The organization also said that retiring the glossary would allow it ‘to explore new strategies and creative approaches to deliver our data and present our research more effectively.’

‘It will keep us focused on ensuring we do what we do best: fighting antisemitism and hate in the most impactful ways possible.’

The outrage comes nearly three weeks after Kirk was assassinated during an event at Utah Valley University.

‘The FBI was taking their ‘hate group’ definitions from ADL, which is why FBI was investigating Charlie Kirk [and] Turning Point, instead of his murderers,’ Musk wrote in a post on X. In a separate post, Musk referred to the ADL as ‘a hate group.’

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said the organization needed to explain its categorization of TPUSA.

‘Seems to me like if they don’t agree with you, they will label you a ‘hate group,’’ Luna wrote on X.

TPUSA’s backgrounder page on the ADL website falls under the ‘Center of Extremism’ tag and describes the conservative group as having ties to ‘a range of right-wing extremists and has generated support from anti-Muslim bigots, alt-lite activists and some corners of the white supremacist alt-right.’

Fox News Digital contacted the ADL for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.

With a government shutdown in effect, both sides of the aisle are looking to place blame on the other. House Speaker Mike Johnson pointed out that while Democrats expressed outrage over the proposed legislation, it is similar to several continuing resolutions that passed under the Biden administration.

‘The nonpartisan clean CR only appears ‘partisan’ because 212 House Democrats and 46 Senate Democrats chose to make it that way. This CR is the same short-term funding extension that virtually all Democrats voted to pass 13 times during the Biden Administration. Despite this voting history, nearly every Democrat has refused to support the current clean, nonpartisan funding extension to keep the government open and operational,’ Johnson said in a statement.

During the Biden administration, there were 13 instances in which Congress enacted short-term funding measures, also known as continuing resolutions.

1. September 2021

On Sept. 30, 2021, Congress passed H.R. 5305, also known as the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act. This legislation gave the government nine weeks of funding and averted a shutdown.

The act not only extended funding levels, but also added allocations for natural disaster relief and the influx of evacuees from Afghanistan following the Biden administration’s botched withdrawal.

Additionally, it extended programs and authorities such as the National Flood Insurance Program, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity and the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, among others.

2. December 2021

Following the previous short-term funding measure, on Dec. 2, 2021, Congress enacted H.R. 6119, the Further Extending Government Funding Act, providing FY2022 appropriations through Feb. 18, 2022.

Like the act before it, this legislation also provided appropriations for several federal agencies for activities related to Afghanistan evacuees. This included what was then called the Department of Defense (now, the Department of War), the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of State.

The resolution also extended several authorities, including the authority for HHS to make appointments for the National Disaster Medical System. There was also an extension of the pay freeze for certain senior officials and political appointees in the executive branch.

3. February 2022

The Further Additional Extending Government Funding Act, H.R. 6617, went into effect on Feb. 18, 2022, as its predecessor expired. The legislation continued to fund most programs at FY2021 levels with some exceptions that provided what Congress referred to as ‘funding flexibility.’

The continuing resolution also included provisions on then-President Joe Biden’s authority ‘draw down defense articles and services to respond to unforeseen emergencies’ and the Department of the Interior’s implementation of cybersecurity safeguards.

H.R. 6617 gave the government just under a month — until March 11, 2022 — to avoid a shutdown.

4. March 2022

Unlike previous continuing resolutions that gave the government weeks to avert a shutdown, the Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act, 2022, also known as H.J.Res. 75, was set to expire days after it was enacted.

Just before this legislation was set to expire on March 15, 2022, Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, which served as the omnibus appropriations package for FY2022.

5. September 2022

Congress enacted H.R. 6833, the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2023, which provided FY2023 appropriations to federal agencies through Dec. 16, 2022. It also provided supplemental appropriations that allowed the U.S. to help Ukraine and established a compensation program for victims of the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fire in New Mexico.

The legislation also extended several immigration-related programs and provided additional funding for the Administration for Children and Families to carry out the Unaccompanied Children Program, a federal program aimed at helping unaccompanied minors encountered at the border.

6. December 2022

The Further Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2023, H.R. 1437, provided several extensions, though most of them were set to expire on Dec. 23, 2022.

One of the extensions that the act provided was for the FCC to continue auctions for electromagnetic spectrum licenses. The legislation also provided for the payment to the family of the late Rep. Donald McEachin, D-Va., who died in office.

Additionally, the act required the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to update precipitation estimates.

7. December 2022

The Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2023, H.R. 4373, extended FY2023 appropriations to several federal agencies through Dec. 30, 2022. Additionally, it extended expiring programs and authorities.

H.R. 4373 was the final stopgap legislation of FY2023. On Dec. 29, 2022, an omnibus bill known as the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, was signed into law. The $1.7 trillion spending bill funded the government through Sept. 30, 2023.

8. September 2023

H.R. 5860, also known as the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024 and Other Extensions Act, provided extensions of FY2024 appropriations for federal agencies through Nov. 17, 2023 and provided emergency funding for disaster relief.

The legislation also gave extensions for Federal Aviation Administration programs, such as the Airport Improvement Program and the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Test Site Program. Additionally, the bill reauthorized the FDA to collect fees for generic animal drug applications through FY2028.

9. November 2023

The Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024, H.R. 6363, provided continuing FY2024 appropriations for federal agencies.

The legislation was laddered, meaning it contained various expiration dates for different provisions. Some of the funding was set to be provided through Jan. 19, 2024, while other parts expired on Feb. 2, 2024.

Additionally, it provided for a payment to the family of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who died in office.

10.  January 2024

The Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024, P.L. 118-35, was signed on Jan 19. 2024, averting a government shutdown. It was also laddered, giving some programs an expiration date of March 1, 2024, and others March 8, 2024.

The legislation itself gave Congress more time to negotiate by making technical adjustments rather than sweeping policy changes.

11.  March 2024

H.R. 7463, also known as the Extension of Continuing Appropriations and Other Matters Act, 2024, modified requirements for determining eligibility for federal student aid, provided continuing FY2024 appropriations for federal agencies as well as additional funding for Federal Pell Grants.

This acted as a continuation of the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024, and moved the March 1, 2024, expiration date to March 8. Additionally, the March 8 expiration date was extended to March 22, 2024.

Biden then signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, on March 9, 2024, which provided the government with funding through Sept. 30, 2024. It included several appropriations bills, such as the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024; the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024; and
the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024, among others.

12.  September 2024

Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, also known as H.R. 9747, which provided continuing FY2025 appropriations to federal agencies through Dec. 20, 2024.

The legislation provided additional funding for the U.S. Secret Service and extended several expiring programs and authorities. Some of the miscellaneous extensions were given to the DHS Joint Task Forces, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Commission and others.

13.  December 2024

H.R. 10545, the American Relief Act, 2025, provided continuing FY2025 appropriations to federal agencies through March 14, 2025. It also provided supplemental appropriations for disaster relief and assistance related to hurricanes, wildfires, severe storms, flooding, tornadoes and other natural disasters.

The legislation also included public health funding extensions through March 31, 2025.

The White House doubled down in a new memo on its messaging against the Democrats’ shutdown position and claimed that if the Democrats’ demands are met, nearly $200 billion would flow to healthcare for illegal immigrants.

The memo, first obtained by Fox News Digital, argued that congressional Democrats’ desire to repeal the healthcare title of President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill,’ now dubbed the Working Families Tax Cut Act, could see just over $192 billion in spending on healthcare for illegal immigrants.

‘Democrats are demanding these reforms be repealed as a condition of keeping the government open for four weeks,’ the memo read. ‘This would result in the federal government spending nearly $200 billion on healthcare for illegal immigrants and non-citizens over the next decade — nearly enough to fund the entire Children’s Health Insurance Program over the same period— all while repealing reforms that strengthen care for the most vulnerable Americans.’

Senate Democrats have so far blocked three attempts by Republicans in the upper chamber to pass the House GOP’s short-term funding extension, which would keep the government open until Nov. 21 while lawmakers work to fund the government with appropriations bills.

For now, there is no clear path forward to end the shutdown, which began on midnight Wednesday.

Democrats also have their own plan that Republicans have similarly blocked that would keep the government open until Oct. 31, and it would claw back canceled funding for NPR and PBS and repeal the healthcare section of the president’s signature piece of legislation.

Trump and Republicans have accused Democrats of shutting down the government in a bid to provide healthcare for illegal immigrants, rather than their desire to extend expiring Obamacare tax credits.

‘That is a damn lie,’ Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor. ‘Not $1 of Medicare, Medicaid or [Obamacare] is allowed to go to undocumented immigrants, not a dollar. So why do they keep saying this? This seems to be their theme because they’re afraid to talk about the real issue. It’s typical that the Republican response is to have a diversion, try to scare people emotionally.’

However, the White House lays six provisions within the ‘big, beautiful bill’ that, if repealed, would see funding once again flow to provide healthcare for illegal immigrants.

Among the changes brought on by the megabill are provisions that would end Medicaid funding for most non-citizens, end the enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for emergency care for illegal immigrants, end Medicare funding for most non-citizens and end Obamacare funding for most non-citizens.

There are also provisions that close the ‘California loophole,’ which the White House charged other states abused to draw in more funding for illegal immigrants, and a ‘special rule’ that subverts language within Obamacare that prevents most immigrants from receiving Medicaid for five years by allowing immigrants earning below the poverty line to get Obamacare premium subsidies.

‘Democrats’ funding proposal would put American Patients Last by undoing critical [Working Families Tax Cut Act] reforms, thereby spending nearly $200 billion in taxpayer money on healthcare benefits for illegal immigrants and other non-citizens,’ the memo read.