Data shows it is almost impossible for Donald Trump to receive a fair trial in Washington, D.C, with 64 percent of residents polled revealing they would find the former president guilty, without even hearing any evidence. Just eight percent said they would presume innocence.
“Perception of Trump’s guilt varies by gender: 75% of women would vote to find Trump guilty compared to 54% of men. Men are more likely to find the former president innocent at 12%, compared to 4% of women,” according to Emerson College Polling’s executive director, Spencer Kimball.
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Nearly 70 percent of Democrats in D.C. said they believe Trump is guilty ahead of the trial, with just 5 percent presuming innocence in the American judicial tradition. Over half of Independents said he was guilty, compared to just 14 percent choosing “not guilty”. Among D.C.-dwelling Republicans – just 6 percent of those registered to vote in D.C. – 36 percent think Trump is guilty, 34 percent think he is not guilty, and 30 percent are unsure.
Former President Trump’s lawyers have already filed a motion asking that the January 6 DOJ prosecution be moved from Washington, D.C. to nearby West Virginia, citing the likely biased jury pool in the nation’s capital. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said such a move would be a “win for everybody.”
The National Pulse has previously reported that Barack Obama appointed Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the D.C. trial, has concerning and partisan history – including being a close relative of “dangerous” Marxists who operated in her native Jamaica.
Barring a change in venue, former President Trump is set to face trial in D.C. beginning on March 4, 2024.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. Embassy in Rome issued a security alert urging Americans worldwide to exercise heightened caution following U.S. combat operations in Iran.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. Embassy officials, Italian intelligence services, and terrorist groups allegedly linked to the Iranian regime.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: March 18, 2026, in Italy and other European locations.
💬KEY QUOTE: “We are not at war and we do not want to enter a war.” – Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
🎯IMPACT: Heightened security concerns for Americans abroad, particularly in Europe and the Middle East, with advisories for vigilance and preparedness.
IN FULL
The U.S. Embassy in Rome has issued a security alert urging “Americans worldwide”, including those in Italy, to remain vigilant following the launch of U.S. combat operations in Iran. The March 18, 2026, warning mirrors a similar notice from the U.S. Embassy after a series of targeted explosions in major European cities.
Italian intelligence had already warned of heightened risks earlier in March, citing the Iran conflict as a driver of increased terrorism threats. A March 4 report pointed to extremist activity in Europe, including operations linked to Hamas such as weapons circulation and potential plots against Israeli and Jewish communities.
Between March 9 and March 14, a terrorist group with suspected ties to the Iranian regime claimed responsibility for attacks on Jewish targets across Europe. Reports indicate that both attacks and disrupted plots have grown in number since the start of the Iran war, raising concerns about retaliatory violence spreading beyond the Middle East.
The U.S. Department of State has warned that U.S. military action could trigger unrest or reprisals globally. Americans abroad are advised to monitor embassy updates, review travel advisories, and enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). Officials also caution that airspace closures and flight disruptions may occur.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stressed her country’s stance, stating, “We are not at war, and we do not want to enter a war.” She criticized the U.S. action as “an evident crisis of international law and the collapse of a shared world order,” while also acknowledging, “We cannot afford an ayatollah regime possessing a nuclear weapon, combined with a missile capability that could soon be able to strike Italy and, even more so, Europe directly.”
In Washington, Tulsi Gabbard described the strikes ordered by President Donald J. Trump as a strategic success. Polling suggests many Americans agree, though concerns persist about long-term consequences and alliance stability.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump late Wednesday claimed the United States had no prior knowledge of Israeli military strikes targeting Iran’s South Pars natural gas field.
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👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald Trump, the U.S. military, Israel, Iran, and Qatar.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The Israel strikes occurred earlier this week, with President Trump responding to the potentially escalatory situation on Truth Social late Wednesday.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The United States knew nothing about this particular attack, and the country of Qatar was in no way, shape, or form, involved with it, nor did it have any idea that it was going to happen.” — Donald Trump
🎯IMPACT: The Israeli strike and Iranian retaliation are seen as significant escalations in the ongoing war, threatening critical energy infrastructure an an estimated 20 percent of the global supply of liquified natural gas (LNG).
IN FULL
President Donald J. Trump late Wednesday claimed the United States had no prior knowledge of Israeli military strikes targeting facilities servicing Iran‘s South Pars natural gas field. Situated in the middle of the Persian Gulf, the natural gas field is split between Iran and Qatar, and forms a critical part of the former’s domestic energy infrastructure.
“Israel, out of anger for what has taken place in the Middle East, has violently lashed out at a major facility known as South Pars Gas Field in Iran. A relatively small section of the whole has been hit,” President Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, continuing, “The United States knew nothing about this particular attack, and the country of Qatar was in no way, shape, or form, involved with it, nor did it have any idea that it was going to happen. Unfortunately, Iran did not know this, or any of the pertinent facts pertaining to the South Pars attack, and unjustifiably and unfairly attacked a portion of Qatar’s LNG Gas facility.”
The U.S. President went on to state that Israeli strikes on the South Pars natural gas field will cease, but warned Iran against any further retaliatory attacks against Qatar and its energy infrastructure. “The United States of America, with or without the help or consent of Israel, will massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before,” Trump said, adding, “I do not want to authorize this level of violence and destruction because of the long term implications that it will have on the future of Iran, but if Qatar’s LNG is again attacked, I will not hesitate to do so.”
Still, a number of experts and government sources suggest it is highly unlikely that the United States was not made aware of the Israeli strikes against the South Pars natural gas field in advance. “Trump can post whatever he likes. But there is zero, I mean zero, chance the IDF would conduct a strike in that location without giving CENTCOM full visibility,” former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), adding, “Trump knew (and approved). Now he realizes it caused a major escalation with Iran’s (entirely unjustified) attacks on Gulf energy targets.”
Similarly, Axios’s Barak Ravid claims sources in both the Israeli and U.S. governments have told him the Trump administration had prior knowledge of the Israeli strikes. This directly contradicts President Trump’s claims, with Ravid contending, “After the Iranians retaliated against Qatar’s gas fields, Trump is now changing course.”
The combined South Pars (Iran) and North Dome (Qatar) natural gas field is—by a significant margin—the world’s largest deposit. In total, the field covers an estimated 3,700 square miles, with Qatar’s North Dome processing facilities at Ras Laffan Industrial City producing around 20 percent of the global LNG supply. While destroying the entire natural gas field is a near impossibility, as it sits nearly 10,000 feet below the Persian Gulf’s seabed and is contained within a sprawling formation of porous rock, the further destruction of industrial facilities in Qatar could cause significant global economic damage.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth addressed the Pentagon’s reported $200 billion budget request for war funding against Iran.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, and members of Congress.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: March 19, 2026, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
💬KEY QUOTE: “It takes money to kill bad guys.” — Pete Hegseth.
🎯IMPACT: Retaliatory missile and drone strikes by the Iranian regime against the Arab Gulf states and U.S. military bases have required the use of a significant number of interceptor munitions.
IN FULL
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth acknowledged Thursday morning that the Pentagon’s $200 billion supplemental funding ask to Congress “could move,” in light of the ongoing American military operation against the Islamic Republic of Iran. The budget request, primarily aimed at replenishing the Department of War’s munitions stockpiles, comes as Operation Epic Fury—authorized by President Donald J. Trump on February 28—has already cost an estimated $12 billion.
“It takes money to kill bad guys,” Secretary Hegseth said, adding, “We’re going back to Congress and our folks there to ensure that we’re properly funded.”
Notably, Kevin Hassett, the director of President Trump’s National Economic Council, stated last Sunday that he does not believe the U.S. needs to request additional funds from Congress for the war effort directly. However, retaliatory missile and drone strikes by the Iranian regime against the Arab Gulf states and U.S. military bases have required the use of a significant number of interceptor munitions. The Pentagon has already begun redeploying missile-interceptor assets from East Asia to the Middle East to backfill defense systems.
“An investment like this is meant to say, ‘Hey, we’ll replace anything that was spent.’ And now … we’re reviving our defense industrial base and rebuilding the arsenal of freedom,” Hegseth added.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: Declassified Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) documents revealed a secretive weather modification agenda involving chemical dispersal to control weather patterns.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The CIA, the late former President Lyndon B. Johnson (D), and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: The documents date back to 1965, with programs such as Project Stormfury and Project Popeye conducted in the U.S. and Vietnam.
💬KEY QUOTE: “He who controls the weather will control the world.” – Lyndon B. Johnson
🎯IMPACT: The revelations have fueled controversy about government weather manipulation and chemtrails.
IN FULL
Resurfaced Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) documents, first declassified in 2003, have provided details on past U.S. government research and operations involving weather modification. The files, including an 18-page report, discuss proposals dating back to 1965 for using aircraft to release chemicals into the atmosphere in order to influence climate patterns and storm systems.
According to the documents, federal funding for weather modification efforts rose substantially by 1967. That same period saw the U.S. military carry out cloud-seeding operations in Vietnam as part of Project Popeye, which sought to extend the monsoon season and create floods and landslides along enemy supply routes.
The report includes a letter from the late former President Lyndon B. Johnson (D) expressing support for these activities. In a 1962 speech, Johnson, at the time Vice President to President John F. Kennedy, infamously remarked, “He who controls the weather will control the world. Among the programs developed during his administration was Project Stormfury, an experimental effort that attempted to weaken hurricanes by seeding clouds with silver iodide.
The files have reignited debate over “chemtrails,” trails seen trailing aircraft that some argue are, at least sometimes, not simple contrails—condensation trails caused by exhaust fumes mixing with cold air—but harmful chemicals being purposely sprayed into the atmosphere.
Chemtrails are frequently dismissed as a conspiracy theory, but Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., after being elevated to the Trump Cabinet, suggested they are real, likely orchestrated by DARPA, and caused by materials mixed into commercial jet fuel.
“I’m going to do everything in my power to stop it. We’re bringing on somebody who’s going to think only about that, find out who’s doing it, and holding them accountable,” Kennedy vowed last April.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: Argentina has formally withdrawn from the World Health Organization (WHO).
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👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Argentine President Javier Milei’s government and the WHO.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The withdrawal was completed on March 17, 2026, as announced by the Foreign Ministry.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Argentina will continue to promote international cooperation in health through bilateral agreements and regional forums, while fully preserving its sovereignty and its capacity to make decisions regarding health policies.” – Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno
🎯IMPACT: The move follows the United States’ similar decision earlier this year, raising questions about the WHO’s influence.
IN FULL
Argentina has now finalized its exit from the World Health Organization (WHO), with officials confirming the withdrawal was completed on Tuesday. The announcement comes after the United States took similar action earlier this year. The administration of President Javier Milei, an ally of President Donald J. Trump, had signaled its intent to leave the United Nations (UN) agency roughly a year ago. The decision was largely driven by concerns over how the organization managed the COVID-19 crisis.
According to Argentina’s Foreign Ministry, the withdrawal was carried out in full compliance with the rules governing international agreements. Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno stressed that the country will continue to engage in global health efforts, stating that Argentina remains open to cooperation through bilateral and regional partnerships while prioritizing national sovereignty.
“Argentina will continue to promote international cooperation in health through bilateral agreements and regional forums, while fully preserving its sovereignty and its capacity to make decisions regarding health policies, ” Quirno said.
In prior statements, Argentine officials criticized the WHO, arguing that its guidance during the pandemic appeared influenced by politics rather than grounded purely in scientific evidence. This mirrors the justification offered by the United States, which formally exited in January after an executive order signed by President Trump.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a former Ethiopian health minister for the left-wing ethnic nationalist Tigray People’s Liberation Front, expressed disappointment following the U.S. withdrawal, claiming that the move could weaken global health security and coordination.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: Scotland’s Glasgow Central Station remains partially closed after a vape store caused a fire that destroyed a historic building nearby.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: ScotRail, Network Rail Scotland, Glasgow City Council, and passengers impacted by the closure.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: Glasgow Central Station; services remain limited as of Wednesday, March 18, 2023, following the March 8 fire.
💬KEY QUOTE: “We realise the closure is causing significant disruption for our customers, and we’re very sorry for the impact it is still having on journeys.” – David Ross, ScotRail Chief Operating Officer.
🎯IMPACT: Partial reopening allows reduced capacity services to Ayr, Paisley Gilmour Street, and other destinations, while demolition of the fire-damaged building continues.
IN FULL
Glasgow Central Station, Scotland’s largest railway hub, remains partially closed ten days after a vape store caused a devastating fire nearby, destroying the city’s 175-year-old Union Corner building and forcing a full closure. ScotRail Chief Operating Officer David Ross said: “We realize the closure is causing significant disruption for our customers, and we’re very sorry for the impact it is still having on journeys.”
Network Rail Scotland route director Ross Moran said: “This has been an exceptionally challenging situation for everyone affected.”
The blaze highlights wider concerns over the proliferation of vape stores, seemingly out of all proportion to the economic demand for them, across many Western countries. The store that caused the fire was unregistered, and Scottish reporters found over a dozen similar unregistered stores within a mile of Union Corner after the fire.
The stores are frequently linked to organized crime, including human trafficking and illegal immigration, on both sides of the Atlantic. Earlier this month in the United States, raids on vape stores in North Carolina resulted in four arrests and the seizure of drugs and millions of dollars in cash.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: House Republicans have summoned two top Fairfax County law enforcement officials, including a prosecutor backed by George Soros, for a hearing on the consequences of sanctuary-style policies after violent crimes involving illegal immigrants released from custody raised federal concerns.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Ann Kincaid, Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Steven Descano, and House Judiciary Committee members, including Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Subcommittee Chairman Tom McClintock (R-CA).
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📍WHEN & WHERE: The hearing is scheduled for April 15 at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill. The officials have until Monday to confirm their attendance.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The hearing will examine how state and local policies that prohibit cooperation with federal immigration authorities hurt public safety,” wrote Jordan and McClintock in their letters.
🎯IMPACT: The case highlights growing scrutiny on sanctuary policies, particularly those that prioritize illegal immigrants over public safety.
IN FULL
House Republicans are summoning two of Fairfax County, Virginia’s top law enforcement officials to testify at an Immigration Integrity, Security and Enforcement Subcommittee hearing on April 15, entitled “Fairfax County, Virginia – The Dangerous Consequences of Sanctuary City Policies.” Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Subcommittee Chairman Tom McClintock (R-CA) issued letters late Tuesday to Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Ann Kincaid and Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Steven Descano, requesting their testimony, with a deadline of next Monday to respond.
“The hearing will examine how state and local policies that prohibit cooperation with federal immigration authorities hurt public safety,” Jordan and McClintock wrote, adding, “Your testimony will assist the Committee and Subcommittee in developing legislative reforms to address sanctuary jurisdictions.”
Descano, whose campaigns have reportedly received over $700,000 from organizations backed by George Soros, has faced scrutiny for dropping charges against illegal immigrants, including Salvadoran national Marvin Morales-Ortez. Morales-Ortez was released despite a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer and later allegedly murdered a man in Reston, Virginia.
Even more recently, Descano’s office has faced backlash over its failure to pursue charges against Abdul Jalloh, a 32-year-old illegal immigrant from Sierra Leone with an extensive criminal history, including over 30 arrests. Among Jalloh’s prior criminal counts are rape, malicious wounding, assault, drug possession, identity theft, and more, but charges against him were frequently dropped by Descano’s office. In late February, Jalloh stabbed 41-year-old Stephanie Minter to death at a bus stop along Richmond Highway in Fairfax County, and is currently facing a charge of murder.
Meanwhile, the Fairfax County Police Department and Sheriff’s Office are restricted from cooperating with ICE under policies enacted by the Democratic-controlled county government. “Fairfax County does not and will not enforce civil federal immigration laws,” the county website states.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a visa bond requirement for applicants from 12 countries, with bonds reaching up to $15,000.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Secretary of State Marco Rubio and applicants from Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: The bond will take effect on April 2, as announced on Wednesday.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The law gives us the right, and in fact I would argue the obligation, to remove people like that from our country. And we’re going to continue to do it. I mean, it’s as simple as that.” – Marco Rubio
🎯IMPACT: A total of 50 countries now face the visa bond requirement, impacting regions across Africa, South Asia, the Caribbean, and Central Asia.
IN FULL
The U.S. State Department will impose visa bond requirements of up to $15,000 for applicants originating from 12 countries. According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the bonds will take effect on April 2 and apply to visa applications filed by foreign nationals from Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia.
“Our visa system—who you allow to visit your country should reflect the national interest! We said that from the very beginning,” Sec. Rubio said when announcing the move on Wednesday. He added, “The law gives us the right, and in fact I would argue the obligation, to remove people like that from our country. And we’re going to continue to do it. I mean, it’s as simple as that.”
Notably, the United States already imposes bond requirements on visa applicants from 38 countries. The 12 new countries will now bring that total to 50, spanning much of Africa, South Asia, the Caribbean, and Central Asia.
The visa bond policy is part of broader efforts to ensure compliance with U.S. immigration rules and to address overstays by foreign nationals—particularly applicants originating from countries with high rates of non-compliance with U.S. visa laws. The measure is expected to impact thousands of applicants from the affected regions.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: A federal judge has ordered the reinstatement of 1,042 employees at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) after they were placed on paid administrative leave last year under the Trump administration.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth, Kari Lake, and Voice of America (VOA) employees.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: The rulings were issued late Tuesday, March 17, 2026.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The plaintiffs challenge the defendants’ actions in March 2025 to dramatically downsize the United States Agency for Global Media and its subsidiary, Voice of America, as violating Sections 706(1) and (2) of the APA. After clearing a series of threshold hurdles, the Court ultimately concludes that the plaintiffs prevail on all aspects of their APA claims except for certain contractors’ requests for reinstatement.” — Judge Lamberth
🎯IMPACT: The decision reinstates employees, voids Kari Lake’s actions as acting CEO, and restores most USAGM and subagency operations and broadcasts.
IN FULL
U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth—a Ronald Reagan appointee—issued two rulings late Tuesday mandating the reinstatement of 1,042 employees at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the parent agency that oversees Voice of America (VOA), the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and the Open Technology Fund. The employees were placed on paid administrative leave last year under the Trump administration. The rulings also ordered VOA to resume its news reporting and programming, which had been largely dormant since March 2025.
“Before the Court are cross-motions for partial summary judgment on the Administrative Procedure Act claims raised by the plaintiffs in the above-captioned cases. The plaintiffs challenge the defendants’ actions in March 2025 to dramatically downsize the United States Agency for Global Media and its subsidiary, Voice of America, as violating Sections 706(1) and (2) of the APA,” Judge Lamberth wrote, adding, “After clearing a series of threshold hurdles, the Court ultimately concludes that the plaintiffs prevail on all aspects of their APA claims except for certain contractors’ requests for reinstatement.”
Notably, Lamberth’s accompanying order vacates a Statutory Minimum Memorandum signed by USAGM officials last March that reduced the agency’s operating staff to just 68, and placed over 1,000 other employees on administrative leave. In addition, the order lifts the cessation of USAGM and its subagencies’ broadcasts.
The rulings come nearly a year after President Donald J. Trump sought to reduce the federally funded international broadcast agency to its legal minimum. Lamberth ruled that Kari Lake, Trump’s pick to manage VOA, and other defendants had “unlawfully withheld mandatory agency action.”
Earlier this month, Judge Lamberth ruled that Lake was ineligible to serve as USAGM’s acting CEO because she was appointed without Senate confirmation. Lake is currently appealing that ruling.
❓WHAT HAPPENED: Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced the COST Act, a bill requiring detailed proof of federal tax dollar usage by entities receiving federal funding.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Sen. Joni Ernst, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Somali-run social services fraud schemes in Minnesota.
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📍WHEN & WHERE: Announced during Sunshine Week, which runs from March 15-21.
💬KEY QUOTE: “If you can’t find waste in Washington, there can only be one reason—you didn’t look.” – Sen. Joni Ernst
🎯IMPACT: The bill aims to expose fraudulent spending and increase transparency in federal fund usage.
IN FULL
U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) has introduced the COST (Cost Openness and Spending Transparency) Act, a measure designed to require every government agency to list all projects funded by taxpayer dollars. The bill seeks to bring transparency to federally funded social services programs, it states, as well as combat fraud and waste, such as the alleged fraudulent activities in Minneapolis’s Somali-run daycares.
The legislation coincides with the White House’s announcement of a joint state-and-federal anti-fraud task force led by Vice President J.D. Vance. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the initiative as a “whole of government effort to fight fraud at the state and federal level.”
“As I always say, if you can’t find waste in Washington, there can only be one reason—you didn’t look,” Ernst said after introducing her legislation. She added that transparency is essential to holding Washington accountable and preventing wasteful spending.
Under the COST Act, entities receiving federal funds would be required to publicly report details, including the percentage of costs covered by taxpayer dollars, the total dollar amount, and any privately financed portions. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), led by Director Russell Vought, would oversee compliance by reviewing random samples and publicly reporting findings.
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