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Wednesday, December 17, 2025

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2 hours ago
Immigration

Trump Implements Stricter Green Card Eligibility Rules.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has introduced new photo requirements for immigration documents, effective immediately.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: USCIS, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and immigration applicants, including Green Card holders.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Announced on December 2025, with immediate effect across the United States.

💬KEY QUOTE: “This ensures every photo used in a secure document is recent, accurate, and reliable—key requirements to preventing fraud and identity theft.” – USCIS

🎯IMPACT: The updated requirements are part of a broader push by DHS to modernize screening and vetting processes for immigrants.

IN FULL

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is implementing new requirements for photographs submitted with immigration documents. Announced on December 12, the updated guidance takes effect immediately and is part of a broader push by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to modernize screening and vetting processes for immigrants, including Green Card holders and applicants.

Under the new policy, photographs submitted for official immigration documents must not be older than three years from the date a form is filed. This marks a departure from the previous flexibility during the COVID-19 pandemic, where photos could be reused for up to 10 years to accommodate processing disruptions. That allowance has now been rescinded.

Additionally, self-submitted photos, including those taken at home or by private providers, will no longer be accepted. Only photographs captured by USCIS or other government-authorized entities will meet the new requirements. According to USCIS, “This ensures every photo used in a secure document is recent, accurate, and reliable—key requirements to preventing fraud and identity theft.”

The updated policy applies to several important forms, including the Form I-90 (Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card), Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status), Form N-400 (Application for Naturalization), and Form N-600 (Application for Certificate of Citizenship). USCIS stated, “This policy change aligns with Department of Homeland Security priorities to modernize screening and vetting processes and address the vulnerabilities in identity documents.”

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14 minutes ago
Immigration
Politics

Dem Governor Allows Law Blocking Police from Assisting ICE to Pass.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Governor Janet Mills (D) of Maine allowed LD 1971, a law barring state police from enforcing federal immigration laws, to pass without her signature.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Governor Janet Mills, Democratic state Representative Deqa Dhalac, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Maine’s Republican Party.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The law will take effect in January after Mills declined to veto it within the required ten-day window.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Maine is making clear what we believe: that the federal government should overhaul a failed immigration system… and that no one will make us abandon our neighbors based on the color of their skin or the country they once, if ever, called home.” – Janet Mills

🎯IMPACT: Critics, including Maine’s Republican Party, argue the law endangers public safety by limiting cooperation between state and federal law enforcement.

IN FULL

Maine’s Governor Janet Mills (D) has decided she will allow LD 1971, a law preventing state police from enforcing immigration laws or assisting federal immigration authorities, to pass without her signature. Mills stated that she feels U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has engaged in “unacceptable actions,” though she admitted the new law is “imperfect.”

Mills failed to act within the ten-day window to sign or veto the legislation, effectively allowing it to become law automatically when the Maine legislature reconvenes in January. In an op-ed published on Monday, Gov. Mills criticized ICE for targeting individuals she described as “law-abiding” and accused the federal government of “weaponizing” immigration enforcement. She also repealed a prior executive order requiring state police cooperation with ICE.

The bill was introduced by Democrat state Representative Deqa Dhalac, a Somali immigrant and the first black Muslim woman elected to Maine’s state legislature. Dhalac argued that the law would “protect the dignity, due process, and public safety of all who call our state home,” while accusing local police cooperation with federal immigration authorities of eroding trust with immigrant communities.

Maine’s Republican Party strongly criticized the decision, stating, “Limiting cooperation between Maine law enforcement and federal authorities… shows a reckless disregard for public safety and will put Maine’s public at risk.” The GOP also warns that the law shields dangerous criminals and hinders law enforcement from protecting the public effectively.

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45 minutes ago
2A
News

Tim Walz Launches Tirade Against Second Amendment Rights.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) signed executive orders targeting gun owners while attacking the Second Amendment and Republicans who support gun rights.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Tim Walz, Minnesota Republicans, and state whistleblowers.

📍WHEN & WHERE: December 16, during a press conference in Minnesota.

💬KEY QUOTE: “It’s time to start reporting that it is all bullshit.” – Tim Walz, referring to support for gun rights.

🎯IMPACT: Walz intends to use coerced data from insurance companies to study firearm-related public health costs.

IN FULL

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) signed a series of executive orders on December 16 that he said are aimed at reducing gun violence, while attacking Republican lawmakers for refusing to advance a ban on so-called “assault weapons.” Speaking at a press conference, the failed 2024 vice presidential candidate smeared GOP legislators and rejected arguments that gun bans would infringe on individual liberty. “It’s time to start reporting that it is all bullshit,” he said, referring to claims that further gun restrictions represent an attack on freedom.

During the event, Walz blamed gun policy for violent crime, stating, “We are the murder gun capital of the planet, because people have made the decision to protect gun manufacturers and those who don’t want to take responsible action.” His orders include the creation of a public safety council and a directive requiring insurance companies to turn over firearms-related data to the state.

Walz said, “We are going to use that data to do the research the federal government is too cowardly to do, to understand that this is a public health crisis that could be attacked like any other public health crisis if we simply had the courage.” He warned insurers to prepare for legal action if they refuse to comply.

Walz’s remarks on gun rights come as his administration continues to face criticism over a sprawling welfare fraud scandal involving more than $1 billion in public funds. Whistleblowers have alleged that fraud linked to Somali-run nonprofit organizations went unchecked for years and that state employees who raised concerns faced “systemic” retaliation. Separate reporting has claimed Walz was aware of COVID-era fraud as early as 2019 but failed to initiate a full investigation.

On August 27, a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis left two children dead and at least 17 others injured. Authorities said the suspect, a biological male who identified as transgender, had posted videos online showing firearms engraved with political messages targeting President Donald J. Trump. In June, Democrat Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortmann and her husband were murdered. The accused killer, a former political appointee under Walz, allegedly claimed in a letter to the FBI that he acted on behalf of the governor.

Walz, who has repeatedly called for banning so-called “assault weapons,” has previously cited his National Guard experience to reinforce his position, claiming he has carried “weapons of war… in war,” and that they do not belong in any other setting. In reality, however, Walz never served in a combat zone, taking early retirement to pursue his political career shortly before the unit he led was deployed to Iraq. Former comrades branded him a “deserter,” “habitual liar,” and “coward” during the 2024 campaign.

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1 hour ago
Economy
Immigration

Trump’s Treasury Secretary: Mass Deportations Are Lowering Rent for Americans.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent credited President Donald J. Trump’s mass deportation agenda for helping bring down apartment rents across the U.S.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner, and President Trump.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Comments were made on Tuesday, December 16, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Rents are down. You know the story that the Biden administration doesn’t want to talk about: The mass unfettered immigration that pushed up rents, especially for working Americans.” – Scott Bessent

🎯IMPACT: The decline in the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. has lessened competition in the rental market, causing housing costs to begin to decline for working Americans.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump’s mass deportation of illegal immigrants is beginning to have an impact on housing rents, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Data from November shows that apartment rents fell 1.1 percent compared to the previous year, and 5.2 percent compared to November 2022.

“Rents are down. You know the story that the Biden administration doesn’t want to talk about: The mass unfettered immigration that pushed up rents, especially for working Americans,” Bessent said on Tuesday. He continued: “There’s a recent study out from the Wharton School that shows every one percent increase in population, rents went up one percent. So, by enforcing the border, sending home more than two million illegals, we’re now seeing… rents coming down substantially.”

“I think that will continue for the rest of the year. We brought interest rates down, so we brought mortgage rates down, and I think everything else will follow that,” the Treasury Secretary added. Meanwhile, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner recently noted that the surge in housing prices, which occurred as former President Joe Biden imported millions of illegal immigrants to the United States, shows “it’s not a coincidence, it’s a correlation.”

The National Pulse previously reported that as the impacts of the Biden government’s immigration and border policies began to take hold in early 2024, New York City saw rental costs skyrocket. In February 2024, there was an 18 percent surge in one-bedroom rentals in New York City, which pushed the average price to a record high of $4,200. Even in Jersey City, situated across the Hudson River from Manhattan, the median rent cost rose 5.4 percent to $3,140.

Earlier this month, HUD found that mass immigration has a specific detrimental impact on lower-income Americans who earn too much to qualify for public housing assistance. “One key cause of elevated worst-case needs is immigration. Between 2021 and 2024, the foreign-born population of the United States increased by more than six million—the largest such increase over such a short period in American history,” the HUD investigation stated, adding: “This immigration-driven increase in households has contributed to a significant increase in housing demand, thus driving up housing prices. In fact, in some markets, immigration has accounted for nearly all of the increase in housing demand in recent years.”

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2 hours ago
News

Republicans Are Implementing Major Spending Cuts for Leftist Initiatives in This State:

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Republican-controlled House in Michigan cut $645 million in funding, targeting leftist initiatives after rejecting a request for a budget extension from Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D).

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Michigan House Republicans, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Democratic state officials.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The cuts were made last week in Michigan during budget negotiations for the new fiscal year.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We had the opportunity using this law to cut more spending before Whitmer was able to put it into her slush funds.” – House Speaker Matt Hall

🎯IMPACT: The cuts redirected funding from initiatives such as diversity grants, green energy projects, and programs for illegal immigrants, sparking outrage among Democrats.

IN FULL

Michigan’s Republican-controlled House used a little-known state law last week to cut $645 million in government spending, targeting programs generally supported by Democrats. The move followed Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s request to extend $2.7 billion in unspent funds beyond the end of the fiscal year.

“We had the opportunity using this law to cut more spending before Whitmer was able to put it into her slush funds,” House Speaker Matt Hall (R) said. He accused Whitmer and Democrats of requesting “a lot more money than they need” for discretionary, long-term purposes.

The largest reduction was $159 million from Whitmer’s Make It in Michigan Competitiveness Fund, which matches federal grants to state job creation goals. Nearly $103 million was cut from Community Enhancement Grants, which had supported diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Other cuts included $1.2 million for a program supplying feminine hygiene products in public restrooms, some of which were in boys’ bathrooms, and funding for electric vehicle charging stations along Lake Michigan.

Hall said funds could be restored through a supplemental budget and challenged Whitmer’s administration to justify each allocation. Democratic leaders have suggested they may pursue legal action to challenge the cuts.

The Michigan actions reflect a broader pattern of recent reductions to programs associated with progressive politics. Earlier this year, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that approximately 83 percent of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contracts, roughly 5,200 of 6,200, would be terminated or shifted to State Department oversight. Rubio said many of the eliminated contracts “spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve, and in some cases even harmed, the core national interests of the United States.”

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3 hours ago
Crime
News

Trump Designates Colombian Cartel as Foreign Terrorist Group.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The State Department designated the Colombian Clan del Golfo as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO).

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The U.S. State Department and the Colombian Clan del Golfo drug cartel.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The designation was announced on Tuesday, targeting activities linked to Colombia.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The United States will continue to use all available tools to protect our nation and stop the campaigns of violence and terror committed by international cartels and transnational criminal organizations.” – State Department statement

🎯IMPACT: The move seeks to cut off funding and resources to the Clan del Golfo and curb its violent activities.

IN FULL

The U.S. State Department has officially designated Colombia’s Clan del Golfo drug cartel as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), citing the group’s role in large-scale drug trafficking and sustained violence. According to the department, Clan del Golfo has thousands of members and finances its operations largely through cocaine trafficking. U.S. officials say the organization has carried out terrorist attacks against Colombian public officials, members of law enforcement, military personnel, and civilians.

“The United States will continue to use all available tools to protect our nation and stop the campaigns of violence and terror committed by international cartels and transnational criminal organizations,” the department stated in its announcement.

The designation is intended to restrict the group’s access to funding, weapons, and logistical support by cutting it off from the U.S. financial system and prohibiting Americans from providing material assistance to it. Clan del Golfo has long been considered one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Colombia, with influence over major cocaine trafficking routes and a history of armed confrontation with the Colombian state.

The move reflects a broader U.S. effort to treat major transnational criminal organizations as national security threats rather than solely law enforcement challenges. Earlier this year, the State Department designated several other groups as foreign terrorist organizations, including the Venezuela-based Tren de Aragua gang and Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel. Those designations marked a significant escalation in how the U.S. government addresses international drug cartels and criminal networks.

The decision to apply terrorist labels to Mexican cartels prompted diplomatic tension, with Mexican officials warning Washington against actions they said could infringe on Mexico’s sovereignty. U.S. officials argue that the designations provide additional legal and financial tools to disrupt cartel operations, particularly those linked to drug trafficking, human smuggling, and violence that affects both the United States and its allies.

In a separate move later in the year, the U.S. government also announced plans to designate certain foreign-based groups linked to Antifa ideology as foreign terrorist organizations, signaling an expansion beyond traditional jihadist or insurgent groups.

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3 hours ago
Corruption
Immigration

Trump Cabinet Member Demands Tim Walz Resign Amid Fraud Scandal.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon is calling for Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) to resign over widespread fraud allegations in the state.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Sec. McMahon, Governor Walz, and others accused of fraud links, including Somali-linked nonprofits like Feeding Our Future and Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN).

📍WHEN & WHERE: The letter was sent on Tuesday, addressing fraud in Minnesota during Walz’s tenure as governor, which began in 2019.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Shame on you, Governor Walz, for allowing this to happen—and for benefiting from it.” – Linda McMahon

🎯IMPACT: Alleged fraud has cost taxpayers over $1 billion, with calls for accountability and potential political consequences for Walz.

IN FULL

U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon is demanding Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) resign over his administration’s handling—and alleged enabling—of a massive social services fraud scandal tied to his state’s Somali immigrant community. In a letter sent to the Democrat governor and failed 2024 vice presidential candidate on Tuesday, McMahon accused Walz of failing to prevent widespread fraud in federal programs, including education aid, which saw several nonprofit organizations and Somali community leaders funnel an estimated $1 billion in taxpayer dollars into their personal coffers.

“You have been Minnesota’s Governor since 2019. During that time, your careless lack of oversight and abuse of the welfare system has attracted fraudsters from around the world, especially from Somalia, to establish a beachhead of criminality in our country,” McMahon wrote, adding: “As President Trump put it, you have turned Minnesota into a ‘fraudulent hub of money laundering activity.’”

The Education Secretary went on to reveal her discovery of fraud within Minnesota’s college education system, noting that nearly 2,000 “ghost students” were identified as having received $12.5 million in taxpayer-funded grants and loans. “They collected checks from the federal government, shared a small portion of the money with the college, and pocketed the rest—without attending the college at all,” McMahon wrote.

McMahon accused Walz of overseeing a “massive scandal of welfare fraud” that spanned programs such as housing benefits, food stamps, and small-business relief, among others. Secretary McMahon also criticized Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN), alleging she borrowed “tens of thousands” in student loans and has been unwilling to repay them despite her taxpayer-funded salary.

The Trump administration’s Education Secretary concluded her letter with a call for Walz to step down as governor.

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4 hours ago
Immigration
Politics

ICE Denies Rep. Omar’s Allegation of Son Being Stopped for Citizenship Check.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons denied Representative Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) claim that her son was stopped and questioned by ICE agents at a Minnesota Target.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Rep. Ilhan Omar, her son, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, and ICE personnel.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The alleged incident took place over the weekend at a Target in Minnesota.

💬KEY QUOTE: “ICE has absolutely zero record of its officers or agents pulling over Congresswoman Omar’s son. It speaks volumes that Congresswoman Omar is leveling this accusation with absolutely zero proof.” – Todd Lyons

🎯IMPACT: Rep. Omar accused ICE agents of racial profiling, despite providing no proof of the incident actually happening.

IN FULL

The Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Todd Lyons, is dismissing a claim made by Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) alleging her son was stopped by ICE agents at a Minnesota Target over the weekend and ordered to provide proof of citizenship. According to Rep. Omar, a Somali immigrant, her son presented a U.S. passport or passport card and was subsequently released.

“ICE has absolutely zero record of its officers or agents pulling over Congresswoman Omar’s son. It speaks volumes that Congresswoman Omar is leveling this accusation with absolutely zero proof,” Lyons stated on Tuesday. He also criticized Omar’s comments to local Minnesota media as a “ridiculous effort” to demonize federal law enforcement, linking such rhetoric to an increase in threats against ICE personnel. Notably, federal immigration agents have seen a reported 1,150 percent rise in assaults and an 8,000 percent increase in death threats.

Responding to Lyons, Rep. Omar’s communications director, Jacklyn Rogers, reiterated the Minnesota Democrat’s account of the incident, while accusing ICE of racial profiling and claiming the agency operates as a “rogue agency beyond reform.” Rogers added, “Our office would welcome the opportunity to review [ICE’s] records.”

The controversy comes amid heightened scrutiny of Minnesota’s Somali immigrant community, following allegations of widespread social services fraud and concerns about taxpayer dollars being funneled to Islamist terror groups like al-Shabaab. Omar has criticized the Trump administration for what she described as the demonization of her community.

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4 hours ago
Crime
Immigration

Illegal Immigrant Gets 20-Year Sentence for Vicious Attack on ICE Agent.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A criminal illegal alien from Mexico was sentenced to 20 years in prison after assaulting a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Wichita, Kansas.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Diego Barron-Esquivel, U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser, and Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City Special Agent Charles J. Cole.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The sentencing took place on December 15 in Kansas following a guilty plea on December 3, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Violence against law enforcement is completely unacceptable and will be dealt with very seriously,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser.

🎯IMPACT: Federal authorities reaffirmed a zero-tolerance policy for violence against law enforcement, promising swift justice for offenders.

IN FULL

Federal prosecutors secured the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for a criminal illegal immigrant from Mexico who brutally attacked a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Wichita, Kansas. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) officials emphasized that there is zero tolerance for violent assaults on federal law enforcement and immigration agents, warning that federal prosecutors will seek the maximum penalty under the law in such cases.

The sentencing of Diego Barron‑Esquivel, who violently punched and strangled an ICE officer with his own badge cord until the agent nearly lost consciousness, was described as a clear warning to those who threaten law enforcement. U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas Ryan A. Kriegshauser condemned the attack as “completely unacceptable” and praised the courage of officers who risk their lives daily.

“Violence against law enforcement is completely unacceptable and will be dealt with very seriously,” said Kriegshauser, adding, “Our society would cease to function without brave officers enforcing the law. We owe these officers our thanks and our respect. This sentence shows how egregious the conduct was in this case.”

Meanwhile, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Charles J. Cole underscored that anyone who lays a hand on federal agents will face swift and severe justice. Barron-Esquivel pleaded guilty earlier this month to intentionally assaulting and strangling an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officer while he was performing his official duties this past February.

According to DHS, Barron-Esquivel has an extensive and violent criminal record, including multiple charges for “domestic battery, multiple counts of violation of protection order, criminal damage to property, aggravated robbery, felony theft, transporting an open container, criminal restraint, possession of drug paraphernalia, and improper use of an automobile.”

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5 hours ago
Corruption
Health

House GOP Investigates Obamacare Brokers Over Fraud Allegations, Soaring Premiums.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: House Republicans, led by Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), are investigating potential fraud by major Obamacare health insurance brokers, citing concerns over soaring program costs.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The House Judiciary Committee, Blue Shield of California, Centene Corporation, CVS Health, Elevance Health, Kaiser Permanente, Oscar Health Inc., and GuideWell.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Letters were sent on Monday, December 15, 2025, as part of an ongoing investigation into Obamacare-related fraud.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Brokers have targeted individuals with deceptive advertisements and pressured enrollees to lie about their incomes to obtain Obamacare subsidies. Evidence suggests that many individuals do not even know they are signing up for health insurance or agreeing to switch plans.” — House Judiciary Committee letter

🎯IMPACT: The investigation could influence whether Obamacare’s enhanced premium subsidies are extended or allowed to expire, amid concerns of fraud and inefficiencies.

IN FULL

House Republicans are launching a probe to determine whether some of the nation’s largest health insurance brokers are contributing to rampant fraud plaguing Obamacare. With federal subsidies for Obamacare set to expire at the end of December, conservative lawmakers on Capitol Hill contend the healthcare program’s soaring costs are, at least in part, due to fraudulent claims enabled by insurance brokers.

On Monday, the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH), issued notices to Blue Shield of California, Centene Corporation, CVS Health, Elevance Health, Kaiser Permanente, Oscar Health Inc., and GuideWell, requesting detailed data and other documentation regarding their enrollment operations. These companies administer programs that assist consumers in signing up for Obamacare’s enhanced health insurance premiums, which are central to the committee’s fraud concerns.

“Brokers have targeted individuals with deceptive advertisements and pressured enrollees to lie about their incomes to obtain Obamacare subsidies. Evidence suggests that many individuals do not even know they are signing up for health insurance or agreeing to switch plans,” the committee wrote.

Of particular interest to the House Judiciary Committee is data regarding the number of individuals enrolled in enhanced premium tax credits and the number of enrollees who do not utilize their benefits. Additionally, the committee is requesting all internal communications related to fraud and abuse, as well as a list of employees involved in anti-fraud initiatives.

The National Pulse reported earlier this month that a Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit found that tens of thousands of Social Security Numbers (SSNs) were used fraudulently in recent years to claim insurance coverage with advanced premium tax credits. According to the GAO, 58,000 SSNs that received advanced premium tax credits matched Social Security death data. Of these, at least 7,000 individuals were confirmed to have died before their coverage began. Investigators also created fictitious identities using fake or never-issued SSNs, all of which were approved for subsidized Obamacare coverage.

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5 hours ago
Health
News

Troops Discharged Over Biden’s Vaccine Mandate to Receive Honorable Status.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has ordered the Pentagon to identify and upgrade records of service members discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Secretary Pete Hegseth, Pentagon officials, and approximately 8,700 service members discharged under the Biden government’s vaccine mandate.

📍WHEN & WHERE: December memorandum, with a one-year timeline for review completion.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The Department is committed to ensuring that everyone who should have received a fully honorable discharge receives one…” – Sean Parnell

🎯IMPACT: Potential restoration of honor and benefits for thousands of military members discharged under the vaccine mandate.

IN FULL

The Trump administration is directing the Pentagon to proactively review and upgrade the records of service members discharged from the U.S. military for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine under the former Biden government. Administration officials say the effort aims to restore honor to individuals who received “general discharge” as a result of the mandate.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, in a December memorandum, emphasized the progress made since the initial directive to reinstate veterans who were involuntarily discharged or voluntarily left military service due to the “unfair, overbroad, and unnecessary” COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The new directive expands these efforts by ordering a review of personnel records to identify those discharged solely for vaccine refusal and facilitate appropriate upgrades.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell explained the impetus for the new directive, “Under the previous administration, the Department involuntarily separated approximately 8,700 Service members for failing to comply with the Department’s since-rescinded COVID-19 vaccination mandate. Of those, more than 3,000 received less-than-honorable discharge characterizations.” Parnell added that military departments have been instructed to complete their reviews within one calendar year, with no action required from former service members.

Military service members impacted by the former Biden government vaccine mandate may also access the military board review website to address any perceived errors or injustices in their records. “The Department is committed to ensuring that everyone who should have received a fully honorable discharge receives one and continues to right wrongs and restore confidence in, and honor to our fighting force,” Parnell noted.

Additionally, an Executive Order signed by President Donald J. Trump in November reinstated GI benefits for veterans discharged due to the vaccine mandate.

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