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High school senior charged with "random" murder after 68-year-old woman found dead in Massachusetts home
A Massachusetts teenager has been charged with murder after a 68-year-old woman was found dead in her home Thursday in what authorities believe to be a "random" attack.
Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker announced during a Thursday evening press conference that 18-year-old Anthony DeMayo of Lynn has been charged with murder in connection with the death of Janet Swallow, 68, who was discovered inside her Danvers residence.
"What we can say and what we believe at this point is this was random. There was no connection between the defendant and the resident who was the victim here, Ms. Swallow," Tucker told reporters.
The investigation began earlier Thursday afternoon when the Lynn Police Department received a 911 call about a man walking along Standish Road carrying a knife, according to Tucker.
When officers arrived, they encountered the individual — later identified as DeMayo — who was reportedly behaving erratically and holding a knife with what authorities described as reddish-brown stains consistent with blood.
Police transported DeMayo to Salem Hospital due to his behavior.
As officers continued investigating, information developed that led Lynn police and Massachusetts State Police to execute a search warrant at DeMayo’s home in Lynn.
Evidence recovered there led investigators to contact the Danvers Police Department.
Authorities then conducted a well-being check at a single-family home on Amherst Street in Danvers, where they found Swallow dead inside the residence with "wounds consistent with a homicide," Tucker said.
TEEN ACCUSED OF STABBING PREGNANT WOMAN 70 TIMES TRIES TO NAP IN BACK OF POLICE CRUISER AFTER ARREST
DeMayo was taken into custody while at Salem Hospital and formally charged with murder.
Authorities said he is a senior at Bishop Fenwick High School in nearby Peabody.
Danvers Police Chief James Lovell said investigators notified Swallow’s family and described the victim as a longtime Danvers resident.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family," Lovell said.
Lovell also reassured residents that there is no ongoing threat to the public.
Investigators said that, at this stage of the investigation, there appears to be no known connection between DeMayo and Swallow.
"As of now, the investigation has not found any connection between the defendant and the victim," Tucker said. "We also believe, as of this point, that DeMayo acted alone."
The investigation remains ongoing.
"This terrible tragedy has struck the Swallow family, the town of Danvers, and the Bishop Fenwick community. They are all in our thoughts as we continue to investigate," Tucker said.
Anthony DeMayo was arraigned Friday afternoon in Salem District Court, where he pleaded not guilty to a murder charge and was ordered held without bail, according to NBC10 Boston.
A court psychologist who interviewed DeMayo said he showed depressive symptoms, the outlet reported.
The judge ordered DeMayo sent to Bridgewater State Hospital for further evaluation and scheduled a pretrial hearing for April 1. His attorney did not object, according to NBC10 Boston.
The Danvers Police Department and Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker could not be immediately reached by Fox News Digital for comment.
Manhunt for Louisiana man wanted in deadly crash who may have fled state or country continues into 6th month
A manhunt is continuing into its sixth month for a Louisiana man indicted for vehicular manslaughter last fall after he allegedly drove the wrong way on a freeway in St. John the Baptist Parish, killing a recent college graduate.
Manmeet Singh, 30, had a felony warrant issued in late October, charging him with vehicular homicide, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, and driving in the wrong direction, Crime Stoppers of Great New Orleans said this week.
He is wanted by the Louisiana State Police, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Marshals Service New Orleans Task Force.
Singh was last known to be living in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, and he worked as a ride share driver in New Orleans.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RAN FROM DEADLY WRONG-WAY DUI CRASH THAT KILLED MOTORCYCLIST, RECORDS SHOW
Singh was allegedly driving drunk in September when he hit Patricia Saidu, 21, head-on on Interstate 10.
Saidu was trapped in her vehicle when it burst into flames and died immediately of her injuries.
Singh was taken to the hospital with a blood alcohol level of .21% with serious injuries, but he recovered and was released before police could check back in with him.
"She wanted to be a physician and medical doctor," her father Dr. Patrick Saidu told WAFB-TV, adding that Saidu hoped to be a pediatrician. Saidu comes from an immigrant family of doctors from Sierra Leone.
ICE agents went to Singh’s house on Oct. 1 after he was released from the hospital to serve the arrest warrant, but determined he "was unable to be moved due to his injuries," according to WAFB.
Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE for comment.
MANHUNT UNDERWAY AFTER MISSOURI DEPUTY SLAIN, SUSPECT'S TRUCK SPOTTED HEADING TOWARD ARKANSAS BORDER
Louisiana police had also gone to his home days earlier but also decided he was too injured to be moved.
At some point after that, Singh fled the state and hasn’t been seen since.
"We are in the sixth month since this accident took place. Patricia was taken from us in a very tragic manner," her father told WAFB.
"I’m pleading with them," her mother, Martha Saidu, added. "I’m a grieving mother. My daughter did not deserve the way she died."
Crimestoppers is offering a reward for information helping lead to Singh’s arrest.
Singh is supposed to be in court next week.
"He left family behind in the Ponchatoula area, including a young child and a wife," Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Fair told Crimestoppers on Tuesday. "He left a wake of destruction behind him with not only his family but definitely with the victim’s family."
Trump welcomes PRCA, WPRA champions at White House in return of rodeo tradition
The 2025 world champions of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) were President Donald Trump's guests at the White House Friday.
It marked the first time in more than four decades that a group of PRCA champions had been hosted at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The last such visit came during Ronald Reagan’s presidency.
Friday’s visit featured several reigning rodeo champions, including all-around and bull riding champion Stetson Wright, bareback rider Rocker Steiner, steer wrestler Tucker Allen and team ropers Andrew Ward and Jake Long.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Barrel racer Kassie Mowry and breakaway roper Taylor Munsell were also among the guests honored by Trump.
Wright arrived in the nation's captol in the No. 1 position in the all-around race. In individual events, Wright is in the No. 2 spot in the saddle bronc riding and is ranked tenth in the bull riding.
Allen won the 2025 world championship, while Ward and Long clinched their first-career PRCA world title. The pair also earned their first NFR championship together.
In a video shared by White House communications advisor Margo Martin, several guests in the Oval Office explained the different types of ropes commonly used in rodeo competition.
In the clip, Trump responded, "It’s so cool."
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White House erupts over CNN report claiming Trump team underestimated Iran response on Hormuz
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday forcefully rejected a CNN report that said President Donald Trump’s national security team was unprepared for the possibility Iran would move to close the Strait of Hormuz after U.S. strikes.
"This story is 100% FAKE NEWS," Leavitt wrote on X, accusing CNN of relying on anonymous sources and defending the administration’s planning for such a scenario.
Leavitt said the Pentagon had planned for a possible Iranian closure of the strait for decades and said the threat had been part of the administration’s planning before Operation Epic Fury began.
"The idea that chairman Cain and Secretary Hegseth weren’t prepared for this possibility is PREPOSTEROUS," she continued.
LEAVITT LASHES OUT AT CNN'S KAITLAN COLLINS IN TENSE EXCHANGE ON FALLEN SOLDIERS FROM IRAN OPERATION
"The President was fully briefed on it, and a goal of the Operation itself, to annihilate the terrorist Iranian regime’s navy, missiles, drone production infrastructure, and other threat capabilities is quite literally intended to deprive them of their ability to close the Strait."
The Strait of Hormuz has become a focal point in the conflict because roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil shipments pass through the waterway.
CNN reported Thursday that Trump’s national security team "failed to fully account for the potential consequences of what some officials have described as a worst-case scenario now facing the administration."
The report cited anonymous sources "familiar with the matter."
PETE HEGSETH CRITICIZES 'FAKE NEWS' COVERAGE OF IRAN STRIKES, SAYS ONLY TRAGEDIES MAKE FRONT PAGE
Leavitt’s criticism was echoed by Republican lawmakers and administration officials who called the CNN report false.
"As chairman of the Intelligence Committee, let me make clear: whoever leaked this lied," Sen. Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, wrote on X. "CNN should do some fact-checking."
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also blasted the report during remarks at the Pentagon Friday, calling it "more fake news from CNN" and "patently ridiculous."
HEGSETH ANNOUNCES PENTAGON PROBE INTO DEADLY STRIKE ON IRANIAN SCHOOL
"For decades, Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This is always what they do, hold the strait hostage," he added. "CNN doesn’t think we thought of that."
CNN issued a clarification to the story on Friday, which said, "This story has been updated to reflect additional developments and clarify that top Trump administration officials briefed lawmakers on long-standing military plans to address a major disruption to the Strait, according to one official, but that multiple sources familiar with the session said there was no indication there were any near-term solutions."
"We stand by our reporting," CNN told Fox News Digital when reached for comment Friday.
CNN Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson said on X, "We stand by our journalism."
The White House has repeatedly clashed with major news outlets this week over coverage of the Iran conflict.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
Leavitt called for ABC News to retract a story Thursday that claimed the FBI had officially warned Iran may try to attack California with drones.
She called the report "false information to intentionally alarm the American people," adding that the story was based on "one email that was sent to local law enforcement in California about a single, unverified tip."
ABC News has since updated its story with an editor's note declaring, "The FBI has posted a fuller version of its alert to California authorities, which includes that the information was unverified. The latest version of this story has been updated with the full statement."
Fox News' Alexander Hall and Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
Trump Kennedy Center's new leader revealed as Ric Grenell exits top role
Ric Grenell's successor as the president of the Trump Kennedy Center was revealed Friday afternoon after President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to make the announcement.
The change will officially be announced on Monday as the Trump Kennedy Center’s board meets to officially suspend its activities and launch construction efforts.
Grenell, who has a background in foreign policy and assumed control of the center in February of last year in addition to his special envoy role, is being replaced by Matt Floca, the Trump Kennedy Center’s current vice president of facilities operations.
US JUDGE ORDERS SUSPECT DETAINED FOR THREATENING TO KILL RICHARD GRENELL
A person familiar with Grenell’s thinking said the transition was a result of the construction-focused shift for the organization and consistent with plans President Donald Trump outlined in posts to social media at the beginning of February.
"I have determined that the fastest way to bring the Trump Kennedy Center to the highest level of success, beauty and grandeur is to cease entertainment operations for an approximately two-year period of time," Trump said in a post to Truth Social last month.
The source added that the change in the Trump Kennedy Center’s leadership is reflective of the organization’s focus for the time being.
"I mean the whole thing is turning into a construction zone," the source said. "It’s going to be a construction zone and [Ric is] not a construction guy."
WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA TO DEPART TRUMP–KENNEDY CENTER AMID REPORTED FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES
Trump also highlighted Floca’s new appointment online.
"As Vice President of Operations, Matt has helped us achieve tremendous progress in bringing the Center to the highest level of Excellence! A Complete Reconstruction of THE TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER will begin after the July 4th Celebration," Trump wrote.
He went on to praise Grenell's performance in the executive role, saying, "Ric Grenell has done an excellent job in helping to coordinate various elements of the Center during the transition period, and I want to thank him for the outstanding work he has done."
The renovations are slated to cost $257 million, according to figures approved by Congress in Trump’s signature Big Beautiful Bill last year.
Grenell declined to respond to inquiries about what his next role would be.
Cuban president reveals talks with Trump admin as fuel blockade chokes domestic energy supply and economy
The Cuban government is in talks with Trump administration officials, the country's president said Friday, as Havana works to halt a potential regime change as it deals with a widening energy crisis.
In a 90-minute news conference broadcast by state media, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said talks with Washington were aimed at finding solutions to the political differences that divide the communist island and the United States, The New York Times reported.
However, changes to Cuba's political system are off limits, Lianys Torres Rivera, Cuba’s chief of mission in the United States, told Politico in an interview.
MILLIONS LOSE POWER ACROSS CUBA AS TRUMP SANCTIONS CONTINUE TO FUEL ONGOING ENERGY CRISIS
Cuba's economy has struggled since the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from his home in Caracas at the start of the year. The Trump administration immediately cut off oil exports to the island.
A number of key sectors across the island are under considerable strain, including its transportation, health and education systems, Torres Rivera said. She noted that as many as 11,000 children are on waiting lists for surgeries and procedures at health clinics.
"They have no money. They have no anything right now," President Donald Trump said in February. "Maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba."
Trump has said a deal with Havana "would be very easily made."
In January, Trump declared a national emergency via an executive order over Cuba, accusing the communist regime of aligning with hostile foreign powers and terrorist groups.
Last week, he said Cuba was "negotiating with [Secretary of State] Marco [Rubio] and myself and some others. And I would think a deal would be made very easily with Cuba."
Trump has charged Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and someone who has actively championed regime change, with negotiations with Cuba.
Friday was the first time the Cuban government formally acknowledged talks with Washington.
Amid talks, Rubio’s main counterpart has been Raúl Rodriguez Castro, the grandson of Raul Castro, the island's de facto leader and its former president.
Díaz-Canel said the talks with the United States were needed, in part, "to determine the willingness of both sides to take concrete actions," the Times reported.
He added that he would soon welcome an FBI team to take part in the investigation into 10 Cubans who lived in the United States who got into a firefight with the Cuban coast guard last month.
"Agendas are built, negotiations and conversations take place and agreements are reached. Things we are still far from because we are in the initial phases of this process," Díaz-Canel said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House.
FBI busts convenience store clerks for 'staged armed robberies' to apply for immigration benefits
Federal authorities say 11 Indian nationals were charged in a scheme to stage armed robberies at convenience stores and restaurants so participants could falsely claim to be crime victims when applying for immigration benefits.
The defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts.
Prosecutors allege the scheme centered on fake robberies designed to help clerks or store owners seek U visas, a form of immigration relief available to certain victims of serious crimes who assist law enforcement.
Six defendants were arrested in Massachusetts and released after initial appearances in federal court in Boston. Others were arrested in Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio and are expected to appear later in Boston.
An 11th defendant had previously been deported to India, authorities said.
According to charging documents, the alleged conspiracy began in March 2023 and involved at least six convenience stores, liquor stores and fast-food restaurants in Massachusetts, with additional incidents elsewhere.
Investigators say the staged robberies followed a script.
A purported robber would enter a business, threaten clerks or owners with what appeared to be a gun, take cash from the register and flee.
The encounters were captured on store surveillance video, prosecutors said, helping create the appearance of legitimate crimes.
Authorities allege the clerks or owners then waited five minutes or more before calling police, allowing the supposed robber time to escape and making the incidents appear real.
Prosecutors say the participants portrayed as victims paid an organizer to take part in the scheme. The organizer, in turn, allegedly paid store owners for the use of their businesses as robbery locations.
The alleged organizer, along with the purported robber and a getaway driver, had already been charged and convicted in the case, according to federal authorities. The 11 people charged this week are accused of either arranging robberies with the organizer or paying for themselves or relatives to be listed as victims.
The charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Any sentence would be determined by a federal judge.
According to a release from the Massachusetts Department of Justice, the following defendants have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud:
GOP lawmakers would strip citizenship from terrorists after attacks tied to naturalized citizens
Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., announced plans Thursday to introduce legislation allowing the U.S. to denaturalize and deport naturalized citizens who commit or support terrorism after a recent string of attacks involving immigrants who obtained citizenship.
On Thursday, Moore called out the "horrific pattern" of naturalized citizens committing acts of terror against the American people, saying it "must end."
Moore announced he will be introducing a bill in Congress to denaturalize and deport any naturalized citizen who commits an act of terror, plots to unleash terror, joins a terrorist group or otherwise aids and abets terrorism.
Almost immediately, Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, and Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., vowed to support the bill.
This week, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Lebanon, allegedly attempted to ram his vehicle into a Michigan synagogue filled with children and teachers. The same day at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a naturalized citizen from Sierra Leone, opened fire on a class of Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) students, killing Lt. Col. Brandon Shah.
Days before, Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, the children of naturalized citizens from Turkey and Afghanistan, allegedly attempted to bomb an anti-Islam demonstration outside the mayor’s mansion in New York City. At the start of the month, Senegalese-born naturalized citizen Ndiaga Diagne killed three people and injured over a dozen in a shooting in Austin.
After this week’s attacks, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., renewed his call to pass another bill known as the Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation (SCAM) Act.
Schmitt is the Senate sponsor of the bill, which, if passed, would expand and clarify grounds for denaturalization if an individual participates in fraud against a government program, joins a terrorist organization or is convicted of an aggravated felony or espionage.
The bill was introduced in the House in January by Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., amid widespread outrage over the rampant Medicaid and children's services fraud scandal, which heavily involved the Somali immigrant community.
TRUMP WARNS OF IRANIAN 'SLEEPER CELLS' AS CANADA IS ACCUSED OF HARBORING REGIME OPERATIVES
On Thursday, Schmitt posted on X that "after the SAVE America Act, we must pass the SCAM Act so we can denaturalize & deport those who are here to hurt Americans. We must denaturalize those who shouldn't be here."
Under current laws, the U.S. government may strip citizenship from a naturalized individual only in very limited circumstances, such as when it was obtained through fraud. There is also a very high standard of proof on the government to show that fraud occurred during the process of obtaining citizenship.
The SCAM Act, however, would expand the government’s ability to denaturalize, allowing it to revoke citizenship from a person who engages in terrorism, commits fraud, commits espionage or commits felonies within 10 years of becoming a citizen.
In another post, Schmitt emphasized "we need to give the Trump admin the SCAM Act. Under current law, it is practically impossible to denaturalize these terrorists."
He said the SCAM Act "will allow the Trump admin to denaturalize and deport those who should never have been granted citizenship in the first place."
Trump says US ‘obliterated’ military targets in strike on key Iranian oil hub: 'Powerful bombing raids'
President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. had carried out a bombing raid on Iran’s Kharg Island, a strategically vital island in the Persian Gulf that serves as the country’s largest oil terminal and a crucial hub for its crude exports.
"Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The island, located roughly 35 miles off Iran’s Bushehr province in the country’s southwest, is about the size of New York City’s Central Park, but carries huge importance for Iran’s economy.
It has a loading capacity of about 7 million barrels per day, and roughly 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports pass through it. Most of those exports are shipped to China and India, underscoring the island’s importance not only to Iran’s energy trade but also to broader global oil markets.
BEFORE-AND-AFTER SATELLITE IMAGERY OFFERS A RARE LOOK AT DAMAGE INSIDE IRAN
That makes Kharg Island one of Iran’s most sensitive and strategically important pieces of infrastructure. Any military action there could have consequences well beyond Iran, raising the risk of disruptions to crude flows, shipping traffic and energy prices across the region.
Trump said the U.S. had deliberately avoided targeting the island’s oil infrastructure, while warning that could change if Iran moved to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
"Our Weapons are the most powerful and sophisticated that the World has ever known but, for reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision," he added.
THE UNLIKELY TOOL TRUMP IS EYEING TO TACKLE RISING OIL PRICES AMID THE IRAN CONFLICT
The latest revelation comes as the widening conflict in the Middle East rattles global energy markets and raises fresh fears about the security of the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil chokepoint.
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage between Iran the United Arab Emirates and Oman, carries roughly 20 million barrels of oil a day and about one-fifth of the global supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG). When conflict flares in the region, even the threat of disruption can rattle markets because so much of the world’s energy moves through that single corridor.
That threat is already rippling through energy markets.
This week, benchmark oil prices punched back above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022, underscoring how quickly geopolitical shocks can ripple through the energy complex.
That jump is showing up at the pump. As oil prices climb, gasoline and diesel prices are rising fast — especially diesel, which can move quickly because it’s tied closely to freight and industrial demand.
On Friday, the national average for regular gasoline rose to about $3.63 a gallon, according to AAA. Diesel prices have also jumped, with the national average up $1.23 to $4.89 a gallon.
As energy costs accelerate, the White House is weighing steps to safeguard commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and leaning on emergency stockpiles to try to cushion the blow.
Before boarding Air Force One for Mar-a-Lago late Friday, Trump told reporters the U.S. Navy may start escorting tankers through the strait "very soon."
Asked about the risk of disruptions, Trump said Monday evening he would keep the route open and threatened retaliation if Iran tried to interfere.
"I will not allow a terrorist regime to hold the world hostage and attempt to stop the globe's oil supply. And if Iran does anything to do that, they'll get hit at a much, much harder level," Trump said during a press conference in Florida.
"In the long run, oil supplies will be dramatically more secure without the threat of Iranian ships, drones, missiles," he added.
Dem senators in the hot seat as Republicans rip their DHS vote amid terror threats: 'Under attack'
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., claimed he offered Republicans a chance to spare the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from the ongoing government shutdown that’s poised to hit the one-month mark on Saturday after another failed DHS vote on Thursday.
Republicans believe the offer was little more than political theater that ignored the core of the funding gridlock as concerns about Iranian sleeper cell threats and airport chaos rise.
"I just offered a UC to fund FEMA and Republicans shot it down," Schiff said, referring to the Senate process to pass legislation on the spot, known as "unanimous consent."
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., a lawmaker who has blocked UCs on the shutdown in the past, blasted Democrats for, in her view, trying to punt the negotiations on larger DHS disagreements.
SENATE TO TAKE TEST VOTE TO END 27-DAY DHS SHUTDOWN
"We would like that opportunity to continue funding the Department of Homeland Security in its entirety. Look, the people who sent us here expect more," Britt said in remarks on the Senate floor.
"They expect us to have tough conversations. They expect us to figure out a pathway forward. And that’s exactly what we’re trying to do today."
A fired-up Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., accused Senate Democrats of trying to rip the agency apart at a moment it was designed for, as the war in Iran has spurred threats of retaliation in the U.S. by sleeper cells.
"And that’s at a time when our homeland is under attack, all warning lights are flashing red, and they want to peel apart, piece by piece, the Department of Homeland Security, the comprehensive department of our government to protect the American people, because they want to stand with illegal immigrant criminals," Barrasso said.
Schumer declared that Senate Democrats would continue to provide piecemeal funding bills to reopen certain portions of the agency, like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), while negotiations continued.
Funding for the Department of Homeland Security lapsed on February 14 over gridlock of a set of demands Democrats made regarding operational reforms for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — reforms Republicans believe will handcuff President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.
FEMA was slated to receive $32 billion in 2026, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Among other items, Democrats have demanded a no-mask policy, an end to roaming patrols, stiffer warrant requirements for detentions and clearly visible identification for ICE agents.
DHS SHUTDOWN DRAGS INTO WEEK TWO AS IRAN THREAT, SOTU CLASH COMPLICATE HILL TALKS
Although talks are ongoing, lawmakers have said critical disagreements remain.
Like ICE, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) operates under DHS alongside other agencies like the Coast Guard, the Secret Service and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have voiced concern that the unrelated reforms to ICE that Democrats have demanded are threatening the country’s readiness to respond to natural disasters.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., hinted that Democrats would like to eliminate that possibility.
"We just asked for a UC to get it done… so," Cantwell said on the DHS funding dispute.
TSA WORKERS BRACE FOR MISSED PAYCHECKS AS DEMOCRATS HOLD FIRM ON DHS FUNDING
According to Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Katie Britt, R-Ala., DHS employees missed their first full paycheck this week. Additionally, FEMA reserve funding has dropped to $4 billion, the primary account used to coordinate disaster response and recovery efforts.
Fox News Digital's Alex Miller contributed to this report.