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US military launches deadly strike on drug-trafficking vessel in the Pacific, leaving 2 dead and 1 survivor
The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced Monday that the U.S. military carried out an operation targeting a drug-trafficking vessel in the Eastern Pacific, leaving two people dead and one survivor.
"On Feb. 9, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations," the agency said.
Following the strike, the U.S. Southern Command said it immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to search for the survivor.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Jake Paul breaks down in tears as fiancée Jutta Leerdam shatters Olympic speedskating record
As Dutch speedskater Jutta Leerdam broke an Olympic record in her gold-medal-winning run on Monday, her fiancée Jake Paul couldn’t contain his emotions.
He was crying for joy.
Paul was on his feet in the stands, bawling his eyes out as Leerdam didn’t just live up to the expectations of winning gold at the 2026 Milan Cortina games — she also broke the 1,000-meter speed skating record with a time of 1:12.31.
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Leerdam broke the previous record set by teammate Femke Kok, who notched her time just moments before Leerdam’s run.
While the 27-year-old skater was brought to tears after seeing her final time, Paul was in the stands doing the same, surrounded by her family, who also couldn’t help but cry tears of joy.
This marked Leerdam’s first-ever gold medal at the Olympics and her second overall medal after winning silver in Beijing in 2022.
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This one was extra special considering Leerdam’s surprising fall during the Dutch Olympic Trials, which forced her out of the race. There were talks that her spot at Milan Cortina was in doubt, but she made the Dutch team in the end.
It was the right move.
Before Leerdam’s record-breaking run, Kok raced to an impressive 1:12.59 time, which ultimately resulted in a silver medal for the Netherlands. Kok is also expected to be in contention for the gold medal in the 500-meter race later in the Games.
Rounding out the podium in the 1,000-meter sprint was Japan’s Miho Takagi, who finished third with a time of 1:13.95.
As for the Americans, Erin Jackson was in first place with a 1:15.00 time. However, as the skaters kept going, she kept falling down the list.
Brittany Bowe, Jackson’s teammate, just finished in fourth to miss out on a medal with a time of 1:14.55.
Paul, the polarizing boxer, has been no stranger to showing emotion. And while this was pure joy, he fired off a tweet that appeared angry when talking about another massive sporting event back in the States.
Paul called Super Bowl LX halftime show performer Bad Bunny a "fake citizen" ahead of the Puerto Rican’s performance at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday night. Paul took exception with Bad Bunny due to the Grammy Award-winning artist speaking out against things like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
"To clarify: I wasn’t calling anyone a ‘fake citizen’ because they’re from Puerto Rico. I live in Puerto Rico, and I love Puerto Rico," Paul said in his most recent tweet, clarifying what he wrote on Sunday night. "I have used my platform to support Puerto Rico time and time again and will always do so. But if you’re publicly criticizing ICE who are doing their job and openly hating on America, I’m going to speak on it. Period. That’s the same reason I called out Hunter Hess.
"If you benefit from a country and the platform it gives you, but publicly disrespect it at the same time, that’s what I mean by being a fake citizen. And I agree love is more powerful than hate. Love America."
Paul and Leerdam announced their engagement in March 2025 with a joint Instagram post.
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Trump says he will block US-Canada Bridge unless Canada negotiates on trade
President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to prevent the opening of a bridge that will connect Michigan and Canada unless Ottawa negotiates with Washington on tariffs and the exclusion of American products.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump accused Canada of taking advantage of the United States with unfair trade practices and cozying up to China.
In an effort to bring Canada to the negotiating table, Trump said he would not allow the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which is named after the legendary Canadian ice hockey player who played for the Detroit Red Wings. The bridge, which is currently under construction, will connect Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.
"I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve," Trump wrote.
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"We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY. With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset," he added.
He cited the removal of U.S. alcohol products from Canadian liquor store shelves in Ontario.
Trump has previously accused Canada of taking advantage of U.S. trade policies. In his post, Trump said Canada has moved forward with building the bridge with "virtually no U.S. content."
He blamed former President Barack Obama for "stupidly" giving Canada a waiver so they could get around the Buy American Act, which mandates federal agencies purchase materials that are manufactured in the U.S. and made mostly from U.S.-produced components.
Trump accused Canada of not using American products, including steel.
"Now, the Canadian Government expects me, as President of the United States, to PERMIT them to just ‘take advantage of America!’ What does the United States of America get — Absolutely NOTHING!" he wrote. "Ontario won't even put U.S. spirits, beverages, and other alcoholic products, on their shelves, they are absolutely prohibited from doing so and now, on top of everything else, Prime Minister Carney wants to make a deal with China — which will eat Canada alive. We’ll just get the leftovers! I don't think so."
By cozying up to China, Canada would be risking its national sport: ice hockey, Trump said.
"The first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup," he said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Texas Democrat blasted for telling Latino, Black, Asian people to unite against 'oppressor,' 'take over’ US
The leader of Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives, state Rep. Gene Wu, is facing conservative backlash after a clip resurfaced of him calling on various racial groups to unite against their common "oppressor."
The resurfaced viral clip was from a Dec. 31, 2024, episode of the "Define American" podcast with Antonio Vargas titled, "In this Texas District, 1/3 of Residents are Undocumented."
Vargas argued that the future of the United States will be decided by Texas, asking Wu to give him the big picture. Wu said that one of the powerful forces driving modern politics, particularly regarding immigration, is that "White people" in America are concerned about becoming a racial and political minority.
"The scary thing for me is that what is driving this newest round of anti-immigrant sentiment is purely a sense of White nationalism," Wu said.
"That there is a sense of, ‘America really just belongs to White people,’ that this was that a lot of people believe that God gave America to White people to rule, and that any time that immigrants, minorities make progress in this country, that that is seen as a slight against them," he continued.
Both agreed that White people are already or almost a racial minority in Texas, with Wu clarifying that for now, they are still the majority of people who are able to vote. The host later asked Wu to talk about his majority-Latino district and the relationship between the Latino and Asian communities, particularly between those of both groups who are immigrants.
"I think you've hit exactly the right point," Wu said. "It's not just Latinos. It's not just Asians. It's not just African Americans. It's everybody. Right? We, our country and the forces that be, the powers that be, have spent tremendous time, effort and money to make sure that those groups are never united, that they always see each other as enemies, as competitors, without ever realizing that they share one thing in common, that their oppressors all are the same. The oppression comes from one place.
"I always tell people the day the Latino, African-American, Asian and other communities realize that they are — that they share the same oppressor is the day we start winning, because we are the majority in this country now," he continued. "We have the ability to take over this country and to do what is needed for everyone and to make things fair."
The 2024 comments resurfaced on social media, causing Wu to face backlash from fellow Texans.
"Gene Wu is a radical racist who hates millions of Texans just because they're [W]hite. This is who the modern Democrat Party is," Texas Attorney General and Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton wrote.
Former Texas GOP Chairman Matt Rinaldi wrote, "This clip is being widely circulated for its advocacy for [W]hite genocide. People need to realize that this isn’t some random Democrat backbencher. This is the Texas House Democrat caucus LEADER."
"The Democrat party is built on bigotry," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, replied.
Rep. Chip Roy, also of Texas, called on Wu to resign.
"Unlike many Democrats, he admits his racism against [W]hite people and call to ‘take over this country.’ He should resign or the TX House should strip him of any power," he wrote. "Another reason to pass my PAUSE Act. Stop importing people who hate you."
After the backlash, Wu appeared to try to backtrack and claim that he was not referring to White people, but Republicans.
The Houston Chronicle's Evan Mintz, reporting on the viral clip from the longer interview, noted that "nowhere in the clip does Wu talk about [W]hite people."
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However, Wu had referred to "White people"and their racial anxiety of becoming a minority in America before the segment shown in the clip.
"Just to clarify, I even called up Wu to ask who, exactly, he meant by 'shared oppressor,'" Mintz wrote. "His answer: Republicans."
"It is undeniable that Republicans have spent the past 50 years beating down communities," Wu told the writer.
"To their credit, some Republicans engaged with what Wu actually said, swiping at him for dividing the American people into subgroups in the first place — which, yes, he did do," Mintz reported.
Wu's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Teddi Mellencamp reflects one year after doctors found ‘plum-sized’ brain tumors, went to ER for 'migraines'
Teddi Mellencamp reflected on her cancer journey one year after she was hospitalized and required emergency brain surgery.
The former "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star had electrodes positioned across her head prior to a brain scan in an image shared Monday from her hospital stay last year.
Shortly after revealing her diagnosis in February 2025, Mellencamp, 44, shaved her head to prep for surgery to remove a few of the tumors.
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"A year ago today I went into the ER thinking I had migraines and within 24 hours was having surgery on the plum-sized stage 4 tumors on my brain," Mellencamp shared on Instagram. "I have a lot of anxiety surrounding today but also a lot of gratitude."
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"Gratitude for the doctors and nurses who took care of me, gratitude for my family and friends for supporting me, and gratitude for all the love that you have poured into me."
She encouraged her followers to "trust your instincts" and "get checked."
Teddi first shared she was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma in March 2022, and later shared in April 2025 that her skin cancer had grown to stage 4 and that it had spread to her brain and lungs. She had surgery to remove the tumors on her brain, saying at the time that while getting them removed, doctors ended up finding more.
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Later that month, a scan showed her tumors were decreasing in size. One of the many debilitating effects she suffered from on her cancer journey was her inability to speak clearly. Her recent stint on "The Masked Singer" helped her in more ways than one.
WATCH: TEDDI MELLENCAMP TALKS BENEFITS OF PERFORMING ON ‘THE MASKED SINGER’
"'The Masked Singer' has done so much for me because leading up to it, I had been really, really sick," Teddi said. "And I even see improvement in my motions now … You could see if you watch closely when I was singing, my hands were really shaking. And I had kind of forgotten how much I was shaking.
"Then when I was watching that, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I forgot that,’ because when you're recovering, you forget, you kind of only think about the negative, not the positive. And I'm like, that is a huge positive. That drove me crazy."
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She added, "I couldn't write, like my hands were shaking so bad that I couldn't write. Now my hands don't shake at all … you've gotta be grateful for those things, because it is happening, whether it's happening in my timeframe or not."
The co-host of "Two T's in a Pod" will soon celebrate five years at the helm of her podcast with fellow "Housewives" alum, Tamra Judge. Mellencamp told Fox News Digital that she's lucky to have a platform where she can speak honestly and openly with anyone.
"I've learned so much from other people on the Internet. You know, we've got to be honest, there were some tough years for me on the Internet, like people were coming for me, like it was, it was constant," Mellencamp said. "And now I would say a lot of people reach out with regard to should I go get checked, or a dermatologist saying somebody came in and said they got checked because of you and any of those times that that happens, I'm like, I am so grateful that this happened to me because I'm able to share it with so many people, whether it be my podcast, television shows, anything."
"I want to share with as many people as possible because you have to be your own health advocate."
Trump administration pushes back on CBS claim very few arrested illegal aliens have 'violent criminal records'
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) pushed back against a CBS article claiming that most illegal immigrants arrested under the Trump administration have not committed any "violent criminal offenses."
CBS' Camilo Montoya-Galvez reported on Monday that an internal DHS document showed less than 14% of nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were charged or convicted of violent crimes despite President Donald Trump's vow to go after "the worst of the worst."
DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin insisted on X that this was an inaccurate reading of the numbers, pointing out that the article downplayed several serious crimes by categorizing them as "non-violent."
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"Drug trafficking, Distribution of child pornography, burglary, fraud, DUI, embezzlement, solicitation of a minor, human smuggling are all categorized as 'non violent crimes.' Like we said, ~70% of those illegal aliens arrested under @POTUS Trump and @Sec_Noem have pending criminal charges or prior convictions," McLaughlin wrote.
In another post, she wrote, "By @cbs’s standard, Edward Hernandez, who @ICEgov arrested last week in Virginia is a 'non criminal' because he hasn’t been convicted in the United States. Never mind that he is an MS-13 member & confessed to murdering 5 people in El Salvador through shooting, torturing, stabbing, and dismemberment (including one victim who was alive.)"
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The official ICE X account also responded to the CBS report in a post criticizing the categorization of "non-violent" criminals.
"Here’s a more accurate headline, CBS. Nearly 70% of criminal aliens detained by ICE have pending charges or prior convictions. So-called 'non-violent' offenders include individuals charged with drug trafficking, distribution of child pornography, burglary, fraud, DUI, embezzlement, solicitation of a minor, human smuggling, and more. Labeling these offenses as 'non-violent' does not mean they aren’t threats to public safety," the post read.
Homeland Security's official X account also listed examples of illegal immigrants arrested by ICE who would qualify as "non-violent" under the CBS report because they were charged and convicted of violent crimes outside the United States.
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Despite the headline claiming "less than 14%" of arrested illegal immigrants have "violent criminal records," the article itself acknowledged that "nearly 60% of ICE arrestees over the past year had criminal charges or convictions" including for DUI, kidnapping and arson. The other 40%, according to the document, were "accused of civil immigration offenses."
Fox News Digital reached out to DHS and CBS for comment.
The numbers in the CBS document represented 393,000 arrests made between Jan. 21, 2025 and Jan. 31 of this year.
'Dirty Dancing' star Jennifer Grey rocks a swimsuit during beach day with pal Tracy Pollan
Jennifer Grey is glowing on a girls’ getaway.
The "Dirty Dancing" star shared a series of photos from the trip on Instagram, opening with a solo shot of herself seated on a towel along the beach. Grey wore a black bikini and sunglasses as she relaxed in the sand with the ocean behind her.
Elsewhere along the beach, Grey walked along the shoreline as waves broke at her feet. She opted for a simple black one-piece swimsuit. Layered necklaces featuring a gemstone pendant and a coin medallion added subtle detail to the understated look. The open ocean and rugged coastline stretched out behind her as she moved through the surf, giving the beach moment an easy, unposed feel.
The "Dancing with the Stars" winner included an outdoor solo selfie. The sun highlighted the red in her hair and peeked in the corner of the photo. She smiled softly at the camera while wearing a sleeveless top and a patterned scarf tied loosely around her neck, with sunlight catching her hair as it blew in the breeze.
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Another image shifted the focus to friendship, showing Grey posing alongside longtime friend Tracy Pollan. The pair leaned in close for a casual selfie, sharing the beach day with her followers.
The 65-year-old actress captioned the post, "Long overdue girls trip @tracy.pollan 🤍 giggled like we were back in high school," reflecting on their decades-long bond.
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Her longtime bestie commented back, "Love you the mostest!"
In 2023, Grey marked Pollan’s birthday with a heartfelt tribute on Instagram, calling her a lifelong constant.
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"Happy birthday to my lifelong sister-friend @tracy.pollan. There is nothing like having someone you can always count on, from 14 on, through so many chapters, through so much life. I ❤️ u #tracypollan #oldfriendsarethebestfriends," Grey wrote at the time.
The two actresses first met as teenagers while attending New York City’s Dalton School, where their friendship began years before Pollan went on to marry Michael J. Fox. Over the years, Grey and Pollan have remained close, often supporting one another through personal and professional milestones.
Grey rose to international fame with her role as Frances "Baby" Houseman in the 1987 classic "Dirty Dancing," a performance that cemented her place in pop culture.
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On Jan. 27, 2026, Grey announced she would return to the role in a newly developed sequel, reprising her character decades after the original film’s release. The actress is also set to serve as an executive producer on the project.
"The role of Baby has held a very deep and meaningful place in my heart, as it has in the hearts of so many fans over the years," Grey said in a statement. "I’ve long wondered where we might find Baby years later and what her life might be like, but it’s taken time to assemble the kind of people that I felt could be entrusted to build on the legacy of the original film … and I’m excited to say that it looks like the wait will soon be over."
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The upcoming sequel will continue the story of "Dirty Dancing" for a new generation, with Grey helping guide the project alongside a new creative team.
Bad Bunny wipes Instagram account after mixed Super Bowl performance reactions
Latin pop singer Bad Bunny surprised his over 50 million followers by deleting every single one of his Instagram posts hours after his controversial Super Bowl performance Sunday night.
The 31-year-old singer, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, also deleted his Instagram profile picture and unfollowed everyone, leaving only his follower count intact.
This move followed the Latin trap artist's Super Bowl LX halftime show, which received mixed reactions.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Bad Bunny's team for comment.
Bad Bunny's performance received widespread condemnation from prominent conservatives, including President Donald Trump.
"The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence. Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World," Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday night.
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Other conservative users on social media criticized the show for almost entirely being performed in Spanish, claiming it was a political statement to criticize U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Top Democratic leaders, by contrast, praised the performance, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who declared Sunday "Bad Bunny Day" prior to the game.
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"Thank you @sanbenito for taking the California stage and using your voice at #SuperBowlLX. A beautiful moment! Together, we are America," Newsom wrote on X.
However, some fans have speculated that the decision was not caused by the Super Bowl performance but instead part of a rebranding effort by the singer that could be ahead of a major announcement.
Bad Bunny had previously deleted his Instagram posts in 2022 after joining TikTok.
Jeffries accuses Republicans of ‘voter suppression’ over bill requiring voter ID, proof of citizenship
The House of Representatives' top Democrat claimed Republicans' election security bill was tantamount to "voter suppression" on Monday.
House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., criticized the House GOP-led SAVE America Act during his weekly press conference ahead of an expected vote on the bill coming as early as Wednesday.
"Republicans have adopted voter suppression as an electoral strategy. That's what the so-called SAVE Act is all about," Jeffries said.
He said the bill getting a vote this week is "worse than" a previous iteration simply called the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which passed the House in April 2025 with support from all Republicans and four Democrats.
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The main thrust of the SAVE Act was implementing a new proof of citizenship requirement in the voter registration process in all 50 states.
The new bill, led by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, would also create a federal voter ID standard at the polls, requiring people to show a form of identification when casting a ballot in national elections.
Jeffries also pointed to a provision that would require information-sharing between state election officials and federal authorities in verifying citizenship on current voter rolls, accusing Republicans of trying to give Americans' data to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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"This version, as I understand it, will actually give [the Department of Homeland Security] the power to get voting records from states across the country. Why would these extremists think that's a good idea?" Jeffries said.
"Who'd want DHS and ICE, who have been brutally, viciously and violently targeting everyday Americans, to have more data about the American people? It's outrageous. Something is really wrong with these folks. I think they're trying to lose elections at this point."
There is no validated evidence to date that non-citizen voting has swayed the results of any federal election.
But Republicans have argued that the influx of illegal immigrants under the Biden administration has made the problem a real possibility in coming elections.
Nevertheless, voter ID provisions have proven popular in multiple public surveys.
A Pew Research Center poll released in August 2025 showed a whopping 83% of people supported government-issued photo ID requirements for showing up to vote, compared to just 16% of people who disapproved of it.
Jeffries also said the bill would die in the Senate, where at least some Democrats are needed under current rules to overcome a filibuster and advance the legislation.
"It's not going to pass. If it squeaks by the House, it's dead on arrival in the Senate. They're wasting time," he said.
The real possibility of the bill failing in the Senate is why a group of House conservatives are pushing for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to upend the chamber's rules on the filibuster to get rid of the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome one. Thune has not committed to any route.
House passes bipartisan housing bill as Trump zeroes in on affordability crisis
The House of Representatives passed a bill aimed at making it easier for everyday Americans to purchase a home, an issue that's become a cornerstone of the affordability crisis plaguing much of the United States.
The legislation, which passed with a 390-9 vote, is a rare show of bipartisanship in an increasingly polarized Congress, having gotten a significant amount of support from both Republicans and Democrats.
Housing affordability is also an issue that President Donald Trump has promised to tackle during his second term in office.
Last month, he signed an executive order making it harder for large investment firms to buy single-family homes that could otherwise be purchased by American families, and his One Big Beautiful Bill Act also included tax incentives aimed at development in economically distressed communities.
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The legislation that passed on Monday is a wide-ranging bill with various measures aimed at growing the supply of affordable housing in the U.S., including incentivizing the construction of multifamily homes, taller buildings on smaller lots, and less restrictive permitting processes in state and local jurisdictions.
The streamlining would include establishing a new pilot program under the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to award grants for creating "pattern books" of pre-approved housing designs that are already compliant with local building codes.
Parts of the bill are chiefly aimed at expanding "missing middle" housing, which is the range between single-family homes and larger apartment buildings.
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The measures are primarily aiding first-time home buyers as well as lower-income Americans, and housing developers focused on small and mid-sized housing rather than larger luxury construction.
Multiple public surveys released in recent months have found that Americans have a strong desire for more affordable housing. One poll shared by the site Affordable Housing Finance found that more than 60% of people surveyed supported increasing missing middle housing.
The bill was also pushed by lawmakers across the political spectrum. Its two main leaders in the House were House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., a longtime Republican congressman, and progressive stalwart Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the committee.
Another proponent of the bill, Main Street Caucus Chairman Brian Flood, R-Neb., hailed it as "landmark legislation."
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"It doesn't matter if you're in a blue city or a red city, whether you're a Habitat for Humanity in Omaha or, you know, a housing developer in Birmingham, Alabama, these issues aren't partisan," Flood told reporters on Monday. "In order to solve the housing crisis, we have to be able to remove a lot of the barriers."
Hill told reporters that the legislation did not get in the way of areas that had an oversupply of housing, either.
"If there's not a demand for housing, this doesn't get in the way of that. I mean, this requires a bank to be willing to lend a community development program to say that we should spend these dollars to build housing. And if there is a surplus of housing and pricing is affordable, then there wouldn't be that market signal that says we need new housing," Hill said.
It comes as affordability appears to be an increasingly important topic in the coming November midterm elections.
Other supporters of the legislation include Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., and Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., the latter of which championed a bill whose core tenets got folded into the final piece.
"If House Republicans and Democrats can agree on this package to increase housing supply and lower prices across the nation, the Senate should be able to swiftly send it to the president's desk," Stutzman told Fox News Digital. "Our constituents need the relief this bill offers."
Stutzman introduced a bill in September of last year aimed at streamlining the environmental review process for new rural housing projects.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where it must pass with bipartisan support before getting to Trump's desk for his signature.