House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters he was ‘surprised’ by Elon Musk’s criticism of the ‘big, beautiful bill’ after the two of them discussed the legislation. 

While the speaker expressed confidence in the bill, he acknowledged that it took Congress ‘decades’ to reach a point where the national debt has crept past $36.2 trillion and that it would take more than one bill to fix the situation.

‘The Trump administration needs four years to do all this reform, not two years. The Biden administration, Biden-Harris, made such a disaster of every metric of public policy, it’s going to take us more than one bill to fix it all,’ Johnson said.

The Republican House leader said he and Musk, whom he considers a ‘friend,’ had a ‘great conversation’ about the ‘big, beautiful bill’ Monday. The tech billionaire apparently joked that the bill could not be ‘big and beautiful,’ to which Johnson replied, ‘Oh, yes it can, my friend. It’s very beautiful.’

‘Elon and I left on a great note. We were texting one another — you know, happy texts,’ Johnson told reporters. The speaker added he was surprised when Musk came out against the bill the next day. 

‘I think he’s flat wrong,’ Johnson said. ‘I think he’s way off on this, and I’ve told him as much.’

Johnson also praised the ‘obviously brilliant’ tech billionaire for his work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut government waste.

Despite seemingly ending his tenure with the Trump White House on good terms last week, Musk came out swinging against the ‘big, beautiful bill,’ calling it a ‘disgusting abomination.’ 

‘This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it,’ Musk tweeted.

Musk also retweeted multiple pleas from Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, for the Senate to improve the bill and avoid saddling Americans with more government spending. 

On Wednesday, during a weekly press briefing, House Republican leadership advocated for the ‘big, beautiful bill,’ saying it was necessary for funding the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Multiple leaders, including Johnson and House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., cited the antisemitic attack in Colorado allegedly carried out by an illegal immigrant as an example why the bill’s funding is needed.

‘We need to go find the other Solimans and get them out of America,’ Johnson said in reference to suspected Boulder, Colorado, attacker Mohamed Soliman, the Egyptian national accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a group of people calling for the release of hostages being held in Gaza. 

Now that the bill has passed the House, it’s up to Senate Republicans to meet President Donald Trump’s July 4 deadline.

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) claiming President Donald Trump’s executive orders had threatened the independence of the Federal Election Committee (FEC), a significant – albeit rare – court victory for the president.

In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali, a Biden appointee, said the DNC failed to demonstrate ‘concrete and imminent injury’ – or the burden needed to justify their request for a preliminary injunction. He said that the concerns raised by the party about the FEC’s independence as a result of Trump’s executive order were far too speculative to satisfy the court’s higher bar for emergency relief. 

At issue in the case was the executive order Trump signed on Feb. 18, titled, ‘Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies.’ 

Democrats filed the lawsuit just 10 days after the order was signed, arguing that the order threatened to encroach on the independence of the FEC and risked subjecting it to the whims of the executive branch.

The lawsuit focused largely on the claim that the FEC is an independent regulatory agency and argued that the credibility of the entire regulatory enterprise would be ‘fatally undermined if the party controlling the White House can unilaterally structure campaign rules and adjudicate disputes to disadvantage its electoral competitors.’

Notably, Ali said Tuesday that he had not found any evidence to date that the White House or the Trump administration had taken steps to change or undermine how the FEC interprets federal election law, or target its independent role.

The ‘possibility that the president and attorney general would take the extraordinary step of issuing a directive to the FEC or its Commissioners purporting to bind their interpretation of FECA is not sufficiently concrete and imminent to create Article III injury,’ Ali said Tuesday.

Should that change, however, Ali said the DNC was welcome to submit an amended filing to the court to reconsider the case.

‘This Court’s doors are open to the parties if changed circumstances show concrete action or impact on the FEC’s or its Commissioners’ independence,’ Ali said.

Israeli officials are speaking out against a draft resolution that is set to go before the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday. The resolution, which has the support of Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Somalia, calls for a renewed ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the return of the hostages and the lifting of restrictions on humanitarian aid.

The United Nations has issued a litany of criticisms of Israel’s handling of the war as Palestinians in Gaza struggled under the blockade that was reinstated after the ceasefire collapsed in March. Israel lifted restrictions on humanitarian aid in May.

Israeli officials warn that the drafr resolution ‘undermines’ humanitarian aid efforts while leaving Hamas in power. 

‘This resolution doesn’t advance humanitarian relief. It undermines it. It ignores a working system in favor of political agendas. It ignores the one party still endangering civilians in Gaza: Hamas. The group that hijacks trucks and stockpiles the aid to their benefit,’ Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said ahead of the vote.

Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Oren Marmorstein told Fox News Digital that the resolution does not do enough to link the release of hostages to the establishment of a ceasefire. The Israeli official also said the resolution would allow Hamas to stay in power.

‘So basically, what this proposal is favoring or offering to do is to enable Hamas to come up with another October 7th massacre,’ Marmorstein told Fox News Digital. He added that Hamas said it would carry out another violent attack like the one on Oct. 7, 2023.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a U.S. and Israel-backed aid organization, paused its aid distribution operations on Wednesday following days of deadly incidents near its sites. 

‘GHF is actively engaged in discussions with the IDF to enhance its security measures beyond the immediate perimeter of GHF sites,’ a GHF spokesperson told Fox News Digital. ‘We have asked the IDF to: introduce measures that guide foot traffic in a way that minimizes confusion or escalation risks near IDF military perimeters; develop clearer IDF-issued guidance to help the population transit safely; enhance IDF force training and refine internal IDF procedures to support safety.’

If passed, the draft resolution would be legally binding—unlike those that come out of the U.N. General Assembly. It is unclear, however, what impact it would have on Israel’s current operations or policy.

The U.S. Mission to the U.N. did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Another member of Sen. John Fetterman’s staff is reportedly leaving his office, and the maverick lawmaker doesn’t want to talk about it.

Fetterman’s office has been plagued by a string of departures since he came to Washington in 2023, and his alleged erratic behavior, concerns over his health and decision to skip certain votes have led to a wave of scrutiny in recent weeks.

And now, Fetterman, D-Pa., is set to lose another top staffer. Axios first reported that Krysta Sinclair Juris, who has been the lawmaker’s chief of staff since April 2024, is set to leave his office. Fox News Digital reached out to Juris and Fetterman’s office for comment.

When pressed about the situation in his office, Fetterman didn’t want to talk about it.

‘Well, have you, have you spoken to the significant number of my colleagues that have much higher staff turnover?’ Fetterman asked Fox News Digital.

He doubled down when asked again if Axios’ reporting was accurate.

‘I think you should talk to my colleagues that have much higher turnover,’ he said after ducking into an elevator.

Politico later reported that Cabelle St. John would take over the chief of staff position.

The latest departure is not the first instance where staffers have left this year. Two aides left last month after a bombshell report from New York Magazine detailed rising concerns among his staff about his health.

And in February, his deputy chief of staff and communications director hit the exits, too.

Fetterman has been no stranger to controversy since winning his seat two years ago and has made a name for himself by often bucking his party’s marching orders and siding with Senate Republicans on thorny policy issues.

For example, Fetterman has often broken with Democrats on Israel and immigration, saying his party has lost the argument on both issues.

The lawmaker acknowledged his unique brand of bipartisanship during a forum alongside fellow Pennsylvania Sen. David McCormick, a Republican, moderated by Fox News’ Shannon Bream on Monday.  

‘That’s part of the bipartisanship where, you know, it’s getting more and more kind of, punitive to just agree with some of these things in the middle of the party right now,’ he said.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said Elon Musk should fund primary challenges against almost every Republican who voted for President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ last week.

‘I don’t primary my colleagues, but I feel pretty good about him doing it,’ Massie told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

‘There’s a few others that should be spared,’ when asked to clarify if he meant all 215 House Republicans who supported the legislation. ‘But people want term limits, right? Elon can bring term limits.’

Musk came out against the massive Trump agenda bill that House Republicans passed last week.

‘I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it,’ Musk first posted.

It was followed by several posts on the national debt, and one that read, ‘In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people.’

Massie said on Wednesday, ‘I just think he made one mistake when misstatement – he said take them out in November. I would take them out in primaries if I were Elon Musk.’

Both House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and the White House have closed ranks around the legislation.

Johnson issued a rare forceful response to Musk from the podium of his weekly press conference on Wednesday, calling the billionaire ‘flat wrong.’

‘Elon and I left on a great note. We were texting one another, you know, happy texts, you know, Monday and then, and then yesterday, you know, 24 hours later, he does a 180, and he comes out and opposed the bill,’ Johnson told reporters.

‘And it surprised me, frankly. And, I don’t take it personal…I think he’s way off on this, and I’ve told him as much, and, I’ve said it publicly and privately.’

The massive budget reconciliation bill is aimed at advancing Trump’s priorities on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the debt limit. 

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected it would add $2.4 trillion to the federal deficit over 10 years, but House GOP leaders have dismissed that modeling as inaccurate representations of economic growth.

Massie was one of three House Republicans to vote against the bill. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, also voted ‘no,’ while House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., voted ‘present.’

Massie is also no stranger to clashing with both Trump and Johnson. He has faced primary threats from the former and led an unsuccessful bid to remove the latter from House leadership.

Massie has been consistent, however, in his opposition to legislation that would have any chance of adding to the federal debt – now currently nearly $37 trillion.

Republican supporters of the bill, however, have contended that it is the best possible vehicle to radically reform government programs plagued with waste, fraud and abuse, and restore much-needed funding to the border, while extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.

However, the legislation is now in the Senate, where Republicans have already signaled they would want to see changes to the final bill.

Fox News Digital reached out to the National Republican Congressional Committee for comment on Massie’s remarks.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday came out swinging at the U.S.’ most recent proposal, which apparently included a call for zero uranium enrichment, to which the Iranian leader said was ‘100 %’ against Tehran’s interests.

The issue of whether the U.S. would push a complete ban on uranium enrichment – a process that is needed to produce nuclear energy as well a warhead – came into question this week after reporting suggested a U.S. proposal submitted to Iran through Omani mediators on Saturday allowed for ‘low levels’ of enrichment.

President Donald Trump appeared to refute this in a social media post this week, and on Wednesday, Khamanei, who did not comment directly on the specifics of the proposal, said that ‘In the current nuclear talks that are being mediated by Oman, the U.S.’s proposal is 100% against the spirit of ‘We can’.’ 

‘What the U.S. is demanding is that you should have no nuclear industry at all and be dependent on them,’ he added. 

Included in the proposal was apparently a call for a regional coalition for enrichment that could provide Iran with the uranium it needs for civilian projects, like energy. 

Iranian authorities said this week that this idea was not a new concept, and while Tehran is not opposed to being part of such a coalition, it would not serve as an adequate substitute even though Iran relies on nuclear energy for less than 1% of its energy consumption. 

Khamanei did not say that Iran was unwilling to continue negotiating with the U.S., though Tehran has repeatedly insisted that a zero-enrichment policy is a non-starter. 

‘A nuclear industry without enrichment capabilities is useless, because we would then be dependent on others to obtain fuel for our power plants,’ he said.

The Iranian leader said on Wednesday that Iran’s nuclear development has become a source of national pride and claimed, ‘The number of countries in the world that have achieved a complete nuclear fuel cycle is perhaps fewer than the number of fingers on a person’s two hands. 

‘We’re capable of producing nuclear fuel starting from the mine and all the way to the power plant,’ he added. 

Iran has also repeatedly claimed it does not intend to develop a nuclear weapon, though its near-weapons-grade enrichment levels and missile program have suggested otherwise and prompted immense concern among international security officials, including the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Khamanei’s comments regarding Iran’s possession of a nuclear weapon were among the most fervent he has issued and again called into question Tehran’s claims that it is not looking to make itself the 10th nuclear nation. 

‘You Americans possess atomic bombs and have the massive destruction of the world at your disposal,’ he said in a series of posts on X. ‘What business is it of yours whether the Iranian nation should or shouldn’t have uranium enrichment or whether it should or shouldn’t have a nuclear industry?

‘Why are you interfering and trying to say whether Iran should have uranium enrichment or not? That’s none of your business,’ Khamanei said. 

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is pushing to grant Congress vast new oversight powers over real-time federal spending to pick up where Elon Musk left off with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

A new bill that Roy is introducing on Wednesday would give lawmakers access to Treasury Department invoices larger than $25,000 in real time.

It would also grant lawmakers the ability to see payments to individual recipients of federal benefits and federal employees, according to bill text previewed by Fox News Digital.

It comes roughly a week after Musk announced he was stepping away from his federal government role – followed by his criticism of congressional Republicans’ spending legislation on the way out the door.

‘DOGE lifted up the hood of federal government spending and put on full display the massive programs and inefficiencies wasting American taxpayer dollars,’ Roy told Fox News Digital.

‘Billions were splurged on waste, fraud and abuse – but also on programs that clearly do not align with the core values of the American people. Regardless of which party controls the White House, the mission of DOGE in identifying wasteful spending must continue.’

He said his legislation would give Congress ‘the best tools available to identify this ridiculous spending in real time and allow us to reform government spending well into the future.’

Fiscal hawks like Roy are already looking to the next steps even as Congress begins consideration of a $9.4 billion spending cut proposal sent by the White House on Tuesday. 

The mechanism, known as a rescissions package, gives Capitol Hill 45 days to approve the blockage of funds – which were previously greenlit by Congress – while lowering the Senate’s threshold for passage on it from 60 votes to 51.

The package, which Republican leaders signaled could be the first of several, targets federal funding to NPR, PBS and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

House GOP leaders said that package would get a vote next week.