The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a sweeping package of proposed regulatory actions Thursday to end ‘sex-rejecting procedures’ on minors as part of President Donald Trump’s January executive order calling on the department to protect children from ‘chemical and surgical mutilation.’

‘Today, we are taking six decisive actions guided by gold standard science and the week one executive order from President Trump to protect children from chemical and surgical mutilation,’ HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during a press conference Thursday afternoon announcing the proposed actions.

HHS is rolling out a series of policy updates and regulatory actions that effectively would defund hospitals that provide gender transition procedures, according to an HHS official. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rolled out policy proposals that would bar hospitals from carrying out performing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and certain surgeries on patients under 18 as a ‘condition of participation in Medicare and Medicaid programs.’ The majority of U.S. hospitals participate in Medicare and Medicaid, according to HHS. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released another proposed rule that would block federal Medicaid funding for procedures aimed at altering the sex of a child under the age of 18, which HHS said also will apply to federal funding to the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for the same procedures on individuals under the age of 19. 

Collectively, according to the HHS official, the actions would ensure no federal funds directly support gender transition procedures on children.

‘On my watch, HHS will stand for radical transparency and informed consent,’ said Kennedy. ‘We follow the evidence. We employ gold standard science. We honor the moral obligation to do no harm. There is divine worth in every person. It shines most brightly in our children that was commanded us to protect them.’ 

The announcement comes after HHS released a peer-reviewed report in November that found medical procedures to alter a child’s biological sex pose serious long-term dangers to children.

The report was released through the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health and found that operations working to reject a child’s biological sex — including the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgical operations — ‘are significant, long term, and too often ignored or inadequately tracked.’

The November report was an update to HHS’ May report that reviewed the evidence and best practices for children with gender dysphoria, which was criticized by a handful of medical groups for not identifying the study’s authors and allegedly misrepresenting a medical consensus on the matter. 

In another Thursday crackdown, Kennedy signed a declaration that such procedures on children do not meet professional medical standards, based on the study, which warns ‘practitioners who perform sex-rejecting procedures on minors would be deemed out of compliance with those standards.’

‘They betrayed their Hippocratic Oath to do no harm,’ Kennedy said Thursday. ‘So-called gender-affirming care has inflicted lasting physical and psychological damage on vulnerable young people. This is not medicine. It is malpractice. We’re done with junk science driven by ideological pursuits, not the well-being of children.’ 

The Food and Drug Administration additionally announced Thursday, as part of the crackdown on trans medical issues for minors, that it sent warning letters to 12 manufacturers and retailers behind the ‘illegal marketing of breast binders to children.’ 

At the civil rights level, HHS is moving to undo a Biden-era effort to treat gender dysphoria as a disability under federal law. A newly proposed revision to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 would clarify that the definitions of ‘disability’ and ‘individual with a disability’ exclude ‘gender dysphoria’ that is not the result of a physical impairment. 

‘The Biden-era amendment is designated gender dysphoria as a disability, serve the commercial interests of a predatory, multibillion dollar industry that betrayed the original intention of those laws engendered widespread public resentment against those laws among the American people, and discredit the statutes in the public mind,’ Kennedy said during the press conference Thursday. 

The announcement is expected to be met with pushback from left-wing Democrats, who have continued championing ‘gender-affirming care’ for kids. 

Transgender issues became a political football toward the end of Trump’s first administration and into the Biden administration, which repeatedly declared support for the trans community and trans youth. In November, 130 Members of Congress, for example, filed an amicus brief at the Supreme Court in November for a pair of cases focused on transgender students playing on a school sports team opposite their biological sex.  

Supporters of medical procedures aimed at altering a child’s sex argue preventing such medical care can lead to depression and anxiety, and even suicide and must be protected. 

President Donald Trump has repeatedly railed against trans procedures for children as an ‘act of abuse’ since before his reelection in 2024. 

The president and the Make America Healthy Commission he established earlier in 2025 have doubled down that there are only two biological sexes, including Trump signing an executive order declaring the U.S. only recognizes male and female sexes while also ending a ‘radical and wasteful’ diversity, equity and inclusion program within the government. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday called for the U.S. and other allies to respond to bellicose ‘signals’ from Russia.

‘Today, we again heard signals from Moscow that they are preparing to make next year a year of war. These signals are not only for us. It is crucial that our partners see them, and not only see them but also respond — especially partners in the United States, who often say that Russia wants to end the war,’ Zelenskyy asserted in a post on X.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

‘Yet the signals coming from Russia are the exact opposite, taking the form of official orders to their army. This Russian mindset must be recognized — and acted upon. When Russia is in this mindset, it will also undermine diplomacy — seeking, through diplomatic language and pressure over specific points in documents — to merely mask its desire to destroy Ukraine and Ukrainians, and the desire to legitimize Russia’s theft of our land. And then come other countries in Europe, which someone in Russia might one day label their so‑called ‘historical lands,” he asserted in the post.

‘Real protection is needed against this Russian case history of madness, and we will continue working with all partners to ensure that protection is in place. Security measures are needed, financial measures are needed — including actions on Russian assets — political measures are needed. And the courage of all partners is required: to see the truth, acknowledge the truth, and act accordingly. I want to thank everyone who supports Ukraine,’ his post concluded.

Zelenskyy also conveyed the message in a Ukrainian-language video.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared during a Defense Ministry board meeting on Wednesday that Russia will accomplish its goals, either through diplomacy or military force.

‘The goals of the special military operation will undoubtedly be achieved. We would prefer to accomplish this and address the root causes of the conflict through diplomatic means. However, if the opposing side and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive dialogue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means. The task of creating and expanding a security buffer zone will also be carried out consistently,’ Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a staunch proponent of U.S. support for Ukraine, asserted in a post on X, ‘Again… the U.S. should send 200 long-range and extremely accurate cruise missiles to Ukraine. Maybe then, Putin will get serious and seek peace. Putin started this war, and he’ll stop this war once he realizes he cannot win and that the cost of war is too high.’

President Donald Trump’s administration has been attempting to help broker peace between Russia and Ukraine.

A pair of conservative lawmakers is launching a new group in the House of Representatives to ‘protect Western civilization in the United States,’ according to one of its founders.

Reps. Keith Self, R-Texas, and Chip Roy, R-Texas, are starting the ‘Sharia Free America Caucus,’ Fox News Digital learned first.

‘Anytime you go to a fight, you bring as many friends with you as you can. I’m a military guy,’ Self told Fox News Digital. ‘So what we need to do is build this caucus now so that we can start educating the American people to the dangers of Sharia in the United States.’

Self said it was ‘fundamentally incompatible with the U.S. Constitution.’

The caucus also has support in the Senate from Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., who Self said he hoped could help push some of its legislative goals forward through both chambers.

Among the bills they’re hoping to push is a ban on foreign nationals who ‘adhere to Sharia’ from entering the U.S., and a measure that would designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

‘America is facing a threat that directly attacks our Constitution and our Western values: the spread of Sharia law,’ Roy said in a statement. ‘From Texas to every state in this constitutional republic, instances of Sharia adherents masquerading as ‘refugees’ — and in many cases, sleeper cells connected to terrorist organizations — are threatening the American way of life.’

Sharia broadly refers to a code of ethics and conduct used by devout Muslims. Sharia law more specifically often refers to the criminal code used in non-secular Islamic countries, like Iran.

In its most extreme cases, such as when ISIS-controlled parts of the Middle East, charges like blasphemy could carry the death penalty.

But guarantees of religious freedom in the Constitution mean that Sharia law can not be carried out on any governmental level in the U.S.

The Republicans’ caucus appears largely symbolic in nature, but it’s evidence of the continued culture war raging in the country.

Self also pointed to countries like the U.K. and France, where growing unrest between Muslim refugees and the current populace has dominated headlines in recent years.

Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, who announced on Wednesday that he will be departing from his role in January, later replied to FBI Director Kash Patel, who gave him a glowing review.

‘Dan is the best partner I could’ve asked for in helping restore this FBI. He brought critical reforms to make the organization more efficient, led the successful Summer Heat op, served as the people’s voice for transparency, and delivered major breakthroughs in long unsolved cases like the pipe bomb investigation. And that’s only a small part of the work he went about every single day delivering for America,’ Patel said in a post on X.

‘He not only completed his mission – he far exceeded it. We will miss him but I’m thankful he accepted the call to serve. Our country is better and safer for it,’ Patel added.

Bongino replied, thanking Patel.

‘Thank you my friend, it’s been the honor of a lifetime to serve beside you,’ he wrote.

Bongino, a former Secret Service agent who stepped aside from his work hosting a popular show as a conservative commentator to join the FBI, will depart the federal law enforcement agency less than a year after his swearing-in ceremony, which occurred in March 2025.

Prior to Bongino’s announcement on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said, ‘Dan did a great job,’ noting that he thinks Bongino wants to return to his show.

Attorney General Pam Bondi shared Bongino’s announcement post, commenting, ‘Americans are safer because of @FBIDDBongino’s service. Thank you, Dan.’

The House passed a bill on Wednesday that would criminalize gender transition treatment for minors.

The measure, sponsored by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., passed by a 216-211 vote with some bipartisan support.

Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, and Don Davis, D-N.C., voted with most Republicans for the bill, while Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., Gabe Evans, R-Colo., and Mike Kennedy, R-Utah, voted with most Democrats against the measure.

‘Children are NOT experiments. No more drugs. No more surgeries. No more permanent harm. We need to let kids grow up without manipulation from adults to make life-altering decisions! Congress must protect America’s children!!!’ Greene wrote on X ahead of the vote.

Greene had reached a deal with House leadership to bring her bill to the floor in exchange for her backing a rule last week to advance the National Defense Authorization Act.

The bill faces a significant hurdle to pass the Senate, as Republicans would need Democrat support to approve the legislation in the Upper Chamber.

The American Civil Liberties Union criticized the House passage, saying the measure ‘would have immediate and devastating effects on the lives and transgender youth and their families across the country.’

‘Politicians should never prohibit parents from doing what is best for their transgender children,’ Mike Zamore, National Director of Policy & Government Affairs at the ACLU, said in a statement. ‘These families often spend years considering how best to support their children, only to have ill-equipped politicians interfere by attempting to criminalize the health care that they, their children, and their doctors believe is necessary to allow their children to thrive.’

‘But this bill also creates an incredibly dangerous precedent far beyond the specific care at issue, criminalizing care based on ideology and placing Washington politicians between families and their doctors,’ he continued. ‘We strongly condemn the passage of this measure and urge members of the Senate to do everything in their power to prevent it from ever becoming law.’

Greene and Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, butted heads over the bill before its passage. The Georgia congresswoman, set to resign next month, had criticized Roy, who sits on the House Rules Committee, for introducing an amendment she argued would ‘gut the commerce clause.’

Roy’s amendment attempted to modify the bill to limit federal criminal liability under certain circumstances ‘by defining when prohibited conduct falls within federal jurisdiction,’ according to the Rules Committee.

But Greene contended that her bill ‘criminalizes ALL pediatric gender affirming care (transgender surgeries, puberty blockers, and hormones) NOT just those receiving federal funds and protects ALL children allowing them to grow up before they make permanent changes to their body that they can never undo!!!’

‘WTF is Chip Roy doing????? And this guy wants to be attorney general of Texas but refuses to protect children??!!!’ she wrote on X.

Roy responded that ‘the constitution matters & we should not bastardize it to use ‘interstate commerce’ to empower federal authorities.’

The Texas Republican, however, said in a statement on Wednesday that he would not offer the amendment ‘to avoid any confusion about how united Republicans are in protecting children from these grotesque procedures.’

Senate Republicans inched closer to history Wednesday after blowing past yet another procedural obstacle on their way to confirming nearly 100 of President Donald Trump’s nominees.

As part of their mad dash from Washington ahead of the upcoming holiday recess, Senate Republicans advanced a tranche of 97 of Trump’s picks. The 53-47 party-line vote puts the GOP one step away from confirming the batch of nominees.

The final confirmation vote is expected Thursday, barring an agreement with Senate Democrats to speed up the process.

And if that vote is successful, which it is expected to be, Senate Republicans will have confirmed more of Trump’s picks than any other president in one year.

The current nominees package would place Trump at 415 total confirmed during the first year of his second term, which leapfrogs his total of 323 during his first term. It also blows past former President Joe Biden, who, at the same period at the end of his first year in office, had 365.

Senate Republicans have rapidly confirmed hundreds of Trump’s picks since changing the Senate’s rules for the confirmation process in September in a bid to smash through Senate Democrats’ blockade against advancing even the most low-level positions throughout the Trump administration.

The GOP went nuclear — the fourth time in the Senate’s history — to lower the threshold for certain picks to just a simple majority, rather than the typical, 60-vote filibuster.

That change has allowed Republicans to quickly move through sub-cabinet level positions at a brisk pace and to tee up Trump’s expected historic moment.

Among the list of nominees are former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., to serve as inspector general at the Department of Labor and two picks for the National Labor Relations Board, James Murphy and Scott Mayer, along with several others in nearly every federal agency.

Lawmakers also separately confirmed Trump’s choice to run NASA, billionaire Jared Isaacman, and his pick for a spot on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Douglas Weaver.

Isaacman’s confirmation sailed through on a bipartisan 67-30 vote but served as the second go-round for the upper chamber to ruminate on his ascension atop NASA.

Trump had nominated him to run the nation’s space agency in December 2024, but he was pulled earlier this year after a ‘thorough review of prior associations.’

But Isaacman was later nominated again in November for the same post, and Trump lauded his ‘passion for space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new space economy.’

More than 200 House Democrats voted against a bill aimed at criminalizing transgender medical treatment for minors Wednesday evening.

The bill passed in a 216-211 vote that had some bipartisan crossover.

Three Democrats — Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas; Don Davis, D-N.C.; and Henry Cuellar, D-Texas — voted with Republicans for the bill. 

Four Republicans — Mike Kennedy, R-Utah; Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.; Gabe Evans, R-Colo.; and Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., voted against it.

It was widely opposed by most Democrats, however. Forty-five House Republicans signed on to formally back the legislation before the vote.

And while the majority of Republicans supported it on the House floor, it’s unclear if it will be taken up in the GOP-led Senate.

Transgender issues, particularly related to minors, have been one of the topics driving a wedge between moderate and progressive Democrats. But the severity of the bill’s language appears to have turned off a significant number of Democrats in the House.

The bill creates new federal crimes that carry up to 10 years in prison for doctors performing transgender-affirming surgeries on minors, while also making it a crime to prescribe puberty blockers.

Parents or guardians of children under 18 could also be held criminally liable if they consent to or otherwise facilitate transgender treatment for them.

‘This extreme bill puts the threat of prosecution between hundreds of thousands of families and their doctors and would put doctors behind bars for exercising their best medical judgment,’ said Mike Zamore, national director of policy & government affairs at the American Civil Liberties Union 

‘Passing this bill would be a grave escalation of an already severe effort to not only push transgender people out of public life but also allow the state to control our bodies and our lives further.’

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who argued in favor of the bill on the House floor, said Wednesday, ‘It is obscene. It is disgusting. You’re seeing, in real time, Democrats wanting and defending grooming of children. And it is abhorrent.

‘There is a lie at the heart of the debate we’re having today that I have to correct. No child is born in the wrong body. There are only two sexes, male and female. There are no others.’

The Senate confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman Wednesday in a 67-30 vote to serve as NASA administrator, months after President Donald Trump withdrew the same nomination during his public feud with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

The confirmation places Isaacman, an investor in SpaceX and leader of two private spaceflight missions, at the helm of the nation’s space agency. Reuters reported that Isaacman becomes NASA’s 15th administrator and is known as an advocate of Mars missions.

Trump previously pulled Isaacman’s nomination in May, citing what he described at the time as ‘a thorough review of prior associations.’ 

Fox News Digital reported at the time that the decision was made amid escalating tensions between Trump and Musk, who had recently departed his role leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and publicly criticized Trump’s ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill.’

Isaacman later suggested the timing of the withdrawal was no coincidence. 

Speaking on the ‘All-In Podcast,’ he said, ‘I don’t need to play dumb on this. I don’t think that the timing was much of a coincidence.’ He added that ‘there were some people that had some axes to grind, I guess, and I was a good, visible target,’ Fox News Digital previously reported.

The nomination was revisited in the fall as relations between Trump and Musk appeared to thaw. In October, NASA officials confirmed Isaacman was again under consideration after meetings with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who was tasked with vetting candidates for the permanent NASA role at Trump’s direction.

Trump formally renominated Isaacman in November, praising him in a social media post.

‘Jared’s passion for Space, and his commitment to American Leadership in Space, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era,’ Trump wrote.

Fox News Digital has extensively reported on the broader Trump-Musk feud that surrounded the nomination’s earlier withdrawal. In May and June, the two men publicly exchanged harsh words over Trump’s ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill.’ 

Musk accused Trump of pushing a ‘disgusting abomination,’ while Trump said Musk had gone ‘CRAZY’ and was ‘wearing thin.’ 

Signs of reconciliation followed when Trump and Musk shook hands and spoke briefly at Charlie Kirk’s memorial, with Trump later saying, ‘We had a little conversation. We had a very good relationship, but it was nice that he came over.’ 

Musk also attended a White House dinner hosted by Trump and appeared at other administration events.

Trump later teased Musk publicly, telling an audience, ‘You’re so lucky I’m with you, Elon. I’ll tell you. Has he ever thanked me properly?’ 

Musk responded on X by saying, ‘I would like to thank President Trump for all he has done for America and the world.’

Axios reported Tuesday that Musk has begun financially backing Republican House and Senate candidates ahead of the 2026 midterms, showing warming relations after what the outlet described as a ‘messy breakup’ earlier this year. 

Politico similarly reported that Musk has said his relationship with Trump ‘went up in flames’ in June but has since been rebuilt.

Isaacman’s confirmation brings that arc to a close, cementing his leadership role at NASA. 

Isaacman previously commanded Inspiration4, the first all-civilian mission to orbit Earth, and later led the Polaris Dawn mission, both in partnership with SpaceX. 

The White House and representatives for Musk and Isaacman did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

House Republicans passed a bill they say will lower healthcare costs for a broad swath of Americans by roughly 11%.

It’s a victory for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who has been managing deep divisions within the House GOP on the topic of healthcare as insurance premiums are set to spike across the country in a matter of weeks.

One glaring issue that remains unresolved is Obamacare subsidies, which were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic but are set to expire at the end of this year.

The legislation passed 216 to 211. Just one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., voted against it along with all House Democrats.

The bill’s passage comes hours after a group of moderate Republicans joined a Democrat-led discharge petition to force a vote on extending the subsidies for another three years.

A discharge petition is a mechanism for overriding the will of House leaders to get a chamberwide vote on specific legislation, provided it has support from a majority of lawmakers. It sets up the legislation for a vote sometime in the new year.

Each of the four House Republicans made clear that backing Democrats’ bill was not their first choice, but they felt they were left with few options after Johnson made clear this week that there would not be a separate vote on extending the subsidies before the end of this year.

But the majority of House Republicans are against extending the subsidies, at least without significant reforms. Conservatives have argued the subsidies amount to throwing more money at a long-broken system that does little to tackle the actual cost of healthcare.

‘Obamacare has been an unmitigated disaster for 15 years, crushing families with high premiums and rampant fraud while enriching insurance companies. It’s time for conservatives to get serious about advancing policies that can become law and therefore actually reduce costs,’ Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, who called the House bill a ‘solid first step,’ told Fox News Digital.

Republicans who are for extending them have also conceded that reforms are needed, but have positioned a short-term extension as the best course of action to buy more time to work on an off-ramp.

The House GOP bill, the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, includes provisions to codify association health plans, which allow small businesses and people who are self-employed to band together to purchase healthcare coverage plans, giving them access to greater bargaining power.

Republicans also plan to appropriate funding for cost-sharing reductions beginning in 2027, which are designed to lower out-of-pocket medical costs in the individual healthcare market. House GOP leadership aides said it would bring down the cost of premiums by 12%.

New transparency requirements for pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are also in the legislation, aimed at forcing PBMs to be more upfront about costs to employers.

PBMs are third parties that act as intermediaries between pharmaceutical companies and those responsible for insurance coverage, often responsible for administrative tasks and negotiating drug prices.

PBMs have also been the subject of bipartisan ire in Congress, with both Republicans and Democrats accusing them of being part of a broken system to inflate health costs.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that enacting the bill would reduce the federal deficit by $35.6 billion for a 10-year period through 2035.

If the bill became law, it would also decrease the number of people with health insurance by an average of 100,000 per year between 2027-2035 and lower gross benchmark premium costs by an average 11% through 2035, CBO said.

However, it’s not immediately clear whether it will be taken up by the Senate.

Republicans in the upper chamber failed to advance their own healthcare plan last week after also rejecting Democrats’ plan to extend the Obamacare subsidies.

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino is leaving the bureau in January after speculation rose this week concerning his departure.

‘I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January,’ Bongino wrote in an X post Wednesday. ‘I want to thank President [Donald] Trump, AG [Pam] Bondi, and Director [Kash] Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose. Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you. God bless America, and all those who defend Her.’

President Donald Trump hinted at the news on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews earlier in the afternoon, saying, ‘Dan did a great job. I think he wants to go back to his show.’

Bongino, a former Secret Service agent, had no FBI experience before Trump tapped him to serve in the No. 2 position there. Prior to Bongino, the role had for more than a century been filled by someone who worked at the bureau, according to the FBI Agents Association. The position does not require Senate confirmation.

Fox News confirmed Andrew Bailey, co-deputy director, has been on the job since September and will stay on for now in the deputy role reporting to Patel.

The White House and the FBI did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

This is a breaking story. Check back later for updates.