EXCLUSIVE: Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst is introducing legislation Thursday targeting fraud in federal programs — a proposal that would set early-warning tripwires to flag suspected scams and push agencies to claw back taxpayer dollars, Fox News Digital has learned.

“It’s absolutely unacceptable that the fraud running rampant in Minnesota could end up costing taxpayers more than $9 billion,” Ernst told Fox News Digital. “My Putting an N to Learing about Fraud Act will ensure this never happens again by putting more safeguards in place to detect scams early and require the recovery of any money ripped off from taxpayers.”

Ernst’s office said the bill is designed to hit fraud on two fronts: tightening rules around childcare payments and creating new spike alerts in healthcare programs to flag suspicious surges early, while also pushing the federal government to recover improper payments.

If passed, the bill would force state plans tied to federal childcare dollars to pay providers based on documented attendance — not just enrollment — to prevent taxpayer money from going out for care that never happened.

MINNESOTA FRAUD CASE IS ‘CANARY IN THE COAL MINE’ FOR GOVERNMENT SYSTEMS — INCLUDING ELECTIONS, LAWYER WARS

It also underlines that states can reimburse providers after services are delivered rather than paying upfront. Providers taking federal funds would have to track attendance and keep those records for seven years, making them available for audits by the Department of Health and Human Services, the attorney general and the comptroller general.

On the healthcare front, the legislation would create new notification requirements tied to abrupt jumps in health billings and costs. States would be required to notify Health and Human Services when the amount being paid for a service increases by more than 100% in a year, or if the number of providers seeking payment increases by 100% in a year. 

GOP SENATORS LAUNCH TASK FORCE TO CRACK DOWN ON FRAUD TIED TO MINNESOTA SCANDAL

Beyond early detection, the bill aims to force agencies to claw back funds either swindled from taxpayers or received in error.

It would direct the Office of Management and Budget to issue guidance to federal agencies to ensure improper payments are recovered and require inspectors general to report annually the amount of improper payments recovered by each agency.

MINNESOTA FRAUD WHISTLEBLOWER SAYS ‘LACK OF GUARDRAILS WAS PRETTY SHOCKING’

The legislation follows the sweeping fraud scandal that continues to plague Minnesota. Dozens of arrests have been made, most of whom are from the state’s large Somali population, as investigators uncover hundreds of millions of dollars in alleged fraud swindled from taxpayers through welfare and social services programs. 

Federal prosecutors have said the fraud could total $9 billion. 

“The swindlers in Minnesota and everywhere else soon are going to ‘lear’ the hard way that in the era of DOGE, crime no longer pays,” Ernst added in a comment to Fox News Digital, referring to the viral “Quality Learing Center.” 

The misspelled Quality “Learing” Center daycare sign became a focal point of the fraud scandal after YouTube journalist Nick Shirley dug into alleged fraud in Minnesota. 

Fox News Digital learned that Ernst will also name Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as the January recipient of her office’s “Squeal Award” for “failing to stop the runaway fraud in his own backyard.” Ernst awards various lawmakers and government fraud scandals themselves the Squeal Award each month to spotlight “out of control waste.”

The governor dropped out of his re-election effort earlier in January amid the fallout of the fraud scandal. Walz, who has served as governor since 2019, took ownership of the fraud as it occurred under his watch, but argued multibillion-dollar figures were “sensationalized” by Republicans. 

“Whoever is in charge. Unlike the president, I’m governor now (and) whether these programs happen before we got here or afterwards, it doesn’t matter. We’re here now. We’re the ones fixing it. You have my guarantee on this, that I certainly will have this thing fixed,” Walz said earlier in January. 

Fox News Digital reached out to his office on Thursday morning for additional comment. 

Ernst has long positioned herself as a leading Senate watchdog on waste and fraud, working with both Congress and the Trump administration to flag questionable spending. 

She launched and leads the Senate Department of Government Efficiency caucus as President Donald Trump readied to reclaim the Oval Office, which works to snuff out government spending, reduce bureaucracy and enforce transparency, producing more than $15.1 billion in real savings.

A Los Angeles city council member will stand trial on felony public corruption charges after a judge ruled that prosecutors presented sufficient evidence to proceed, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Shelly Torrealba ordered Curren Price, a Democrat representing the city’s 9th District, to answer to all 12 felony counts, including embezzlement of government funds, conflict of interest and perjury, following a six-day preliminary hearing.

“This is a significant step toward holding L.A. Councilmember Curren Price accountable for years of alleged corruption,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement. 

“Our Public Integrity Division has been prepared to go to trial since the charges were originally filed. The rules are clear: elected officials cannot enrich themselves at the expense of their constituents, cannot lie on disclosure forms and cannot vote on matters in which they have a conflict of interest,” he added.

CALIFORNIA MAN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY STEALING MILLIONS IN HOMELESS FUNDS

Price’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Prosecutors allege the councilman improperly voted on city projects that financially benefited his wife and failed to disclose those conflicts on required state forms.

They also say he embezzled approximately $33,800 in city funds from 2013 to 2017 and used his position in city government to award city lease agreements and more than $2 million in federal COVID-19 grants to the nonprofit Home at Last, a paying tenant of Urban Healthcare Project, where Price served as CEO at the time of the votes.

FORMER GAVIN NEWSOM CHIEF OF STAFF CHARGED IN $225K FRAUD AND CORRUPTION SCHEME, DOJ SAYS

Price has denied any wrongdoing, and his arraignment is scheduled for March 13.

LA CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT NURY MARTINEZ FACES CALLS TO RESIGN AFTER RACIST REMARKS EMERGE IN LEAKED AUDIO

The city council member was initially charged in 2023 with five felony counts of embezzlement of government funds, two felony counts of conflict of interest and three felony counts of perjury.

An amended complaint filed in August 2025 added two more felony conflict of interest counts, alleging that the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles and LA Metro paid Price’s wife more than $800,000 while he voted to award the agencies multimillion-dollar contracts.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said if convicted, Price faces a maximum sentence of 11 years and four months, including up to nine years and four months in state prison and up to two years in county jail.

Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it submitted a “note of protest” to the U.S. government after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent allegedly tried to enter its consulate in Minnesota this week. 

In a post on X about the “attempted incursion” in Minneapolis on Tuesday, the ministry said, “Immediately, consular officials prevented the ICE officer from entering the consular headquarters, thereby guaranteeing the protection of the Ecuadorians who were at the consular headquarters at that time and activating the emergency protocols issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility,” according to a translation. 

“In light of the above, the Chancellor of the Republic immediately presented a note of protest to the United States Embassy in Ecuador to ensure that acts of this nature are not repeated in any of the consular offices of Ecuador in the United States,” the Ministry added. 

The Department of Homeland Security, ICE and the State Department did not immediately respond Thursday to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.

VIDEO APPEARS TO SHOW ALEX PRETTI SPITTING AT FEDERAL AGENTS, VIOLENTLY DAMAGE SUV DAYS BEFORE FATAL CBP SHOOTING

“I saw the officers going after two people in the street, and then those people went into the consulate, and the officers tried to go in after them,” a witness told Reuters. 

ICE ENDED MAINE ENFORCEMENT SURGE, GOP SENATOR SAYS, CITING NOEM

A video of the alleged attempt shows a man inside the facility rushing to the door, saying, “This is the consulate of Ecuador, you are not allowed to enter.”

“Relax, I did not enter. . . . If you touch me, I will grab you,” another voice is then heard saying.

The man inside the facility then closes the door.

Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., said the “attempt by ICE agents to force their way into the Ecuadorian Consulate represents yet another outrageous and unacceptable disregard for the rule of law by the Trump Administration’s Department of Homeland Security.”

“Diplomatic facilities are protected for a reason. Any effort by U.S. law enforcement officials to enter another country’s diplomatic facility without permission is not only unlawful, it risks setting a profoundly dangerous precedent that could put American diplomats, servicemembers, and their families abroad at risk,” he added.

EXCLUSIVE: The electric grid kept the lights on for much of the country hit by the weekend’s massive snowstorm chiefly because the Trump administration broke from Biden-era plans, keeping five major coal-fired power plants online and allowing grid providers to draw in more fossil fuel-based energy in vulnerable areas.

The Energy Department made the claims in exclusive comments to Fox News Digital, as officials said multiple megawatts of power were made additionally available from otherwise taboo hydrocarbons.

Secretary Chris Wright issued several emergency orders over the weekend and through Tuesday that permitted power plants to operate beyond levels set by EPA regulations and considered the ceiling prior to President Donald Trump’s second term, a source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital.

LIZ PEEK: TRUMP WHITE HOUSE FIRED UP ABOUT KING COAL’S RETURN TO POWER

Five such plants were on track to be closed under the Biden-era push to pivot from fossil fuels to green energy, the official said, adding that the Trump administration was prepared to give energy producers leeway to push more power online to reduce risks of blackouts. The Trump administration saved 17 gigawatts of coal power that were going to be forcibly shut down as well, Fox News has learned.

“We told grid providers: if your energy demand reaches a critical level… let us know,” the official said, adding that there is a direct correlation between the power being saved up and what was needed to keep the lights on as states from Alabama to Vermont were hammered with wintry weather and deep freezes.

As the storm approached, Wright informed grid operators to be prepared to use more than 35 gigawatts of unused backup generation nationwide, sourced from anywhere from data centers to big-box stores, bypassing prior environmental regulations by emergency order.

That gave a wide buffer against blackouts and hundreds of millions in emergency costs for Americans — as 1 gigawatt is enough to power Wright’s hometown Denver metro area alone.

TRUMP ADMIN RELAUNCHES KEY COUNCIL AFTER BIDEN ADMIN SHUTTERED IT: ‘IGNORANCE AND ARROGANCE’

“How power sources perform during peak electricity demand reveal their true value,” Energy Department press secretary Ben Dietderich told Fox News Digital.

“Across the country, wind and solar generation plummeted while natural gas, coal and oil plants did the majority of the work keeping the lights on during the storm. According to DOE data, the Biden administration’s support for forcibly closing reliable coal and natural gas plants had America on track to see blackouts increase 100 times over by 2030.”

“Thankfully, President Trump was elected and has already prevented the forced closure of five coal plants and more than 17 gigawatts of reliable coal power,” Dietderich added.

CONGRESS REPEALED THE GREEN NEW DEAL. CAN TRUMP FINISH THE JOB?

Dietderich said the Trump administration and Wright continue to be committed to “unleashing” affordable and reliable energy that works — “whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining,” a common administration reference to the unreliability of those forms of green energy when those natural power sources aren’t present.

As the storm approached, Wright remarked that the Trump administration “will not stand by and allow the previous administration’s reckless energy subtraction policies and bureaucratic red tape put American lives at risk.”

The structure of the department’s emergency preparations is also meant to save American lives, he said.

TRUMP MOCKS ‘ENVIRONMENTAL INSURRECTIONISTS’ AS AMERICANS BRACE FOR MASSIVE WINTER STORMS: ‘GLOBAL WARMING?’

In that regard, wind and solar power only accounted for 10% of the energy utilized across the storm’s path.

Hydrocarbons and coal, by contrast, provided 68% of the power in those same areas, a power source often maligned on the left.

The department noted that in New England — where renewable and green energy sources are often put on the proverbial pedestal — nearly two-thirds of the energy utilized was sourced from hydrocarbon-based or coal-fired power.

American coal power itself provided enough electricity for 30 million homes across the storm’s path, the department said.

Fox News Digital reached out to President Biden’s representatives for comment.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has ceased “enhanced” activity in Maine, Republican Sen. Susan Collins said in a post on X, citing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

“While the Department of Homeland Security does not confirm law enforcement operations, I can report that Secretary Noem has informed me that ICE has ended its enhanced activities in the State of Maine,” Collins noted in the post.

“There are currently no ongoing or planned large-scale ICE operations here. I have been urging Secretary Noem and others in the Administration to get ICE to reconsider its approach to immigration enforcement in the state. I appreciate the Secretary’s willingness to listen to and consider my recommendations and her personal attention to the situation in Maine. ICE and Customs and Border Patrol will continue their normal operations that have been ongoing here for many years,” Collins continued.

SENATE REPUBLICANS TEE UP KEY SHUTDOWN TEST VOTE AS DEMOCRATS DIG IN ON DHS FUNDING

“I will continue to work with the Secretary on efforts to end illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and other transnational criminal activity,” she added.

Fox News Digital reached out to DHS and ICE for comment but did not immediately receive responses.

ICE REVEALS ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ ARRESTS IN JUST ONE DAY AFTER ROUNDING UP ‘THUGS’ CONVICTED OF VILE CRIMES

Collins noted in a Wednesday post on X that she had spoken to Noem.

“I have spoken with the White House and with DHS Secretary Noem about the ICE operations. I asked Secretary Noem to pause the operations in both Maine and Minnesota. I believe they should be reviewed and far more targeted in their scope,” she said in the post.

TRUMP SAYS NOEM DOING ‘VERY GOOD JOB,’ WON’T STEP DOWN AS HOMELAND SECURITY CHIEF AMID MINNESOTA SHIFT

“I have also called for an independent investigation into the tragic shooting of Alex Pretti. At this time of heightened tensions, these steps are necessary to help improve trust, accountability, and safety,” she added in the Wednesday post.

A federal appeals court ruled late Wednesday that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem acted unlawfully when she ended legal protections allowing hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans to live and work in the United States.

The decision by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that found she exceeded her authority when she ended temporary protected status (TPS) for Venezuelans under the Biden-era Venezuela TPS designations, according to The Associated Press. All three judges on the panel were nominated by Democratic presidents.

The ruling comes as the Trump administration has argued that TPS for Venezuela created a “magnet effect” for illegal migration and undermined border enforcement. TPS shields eligible migrants from deportation and allows them to work legally in the United States while conditions in their home country are deemed unsafe. 

The panel also upheld the lower court’s finding that Noem exceeded her authority when she moved to end TPS early for hundreds of thousands of people from Haiti.

TRUMP ADMIN ENDS TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR BURMESE MIGRANTS

The judges ruled that the TPS legislation passed by Congress did not give the secretary the power to vacate an existing TPS designation.

“The statute contains numerous procedural safeguards that ensure individuals with TPS enjoy predictability and stability during periods of extraordinary and temporary conditions in their home country,” Ninth Circuit Judge Kim Wardlaw, who was nominated by President Bill Clinton, wrote for the panel.

Wardlaw said Noem’s “unlawful actions have had real and significant consequences” for Venezuelans and Haitians in the United States who rely on TPS.

“The record is replete with examples of hard-working, contributing members of society — who are mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, and partners of U.S. citizens, pay taxes, and have no criminal records — who have been deported or detained after losing their TPS,” she wrote.

The decision, however, will not have any immediate practical effect after the U.S. Supreme Court in October allowed Noem’s decision to take effect pending a final decision by the justices.

Fox News Digital contacted DHS for comment.

DHS TERMINATES TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR AROUND 76K HONDURAN, NICARAGUAN MIGRANTS

Noem’s termination meant that 268,156 Venezuelan nationals currently in the U.S. lost their status and were no longer legally allowed to reside in the United States, according to figures shared with Fox News Digital from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The TPS designation expired on Sept. 10, 2025, with termination effective 60 days after the publication of the Federal Register notice. The Federal Register notice set the termination’s effective date as Nov. 7, 2025.

In September, 3,738 pending initial applications that were to be eligible for TPS and 102,935 pending renewal applications were also terminated.

“Given Venezuela’s substantial role in driving irregular migration and the clear magnet effect created by Temporary Protected Status, maintaining or expanding TPS for Venezuelan nationals directly undermines the Trump Administration’s efforts to secure our southern border and manage migration effectively,” a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital in September.

“Weighing public safety, national security, migration factors, immigration policy, economic considerations, and foreign policy, it’s clear that allowing Venezuelan nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is not in America’s best interest,” the spokesperson added.

The agency also announced in November that approximately 353,000 Haitian nationals currently holding TPS will see their protections expire in February.

Ninth Circuit Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr. wrote separately that there was “ample evidence of racial and national origin animus” that reinforced the lower court’s conclusion that Noem’s decisions were “preordained and her reasoning pretextual.”

“It is clear that the Secretary’s vacatur actions were not actually grounded in substantive policy considerations or genuine differences with respect to the prior administration’s TPS procedures, but were instead rooted in a stereotype-based diagnosis of immigrants from Venezuela and Haiti as dangerous criminals or mentally unwell,” he wrote.

Fox News’ Preston Mizell and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Members of the Chicago Teachers Union filmed themselves protesting federal immigration enforcement and anti-DEI measures at a local Target on Friday, sparking criticism both online and from experts who spoke to Fox News Digital. 

In a video posted on Tuesday by the union, members can be seen entering a Chicago area Target holding anti-ICE signs, harassing employees and demanding answers about whether Target will “protect” its employees from ICE. 

“As a private business, Target has a choice,” the post said. “They can use their Fourth Amendment rights and post signs that demand ICE show warrants to enter their building. Instead, they’ve allowed harm to their employees and customers, while continuing to roll back DEI commitments and bow to pressure from the Trump administration.”

The post resulted in criticism in most of the replies on social media.

NEA INSIDER BLOWS WHISTLE ON ‘TOXIC’ CULTURE AND FAR-LEFT POLITICS INSIDE TEACHERS UNION: ‘IT’S A CULT’

“The CTU can’t help itself — they feel compelled to weigh in on every political issue,” Teacher Freedom Alliance posted on X. “And they bankroll these so-called ‘protests’ with your tax dollars.”

Erika Donalds, America First Policy Institute’s chair of education opportunity, told Fox News Digital that the statement made by the union “tells you everything about the goals of today’s teachers unions.”

“They’re harassing retailers and pushing radical politics instead of doing the job they’re paid to do: advocate for the best education for our nation’s children. While kids are falling behind in reading and math, union leaders are staging protests over immigration enforcement. They don’t speak for teachers, they don’t serve students, and at this point they barely even pretend to care about education.” 

Nicole Neily, founder and president of Defending Education, told Fox News Digital the union priorities aren’t in line with what’s best for students. 

“Union thugs bullying hourly employees in Target stores isn’t brave or just — it’s naked intimidation of people who are simply trying to earn a paycheck,” Neily said.

CHICAGO TEACHER PLACED ON LEAVE AFTER FACEBOOK POST SUPPORTING ICE SPARKS OUTRAGE FROM ACTIVISTS

“The Chicago Teachers Union lost the plot a long time ago, and this is yet another example of their skewed priorities. While the CTU clout-chases on X, two-thirds of Chicago Public Schools students can’t read at grade level, and four out of five children can’t do math at grade level.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the union for comment. 

Earlier this month, CTU faced blowback from the Washington Post for pursuing social justice initiatives in its school district even as student reading and math proficiency continues to decline.

In an editorial, the Post took aim at the CTU’s New Year’s resolutions posted to X on Monday. The union stated that its resolution is to “speak truth to power,” and it committed to “defending Black and brown and immigrant communities who are targeted by federal agents,” as well as “fighting back against an administration trying to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and roll back civil rights protections.”

“Those are lofty goals in a school district that can hardly teach kids to read and write,” the Post quipped. “In 2025, 43 percent of Chicago’s third through eighth grade students were reading at grade level.”

Fox News Digital’s Marc Tamasco contributed to this report.

White House border czar Tom Homan vowed Thursday to remain in Minnesota leading Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations there “until the problem is gone.” 

Homan made the statement during a Thursday morning news conference, his first since President Donald Trump sent him to the Twin Cities earlier this week.

Homan said he had a “very productive” meeting with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Wednesday. Ellison agreed to notify ICE when local jails were releasing violent illegal aliens.

“One ICE agent can arrest one bad guy when he’s behind the safety and security of a jail when he’s behind bars and we know he doesn’t have weapons,” Homan said. “But when you release that public safety threat illegal alien back into the community–We have a job to do. We’re going to arrest him, so we’re going to find him.”

“So now what happens is now we’ve got to arrests somebody on his turf where he has access to who knows what weapons. Now we’ve got to send a whole team out,” Homan explained.

Homan went on to demand that the “hostile rhetoric” and threats against ICE officers has to stop, vowing that agents will remain in the Twin Cities to do their jobs.

“President Trump wants this fixed and I’m going to fix it with your help,” Homan said.

This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.

FIRST ON FOX: A former staffer for Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., is launching his own congressional bid on Thursday, Fox News Digital has learned.

Republican Austin Rogers is formally jumping into the race for Florida’s 2nd Congressional District, a solidly Republican seat encompassing part of the Sunshine State’s panhandle. It’s currently being represented by Rep. Neal Dunn, R-Fla., who is retiring at the end of this year.

Rogers invoked both President Donald Trump and Scott in a statement announcing his candidacy in a testament to the district’s conservative lean.

FLORIDA GOP REP VERN BUCHANAN TO RETIRE, ADDING TO WAVE OF HOUSE EXITS

“As President Trump and Senator Scott have shown, strong leadership matters,” Rogers said. “I was raised right here in the 2nd District, fishing these bays, hunting these woods, and competing on these fields. I was taught to love this country, respect hard work, and stand up for what’s right. I’ve seen firsthand how broken Washington is. Our nation needs more fighters who will fearlessly root out waste, fraud, and abuse in government.”

Rogers previously worked as general counsel for Scott’s Senate office, which he argued helped him learn “how Congress actually works.”

“I have drafted legislation, conducted congressional hearings, and led investigations holding the left accountable,” Rogers said.

Scott’s campaign team told Fox News Digital that he has no current plans to make an endorsement in the race, however.

Rogers’ statement notably did not mention Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, another central Republican figure in the Sunshine State, despite the district including the capital city of Tallahassee.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: HOUSE EXODUS THREATENS JOHNSON’S GRIP ON POWER AS OVER 40 MEMBERS HEAD FOR EXIT

Rogers, a father of two with a third child on the way, was born and raised in his district and moved back there with his wife after a brief stint in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, a crowded field is forming to replace Dunn, a surgeon and retired Army major who first won his seat in 2016. 

Three Republicans and three Democrats have already filed to run for the district, with Rogers becoming the fourth GOP hopeful in the race.

Among the GOP candidates in the race are Evan Power, Florida’s Republican Party state chairman, and Keith Gross, a businessman who previously mounted a long-shot bid against Scott in 2024.

Dunn is part of a record number of House lawmakers announcing their departures from the lower chamber in the 119th Congress. Twenty-eight Republicans and 21 Democrats have announced retirements between this year and last year, more than during any other congressional term.