UN Secretary-General António Guterres seems to be bracing his staff ahead of possible changes in U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump. In a letter distributed to UN staff, Guterres warned of the ‘difficult challenge’ facing the international body.

‘I assure you that we are working closely with colleagues throughout the United Nations system to understand and mitigate the extent of its impact on our operations,’ Guterres wrote in the letter.

‘Now, more than ever, the work of the United Nations is crucial. As we face this difficult challenge, your dedication and support will help us to overcome and move forward. Together, we will ensure that our Organization continues to serve people in need around the world with unwavering commitment.’

In response to a Fox News request for comment, Guterres’ spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said, ‘From day one, US support for the United Nations has saved countless lives and advanced global security.  The Secretary-General looks forward to continuing his productive relationship with President Trump and the US Government to strengthen that relationship in today’s turbulent world.’

‘As President Trump has indicated, the UN plays a crucial role in taking on big challenges so that individual countries don’t have to do it on their own at far greater expense. With the letter, the Secretary-General was keeping staff informed,’ Dujarric added.’

Former Principal Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Hugh Dugan told Fox News Digital that ‘UN entities from the top down are feeling very anxious,’ citing someone extremely senior in the UN. Dugan believes that DOGE and his own organization DOGE-UN are causes of concern for Guterres due to ‘heightened accountability’ from Washington. 

‘And I think that they’re going to have to scramble to show that they’ve been trustworthy with those resources and have been careful in accounting for their ultimate disposition, because I expect that we’re going to find that’s not been the case,’ Dugan said.

This letter was sent just over two weeks after President Trump issued his Executive Order on Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid.

‘It is the policy of the United States that no further United States foreign assistance shall be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States,’ Trump’s order reads.

While the order calls for a 90-day pause in foreign programs, it includes a clause giving Secretary of State Marco Rubio the authority to ‘waive the pause in Section 3(a) for specific programs.’

Trump administration officials claim to have uncovered several areas of government waste when it comes to foreign funding. This includes a $1.5 million US Agency for International Development (USAID) project aimed at advancing DEI in Serbian workplaces and a $2 million program promoting ‘LGBT activism’ in Guatemala.

In her first briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that DOGE and OMB found ‘that there was about to be $50 million taxpayer dollars that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza.’

‘That is a preposterous waste of taxpayer money. So that’s what this pause is focused on, being good stewards of tax dollars,’ Leavitt told reporters at the briefing.

At first glance, the funding for condoms in Gaza could seem like it would be aimed at public health. However, Hamas has used condoms in the past to fly incendiary devices and IEDs into Israel, as the Jerusalem Post reported in 2020.

During his 2024 campaign, Trump took aim at government spending, ultimately introducing DOGE to tackle waste.

Following Trump’s order, Secretary Rubio paused all US foreign assistance programs funded by or through the State Department and USAID pending review.

‘Reviewing and realigning foreign assistance on behalf of hardworking taxpayers is not just the right thing to do, it is a moral imperative,’ the State Department statement read. ‘The Secretary is proud to protect America’s investment with a deliberate and judicious review of how we spend foreign assistance dollars overseas.’

In the same statement, the State Department emphasized Secretary Rubio’s focus on ensuring the programs his department funds are working for Americans and are ‘consistent with US foreign policy under the America First agenda.’

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said Republicans were eyeing $1 trillion as a rough baseline for spending cuts as they prepare a massive conservative policy overhaul.

‘I think when you look at where we are, we’re close to a trillion and still working,’ Scalise said in response to a question by Fox News Digital late Tuesday night. When asked by another reporter later whether Republicans were looking at a $1 trillion baseline, Scalise said, ‘Roughly.’ No final decisions have been made, however.

Republican majorities in the House and Senate are working to codify large swaths of President Donald Trump’s agenda via the budget reconciliation process. 

By lowering the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to 51 out of 100, the maneuver allows the party in power to skirt its opposition to advance its agenda – provided the items included relate to budgetary and other fiscal matters. The House of Representatives already has a simple majority threshold.

Disagreements over where to set the floor for spending cuts have put House Republicans behind on their ambitious schedule for reconciliation, which includes a final goal of getting a bill on Trump’s desk in May.

The House Budget Committee was expected to advance an initial resolution for reconciliation this week. That plan was derailed, however, when spending hawks on the panel balked at House GOP leaders’ initial offer of roughly $300 billion as a starting point for rollbacks to federal funding. They also rejected a higher offer nearing $900 billion in cuts, Fox News Digital was told earlier this week. 

Scalise told reporters Tuesday night that leaders were now looking at next week to advance the bill out of the House Budget Committee.

Conservatives who spoke with Fox News Digital said they doubted the spending cuts would go much deeper than the agreed-upon floor, but Republican leaders have continued to insist there will be opportunities to find areas for cuts beyond whatever level they settle on. 

Scalise also cautioned that negotiators were working against cost estimates by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan group. 

‘There are a lot of numbers floating around. I mean, you know, CBO’s got their numbers, and we’ve had real issues with them, because CBO has been wrong so many times, but yet you still have to start with their numbers,’ Scalise said. ‘And then, you know, what kind of economic growth are you gonna get if you have better energy policy and better regulatory policy? And those are real factors. And our members recognize that, but, you know, you’ve got to come to an agreement on what is that growth factor gonna be? What’s a fair number?’

GOP negotiators met on Tuesday evening to chart a path forward. A source familiar with the meeting said Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., did not commit to anything and discussions are still ongoing. 

Republicans are hoping to use reconciliation to pass several Trump policy goals, from more funding at the border to removing taxes on tipped and overtime wages. Lawmakers are also eyeing new defense funding and pro-fossil fuel energy measures. 

House Republicans had planned to pass their reconciliation bill first, but it appears time could be running short. Senate Republicans have signaled they are ready to move ahead with their own plan if infighting delays the House GOP’s schedule.

Asked about the prospect of the Senate moving first, Johnson told reporters on Tuesday, ‘Senate will not take the lead. We’re going to, and we’re right on schedule.’

Scalise similarly said that delaying the committee mark up to next week will not alter Republicans’ overall timeline.

An internal memo being circulated to House Republicans is urging lawmakers to argue that President Donald Trump’s handling of foreign aid is ‘already paying dividends’ and that the Biden administration spent that money on initiatives like ‘a transgender opera in Colombia through the State Department.’

The three-page document, obtained by Fox News Digital through a House GOP source, is being sent to members of Republican leadership as well as lawmakers on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

It includes two pages of recommended talking points, including, ‘America is spending $40 billion in foreign aid annually. Much of those aid dollars are not even reaching the intended recipients and are instead propping up an NGO industrial complex that has, for years, swindled the American taxpayer.’

The memo urged Republicans to argue Trump’s freeze on foreign aid ‘is needed because it’s nearly impossible to evaluate foreign aid programs when they are on autopilot.’

‘A 90-day review period, with commonsense waivers for truly life-threatening situations, is the only way to give the State Department the time needed to root out waste,’ it said.

The State Department issued a freeze on most federal foreign aid days after Trump was sworn into office. Within recent days, Trump and Elon Musk’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ (DOGE) have also led a significant scale-back of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), including making Secretary of State Marco Rubio its acting head.

Opponents of the moves have said it would embolden authoritarian governments that want to see the United States’ stature on the world stage diminished and that it would imperil thousands of lives abroad that depend on the aid.

But Republicans like House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast, R-Fla., a top Trump ally, argue that the moves are justified to evaluate what money is actually going to foreign assistance that aligns with Trump’s agenda.

‘America’s foreign aid is not charity and its goal should not be to advance DEI abroad,’ the committee wrote on X on Monday.

The memo also encouraged lawmakers to point out existing exceptions for ’emergency food assistance’ and ‘life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter, and subsistence assistance, as well as supplies and reasonable administrative costs as necessary to deliver such assistance.’

The third page is dedicated to highlighting where committee Republicans tracked foreign aid as going toward, including ‘$39,652 to host seminars at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on gender identity and racial equality through the State Department’ and ‘$425,622 to help Indonesian coffee companies become more climate and gender friendly through USAID.’

Other priorities listed included ‘$14 million in cash vouchers for migrants at the southern border through the State Department,’ ‘$446,700 to promote the expansion of atheism in Nepal through the State Department’ and ‘$32,000 for an LGBTQ-centered comic book in Peru.’

A group of House Democrats said they were denied entry into USAID headquarters on Monday amid reports of a scale-back in senior officials and others.

‘We are not going to let this injustice happen. Congress created this agency with the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and if you want to change it, you got to change that law,’ said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va.

It’s not clear if all Republicans are on board with Trump’s push, however. A vote to defund USAID last year led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., failed with 127 GOP lawmakers voting against it, compared to 81 in support.

But Trump’s handling of foreign aid has been backed by Republicans known to be national security hawks, including previous House Foreign Affairs Chair Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas.

‘President Trump and his team are right to scrutinize and revamp U.S. foreign aid distribution to ensure every taxpayer dollar serves its intended purpose. And I am optimistic they will do it in a way that strengthens the intention behind these programs and strengthens our national security,’ McCaul said.

Despite Democrats’ attempts to slow down the process to approve President Donald Trump’s picks for various administration positions, the Republican-led Senate is confirming nominees at a record pace.

The Senate Republicans Communication Center reported on Tuesday that under the leadership of Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., confirmations are moving quicker than they did during the Biden administration and Trump’s first term.

As of Feb. 4, the previous two administrations – former President Joe Biden’s and Trump’s first term – only had six nominees confirmed, while the current administration has 11 positions officially filled.

On Tuesday, Trump’s pick for attorney general in Pam Bondi was confirmed, as was Doug Collins for secretary of veterans affairs.

Tulsi Gabbard, selected for director of national intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., chosen to lead the department of health and human services, are next up for their confirmation votes after making it out of committee hearings on Tuesday.

After Gabbard and RFK Jr., nine more nominees await confirmation.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., shared a roundup on X of where confirmations stand as of Tuesday night.

A handful of Republican senators chimed in on the pace and promised to keep it up until all nominees are confirmed.

‘.@SenateGOP is delivering results. Despite Democrat obstruction, we’re confirming @POTUS’ nominees at a strong pace—faster than in the Biden admin or first Trump admin. I’ll keep fighting to confirm President Trump’s team,’ Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., wrote on X.

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mon., said the chamber is ‘ahead of schedule and not slowing down.’

The last administration to have all nominees quickly confirmed was former President George W. Bush, whose entire Cabinet was in place by Feb. 1, according to PresidentialTransition.org.

Trump’s first term saw all picks confirmed by the end of April, a timeline similar to former President Barack Obama’s, while Biden’s Cabinet was filled by March 22.

Saudi Arabia said it would not establish ties with Israel unless a Palestinian state is created, shooting down U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that the Saudis were not demanding a Palestinian homeland when he floated the idea of the U.S. government taking control of the Gaza Strip.

Trump said on Tuesday at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he wants the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war, after Palestinians are resettled in other countries.

‘The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,’ Trump said at the White House. ‘We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site.’

‘Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,’ he said. ‘Do a real job. Do something different. Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years.’

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the country rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their homeland, stressing that its position on the Palestinians is not up to negotiation.

The statement noted that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has affirmed the kingdom’s position in ‘a clear and explicit manner’ that does not make other interpretations possible under any circumstances.

Any proposed displacement of Palestinians, an idea Trump has suggested multiple times since retaking office last month, is a highly sensitive matter for both Palestinians and Arab countries.

Trump said on Jan. 25 that he wanted Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations to accept more Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip, potentially moving out enough people to ‘just clean out’ the area.

‘You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over,” he said at the time.

Amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Palestinians feared they would suffer from another ‘Nakba,’ meaning catastrophe in Arabic, which refers to the displacement and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the 1948 war at the birth of the State of Israel.

The U.S. had led months of diplomacy to convince Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel and recognize the Middle Eastern country. But the war in Gaza, which began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish State, prompted the Saudis to abandon the matter amid Arab anger over Israel’s offensive.

Trump wants Saudi Arabia to follow in the footsteps of countries including the United Arab Emirates, a Middle East trade and business hub, and Bahrain, which signed the Abraham Accords in 2020 and normalized ties with Israel.

Saudi Arabia establishing ties with Israel would be a grand prize for the Jewish State because the kingdom has huge influence in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world, and it is the world’s biggest oil exporter.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Support for President Donald Trump’s vision for the U.S. to ‘take over the Gaza Strip,’ level it and rebuild the area came flooding in on Tuesday after a news conference announcing the plan.

The comments were made following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in which Trump claimed the U.S. would take over the Strip and make it safe again.

‘The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,’ Trump stated. ‘We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site.’

Trump’s sentiments were echoed by many officials across the social media platform X.

‘Trump’s proposed USA takeover of the Gaza Strip may sound out of the box, but it is brilliant, historic and the only idea I have heard in 50 years that has a chance of bringing security, peace and prosperity to this troubled region,’ Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman wrote.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Cabinet Secretary Taylor Budowich also expressed that it was ‘Time to think different, stop the killing!’

‘Pres. Trump’s pursuit of peace and prosperity for all is truly visionary. Gaza shouldn’t be a pile of rubble that provides refuge to terrorists, especially when it so easily can become Dubai 2.0. Time to think different, stop the killing!,’ he wrote on X.

In a second post, he said that there is a need for lasting peace.

‘President Trump’s bold and unwavering pursuit for peace continues with a humanitarian’s heart. The killing must stop, the war must end, and we must realize lasting PEACE. That’s why the United States will work with Israel to secure Gaza and find a lasting home for the Palestinian people,’ Budowich stated.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed with the president, saying that ‘Gaza MUST BE FREE from Hamas. As @POTUS shared today, the United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again. Our pursuit is one of lasting peace in the region for all people.’

Netanyahu said during the news conference with Trump that the Gaza Strip has become ‘a symbol of death and destruction for so many decades and so bad for the people anywhere near it.’

He also lauded Trump’s tenacity and ability ‘to think outside the box’ during his comments to the press. 

Sen. Rick Scott seemingly agreed with Netanyahu, writing in an X post, ‘Hamas terrorists murdered babies and burned people alive. They are evil monsters. Thank God we finally have a president who is committed to standing with Israel and working with Netanyahu on how to support their efforts to get terrorists out of Gaza and bring every hostage home.’

Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne is one of many who stand for the president’s radical movement to change how this country is being run and agrees this is the right move for peace.

‘The world is looking to the United States for leadership and President @realDonaldTrump is delivering lasting peace! Today’s announcement put Hamas, Iran, and all our enemies on notice — the U.S. will NOT continue the status quo that has empowered terrorists and created a humanitarian disaster,’ she said.

Not everyone is onboard, though Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry issued a statement to Trump, noting a call for an independent Palestinian state was a ‘firm, steadfast and unwavering position.’ 

‘The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that the position of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the establishment of the Palestinian state is a firm, unwavering position, and His Highness the Prime Minister – may God protect him – has affirmed this position in a clear and explicit manner that does not allow for any interpretation under any circumstances,’ the statement said.

Saudi Arabia and the U.S. are in negotiations over a deal to diplomatically recognize Israel in exchange for a security pact among other terms.

‘The duty of the international community today is to work to alleviate the severe human suffering endured by the Palestinian people, who will remain committed to their land and will not budge from it,’ the Saudi statement said.

Hamas also wrote a statement criticizing Trump’s comments.

‘We reject Trump’s statements in which he said that the residents of the Gaza Strip have no choice but to leave, and we consider them a recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region,’ the group said.

Hamas has recently reaffirmed control over the Gaza Strip following the start of the ceasefire and has said they will not release hostages without an end to the war and Israeli forces’ full withdrawal.

The Senate voted late Tuesday to confirm Pam Bondi, President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, voting 54-46 to install the longtime prosecutor and former Florida attorney general to head the U.S. Department of Justice. 

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., bucked his party to make the vote bipartisan. He was the only Democrat to join Republicans in support of the nominee. 

Bondi’s confirmation comes as both the Justice Department and FBI have been under scrutiny by Democrats in Congress who have raised concerns over Trump’s recent decision to pardon or commute the sentences of 1,600 defendants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots and to oust more than 15 inspectors general and special counsel investigators. 

To date, there are no known plans to conduct sweeping removals or take punitive action against the agents involved in the Jan. 6 investigations.

But U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove sparked fresh concerns last week after he directed the acting FBI director to identify all current and former bureau employees assigned to the Jan. 6 cases for internal review. 

The effort prompted FBI agents to file two separate lawsuits Tuesday seeking emergency injunctive relief in federal court, arguing in the lawsuits that any effort by the DOJ or FBI to review or discriminate against agents involved in the Jan. 6 probe would be both ‘unlawful and retaliatory’ and a violation of civil service protections.

Bondi has repeatedly said she will not use her position to advance any political agenda, a refrain she returned to many times during her hours-long confirmation hearing. 

‘Politics has to be taken out of this system,’ Bondi told the Senate Judiciary Committee last month. 

Bondi’s nomination earned praise both from Republicans and some Democrats in the chamber for her composure and her ability to deftly navigate thorny and politically tricky topics and lines of questioning from some would-be detractors. 

She was widely expected to glide to confirmation after the hearing, and her nomination had earned the praise of more than 110 former senior Justice Department officials, including former attorneys general and dozens of Democratic and Republican state attorneys general, who praised her experience and work across party and state lines.

Those backers described Bondi in interviews and letters previewed exclusively by Fox News Digital as an experienced and motivated prosecutor whose record has proven to be more as a consensus builder than a bridge-burner.

‘It is all too rare for senior Justice Department officials — much less Attorneys General — to have such a wealth of experience in the day-to-day work of keeping our communities safe,’ former Justice Department officials wrote in a letter urging her confirmation.

Bondi’s former colleagues in Florida also told Fox News Digital they expect her to bring the same playbook she used in Florida to Washington, this time, with an eye toward cracking down on drug trafficking, illicit fentanyl use and cartels responsible for smuggling drugs across the border.

Democrat Dave Aronberg, who challenged Bondi in her bid for Florida attorney general, told Fox News Digital in an interview he was stunned when Bondi called him after winning the race and asked him to be her drug czar.

He also praised Bondi for staring down political challenges before noting that when she took office in Florida, Bondi ‘received a lot of pushback’ from members of the Republican Party’ for certain actions, including appointing a Democrat to a top office. 

‘But she stood up to them, and she did what she thought was right, regardless of political pressure,’ Aaronberg told Fox News Digital on the eve of her confirmation vote. ‘So, that’s what gives me hope here, is that she’ll right the ship and refocus the Department of Justice on policy not politics.’ 

In floor remarks Monday evening, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley praised Bondi’s prosecutorial experience and her time as a public servant, noting that she made history as the first female attorney general in Florida. 

Bondi ‘fought against pill mills, eliminated the backlog of rape test kits and stood for law and order,’ Grassley told lawmakers shortly before the Senate cloture vote, noting that Bondi ‘was easily re-elected to a second term’ as state attorney general ‘because she did such a great job.’

Overseas missions for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have reportedly been told to shut down and that staffers were being recalled to the United States by Friday. 

CBS News reported that Peter Marocco, the director of foreign assistance at the State Department who was tapped by State Department Secretary Marco Rubio to run USAID, told the agency’s leadership that those who do not comply will be evacuated by the military. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to USAID and the State Department. 

USAID has come under scrutiny by the Trump administration over what it is spending. 

‘For decades, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been unaccountable to taxpayers as it funnels massive sums of money to the ridiculous — and, in many cases, malicious — pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats, with next-to-no oversight,’ the White House said Monday. 

USAID allocated millions of dollars for programs the Trump administration considers controversial and that frequently involved diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives launched during the Biden administration, critics say.

During an interview with Fox News that aired Tuesday, Rubio said USAID has ‘basically evolved into an agency that believes that they’re not even a U.S. government agency.’

‘That they are a global charity. That they take the taxpayer money and spend it as a global charity, irrespective of whether it is in the national interest or not in the national interest,’ he said. 

The goal was always to reform the agency, Rubio said, but that ‘now we have rank insubordination.’ 

‘Their basic attitude is: ‘We don’t work for anyone. We work for ourselves’,’ he said. ”No agency of government can tell us what to do’.’

Rubio said a common complaint among U.S. embassies around the world is that USAID isn’t cooperative and ‘undermines the work that we’re doing.’

On Tuesday, Sen. Jodi Ernst, R-Iowa, said every dollar given to USAID needs to be scrutinized.

In a series of posts on X, Erst noted millions in aid that were allegedly funneled to fund good causes ended up in the hands of bad actors. 

She noted $9 million in humanitarian aid to feed civilians in Syria that allegedly ended up in the hands of terrorists, as well as another $2 million spent on Moroccan pottery classes and promotion. 

Other projects included trade assistance to Ukraine to pay for models to attend Fashion Weeks events in New York City, London and Paris and millions spent to help Afghans grow crops instead of opium. 

‘The results: opium poppy cultivation across the country nearly doubled, according to the UN,’ she wrote. 

‘USAID asked, ‘Can you tell me how to get how to get to Sesame Street?’ and ended up in Iraq,’ she wrote in another post. ‘USAID authorized a whopping $20 million to create a Sesame Street in Iraq.’