A federal judge has dealt another serious setback to the proposed Twin Metals copper-nickel mine near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota, dismissing the company’s lawsuit that sought to regain the critical mineral rights leases that the Biden administration cancelled.

The ruling Wednesday was the latest blow to the stalled $1.7 billion project, which has faced stiff opposition from environmental and tourism groups that say it would pose an unacceptable threat to the pristine wilderness along the U.S-Canadian border.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., ruled that the lawsuit failed to meet the legal requirements to proceed, essentially saying the court didn’t have jurisdiction to overrule a series of federal agency decisions against the company.

Twin Metals, a subsidiary of the Chilean mining company Antofagasta, said in a statement that it was ‘disappointed’ by the decision and was ‘working to determine next steps.’ Company spokeswoman Kathy Graul said in an email Thursday that she was not able to say what those next steps might be or whether they would include appeals to higher courts.

Groups that have been fighting the project for years hailed the ruling as a huge victory.

‘Twin Metals was making a Hail Mary pass in its hope to get around the law and facts. The court saw through this and in its decision to toss out the case, affirmed science, affirmed the law, and protected some of the cleanest water in the country,’ Chris Knopf, executive director of Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, said in a statement.

The Obama administration declined to renew Twin Metals’ mineral rights leases in its final weeks in office in 2016, citing the threat of acid mine drainage to the Boundary Waters, the country’s most-visited federally designated wilderness area. The Trump administration reinstated those leases in 2019 as part of its push to lessen U.S. dependence on imported metals.

But the Biden administration took up where the Obama administration left off, canceling the leases last year and and imposing a 20-year moratorium on mining in an area of the Superior National Forest upstream from the wilderness that includes the Twin Metals underground mine site near Ely, a community of about 3,000 people. The state of Minnesota then ended its environmental review of the project. Twin Metals sued the federal government last summer to try to undo its decisions.

Peter Marshall, a spokesman for Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, suggested that Twin Metals, instead of pursuing the project further, should turn to the Court of Federal Claims to seek compensation for the more than $550 million it has invested.

‘We are one step closer to permanent protection for the Boundary Waters watershed,’ Ingrid Lyons, executive director of the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters, said in a statement.

Groups that back Twin Metals said in statements Thursday that the court decision and the Biden administration’s actions against Twin Metals conflict with a Department of Energy announcement on Wednesday. The department said it was investing $150 million to promote domestic production of critical minerals, including copper, nickel and other metals that Twin Metals wants to mine, that are needed for the transition to cleaner energy.

‘You cannot combat the climate crisis through green energy technologies like electric vehicles, solar panels or windmills without the minerals that are located in northeast Minnesota,’ the Jobs for Minnesotans business-labor coalition said in a statement. ‘We as a country cannot continue to shut out an industry in one breath and then expect to have the ability to make this critical clean energy transition in another.’

The Twin Metals project is separate from two other proposed copper and nickel mines in northeastern Minnesota. The NewRange mine near Babbitt and Hoyt Lakes, formerly known as PolyMet, has been stalled by court and regulatory setbacks for several years. The Talon Metals project near Tamarack is at the very early stages of its environmental review.

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Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, is urging the Inspector General to launch a federal investigation into whether some government agencies are overpaying remote workers who receive a Washington D.C. salary but live in a lower cost of living state — a problem she says was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Remote work spread rapidly as a way to keep some industries afloat during nationwide stay-at-home orders, and government agencies were no exception. However, Ernst said the government is typically inept at keeping track of its workers, leading to ‘an avalanche’ of problems that started years before the pandemic.

After several instances revealed employees were playing golf or soaking in a bubble bath while on the clock, Ernst wants an investigation into whether federal remote workers are meeting specific performance metrics that proves they are actively working during business hours.

‘We’re paying salaries for people that aren’t working, they’re earning benefits and retirement benefits that they don’t deserve,’ Ernst said to Fox News Digital. ‘It’s theft.’

Federal managers told Ernst about several instances where, unbeknownst to the employees, they can see when workers log on and off to their systems. One manager shared that they will see workers log on at the start of the day, and then ‘go dark’ for the remainder of the day.

‘We are doling out how many millions if not billions of dollars in salaries for people that claim to be remote working, but aren’t even actually working, period,’ she said.

An example Ernst cited was a manager overseeing a team responsible for helping veterans schedule appointments at the Atlanta VA Medical Center — which faces one of the lengthiest doctor appointment wait times in the nation — was outed for spending an hour in a bathtub while on duty.

In the manager’s Instagram post, his government-provided laptop was visible, displaying a staff meeting, all while his legs were submerged in the bath.

‘MY OFFICE FOR THE NEXT HR,’ the caption read. 

In a recent letter to Inspector General Diana R. Shaw, Ernst cited an Office of Personnel Management survey which found only one in three federal employees are fully back in the office, while less than one in five ‘never’ report to a physical office.

During a two-month span in the fall of 2022, only five percent of the federal workforce that typically operated from government-leased offices in the Washington, D.C. area physically reported for work on an average day, according to data from the General Services Administration and analyzed by the real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield.

A Government Accountability Office review found that the headquarters of 17 different federal agencies have more than 75 percent of their available office space vacant.

‘We should not be paying for office space that is not being used,’ Ernst said, adding that it’s time for government employees to return to office. 

‘It’s taxpayer money that they are stealing,’ she said. ‘So, we’re gonna figure this out, but I want federal employees to know this is a warning shot to them. They better make it right, or we’re coming after them.’

The Inspector General’s office is expected to have a report back to Ernst by the end of next month, she said. 

Ernst isn’t the only Republican in Congress pushing for federal employees to return to in-person work. In January, the GOP-led House passed the SHOW UP Act, a law that would require civil servant employees to show up to their offices. Twenty-six Republicans co-sponsored it. 

‘The federal workforce needs to get back to work,’ Republican Kentucky Rep. James Comer, sponsor of the SHOW UP Act, said just before a vote on the House floor. 

‘Federal agencies are falling short on their missions. They are not carrying out their duties. They are failing the American people,’ he said.

One sector of the northern border between the U.S. and Canada has seen more migrant apprehensions in FY 2023 so far than the last 10 years combined, with migrants from 76 countries hitting the often-overlooked border, a top official announced this week.

‘Over 6,100 apprehensions from 76 different countries in just 11 months, surpassing the last 10 years combined,’ Swanton Sector Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia tweeted.

The sector, which covers the borders of New York, New Hampshire and Vermont with Canada, saw just over 1,000 Border Patrol apprehensions in all of FY 2022, and just 365 in FY 2021.

‘Swanton Sector Agents are resolute and determined to hold the line across our 295 miles of border in northeastern New York, Vermont & New Hampshire,’ he said.

Across the border as a whole, there have been 7,633 encounters until the end of July this fiscal year, compared to 2,238 for all of FY 2022 and 916 in all of FY 2021.

The numbers are eclipsed by the enormous numbers at the southern border, where there are typically more than 200,000 encounters a month. However, it still forms a considerable challenge for the smaller staffed areas. The border, which is 5,525 miles, only has 115 ports of entry. Garcia had called for volunteers earlier this year as his sector saw spikes, particularly of Mexican migrants with no legal documents.

‘Due to the increased numbers, stations are task saturated with processing large groups, which has contributed to gotaway events, pedestrian and vehicle incursions,’ he said in February.

The Biden administration announced a new border deal with Canada in this spring, meaning that migrants who attempt to cross illegally between ports of entry into either country will be returned. Officials hoped itwould deter illegal migration at the U.S.-Canada border. It updated a 2004 Safe Third County Agreement, which did not deal with illegal immigration.

‘We know that safe, orderly and legal migration is good for all our economies,’ President Biden said, announcing the deal. ‘But we need to halt the dangerous and unlawful ways people are migrating and the dangerous ways. Unlawful migration is not acceptable, and we’ll secure our borders, including through innovative, coordinated actions with our regional partners.’ 

But Republicans in the northern part of the country have continued to sound the alarm over the high numbers of crossings. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., this week blamed the policies of both the administration and New York state for the surge, and called on Democrats and the administration to approve the House border security bill passed earlier this year. 

‘Enough is enough. It is time for Joe Biden to secure our Southern and Northern Border and the quickest way to do that is for Chuck Schumer to pass and Biden to sign into law House Republican’s Secure the Border Act, which is the strongest border security bill in history and would put an end to the Biden border crisis,’ she said.

Former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who is now a New Hampshire gubernatorial candidate, said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she was ‘thankful for the men and women of the United States Border Patrol for working on the front lines of this dangerous situation.’ 

‘It is clear that we have a serious problem unfolding along our northern border – and the Biden administration is sitting on their hands while dangerous criminals and drugs flow into our state,’ she said.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams gave his most ominous prediction yet for the fate of the Big Apple, which is grappling with the influx of more than 110,000 migrants so far. 

‘Let me tell you something, New Yorkers. Never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an ending to. I don’t see an ending to this. I don’t see an ending to this. This issue will destroy New York City. Destroy New York City,’ Adams said during a Town Hall meeting on the Upper West Side on Wednesday. ‘We’re getting 10,000 migrants a month…. Now we’re getting people from all over the globe have made their minds up that they’re going to come through the southern part of the border and come into New York City.’

Separately Wednesday, Adams announced the transition of an emergency respite site into a new Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center (HERRC) at Austell Place in Long Island City as the number of migrants currently in the city’s care approaches 60,000, and as more than 110,000 migrants have arrived in New York City since last spring. 

‘As asylum seekers have continued to arrive in New York City at an average rate of more than 2,400 every week, conditions on the ground required that the city transition the site to a large-scale congregate setting for single men,’ the mayor’s office said in a press release. ‘The humanitarian relief center will start by providing shelter for up to 330 single men, but, once expanded to full capacity, the site will host a total of almost 1,000 asylum seekers.’ 

The expansion of the site makes it the city’s 16th large humanitarian relief center as part of the more than 200 shelter sites the city is operating, Health and Human Services Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom said at a separate news conference Wednesday. 

As of Sept. 3, she said the city had over 112,300 people in its care, including over 59,700 asylum seekers. Over 10,100 asylum seekers have come through the city intake center since September 2022. The city has opened 206 sites, including 15 humanitarian relief centers. Last week from August 28 to Sept. 3, more than 27,000 new asylum seekers entered the city’s care.

‘Hundreds of asylum seekers continue to arrive to our city every day and our heads are barely being kept above water,’ Williams-Isom said. ‘There are solutions to this emergency. We need expedited work authorization, additional financial support, a federal declaration of emergency, a national and a state wide decompression strategy to relieve the pressure that we are feeling here in New York City. There are solutions here. The status quo is not working, and New Yorkers are demanding that we do more.’ 

The top Republican on the Senate Energy Committee will warn Thursday against allowing U.S. artificial intelligence capabilities to fall into China’s hands when the panel meets for a hearing on the topic.

Senators returned to Capitol Hill just days ago after spending the month of August in their home states. AI is expected to be a prominent topic for lawmakers as they race to get ahead of the rapidly advancing technology. 

It’s also the topic at the heart of Thursday’s hearing led by Energy Committee Chair Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and ranking member John Barrasso, R-Wyo., that aims to examine how AI has affected the U.S. energy sector and how the federal government can stay competitive in that lane.

‘Artificial intelligence plays an important role in the energy sector,’ Barrasso is expected to say, according to early excerpts of his remarks obtained by Fox News Digital. 

‘In mining, AI can reduce equipment downtime. Advanced algorithms help miners locate mineral-rich deposits for more efficient exploration. Real-time analytics strengthen worker safety by predicting potential hazards.’

He will also bring up the Department of Energy’s ‘important role’ in researching AI and the concerns that come with that research getting into the wrong hands.

‘The department maintains the world’s most advanced computing systems. Its 17 national labs have significant experience developing our nation’s most sensitive technologies. For this reason, the People’s Republic of China is watching nearly every move our labs make,’ Barrasso will say. 

‘The Department of Energy and our national labs must take the China threat more seriously. We cannot let our technology fall into the hands of the butchers of Beijing.’

The panel of witnesses will include David Turk, deputy secretary for the Department of Energy and Rick Stevens of the Argonne National Laboratory. 

It comes after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced all senators would be invited to a series of AI Insight Forums to educate lawmakers on the technology. Schumer has made AI regulation a cornerstone goal of this Congress.

The first forum, scheduled for Sept. 13, is expected to include tech giants like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, along with an array of AI experts.

‘The intent here is to get as much information now … from the leaders in AI, the business leaders in AI, about what’s going on, what the future is, just to give our members a really good understanding about what AI can really do and what these folks see as the future of AI,’ Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., who has been a leading voice on AI in Congress, told reporters Wednesday.

‘Our goal is not to try to write a piece of legislation,’ Rounds added. ‘Our goal is to allow the committees that have areas of expertise that they watch, for them to be able to look at what the impact of AI is going to be in their areas. And then, if they feel the need to propose legislation, this gives them all a … consistent background on a bipartisan basis to begin with.’

A new book details how former White House adviser Susan Rice was steamed at Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra for pushing back on an immigration assignment from President Biden.

In journalist Franklin Foer’s new book ‘The Last Politician,’ the Atlantic writer revealed that Becerra attempted to avoid his first assignment when arriving to his post in 2021 — a task that involved HHS taking in additional unaccompanied migrant children from Border Patrol.

Becerra took a phone call with over two dozen White House officials that included then-White House Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice, who called on Becerra to expand the number of migrant children in HHS custody.

The HHS secretary argued that his department required one caregiver per eight children and that the White House’s request would skew the ratio, making the department unable to care for the kids.

Rice pushed back on Becerra, saying that moving more children into HHS custody may not be an ideal situation, but the facilities were better for the children.

Becerra fired back, asking for the request from Biden in writing.

‘I’ll do it if I get a request from the president in writing,’ Becerra said.

The comment reportedly irritated Rice, who responded that Becerra ‘won’t get a request in writing.’

‘That’s not how the President of the United States operates,’ Rice said. ‘He’s given you an order.’

‘I wasn’t there for it,’ Becerra retorted.

‘The rest of us were. You need to deliver,’ Rice responded.

Later that week, while preparing for a meeting with the HHS secretary and other involved advisors, Biden caught wind about the call and was furious.

‘Who am I going to fire in this meeting?’ the president asked.

Foer wrote that the president felt he needed to make it unmistakably clear to Becerra that he was to take the migrant children into HHS custody.

‘I will do what’s requested of me,’ Becerra responded to Biden in the meeting, begrudgingly.

‘It’s good of you to do your job,’ Vice President Kamala Harris told Becerra.

Biden ‘lashed out’ at Becerra in a March 30, 2021 Oval Office meeting when Becerra allegedly failed to have answers for questions about the agency’s ability to take care of migrant kids, according to The New York Times.

The border has been a sore spot for the Biden administration since taking the White House reins in 2021.

Politico reported in 2021 that the White House ‘bristled’ at Becerra’s approach as they pushed HHS to speed up the intake of the tens of thousands of migrant children. Separately, sources told the outlet that he was seen as indecisive and too slow to seize the situation

Becerra, meanwhile, reportedly was frustrated by the White House’s moves to drop immigration restrictions and policies before he was confirmed, the outlet said.

Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed reporting.

Former President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Dr. Anthony Fauci was not a ‘big player’ in his administration and reiterated his position that he wasn’t ‘allowed’ to fire the medical adviser.

‘First of all, you’re not allowed,’ Trump told Hugh Hewitt’s radio show when asked by the conservative host why he didn’t fire Fauci, the controversial head of Trump’s COVID-19 response team, which Hewitt called the ‘biggest knock’ on Trump’s presidency. 

‘No, no, no, Dr. Fauci was there. First of all, he’s civil service, and you’re not allowed to fire him. But forget that because I don’t necessarily go by everything … but Dr. Fauci would tell me things, and I wouldn’t do them in many cases. But also, he wasn’t a big player in my administration. Dr. Fauci became a big player in the administration of Biden. He’s a very big player in Biden’s administration.’

Trump has consistently criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his closest opponent in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, for his response to the coronavirus pandemic and did so again in the interview with Hewitt by previewing what he would say to DeSantis if questioned during a debate about not firing Fauci.

‘It’s so easy to respond,’ Trump said. ‘He said he wouldn’t let anybody come in. He shut down his beaches. He shut down the entire state. He tries … he has a selective memory. He shut down. [Gov.] Henry McMaster didn’t shut down South Carolina. [Gov.] Kristi Noem didn’t shut down South Dakota.’

Trump continued, ‘He shut down Florida. It was tight as a drum. He had vax lines. He was vaxxing everything. Now, he talks about the vaccinations this and that.’

Trump added that DeSantis was ‘not in the category’ of conservative governors who did a ‘good job’ handling the coronavirus.

‘By the way, just so you know, it sounds very negative, third-most in deaths from COVID? Unfortunately, Florida.’ Trump said. ‘Florida was third-worst in deaths … that’s a horrible, that’s a horrible statistic. But that’s a statistic that sort of counts. Ron was the third-worst in terms of actual death from COVID. Ron is No. 3.’

The DeSantis campaign has argued that Florida was fully open in early May 2020 after implementing COVID restrictions in early April and has pointed to DeSantis banning mask and vaccine mandates along with gain-of-function mandates in the state.

After Florida reopened, Fauci continued to push mask and lockdown measures throughout Trump’s administration, including up until January 2021 as Trump was about to leave office when the White House COVID-19 Response Team encouraged Florida to push lockdown measures, a request to which DeSantis did not adhere.

Roughly a week later, Trump’s White House presented Fauci and others with ‘Presidential Commendations’ for their work with Operation Warp Speed. 

‘Ron DeSantis is the only candidate in the race who stood up to DC bureaucrats and rejected their sham lockdowns and mandates,’ Carly Atchison, national spokesperson for the DeSantis campaign, told Fox News Digital in response to Trump’s comments.

‘Voters know only a President DeSantis would ensure America is never locked down again. Every other candidate has either already failed that test or is making a promise they can’t be trusted to keep.’

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said, ‘Lockdown Ron should look in the mirror and answer for closing down Florida businesses that didn’t practice social distancing while fighting to keep abortion clinics open.’

‘He also refused to fire Florida’s Fauci,’ Cheung added, a reference to former Palm Beach County Health Director Alina Alonso, while also directing Fox News Digital to a June post on the campaign website with the headline ‘Ron DeSantis’ Lying Record on COVID.’

Students at the University of South Carolina are split on whether to support Biden’s latest attempt at forgiving student debt. 

‘I think that student debt forgiveness is honestly a really good idea,’ said Catherine, a student. ‘I’m struggling with a lot of student loans, and I think it’ll be really good to help out everyone who is also struggling with that.’ 

But Kimiko disagreed, telling Fox News she believes student debt forgiveness will eventually drive up the cost of tuition. 

‘The more that the student forgiveness is going on, then the higher the price of tuition is going to be,’ she said. 

Over 4 million student loan borrowers have enrolled in SAVE, Biden’s new student debt relief plan. The plan promises to lower monthly student loan payments, which are set to resume in October.  

Biden’s plan — dubbed the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) in late July — could lower monthly payments for about 20 million borrowers. The plan implements income-driven repayment (IDR) plans, which correlates a borrowers’ monthly payment to their salary or wages, resulting in lower monthly out-of-pocket costs. 

One student says he supports the plan because he doesn’t want to have the debt following him in the future. 

‘I have a lot of student debt, so I would kind of like to not have to have that be a thing looming over me for the rest of my life,’ said Ev. 

Hammond agrees, adding that the rising cost of tuition is making it harder for students to afford college. 

‘I support any president’s student loan handout because it costs too much to go to college these days,’ he said. ‘For me personally, it’s $30,000 every single year before, you know, scholarships and whatnot. Any help is appreciated.’ 

The application for Biden’s SAVE plan opened in August and says any borrower making $15 an hour or less would not have to make any monthly payments. 

One USC student says there should be a plan to help borrowers without using taxpayer dollars. 

‘I support education, so I support [Biden’s loan forgiveness program]. But I feel like there might be a better way to do it rather than have people force their taxes onto students who chose to go to college,’ said Karisma. 

In June, the Supreme Court blocked Biden’s student loan plan that would cancel up to $20,000 in student loans for low- and middle-income borrowers. The plan would have cost taxpayers roughly $400 billion.

‘I was a little upset when it was blocked,’ said Hammond. ‘But again, I was kind of skeptical that we were going to get the money anyways. So, it really comes down to if the government’s actually going to do their job.’ 

One student said he does not support Biden’s latest push because he said like any loan, it should be paid back. 

‘I don’t think I could necessarily support it overall, just because it’s kind of like giving government money away,’ said Sam. ‘We’ve got to pay them back. Same thing as a house loan.’ 

On Sept. 1, interest payments resumed on federal student loans for the first time since March 2020. 

Another student said while debt relief is helpful, it may not be fair to those who already paid their loans off. 

‘It can do a lot for the community, encourage more people to get degrees, help people out of debt who can’t afford to pay their loans off,’ said Kira. ‘I feel like the only argument against it is that people who already paid off their student loans are angry that they had to pay off theirs and other people don’t. But at this point, it’s just going to become a vicious cycle if we don’t let new people pay off their loans easily.’ 

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters Wednesday he intends to finish his time as leader and complete his Senate term, which sunsets at the end of 2026.

‘I’m going to finish my term as leader, and I’m going to finish my Senate term,’ McConnell, 81, said when asked to respond to those who are calling on him to step down over his recent health concerns.

His term as Senate minority leader concludes at the end of 2024.

McConnell’s appearance is the first in the Capitol following the GOP conference’s weekly luncheon since his first freeze up at the end of July, prior to the Senate’s 40-day recess. McConnell froze up again while answering reporters’ questions in his home state of Kentucky last week.

Some GOP leaders are renewing calls to introduce term-limits legislation while others remain supportive of the longtime Republican lawmaker.

‘Mitch talked about his health history,’ Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told reporters after the luncheon. ‘He went over the tests he’s had, said he’s been given a clean bill of health, indicating he’s had two of these episodes. And both of them happen at press conferences.’

‘And otherwise, he worked hard in August and raised about $49 million,’ Kennedy added.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters, ‘I feel really good behind Mitch.’

‘Let’s move forward,’ he said. 

Meanwhile, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told reporters before the luncheon that he was concerned about McConnell.

‘I’m concerned about his health. I mean, I’m concerned about the president’s health. I’m concerned about his health,’ Hawley told reporters. ‘I don’t think you can have it both ways.’

Hawley also doesn’t think McConnell is the right person to restore the GOP majority in the Senate: ‘That’s why I voted against him in December.’

In January, South Carolina GOP Rep. Ralph Norman introduced an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would limit House members to three terms, for a total of six years, and those serving in the Senate to two terms, for a total of 12 years. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, co-introduced the amendment.

McConnell’s physician medically cleared him to continue with business as usual and did not find any evidence of a stroke or a seizure after several tests, per an announcement Tuesday.

‘My examination of you following your August 30, 2023 brief episode included several medical evaluations: brain MRI imaging, EEG study and consultations with several neurologists for a comprehensive neurology assessment,’ Dr. Brian Monahan wrote.

‘There is no evidence that you have a seizure disorder or that you experienced a stroke, TIA or movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease,’ the letter reads.

Earlier this year, McConnell suffered a concussion and fractured rib from a fall in a Washington hotel and spent time in recovery in an inpatient rehabilitation facility before returning to the Senate.

Fox News’ Kyle Morris contributed to this report.

The New York City comptroller announced Wednesday that he has rejected a $432 million no-bid contract with a medical services company for providing services to migrants, raising questions about how the contract was awarded and the qualifications of the company.

‘My office did not make this decision lightly. After a careful review, we are declining to approve this contract due to numerous outstanding concerns,’ Comptroller Brad Lander said in a statement. 

Lander returned the contract to the New York City Housing & Preservation Development (HPD) department citing concerns over the selection of the vendor, an alleged lack of expertise and what he saw as a lack of vetting from the agency. 

‘The agency’s contract submission to our office fails to describe how the $432 million price tag was reached,’ he said. ‘There was little evidence to show that this company has the experience to provide the services it has been contracted for.’ 

‘Contradictory information was provided regarding their fiscal capacity and serious questions were raised about the integrity and responsibility of this vendor and their subcontractors,’ he said.

Lander also cited reports that two of DocGo’s subcontractors hired security guards without authorization, and also flagged recent remarks by its CEO, in which he told investors he had a ‘high degree of confidence’ that revenues would stay strong due to the lack of a federal solution to the crisis. The company is already facing investigations, including one by the state attorney general into alleged mistreatment or misleading of migrants.

‘If DocGo’s CEO is rooting for a never-ending crisis to maximize revenues on a $432 million contract with New York City and leverage billions of dollars more from the federal government — amidst procurement concerns from our Office about vendor selection, vendor responsibility, fiscal capacity, and subcontractor selection, as well as several ongoing investigations by other public agencies — HPD may want to reconsider whether this vendor is appropriate for the services described,’ Lander said in a letter to the head of HPD. 

He noted that it is the first of 303 emergency contracts (69 of which are related to the ongoing migrant crisis) he has refused to approve. 

DocGo defended its work and experience in a statement to Fox News Digital.

‘DocGo, one of the nation’s largest logistics companies in the mobile healthcare space, has been successfully providing critical services to asylum seekers through an agreement with [HPD] for more than four months. We have thousands of asylum seekers currently in our care who rely on funding from the City for this program to receive case management, social work, food and housing. DocGo’s quick action to step up in the face of this crisis has been critical in helping the City meet the needs of the asylum seekers in our care,’ a spokesperson said.

‘Notwithstanding yesterday’s response from the Comptroller, we have received assurance from the Mayor’s office that NYC intends to fully pay DocGo for the services delivered under this contract, both historically and going forward,’ the company spokesperson added. ‘Since 2015, DocGo has provided and delivered services in over 7.5 million patient interactions. We have been providing social work services for underserved populations here in NYC for over two years, and have been working with NYC to provide services for asylees since this crisis began a year ago. We will continue to work with our partners at NYC to ensure that asylum seekers continue to receive these vital services.’

The controversy is the latest political turmoil connected to the New York City migrant crisis. Approximately 110,000 migrants have hit the Big Apple since last year, some on their own and others being transported in by Texas. The self-described ‘sanctuary’ city has said it is overwhelmed by the surge, and Mayor Eric Adams has been fiercely critical of the Biden administration for what he sees as a lack of federal action.

He has called on the government to make an emergency declaration, expedite work permits and provide more funding. Adams has also stressed that the cost to the city could hit $12 billion next year. 

His office responded to the comptroller’s decision on Wednesday.

‘Since the spring of 2022, New York City has, almost entirely on its own, managed a humanitarian crisis that has resulted in more than 100,000 asylum seekers coming to our city in search of shelter,’ a spokesperson said.

‘Over the last year, our administration has strategically used emergency contracts to provide beds and services to individuals and families entering our care while we urge our state and federal partners to provide the additional support needed. The Comptroller’s Office approved the city’s emergency contract with DocGo this summer, as New York City was forced to undertake its own decompression strategy. With nearly 60,000 people currently in the city’s care and thousands more coming every month, we are doing everything we can to stop families from being forced to sleep on the streets, and we are hopeful our partners in the Comptroller’s Office will work with us towards that goal.’

Adams was asked about the decision later Wednesday and told reporters, ‘We are going to move forward,’ indicating he intended to keep going with DocGo via the use of an emergency contract approval.

‘We can’t change the rules in the middle of the game. I think the comptroller saw an opportunity to get in the conversation, but we have a ruling from him and his office on doing emergency contracts, and we’ll just continue to do that as we deal with this humanitarian crisis that has been dropped on everyday New Yorkers,’ he said.

Separately, the commissioner of the HPD has written to the CEO of DocGo to say there is ‘no risk of non-payment’ as a result of the comptroller’s letter and payment will ‘commence promptly.’