House Republicans representing New York are taking aim at state Democrats and the Biden administration over the Empire State’s migrant surge — as migrants have been housed in school gyms and as the Democratic leaders are also attempting to put pressure on Republicans over the crisis.

‘It is absolutely unacceptable that Governor Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams, and President Joe Biden are sacrificing America’s children’s safety and happiness to prioritize the needs of illegals,’ Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-NY, told Fox News Digital. ‘This is why Republicans passed the strongest border security package in our nation’s history.’

New York City has been dealing with a massive migrant crisis for over a year as migrants have flooded into the city, including those who have been assisted with transports from Texas.

The issue hit the headlines again this week when it was revealed that the Big Apple has started housing migrants in public school gyms, sparking anger and protests. Mayor Eric Adams said the move was ‘drastic’ but said the city is out of options. The city has also caused controversy by busing hundreds of migrants to Rockland County and Orange County. There have also been reports of homeless veterans being booted from hotels to make room for the influx in upstate New York.

‘We are carrying this entire burden. This national problem is being laid in the lap of New Yorkers,’ Adams told Fox 5 New York on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in an interview with Spectrum News that the state is ‘helping [Adams] find places that will be welcoming.’ 

‘I want to make sure the Democrats, Republicans, everyone understands the challenges we’re facing right now,’ the governor added. 

Hochul also addressed the Republican majority in Congress during the interview, asking them to pledge $1 billion to help the city as well as allowing illegal immigrants to work.

NYC FACES IRE OF RESIDENTS OVER PLAN TO HOUSE MIGRANTS IN BROOKLYN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GYM 

‘Republicans in Congress, in charge of the House, have the ability to allocate more money. Why don’t you match what New York state did? Give us a billion dollars for New York,’ she said. ‘Help us with the money, help us with the work authorization. And then we’ll get through this much sooner.’

It echoes calls from the Biden administration, who have accused Republicans of failing to provide funding for additional border measures — while also calling on Congress to pass an immigration reform bill, which includes an amnesty for illegal immigrants already in the U.S.

‘The fundamental reason why we have a challenge at our border, and we’ve had this challenge many a time before is because we are working within the constraints of a broken — a fundamentally broken immigration system. And we also are operating on resources that are far less than those that we need and that we’ve requested,’ DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said last week

But Republicans have accused the Biden administration of fueling the crisis with its policies — including the ending of Trump-era border measures and the reduction of interior enforcement. In New York, Republicans have attributed the crisis in part to ‘sanctuary’ policies put into place at the city and state level.

‘The unmitigated disaster New York is now experiencing is a direct result of President Joe Biden’s open border agenda and Governor Kathy Hochul’s policies, which have made New York a magnet for illegal immigrants,’ Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-NY, told Fox in a statement. ‘It is outrageous that she now wants the American people to subsidize New York’s failed sanctuary city policies. New York City’s ‘right-to-shelter’ policy, in particular, was never intended to be applied in this context. Upstate New York counties that stand for the rule of law should not be forced to pay the price for those that have embraced dangerous and illegal sanctuary city policies.’

‘We are a compassionate nation, one with rules and laws that no one is above,’ Rep. Nick LaLota, R-NY, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement. ‘Those who entered the country illegally, or who are manipulating our asylum laws, should not displace law-abiding taxpayers from their government services. Veterans, the homeless, the mentally impaired, and other Americans in need deserve better.’

Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-NY, called on Hochul to push President Biden to adopt ‘stronger border security measures’ to address the cause of the crisis.

‘We are facing a crisis that impacts communities represented by Democrats and Republicans,’ he said. Our solution must be bipartisan. I urge Gov. Hochul to work with leaders at all levels of government and across party lines on this issue.’

Meanwhile, there were also further signs of discord between Democrats on the issue. Mayor Eric Adams was asked Tuesday by a news anchor: ‘Where the heck is the president of the United States.’

‘That’s a good question,’ Adams said. ‘I think we all should be asking why this is happening to a city that was turning itself around and will continue to do so. This should not be happening to New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and the other big northern cities.’ 

‘And really, it should not be happening to El Paso or Brownsville, Texas. No city should be carrying this burden. This is a national problem, and it needs a national solution,’ the mayor said. 

Fox News’ Aubrie Spady, Jeffrey Clark, Danielle Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

CONCORD, N.H. – Fundraising has never been Gov. Chris Sununu’s strongest suit.

While the popular Republican governor – who’s currently serving his fourth two-year term leading New Hampshire – has convincingly won his past two reelections, he’s never crushed it when it to comes to fundraising in any of his four gubernatorial victories.

That’s despite his well-known family name – he’s the son of former Gov. John H. Sununu, who later served as President George H.W. Bush’s chief of staff – and younger brother to former congressman and former Sen. John E. Sununu.

But Sununu tells Fox News that if he launches a bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, fundraising would be ‘the least of my worries.’

‘I’m shockingly surprised at how easy the fundraising would be. The fundraising would not be the problem. There’s a lot of money out there. There’s a lot of folks that would get behind us early on if I were to create a committee or an exploratory committee,’ Sununu said. ‘If we decide to do this, that’s actually the least of my worries.’

Sununu has mingled with top Republican financial contributors at a handful of donor gatherings and retreats across the country over the past six months.

The governor also said that he’ll make a decision on whether to jump into the race for the Republican presidential nomination by late June, following the conclusion of New Hampshire’s current legislative session and the signing of the state’s next biennium budget into law.

The governor made his comments as he took questions from Fox News and other news organizations during a press conference after Wednesday’s session of the state’s five-member Executive Council.

If Sununu launches a presidential campaign, he’ll join a growing field of contenders. At the top of that list is former President Donald Trump, who launched his third straight White House run in November and is the clear front-runner in the early GOP nomination polling.  

Also in the race are: former U.N. Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley; former congressman and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson; multimillionaire entrepreneur, best-selling author and conservative commentator Vivek Ramaswamy; Michigan businessman and 2022 gubernatorial candidate Perry Johnson; and conservative radio talk show host and former California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is expected to announce his candidacy for president next Monday, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expected to file paperwork with the Federal Election Commission next week. And former Vice President Mike Pence is expected to declare his candidacy in the coming weeks. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie – who ran for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination – and Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota, as well as former Reps. Mike Rogers of Michigan and Will Hurd of Texas, are also seriously mulling White House runs.

Sununu, a vocal Republican critic of Trump, has long argued that the former president, if nominated next year, will lose the general election. Asked if a growing field of GOP presidential rivals will only divide the opposition and allow Trump to capture the Republican nomination, Sununu said no.

‘You can’t kind of tell people not to run. Whoever wants to run is going to run,’ he added.

But Sununu said that ‘there is going to be a process of which it’s going to be narrowed down a lot more aggressively than it did in ’16,’ pointing to the 2016 cycle when a crowded and divisive field of candidates opened the door to Trump’s nomination victory ahead of his White House win.

‘Everyone understands that it just needs to narrow down, and my guess is that it will narrow down the end of the fall and as we go into early next year. And it will narrow down quickly. If you were going to tell me there’s going to be 10 or 12 people in the race through March and April of next year, yeah, that’s going to be a problem. But that’s not going to happen. That’s going to winnow down very quickly,’ he said.

Asked by Fox News what his biggest concern would be if he launched a presidential campaign, the governor said that ‘the state comes first. Making sure, if we do this, all the pieces are in place to make sure, whatever needs there are, are going to be met. And that’s something I’m quite passionate about. We’re not going to walk away from this state. … I wouldn’t do anything that would put in the state in any sort of harm’s way.’

Pointing to Sununu’s out-of-state travel, the New Hampshire Democratic Party recently charged that the governor ‘has never viewed being the governor as anything but a stepping stone. At every opportunity, Chris Sununu has left Granite Staters in the dust to build his celebrity status.’

The Biden administration this week updated its guidance on prayer and other religious expression in public schools, warning school employees not to encourage or endorse such activity.

‘Teachers, school administrators, and other school employees may not encourage or discourage private prayer or other religious activity,’ the Education Department writes in its new guidance, which adds that the U.S. Constitution permits school employees to engage in private prayer during the workday.

However, the Education Department warns, school employees can’t ‘compel, coerce, persuade, or encourage students to join in the employee’s prayer or other religious activity.’ The guidance goes on to say that schools may take ‘reasonable measures’ to ensure that students aren’t pressured or encouraged to join in the private prayers of their teachers or coaches.

The guidance comes at a time of year when many graduation ceremonies are taking place across the country. According to the Education Department, public school officials ‘may not mandate or organize prayer at graduation or select speakers for such events in a manner that favors religious speech such as prayer.’

But if a speaker’s comments are not attributable to the school, their expression can’t be restricted because of its religious content and can include prayer. In such circumstances, school officials ‘may choose to make appropriate, neutral disclaimers to clarify that such speech (whether religious or nonreligious) is the speaker’s and not the school’s speech.’

The Education Department includes thoughts on how public schools should address a range of religious expression other than prayer. For example, students have the right to distribute religious literature to their classmates. Schools may impose ‘reasonable’ restrictions on its distribution but ‘may not target religious literature for more permissive or more restrictive regulation.’

The guidance distinguishes between providing religious instruction and teaching about religion, describing the former as a way of promoting a particular belief system and the latter as a regular part of the curriculum.

‘Philosophical questions concerning religion, the history of religion, comparative religion, religious texts as literature, and the role of religion in the history of the United States and other countries are all permissible public school subjects,’ the guidance states. ‘Similarly, it is permissible to study religious influences on philosophy, art, music, literature, and social studies.’

For example, the Education Department says student choirs at public schools can perform music inspired by or based on religious themes or texts as part of school-sponsored events, so long as the music ‘is not performed as a religious exercise and is not used to promote or favor religion generally, a particular religion, or a religious belief.’

As for extracurricular activities, students may organize prayer groups and religious clubs just as they’re permitted to organize other, secular activity groups. In the classroom, meanwhile, students may pray and engage in other religious activity to the same extent as non-religious activity when they’re not involved in school activities or instruction in order to prevent disruptions in education.

‘Although school authorities may impose rules of order and pedagogical restrictions on student activities, they may not discriminate against student prayer or religious perspectives in applying such rules and restrictions,’ the Education Department writes.

The Biden administration’s updated guidance on prayer in school comes after the Supreme Court ruled last year that a public school district couldn’t stop a football coach from praying on the 50-yard line after games. In Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, the Supreme Court held that preventing someone from engaging in such prayer as a personal religious observance violated the First Amendment’s protections of free speech and the free exercise of religion.

The organization American Atheists praised the Biden administration’s guidance, arguing the measures ‘protect the religious freedom of families whose children are in the public school system.’

The group referenced bills in some state legislatures that would increase the role of religion in schools — such as legislation in Texas that would require public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms — decrying them as attacks on religious freedom meant to promote ‘hateful’ ideas.

‘We all see through Christian nationalists’ lies. They constantly scream ‘indoctrination’ whenever LGBTQ students affirm who they are. Yet they are actively seeking to indoctrinate students in their hateful ideology,’ Nick Fish, president of American Atheists, said in a statement. ‘The Biden administration’s guidance protects families from Christian nationalists’ hypocritical attempts to foster coercive religious exercise in schools.’

Other groups such as Americans United, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty similarly applauded the Biden administration’s guidance for protecting students of all beliefs and forbidding from leading students in religious exercises.

In contrast, many voices say religion needs a prominent role in public schools, arguing negative forces fill the vacuum in its absence.

‘When we took prayers out of schools, guns came into schools,’ New York City Mayor Eric Adamas, a Democrat, said earlier this year while speaking to religious leaders at the annual Interfaith Breakfast in Manhattan. ‘Don’t tell me about no separation of church and state. State is the body. Church is the heart. You take the heart out of the body, the body dies.’

Other critics say that schools are promoting far-left gender ideology in place of religion.

Rev. John Amanchukwu, a North Carolina pastor, said this week on ‘Fox & Friends First’ that a sexually explicit book available to children in school libraries ‘glorifies masturbation while speaking against religion.’ 

Meanwhile, a seventh-grade student in Massachusetts filed suit against his school, alleging it censored his ability to exercise his First Amendment rights after he was told to take off a shirt saying, ‘There are only two genders.’

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, on Thursday called for Republicans to drop support for a must-pass military funding bill after his office obtained an Air Force memo declaring June to be LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

The May 3 memo, shared with Fox News, approves observance of Pride Month in June and empowers installation commanders to ‘plan and conduct appropriate activities in honor of Pride Month.’ Roy’s office also shared a flyer advertising Pride Month events at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia, including a ‘Pride Game Night’ on June 10, a Unity in Diversity Color Run on June 16, and a panel discussion titled ‘Our History, Our time!’ on June 28th. The advertisement states ‘ALL ARE WELCOME!!’ 

‘Each June, the Department of the Air Force recognizes Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) Pride Month. During this time, we celebrate the progress we have made towards inclusivity, commemorate the contributions of LGBTQ+ Americans, and recognize the obstacles they have faced and overcome along the way,’ the memo reads.

‘This is a time to reaffirm our commitment to equality and reinforce the importance of a cohesive and diverse Total Force. One Team; One Fight,’ Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Alex Wagner and Diversity and Inclusion Director Marianne P. Malizia wrote. 

‘Our people are our strategic advantage,’ the memo continues. ‘During Pride Month — and every month — the DAF will continue our efforts to remove barriers to service, while advancing a respectful and inclusive culture, so our team can apply their talents to their mission and stay focused on the defense of our Nation. Our Airmen, Guardians, and their families deserve no less than to work and thrive in an environment worthy of their service and sacrifice.’ 

In a statement to Fox News, Roy ridiculed the proposed celebrations and lambasted the Defense Department for encouraging pro-LGBTQ+ events with taxpayer dollars. 

‘What’s next, rainbow uniforms during pride month?’ Roy said. ‘The Air Force and Defense Department sanctions this ridiculous use of taxpayer dollars and then expects members of Congress who represent Americans who are livid about this stuff to green light an $800 billion plus DOD budget. If DOD doesn’t put a stop to these kinds of divisive – and frankly embarrassing – DOD events, Republicans should pull support for this year’s [National Defense Authorization Act].’

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is an annual defense spending bill that outlines military policy and spending priorities. Last year’s bill was a whopping $847 billion that authorized sending $800 million to the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and repealed the miltiary’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. 

Defense spending is a top priority for lawmakers each year. Hawkish lawmakers will bristle at any suggestion that Republicans should pull funding from the military with Russia and China taking increasingly aggressive action abroad.

The Air Force did not respond to a request for comment. 

A special committee of the Vermont House of Representatives has formed to investigate the potential impeachments of two top Franklin County officials — Sheriff John Grismore and State’s Attorney John Lavoie.Grismore is being investigated for his finances, as well as for an incident where he was recorded kicking a detainee in the groin as a sheriff’s office captain. Lavoie faces allegations of harassment and workplace discrimination.Vermont requires two-thirds votes in the House and Senate to impeach and remove so-called ‘state criminals.’

A special committee of the Vermont House of Representatives formed to investigate the possible impeachment of the Franklin County sheriff and state’s attorney will be meeting over the summer, the speaker of the Vermont House says.

Democratic Speaker Jill Krowinski says if the committee she named earlier this week determines the House should hold an impeachment vote she will call the chamber back into session.

‘That is a committee of seven, with Democrats, Republicans and an independent with each a different background that they bring that I really think helps to form a really thoughtful group of members to lead this investigation,’ Krowinski said Wednesday.

She promised a public process that will be scheduled over the next week or so.

Franklin County State’s Attorney John Lavoie is accused of harassing and discriminating against employees. Franklin County Sheriff John Grismore is facing an assault charge for kicking a shackled detainee, as well as a financial investigation.

Lavoie has acknowledged some inappropriate humor but doesn’t think his actions warrant him stepping down. Grismore has defended his actions.

Emails were sent Thursday to Lavoie and Grismore.

The Vermont Constitution gives the House of Representatives the power to impeach ‘state criminals.’ If someone is impeached by a two-thirds vote in the House, that person would be tried in the Senate, which also requires a two-thirds vote for removal from office.

The Vermont Secretary of State says the last time impeachment proceedings took place in the Vermont House was in 1976 when the Washington County Sheriff was impeached by the House but, acquitted in the Senate. The last impeachment to end in a conviction and removal from office was in 1785.

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FIRST ON FOX — A bill has been introduced to stop federal funds from being given to nonprofit entities unless they comply with human trafficking or alien smuggling laws.

Lance Gooden, R-Texas, introduced the ‘Protecting Federal Funds from Human Trafficking and Smuggling Act of 2023’ to set standards for nonprofit organizations as they gather in border towns to assist with the migrant surge.

‘By ensuring that federal funds are not awarded to organizations that engage in these heinous activities, we can safeguard taxpayer dollars and hold bad actors accountable,’ Gooden told Fox News Digital.

Gooden’s bill proposes that NGOs certify federal law compliance with the Office of Management and Budget.

The House Judiciary Committee member also called on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to produce a strategy to help NGOs with ‘deterring, detecting, reporting and removing aliens.’

The bill comes on the heels of an investigation launched by House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Tuesday into DHS-funded NGOs that ‘receive hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars through federal grants to provide free food, lodging, and transportation for illegal aliens to be released anywhere they want in the United States.’

Asylum-seekers are arriving primarily from Guatemala, Cuba and Venezuela by the thousands since the end of the Title 42 rapid expulsion policy on May 11. As a result, nonprofit organizations are stepping up to transport, shelter and feed migrants in border towns.

Health and Human Services (HHS) whistleblower Tara Lee Rodas testified during a House hearing in April that migrant children in particular were victims of a ‘sophisticated network’ of labor trafficking. The government places unaccompanied minors with sponsors throughout the U.S., some of whom ‘view children as commodities and assets to be used for earning income – this is why we are witnessing an explosion of labor trafficking,’ Rodas said.

If enacted, Gooden’s bill would apply to nonprofit groups that have been awarded federal funding or an ‘agreement, contract, award, or relationship with the Federal Government.’

The bill’s introduction follows a Heritage Foundation report that found many NGOs ‘apply for, and receive, taxpayer money to provide processing and transportation services and infrastructure to facilitate the migration of illegal aliens into the interior of the country.’

The Heritage Foundation tracked more than 30,000 mobile devices from NGO facilities to 431 separate U.S. congressional districts across the country during January 2022.

Gooden’s office said that while the Judiciary and Oversight committees are collecting evidence, ‘We know through whistleblowers and migrants themselves that this funding is going toward federal handouts including lodging, transportation, debit cards, and free legal advice.’

The congressman also sent letters to Catholic Charities, Jewish Family Services and the Lutheran Immigration Services, requesting full amounts of federal funds. However, no response was given. 

Customs and Border Protection sources tell Fox News that migrant encounters are dropping since the expiration of the Title 42 policy, with less than 4,000 illegal border crossings on Monday. Prior to that, migrant encounters were topping 10,000 a day.

A ballot question seeking to make it more difficult to amend the Ohio Constitution was cleared for an August ballot on Thursday, and teams of Republican and Democratic lawmakers assigned to write pro and con arguments, respectively, to be presented to voters.

The process before the Ohio Ballot Board followed the raucous legislative floor session and months of drama leading up to approval of the measure, which is aimed at thwarting an effort to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution this fall. Abortion is currently legal in Ohio, up to 20 weeks’ gestation, as a lawsuit against a near-ban enacted in 2019 is argued.

On this August’s ballot, voters will be asked whether or not they support raising the threshold for passing future constitutional amendments from the simple majority Ohio has had in place since 1912 to a 60% supermajority. As a constitutional amendment itself, the 60% question will only need to pass by a simple majority of 50%-plus-one.

The bipartisan panel, chaired by Republican Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, voted along party lines to certify the ballot language, which Democrats attacked as unfair and inaccurate. The arguments that voters see on their ballots are due to LaRose’s office by Monday.

Issue 1’s Republican backers are expected to characterize the effort as a constitutional protection act aimed at keeping deep-pocketed special interests out of Ohio’s foundational documents. Among groups supporting the higher bar are anti-abortion, pro-gun rights and business groups opposed to a burgeoning amendment that would raise Ohio’s minimum wage.

Democrats will use their arguments to paint the 60% threshold as an assault on Ohio’s long history of direct democracy. Some Democratic lawmakers led a ‘one person, one vote’ chant and march after last week’s vote from the floor of the Ohio House — echoing cries of a large crowd of protesters gathered outside.

Should either side object to the others’ phrasing, they could file suit in the Ohio Supreme Court, which holds exclusive power to settle disputes in cases where lawmakers forward an ballot question straight to voters.

Democratic lawyer Don McTigue, representing the One Person One Vote Campaign, disagreed with the title LaRose’s office gave to the issue, which describes it as ‘elevating the standards’ to qualify constitutional amendments of Ohio’s ballot. McTigue suggested ‘modifying’ as more neutral, noting that it’s against Ohio law for ballot language to bias voters in one way or another.

It was too soon to say Thursday whether his client will file a legal challenge, McTigue said.

McTigue and Democrats on the board also argued for including the current 50%-plus-one standard in the ballot language, so that voters know what they’re changing, but the board rejected that idea.

The proposal also calls for doubling the number of Ohio counties — from 44 to all 88 — where backers of future initiative petitions would need to gather signatures in order to qualify for the ballot. As phrased by LaRose’s office, the question also appears to significantly raise the percentage of voters needed in each county, from 5% of those who voted in the last gubernatorial election to 5% of ‘all eligible voters.’

LaRose said his intention was to keep the ballot language simple, which Democratic state Sen. Bill DeMora said was disingenuous. ‘It’s sneaky and it’s illegal,’ he said.

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Nearly every House Democrat has endorsed an effort to make an end run around House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and bring a clean debt ceiling increase forward for a vote that doesn’t include spending cuts for the federal government.

At the direction of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Democrats began collecting signatures for a discharge petition on Wednesday morning. Discharge petitions can force a vote on legislation even if the majority party objects, but a majority of House lawmakers needs to sign it.

As of Thursday afternoon, 210 House Democrats had signed the discharge petition in the hopes of forcing a vote on a debt ceiling increase. The three Democrats who have not yet put their names to it are Reps. Mary Peltola of Alaska, Ed Case of Hawaii and Jared Golden of Maine.

Republicans have rejected the idea of a clean debt ceiling increase without preconditions. They passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act, which would lift the borrowing limit by $1.5 trillion while also rolling back key Biden administration initiatives and cutting the federal government’s discretionary levels back to what they were in 2022.

Peltola’s office confirmed to Fox News Digital that she will sign the petition and pointed to a statement to explain that the delay was due to a family tragedy.

‘I continue to support the ongoing negotiations by all parties, and believe a discharge petition to bring a clean debt ceiling solution to the floor can provide a valuable backup option. I am currently grieving the loss of my mother, but I intend to sign the discharge petition as soon as I am able to return to D.C.,’ Peltola said.

Golden’s office referred Fox News Digital to an earlier report where the congressman criticized the discharge petition.

Case’s office has not responded to a request for comment.

A discharge petition requires a simple majority of 218 votes, but Democrats only have 213 seats. Republicans across the spectrum have thus far been united behind their call for spending cuts to pair with any debt limit hike.

Jeffries called on every Democrat to sign it in a letter to colleagues sent Wednesday morning, despite expressing some optimism about the prior day’s meeting with congressional leaders and the White House on the debt limit.

‘Emerging from the White House meeting, I am hopeful that a real pathway exists to find an acceptable, bipartisan resolution that prevents a default,’ Jeffries said. ‘However, given the impending June 1 deadline and urgency of the moment, it is important that all legislative options be pursued in the event that no agreement is reached.’

McCarthy dismissed the effort during a press conference later that afternoon.

‘I don’t think it’s going anywhere,’ McCarthy said, referencing the fact that nearly every Republican senator has voiced support for his stance.

‘So, is that even sensible? Is that even being productive? Is that even reasonable? Is that responsible? It seems to me that would be playing into a Biden default.’

Democratic Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday vetoed parts of a $6 billion public education spending plan backed by the Sunflower State’s Republican-dominated Legislature.Kelly’s objection to the bill is largely due to her taking issue with a provision she believes would cut rural schools’ funding.’This provision pulls the rug out from rural school districts at the 11th hour,’ Kelly claimed. ‘If the provision is enacted, it will bring dangerous and devastating consequences for our rural districts.’

Kansas’ Democratic governor on Thursday vetoed parts of the Republican-backed $6 billion funding plan for the state’s K-12 schools, setting up a likely legal battle that will test her office’s powers.

Gov. Laura Kelly, who won reelection in the conservative state in November, issued a statement explaining her decision to take the unprecedented step of vetoing parts of the proposed education budget, saying she objected to one provision, in particular, that she says would cut funding for rural public schools, which have been dealing with declining enrollment.

‘This provision pulls the rug out from rural school districts at the 11th hour,’ Kelly said. ‘If the provision is enacted, it will bring dangerous and devastating consequences for our rural districts.’

Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson and House Speaker Dan Hawkins, leaders of the GOP-controlled Legislature, quickly issued a joint statement criticizing Kelly, saying the state’s constitution limits line-item vetoes to appropriations.

‘We strongly encourage the Attorney General to immediately review this unconstitutional overreach,’ they said.

The spending plan, which would provide the bulk of the money that the state’s 286 school districts rely on, would also expand a program aimed at providing private school scholarships for low-income families. Although Kelly opposes that provision, she didn’t veto it.

Kelly said that because the bill mixed policy with funding, the Kansas Constitution allows her to veto parts but not all of the bill, as it does with legislation setting the state’s annual budgets. Top Republicans are likely to object and to challenge the assertion in court.

The issue has never been tested legally, creating uncertainty about how much money school districts might have and what policies they might face the next academic year.

In her statement, Kelly said the GOP-backed bill would change the way districts count their enrollment, which determines their funding. Currently, districts are allowed to use one of the two previous school years to determine how much money they will receive.

The new education bill requires districts to use the current or previous year’s enrollment to determine appropriations. That provision would force districts with declining enrollments to immediately make changes to budgets they have already approved for the upcoming year, she said.

Kelly also noted that the Kansas Supreme Court has upheld the current method for determining enrollment, and she said changing the formula would raise questions over the state’s compliance with that law.

Education groups had pushed Kelly to veto the bill even though it would increase the state’s total aid to districts by about 4% for the next school year. The increases would vary by district, with 29 — most with fewer than 700 students — receiving less aid than they did this school year.

Kelly has signed education bills with a similar marriage of funding and policy in the past. But she and top Republicans clashed repeatedly over her handling of the coronavirus pandemic. GOP lawmakers forced her to accept a whittling away of the powers of her office and of local officials to close schools and businesses and impose mask mandates.

If Kelly had vetoed the entire bill, she would have forced a special legislative session to ensure that schools are funded for the next school year because lawmakers have adjourned for the year. If she were to lose a court battle over her vetoing parts of the bill, it’s unclear if the entire bill would become law or if it would die altogether.

Educators also were upset that GOP lawmakers rejected Kelly’s proposal to phase in a 70% increase in funding for programs for students with physical or intellectual disabilities, or behavioral problems. It would have required an extra $72 million in the next state budget, but legislators only approved $7.5 million.

Kelly said she was disappointed that lawmakers didn’t increase special education funding and that they need to ‘correct their mistake’ when they return for next year’s session.

In a statement Thursday, the Kansas Association of School Boards praised Kelly’s line-item veto and also expressed disappointment in lawmakers’ ‘inadequate response’ to special education funding at a time when the state has a record budget surplus.

And educators opposed provisions that would expand an income tax credit program for donors to funds that provide annual private school scholarships of up to $8,000 annually to students from low-income families. Although the total credits would remain capped at $10 million a year, more students would be eligible for the scholarships.

Kelly said most Kansans don’t support such policies, and she chastised lawmakers for ‘logrolling’ them into the education funding bill rather than proposing them as separate bills.

Conservative Republicans wanted to pass a far broader plan to use state education dollars to help parents pay for private or home schooling for their children, something GOP lawmakers have enacted in other states, including Iowa, South Carolina and Utah.

Kelly is strongly opposed to the idea, saying public funds should go to public schools. Republican legislators were split.

The state constitution says that if any bill ‘contains several items of appropriation of money,’ the governor can veto one or more ‘such items’ while signing the rest.

While lawmakers often set policy in the budget with provisions directing how money must be spent or prohibiting some spending, those provisions are in effect only for a year. In the past, it’s been uncommon for lawmakers to mix spending with measures rewriting state laws permanently, so governors haven’t previously taken actions similar to Kelly’s.

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Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., a member of the far-left ‘Squad,’ on Thursday called Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a White supremacist, and said she wants Black people ‘targeted for harm’ after she said she felt ‘threatened’ by his ‘physical mannerisms.’

Speaking to reporters outside the Capitol, Bowman addressed Greene’s comments, which she made during a press conference earlier in the day in response to a Wednesday altercation between the two.

‘This is why it is so important that we teach and know our history. There is a long tradition—that Marjorie should be well aware of—of Black men who are passionate, outspoken, or who stand their ground, being characterized as ‘threatening’ or ‘intimidating.’ That’s what happened with Emmett Till, with Mike Brown, and with so many more,’ Bowman said.

‘Marjorie’s attack is beyond a dog-whistle. It’s a bullhorn. And it’s reckless and dangerous. She has put a target on my back,’ he said. ‘The truth of the matter is that we had a light back-and-forth on the steps of Capitol Hill, surrounded by reporters and staff. We can roll back the tapes and see her characterization of our conversation is an utter and blatant lie.’

‘This is, historically, what white supremacists do. They try to dehumanize Black people, Black skin, and Black humanity—so that we can be targeted for harm,’ he added.

Bowman doubled down in a post on Twitter later Thursday, saying, ‘White supremacists like Marjorie Taylor Greene use racist dog whistles to characterize outspoken, passionate Black men like me as threatening. But I won’t stop speaking truth to power.’

The two clashed following a Wednesday vote to send a resolution to expel embattled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., to the House Ethics Committee rather than directly take up the measure. As Santos spoke with reporters about the vote, Bowman and fellow ‘Squad’ member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., heckled him to resign.

According to footage of the spat, Bowman and Greene began shouting over each other, with him calling on her to vote to expel Santos, who is facing numerous federal charges and an ethics investigation, and her calling on him to ‘impeach Biden’ and ‘save the country.’ 

At a Thursday morning press conference, Greene told reporters she was ‘swarmed’ by a ‘mob’ led by Bowman, which she said was also captured on video, and that he called her a ‘White supremacist.’ 

‘He was the one that approached me — even CNN reported that — yelling, shouting, raising his voice. He has aggressive — his physical mannerisms are aggressive,’ Greene said, while also referring to a previous altercation Bowman had with Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in March over gun violence, in which Bowman, appearing angry, continuously shouted over Massie as he tried to talk with him.

‘I think there’s a lot of concern about Jamaal Bowman, and I am concerned about it. I feel threatened by him,’ she said. ‘I am very concerned about Jamaal Bowman, and he’s someone people should watch.’

Greene was attacked by others following the press conference, including Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who referred to her comments as ‘blatant racism.’

Fox News Digital reached out to Greene’s office concerning the footage she said was captured on video beyond that which had already been circulating, but did not immediately receive a response.

Fox also reached out to Bowman’s office about the altercation with Greene, but was referred to his comments mentioned earlier.