The Senate is poised to vote on whether to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Transportation over the next four years.

Trump tapped Sean Duffy, a former congressman, a father of nine and a former Fox News host, to serve as secretary of transportation under his administration, calling him a ‘tremendous and well-liked public servant.’

Duffy underwent a grilling by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee this month, eventually advancing to a full Senate vote with unanimous, bipartisan support.

A cloture vote for Duffy’s confirmation was held Monday evening, which, upon its passing, meant the chamber would conclude its debate over his nomination and proceed to a final vote.

The Senate is scheduled to vote on whether to confirm Duffy on Tuesday afternoon.

If confirmed, Duffy will assume the position last held by former President Joe Biden’s transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg.

Buttigieg faced criticism from both Democrats and Republicans for his handling of transportation issues over the years, such as waiting 10 days to address the 2023 Ohio train derailment and widespread calls to hold airlines accountable for flight delays.

As the new administration takes shape, lawmakers are making suggestions about what they would like to see in the new transportation head.

Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah called for the Trump administration to abolish the Transportation Security Administration. 

Additionally, during Duffy’s confirmation hearing, Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Ted Budd, R-N.C., highlighted the importance of making sure Hurricane Helene victims are ‘not forgotten’ after a stretch of a highway in North Carolina collapsed into the Pigeon River.

Tuesday’s vote comes as Senate Republicans have been working to confirm Trump’s Cabinet nominees, holding a rare vote on Saturday to push through Kristi Noem as secretary of Homeland Security.

Weeks after the Republicans’ triumphant performances in the November elections, it is primary day once again in Northwest Florida.

Voters in Florida’s 1st Congressional District will select a GOP candidate on Tuesday, who will likely succeed former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., in the House of Representatives.

The district, which covers part of the Florida panhandle, is heavily Republican. President Donald Trump won the area in his last three elections, and Gaetz himself held the seat from January 2017 until he resigned late last year.

There are 10 Republicans running to replace Gaetz in the Tuesday primary.

They include Aaron Dimmock, whom ex-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., backed last year in a bid to force Gaetz out of office.

Gaetz had triggered the maneuver that eventually led to McCarthy’s ouster from power after less than a year as House speaker.

However, the favorite going into the race is likely Jimmy Patronis, who has been endorsed by Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

‘A fourth generation Floridian from the beautiful Panhandle, and owner of an iconic seafood restaurant, Jimmy has been a wonderful friend to me, and to MAGA,’ Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform earlier this month.

‘As your next Congressman, Jimmy will work tirelessly alongside of me to Grow our Economy, Secure our Border, Stop Migrant Crime, Secure our Border, Strengthen our Brave Military/Vets, Restore American Energy DOMINANCE, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.’

Tuesday is also bringing a special primary election for Florida’s 6th Congressional District to replace Trump’s new national security adviser, former Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla.

Both general elections, expected to be won by Republicans, will take place April 1.

Gaetz resigned from Congress abruptly last year after Trump tapped him to be his attorney general, though Gaetz eventually withdrew himself from consideration amid growing Republican opposition.

It also came as the House Ethics Committee had been preparing its report on allegations against Gaetz that included illicit drug use and sex with a minor, all of which he has denied.

DORAL, Fla. — House Republicans brimmed with optimism after President Donald Trump’s speech at their annual retreat on Monday evening, where the new commander in chief detailed his policy goals for a busy first 100 days of the new administration.

Trump’s speech, which ran just over an hour, covered a wide range of issues, from post-election unity to his wishlist for Republicans’ conservative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process.

‘It was fun, you know? I mean, if you’re a Republican, Trump made politics fun again,’ House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital. ‘I mean, it’s been an extraordinary week. There’s a blizzard of executive orders and actions. It’s actually pushed Congress on some action.’

Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., a first-term member of Congress, was buoyant when approached by Fox News Digital on the first night of his first House GOP issues conference, an annual Republican event.

‘This is exactly why we ran for office, to turn around this country as quickly as possible. And that the president was in full form tonight. And I’m so excited to be a part of this change,’ Haridopolos said. ‘You could feel the energy in the room, and I think people are very excited to get this agenda through, and more importantly see the results.’

It comes as Republicans negotiate on how to use their razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate to pass massive conservative policy changes through budget reconciliation.

By reducing the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to a 51-seat simple majority, reconciliation allows a party in control of both congressional chambers to enact sweeping changes, provided they’re relevant to budgetary and fiscal policy.

There has been some disagreement for weeks over how to package the GOP’s priorities, however. Senate Republicans have pushed for breaking the package up into two bills in order to score early victories on border security and energy policy while leaving the more complex issue of tax reform for a second bill.

House Republican leaders, however, are concerned that the heavy political lift that passing a reconciliation bill entails would mean lawmakers run out of time before they can extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which expire at the end of this year.

Trump, who previously said he favors ‘one big beautiful bill,’ was noncommittal on the strategy during his speech. 

‘Whether it’s one bill, two bills, I don’t care,’ he said.

He was more specific about what policies he wanted to see passed, however, including more funding for border security, permanently extending his 2017 tax cuts and ending taxation for tips, Social Security benefits and overtime pay. Trump also has vowed to end green energy policies in favor of bolstering the fossil fuel sector.

Cole said he was concerned about the increase in federal spending that some of Trump’s specific policy goals would entail, but he conceded the president was likely speaking in generalities. 

‘I think Trump, when he thinks about these things, he’s thinking about just the average person and what a burden it is on them,’ Cole said.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., one of three House Republicans who won in a district that voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in November, praised Trump’s speech as ‘unifying’ but shared concerns with Trump’s broad-brush approach.

‘I thought that message is pretty unifying. I do. I think sometimes the execution gets all messy,’ Bacon said. 

‘While I was in there, I had a businessman from Omaha that does wind energy, and he’s worried about what that means. So I think it … could be a little more targeted. Sometimes I think people on the periphery are scared that their business will be impacted.’

But National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson, R-N.C., who is tasked with leading Republicans through the 2026 midterm elections, said leaders would hash out specifics as needed while crediting Trump with bringing the GOP together.

‘We’ll see how the details shake out in these couple of days. But what I thought was great is he kept coming back to his theme: If all Republicans stick together, we can be successful. And I thought that was a good message for all members,’ Hudson said.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said she was ‘very happy to hear’ Trump call for a lower tax rate for new domestic manufacturing, particularly in relation to pharmaceuticals.

It’s an issue she hopes Republicans will tackle in their reconciliation process.

‘It was important that President Trump stressed unity as we enter the timeframe for drafting and passing reconciliation, extending the tax package,’ Malliotakis said. 

And Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas, also praised Trump’s speech while dismissing concerns about his lack of commitment toward a one- or two-reconciliation bill strategy.

‘He’s a results-oriented guy, and we all know that. And what we need to do is whatever is necessary to get the results for the American people and put his policies in place,’ Moran said.

A group of Democratic senators previewed several anti-vaccine arguments during a roundtable discussion, including a claim that vaccines cause autism, several days before Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s scheduled confirmation hearings later this week.

Even though Kennedy’s name was ‘not supposed’ to come up during the hearing, according to at least one of the health experts present at the discussion, his nomination to be the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was invoked frequently by lawmakers seeking answers about how to combat anti-vaccine claims and so-called ‘misinformation,’ including arguments about vaccines that Kennedy has promoted in the past.

One claim the senators asked the public health experts at the roundtable about was whether vaccines cause autism, a claim Kennedy has discussed publicly in interviews.

‘This is something that I hear a concern about quite a lot,’ Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., asked the panel. ‘What, if any information, can you give us to help us push back against that?’ 

The doctors on the panel explained the lack of robust studies proving this link while highlighting the wide breadth of studies that have shown no links between vaccines and autism.

‘Academic researchers, pediatricians, scientists took that concern seriously enough to spend tens of millions of dollars to answer the question,’ said Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatrician with an expertise in virology and immunology. ‘The more impactful part of your question is how do you get that information out there, because frankly, once you’ve scared people it’s hard to unscare them.’ 

Offitt added that since there is no clear cause of autism, it makes it harder to refute claims from Kennedy and others. Dr. Joshua Sharfstein of Johns Hopkins pointed lawmakers to preeminent medical authorities within the U.S., such as the National Academy of Sciences, as places they could go for evidence that vaccines do not cause autism.

The Democratic group of lawmakers, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who caucuses with Democrats, asked questions about, and learned ways to refute, other anti-vaccine claims, such as whether vaccine manufacturers are immune from being held accountable for vaccine injuries.

The experts pointed out the presence of a National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program that allows certain vaccine injury victims to receive compensation from the government, but they suggested that if Kennedy upended the current system and opened up more companies to liability, it could potentially put vaccine manufacturers out of business.

‘Am I right that the HHS secretary has some discretion about removing vaccines from that list [and opening them up to civil litigation] if they were to choose?’ asked Sen. Time Kaine, D-Va. ‘Because if that were the case, I would obviously worry about – that would be one worry I would have and a set of questions I might like to ask people nominated for positions within HHS.’

Other questions from lawmakers that the health experts helped answer included queries about how to distinguish between vaccine side effects versus vaccine complications, how to combat claims that vaccines are not studied enough, questions about how the government monitors the safety of vaccines, questions about how undermining vaccine efficacy can impact public health and more. 

Kennedy will face tough questions about his stance on vaccines this week during his confirmation hearings in front of both the Senate Committee on Finance and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP).

The chair of the Senate’s HELP committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., called Kennedy ‘wrong’ on vaccines during an interview earlier this month. 

Democrats, meanwhile, have been more pointed about their criticism. During the roundtable discussion with public health experts, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., called Kennedy ‘dangerous’ and ‘unqualified’ for the position of HHS secretary. 

‘The bird flu, if it explodes, we’re going to need to have some confidence, especially in those people who should be vaccinated, that they can trust the government when they say that it’s safe, they can trust the medical community, and I’m just very afraid of Robert F. Kennedy’s candidacy,’ Markey said. 

‘Say goodbye to your smile and say hello to polio,’ Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said after news of Kennedy’s nomination to head HHS. ‘This is a man who wants to stop kids from getting their polio and measles shots. He’s actually welcoming a return to polio, a disease we nearly eradicated.’

President Donald Trump is expected to address House Republicans at their annual retreat on Monday as lawmakers work to enact his goal for a busy first 100 days of the new administration.

It’s another sign of the House GOP conference’s push for unity with Trump that the conference is being held at Trump National Doral, his golf course and resort near Miami.

‘He’s going to come and address the Republicans there, and we’re looking forward to that,’ Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., confirmed to reporters last week.

Johnson told reporters on Monday that he expects to discuss several issues with Trump, including potentially conditioning wildfire aid to California. It comes after Trump suggested pairing aid to the liberal stronghold with a crackdown on noncitizen voting.

Trump has made no secret of his intent to keep a close eye on the Republican majorities in the House and Senate this year, particularly as they discuss how to use their numbers to pass a massive conservative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process.

By reducing the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to a 51-seat simple majority, reconciliation allows a party in control of both congressional chambers to enact sweeping changes, provided they’re relevant to budgetary and fiscal policy.

A copy of lawmakers’ schedule obtained by Fox News Digital shows a heavy focus on reconciliation this week, with several closed-door meetings on the matter scheduled for Tuesday. 

Johnson also suggested on Monday that it could be a key part of Trump’s speech as well.

‘You all heard me talk about the proverbial playbook that we developed over the last year leading up to this moment, that we knew what would happen. And now we’re working out the final sequence of the plays. And so some big decisions will be made here in the next few days and will align with the Senate and our colleagues there,’ Johnson said.

Meanwhile, lawmakers are also contending with the debt ceiling being reinstated this month after it was temporarily suspended in a bipartisan deal during the Trump administration.

And coming on March 14 is the deadline to avert a partial government shutdown, which Congress has extended twice since the end of the previous fiscal year on Oct. 1.

‘I think obviously everyone is ready to get to work,’ Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital. ‘With President Trump’s inauguration behind us, now we’re focused on the task at hand – everything from the border to the tax package, energy and defense and national security, and our debt. What we need to do over the next two years to really fulfill the agenda that we laid out for the American people.’

Lawler said he anticipated reconciliation would be a key focus of Trump’s remarks.

With razor-thin margins in the House and Senate, Republicans can afford few dissenters if they are going to get to the finish line. 

Lawler is one of several Republicans who have drawn red lines in the discussions, vowing not to vote for a reconciliation bill that does not lift state and local tax (SALT) deduction caps – limits that have put a strain on suburban districts outside major cities.

He was realistic about setting expectations for their short Florida trip but was optimistic Republicans would eventually come together.

‘I think we’re in the middle of the process and, you know, this is obviously not going to be resolved over these three days,’ Lawler said. ‘But this is, I think, an important opportunity for everyone to really sit down and spend their time going through a lot of these issues.’

Strike a pose.

That’s exactly what first lady Melania Trump is doing in her new official White House portrait that was released Monday afternoon.

The first lady is seen in a striking power pose – leaning slightly forward with her hands resting on a table. 

The black and white portrait was captured by esteemed photographer Régine Mahaux. It was taken on January 21, 2024, in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House, according to the office of the first lady.

Trump, a former fashion model, is seen posing in business attire – opting for a dark-colored suit with a crisp white shirt underneath. Trump’s hair is down and wavy. Her nails are meticulously manicured. 

The portrait was met with praise online.

‘Easily the most stunning First Lady in American history,’ one user wrote on X.

‘Melania really exudes power in this photo — especially with the Washington Monument standing tall in the background,’ another praised.

Others speculated the first lady was attempting to send a message. 

‘This time, Melania is out for revenge,’ an X user wrote.

While another said, ‘Her revenge tour is going to be awesome!’

President Donald Trump signaled Saturday a deal could be underway soon to ‘save’ TikTok from a looming ban, and Republican state attorneys general – many skeptical of the app’s security – are waiting to see if it comes to fruition.

‘I have spoken to many people about TikTok and there is great interest in TikTok,’ Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on a flight to Florida, Reuters reported. 

The reported deal Trump is working on involves partnering with software company Oracle and a group of outside investors to take control of the app’s operations. According to sources familiar with the matter, ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, would maintain a stake in the platform under the proposed deal. However, Oracle would take control of data management and software updates, leveraging its existing role in supporting TikTok’s web infrastructure, two sources told Reuters.

‘President Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to save TikTok, and there’s no better dealmaker than Donald Trump,’ Trump’s national press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously told Fox News Digital.

Several Republican state attorneys general have actively pursued actions to ban TikTok, citing national security concerns and potential data privacy issues. In December 2024, 22 attorneys general, including those from Virginia and Montana, filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the ‘divest-or-ban’ law against TikTok. The law mandates that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, divest its U.S. operations or face a potential ban due to national security concerns.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also initiated legal action against TikTok earlier this month, alleging ‘TikTok lied about its safety standards and concealed the truth about the prevalence of inappropriate and explicit material,’ according to his office’s news release. Paxton’s lawsuit doesn’t mention the app’s ban.

A source close to several Republican state attorneys general told Fox News Digital on Monday that they’re confident if anyone can make a deal to protect the U.S. from the Chinese Communist Party, it’s Trump, but if it poses a threat to national security, then it should be banned. 

Republicans aren’t the only ones concerned about TikTok. Several Democratic state attorneys general have actively pursued legal actions against the social media app, too. In October 2024, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with 12 other states and the District of Columbia, filed a lawsuit alleging that TikTok exploits and harms young users and deceives the public about the social media platform’s dangers.

While Trump tried to ban the app from U.S. access during his first administration, he credited TikTok for reaching young voters during the 2024 presidential campaign. 

TikTok went dark earlier this month after ByteDance had nine months to sell TikTok to an approved buyer but opted, along with TikTok, to take legal action against the law. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law, citing national security risks because of its ties to China.

The app was reinstated for U.S. users the following day, with Trump promising an executive order to extend TikTok’s sale. 

‘Welcome back!’ the TikTok message read. ‘Thank you for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!’

Fox News Digital has reached out to TikTok for comment.

Fox Business’ Alexandra Koch, Bradford Betz and Landon Mion contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump is expected to address House Republicans at their annual retreat on Monday as lawmakers work to enact his goal for a busy first 100 days of the new administration.

It’s another sign of the House GOP conference’s push for unity with Trump that the conference is being held at Trump National Doral, his golf course and resort near Miami.

‘He’s going to come and address the Republicans there, and we’re looking forward to that,’ Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., confirmed to reporters last week.

Trump has made no secret of his intent to keep a close eye on the Republican majorities in the House and Senate this year, particularly as they discuss how to use their numbers to pass a massive conservative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process.

By reducing the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to a 51-seat simple majority, reconciliation allows a party in control of both congressional chambers to enact sweeping changes, provided they’re relevant to budgetary and fiscal policy.

Meanwhile, lawmakers are also contending with the debt ceiling being reinstated this month after it was temporarily suspended in a bipartisan deal during the Trump administration.

And coming on March 14 is the deadline to avert a partial government shutdown, which Congress has extended twice since the end of the previous fiscal year on Oct. 1.

‘I think obviously everyone is ready to get to work,’ Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital. ‘With President Trump’s inauguration behind us, now we’re focused on the task at hand – everything from the border to the tax package, energy and defense and national security, and our debt. What we need to do over the next two years to really fulfill the agenda that we laid out for the American people.’

Lawler said he anticipated reconciliation would be a key focus of Trump’s remarks.

With razor-thin margins in the House and Senate, Republicans can afford few dissenters if they are going to get to the finish line. 

Lawler is one of several Republicans who have drawn red lines in the discussions, vowing not to vote for a reconciliation bill that does not lift state and local tax (SALT) deduction caps – limits that have put a strain on suburban districts outside major cities.

He was realistic about setting expectations for their short Florida trip but was optimistic Republicans would eventually come together.

‘I think we’re in the middle of the process and, you know, this is obviously not going to be resolved over these three days,’ Lawler said. ‘But this is, I think, an important opportunity for everyone to really sit down and spend their time going through a lot of these issues.’