Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and former state Republican Party Chair Matt Borges were convicted Thursday in a $60 million bribery scheme that federal prosecutors have called the largest corruption case in state history.

A jury in Cincinnati found the two guilty of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise involving bribery and money laundering. Each faces up to 20 years in prison.

The government’s prosecution team was able to show that ‘Householder sold the Statehouse’ and betrayed the people he was elected to serve, and that Borges was ‘a willing co-conspirator,’ U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Kenneth Parker said in a statement.

‘Through its verdict today, the jury reaffirmed that the illegal acts committed by both men will not be tolerated and that they should be held accountable,’ Parker said.

The man who brought the case, Parker’s predecessor David DeVillers, tweeted: ‘The line between influence peddling and bribery will now be drawn by the rule of law and not by politicians, lobbyists and corporations.’

‘We are incredibly disappointed in the verdict,’ Householder’s attorney Steven Bradley said in an email. ‘We will take some time to evaluate all of our legal options and will most certainly pursue an appeal. Our client is looking forward to going home to be with his wife and family during this very difficult time.’

The attorney representing Borges, 50, did not immediately respond to messages left by The Associated Press on Thursday. The verdict comes two-and-a-half years after Borges, Householder and three others were arrested.

Prosecutors alleged that Householder, 63, orchestrated a scheme secretly funded by FirstEnergy Corp. to secure his power in the Legislature, elect his allies — and then to pass and defend legislation that delivered a $1 billion nuclear power plant bailout to the Akron-based electric utility. They alleged that Borges, then a lobbyist, sought to bribe Tyler Fehrman, an operative, for inside information on the referendum to overturn the bailout law.

‘Justice,’ Fehrman, tweeted after the verdicts came down.

In a phone interview, Fehrman said that the outcome proved the risk he took wearing a wire for the FBI as part of the government’s investigation was worth it.

‘For them to come back and find both of them guilty, and after not too long, is just such a relief,’ he said. ‘It is a good day for Ohioans. This stuff just can’t continue to happen.’

Householder had been one of Ohio’s most powerful politicians — an historically twice-elected speaker before his indictment. After his arrest, the Republican-controlled House ousted him from his leadership post, but he refused to resign for months on grounds he was innocent until proven guilty. In a bipartisan vote, representatives ultimately ousted him from the chamber, the first such expulsion in Ohio in 150 years.

In a move that may have been pivotal in the trial’s outcome, Householder took the stand in his own defense. Appearing confident and relaxed, he spent a day contradicting FBI testimony, defending his support for the bailout bill — known as House Bill 6 — and denying that he attended swanky Washington dinners where prosecutors alleged he and FirstEnergy executives hatched the scheme in 2017. But prosecutors eviscerated his claims on cross-examination the next day.

Rachael Belz, CEO of the government watchdog group Ohio Citizen Action, said she hopes that the trial and guilty verdicts turn the tide in Ohio politics.

‘We don’t believe that utilities funneling millions of dollars through shell corporations to drive state policy is how our state government should work, nor do Ohio voters,’ she said in a statement. Belz held the decision up as evidence that Ohioans expect and deserve better.

‘After so many years of utility-controlled energy policy that favored fossil fuels, Ohio must now move toward equitable, forward-looking solutions that will protect our air and water, the health of Ohioans, and provide clean energy jobs to keep Ohio competitive in the 21st-century economy,’ Belz said.

Borges did not testify at trial but has insisted that he’s innocent. His attorneys argued that he was entirely uninvolved with the pay-to-play scheme, while Householder’s team portrayed his actions as nothing more than hardball politics.

‘The bottom line is that Larry Householder was engaged in political activity, not criminal activity,’ his attorney Steven Bradley told jurors during closing statements. He said the government’s investigation was flimsy and full of holes, calling it ‘a nothing burger.’

But over the previous six weeks, jurors had been presented with firsthand accounts of the alleged scheme, as well as reams of financial documents, emails, texts and wire-tap audio.

The prosecution called two of the people arrested — Juan Cespedes and Jeff Longstreth — to testify about political contributions that they said are not ordinary, but bribes intended to secure passage of the bailout legislation.

Householder’s attorneys pushed back on arguments about their recollections, as well as their motivations. Both have pleaded guilty and are cooperating in hopes of a deal with the government.

Jurors also heard taped phone calls in which Householder and another co-defendant, the late Statehouse superlobbyist Neil Clark, plotted a nasty attack ad — and, in expletive-laced fashion, contemplated revenge against lawmakers who had crossed Householder.

Clark, who died by suicide in March 2021, was also heard describing to undercover FBI agents posing as developers how he was directing cash through Generation Now, a dark money group that has also pleaded guilty, to keep it secret.

Householder testified that he never retaliated against those who voted counter to his wishes or who donated to his rivals. He told jurors that the set-up advanced his interests, which were the same as Ohio’s interests, because they involved good policy.

Under a deal to avoid prosecution, FirstEnergy admitted using a network of dark money groups to fund the bribery scheme and even bribing the state’s top utility regulator, Sam Randazzo.

Randazzo resigned as chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio after an FBI search of his home, but he has not been charged and denies wrongdoing. The government has asked the PUCO to delay its own internal investigation into FirstEnergy while their probe continues.

President Biden on Thursday blasted ‘MAGA Republicans,’ asserting that they want to defund the police and the FBI, flipping the GOP’s continual claims that the Democrats were the anti-police party.

‘MAGA Republicans are calling for defunding the police department and defunding the FBI now,’ Biden said during an event at the Finishing Trades Institute in Philadelphia. ‘That’s a good one. I like that.’

Biden, who has previously said that he doesn’t want to strip police departments of funding, included in his budget proposal hiring 100,000 additional police on the streets, plus money for crime prevention strategies and community violence intervention.

‘My budget invests in public safety. It includes funding for more training, more support for law enforcement at a time they are expected to play many roles. We expect our cops to be social workers, psychologists, and mental health counselors.’ he shared. ‘You know, more cops are killed, responding to domestic violence calls, than anything else.’

During the summer of 2020, ‘defund the police’ became the battle cry among more progressive Democrats from coast to coast who demanded police reform following George Floyd’s death.

But in a twist, Democrats are attempting to turn the tables and accuse Republicans of being anti-police. 

Democrats’ accusations started after Republicans failed to back a Jan. 6 independent commission and opposed spending $1.9 billion to boost Capitol security and fund the police officers in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riots.

Following the FBI’s unprecedented decision to execute a search warrant at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, some in the Republican Party called to defund and destroy the federal agency. 

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., was one of the first to share her disapproval of the search, writing on Twitter: ‘Defund the FBI.’

‘The FBI raid on Trump’s home tells us one thing. Failure is not an option,’ Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., tweeted. ‘We must destroy the FBI. We must save America.’

The president laid out his budget proposal on Thursday, unveiling a slew of tax hikes on corporations and high-income individuals. The proposals are unlikely to garner support in a deeply divided Congress, and face almost certain rejection from Republicans, who won control of the House last year.

In total, Biden’s budget proposals calls for more than $4.5 trillion in tax increases, including higher tax rates on corporations and high-income individuals, expanded Medicare taxes on top earners and higher taxes on U.S. companies’ foreign income.

Fox Business’ Megan Henney contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Residents of the nation’s capital told Fox News their locally elected officials and community members should get to decide the city’s laws as the U.S. Senate prepared to block the district’s overhaul of its criminal code.

‘D.C., like any city, has some problems,’ Karen told Fox News. ‘But let us decide how best to solve the problems.’

WASHINGTON, D.C., RESIDENTS PROTEST AS CONGRESS STEPS IN TO OVERTURN DC LAW. WATCH: 

The city council had overrode the mayor’s veto of local legislation it passed that would have reduced penalties for certain crimes, like burglaries, robberies and carjackings. Washington residents rallied Wednesday to support statehood for the district ahead of the Senate vote, which ultimately passed 81-14 to block the city’s new criminal code. 

‘There’s crime here like there’s everywhere,’ Judith said. ‘The citizens of the district … collectively with our elected officials would keep the city safe.’

The nation’s capital, like many U.S. cities, has grappled with a crime surge in recent years. Homicides are up 32% year-to-date, and motor vehicle thefts have more than doubled, according to Metropolitan Police Department data. While overall crime decreased between 2021 and 2022, certain offenses remained high around the district. 

‘We know the solutions and we can implement them,’ Pranav said. ‘Our local officials in D.C. who we actually voted for have listened to that.’ 

Pranav, who supported the legislation, said locally elected officials spent years crafting the criminal code and escalated some gun-related charges. He added that harsher sentences doesn’t always deter crime. 

‘People who have been community leaders, community members have been talking about what keeps D.C. safe for decades,’ he said. ‘So we should be able to keep ourselves safe.’

Karen told Fox News that D.C. residents were ‘outraged’ at Congress for getting involved in the city’s home-rule. The district doesn’t have any representatives in either chamber that can vote.

Under the Constitution, Congress holds jurisdiction over the District of Columbia. But Congress hasn’t overruled a district law in decades. 

‘You got people from other states voting on what goes on in D.C. and they’re not from D.C.,’ a lifelong resident told Fox News. ‘They don’t know the fabric of D.C. and they’re making decisions that are going to affect D.C. residents.’

Additionally, Biden said he would not veto the measure if it reached his desk. Biden has supported D.C. statehood and generally objected to Congress overturning local laws but he tweeted that he couldn’t endorse parts of the crime bill. 

‘There are things that President Biden disagrees with in probably every single state,’ Pranav said. ‘But they get to govern themselves. They get to have their elected officials speak for them, and they get to make changes if they desire to.’

‘D.C. should be treated exactly the same,’ he told Fox News. ‘Supporting D.C. statehood means supporting the residents to govern how we see fit.’

To hear more from D.C. residents, click here. 

Fox News’ Bradford Betz and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Missouri voters could decide on whether to restore abortion rights in the state if constitutional amendments made public Thursday make it to the 2024 ballot.

The proposals would amend Missouri’s Constitution to protect abortion rights and pregnant women, as well as access to birth control.

Currently, most abortions are outlawed in the state. There are exceptions for medical emergencies, but not for cases of rape or incest.

The Missouri proposals are backed by a new group called Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, which has hired at least one Missouri Democratic strategist. The group and its treasurer did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Missouri’s Republican-led Legislature crafted a law, signed by Republican Gov. Mike Parson in 2019, to ban most abortions, in case the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The law took effect last year, following the court’s decision to end constitutional protections for abortion.

Several coalitions of lawmakers, including a top Republican donor, tried to put the law to a public vote in 2019. But Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, widely considered a top candidate for Missouri governor in 2024, initially rejected the petitions until a court forced him to approve them.

Advocates ultimately gave up on efforts to put the law to a public vote, accusing Ashcroft of dragging his feet in handling the proposals and leaving them with the impossible task of collecting the roughly 100,000 voter signatures needed in just two weeks.

Ashcroft also will play a role in the fate of Missouri’s pending constitutional amendments. His office is in charge of writing summaries of the proposals, which are used as voter guides.

Once Ashcroft and other elected officials finish the summary and a fiscal analysis, advocates can start collecting the voter signatures required to get the proposal on the ballot.

Abortion-rights supporters in Missouri are the latest to go directly to voters in hopes of restoring rights that were lost after Roe fell.

Kansas voters in August sent a resounding message about their desire to protect abortion rights by rejecting a ballot measure to add language to the Kansas Constitution stating that it does not grant the right to abortion.

Abortion-rights supporters won in the four states where access was on the ballot in November, as voters enshrined it into the state constitution in battleground Michigan as well as blue California and Vermont — and dealt a defeat to an anti-abortion measure in deep-red Kentucky.

Ohio advocates submitted ballot proposals in February to establish ‘a fundamental right to reproductive freedom’ with ‘reasonable limits.’

Missouri’s proposed constitutional amendments would allow the Republican-led Legislature and state agencies to put some restrictions on abortion.

But limits on abortion would only be allowed ‘if it is for the limited purpose and has the limited effect of improving or maintaining the health of a person seeking care, is consistent with widely accepted clinical standards of practice and evidence-based medicine, and does not infringe on that person’s autonomous decision-making,’ the amendment states.

Penalties for both patients seeking reproductive-related care and medical providers would be outlawed.

Meanwhile, Republican state lawmakers this year are focused on raising the bar to amend the state Constitution from a simple majority vote to at least 60%, which could make it harder to pass the abortion-rights proposals.

Republican lawmakers have been trying for years to crack down on initiative petitions, which have been used to enact policies that the Republican-led Legislature either avoided dealing with or opposed. For example, a 2020 citizen-led ballot initiative forced the state to expand Medicaid coverage, despite years of resistance from Republicans.

Other efforts by abortion-rights advocates to lift Missouri’s ban on the procedure include a lawsuit filed in January by religious leaders who support abortion rights. They argue that lawmakers openly invoked their religious beliefs while drafting the measure and thereby imposed those beliefs on others who don’t share them. The lawsuit is pending.

When discussing his newly unveiled budget blueprint, President Biden referred to his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, as the ‘maybe future president’ of the United States while recalling a ‘big fight’ the two men had during the 2020 campaign.

‘I was running for office at the time, and you may remember that I had a big fight with the former president and maybe future president.’ Biden recalled at the Finishing Trades Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

‘Bless be Father.’ Biden added, while making the sign of the cross.

Following resounding boo’s from audience members, Biden forged ahead remembering the ‘big fight’ he had with Trump.

‘The big fight you may remember going on was with our good friend, the former president, who decided to fire all the inspector generals.’

‘I said, ‘You shouldn’t do that.’ Well, guess what? Now we’re finding out there are billions of [COVID-19 relief] dollars were stolen.’ Biden stated. 

The White House has emphasized Biden’s ‘intentions’ to run for re-election, but the President has not formally announced his bid for reelection. Biden, who is 80-years-old, is the oldest president in U.S. history. 

In November, Trump announced that he is running for the 2024 Republican nomination for president. 

Trump announced his third presidential bid during a speech at his Mar-a-Lago, Florida, home after having teased a bid since leaving office in 2021.

A handful of 2024 presidential hopefuls have also announced their candidacies. 

Democrat contender, Marianne Williamson, announced her bid in a challenge to President Biden in February. The self-help author, who has written 14 books, previously ran in the 2020 presidential race but struggled to gain traction in a crowded field. 

While only one Democrat contender has thrown their hat into the ring, a handful of Republican have announced their official candidacy. 

Former two-term South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who later served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, also launched her presidential campaign in Feb. in her hometown of Charleston before heading straight out onto the campaign trail in New Hampshire and Iowa.

‘I’m not afraid to call BS on all the bailouts and handouts that are bankrupting America. And I’m not afraid to call out my fellow Republicans,’ the 51-year-old Haley said.

Vivek Ramaswamy, a health care and tech sector entrepreneur, best-selling author, conservative commentator, and crusader in the culture wars, also declared his candidacy in late February.

The 37-year-old Ramaswamy, author of ‘Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam,’ says his vision centers on restoring the ‘national identity in America.’

Just last week, businessman Perry Johnson declared his candidacy. Earlier this year the 75-year-old Johnson signaled his White House ambitions by spending big bucks to run an ad during the Super Bowl targeting Iowa voters and showcasing his pledge to cut federal spending by 2% per year.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

The South Carolina House on Thursday approved a $1.3 billion package to help attract a new electric vehicle plant backed by the Volkswagen Group to a site near Columbia.

The plan would borrow nothing, instead paying the entire amount through surpluses the state has managed to save over the past few years as the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t hurt the amount of tax revenue South Carolina collects as much as feared.

Scout Motors Inc. and South Carolina officials announced plans Monday to start building new Scout vehicles, powered this time by electricity, for the first time since 1980. They hope to hire 4,000 workers for its $2 billion plant.

They are reviving the name and style of the original Scout SUVs made by International Harvester in the 1970s and 1980s.

After one more routine vote, the proposal will go to the Senate. Members approved the package on a 96-12 vote Thursday.

The state’s $1.3 billion will build a new exchange on Interstate 77 and a railroad bridge over the highway for the plant.

The state is giving Scout a $200 million loan to stabilize the soil at the site and a $400 million grant for the company to use how it wishes during construction.

Former President Donald Trump was recently offered the chance to appear before a Manhattan grand jury about the hush money scandal with porn star Stormy Daniels — a sign that criminal charges may follow.

According to the New York Times, the Manhattan district attorney’s office communicated the offer to Trump’s lawyers. The office, led by DA Alvin Bragg, has been investigating the hush money scandal — which took place in 2016 — for the past five years.

In New York, the chance to appear before a grand jury strongly signals an incoming indictment. This would mark the first time a former American president was criminally indicted.

New York defendants are entitled to the chance to answer questions in the grand jury, but Trump will likely not testify, as many defendants waive this right. 

Hush money is not criminal, but prosecutors may argue that the $130,000 payment to Daniels was an improper donation to the Trump campaign, as Daniels’ NDA helped his candidacy.

According to the Times, the case against Trump hinges on an ‘untested and therefore risky legal theory involving a complex interplay of laws.’

Towards the end of the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen sent $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels to prevent her from disclosing her 2006 affair with Trump. Trump reimbursed Cohen through installments.

Daniels’ representatives had reached out to the National Enquirer to offer exclusive rights to the story. The publisher, a Trump ally, instead connected Daniels’ team with Cohen to arrange a deal.

During Cohen’s criminal investigation, prosecutors argued that Trump’s company falsely filed the Stormy Daniels payments as legal expenses. Because the reimbursement was done under the table, this could count as falsifying business records.

Falsifying business records is a misdemeanor offense. It could be elevated to a felony charge if Trump had intent to defraud or conceal.

The New York investigation takes place as Trump is also under scrutiny by the Fulton County District Attorney in Georgia for allegedly interfering in the 2020 election. A federal special counsel is also investigating Trump’s handling of classified documents and his relationship to the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

Whether Trump could be sent to prison is unknown at this stage. The former president could face four years in prison if convicted, but there is no mandatory sentence. 

President Biden’s former executive assistant from his time as vice president has agreed to testify before Congress next month about his handling of classified documents, Fox News has confirmed. 

Kathy Chung, who joined Biden’s staff in 2012 and stayed in the role through the end of the Obama administration, will sit down with members of the House Oversight Committee. 

The president’s personal attorneys first discovered documents with classified markings on Nov. 2 of last year at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, which Biden previously used as a personal office. 

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., wrote in a letter to Chung on Feb. 4 that lawmakers have ‘obtained evidence showing that you had keycard access to Penn Biden Center.’

‘Recent reporting indicates in January 2017 you—while serving as then-Vice President Biden’s executive assistant—helped pack up the departing Vice President’s office,’ Comer wrote in the letter. 

‘The Committee believes your proximity to Vice President Biden and role as handler of his personal matters gave you access not only to classified material he maintained after leaving the White House, but also to the Biden family’s business schemes.’ 

Since the initial discovery in November, Biden’s attorneys and the FBI have turned up additional classified documents at his home in Wilmington, Delaware. 

Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Robert Hur, a former U.S. attorney, as a special counsel to investigate Biden’s handling of classified documents in January. 

The discovery of classified documents at the Penn Biden Center came about three months after the FBI raided former President Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago and seized a tranche of classified documents. 

Former Vice President Mike Pence informed Congress in January that he also found documents bearing classified markings at his home in Carmel, Indiana. 

Chung was recommended to the president in 2012 by his son, Hunter Biden, according to emails obtained from the younger Biden’s abandoned laptop and verified by Fox News Digital.

‘I cannot thank you enough for thinking about me and walking me thru this,’ Chung wrote in an email to Hunter on June 13, 2012, after she was hired. ‘What an incredible opportunity! Thanks, Hunter!!’

Fox News’ Thomas Catenacci, Jessica Chasmar, and Cameron Cawthorne contributed to this report. 

Tammy Brady began her career as an Atlantic City casino dealer at the age of 18. Now 55, she has stage 2 breast cancer.

‘While I’m not sure we will ever know the exact cause of my illness, I can’t help but wonder if it would have happened if the casinos hadn’t forced me to work in second-hand smoke,’ said Brady, who works at the Borgata casino.

Holly Diebler, a craps dealer at Tropicana, is undergoing chemotherapy for throat cancer.

‘I don’t even know how long I’m going to live,’ she said. ‘I love my job; I don’t want to leave it. But all my oncologists have told me this is a life-and-death choice.’

They were among numerous casino employees who testified Thursday before two state Assembly committees in favor of a bill that would prohibit smoking in Atlantic City’s nine casinos.

No vote was taken on the bill, as in an identical hearing on Feb. 13. Gov. Phil Murphy has promised to sign the bill if it passes the Legislature, but thus far, leaders of the Democrat-controlled Assembly and Senate have not committed to allowing the bill to move forward and be voted upon.

The bill would close a loophole in the state’s 2006 indoor smoking law. That measure was written specifically to exempt casinos from bans on smoking indoors. Currently, smoking is permitted on 25% of a casino floor in Atlantic City.

‘I don’t want to take away your right to kill yourself by smoking,’ said Assemblyman Don Guardian, a former mayor of Atlantic City. ‘I do want to take away your right to kill someone else by smoking in a casino.’

The casino industry opposes a smoking ban, saying it would lose customers and revenue if smoking were banned while still being allowed in casinos in nearby states.

But Andrew Klebenow of Las Vegas-based C3 Gaming, said many casinos that have ended smoking are thriving financially, including casinos near Washington, D.C., and Boston, and in Maryland.

Business groups opposed a ban, and Bob McDevitt, president of Local 54 of the Unite Here casino workers union, predicted that prohibiting smoking would cost the industry 10% of its revenue and cause the closure of at least one casino.

‘Down south, there are no other jobs,’ he said. ‘It’s like Hooterville. No one is for cancer. The issue is do we end up closing a casino or not?’

The Casino Association of New Jersey said the true impact of a smoking ban could be closer to 20 to 25% of casino revenue being lost.

‘The Atlantic City casino industry is still very much in a rebuilding and recovery phase from where it was at the start of the pandemic,’ its statement read. ‘Visitation to Atlantic City is near a 20-year low, while gas and toll prices are increasing. Adding a smoking ban could cause a devastating effect to the community and state in this difficult economy.’

Iris Sanchez, a housekeeper at Caesars, said she fears being laid off if smoking is banned and business levels decrease.

‘I’m not opposed to smoking; I’m opposed to losing jobs,’ she said.

But many more casino workers felt differently.

Every time Robin Vitulle clocks in at her job as a dealer at Hard Rock, she has the same thought: ‘Is this the day I inhale the cloud of smoke that gives me cancer? Or is it too late already?’

Dealers say they are forbidden by their employers from waving the smoke away.

‘They say it would embarrass the customer,’ said Janice Green, 62, a craps dealer at the Tropicana. ‘I think, ‘You mean the customer that’s killing me?”

Whether to ban smoking is one of the most controversial issues not only in Atlantic City, but in casinos in other states where workers have expressed concern about secondhand smoke. They are waging similar campaigns in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

The issue is among the most divisive in Atlantic City, where even though casino revenue matched its all-time high of $5.2 billion last year, only half that amount was won from in-person gamblers. The other half was won online and must be shared with third parties including tech platforms and sports books.

Just three of the nine casinos — Borgata, Ocean and Resorts — surpassed their pre-pandemic revenue levels in terms of money won from in-person gamblers last year.

Support for a smoking ban is widespread among New Jersey lawmakers, with a bipartisan majority in both chambers.

The bill needs to be voted upon in committees of the Senate and Assembly, then voted on by the full membership of those legislative bodies before going to the governor. Those hearings and votes have not yet been scheduled.

The Biden administration quietly acknowledged in a court filing earlier this week that it won’t issue a final decision on future offshore oil and gas leasing until the end of 2023.

Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys wrote in the briefing filed late Monday evening that the Interior Department (DOI) won’t be able to publish its highly-anticipated five-year offshore oil and gas leasing plan for at least another nine months. The filing came in response to an ongoing lawsuit from fossil fuel industry groups led by the American Petroleum Institute (API), challenging the agency’s delay in issuing the plan.

‘Interior is proceeding expeditiously to approve the next Five-Year Program in December 2023, only three months after API’s requested date,’ the filing stated. ‘API has not provided compelling reasons why the Court should accelerate Interior’s timeline.’

Under the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the federal government is required to issue plans every five years laying out prospective oil and gas lease sales. The most recent plan, which was implemented in 2017, expired in June.

On July 1, the DOI published a proposal for the five-year plan, which laid out multiple options for leasing between 2023 and 2028. The plan included an option with no lease sales during the time span and a maximum option of 11 lease sales. The plan ruled out any lease sales in the Atlantic or Pacific, mainly proposing Gulf of Mexico sales.

The delay in issuing a finalized plan represented a departure from precedent set by both Republican and Democratic administrations, which historically have finalized replacements immediately after plans expired. The option to hold no lease sales over the course of five years also represented an unprecedented departure. 

The most recent two plans, both formulated under the Obama administration, included more than 10 offshore oil and gas lease sales each. The Trump administration sought to hold a total of 47 lease sales across the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico and off Alaska’s coasts between 2022 and 2027.

‘The continued, prolonged, and unprecedented delay of the U.S. offshore oil and gas leasing program is injecting substantial and unnecessary uncertainty into the investment outlook for U.S. energy and national security,’ said National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) president Erik Milito. ‘The U.S. offshore region competes with other offshore regions throughout the world for investment in energy producing projects.’

‘Historically, the U.S. has been able to compete effectively under its statutory and regulatory framework,’ Milito added. ‘However, as certainty and predictability has continued to erode as a result of stifling energy policy decisions out of Washington, investment dollars may begin to flow to other producing regions.’

NOIA, which represents both offshore fossil fuel and wind producers, was among the groups to sue the DOI over its delays in issuing a finalized plan. NOIA and API issued a report last year showing that failure to hold more lease sales over the next five years would have a negative impact on jobs, gross domestic product and domestic oil production.

‘Beyond its legal requirement, the prompt finalization of an offshore oil and gas leasing program is critical to meeting fundamental energy realities and ensuring Americans have affordable supplies of energy for decades to come,’ Milito continued.

In addition, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee chairman, blasted the subtle admission from the administration in a scathing statement Wednesday.

‘Monday night, the Department of the Interior made it painfully clear — again — that they are putting their radical climate agenda ahead of our nation’s energy security, and they are willing to go to great lengths to do it,’ Manchin stated. ‘The earliest that Interior will release a legally required program for 2023-2028 offshore oil and gas leasing will be the end of this year. That’s 18 months late.’

‘This is the first time in our nation’s history that we haven’t had a five-year leasing program released before the old plan expired,’ he continued. ‘Every other administration, Democrat and Republican, has managed to follow the law in a timely fashion. Let me be clear — this is not optional. The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act mandates that the secretary of the Interior ‘shall prepare’ this program to ‘best meet national energy needs.”

‘What is even more terrifying is that on top of this disturbing timeline, Interior refuses to confirm if they intend to actually include any lease sales in the final plan,’ Manchin added.

A DOI spokesperson told Fox News Digital the filing speaks for itself.