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As we prepare to celebrate 250 years of freedom this summer, America should resolve to once again be a healthy nation. Chronic disease has been rapidly increasing for decades, and for far too long, the federal government’s approach to nutrition has been part of the problem. Empowered by President Donald Trump’s leadership, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will soon publish a final rule that will more than double the amount of healthy food that many retailers in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are required to stock.

Since its inception, SNAP has helped our most vulnerable citizens afford the essential and nutritious food they need. At least, that is what the program is supposed to do. Over time, however, SNAP has been taken advantage of, allowing many to game the system and leaving millions of vulnerable Americans without healthy, nutrient-dense food options. 

This has accelerated the health crisis that our nation is up against. Every year, 90% of the nearly $5 trillion the United States spends on healthcare goes toward treating people with chronic conditions. And of the roughly 73 million children under age 18 in the United States, the CDC reports that over 40% have at least one chronic health condition, while more than 350,000 American children have been diagnosed with diabetes.  

The consequences are far-reaching and have even put our national security at risk. Due primarily to obesity, poor physical fitness, and/or mental health challenges, more than 75% of Americans aged 17 to 24 are ineligible for military service — a staggering and dangerous reality.

WHOLE MILK HEADED BACK TO SCHOOL CAFETERIAS AFTER TRUMP SIGNS LAW AS EXPERTS TOUT BENEFITS

Rising rates of childhood chronic disease are driven by a combination of factors. Improving SNAP — which covers 15.6 million children, or about 39% of all SNAP participants — is a terrific place to start. When it comes to a lack of healthy options for both America’s children and adults, the stocking standards that classify the foods retailers are required to stock to redeem SNAP benefits are a key culprit. 

The current stocking standards were established when SNAP was used quite differently. Today, too many taxpayer dollars are spent on highly processed products loaded with empty calories. With nearly 266,000 retailers nationwide redeeming nearly $96 billion in SNAP benefits in fiscal year 2025, we can’t afford not to act. 

To take just one example of SNAP misuse, retailers have been able to qualify for SNAP by selling jelly, passing it off as a "fruit," and making a quick buck off it. This was never the intent of SNAP, and the Trump administration is laser-focused on restoring the program to its original mission.

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Our pending final rule raises the bar for stocking by strengthening requirements for retailers and closing loopholes that have allowed certain snack foods to count as staple foods. This rule requires all retailers to carry a minimum of 28 varieties across the four staple food groups — more than double the 12 they are currently required to carry. This will mean more real food like eggs, chicken, whole grain breads, fruit and yogurt on store shelves and on Americans’ plates. 

Americans on SNAP deserve even more than 28 varieties, but this is a long overdue step in the right direction. It is also the very least retailers can do in exchange for receiving federal taxpayer dollars, since public money should go toward supporting the national interest. And retailers participating in SNAP should feel obligated to offer a variety of healthy foods, period.

At long last, we are modernizing SNAP to responsibly steward taxpayer dollars, promote healthy eating and empower Americans to lead better lives. This pending final rule squares with the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ call to eat real food by ensuring low-income Americans have healthy options available wherever they shop.

There is no better 250th birthday present we can give America than making our nation healthier through real food grown by our incredible farmers, ranchers and producers. Stay tuned — there is much more to come before July 4th. 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM AGRICULTURE SECRETARY BROOKE ROLLINS

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the 26th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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As American airports and travelers continue to suffer the impacts of the DHS shutdown — and as TSA officers continue to go without paychecks — some European countries are warning those who would potentially visit the U.S.A.

The United Kingdom, for example, updated its foreign travel advice for those looking to travel to the U.S. — calling out the "travel disruption."

Its advisory says, "There could be longer than usual queues at some U.S. airports due to a partial US government shutdown."

TSA OFFICERS SKIP WORK AS PAYCHECKS STOP DURING SHUTDOWN, AIRPORTS FACE CHAOS NATIONWIDE

It goes on, "Check with your travel provider, departure airport or airline for the latest guidance."

The delays are occurring because Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are calling out from work after going unpaid for the third time in nearly six months.

There was a national callout rate of 10.19% on Sunday, a TSA spokesperson told Fox News Digital this week.

That's the highest rate the agency has seen.

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On Tuesday, the Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta cautioned travelers about delays in an X-post — and called out passengers for attempting to hack the system.

"We are seeing increased congestion at the International Terminal Checkpoint caused by domestic travelers attempting to bypass lines in the Domestic Terminal," wrote airport officials. 

"If you are flying domestically, please use the Domestic Security Checkpoints. At this time, wait times at the International Checkpoint are longer than those at the Domestic Terminal."

Over the weekend, callouts spiked at major airports, with Houston reaching over 50% — while New Orleans and Atlanta airport callouts hit over 30%.

Callout rates have spiked nationwide, with the highest single-day airport callout rate reaching 55% at Houston Hobby International Airport on Friday.

In addition, 366 TSA officers have now quit during the shutdown. 

It takes 4–6 months to train and certify officers — creating a critical staffing gap, Fox News Digital was told by a source familiar. 

Travel expert Clint Henderson of The Points Guy website told Fox News Digital that as the shutdown drags on, flight passengers can expect the situation to only get worse. 

"TSA workers are going without pay, and some are quitting. Others are having to pick up gig work to pay the bills," said Henderson. 

"A combination of weather issues at major airports across the country are making matters worse," he added. 

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"Mornings seem to be the worst times. Be sure to keep an eye on local news sites and social media in case of long lines. Some airports update wait times on their homepages, though — so keep an eye on that." 

Flight passengers have the right to request a prompt refund if the airline cancels the flight, said Henderson, or if it is severely delayed and the passenger decides not to accept the alternative bookings. 

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"You are entitled to a prompt refund of your original payment method within 21 days," he said. 

"That also covers delays within the U.S. of more than three hours or six hours for international flights."

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EXCLUSIVE: The leader of an international pro-life group is criticizing a bill being considered in the United Kingdom that would protect women from criminal liability for abortions up until birth.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, 40 Days for Life CEO Shawn Carney said British lawmakers are following efforts by Democrats in the U.S. in seeking to allow abortion in these instances, which he described as "absolutely absurd."

"They haven't really lobbied for this," Carney said. "Typically, Europe is far more conservative on abortion than the United States. Most European countries regulate abortion to 12 weeks. England has 16. In some cases, they do late term, up to 24 weeks. But now they want abortion through all 40 weeks. And this just seems sort of out of nowhere."

Carney said he fears this bill, if enacted into law, would "start an unfortunate trend throughout Europe."

PRO-LIFE GROUP FINDS BIDEN-ERA FDA POLICY IS DRIVING 500 ABORTIONS PER DAY, SAYS TRUMP HAS POWER TO END IT

The Crime and Policing Bill includes a provision, Clause 208, that would remove criminal penalties for women in England and Wales who end their own pregnancy at any stage. The bill is now in its final stages in the House of Lords and is expected to receive a vote as early as Wednesday. If the House of Lords approves the clause, the bill would return to the House of Commons for any final changes before receiving Royal Assent to become law.

Under the provision, a woman can no longer be investigated, arrested or prosecuted for ending her own pregnancy at any gestation, even though the current standard legal threshold for most abortions in England and Wales is 24 weeks.

While women who terminate their pregnancies would be exempt from criminal liability, doctors and others who assist in an abortion after 24 weeks without medical necessity can still face prosecution.

As lawmakers consider Clause 208, several amendments have been offered, including removing it entirely, modifying it to exclude late-term abortions and adding an in-person requirement for medical consultations to end so-called "pills-by-post" services.

PUERTO RICO GOVERNOR SIGNS LAW RECOGNIZING UNBORN BABIES AS HUMAN BEINGS

Carney argued that the latter two amendments should still be unacceptable, stating that the clause appears to represent "a desire to kill."

"I think it's insane," he said. "I know what they're trying to do, but you need to combat the laws by saying we're not aborting children at 40 weeks. The left built an entire movement on being able to survive outside the womb with viability. Then, as science and medicine progressed, viability changed because we could do a lot for unborn children. So they said at first it was 24 weeks, and then it was 22 weeks. Some say it's 20 weeks. Others say it's still 22 weeks. Nobody's ever said it was 40 weeks. They've all said, of course, you can survive outside the womb. This is just a desire to kill, it seems, at 40 weeks."

"I understand the idea of trying to make a legal compromise," he continued. "But the compromise would be that you people have lost your minds. You want to abort a child the day before he or she is born. And it's not medically necessary. The baby's completely viable … so that's how I think that you have to defeat these bills."

Carney also said that "people don't want to celebrate abortion" and "certainly don't want to brag about how they can have an abortion up to 40 weeks," adding that opponents of the U.K. bill are "missing common sense responses" to efforts to allow any abortion up until birth.

He added that while most people are not "monsters" seeking abortions at 40 weeks, removing legal liability for women at that point could make abortion more socially acceptable.

"I think what it does is it takes a little bit of a stigma away from abortions at 8, 10, 12, 16 weeks, because typically what we've seen in the U.S. is when you have states that say, hey, you're going to have an abortion through all 40 weeks, what they do is say, well, okay, I'm not that bad. My abortion is not that bad because it's only at 10 weeks, it's only at 12 weeks, it's only at 16 weeks," Carney said.

"It's not that you're going to see a lot of abortions at 40 weeks. It's the mentality that abortion is not a big deal. You can even do it the day before birth, and so it's more acceptable to most people," he continued.

"People aren't monsters," he added. "The monsters write these bills, which are typically very liberal White people who say, you know what, we need to be able to have an abortion the day before your birthday. And most people look around at a party and say that person's clinically insane."

The left "has just married themselves to this," Carney said.

"They believe you need unfettered abortion at all times in order to be a free and just society," Carney said. "But nobody's actually really medically needing that whatsoever."

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Battlefields in Ukraine and the Middle East have made one fact unmistakably clear: small drones are no longer a niche capability. They are reshaping modern warfare. Now, the militaries of the world can get persistent surveillance and precision strike options from small systems that are at once inexpensive, adaptable and producible at scale. Traditional defenses were not made to combat these drones, which can overwhelm old-school fortifications through sheer numbers. 

Defense planners know this. Real-world warfare has validated wargames and live-fire exercises, showing us in real time that drones will shape future conflicts. Small drones have also become a core commercial product for both individual users and key civilian sectors, such as agriculture, energy and law enforcement. 

And yet, America’s small drone industrial base is falling behind. We have not managed to make nearly enough drones. Our small drone production rate lags relative to our competitors, particularly China, who has cornered the commercial and military market. Fortunately, concerted action from Congress and President Donald Trump is poised to rebuild America’s drone industrial base in a few short years.

Over a decade ago, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) recognized that small drones would become a pillar of modern warfare and commercial industry. The CCP proceeded to take over the small drone market. It dumped tens of billions of dollars into the industry and adopted predatory pricing practices. American drone companies simply could not compete. We watched as our supply chains further withered. That dynamic created a negative feedback loop that reduced U.S. drone supply and made them prohibitively expensive for both military and commercial customers.

A DRONE FOR EVERY SOLDIER IN ARMY OF THE FUTURE, DRISCOLL SAYS

We have seen the facts, and we have acted. Today, America is ready to rebuild its small drone industry, with a one-two punch of investment and tailored industrial policy. 

First, Republicans in Congress, working with the Trump administration, appropriated $2.5 billion in the defense reconciliation bill for the Pentagon to buy small drones. Before that, the military had rarely spent more than $100 million per year on the technology. This $2.5 billion demand signal will allow American industry, along with key allies and partners, to begin rebuilding non-Chinese supply chains for small drones and components.  

More than $1 billion of that investment will flow into the new Drone Dominance program. This initiative has brought together 25 American vendors who make small "Group 1" first-person view (FPV) drones. The companies gathered in February at Fort Benning for the first phrase of a four-round competition.

IRAN’S DRONE SWARMS CHALLENGE US AIR DEFENSES AS TROOPS IN MIDDLE EAST FACE RISING THREATS

The top 11 performers were announced in early March. Based on future Gauntlet iterations, the victorious companies will win a portion of the funding and use it to scale production of affordable FPV drones. They must do so quickly — completing 300,000 drones by 2027.

For the first time, the American small drone industry has received a clear sign of significant demand. But it must be persistent, and it will need to scale. By comparison, our Pentagon witnesses at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last week told us that Ukraine built 4.5 million Group 1 drones last year and are on track to build 6 million this year alone. 

Second, Congress and the Trump administration are working together to help protect this fledgling American industry, which is vulnerable to predatory Chinese business practices. Over the years, the Pentagon has taken steps to vet trusted drone platforms. But Chinese drones are still the product of choice in the commercial sector, from agriculture and energy to law enforcement and search and rescue. 

Last year, Congress ordered a national security review of key Chinese drone makers. The law, which was led by Senator Rick Scott and supported by the Senate Armed Services Committee, puts us on the path to banning the sale of these adversary-made components in the United States.

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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is moving quickly to implement this law. Just before Christmas, the FCC announced a ban on the future sale of foreign-made drones and drone components in America. The FCC and the Pentagon are working together to process waivers for key Asian and European allies, as these partners remain an essential part of our drone supply chain. 

These investments and policies are a good start, but they are only that. We must continue these efforts in the years to come at similar levels of budgetary effort and continued partnership among the Trump administration, the Pentagon and Congress. Funding levels should remain steady for a few years as American industry rebuilds itself. We should explore new grant and loan programs to accelerate the adoption of American-made drones alongside our law enforcement and agricultural industries.

When it comes to components, the drone industry largely relies on a similar supplier base — whether it is building for commercial or defense purposes. The faster we create a sustainable U.S. and allied supplier base, the faster we get commercially viable drones that our military can also purchase for reasonable prices. There is no path for American military drone dominance without an American drone industry that can compete commercially.

The early results are encouraging. Competition is driving innovation, protected technologies are advancing, and the industrial base is beginning to scale. These steps are the foundation for a thriving American-based small drone industry that can equip our military affordably and deliver competitive commercial drones.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM SEN. ROGER WICKER

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The U.S. military has devastated Iran and all but destroyed its military effectiveness. Period. Full stop. 

Everyone recognizes this, and the coverage reflects it. 

And yet President Donald Trump is accusing many in the media of wanting America to lose the war, and his FCC chairman is talking about networks losing their licenses. 

There's no question that journalistic credibility has plummeted in the Trump era, and the president has used lawsuits and other tactics to pressure news organizations. 

US 'LOCKED AND LOADED' TO DESTROY IRAN’S 'CROWN JEWEL' 'IF WE WANT,' TRUMP WARNS

At the same time, journalists have an obligation to ask about the latest developments in a war that has divided the MAGA media movement, given the sharp contrast between Trump's past rhetoric against entanglement in foreign wars and his decision to attack Iran and wipe out its nuclear weapons program. 

It’s hardly a shock, but the president has been combative with those asking the questions, as if he resents any challenge to the official narrative. 

Some reporters have focused on the blockade of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran is using to retaliate against the U.S. and Israeli attacks. Oil prices have soared, though they have dipped below the $100-plus per barrel level, and the response from American allies asked to help police the narrow passageway has been tepid. These are facts. 

TRUMP SUDDENLY SEEMS ANXIOUS TO END THE WAR AS AMERICAN CASUALTIES MOUNT AND IRAN FINDS WAYS TO HIT BACK

On Sunday, when an unidentified reporter on Air Force One asked why he was "sending 5,000 Marines and sailors" to the Middle East, Trump said "you’re a very obnoxious person" and moved on without answering.

During the same in-flight session, the president was asked about a fundraising letter that has drawn criticism for featuring the "dignified return" of six fallen American soldiers in Delaware – a solemn occasion generally seen as above politics. 

When the woman identified herself as being from ABC News, Trump called the network "one of the worst, most fake, most corrupt."

"Will you comment on the dead soldiers?" she persisted.

Trump: "ABC News, I think it’s maybe the most corrupt news organizations on the planet. I think they’re terrible." After a third attempt, he said, "Okay, I don’t want any more from ABC."

I wasn’t there, so I don’t know the tone. Perhaps they should have provided more context – your critics say such-and-such – but Trump, rightly or wrongly, heard it as sharp personal criticism. And that led to this online escalation against the "Radical Leftwing Press," with even mentioning the loaded word "TREASON": 

"The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal (in particular), and other Lowlife ‘Papers’ and Media actually want us to lose the War. Their terrible reporting is the exact opposite of the actual facts! They are truly sick and demented people that have no idea the damage they cause the United States of America."

And yet none of the questions or reports are remotely out of bounds, especially in a time of war.

THE WAR HITS HOME: WHY FINANCIAL PAIN AND ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY THREATEN TRUMP’S DRIVE TO TOPPLE IRAN’S REGIME

Some headlines, for instance, have emphasized the difficulties in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump himself yesterday said at a lengthy presser, called to discuss the two-year closing of the Kennedy Center, that some allies are not "enthusiastic" about helping, and some such as Britain have refused to help at all.

"I think it’s terrible," the president said, adding that he has long felt that America spends endless billions to protect NATO but that he long suspected there would be no reciprocation if needed.

That, in turn, underscores why Hormuz has been a legitimate subject for coverage. 

One CNN report, with four journalists contributing, said: "Top Trump officials acknowledged to lawmakers during recent classified briefings that they did not plan for the possibility of Iran closing the strait in response to strikes, according to three sources familiar with the closed-door session."

Sorry, it’s hard to imagine there was no planning at all, but CNN stands by its reporting.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend," has unloaded on the coverage. 

"Some in this crew, in the press, just can’t stop. Allow me to make a few suggestions. People look up at the TV and they see banners. They see headlines. I used to be in that business. And I know that everything is written intentionally."

"For example, a banner or a headline, ‘Mideast War Intensifies,’ splashing on the screen the last couple of days, alongside visuals of civilian or energy targets that Iran has because that’s what they do."

"What should the banner read instead? How about ‘Iran increasingly desperate’ Because they are. They know it, and so do you, if it can be admitted."

HEGSETH SCOLDS CNN'S 'UNSERIOUS' REPORT ON IRAN CONFLICT, SUGGESTS PARAMOUNT OWNER SHOULD OVERHAUL NETWORK

In his choice of words, Hegseth, a veteran and conservative commentator, suggests that he doesn’t merely want straight-news headlines but blatant support for the war effort. With Israel attacking Iran’s proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon and Tehran hitting the U.S. embassy in Baghdad – without casualties – what could possibly be wrong with "Mideast War Intensifies"? 

Hegseth also slammed "more fake news from CNN. ‘Reports that the Trump administration underestimated the Iran War’s impact on the Strait of Hormuz.’

"Patently ridiculous, of course. For decades, Iran has threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This is always what they do, hold the strait hostage. CNN doesn’t think we thought of that. It’s a fundamentally unserious report."

The secretary then said the quiet part out loud. CNN, part of Warner Bros. Discovery, is on track to be taken over by Paramount Skydance, the current owners of CBS, where Bari Weiss is editor-in-chief. The outlet is owned by billionaire Larry Ellison and his son David, who the president yesterday called "great." They have said they want a more balanced approach to news that appeals to both center-right and center-left audiences. 

Hegseth said "the sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better."

Maybe he didn’t intend it that way, but it sounds like the Pentagon chief expects the new CBS to be in a cheerleading role.

And now there are the comments at the FCC. 

TRUMP 'THRILLED' AS FCC CHAIR WARNS NEWS ORGANIZATIONS TO CORRECT COURSE OR LOSE LICENSES

Trump said on Truth Social yesterday he is "so thrilled to see Brendan Carr, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), looking at the licenses of some of these Corrupt and Highly Unpatriotic ‘News’ Organizations." 

Carr said on X that "broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions —also known as the fake news — have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up. The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not."

The chairman said changing course would be a smart business decision, since "trust in legacy media has now fallen to an all time low." That part is undoubtedly true.

I don’t think we’ll see any broadcast stations lose their licenses, since that’s where these extraordinarily rare actions would be carried out, not at the network level.

Carr’s detractors swung into action, with Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren saying it was "constitutional law 101" and "illegal for the government to censor free speech it just doesn’t like about Trump’s Iran war. This threat is straight out of the authoritarian playbook." Democratic FCC commissioner Anna Gomez warned on MS NOW of a "chilling effect."

There’s a reason this hasn’t happened in more than half a century. In 1969, the commission revoked the license of Jackson, Miss. station WLBT for airing racist programming and refusing to allow civil-rights viewpoints. That’s how rare it is.

But Carr has a knack for boosting pressure on a network or station to act on its own by raising the specter of a revoked license, like citing a nuclear weapon hidden in the basement. He did that in the uproar over remarks by Jimmy Kimmel that prompted Disney/ABC to take him off the air, although the backlash turned that into a week’s suspension.

Presidents generally don’t like coverage of their military operations. You think LBJ enjoyed hearing Walter Cronkite return from Saigon to say we were losing the war? Richard Nixon argued the nightly combat footage on TV was turning Americans against the war, and his allies encouraged license challenges to CBS, NBC and ABC stations, though these efforts failed.

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Journalists today need to keep raising pressing issues about how the Iran war is faring, though that clearly displeases the president.

By taking numerous questions yesterday – and acknowledging that he doesn’t know what Iranian leaders he’s even negotiating with after the first airstrikes – Trump defused some of the tensions.

But as we have seen in wars from Vietnam and Iraq, the press serves as an early-warning system when missions are not so easily accomplished.

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President Donald Trump is pushing hard for Congress to ban Wall Street firms from buying single-family homes. He’s rightly worried that financial tycoons are crowding out younger and middle-class homebuyers, especially in fast-growing Southern cities. But there’s another kind of homebuyer the president and Congress should cut off at the pass: foreigners who are blocking our own citizens from the American Dream.

In a new paper, I show that foreign homebuyers are far more common than most people realize. Between April 2024 and March 2025 alone, foreigners purchased more than 78,000 American homes.  And foreign homebuying is becoming more common with every passing year. Between 2024 and 2025 alone, foreign buyers spent 33% more on U.S. homes than they did in the previous year.

Each home bought by someone from outside the U.S. leaves one fewer home for Americans to buy. That fact alone raises prices for first-time homebuyers — it’s Economics 101. But the situation is even worse when you account for the fact that nearly half of foreigners paid all cash. Younger Americans and middle-class families simply can’t compete with all-cash offers — certainly not if they’re buying their first home. The playing field is tilted against them, and it’s tilted in favor of people who may have never set foot in America at all.

But who, exactly, are these foreign homebuyers?

HOUSE PASSES BIPARTISAN HOUSING BILL AS TRUMP ZEROES IN ON AFFORDABILITY CRISIS

Shockingly, a huge number of them are from economic and strategic rival nations. The most foreign homebuyers come from communist China. They purchase about one out of every six foreign-bought homes, and in 2025 alone, they dropped $13.7 billion on American homes.

Tellingly, nearly half of these Chinese buyers intend to use their new home as a way to gain permanent residence in the United States, giving them preferential access to things like a college education for their children. In other words, not only are Chinese citizens crowding Americans out of homes — they’re pushing Americans out of other U.S. institutions, as well.

Whether they’re from China or anywhere else, it’s important to note that these foreigners aren’t simply buying condos or townhomes. They’re overwhelmingly buying the single-family detached homes that Americans want most. Nearly two out of every three foreign home purchases are in that category. So foreign homebuyers are dimming the heart of the American Dream itself.

No matter where they’re from or what kind of home they get, foreign homebuyers are standing in the way of American citizens. But other countries don’t make this mistake. They’ve enacted heavy restrictions on foreign homebuyers precisely because they want to put their own people first.

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Canada is a case in point. While Canadian citizens are some of the most common buyers of American property, their own country bans most foreign purchases of homes. Many foreign purchases that are still allowed are hit with heavy taxes in order to deter them.

Similarly, China severely limits foreign homebuying, even as many of its citizens buy homes in America. The double standard is clear — and so is the harm to America’s people and interests. Our citizens are waiting in line behind homebuyers from our country’s top strategic and economic rival. In what world does that make sense?

The problem is obvious — but so is the solution. Congress should restrict foreigners from buying American homes, either with an outright ban or heavy taxes that discourage purchases. The Republican Study Committee has already laid out a plan to significantly raise taxes on homebuyers from overseas. Such innovative ideas deserve attention and action in the coming months.

This isn’t a matter of sticking it to foreigners. It’s about standing up for our own citizens. The American Dream is for the American people, and young professionals and middle-class families urgently need it brought within their reach.

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KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan: Last Christmas Eve, satellite tracking and ship-transponder data revealed an unusual maritime event in the East China Sea: thousands of Chinese fishing vessels gathered into tight, linear formations and holding position for extended periods. It happened again two weeks later.

Analysts from a geospatial analytical firm were the first to identify two large stationary formations involving roughly 1,400 and 2,000 fishing vessels. Cargo ships in the area were forced to reroute or carefully thread between thousands of stationary vessels that had ceased normal fishing activity. This flotilla behavior by Chinese fishing boats, analysts believe, was a "gray zone" exercise.

"There have been proposals by defense experts in the United States that the U.S. Navy should treat China’s maritime militia as a real naval force," Holmes Liao, a defense expert who is currently a senior advisor for the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA), told Fox News Digital.

CHINA LAUNCHES LARGEST MILITARY DRILLS OFF TAIWAN IN 8 MONTHS WITH LIVE-FIRE EXERCISES CAUGHT ON CAMERA

"I think Taiwan may need to adhere to that mentality and mindset," said Liao. "If these Chinese vessels are operating under clear military direction, then their status under the law of armed conflict could be subject to reassessment, potentially affecting claims of civilian immunity."

Liao said that Taiwan should consider deploying surveillance drones or air patrols over maritime militia formations to demonstrate presence and reinforce deterrence. "Taiwan has so far been very timid in response to PRC aggression," said Liao. "They may be fishing boats, but they are actually under the PLA’s command… part of the maritime militia." 

Indeed, several editions of the U.S. Department of Defense’s annual "Military and Security Developments involving the People's Republic of China," describe the People’s Armed Forces Maritime Militia (PAFMM) as a "state-organized, trained, and equipped" force that actively supports China’s navy and coast guard.

Analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative have previously documented swarms of dozens or even hundreds of Chinese vessels in the South China Sea near contested reefs, often remaining stationary for long periods. But the incidents late last year and early this year highlight how the scale of this fishing militia appears to be expanding.

Fishing vessels are inexpensive, numerous and legally ambiguous. When deployed in mass, they complicate navigation, create radar clutter and raise operational risks for commercial shipping. The civilian status of these boats also conveniently allows Beijing to frame any incidents as "rogue actions not sanctioned by authorities," or as accidents.

BIPARTISAN HOUSE CHINA PANEL SLAMS BEIJING’S TAIWAN DRILLS AS ‘DELIBERATE ESCALATION’

The United States frequently cites freedom of navigation as the reason for navy patrols in the Indo-Pacific, with a U.S. State Department fact sheet noting that the region "accounts for 60% of global GDP." The area around Taiwan is already treated by maritime insurers and shipping firms as a "higher-risk environment," meaning even temporary flotilla formations could influence shipping decisions and significantly affect both regional and global economies.

Taipei-based security analyst Sasha Chhabra, however, warned of the risks China would face should it deploy civilian fishing vessels in an active conflict. "A U.S. Navy convoy could easily break through these lines, and the large commercial vessels that carry Taiwan’s much-needed imports would easily splinter most fishing vessels in a ramming incident."

He noted that there is precedent for Beijing using Chinese fisherman as "live bait" during a conflict. "In 1973, China used civilian fishing vessels to bait the South Vietnamese Navy into conflict and seize full control over the Paracels (islands)," said Chhabra. "But what worked against teetering South Vietnam in 1973 won’t work against the U.S. Navy." 

However, for independently ruled Taiwan, the concern could be cumulative pressure rather than a single dramatic incident. Encounters between Taiwanese patrol vessels and Chinese fishing boats have grown more frequent around outlying islands and in parts of the Taiwan Strait, with vessels sometimes operating in coordinated groups that shadow or crowd Taiwanese ships. The maritime militia could also be used as a tool to discourage the global shipping industry from doing business with Taiwan.

Taiwan’s major ports are the energy and industrial lifelines for this de facto independent state. The port of Kaohsiung in the south, for example, handles large volumes of LNG imports and petrochemical shipments. Even partial disruption or perceived instability in surrounding sea lanes could ripple through supply chains and sharply raise costs for the global economy.

Jason Wang, CEO of ingeniSPACE, the company that revealed the fishing fleets on their satellite systems, told Fox News Digital that despite Taiwan’s semiconductor advantage, China is winning in space. Wang said data fusion and satellite-based maritime awareness are now strategic necessities. "Intelligence is deterrence without provocation. Intelligence ensures efficient targeted spending and is a force multiplier by shaping a more effective military force," he said. "Taiwan, like all First Island Chain nations, must be prepared for a new kind of warfare."

Wang and other experts note that countries like Japan and South Korea have, for roughly a decade, aggressively augmented their satellite spy constellations with commercial satellites to "ensure sufficient coverage and revisit rates so that their leadership has the capability to distinguish both overt military and gray zone activity."

Analysts say the broader lesson is that sea control no longer depends solely on destroyers and submarines. In the immediate future, the most consequential maritime pressure may come not from warships, but from vessels that look, at first glance, entirely harmless.

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