Fox News RSS Feed

A criminal case tied to the 2020 Austin, Texas, George Floyd riots is erupting into a broader controversy, with prominent law enforcement groups calling for the Soros-backed district attorney to resign over accusations of misconduct, political coordination, and withholding key evidence.

Attorneys for Austin Police Department officer Chance Bretches filed a motion in Travis County district court to dismiss the case against him, alleging prosecutors in DA Jose Garza’s office violated the officer’s constitutional rights and compromised the integrity of the case by not disclosing alleged behind-the-scenes communications with Austin officials about potentially holding the city or police leadership criminally responsible for harming injured protesters. 

Bretches is facing charges of aggravated assault by a public servant after being deployed as part of a crowd-control response during the 2020 riot, where officers worked to disperse demonstrators and restore order in downtown Austin. His attorneys argue he relied on department-issued "less-lethal" beanbag rounds that were later called into question, contending the equipment itself was defective and contributed to the injuries at issue.

The alleged "secret meetings" with Austin officials about the city being responsible for the defective beanbag rounds that caused more harm than they were designed for, Bretches’s attorney says, were something the prosecution was "required to give us" because it showed the belief and possibility the city had "criminal culpability" in the case.

TRAVIS COUNTY DA FACES RENEWED ‘SOFT ON CRIME’ CRITICISM AFTER CAREER CRIMINAL CHARGED WITH MURDER

The motion bases its claim of "secret meetings" on two sworn declarations: one from a former Austin city manager, who says he personally met multiple times with Garza and prosecutors in 2023 to discuss potential charges against the city, and another from a former city council member, who says she was aware of internal communications indicating the DA’s office was considering such charge.

"Prosecutors can hold meetings with anybody, there’s nothing illegal about that," Bretches’ attorney Doug O’Connell told Fox News Digital. "The problem in this case is the district attorney felt he had enough evidence to indict the city as a corporate entity, which would make the city an alternative suspect or an unindicted co-defendant."

O’Connell argues that Garza triggered disclosure obligations under Brady v. Maryland, which requires prosecutors to turn over potentially exculpatory evidence to the defense.

"If you follow that logic, then the basis of his indictment of the city, which never materialized, is, in fact, Brady," O’Connell said. "Even if he thought he had enough evidence and later determined he didn’t, it’s still Brady. It’s a violation of the Michael Morton Act, a violation of the court’s order, and the defendant’s constitutional rights."

SOROS-BACKED 'ANTI-POLICE' DA SPARKS OUTRAGE AFTER SHOWING UP TO FALLEN OFFICER FUNERAL: 'SLAP IN THE FACE'

The Michael Morton Act, a Texas law enacted after a wrongful conviction case, requires prosecutors to turn over most evidence in their possession to the defense, including information that could be favorable to the accused.

O’Connell says that the law mandates that "exculpatory mitigating evidence" must be given to the defense.

"It's clear they didn't turn over the evidence of why they felt they could indict the city and the city was legitimately scared about this enough that the city went out and hired their own criminal defense attorney," O’Connell said. "So one of two things is true, either he had the evidence and he didn't produce it to us, or he didn’t have any basis to indict the city, and he was just threatening them, and that would be official oppression anyway."

Two of the most recognized police organizations in the area, Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT) and the Austin Police Retired Officers Association (APROA), reacted to the motion by calling on Garza, who has long been accused of harboring animosity toward police, to resign from his role as the county’s top prosecutor.

"It's kind of the final straw, everything that's been going on with the continuing political prosecutions of Austin police officers who are out simply doing their job and doing the job the way that we're trained to do their job," Farris told Fox News Digital about the APROA’s official letter calling for Garza to step down, the first time they have done so despite intense criticism of Garza over the years.

Garza has faced public blowback from his critics for years over his treatment of police officers and from families of crime victims who have spoken out against what they view as a lack of willingness to put criminal offenders behind bars. 

"His focus has been on the cops and now we're finding out that he did some shady stuff and it's time for him to go," Farris said.

After winning an election following a campaign, backed by liberal megadonor George Soros, that pledged to prosecute police officers, Garza indicted over 20 police officers, including Bretches, for their role in quelling the Black Lives Matter riot. Garza has attempted to prosecute multiple other officers on deadly force-related charges with only one successful conviction that was later overturned. 

"There can be no worse violation of the oath taken by a District Attorney than to intentionally deny a defendant a fair trial," Robert Leonard, CLEAT executive director, said about the motion. "It is a direct violation of their Constitutional rights."

Additionally, O’Connell filed a motion requesting a court of inquiry calling on a district judge to investigate if Garza committed a crime through his actions.

O’Connell described the move as utilizing an "obscure provision in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure that allows a district court judge to hold a hearing to determine if the law has been violated."

"In this case, it would be a hearing to determine if the elected DA and top lieutenants committed an offense of official oppression and tampering with evidence by not producing the mitigating or exculpatory evidence in this case."

While some in local media have cast doubt on the likelihood of the motion being successful, O’Connell says he is optimistic that he will be granted a hearing on his motion, possibly on a previously scheduled court date on April 7. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Garza’s office for comment. 

"We are not going to litigate this case in the press," Garza’s office said in a statement this week to local media vowing to carry on with their case. 

"We remain ready to try this case and expect to start the trial in June as previously agreed with the defense. Justice delayed is justice denied, and four years is too long to wait. It is time for the community to weigh in on whether they believe that the defendant's actions violated the law."

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/jaO5Bh6
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

As a partial government shutdown blows past the one-month mark, Democrats are demanding lawmakers shrink the size of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) funding lapse — while leaving out the agency at the heart of Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in their view, can stay shut down.

"We already said we'd open everything in the department except ICE, so the answer is yes," Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said when asked about partial funding for DHS.

"Republicans won't agree because they're trying to hold the security of the country hostage."

SCHUMER, DEMS AGAIN BLOCK DHS FUNDING, FORCE STATE OF THE UNION SHOWDOWN

His position was echoed by Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.

"We need to fund every aspect of it other than ICE. We're going to fight on the ICE funding. I mean, they already have $75 billion," Khanna said, noting that ICE itself already received funding through Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill.

In light of those appropriations, Republicans believe Democrats have assumed an unsustainable position as they continue to shoot down efforts to fund DHS in its entirety.

"They’re not interested in reopening, right? Their whole thing is: ‘Okay, we're doing a shutdown to go out there and affect ICE and Border Patrol.’ But ICE and border patrol are the ones that are not even affected by this shutdown. They're funded by the One Big, Beautiful Bill that passed previously," Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., said.

"How long do I foresee Democrats lying to their base? Forever," Mast added.

Calls to implement the partial funding stance have grown louder since the shutdown first began.

KRISTI NOEM'S FIRING FAILS TO SWAY DEMOCRATS AS DHS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON

Funding for DHS originally lapsed on Feb. 14 when Democrats refused to advance spending legislation for DHS that didn’t also include a set of demands to reform ICE. Among other changes, Democrats have conditioned their support on a ban on masks for ICE agents, stiffer warrant requirements for apprehending suspects in public and a ban on roaming patrols.

Republicans have rebuffed the demands, arguing they would handcuff President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement goals.

Republicans need at least seven Democrats to reach the 60-vote threshold to break a filibuster in the Senate, where they hold just 53 seats.

The standoff has overlapped with a series of domestic attacks, raising alarm among Republicans that DHS’ closure may be reducing the country’s preparedness to counter similar threats.

A vehicle-ramming at a synagogue in Michigan, a university shooting in Virginia, the detonation attempts in New York and another shooting in Texas have left members like Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., joining calls to pass non-ICE DHS funding.

'YOU CAN CRY ABOUT IT': TEMPERS FLARE IN SENATE AS DHS SHUTDOWN DEBATE ERUPTS, STALEMATE DIGS DEEPER

"If it takes more time to negotiate those changes to ICE, then the right thing to do is to fund the rest of DHS, TSA, Coast Guard, FEMA, counterterrorism, all of that, while we continue to negotiate over ICE," Magaziner said.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said he has also joined that position.

"Ready, willing, and eager to approve funding for TSA, for FEMA, and for the Coast Guard through the separate bill that we've offered and Republicans have rejected. There's an easy solution here," Blumenthal said.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/OfJN6VL
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

EXCLUSIVE — As he praises President Donald Trump for "taking the fight directly" to Iran, former Vice President Mike also argues that the attacks show that the president isn't listening to the isolationist wing of the Republican Party.

"It's one of the things I give President Trump great credit for," Pence said this week in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

Pence's comments come nearly three weeks into the military strikes against Iran, as some loud voices in the MAGA and America First orbits have pilloried the president over the attacks.

ONLY ON FOX: PENCE URGES SENATE TO ‘RESTORE PUBLIC CONFIDENCE’ BY PASSING NATIONAL VOTER ID BILL

The former vice president, who has long been a proponent of strong American deterrence around the world, highlighted that "around this administration, and to some extent in this administration, there have been some increasingly loud voices calling for America to pull back from our role as leader of the free world. Isolationist voices have taken hold in some quarters of the Republican Party."

"But fortunately, President Trump turned a deaf ear to those voices last year when he struck Iran, and this year, when he launched Operation Epic Fury," Pence emphasized. "I think it's greatly to his credit."

Pence argued that it's "reflective of where the overwhelming majority of Republicans are. Republicans understand that America is the arsenal of democracy, that we're the leader of the free world, that we have obligations to lead."

And pointing to his former boss during Trump's first administration, Pence said, "I've told people many times, I'm proud of President Trump for making the decision to launch operation Epic Fury. But I'm not surprised, because the President I serve with is no isolationist."

The military attacks by the U.S. and Israel have resulted in the death of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other top officials, and the decimation of the country's military.

HEAD HERE FOR FOX NEWS LIVE UPDATES ON THE ATTACKS ON IRAN

But Iran has retaliated with attacks against Israel and many of its other neighbors in the volatile Middle East.

Iran has also targeted energy facilities with missile and drone attacks in a number of Persian Gulf nations. It has also made the Strait of Hormuz nearly impassable to commercial shipping, bringing to a halt roughly 20% of the world's oil supply, which has sent fuel prices skyrocketing in the U.S. and across the globe.

But Pence emphasized that he "couldn't be more proud of President Donald Trump for making the decision to send our troops directly against an enemy that has literally claimed thousands of American lives, including nearly 1,000 service members."

The former vice president said Trump has "unleashed the armed forces of the United States to take the fight directly to the source of global terrorism. And I think at the end of the day, the American people understand that this is a fight that we have to win, and it's going to be important that we finish the threat that Iran has posed to the American people, to our cherished ally, Israel, to nations across the region and across the West, once and for all."

And Pence said that if he were advising Trump, he would urge the president "to finish the threat that the mullahs and Tehran have posed to the people of this country once and for all."

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/g0Kzdv5
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

It was the morning after a day when the American military campaign against Iran had not gone particularly well.

President Donald Trump rebuked our Israeli allies for bombing a major Iranian gas field. "NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL," he posted, even as U.S. and Israeli sources disputed Trump’s insistence that he had not approved the attack in advance.

Mideast oil shipments remained paralyzed as such U.S. allies as Britain and France refused Trump’s appeal to neutralize Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, saying they didn’t want a military escalation.

As oil prices soared, with the country producing virtually no new jobs over the previous six months, the Federal Reserve chairman said the economic outlook was "uncertain." 

WHY TRUMP IS DENOUNCING THE MEDIA’S IRAN WAR COVERAGE AS TOO NEGATIVE – BOOSTED BY RHETORICAL FCC BACKING

That was the backdrop when War Secretary Pete Hegseth began an early-morning news conference yesterday by slamming…the media.

"A dishonest and anti-Trump press will stop at nothing, we know at this point, to downplay progress, amplify every cost and call into question every step. Sadly, TDS is in their DNA. They want President Trump to fail." He was referring to Trump Derangement Syndrome.

Yet if you magically wiped out all the coverage of these latest events, they would be no less true, rocking the world economy and puncturing the financial markets.

PENTAGON TARGETS IRAN-LINKED MILITIAS IN IRAQ AS HEGSETH VOWS 'WE WILL FINISH THIS' FOR FALLEN US TROOPS

It was a jarring note, as if the lack of upbeat headlines was at the root of the problem.

This is a familiar theme of Hegseth’s, who has said media organizations are turning such developments as the deaths of American service members into front-page news to make Trump look bad. 

The former "Fox & Friends Weekend" co-host sprayed other targets, including "ungrateful allies" in Europe, and Joe Biden, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Now let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that the Pentagon chief has a point. 

The coverage of this president, especially in the second term, has been overwhelmingly negative, whether justified or not, and that could certainly seep into the reporting and analysis on Iran.

But on what planet would journalists want America to lose the war against the world’s leading terror state, which is responsible for the deaths of so many thousands of innocent civilians?

In fact, even those in the media who question the president’s decision to attack Iran right now – with no clear-cut evidence that the religious dictators are on the verge of developing nuclear weapons – say the U.S. is easily winning the war.

The world’s most powerful military has decimated Iran’s defenses, no question about it. Tehran’s ability to use drones to strike back (with Russian help) against Americans in the surrounding Arab countries is relatively feeble, but still capable of inflicting death and damage.

And right now, Iran has succeeded in choking off oil traffic in the strait. All this is news, no matter how it’s reported.

TRUMP QUIPS ABOUT PEARL HARBOR WHEN ASKED IF JAPAN GIVEN ADVANCED NOTICE ON IRAN ATTACKS: 'WANTED SURPRISE'

Barbara Starr, the former CNN Pentagon correspondent, said this about Hegseth on my "Media Buzzmeter" podcast:

"I think he would much rather have 100 percent news coverage that is glowing of President Trump’s policies and efforts in this war. He doesn’t want any criticism… The job of the news media in wartime is to cover all the news. And I don’t think there’s really anything more important than the troops, which he claims is number one on his list, and their welfare and their safety."

The most significant comment by Hegseth, who confirmed a request to boost the defense budget by $200 billion, was that there would be "no nation-building quagmire" in Iran, "no democracy-building exercise." That may turn out to be true, but it underscores the long shadow cast by the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq, in which a supposed cakewalk wound up costing more than 4,000 American lives.

In appealing to the "patriotic" press yesterday to "thank" Trump for attacking Iran, Hegseth was of course broadcasting to the boss. Online, the president has accused "Highly Unpatriotic ‘News’ Organizations of pushing "LIES" about the war, and said some should be "brought up on Charges for TREASON."

But yesterday Trump soberly described the situation in Iran while taking questions during a meeting with Japan’s prime minister, making no reference at all to the media’s reporting.

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE'S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY'S HOTTEST STORIES

He called the military attacks an "excursion," acknowledging the huge spike in oil prices by saying: "I thought it would be worse – much worse, actually." The president said things are "ahead of schedule… It’s not bad and it’s going to be over with pretty soon."

If that’s the case, no amount of negative coverage will change the public perception. In the meantime, though, journalists need to keep asking probing questions about this war and take the heat from the Trump team and its allies.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/LdTVAtC
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

Former FBI Director James Comey has been called many things by critics and fans alike. However, it appears that his stab at being a pop singer did not pan out. Comey recently raised eyebrows with an account of his singing Beyoncé's "Sandcastles" to FBI officials in a classified briefing … only to be met by a stony silence.

It appears that some of his agents may have viewed the occasion as grounds for intervention rather than for rendition. In fairness to the agents, they were likely unaware of Comey’s use of beaches to uncover hidden intelligence and messages.

Comey has periodically popped up in the press with bizarre or self-edifying posts. However, this one left many scratching their heads. Yet, it was vintage Comey, including a surprising admission about his handling of classified information.

Comey recalled the moment from a classified FBI briefing when he realized that a secret program being discussed was named after a favorite song. He wrote:

JAMES COMEY ADMITS TO SINGING BEYONCÉ SONG DURING SENSITIVE FBI BRIEFING

"One morning, I was sitting at the head of a big table in a crowded room to get briefed on a particular piece of work. The briefer started by saying, the operation was codenamed ‘Sandcastles.’ Now, this was 2016, and you may know that Beyoncé’s album ‘Lemonade’ had come out with a track called ‘Sandcastles.’ So, I said, ‘Oh, like the Beyoncé song.’ Blank stares all around the FBI conference room. So, I did the natural thing. I think I sang, ‘We rebuild sand castles that washed away.’ Nope, nothing — dead silence. ‘Never mind,’ I said, "‘continue.’ Only when I got home and told my family the story did I get the reaction I was looking for. When I write, I listen to classical or jazz because, in ways I can’t explain, the music unlocks something. It frees me."

It also apparently freed Comey from security protocols. His charming story included the fact that, disappointed by his audience at the FBI, he decided to repeat it to his family. In doing so, he may have revealed the code name of a classified FBI program to uncleared individuals in an unsecured location. This is no indication from Comey whether the code name was considered sensitive information by the FBI before his encore performance.

The Justice Department has fought in court to withhold code names as sensitive national security matters, including during Comey’s tenure as director.

FORMER TRUMP LAWYER HALLIGAN DEFENDS US PROSECUTOR STATUS IN WAKE OF COMEY, JAMES DISMISSALS

For example, in N.Y. Times v. DOJ, 2023, it was uncontested that the FBI could withhold code names because "specific code names that [the] FBI used for certain FBI programs’ and that disclosure of these things ‘would risk circumvention of the law by revealing FBI processes and potential issues related to relationships with foreign countries."

This is not the first time Comey has raised concerns of his violation of FBI protocols and procedures regarding classified material. The Justice Department inspector general issued a scathing account of how, after being fired by President Donald Trump, Comey improperly removed FBI files and then arranged for the information to be leaked to the media to undermine Trump.

The media immediately came to his defense despite his having led investigations into leakers in the past. On CNN and MSNBC, legal experts dismissed the arguments that this was improper or FBI material.

The memos clearly reveal that Comey was likely aware they contained possible classified information. Comey wrote in a Jan. 7, 2017, memo that "I am  not sure of the proper classification, so I have chosen secret." The four memos, including two given to his friend to leak to the media, were later found to be classified.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

What was notable about the leaks was Comey’s obsession with his own public persona. He took FBI material to bolster his image with the media. He later published "A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership," which portrayed him in heroic terms without addressing allegations that he was a leaker. During his term as director, the Justice Department investigated and prosecuted FBI personnel for leaks. The "higher loyalty" shown by Comey often seemed to be his blind loyalty to his own image.  

Comey has previously recounted his obsession with Taylor Swift as well as Beyoncé, but insists that "I can’t explain, the music unlocks something. It frees me."

Given his history of leaks and other violations, it may be time to try a new musical genre. It appears that pop is a bit too liberating for James Comey.

In the meantime, Comey may be misinterpreting tears of joy rather than regret when he made it to the line from "Sandcastles": "I made you cry when I walked away."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM JONATHAN TURLEY

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/hGvXR4O
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

President Donald Trump on Wednesday renewed his calls to release Tina Peters, a pro-Trump election worker who was convicted for her role in a scheme aimed at finding evidence of election fraud in the president's 2020 election loss.

Peters, a former election clerk in Mesa County, Colorado, is serving a nine-year prison sentence following her August 2024 conviction on seven charges, including four felonies, related to a 2021 security breach of the county's voting systems as she sought evidence to support Trump's claims that his loss to former President Joe Biden was due to voter fraud.

Trump has been pressuring Democrat Gov. Jared Polis to release Peters, 70, since he returned to the White House last year.

"Free Tina Peters, a 73-year-old woman with cancer, given a nine-year death sentence in a Colorado prison by a Democrat governor, Jared Polis, and a corrupt political machine, for exposing fraud by the Democrats during the 2020 presidential election," Trump wrote Wednesday on Truth Social. "Again, free Tina!"

COLORADO GOVERNOR LAYS OUT CONDITION FOR GRANTING CLEMENCY TO PRO-TRUMP CLERK UNDER PRESSURE FROM PRESIDENT

Polis has acknowledged that Peters' sentence was "harsh," given that she had no prior criminal record.

The governor recently noted on social media that Peters was sentenced to nine years in prison, while a former state lawmaker convicted of the same crime was sentenced only to probation and community service.

"Justice in Colorado and America needs to be applied evenly, you never know when you might need to depend on the rule of law. This is the context I am using as I consider cases like this that have sentencing disparities," Polis wrote on X.

But Polis said his decision about granting clemency would be influenced by whether Peters has expressed remorse for her actions — something officials say she has not done.

"What she would have to show in any successful clemency application would be appropriate contrition, apology. That’s the kind of thing I would be looking for," he previously told KUSA-TV.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES PARDON FOR COLORADO CLERK: 'SIMPLY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR ELECTIONS WERE FAIR'

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, whose office helped prosecute Peters, has emphasized that she has not demonstrated any remorse for her actions.

"Clemency should be based on remorse, rehabilitation, and extenuating circumstances — not on political influence, favor, or retribution," said Weiser, a Democrat running to succeed the term-limited Polis.

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., who is also hoping to replace Polis as governor, similarly said Peters should not receive a pardon or have her sentence commuted.

"Donald Trump may be seeking revenge on Colorado, but surrendering to his political pressure will not make our state stronger or safer," he said.

Trump has repeatedly defended Peters on social media and announced last year he was granting her a "full pardon," though such a move would not apply to a state conviction, as that authority rests with the governor.

Earlier this week, a federal judge found that the Trump administration had threatened to withhold funding from Colorado, describing it as potential retribution for the state's reluctance to pardon Peters. The finding came shortly after Trump's symbolic pardon announcement.

U.S. District Court Judge R. Brooke Jackson wrote that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's threat in December to withhold millions of dollars in federal funding to Colorado’s SNAP program violated the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

"This larger context gives the game away; the pilot project seems to be about punishment and nothing more," the judge wrote.

A lawsuit also claimed this week that the Trump administration targeted a climate and weather research lab as retribution against Colorado officials for imprisoning Peters.

Fox News' Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/AnZBaM8
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

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.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

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.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/iFskX0P
via IFTTT