The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, is taking aim at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and, according to senior congressional sources, moved to seize control of the independent agency over the weekend.

The senior congressional sources told Fox News that more than 50 senior USAID staff members were placed on administrative leave and subjected to a gag order, meaning they were not allowed to communicate with anyone outside the agency without approval.

Signs were also removed from USAID’s headquarters in the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., and the DOGE team took over the computer systems, the sources said. USAID is responsible for distributing civilian foreign aid and development assistance to countries around the globe. 

The agency managed approximately $40 billion in appropriations last year, according to the Congressional Research Service.

RUBIO PAUSES FOREIGN AID FROM STATE DEPARTMENT AND USAID TO ENSURE IT PUTS ‘AMERICA FIRST’

President Donald Trump complimented Musk's decision-making on Sunday during a quick interaction with reporters on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews. When asked if he felt Musk was "delivering on his promises," the president responded with much praise.

"I do think Elon is doing a good job," Trump said. "He's a big cost cutter. Sometimes we won't agree with it and will not go where he wants to go, but I think he's doing a great job. He's a smart guy, very smart, and he's very much into cutting the budget of our federal government."

On Sunday, The Associated Press reported that the Trump administration placed two top security chiefs at USAID on leave after refusing to turn over classified material in restricted areas to DOGE.

After initially being refused access to USAID’s classified information, DOGE gained that access on Saturday, allowing them to see things like intelligence reports, a current and a former U.S. official told the AP.

The DOGE team members lacked high enough security clearance to access the information, so the two USAID security officials – John Voorhees and deputy Brian McGill – believed they were legally obligated to deny access.

On Sunday, Musk took aim at USAID on his social media platform X, writing, "USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die."

AFTER RAUCOUS FIRST WEEK IN OFFICE, DONALD TRUMP TO KEEP HIS FOOT ON THE GAS

He also wrote several other posts about the agency, saying things like, "USAID was a viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America" and "USAID is evil."

The latter was in response to a post suggesting USAID helped fund coronavirus research in Wuhan, China, which referred to an interaction posted on Forbes between Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and now former USAID Administrator Samantha Power in April 2023.

Trump echoed Musk's posts by saying USAID has been run by "a bunch of radical lunatics" and his administration is "getting them out." 

ABC News reported that those familiar with USAID were questioning whether the moves at USAID were being made in an effort to move the agency under the State Department, where there could be better accountability.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION NEEDS MORE PLANES TO CARRY OUT DEPORTATIONS: REPORT

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., turned to social media on Sunday to sound off on the "dismantling" of USAID.

"Trump and Musk are recklessly and illegally dismantling USAID, an essential national security agency that saves lives, advances U.S. interests, and promotes peace," Booker wrote. "Their malicious actions are putting the health of people, especially children, at grave risk, and will surely lead to future public health and migration crises in the U.S. – let alone suffering around the globe." 

Last week, at least 56 USAID officials were placed on administrative leave with full pay and benefits, and several hundred contractors based in Washington and elsewhere were laid off.

The actions came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio, acting on Trump's executive order, paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and USAID.

The 90-day pause has halted thousands of U.S.-funded humanitarian, development and security programs worldwide and forced aid organizations to lay off hundreds of employees because they can't make payroll.

Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio leaves for his first overseas trip as the nation’s top diplomat on Saturday. Rubio's first stop on the six-day visit is Panama as he sets out on pursuing President Donald Trump’s geopolitical agenda.

Trump used his inaugural address to proclaim his intent to "take back" the Panama Canal, and in a call with reporters on Friday, Special Envoy for Latin America Mauricio Claver-Carone said Rubio’s chief purpose of the trip would be in re-establishing a "Golden Age" for America.

"This trip signifies… that era of American greatness and the Golden Age," he said, adding that "the 21st century will also be an American century."

MARCO RUBIO LAYS OUT AMERICA FIRST AGENDA IN NEW OP-ED, SAYS DAYS OF NEGLECTING US ‘END NOW’

Claver-Carone pointed out that Rubio’s trip to Latin America is the first time a secretary of state has traveled to the region as their first official visit abroad in over 100 years. 

"Last time that happened, I believe, was in 1912, when Philander Chase Knox went to Panama… to oversee the conclusion of the Panama Canal’s construction and operations," he told reporters. "What a great message to harken back to that Golden Age of the Americas, as President Trump himself has mentioned."

Rubio is scheduled to meet with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino.

The pair are expected to discuss migration, combating drug trafficking and China’s presence in the Panama Canal, which Rubio and Trump have argued has become overrun by Chinese companies operating at either end of the crucial waterway.

The Trump administration has argued that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) tight grip over all Chinese companies means that, in extension, the CCP is operating out of the canal and could, in theory, close it to U.S. trade if it chose to — posing a significant security threat. 

TRUMP OFFICIAL TRAVELS TO VENEZUELA TO NEGOTIATE DEAL FOR DEPORTING TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS

Mulino has repeatedly denied that Chinese companies have any influence over the operations of the Panama Canal, and on Thursday said he would not be negotiating ownership of the canal with Rubio.

"It’s impossible, I can’t negotiate," Mulino said during a Thursday press conference when asked about negotiating control of the canal, The Associated Press reported. "That is done. The canal belongs to Panama."

Mulino apparently claimed confusion over control of the canal was attributed to his predecessor, who severed ties with Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with China in 2017, eventually allowing a Hong Kong consortium to operate ports at both ends of the canal.

Panama maintains that it controls the canal.

Claver-Carone argued that Chinese companies control "everything from force and logistics to telecommunications, infrastructure, and otherwise," which he said is not only a security threat to U.S. interests in the canal, but to the national security of Panama and the Western Hemisphere.

Rubio is also slated to visit El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, where he will meet with the presidents of each nation before returning to the U.S. on Thursday. 

Addressing Chinese influence in these countries, along with gang violence, migration and drug trafficking, will also be top of Rubio’s agenda.

President Donald Trump's envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, has traveled to Venezuela to deliver an in-person message to socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro about accepting violent criminals deported from the United States.

On a call with reporters Friday, Mauricio Claver-Carone, the U.S. special envoy to Latin America, said Grenell will tell Maduro to take back all the Venezuelan criminals and Tren de Aragua gang members that have been "exported to the United States, and to do so unequivocally and without condition." 

Grenell will also demand that Venezuela immediately release American hostages being held in that country, Claver-Carone said.

TRUMP TAPS RICHARD GRENELL AS PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR SPECIAL MISSIONS, EDWARD S. WALSH AS IRELAND AMBASSADOR

The trip "focuses on two very specific issues. That we expect that Venezuelan criminals and gangs will be returned, as they are, to every country in the world, without conditions, and two, that American hostages need to be released immediately, unequivocally," he explained. 

"This is not a quid pro quo. It's not a negotiation in exchange for anything. President Trump himself has made that very clear." 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Friday that Grenell had arrived in Venezuela on orders from the president. 

‘WEAPONIZED MIGRATION’: US FACES DEADLY CONSEQUENCES WITH MADURO IN POWER, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION WARNS

Despite widespread belief among Venezuelans and much of the international community that Maduro lost the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election to opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, he was sworn into his third six-year term earlier this month.

The U.S. does not recognize Maduro as the legitimate head of state of Venezuela.

Opposition leader María Corina Machado has called on Venezuelan citizens to protest the Maduro regime and demand that González be installed as the rightful president of Venezuela.

DETAILS OF VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER'S POSSIBLE ARREST REMAIN UNCLEAR AMID MADURO INAUGURATION RESISTANCE

As many as 10 Americans are currently detained in Venezuela, although the State Department has not declared them wrongfully detained. Three are U.S. citizens who allegedly participated in a plot to destabilize the country, according to Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.

The State Department has denied any U.S. involvement with a plot to overthrow Maduro. 

It remains unclear how many Americans are currently held in Venezuela following the significant prisoner swap in 2023 when Washington and Caracas negotiated the release of dozens of prisoners, including 10 Americans, in exchange for Colombian businessman Alex Saab, a close ally of Maduro.

Saab was arrested during the first Trump administration on charges related to a $350 million bribery scheme. 

As the United States beefs up security at its southern border as part of the Trump administration's illegal immigration crackdown, the State Department has issued the highest-level travel advisory for a specific region of northeastern Mexico near McAllen and Brownsville, Texas.

Amid gun battles, kidnappings and other crime, the State Department is also warning of IEDs on dirt roads in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.

"[T]he state of Tamaulipas has issued a warning to avoid moving or touching improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which have been found in and around the area of Reynosa, Rio Bravo, Valle Hermoso, and San Fernando along dirt and secondary roads," a State Department travel advisory for Tamaulipas reads. "IEDs are being increasingly manufactured and used by criminal organizations in this region."

The U.S. Consulate in Mexico notes in the advisory that an IED destroyed an official Mexican government vehicle in Rio Bravo on Jan. 23, injuring its occupant. 

A Spanish flier published by the Tamaulipas government on Facebook urges the public not to touch or move suspicious-looking devices along the roadside.

MEXICO DENIES ACCESS TO LAND FOR US DEPORTATION FLIGHT AFTER MISCOMMUNICATION, STATE DEPT. OFFICIAL SAYS

U.S. government employees are prohibited from traveling "in and around Reynosa and Rio Bravo outside of daylight hours and to avoid dirt roads throughout Tamaulipas," the advisory states.

Government employees also cannot travel between cities in Tamaulipas using interior Mexican highways.

"Travel advisory Level 4 is the highest level there is," said former DEA Senior Special Agent Michael Brown, currently the global director of counter-narcotics technology at Rigaku Analytical Devices. "That's a warning: Do not go there. I have experienced that, but it was in countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia. … The area we're talking about is the state of Tamaulipas, within which you have Reynosa and Matamoros, which have a history of extreme violence in Mexico."

Brown said that what he suspects is happening is "with the sudden end of the Biden-Harris open-border policies, the cartels are no longer making billions of dollars in human trafficking."

"Now that area has been reduced significantly, meaning cartels, which may have been working together up to a week ago, are now competing for access to Reynosa and Matamoros because human smuggling is not going to stop, it's just going to be more expensive, more dangerous, and they're going to have to use traffickers, are going to have to use more selective routes in order to get around Border Patrol and … perhaps U.S. military."

The 32-year former DEA agent added that cartels using IEDs "are simply mimicking what they've seen other hostile elements do across the world … to counter other cartel movements, truck convoys, human traffickers that may be trying to sneak on to their territory."

"[U]nder the last four years of the Biden-Harris administration, nothing was done. The cartels were given carte blanche access to the United States through the open-border system. Now that's been cut off, and they've been designated as terrorist organizations," Brown said.

‘NATIONAL EMERGENCY’: TRUMP DECLARES AMBITIOUS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS

The State Department has issued a Level 4 advisory for the area due to crime and kidnapping threats. Travelers are encouraged to avoid dirt roads, unknown objects near roads and travel after dark.

"Common" organized criminal activity in the area includes gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion and sexual assault. 

The recent immigration policy changes affecting cartel networks' financial success also pose a significant threat to Americans, U.S. law enforcement and military members living or stationed near the border, Brown said.

"As cartel members … come across the border with narcotics for human trafficking. Now they're armed and they're ready for conflict. They run into Border Patrol, they run into the Texas Rangers or DEA. There could be a gunfight," Brown said. "So if you're a citizen living on that border, you know that that Level 4 just doesn't stop [the violence], and we know it's going to cross the border with those trafficking individuals."

Of the millions of illegal immigrants who crossed into the United States over the last four years, "[E]ach one of those migrants had to pay a toll to a cartel or to smaller groups," Brown said. "So we're talking about billions of dollars for the last four years with absolutely no effort whatsoever on the part of the cartels."

TRUMP GOES TOE-TO-TOE WITH SANCTUARY CITIES OVER DEPORTATION AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN SET TO BEGIN

The State Department noted in its advisory that heavily armed criminal groups often target certain areas and target "public and private passenger buses, as well as private automobiles traveling through Tamaulipas, often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments." 

The Level 4 warning comes as the Trump administration begins its crackdown on illegal immigration and crime at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Brown compared the level of violence in Tamaulipas to the Middle East.

"[It] wasn't that long ago before [the] Sinaloa Cartel was executing police officers and hanging them from bridges," Brown said. "Now, we didn't even see that level of violence in Afghanistan when I was there. So, the cartels have taken violence to a whole other level. They are acting just like any terrorist organization. The only difference is their end goal is to make money. That's their ideology."

Officials deported around 2,000 illegal immigrants to Mexico last Thursday, both on the ground and in the air. Mexican officials detained roughly 5,000 migrants within its borders, Fox News reported. 

Trump also ordered 1,500 active-duty troops to the southern border to boost the military presence there.

Fox News' Micharl Dorgan and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to allow the Trump administration to review if the money puts "America First."

On Sunday, the State Department released a statement about falling in step with President Donald Trump’s executive order to reevaluate and realign foreign aid from the U.S.

"Consistent with President Trump’s Executive Order on Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid, Secretary [Marco] Rubio has paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for review," the statement read. "He is initiating a review of all foreign assistance programs to ensure they are efficient and consistent with U.S. foreign policy under the America First agenda. President Trump stated clearly that the United States is no longer going to blindly dole out money with no return for the American people."

The statement continued, saying the review and alignment of foreign assistance on behalf of taxpayers is a "moral imperative," adding that Rubio is proud to protect America’s investment "with a deliberate and judicious review" of how the money is spent on aiding foreign countries overseas.

AFTER RAUCOUS FIRST WEEK IN OFFICE, DONALD TRUMP TO KEEP HIS FOOT ON THE GAS

"The implementation of this Executive Order and the Secretary’s direction furthers that mission," the statement read. "As Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said, ‘Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?’"

The announcement comes after the Trump administration ordered staffers with USAID to stop providing foreign aid worldwide or face "disciplinary action" for not complying.

Reuters reported that the Trump administration sent a sharply-worded memo to more than 10,000 staff members at USAID on Saturday, offering a "stop-work" directive from Friday that put a freeze on U.S. foreign aid around the world.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION NEEDS MORE PLANES TO CARRY OUT DEPORTATIONS: REPORT

The wire service reviewed the memo and said it laid out expectations for the workforce on how to achieve Trump’s goals to put "America First."

"We have a responsibility to support the President in achieving his vision," Ken Jackson, assistant to the administrator for management and resources wrote in the internal memo, titled "Message and Expectation to the Workforce."

"The President has given us a tremendous opportunity to transform the way we approach foreign assistance for decades to come," the memo added. Reuters reported that it confirmed the authenticity of the memo with several sources.

SPEAKER JOHNSON INVITES TRUMP TO ADDRESS CONGRESS AMID BUSY FIRST 100-DAY SPRINT

Trump ordered a 90-day pause in foreign aid just hours after taking office, to review if the funding was in line with his foreign policy priorities.

On Friday, the State Department issued a pause on aid worldwide.

The U.S. is the largest donor of aid globally. During fiscal year 2023, the U.S. dispersed $72 billion in assistance. It also provided 42% of all humanitarian aid tracked by the United Nations in 2024.

Fox News Digital has reached out to USAID for comment.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken's final press conference shortly devolved into chaos Thursday after reporters had to be forcibly removed from the event, including one, an activist, who was physically carried out. 

The men were upset that a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel had not been reached sooner, accusing Blinken of "genocide" and being a "criminal." 

Writer and activist Sam Husseini had to be dragged out of the event by security. Another reporter, Grayzone News' Max Blumenthal, left more peacefully, but still had to be escorted out after shouting questions at Blinken about why he kept "the bombs flowing when we had a deal in May?"

ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASE-FIRE, HOSTAGE RELEASE DEAL REACHED: 'Americans will be part of that'

"You pontificate about a free press?" Husseini erupted. "I'm asking questions after being told by Matt Miller that he will not answer my questions, and so I ask them. Wasn't – wasn’t the point of the May 31st statement to block the ICJ orders? You blocked the ICJ orders!"

Blumenthal questioned Blinken on why he allowed "the Holocaust of our time" as he was escorted out, but that didn't stop the uproar. Blinken kept trying to get back on course amid the interruption, at one point asking people to "respect the process," but Husseini refused. 

"Oh, respect the process?" Husseini yelled as he was being carried away. "Respect the process while everybody – everybody from the International – from Amnesty International to the ICJ’s saying that Israel’s doing genocide and extermination, and you’re telling me to respect the process. Criminal! Why aren’t you in The Hague?"

Three security guards ultimately had to grab Husseini in an attempt to remove him from the room. Husseini shouted as he clasped the table he was sitting at while he continued shouting at Blinken: "You are hurting me. You are hurting me!" 

The United States, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and Hamas agreed this week to a ceasefire deal – the basis of which was proposed by President Joe Biden in May. Israel still has to fully ratify the agreement, but it is a three-phase process that is expected to potentially commence as early as Sunday. The deal marks the first reprieve in fighting since a short truce took place in November 2023, but fighting resumed several days later with both sides arguing violations of the agreed upon deal.   

HAMAS USES BODIES AS ‘NEGOTIATION CHIPS,’ SAYS FATHER OF AMERICAN HOSTAGE IN GAZA

"Three hundred reporters in Gaza were on the receiving end of your bombs. Why did you keep the bombs flowing when we had a deal?" Blumenthal shouted at Blinken, after the Secretary of State thanked members for their "hard questions" during the past four years of his tenure. "You all knew we had a deal. Everyone in this room knows we had a deal, Tony, and you kept the bombs flowing."

HAMAS' GAZA DEATH TOLL QUESTIONED AS NEW REPORT SAYS ITS LED TO ‘WIDESPREAD INACCURACIES AND DISTORTION’

A spokesperson for the State Department told Fox News Digital that it is committed to advancing press freedom and values the opportunity to regularly communicate with members of the press. But, the agency spokesperson said the State Department also follows agency norms, which posit that anyone attending department press briefings must act in a professional manner, observe restrictions that may be laid out in advance and not impede other speakers.     

Blinken defended the Biden administration's policy approach to the fighting in Gaza during his final press conference as Secretary of State on Thursday. He did acknowledge that the war in Gaza posed a "uniquely challenging situation" due to the humanitarian issues Palestinians faced after Hamas launched their attack on Oct. 7, 2023. He also acknowledged that the U.S. had "real differences with Israel on the way it’s gone about the necessary defense of its people and its country."

But, according to President Joe Biden's National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, the Biden administration does "not believe what is happening in Gaza is a genocide," he said earlier this year. 

The deal reached this week hit a quick snag when Hamas sought to push last-minute demands into the deal. Additionally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced pressure from far-right politicians not to go through with the deal. Still, on Friday morning, Netanyahu said that, pending approval by Israel's security cabinet and government, the proposed ceasefire and hostage deal was still on and expected to commence Sunday.

Trump’s transition team has reportedly asked three senior career diplomats to step down from their roles, according to Reuters. Dereck Hogan, Marcia Bernicat and Alaina Teplitz, the career diplomats who were allegedly asked to leave their roles, oversee the State Department’s workforce and internal coordination. This request could signal the Trump team’s desire to implement major changes within the department.

"There's a little bit of a concern that this might be setting the stage for something worse," a U.S. official familiar with the matter told Reuters.

All three of the career diplomats named in the report have worked under Democratic and Republican administrations, Reuters noted. Unlike political appointees, diplomats do not typically resign when a president leaves office.

RUBIO TO PITCH FOREIGN POLICY CREDENTIALS TO SENATE AS HE VIES TO BECOME AMERICA'S TOP DIPLOMAT

Throughout his political career, Trump has gone after the "deep state," and this move could be seen as part of his efforts to fundamentally change the government on a bureaucratic level.

"It is entirely appropriate for the transition to seek officials who share President Trump's vision for putting our nation and America's working men and women first. We have a lot of failures to fix and that requires a committed team focused on the same goals," Trump’s team told Reuters in response to a request for comment.

WHO IS DONALD TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST ENVOY STEVE WITKOFF?

This report comes as the world sees itself in the middle of a chaotic period with wars between Ukraine and Russia, and Israel and Hamas raging.

While there are those who are skeptical at best when it comes to Trump’s foreign policy plans, others see shifts on the world stage as early signs of success.

JOHN KIRBY SAYS BIDEN, TRUMP WORKED AS 'ONE TEAM' IN SECURING CEASE-FIRE DEAL

One of the hallmark foreign policy moves of Trump’s first term was the Abraham Accords, which saw peace break out in the Middle East. After more than a year of fighting, Israel and Hamas have come close to ending their war. In fact, Biden White House national security communications adviser John Kirby recognized Trump’s incoming Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff as a key figure in brokering the potential deal.

"The president made it clear to us on the national security team that we needed to make sure that the Trump team, in particular Mr. Witkoff, were part and parcel and fully invested in everything we were doing because they were going to own it when we left office," Kirby told "Your World" on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the Trump transition team did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is bracing himself for the hot seat as he prepares to sit through the often-arduous confirmation hearing process on Wednesday with the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations as he vies to lead the State Department under the next Trump administration. 

Though Rubio is not expected to get off easy in front of the panel of his colleagues posed to pressure him on everything ranging from the war in Ukraine, conflict in the Middle East and a trade war with China, which Trump has threatened to drastically increase, he is expected to pass through more smoothly than other candidates Trump has slated for his Cabinet.

In an excerpt of Rubio's remarks obtained by Fox News Digital ahead of his address to the Senate body, he highlights the security threats that have emerged following the end of the Cold War and the belief that democracy could succeed across the globe and international free trade was the way of the future.

"While America far too often continued to prioritize the ‘global order’ above our core national interests, other nations continued to act the way countries always have and always will, in what they perceive to be in their best interest," the remarks read. "And instead of folding into the post-Cold War global order, they have manipulated it to serve their interest at the expense of ours."

"The postwar global order is not just obsolete; it is now a weapon being used against us," he added. 

Senate Democrat Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois already threw his support behind his Republican peer and on Monday said, "Sen. Rubio and I share many similar views on foreign policy and, as a result, have worked closely together in the Senate to move forward with legislation regarding human rights around the world."

SENATE DEMOCRATIC WHIP DECLARES SUPPORT FOR RUBIO CONFIRMATION: 'MANY SIMILAR VIEWS ON FOREIGN POLICY'

"I believe Senator Rubio has a thorough understanding of the United States’ role on an international scale, has served with honor on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and is a good choice to lead the State Department. I plan to vote yes on his nomination when it comes before the Senate," Durbin said in a statement after a meeting in which they discussed security issues involving Russia’s threat in the Baltic Sea and the NATO alliance. 

Trump announced his nomination of Rubio for the top diplomatic job in November, which the senior member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said was not only a "tremendous honor" but a "tremendous responsibility."

"The job of the secretary of state is to execute on the foreign policy set by the elected president of the United States. And I hope to have the opportunity to do it, if my current colleagues here in the U.S. Senate confirm me so," he told reporters on the Hill. 

But Rubio's commitment to execute the wishes of the executive office could also prove to be his most difficult hurdle, not only during Senate questioning but also in taking up the job should he be approved by the upper chamber. 

Trump has repeatedly made clear he expects unwavering loyalty from Cabinet members, advisers in the White House and even military leaders, and reports this week suggest the incoming administration may be planning on clearing house in the National Security Council to ensure the president is only surrounded by those who support his agenda, according to an Associated Press report. 

While Rubio and Trump see eye-to-eye on issues like U.S. support for Israel, remaining tough on China and opposing dictatorial powers in Latin America – all of which are unlikely to garner much opposition from Democrats in the Senate – there are issues that could prove tricky for the three-term senator to navigate.

TRUMP NOMINEE PETE HEGSETH FENDS OFF DEMOCRATIC ATTACKS AT FIERY CONFIRMATION HEARING

Rubio and Trump have a history of exchanging barbs, particularly during the 2016 presidential race.

The duo have long patched up their hostilities in large part because Rubio has more closely aligned himself behind Trump, a move that has meant he is no novice when it comes to walking the political tightrope between appeasing Trump and pursing issues important to him.

This balancing act became evident on the campaign trail when Rubio was asked about controversial comments made by the Trump camp when it came to U.S. support for Ukraine and how to end the now three-year war.

"I’m not on Russia’s side, but unfortunately the reality of it is that the way the war in Ukraine is going to end is with a negotiated settlement," Rubio said in a September interview with NBC’s "Meet the Press." 

Rubio dodged questions on whether he backed comments made by Vice President-elect JD Vance when he suggested Ukraine cede land to Russia and agree to a demilitarized zone along the current front lines.

Instead, he said, "I would be comfortable with a deal that ends these hostilities and that, I think, is favorable to Ukraine, meaning that they have their own sovereignty, that they don’t become a satellite state or a puppet state."

Rubio also backed Trump after concern mounted over the now-president-elect’s position on NATO when he said he would encourage any nation, including Russia, to "do whatever the hell they want" to any NATO nation not fulfilling their defense spending commitments.

"Donald Trump is not a member of the Council on Foreign Relations," Rubio told CNN’s Jake Tapper in February. "He doesn’t talk like a traditional politician, and we’ve already been through this. You would think people would’ve figured it out by now."

That said, Rubio in 2019 also helped reintroduce bipartisan legislation that would prohibit any president from unilaterally withdrawing from NATO without Senate approval, a move that Trump threatened during his first term and which remained a top concern that was echoed by Trump's former NSC adviser, John Bolton, during the latest presidential race. 

Rubio’s unwavering outward loyalty to the incoming president could be tested if he is questioned about the president-elect’s expansionist rhetoric, like acquiring Greenland and the Panama Canal through the use of the U.S. military. 

Fox News Digital could not reach Rubio’s office for comment on where he stands on U.S. intervention in Greenland, which is technically under the protection of NATO so long as it remains a territory of Denmark, as well as the Panama Canal, which the U.S. gave back to Panama in 1999 but which Trump has accused China of taking over.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - The Biden Administration has been blasted by the incoming Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho., for "waiting" until the outgoing President had only 13 days left in office before declaring rebel actions in Sudan, a country torn apart by 21 months of bitter war, to be "genocide."

Earlier this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that members of the Sudanese rebel group, the Rapid Support Forces or RSF, "have committed genocide in Sudan." 

In a statement, Blinken said, "The United States is committed to holding accountable those responsible for these atrocities. We are sanctioning RSF leader Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa, known as Hemedti, for his role in systematic atrocities committed against the Sudanese people."

BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN ACCUSED OF ‘TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE’ TO SAVE THE PEOPLE OF WAR-TORN, FAMINE-STRICKEN SUDAN

Blinken made his rulings, he stated, because "the RSF and RSF-aligned militias have continued to direct attacks against civilians, have systematically murdered men and boys—even infants—on an ethnic basis, and (have) deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of brutal sexual violence."

The Secretary continued, "Those same militias have targeted fleeing civilians, murdering innocent people escaping conflict, and prevented remaining civilians from accessing lifesaving supplies."

Blinken added that the African nation is suffering through "a conflict of unmitigated brutality that has resulted in the world’s largest humanitarian catastrophe, leaving 638,000 Sudanese experiencing the worst famine in Sudan’s recent history, over 30 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, and tens of thousands dead."

Risch has held out that the situation in Sudan has been catastrophic for well over a year, and called into question the timing of Blinken’s declaration. In a statement earlier this week, he wrote, "It has been nearly a year since I introduced a resolution calling the atrocities in Sudan what they are: a genocide. Additionally, I first called for Global Magnitsky sanctions to be imposed against the RSF and Hemedti 263 days ago – and yet these sanctions still have not been leveraged."

BIDEN TRAVELS TO AFRICA WHERE POLICIES WERE ‘OVER-PROMISED AND UNDER-DELIVERED,' AMID MASSIVE CHINA EXPANSION

Risch spoke to Fox News Digital, declaring, "The Biden Administration waited until it has less than two weeks in office to sanction RSF-affiliated companies and Hemedti for their crimes and to call atrocities in Sudan a genocide."

Risch said, "This neglect to address the crisis in Sudan weakened America’s influence in the region and the world years ago. If the Biden Administration backed its rhetoric with action, Sudan would be in a better position today, more lives would be saved, and the foreign proxies exacerbating this conflict would be kept at bay."

Risch added, "This war must end. Further instability in Sudan will only breed terrorism and regional turmoil, threatening global security. The U.S. and our allies must seek to end the killing and atrocities, end the malign actions by proxies, manage migration pressures from mass displacement and protect strategic interests like the Red Sea corridor."

UAE, OTHER COUNTRIES REMOVED FROM INTERNATIONAL MONEY LAUNDERING WATCHLIST

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan, Thomas Perriello, said "Making an atrocity determination is an immense responsibility that the Secretary takes seriously.  Such determinations are based on a careful review of the facts and the law. It requires information not only of certain acts but also that those acts were done with the specific intent to destroy, in whole or in substantial part, a racial, ethnic, national, or religious group. Information demonstrating intent is often difficult to find and assess."
 
"Since the start of the conflict the United States has taken repeated action to promote accountability of the RSF for its atrocities conduct. The U.S. already had sanctioned five RSF leaders, including two of Hemedti’s brothers. We also determined in December 2023 that members of the RSF committed ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. So the designation of Hemedti and the genocide determination reflect a consistent effort to document and call out atrocities, acknowledge the suffering of victims and survivors, and pursue justice and accountability."

In his declaration, Blinken announced new sanctions stating, "We are also sanctioning seven RSF-owned companies located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and one individual for their roles in procuring weapons for the RSF."

The Treasury Department also sent out a statement, virtually simultaneously to the one from State, saying "the RSF's ability to acquire military equipment and generate finances continue to fuel the conflict in Sudan." Treasury stated one particular company in the UAE, owned by a Sudanese national  "has provided money and weapons to the RSF."  

Other UAE companies sanctioned this past week have been accused by the Treasury Department of handling financial transactions, of being "an essential part of the RSF’s efforts to finance its operations", and of importing IT and security equipment .

One gold company in the UAE has been sanctioned because it has allegedly "purchased gold from Sudan, presumably for the benefit of the RSF, and subsequently transported it to Dubai." Additionally, Treasury claimed "the RSF’s procurement director and brother of RSF leader Hemedti maintained access to (the gold company’s) bank account in the UAE, which held millions of dollars."

"The United States continues to call for an end to this conflict that is putting innocent civilian lives in jeopardy," Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo stated. "The Treasury Department remains committed to using every tool available to hold accountable those responsible for violating the human rights of the Sudanese people."

In response to Fox News Digital questions involving UAE registered companies an official from its foreign ministry fired back, stating. "The UAE’s primary focus in Sudan remains on addressing the catastrophic humanitarian crisis. We continue to call for an immediate cease-fire and a peaceful resolution to this man-made conflict. In this regard, the UAE has already made absolutely clear that it is not providing any support or supplies to either of two belligerent warring parties in Sudan."

The official continued, "the UAE takes its role in protecting the integrity of the international financial system extremely seriously. We remain committed to combating financial crime globally, enhancing international cooperation and developing strategies to address emerging risks."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he wouldn't make any apologies for ending the war in Afghanistan, which left 13 Americans dead and the Taliban in charge, during an interview with The New York Times ahead of the Biden administration's exit.

"I’m not at all sure that the election turned on any one or even a collection of foreign-policy issues. Most elections don’t. But leaving that aside: Americans don’t want us in conflict. They don’t want us in war. We went through 20 years where we had hundreds of thousands of Americans deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. People were tired of that, understandably. Well, when President Biden was vice president, he presided over the end of our engagement in Iraq. As president, he ended the longest war in our history, Afghanistan," he said, responding to a question about the election.

The New York Times spoke to Blinken ahead of his exit from the White House and said that Americans were skeptical of Biden's foreign policy early on due to the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, which left more than a dozen American service members dead and led to the Taliban retaking control. The interviewer asked how the Afghanistan "failure" damaged America's credibility.

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"First, I make no apologies for ending America’s longest war. This, I think, is a signal achievement of the president’s. The fact that we will not have another generation of Americans fighting and dying in Afghanistan, that’s an important achievement in and of itself," Blinken responded. 

The Times pushed back, noting that the Taliban has made it much harder for women in the country. 

The interviewer said, "In every possible way, the manner in which this was done and the state in which Afghanistan has been left could not have been what the United States desired."

"There was never going to be an easy way to extricate ourselves from 20 years of war. I think the question was what we were going to do moving forward from the withdrawal. We also had to learn lessons from Afghanistan itself," Blinken added.

The Biden administration was hit with pushback after the chaotic withdrawal. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan even reportedly offered to resign over the decision, according to The Washington Post's David Ignatius.

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Sullivan also reportedly had concerns about the exit, but ultimately said it would have been challenging no matter what they did.

"You cannot end a war like Afghanistan, where you’ve built up dependencies and pathologies, without the end being complex and challenging," Sullivan told the Post columnist. "The choice was: Leave, and it would not be easy, or stay forever."

He added that "leaving Kabul freed the [United States] to deal with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in ways that might have been impossible if we had stayed."

Ignatius reported that the Afghanistan withdrawal "broke the early comity" of the Biden administration's national security team, and created a riff between Sullivan and Blinken. 

The State Department announced that an American teacher arrested at a Russian airport on drug charges more than three years ago has been designated as wrongfully detained by the U.S. government.

Marc Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, is serving a 14-year prison sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport for being in possession of drugs, which his family and supporters said were medically prescribed marijuana.

Fogel was left out of a massive prisoner swap in August that freed multiple Americans, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and corporate security executive Paul Whelan.

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After the prisoner exchange, which also freed a dozen German nationals, lawyers for Fogel's family again pushed for the Biden administration to work toward securing his freedom, including by designating him as wrongfully detained.

The State Department considers several factors when choosing whether to designate an American jailed in a foreign country as wrongfully detained, such as whether there is credible information that the person is innocent or if they are being held primarily to influence U.S. policy or secure concessions from the U.S. government.

"The United States has been working to secure Marc Fogel’s release for some time," the State Department said in a statement. "We have long called for his humanitarian release and tried to include him in the August 1 deal, but were unable to. The Secretary determined Marc is wrongfully detained in October."

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Designating someone as wrongfully detained traditionally moves supervision of their case to the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs's office, which is within the State Department and focuses on negotiating for the release of hostages and other Americans classified as being wrongfully detained in foreign countries.

Fogel's wife, Jane, and his sons, Ethan and Sam, said in a statement they were grateful that the State Department "has finally acknowledged what we have known all along — that our husband and father, Marc Fogel, has and continues to be wrongfully detained."

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"Now that we have the full force of the U.S. government behind us, we must do everything in our power to bring Marc home as quickly and safely as possible," the family continued.

The State Department’s foreign disinformation center, accused by conservatives of censoring U.S. citizens, shut its doors due to lack of funding this week. 

Elon Musk had deemed the Global Engagement Center (GEC), established in 2016, the "worst offender in U.S. government censorship & media manipulation," and its funding was stripped as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the Pentagon’s yearly policy bill. 

"The Global Engagement Center will terminate by operation of law [by the end of the day] on December 23, 2024," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. "The Department of State has consulted with Congress regarding next steps."

Lawmakers had originally included funding for the GEC in its continuing resolution (CR), or bill to fund the government beyond a Friday deadline. But conservatives balked at that iteration of the funding bill, and it was rewritten without money for the GEC and other funding riders.

The agency had a budget of around $61 million and 120 people on staff. 

At a time when adversaries like Iran and Russia sow disinformation throughout the world, Republicans saw little value in the agency’s work, arguing that much of its disinformation analysis is already offered by the private sector. 

The GEC, according to reporter Matt Taibbi, "funded a secret list of subcontractors and helped pioneer an insidious—and idiotic—new form of blacklisting" during the pandemic. 

Taibbi wrote last year when exposing the Twitter Files that the GEC "flagged accounts as ‘Russian personas and proxies’ based on criteria like, ‘Describing the Coronavirus as an engineered bioweapon,’ blaming ‘research conducted at the Wuhan institute,’ and ‘attributing the appearance of the virus to the CIA.’" 

"State also flagged accounts that retweeted news that Twitter banned the popular U.S. website ZeroHedge, claiming that it 'led to another flurry of disinformation narratives.'" ZeroHedge had made reports speculating that the virus had a lab origin.

The GEC is part of the State Department but also partners with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Special Operations Command and the Department of Homeland Security. The GEC also funds the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab).

SPENDING BILL TO FUND STATE DEPARTMENT AGENCY ACCUSED OF CENSORING, BLACKLISTING AMERICANS

DFRLab Director Graham Brookie previously denied the claim that they use tax money to track Americans, saying its GEC grants have "an exclusively international focus."

A 2024 report from the Republican-led House Small Business Committee criticized the GEC for awarding grants to organizations whose work includes tracking domestic as well as foreign misinformation and rating the credibility of U.S.-based publishers, according to the Washington Post. 

The lawsuit was brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Daily Wire and the Federalist, who sued the State Department, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other government officials earlier this month for "engaging in a conspiracy to censor, deplatform and demonetize American media outlets disfavored by the federal government."

The lawsuit stated that the GEC was used as a tool for the defendants to carry out its censorship. 

​​"Congress authorized the creation of the Global Engagement Center expressly to counter foreign propaganda and misinformation," the Texas Attorney General’s Office said in a press release. "Instead, the agency weaponized this authority to violate the First Amendment and suppress Americans’ constitutionally-protected speech. 

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The complaint describes the State Department’s project as "one of the most egregious government operations to censor the American press in the history of the nation.’"

The lawsuit argued that The Daily Wire, The Federalist and other conservative news organizations were branded "unreliable" or "risky" by the agency, "starving them of advertising revenue and reducing the circulation of their reporting and speech—all as a direct result of [the State Department’s] unlawful censorship scheme."

Meanwhile, America First Legal, headed up by Stephen Miller, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for deputy chief of staff for policy, revealed that the GEC had used taxpayer dollars to create a video game called "Cat Park" to "Inoculate Youth Against Disinformation" abroad. 

The game "inoculates players . . . by showing how sensational headlines, memes, and manipulated media can be used to advance conspiracy theories and incite real-world violence," according to a memo obtained by America First Legal. 

Mike Benz, the executive director at the Foundation For Freedom Online, said the game was "anti-populist" and pushed certain political beliefs instead of protecting Americans from foreign disinformation, accordig to the Tennessee Star.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News, Gen. Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the main U.S. ally whose fighters are currently guarding 45,000 ISIS militants and their families at camps and prisons in Eastern Syria, said the Turkish military and its allied forces continue to attack his Kurdish forces, despite a U.S. brokered ceasefire deal Wednesday. 

"We are still under constant attack from the Turkish military and the Turkish-supported opposition which is called SNA," Gen. Mazloum told Fox. "Eighty drone attacks a day we have from the Turkish military. There is intensive artillery shells. This situation has paralyzed our counterterror operation." 

The attacks by the Turkish military on the SDF have increased since Bashar Al Assad’s fall on December 8. Gen. Mazloum warned that if his Kurdish fighters have to flee, ISIS would return.

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Gen. Mazloum said half of his fighters guarding the ISIS camps had to withdraw in recent days.

"All of the prisons still are under our control. However, the prisons and camps are in a critical situation because who is guarding them? They are leaving and having to protect their families," said Gen. Mazloum in an interview from his base in Eastern Syria. "I can give you one example like the Raqqa ISIS prison, which contains about 1,000 ISIS ex-fighters. The number of guards there have diminished by half which is putting them in a fragile position." 

A chilling warning from one of America’s staunchest allies. The U.S. has 900 troops in Eastern Syria, and they would likely have to withdraw if the allied Kurdish fighters retreat under attack from Turkey’s military, which views the Kurds as a terrorist threat.

"We don't want to see that happen. So we're in very close touch with our SDF partners to try to maintain that focus on counter-ISIS missions. And we are just as importantly in touch with our Turkish counterparts," said National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby during a White House press briefing Thursday.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is in Turkey today meeting with President Recep Erdogan to discuss how to bring stability to Syria.

Secretary Blinken "reiterated the importance of all actors in Syria respecting human rights, upholding international humanitarian law, and taking all feasible steps to protect civilians, including members of minority groups," State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement following the meeting with President Erdogan. "He emphasized the need to ensure the coalition can continue to execute its critical mission to defeat ISIS." 

CENTCOM Commander General Erik Kurilla met with Gen. Mazloum and the SDF in Syria on Tuesday, two days after the U.S. military carried out extensive airstrikes targeting dozens of ISIS positions in Eastern Syria. The operation struck over 75 targets – camps and operatives – using U.S. Air Force B-52s, F-15s, and A-10s, according to a statement released by U.S. Central Command.

"There should be no doubt – we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria," said Kurilla. "All organizations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any way."

On Wednesday, the SDF announced a truce with Syria’s Turkey-backed rebels in northern Manbij following U.S. mediation "to ensure the safety and security of civilians," Gen. Mazloum said early on Wednesday.

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"The fighters of the Manbij Military Council, who have been resisting the attacks since November 27, will withdraw from the area as soon as possible," Gen. Mazloum added. 

And new indications suggest a ceasefire late Thursday has tentatively been agreed to in Aleppo and Deir Ezzor south of Raqqa along the Euphrates River.

Gen. Mazloum worries about what would happen if the U.S. pulled its forces out of Syria right now.

"We saw that the Russians – they have no further leverage in the country – same for the Iranians. So if now U.S. troops withdraw from Syria that will bring a vacuum."

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He added the following warning: "We expect those Islamists, different factions to unite, to fight with ISIS and that will bring back tougher extremists, terrorist organizations back to the country."

The SDF Commander fears another bloody civil war could start if the new Syrian government in Damascus does not include different minority groups, like the Syrian Kurds.

"So any new government in Syria needs to be representative, needs to be inclusive and contain and include all different parties of Syria. So if not that takes us to a bloody civil war in the country and that will put us in huge stage of escalatory path that no one can predict the fate of that," Gen. Mazloum told Fox.

Facing the Turkish fighter jets, the SDF mistakenly shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone in Syria on Monday, the result of "friendly fire," a U.S. defense official told Fox News. "The U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters who are under attack from the Turkish military misidentified the drone as a threat," the official said.