Midwest

Biden admin turning this federal agency into a Dem get-out-the-vote machine

Published

2 years ago

June 12, 2024

Biden admin turning this federal agency into a Dem get-out-the-vote machine

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The Founding Fathers feared a system of government where the executive branch is able to wield the power of the federal bureaucracy to interfere with elections. Unfortunately, President Biden has directed every federal agency to do just that.

As chairman of the Committee on Small Business, we have been investigating the electioneering efforts undertaken by the Small Business Administration (SBA), and what we have uncovered is already very troubling.

On March 19, 2024, the SBA announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Michigan Department of State (MDOS) to facilitate voter registration efforts ahead of the 2024 election cycle.

President Biden has directed every federal agency to wield the power of the federal bureaucracy to interfere with elections. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Given that small businesses continue to struggle under the weight of crippling inflation, high interest rates, and an acute labor shortage, the SBA diverting resources to assist a get-out-the-vote effort is extremely troubling. This alarming shift in focus raises serious questions about the agency’s priorities and its commitment to its core constituency: America’s small businesses.

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The SBA’s press release bragging about this first of its kind partnership with Michigan to register voters immediately raised red flags and led the committee to request the signed agreement. Since the agency was so proud to announce this MOU, we assumed that this request wouldn’t be met with much resistance.

However, the SBA stonewalled turning over the document for months, dating back to the committee’s oversight hearing with Administrator Isabel Guzman on March 20, 2024. But as we were waiting to see what this new partnership entailed, the committee started to dig deeper into what the SBA has already been doing in Michigan.

As a critical battleground state where Biden is facing challenges, the selection of Michigan for this effort already insinuated that this was politically motivated decision. If the agency was truly only interested in registering voters, Michigan is a very unusual choice.

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With three-quarters of their state’s population already registered to vote, the third-highest percentage of registered voters in the entire country, there must be another reason for this first of its kind partnership.

Curiously, the committee noticed that this agreement with MDOS was announced four days after the Biden re-election campaign reiterated its interest in Michigan and noted its “not taking a single voter for granted,” especially among key demographics of young and minority voters.

As the committee continued to wait to receive the MOU from the SBA, we decided to look into the background of some of Biden’s political appointees who will be carrying out these orders. Within the SBA, Jennifer Kim, the associate administrator of the SBA Office of Field Operations is tasked with carrying out these voter registration efforts.

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In going to the SBA website to see Kim’s background, the agency fails to highlight any experience in helping small businesses. Instead, her biography on sba.gov says she has years of experience in “increasing voter registration in communities of color as well as promoting youth civic engagement.” Coincidentally, she also attended the University of Michigan.

The diversion of taxpayer dollars and agency resources toward partisan activities like electioneering raises serious legal and ethical concerns. Just last week we held a hearing to discuss some of these conflicts of interest.

One of the witnesses was Stewart Whitson, the senior director of federal affairs at the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA). The FGA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that seeks to enhance the lives of all Americans by improving welfare, workforce, health care, and election integrity policy at the state and federal levels. In his testimony, he summed up the concerns very eloquently:

“The worry is that this isn’t about registering small business owners across the state of Michigan, but rather, this is about using generous business startup and other grants to lure targeted groups of voters, those the Left believes are more likely to vote for the current president, to SBA’s website and to in-person outreach events hosted in Democratic strongholds, all to help register and mobilize these voters ahead of the 2024 election.

“In other words, this appears to be a get-out-the-vote effort aimed at directly benefiting the Biden campaign, at the expense of the American taxpayer and the small businesses the SBA is supposed to serve.”

The SBA’s actions set a dangerous precedent for executive overreach. The founding principles of federalism and separation of powers are under threat as the Biden administration seeks to consolidate control over elections.

The SBA should not be transformed into a campaign arm of the Biden administration while abandoning the needs of small businesses. This devastating deviation from their core purpose is not only a breach of their duty, but also a disservice to Main Street America, as they continue to struggle to survive in the face of economic turmoil.

As chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, I will continue to demand answers throughout this investigation until the needs of Main Street are met and the agency intended to help them returns to carrying out their core mission.

ROGER WILLIAMS

Republican Roger Williams represents the 25th Congressional District of Texas, which includes Fort Hood, in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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Midwest

Ilhan Omar doesn’t have any regrets for her ‘unavoidable’ outburst at State of the Union

Published

43 minutes ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Ilhan Omar doesn’t have any regrets for her ‘unavoidable’ outburst at State of the Union

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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., spoke candidly on Wednesday, defending her outbursts during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.

Omar, along with colleague Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., who was seated next to her, appeared on video repeatedly interrupting and gesturing toward Trump several times throughout his speech.

Omar appeared to shout “You are a murderer” and “You’re a liar.”

Rep. Ilhan Omar, right, with Rep. Rashida Tlaib at her side, spoke at a news conference at the State Capitol. (Renee Jones Schneider/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

When appearing on CNN, Omar was pressed by host Wolf Blitzer, who noted that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., asked members of his caucus to either sit in silence or to not attend at all.

“Should you have just boycotted the address? And do you think you violated the guidelines set out by your own leader?” he asked.

“No, I think it was really unavoidable. The president talked about protecting Americans, and I just had to remind him that his administration was responsible for killing two of my constituents,” Omar responded.

“Do you have any regrets at all about the interaction we played between you and President Trump just last night?” Blitzer asked.

“I do not, and I think many people look at that moment when the president says, ‘It is our responsibility to protect Americans,’ and he does not acknowledge the fact that two Americans, two of my constituents, two of our neighbors, were killed,” she said. “And it was important for me to just remind the American people that the president and his administration was responsible for killing two American citizens.”

Blitzer proceeded to ask, with hindsight in mind, whether she still thinks she made the right choice by showing up.

‘SQUAD’ MEMBER WEARS ‘F— ICE’ PIN ON HOUSE FLOOR DURING TRUMP ADDRESS

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., left, and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., shout at President Donald Trump as he delivers his State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“I brought four Minnesotans up as guests for the Minnesota delegation. It was important for us to be there, to bear witness, to hold space for our constituents that have lived through an occupation from federal law enforcement, that have been terrorized, that have seen our neighbors been killed and traumatized in so many ways and, so, no. I think it was really important for my constituents to see me there,” she said.

“It was really important to my constituents to hear that. I was reminding the president that Renee Good and Alex Pretti were killed under this administration.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

Democrats have rallied around the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good as a means to criticize ICE and immigration enforcement efforts. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

It responded with a Truth Social post from Trump in which he called for critics like Omar and Tlaib to be put on a boat and “send them back from where they came.”

Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Alexander Hall is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Alexander.hall@fox.com.

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Detroit, MI

Rex Satterfield’s 1956 Bel Air takes 2026 Ridler Award in Detroit

Published

3 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Rex Satterfield’s 1956 Bel Air takes 2026 Ridler Award in Detroit

Rex Satterfield hoped to see his 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible snag one of the BASF Great 8 finalist spots at this year’s Detroit Autorama. But winning the Ridler Award — one of the highest honors in the custom car business — was something he didn’t foresee.

“It’s just overwhelming right now,” said the man from Russellville, Tennessee, as he left a ballroom at downtown’s Huntington Place and made his way back to the show floor on Sunday, March 1. “We weren’t expecting this.”

Getting a car recognized as one of the BASF Great 8 vehicles is a win in and of itself as they are considered the “absolute pinnacle of custom automotive craftsmanship worldwide,” according to the show. The cars undergo an intensive judging process.

And this effort had an unexpected and emotional complication with the passing in December 2024 of the original builder, Jeff Wolfenbarger, who was battling cancer even as he continued working on the car named “Elegant Lady.”

Kevin Riffey of Kevin Riffey’s Hot Rods and Restorations in Knoxville stepped in to finish the work Wolfenbarger started. He’d had two other cars in the past make the Great 8. He said the goal with this vehicle was straightforward, calling it a “purpose-built show car.”

From its prominent spot at the front of the show floor, “Elegant Lady” sported a creamy exterior, dubbed Light Coffee. The car carries a 1,000 horsepower Don Hardy race engine. The gauges, wheels and gas tank are custom, and the dash is from a 1956 Pontiac.

Satterfield plans to show the car around some and enjoy the moment with it. He said he’s been a car guy since he was a little kid.

The Ridler Award, named in honor of Detroit Autorama’s first publicist, Don Ridler, comes with a $10,000 prize. It was awarded on the final day of this year’s Detroit Autorama, which ran Friday, Feb. 27-Sunday, March 1. This was the event’s 73rd year.

Eric D. Lawrence is the senior car culture reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Send your tips and suggestions about cool automotive stuff to elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee Weather – Frosty and cold morning, sunny day ahead

Published

3 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

MILWAUKEE – Forecast from FOX6 Meteorologist Lisa Michaels

Frosty Monday morning with temps in the teens inland to low 20s near the lake.
Mostly sunny to sunny skies on Monday. Highs in the mid-40s inland, upper 30s near the lake.
A total lunar eclipse will happen Tuesday morning, total eclipse from 5-6am. It may be tough to see due to increasing clouds.
Increasing clouds on Tuesday with highs in the low 40s. Chance of rain and storms possible Wednesday through Friday with warming temperatures.

Today: 39 Lake. Mostly sunny.
High: 44°
Wind: SE 5-10

Tonight: Partly cloudy this evening, mostly clear overnight.
Low: 27°
Wind: SE 5

Tuesday: 39 Lake. Mostly cloudy.
High: 43°
Wind: E 5-10

Wednesday:41 Lake. Chance for scattered showers and t-storms.
AM Low: 32° High: 45°
Wind: E 5-10

Thursday: 39 Lake. Mostly cloudy. Chance storms.
AM Low: 37° High: 42°
Wind: NE 5-10

Friday: Chance for showers and t-storms Warmer. Warming at night.
AM Low: 37° High: 57°
Wind: SE 5-15

Saturday: Mostly cloudy with AM rain showers. Blustery with falling afternoon temperatures.
AM Low: 47° High: 53°
Wind: NE 5-10

6-day planner

FOX6 Weather Extras

Local perspective:

Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:

FOX6 Storm Center app

FOX LOCAL Mobile app

FOX Weather app

FOX Weather

Big picture view:

Maps and radar

We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.

School and business closings

When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.