Politics

By Valerie Volcovici

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden’s administration has set a new U.S. target under the Paris climate agreement to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 61%-66% below 2005 levels by 2035, a goal officials called achievable by states even if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on vows to reverse federal policies.

The new “nationally determined contribution” reflects ongoing impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act and infrastructure bill on decarbonizing the economy and policies by states that tackle climate change, U.S. officials said.

“Our investments under this administration are durable and will continue to pay dividends for our economy and our climate for years to come, allowing us to set an ambitious and achievable 2035 target,” said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to Biden for international climate policy.

“We’re confident in America’s ability to rally around this new climate goal,” he said, adding that while Trump “may put climate action on the backburner, the work to contain climate change is going to continue in the United States.”

Under the Paris agreement, nations must deliver new and stronger national climate action plans to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change before a deadline in February next year. The Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) must align with the target to limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit).

The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment but the president-elect has said he may once again withdraw the U.S. from the Paris agreement.

Trump’s transition team is recommending sweeping changes to cut off support for electric vehicles and charging stations and impose tariffs on all battery materials globally, Reuters reported this week. Trump campaigned on pledges to achieve U.S. energy dominance through more fossil fuel production, not renewable energy.

An alliance of two dozen U.S. states and territories including New York, California and New Mexico that have pledged to continue aligning policies with Paris agreement goals set a collective, complementary goal on Thursday to meet the 61%-66% target.

The U.S. is not yet on pace to meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50%-52% by 2030, according to the Rhodium Group, which found other major emitters including the EU, South Korea, South Africa and the UK also are not on target.

Research group Energy Innovation found that under current policies, the U.S. can achieve a 46% reduction by 2035.

So far, only the UAE and Brazil have announced new NDCs ahead of the February deadline.

(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by David Gregorio)

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By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee has scheduled a confirmation hearing for Jan. 14 for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be secretary of defense, a source familiar with the plan said on Wednesday.

Trump has reiterated his support for Hegseth, a former Fox News personality whose nomination faces headwinds amid allegations of misconduct in his private and professional lives.

A 44-year-old Army National Guard veteran, Hegseth has vowed to continue fighting for the job, spending much of the past few weeks in the Senate meeting with Republican senators whose support he must win to secure the 51 “yes” votes he will need to be confirmed to lead the Pentagon.

To date, there has been no public announcement that any Republican will not vote for Hegseth. Several have said they will follow with interest what comes out during his hearing. The Armed Services Committee will vote on Hegseth’s nomination after the hearing, sending it for consideration by the full Senate.

Hegseth served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and has two Bronze Stars. But he has been criticized for lacking the management experience needed to lead 1.3 million active-duty service members and the nearly 1 million civilians who work for the nation’s military.

A California police report showed a woman filed a sexual assault complaint in 2017. Hegseth was never charged and has denied any wrongdoing. His lawyer told CNN this month that they may take legal action against the woman if Hegseth is not confirmed.

Trump’s fellow Republicans will take control of the Senate on Jan. 3 with a 53-47 seat majority. If Democrats remain united against Hegseth, he cannot afford to lose support from more than three Republicans.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump told Fox News on Wednesday that he is “totally against” the stopgap measure proposed in Congress to keep federal agencies funded through March 14, a reporter for the TV network wrote on X.

The bill, known as a continuing resolution, was unveiled by top Republicans and Democrats on Tuesday. It aims to avert a partial government shutdown that would otherwise begin on Saturday.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward)

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By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. government services would be disrupted and hundreds of thousands of federal workers would be told not to work if Congress fails to extend funding past Friday.

Workers deemed essential would remain on the job. All federal employees’ pay could be disrupted during a shutdown, though they would receive retroactive pay once government operations resume.

Here is a guide to what would stay open and what would shut down, according to agency shutdown plans outlined last year:

WHEN AND WHY WOULD THE GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN?

Congress writes detailed spending legislation for most U.S. government agencies each year, but it rarely gets the job done before the fiscal year starts on Oct. 1. Lawmakers typically pass stopgap spending bills to avoid disruption for several weeks or months while they finish their work.

The current stopgap bill is due to expire on Dec. 20. Republicans who control the House of Representatives and Democrats who control the Senate have negotiated a 1,500-page bill that extends that funding until March 14, when President-elect Donald Trump will be back in office. But Trump on Wednesday urged lawmakers to vote against it, complicating its chances of becoming law.

If Congress does not pass some sort of extension and Democratic President Joe Biden does not sign it into law before midnight on Friday, wide swaths of the government would not have the money to continue their operations in the days leading up to Christmas on Dec. 25.

DOES THE MAIL GET DELIVERED IF THE GOVERNMENT CLOSES?

The U.S. Postal Service would be unaffected because it does not depend on Congress for funding.

WHAT HAPPENS TO SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE AND OTHER BENEFITS?

The Social Security Administration would continue to issue retirement and disability benefits.

Payments would likewise continue under the Medicare and Medicaid healthcare programs.

Military veterans’ benefits and medical care would also continue.

Food benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and other nutrition programs would continue, though they could be disrupted to some extent.

WHAT DOES A SHUTDOWN MEAN FOR THE MILITARY?

The 2 million U.S. military personnel would remain at their posts, but roughly half of the Pentagon’s 800,000 civilian employees would be furloughed — ordered not to work.

Contracts awarded before the shutdown would continue, and the Pentagon could place new orders for supplies or services needed to protect national security. Other new contracts, including renewals or extensions, would not be awarded. 

Payments to defense contractors such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin and RTX, formerly known as Raytheon, could be delayed.

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration would continue maintaining nuclear weapons.

HOW DOES A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AFFECT LAW ENFORCEMENT?

Agents at the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and other federal law enforcement agencies would remain on the job, and prison staffers would continue to work.

The Secret Service and the Coast Guard would also continue operations, and most employees would continue to work.

Most of the Federal Trade Commission’s consumer-protection workers would be furloughed, as would half of its antitrust employees.

WILL NATIONAL PARKS CLOSE DURING A SHUTDOWN?

National parks, monuments and other sites would be closed to the public, though it will be impossible to keep visitors out of many of them. Rangers would be furloughed and restrooms, help desks and other facilities would be shuttered.

Some states may use their own money to keep parks and other sites open, as happened in the 2018-2019 shutdown.

Wildfire fighting efforts would continue, though timber sales on national forest lands would be curtailed and fewer recreation permits would be issued.

WHAT HAPPENS TO BORDERS AND HOMELAND SECURITY?

Most Border Patrol and immigration enforcement agents would continue to work, as would most customs officers.

Local governments would not get new aid to shelter migrants.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency would suspend security reviews that help schools, local governments and other institutions defend against ransomware.

WILL FEDERAL COURTS STILL BE OPEN DURING A SHUTDOWN?

Federal courts could operate for several weeks without congressional funding, relying on fees and other funds, but eventually would have to scale back activity. The Supreme Court would stay open as well.

Criminal prosecutions would continue. Most civil litigation would be postponed. 

DOES CONGRESS STILL GET PAID?

Lawmakers would continue to collect paychecks, even as other federal workers do not. Staffers would not get paid, though those deemed essential would be required to work.

DOES A SHUTDOWN IMPACT TRANSPORTATION?

Airport security screeners and air-traffic-control workers would be required to work, according to recent contingency plans, though absenteeism could be a problem. Some airports had to suspend operations during a shutdown in 2019 when traffic controllers called in sick.

The Transportation Security Administration would not be able to hire new airport security screeners during the busy holiday travel season.

Some major infrastructure projects could face delays because environmental reviews and permitting would be disrupted, according to the White House.

WHAT’S THE IMPACT ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS?

U.S. embassies and consulates would remain open. Passport and visa processing would continue as long as there were sufficient fees to cover operations. Nonessential official travel, speeches and other events would be curtailed.

Some foreign aid programs could run out of money as well.

WOULD A SHUTDOWN DISRUPT SCIENCE?

Scientific research would be disrupted as agencies like the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration would furlough most of their workers once they run out of funding.

NASA would continue to support the International Space Station and track satellites, but 17,000 of its 18,300 employees would be furloughed.

Weather forecasts and fisheries regulation would continue, as would patent and trademark reviews.

The Federal Communications Commission would suspend consumer-protection activities, equipment reviews and licensing of TV and radio stations. It would continue to distribute telecommunications subsidies and its broadband mapping effort.

WHAT HAPPENS TO HEALTH PROGRAMS?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would continue to monitor disease outbreaks, though other public health activities could suffer as more than half of the agency’s workers would be furloughed.

The National Institutes of Health would furlough most of its staff and delay new clinical trials for medical treatments.

Healthcare services for military veterans and Native Americans would continue.

Most inspections of hazardous waste sites and drinking water and chemical facilities would stop.

Food-safety inspections by the Food and Drug Administration could be delayed. However, the FDA’s testing of new drugs and medical devices would continue.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SEC AND FINANCIAL REGULATION?

The Securities and Exchange Commission would furlough roughly 90% of its 4,600 employees and suspend most activities, it said last year, leaving only a skeleton staff to respond to emergencies.

Likewise, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission would furlough almost all of its employees and cease most oversight activity.

The Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency would continue as normal because they are funded by industry fees rather than congressional appropriations.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, an industry-financed brokerage oversight body, would continue to operate.

The Treasury Department would continue to issue debt and manage the government’s cash position.

DOES A SHUTDOWN DELAY KEY ECONOMIC DATA?

The publication of major U.S. economic data, including employment and inflation reports of critical importance to policymakers and investors, would be suspended.

WILL THE IRS STAY OPEN DURING A SHUTDOWN?

The Internal Revenue Service would stop examining and auditing tax returns and responding to taxpayer queries. Automated tax collection would continue, as would processing of green-energy tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act. Roughly two-thirds of the agency’s 90,000 employees would be furloughed.

DOES THE SHUTDOWN AFFECT EDUCATION?

Pell Grants and student loans would continue to be paid out, but could be disrupted as most Education Department employees would be furloughed.

A protracted shutdown could “severely curtail” aid to schools, universities and other educational institutions, the department said last year. It also could delay funds that are due to be awarded later in the year.

WHAT HAPPENS TO HEAD START AND CHILD CARE?

The White House said last year that 10,000 children from low-income families would lose access to the Head Start preschool program.

DOES A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AFFECT SMALL BUSINESSES?

The Small Business Administration would not be able to issue any new loans, though loans for businesses hurt by natural disasters would continue.

HOW DOES A SHUTDOWN AFFECT FARMERS?

Meat and egg inspections would continue, but some lab services would be disrupted, making it harder to fight animal diseases. Crop insurance would not be affected, but some loan programs would be. Research, conservation and rural development programs would be shut down.

DOES A SHUTDOWN AFFECT WORKPLACE SAFETY?

Workplace safety inspections would be limited, and investigations into unfair pay practices would be suspended.

The ability of the National Labor Relations Board to mediate labor disputes would be curtailed because almost all of its 1,200 employees would be furloughed, according to a 2022 plan.

HOW DOES A SHUTDOWN AFFECT HOUSING?

Monthly subsidies for public housing and low-income housing aid would be at risk. The Federal Housing Administration would continue to back insured mortgages, and Ginnie Mae would continue to back the secondary mortgage market. New homebuyers in rural areas would not be able to get loans from the Agriculture Department.

HOW WOULD A SHUTDOWN IMPACT THE WHITE HOUSE?

In the 2018-2019 shutdown, the White House furloughed 1,100 of 1,800 staff in the Executive Office of the President. Some offices, such as the National Security Council, continued at full strength, while others like the Office of Management and Budget were scaled back sharply.

The U.S. Constitution specifies that the president continues to get paid.

(Reporting by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone, Andrea Ricci and Diane Craft)

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Ingrid Lewis-Martin, former top aide to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, is expected to surrender on Thursday on bribery charges, the New York Times reported, citing several people with knowledge of the matter.

The Times reported on Wednesday that Lewis-Martin, her son and two businessmen were expected to be arraigned on Thursday on bribery charges being brought by the office of the Manhattan district attorney in connection to a $100,000 loan Lewis-Martin’s son obtained to buy a luxury car.

Lewis-Martin resigned from her post this past weekend. A lawyer for Lewis-Martin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Adams himself was hit with an unrelated five-count federal corruption indictment in September. The mayor allegedly accepted illegal campaign contributions and luxury travel from Turkish nationals seeking to influence him. Adams has denied wrongdoing and says he will fight the charges in court.

In the Lewis-Martin case, the charges are based on accusations that the businessmen gave a loan to Lewis-Martin’s son after she helped them resolve issues with the city’s Department of Buildings and a construction project in one of their hotels, the Times reported, adding that it was not clear if the son had made any payments on the loan.  

(Reporting by Eric Beech in Washington and Brad Brooks in Colorado; editing by Costas Pitas and Alistair Bell)

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FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Wednesday that Democrats should be thinking less about partisan politics and more about meeting people’s everyday needs as they chart a comeback strategy after last month’s crushing election losses.

Beshear, who has won three statewide elections in deeply red Kentucky and has been mentioned as a potential contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, said the party should work on things like good-paying jobs, health care, schools, roads and bridges and public safety.

“These are the core areas the American people need help on, and that’s where we as Democrats should be, but that’s where every Republican should be, too,” Beshear said during a sit-down interview at the Kentucky Capitol. “And just imagine, if we spent most of our time working on all that, we’d argue a lot less. And the American people would be a lot better off.”

Beshear, who was recently chosen as chair-elect of the Democratic Governors Association for 2026, when a majority of states will elect governors, said he hoped to be “a reasonable, common-sense, common-ground voice” for the party. That should overshadow talk of whether the party should shift more to the political right, left or center, he said.

“The Democratic Party needs to stay laser focused on people’s everyday needs,” he said. “I don’t think they’re political at all. So I don’t get into the right, left or center. But focusing on jobs, focusing on health care, focusing on the roads and bridges we drive every day, public education and public safety. Those are the core concerns that if somebody’s worried about it, they don’t get to anything else. They don’t get to the partisanship.”

Beshear’s rise in national politics accelerated with his reelection victory in 2023, a year before voters decided to return Republican Donald Trump to the White House and give the GOP control of Congress. Beshear served one term as state attorney general before his first election as governor in 2019.

Beshear was in the running to be Kamala Harris’ running mate this summer but lost out to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Assessing his party’s loss of the White House, Beshear avoided any criticism of Harris, saying she made the best decisions she could and tried hard to win.

He quickly pivoted to the work ahead for Democrats, and his role in the party’s comeback efforts.

“I believe that what this election showed is that many people, at the end of the day, vote with their gut about who they think will make their lives better,” Beshear said.

Beshear, whose term ends in 2027, mostly sidestepped questions about his future, saying he’s focused on his job as governor and his national role in getting more Democratic governors elected. The term-limited governor again ruled out a U.S. Senate run in 2026, when Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell’s seat will be on the ballot. McConnell, who is stepping down from his leadership post at the end of the year, has not said whether he will seek another term.

Beshear had some ideas on what Democrats should look for in their next presidential nominee in 2028.

“I think the next Democratic nominee should be a pragmatist that is about getting things done, getting real results,” he said. “A track record of showing people that they can help lower their bills or help them make more money to pay them. Somebody who’s got a track record on improving the infrastructure of this country. With plans, but also results, that show that health care can be more affordable. Someone that is pro-public education and someone that understands that people don’t just need to be safer, they need to feel safer in their communities.”

A constant theme of Beshear’s governorship has been Kentucky’s record pace of economic development since he’s been in office. The state’s Republican supermajority legislature says the record private-sector investments stem from its business-friendly policies.

Beshear also has focused on infrastructure improvements, expanded health care and support for public schools. He led opposition to a ballot measure rejected by voters that would have allowed state lawmakers to allocate public tax dollars to support students attending private or charter schools.

The governor has feuded with Republican lawmakers on a number of issues, including GOP efforts to restrict abortion rights and ban gender-affirming health care for transgender young people. GOP lawmakers have easily swept aside Beshear’s vetoes.

Beshear is one of several Democratic governors who are the subject of early speculation as potential contenders for the party’s presidential nomination in 2028.

If he succeeds in helping elect more Democratic governors in 2026, the party’s bench of potential candidates for national office will grow, Beshear said Wednesday.

“Governors get things done,” he said. “You can’t be overly ideological because you’ve got to get results for your people. So my goal is to elect a lot more Democratic governors who will work everyday for the people of their states. And if I do that well, there will be a lot more names that are out there for the future.”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — During the transition period between President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump, there has been at least some coordination on West Wing affairs. But not when it comes to Biden’s Gender Policy Council, which has worked to defend reproductive health care in the face of growing restrictions.

The first-of-its kind office was an effort to drive policy that would make life better for women and girls in the U.S. and in the world. Over the past four years, it has sought to advance reproductive freedom, make pay more equitable and increase participation by women in the workforce. It was formed through an executive order by Biden in September 2021, and members of his Cabinet have representatives on the council.

It’s not unusual for new presidents to remake the West Wing to suit incoming priorities, and the Trump administration hasn’t said one way or the other whether the council will remain. But Project 2025, a conservative handbook written for an incoming GOP administration, has said it should be axed — in part because it promotes abortion. And Biden officials are concerned about what that might mean — particularly as reproductive health continues to worsen for some women across the nation following the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Project 2025 is a detailed, 920-page roadmap for governing, led by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. A whirlwind of hard-right ambitions, its proposals include ousting thousands of civil servants and replacing them with Trump loyalists and reversing the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of medications used in abortions. The president-elect has claimed he has never seen it, but plenty of members of his incoming administration have written sections and many of Trump’s policies align.

According to the handbook, the incoming president should revoke the executive order that created the Gender Policy Council, “and every policy, including subregulatory guidance documents, produced on behalf of or related to the establishment or promotion of the Gender Policy Council and its subsidiary issues.”

It mischaracterizes the office as one with a principal intent of “gender affirming care” and “sex-change” surgeries on minors. The document also claims that by abolishing the office, Trump would “eliminate central promotion of abortion” and “comprehensive sexuality education.”

It suggests, instead, that the president should spend time developing new structures dedicated to “promoting life and strengthening the family.”

Other presidents have carved out space for women’s issues, but there has been no office within the West Wing specifically dedicated to advancing policy changes on behalf of women. Since the creation of the office, Biden has signed three executive orders and a presidential memorandum directing his administration to protect access to reproductive health, among other efforts.

The council has also worked to address health disparities. Biden last year announced a women’s health research initiative at wife Jill’s urging that has invested nearly $1 billion. Women make up half of the U.S. population, about 168 million people, but medical research into their unique health circumstances has largely been underfunded and understudied.

The council has also worked to lower child care payments and call for better paid leave for families.

“The reality of the situation is that we’ve done a huge amount that helps not only women — women and families — but really it helps our society as a whole,” said Jen Klein, the chairwoman of the council.

Klein believes that some of the work of the Gender Policy Council won’t be undone. The Violence Against Women Act, for example, was reauthorized in 2022. And other issues have long been considered bipartisan. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who is Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, co-sponsored the Women, Peace and Security Act of 2017, a bipartisan law signed by Trump that seeks to protect women and girls globally from violence and include women in conflict prevention.

“We had reached a point in American history where many of these issues were not only bipartisan, but where the business case had been made,” Klein said. “Care is a perfect example of that. If you think about the trajectory of the last 10 years, these are issues that are no longer seen as women’s issues.”

But reproductive health care is much more contentious. The Gender Policy Council was formed before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned abortion rights in 2022. Since then, as states have restricted access to health care, access to abortion and other reproductive care has become a major focal point for the office.

The council has spearheaded efforts throughout the administration to help safeguard access, including by working with the department of Health and Human Services to issue guidance reminding hospitals of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, a federal law that requires doctors to stabilize or treat any patient who shows up at an emergency room. Women have been turned away during miscarriages and left bleeding in parking lots in part because of abortion restrictions.

Trump has waffled on abortion access particularly during his campaign. He has said that abortion limits should be left to the states, and has declined to endorse a national ban. Trump has shifted between boasting about nominating the justices who helped strike down federal protections for abortion and trying to appear more neutral.

Most recently, he told NBC that he was not likely to restrict access to medication abortion. “I’ll probably stay with exactly what I’ve been saying for the last two years, and the answer is no,” he said. But “things do change.”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal judge who presided over the seditious conspiracy case against Oath Keepers members said Wednesday that it would be “frightening” if the anti-government group’s founder, Stewart Rhodes, is pardoned for orchestrating a violent plot to keep Donald Trump in the White House after he lost the 2020 presidential election.

President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly has vowed to pardon rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol nearly four years ago. Rhodes is serving an 18-year prison sentence after a jury convicted him and other Oath Keepers members of seditious conspiracy, the most serious charge stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by a mob of Trump supporters.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta alluded to the prospect of Rhodes receiving a presidential pardon as he sentenced William Todd Wilson, a former Oath Keepers member from North Carolina who pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy.

“The notion that Stewart Rhodes could be absolved of his actions is frightening and ought to be frightening to anyone who cares about democracy in this country,” Mehta said.

Mehta isn’t the first judge at the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., to criticize the possibility that Trump could pardon hundreds of Capitol rioters when he returns to the White House next month. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump nominee, said during a hearing last month that it would be “ beyond frustrating and disappointing ” if the Republican president-elect issues blanket pardons to Capitol rioters.

On the campaign trial this year, Trump repeatedly referred to Jan. 6 rioters as “hostages” and “patriots” and said he “absolutely” would pardon rioters who assaulted police “if they’re innocent.” Trump also has suggested that he would consider pardoning former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for a separate plot to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power from Trump to President Joe Biden.

Over 20 judges have presided over more than 1,500 cases against people charged in the Jan. 6 riot. Many Capitol riot defendants have asked for post-election delays in their cases, but judges largely have denied their requests and forged ahead with sentencings, guilty pleas and other hearings.

Wilson, 48, of Newton Grove, North Carolina, was one of several Oath Keepers who cooperated with the Justice Department’s investigation of the far-right extremist group — one of the most consequential prosecutions arising from the Jan. 6 siege.

Mehta sentenced Wilson to one year of home detention and three years of probation instead of prison. Prosecutors had recommended one year of incarceration for Wilson, a U.S. Army veteran and former firefighter.

The judge praised Wilson’s courage for acknowledging his guilt while many of his co-conspirators have not.

“Setting the history books straight came at a great price to you,” Mehta told Wilson, who lost his military benefits after his guilty plea in May 2022.

Rhodes and his followers amassed weapons and set up “quick reaction force” teams at a Virginia hotel that could ferry guns into the nation’s capital if they were needed to support their plot. The guns stayed at the hotel, but Mehta said it is chilling to think that “one order from a madman” could have led to weapons deployed during a riot.

“Just to speak those words out loud ought to be shocking to anyone,” the judge added.

Wilson didn’t testify at any of the trials for Oath Keepers leaders, members and associates charged in the Jan. 6 attack. Prosecutors said he harmed his credibility by making contradictory statements to investigators about his criminal conduct.

“What we want to hear from witnesses is the truth, unvarnished and without an attempt to curry favor with the government,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Rakoczy.

Wilson expressed remorse and shame for his role in the Jan. 6 attack.

“I have lost a lot of things since then,” he said. “The mental burden that this has had on me has been almost unbearable.”

Also on Wednesday, prosecutors asked a different judge to reject a convicted Capitol rioter’s request to attend Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration ceremony in Washington while she is under the court’s supervision. The rioter, New Hampshire resident Cindy Young, was sentenced on Nov. 21 to four months of prison and one year of supervised release.

Prosecutors argued that Young poses a danger to the nation’s capital and to the police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6. U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Harvey gave Young until Dec. 24 to respond to prosecutors’ arguments.

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By Richard Cowan, Katharine Jackson and Bo Erickson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Top Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress unveiled a stopgap measure on Tuesday to keep federal agencies funded through March 14, which would avert a partial government shutdown that would otherwise begin on Saturday.

The measure would likely keep the roughly $6.2 trillion federal budget running at its current level, funding programs ranging from the military, air traffic controllers and federal regulators for areas ranging from drug safety to securities markets.

Rank-and-file members of Congress will now review the measure’s details, with some hardline Republicans in the House of Representatives already signaling opposition to some elements, meaning that some Democratic votes will likely be necessary for passage.

It was unclear when the Republican-controlled House will vote, but if successful the Democratic-majority Senate would aim to take up the legislation before Friday’s midnight deadline and send it to President Joe Biden to sign it into law.

The package includes $100.4 billion in new emergency funding to help states including North Carolina and Florida recover from devastating hurricanes, as well as western wildfires and other recent disasters.

That money would include $29 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund; $21 billion for aid to farmers hit by flooding and other losses; and $10 billion in economic assistance for them, according to the legislative text.

State and local communities would receive $12 billion in block grants, and $8 billion would be earmarked for the Transportation Department’s highway and road disaster relief.

Nearly $5.7 billion in new funding would go to the Pentagon’s Virginia-class submarine building by General Dynamics Corp and Huntington Ingalls Industries, and about $2.9 billion is set for the Columbia-class model.

The spending package includes more than $2 billion to help small businesses bounce back after natural disasters, and approximately $740 million to repair National Aeronautics and Space Administration facilities after recent hurricanes.

Also tucked into the legislation is a greenlight for year-round sales of gasoline with a higher ethanol blend, known as E15, and more than $13 million for security for U.S. Supreme Court justices at their residences.

Should lawmakers fail to act in time, federal agencies would enter a partial shutdown beginning on Saturday.

House Speaker Mike Johnson leads a narrow and restive 219-211 Republican majority and has repeatedly over the past year had to rely on Democratic support to pass major legislation.

Representative Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said in a statement she supported the “responsible and necessary” spending package.

RISING DEBT

The stopgap measure is needed because Congress failed to pass its one-dozen annual appropriations bills in time for the current fiscal year, which began on Oct. 1. The government’s “mandatory” programs, which include Social Security and Medicare retirement and healthcare benefits and represent about two-thirds of the budget, renew automatically.

That has contributed to the rising federal debt, which exceeds $36 trillion. Congress will have to address that again early next year, when a 2023 deal to extend the nation’s “debt ceiling” expires. Failure could shock bond markets with potentially severe economic consequences.

Democrats had pushed for a longer bill funding the government through the end of its current fiscal year ending Sept. 30, but Republicans wanted to wait for final agreement until after President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20 and their party takes its majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Trump and congressional Republicans campaigned all year on a promise of significantly cutting the number of federal workers and proposing deep cuts to many of the government’s programs.

Trump has created an advisory committee called the Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Tesla founder Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, and former presidential candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Neither has any government experience.

Riding along in this spending bill is a one-year extension of federal farm programs, including commodity subsidies and food and nutrition benefits for low-income people. Without such an extension, prices for milk, cheese and other dairy products would skyrocket after Dec. 31.

(Reporting by Richard Cowan and Katharine Jackson; Additional reporting by Bo Erickson and Leah Douglas; Editing by Scott Malone, Mark Porter, Richard Chang and Leslie Adler)

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(Reuters) – Companies ranging from finance majors to Silicon Valley behemoths are pledging donations to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund as business leaders rush to ensure a favorable relationship with the U.S. president-elect after his November election win.

Trump is set to take office in January and executives are hoping a positive rapport with his administration, such as the one Tesla boss Elon Musk has established, could mean notable benefits for their companies.

Below is a list of companies that are contributing funds for Trump’s inauguration for his second term in the White House.

ROBINHOOD MARKETS

Retail trading platform Robinhood Markets donated $2 million, a company spokesperson said.

UBER TECHNOLOGIES

Uber Technologies and its CEO Dara Khosrowshahi donated $1 million each, a company spokesperson told Reuters.

AMAZON.COM

Amazon is donating $1 million. The company will also air the inauguration event on its Prime Video service, an Amazon spokesperson said.

META PLATFORMS

Meta Platforms has donated $1 million, a company spokesperson told Reuters.

OPENAI

CEO Sam Altman is planning to make a personal donation of $1 million to the inaugural fund, an OpenAI spokesperson confirmed.

“President Trump will lead our country into the age of AI, and I am eager to support his efforts to ensure America stays ahead,” Altman said in a statement.

BANK OF AMERICA AND GOLDMAN SACHS

Bank of America, the second-largest U.S. lender, and investment bank Goldman Sachs plan to contribute to Trump’s inaugural committees, but have yet to decide on the amount, spokespersons for each bank said.

(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh, Deborah Sophia, Harshita Mary Varghese and Rishi Kant in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)

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