House Republicans on Wednesday delivered Speaker Kevin McCarthy the biggest win of his tenure leading the chamber so far by passing his bill to raise the debt limit and slash spending, a bill that serves as the GOP’s position on how to avoid a debt crisis in the coming weeks.

The bill passed in a narrow 217-215 vote. Every Democrat voted against it, as expected, along with four Republicans: Andy Biggs of Arizona, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Ken Buck of Colorado and Matt Gaetz of Florida.

Republicans cast the vote as a win that puts them in the driver’s seat in negotiations they hope can happen with President Biden in the coming weeks. Biden has refused to entertain anything other than a clean increase in the debt ceiling, while Republicans insist he should agree to some trimming in the federal budget as a condition of raising the government’s borrowing limit.

‘We have lifted the debt ceiling, so nobody could worry about whether the debt ceiling is going to get lifted, we did it. The Democrats have not. The president wants to make sure the debt ceiling is going to be lifted? Sign this bill,’ McCarthy said in a press conference after the vote.

In a call with reporters after the vote, House GOP leaders made clear that the ball is now in Biden’s court. Fox News Digital asked House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Majority Whip Tom Emmer about how they plan to convince their members to vote for a version of the bill again after Biden and McCarthy speak, assuming Democrats foist some changes onto the legislation.

‘We are the only chamber that has done our job,’ Stefanik, R-N.Y., said. ‘[Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer] needs to get the negotiating table, as does President Joe Biden.’

Scalise, R-La., said, ‘The negotiations need to happen on the Democrat side — in the Senate in the White House — not in the Republican-led House, because we had those negotiations, and came up with a bill that saves taxpayers money and grows the economy. At the end of the day, it’s President Biden who can no longer sit on the sidelines.’

Without some agreement to raise the debt ceiling, the federal government is at risk of not being able to pay its bills sometime around early June.

The House vote came after several dissenting GOP lawmakers gradually fell in line behind McCarthy on Wednesday after spending hours in the speaker’s office the day before.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-N.C., for example, who told reporters she was unhappy with the legislation and how leaders went about cobbling it together on Wednesday morning, emerged from McCarthy’s office later that afternoon singing a different tune.

‘We had a very productive meeting, it was very good. I feel like our voice has been heard, and that we’re going to work on this together going forward,’ said Mace.

All four members of the Iowa House delegation — all Republicans — released a joint statement hours before the vote announcing their intent to support the bill. They were part of a group of about seven or eight lawmakers from the Corn Belt who were concerned about the initial bill’s repeal of tax credits that would impede ethanol production in their state.

‘Having successfully amended the bill to protect funding for these tax credits, our delegation will vote for this legislation, which is a starting point to avoid a default and cut wasteful spending,’ the statement read.

GOP leaders tweaked the bill overnight to assuage concerns from key Republican factions who appeared ready to oppose it on Tuesday. The changes soften their repeal of the biofuel tax credits and move the legislation’s planned activation of work requirements for federal benefits up from 2025 to 2024.

It was also enough to win over Reps. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., and George Santos, R-N.Y., who both announced they were solid ‘yes’ votes on the bill.

The Limit, Save, Grow Act aims to raise the debt limit by $1.5 trillion or through the end of March 2024, whichever benchmark is hit first. It also caps spending increases to 1% for the next decade. Meanwhile, in addition to the aforementioned cost-saving measures, it also caps discretionary spending at fiscal 2022 levels.

The legislation faces an uphill battle in the Senate, however, where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has criticized House Republicans for trying to pair spending cuts with raising the debt limit.

Similarly, President Biden threatened to veto the bill if it comes to his desk, and on Wednesday refused again to negotiate spending cuts in conjunction with a debt limit increase. That position was backed up by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who accused Republicans on the House floor of presiding over ‘exploding deficits’ and going down ‘a dangerous path’ with their legislation.

A whistleblower who viewed first-hand what she testified is a ‘sophisticated network’ of child migrant smuggling into forced labor and other forms of slavery is calling on Congress to act to crack down on the U.S. role in that network.

The hearing, ‘The Biden Border Crisis: Exploitation of Unaccompanied Alien Children,’ was held by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security and Enforcement and included Health and Human Services (HHS) whistleblower Tara Lee Rodas as a witness.

Rodas, who was detailed with HHS at an Emergency Intake Site in Pomona, California, on Wednesday told lawmakers about what she experienced on the ground. 

‘I thought I was going to help place children in loving homes. Instead, I discovered that children are being trafficked through a sophisticated network that begins with recruiting in their home country, smuggled to the U.S. border, and ends when [Office of Refugee Resettlement] delivers a child to a sponsor — some sponsors are criminals and traffickers and members of Transnational Criminal Organizations. Some sponsors view children as commodities and assets to be used for earning income — this is why we are witnessing an explosion of labor trafficking,’ Rodas said.

According to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics, the number of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) who arrive at the border has swelled from 33,239 in fiscal year 2020 to more than 146,000 in fiscal year 2021 and 152,000 in fiscal year 2022. So far in fiscal year 2023, there have been more than 70,000 encounters of UACs.

When child migrants are encountered at the border, they are transferred into the custody of HHS and then united with a sponsor — typically a parent or family member already in the U.S.

But the administration has been hit by a number of New York Times reports detailing a rise in child exploitation, where children are forced into the labor force — sometimes to pay back their smuggling costs. It has led to concerns that, by transporting children to sponsors, the U.S. is involved in child trafficking. The Times reported how officials reportedly ignored signs of ‘explosive’ growth in the child labor force.

‘Whether intentional or not, it could be argued that the U.S. government has become the middleman in a large scale, multibillion-dollar child trafficking operation that is run by bad actors seeking to profit off of the lives of children,’ Rodas said.

Rodas described how she saw children becoming captive to their ‘sponsors’ as they couldn’t seek help in English or Spanish and sponsors using multiple addresses to obtain sponsorships of children. Rodas said she does not see it as a political issue, but as a humanitarian issue, noting that it has been a crisis going on for nearly 10 years.

‘Realizing that we were not offering children the American dream, but instead putting them in modern-day slavery with wicked overlords, was a terrible revelation,’ Rodas said, adding that her life ‘will never be the same’ after what she saw.

Republicans have blamed the ongoing crisis on the Biden administration’s policies, which they say have encouraged illegal migration and for parents to put their children into the hands of smugglers. Democrats have noted that the issue predated the Biden administration, and have pointed to efforts being undertaken to increase oversight of sponsors, along with new task forces, greater information sharing and calls for greater funding.

Rodas told lawmakers that ‘it is my hope you’ll take action to end this crisis, to safeguard the lives of these vulnerable children.’

She called for greater oversight and transparency from HHS including from the Office of Inspector General, the stopping of ‘retaliation’ against whistleblowers, an end to a ‘culture of speed over safety’ and a requirement that sponsors report to the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

‘As it is written: A wise man listens to advice, while a fool continues in his folly. HHS needs to be wise to care for these children,’ Rodas said.

Last month, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra pushed back on the agency being unable to contact 85,000 minors, and he also said HHS authorities are limited by Congress.

‘Congress has given us certain authorities. Our authorities end when we have found a suitable sponsor to place that child with. We try and do some follow-up, but neither the child or the sponsor is actually obligated to follow up with us,’ he said.

Meanwhile, domestic policy adviser Susan Rice — who left her role this week — responded to the Times report that her team was shown evidence of a growing migrant child labor crisis.

‘We were never informed of any kind of systematic problem with child labor or migrant child labor,’ she said.

Consultants hired to evaluate three potential sites for New Hampshire’s new youth detention center are recommending property next to the state’s existing youth psychiatric hospital in Hampstead.

SMRT Architects and Engineers assessed the 94-acre property that includes Hampstead Hospital, the current Sununu Youth Services Center and its 50 surrounding acres in Manchester, and a vacant building in a state office park in Concord. In a report released Wednesday, officials said the Hampstead site was the most advantageous for development of the new facility.

Debate over building a new facility began years ago, but it has come to a boil amid horrific sexual abuse allegations stretching back decades. Frustrated with spending $13 million per year to operate a 144-bed facility for about a dozen teens, lawmakers in 2021 mandated that it close by March 2023. They missed that deadline. But they recently passed legislation allocating roughly $22 million for the design and construction of a 12-bed facility, with room for up to 18.

The consultants hired as part of that process evaluated the three sites based on a variety of factors, including the style and feel of the surrounding environment, the ability to share meal and laundry services with other facilities, and the proximity to medical facilities, law enforcement, skilled labor and residents’ families.

While the current location scored high for being close to external support services such as medical facilities and courts and for being located in a major population center, it received low marks for being incompatible with whatever ends up being developed around it. Consultants also said the new facility should be built somewhere ‘free of negative historical context,’ which would not fit with the ‘tumultuous history’ of the current property.

In contrast, the report said the Hampstead site is ‘complementary in aesthetics to a calm, healing environment.’ The new facility could be sufficiently separate from the existing hospital while sharing food and laundry services, and its location in the southern part of the state could boost employee recruitment potential.

The Concord location received low scores on multiple measures, particularly because choosing that site would involve not constructing a new building but rather renovating one that is ill-suited for a secure facility. The building is part of a densely developed state office park that includes various state agencies and non-profit organizations.

‘This area of the campus is busy, hectic and full of pedestrians and vehicles,’ the report states. ‘Londergan Hall projects a feeling of authority with its traditional historic design. This building does not represent a vision focused on treatment, rehabilitation, and hope for the future.’

The report will be submitted to a commission created to work with communities and the state during the design process.

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to take further steps towards launching a 2024 campaign for the White House next month, according to a Wednesday report by NBC News.

The report cites four unnamed Republican operatives it said are familiar with the conversations about plans for DeSantis to launch a presidential exploratory committee, with an official launch of his campaign to come at a later time.

Each of the operatives told NBC that a mid-May launch of the committee was the target, but that a number of his supporters wanted him to declare his candidacy by May 11 in order to counter former President Donald Trump’s front-runner status for the Republican nomination.

Others close to the governor, the report said, have argued such an early date would be too soon.

DeSantis has long been mulling a run for the White House, but has remained tight-lipped over whether he would actually toss his hat into the 2024 fray. Polls have consistently showed him as the runner-up to Trump, while many Republicans have argued he is the best alternative to the former president, who they see as unable to win a national race.

There are currently five presidential hopefuls vying for the Republican nomination in addition to Trump, including businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, businessman Perry Johnson and former California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder.

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., announced the formation of his exploratory committee earlier this month, and a number of other Republicans are also reportedly considering a run. These include former Vice President Mike Pence, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, South Dakota Gov. Christie Noem, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.

President Biden announced earlier this week that he would seek a second term as president, but is being challenged for the Democratic nomination by environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and self-help author and spiritual guru Marianne Williamson.

Fox News Digital reached out to DeSantis’ team to confirm the report, but did not immediately receive a response.

The Minnesota Senate is set to debate an elections bill that would let 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote.The plan would also establish automatic registration for residents who apply for or renew driver’s licenses or enroll in government programs.’If there was a Mount Rushmore for election reform bills in the history of Minnesota going back beyond 1973,’ Democratic Secretary of State Steve Simon said, this proposal ‘would be on it.’

Minnesota — a state where it is already easy to vote — is moving make it even easier, countering the national trend of states imposing further restrictions on balloting.

The Minnesota Senate was set Wednesday to debate an elections bill that would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register so they can vote as soon as they are old enough, and establish automatic registration when residents apply for or renew driver’s licenses or sign up for Medicaid and other public programs.

At a news conference ahead of the debate, Democratic Secretary of State Steve Simon called it a ‘once in a generation opportunity’ to strengthen democracy.

Minnesota is increasing voter access even as red states impose more restrictions, often in the name of election integrity. Several Republican-led states have tightened rules on voting by mail since the 2020 presidential election, in part because of the false narrative of widespread fraud in that race. Mississippi last month set tighter restrictions on who can gather other people’s absentee ballots. Three Republican-led states last month pulled out of a bipartisan effort among states to ensure accurate voter lists, undermining a system with a demonstrated record of combating voter fraud.

Simon pointed out that Minnesota 50 years ago became one of the first states to pass Election Day voter registration at the polls. He said he still views that as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of a system that consistently makes Minnesota a national leader in voter turnout. Minnesota adopted another major set of changes 10 years ago, he said, listing online voter registration and allowing everyone to vote by absentee ballot without needing to provide an excuse.

‘But this bill really is up there,’ Simon said. ‘If there was a Mount Rushmore for election reform bills in the history of Minnesota going back beyond 1973, this would be on it.’

The experience of other states shows that pre-registration makes young people more likely to vote the first time they become eligible and raises the chance that voting will become a lifelong habit, Simon said. And he said automatic registration will build on legislation enacted earlier this year, to restore the voting rights of felons when they leave prison, by making them more likely to exercise that right.

‘We are setting an example,’ said Democratic Sen. Liz Boldon, of Rochester, the lead Senate author. ‘We are leading the way.’

The bill, dubbed the ‘Democracy for the People Act,’ passed the House on a party-line vote two weeks ago. The lead Republican on the House Elections Committee, Rep. Paul Torkelson, of Hanska, said at the time that it struck him more as a bill for ensuring Democratic Party victories. He said it violated a longstanding tradition in the Minnesota Legislature that election bills should be bipartisan to advance.

‘We know that many of our citizens are questioning the validity and the authenticity of our elections,’ Torkelson said at a news conference. ‘The work we do here should increase their confidence that our elections are being run fairly. And we don’t believe that anything in this bill increases that public confidence.’

The bill was last on the Senate’s agenda for the day, and sponsors said they expected the debate to go late into the night. While Senate Democrats hold just a one-vote majority, they expressed confidence that it would pass. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz is expected to sign it once it reaches his desk.

Democratic Senate Elections Committee Chair Jim Carlson, of Eagan, said bill also seeks to shed more light on money and politics with increased disclosure requirements. It also includes criminal penalties for intimidation of voters and interference with voting.

‘What we’ve seen over the past couple of years, and what we have seen over the last couple of months, it’s really that states across the country are making a choice,’ said Democratic Rep. Emma Greenman, of Minneapolis, the lead author in the House. ‘They’re choosing between a thriving multiracial, multigenerational, multiregional democracy, or they’re choosing something else.’

Greenman listed gerrymandering, restrictions on ballot access and expulsions of duly elected legislators as examples of what red states are doing. ‘In Minnesota we are choosing something different,’ she said.