President Donald Trump’s administration is taking aim at various Biden-era environmental rules and regulations by stripping the energy sector of ‘coercive’ climate policies and oil lease bans, and launching internal investigations into agency actions that ‘burden’ energy development.

Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum, who was sworn-in on Friday, spent his first full day on the job implementing six new orders that reinforce Trump’s agenda and set the tone for the department over the next four years.

The secretary’s orders include examining ways to eliminate ‘harmful’ and ‘coercive’ climate policies, lifting Biden-era bans on oil and gas leases, and conducting a review of the legislation that funded the former administration’s green energy agenda, known as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

‘Today marks the beginning of an exciting chapter for the Department of the Interior,’ Burgum said in a statement. ‘We are committed to working collaboratively to unlock America’s full potential in energy dominance and economic development to make life more affordable for every American family while showing the world the power of America’s natural resources and innovation.’

In a press release issued on Monday, Burgum announced the department’s first initiatives.

The DOI pledged to expedite the completion of all authorized infrastructure and environmental projects to address the National Energy Emergency, which was declared by Trump on Inauguration Day.

The department will also conduct a review of all appropriations from the IRA, after former President Joe Biden spent the remaining months of his presidency trying to rapidly dish out funds from the bill to fund green energy projects across the country. 

Additionally, the DOI said that for every new regulation issued, the department will eliminate at least 10 existing ones as part of Trump’s ‘deregulation agenda.’

Burgum also demanded ‘immediate compliance’ with Trump’s overturning of Biden’s oil and gas lease ban, specifically in the Outer Continental Shelf, and said the department will be conducting a review of all agency actions that ‘potentially burden the development of domestic energy resources.’

The DOI, on Monday, also withdrew a June 2021 Biden administration order that halted oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a coastal plain that the first and second Trump administrations have eyed as an oil and gas resource. 

‘Together, we will ensure that our policies reflect the needs of our communities, respect tribal sovereignty, and drive innovation that will keep the U.S. at the forefront of energy and environmental leadership,’ Burgum said in a statement.

Climate activist groups, however, have not been supportive of Burgum’s nomination.

‘From opening more public lands for extraction to attacking countless protections of lands, water, and wildlife, it’s clear that President Trump is committed to expanding fossil fuels and catering to industry at the expense of our climate, public lands and waters, and wildlife,’ Earthjustice, an environmental law group, wrote in opposition to Burgum’s nomination.

Pro-choice lawmakers, doctors and advocates have argued the science is settled when it comes to the controversial abortion pill mifepristone. They say the drug is safe and needs to be widely available with virtually no restrictions. Even some GOP lawmakers have shown support for retaining women’s access to the pill, which is much more widely available today than it was just a few years ago. 

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has yet to stake out a formal position on how he will approach the controversial abortion pill. Although he took several measures in his first few days in office to prevent taxpayer dollars from funding or promoting abortion, he has yet to respond to pro-life demands to reinstate specific restrictions on mifepristone.

‘The potentially tragic results of these drugs have been illustrated by the recently reported deaths of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller,’ Dr. Christina Francis, CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life OBGYNs, told Fox News Digital. ‘Denying the risks of mifepristone will only ensure that more women like Amber and Candi are left to undergo painful and potentially dangerous drug-induced abortions without the bare minimum quality of medical care.’

While pro-choice advocates have suggested the deaths of Thurman and Miller were the result of anti-abortion laws and the chilling effect they have incurred on women seeking abortions, Francis said their deaths were instead the result of a powerful medication that lacks the necessary safeguards. 

‘Many of the studies that abortion advocates like to quote to state that mifepristone has very few complications don’t actually reflect real world use of mifepristone,’ she said. ‘Most of those studies, women will have had an in-person visit, as well as an ultrasound, actually documenting how far along they are in their pregnancy, as well as ensuring that they did not have an ectopic pregnancy before they receive those drugs. When, in fact, that’s not real-world use right now.’

Francis pointed out that real-world use actually ‘means that they order them online.’

When mifepristone was first approved in 2000 by the Food And Drug Administration (FDA), numerous safeguards were put in place. Those included requirements that the medication be dispensed in-person and that patients receive appropriate follow-up care. It also limited the gestational time frame during which pregnant women could use the pill to seven weeks. However, over time, those restrictions were loosened more and more. By 2021, women could get mifepristone without in-person visits, and it was left up to the doctor to trust the patient’s account of how far along her pregnancy was.

‘They’re not seen by any kind of medical professional to confirm their gestational age or to rule out an ectopic pregnancy, which we know happens in one in 50 pregnancies,’ Francis said. ‘If you look at the FDA’s own label – and again, this was when there was still the in-person dispensing requirement – their own label says that one in 25 women will go to the emergency room due to complications related to these drugs. That is not a safe drug. Safe drugs don’t send one in 25 people to the emergency room.’

‘The only way to tell the bleeding, cramping, and pain is from a miscarriage, the abortion pill, or even from an ectopic pregnancy, is to actually do an ultrasound,’ Dr. William Lile, a pro-life OB-GYN who has delivered more than 5,000 babies, told Fox News Digital.   

The removal of in-person visits is a major aspect of the more lax restrictions that people like Francis and Lile want to see reversed. A big reason for that is due to the similarity of the side effects exhibited by both mifepristone usage and life-threatening ectopic pregnancies, which have increased due to the growing prevalence of Intrauterane Devices (IUDs) and sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia and gonorrhea, Francis wrote in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal.

‘If she has an ectopic pregnancy that’s undiagnosed, she starts having these symptoms. She’s going to think that it’s the result of the abortion drugs that she took, and it’s normal, and she’s going to stay home while she’s bleeding into her abdomen and losing precious time. That could be the difference between life and death,’ Francis said. 

Mifepristone is also prone to causing retained tissue and atypical sepsis as well, something Thurman suffered from before her death.

‘When we know that this drug carries these kinds of complications, we are saying women deserve better care and better oversight when they’re being given these drugs,’ Francis said. ‘These are not benign drugs. Women deserve follow-up care. They deserve ongoing care.’

Pro-choice advocates argue that mifepristone is safe, citing numerous studies showing its safety and effectiveness, including for treating miscarriages, from as far back as 1988. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists call the drug safe and effective for abortion and miscarriage care. 

Autumn Katz, interim director of litigation at the Center for Reproductive Rights, called claims against mifepristone ‘false,’ noting they have been ‘thoroughly debunked.’ 

‘It has been used in combination with misoprostol by over 5.9 million patients in the U.S.,’ she said. ‘Numerous studies have repeatedly proven its safety and effectiveness for ending an early pregnancy, and mifepristone is also frequently used as a safe and effective treatment for early miscarriage.’

Fox News Digital spoke to a pro-life emergency room doctor who said he uses mifepristone in conjunction with other drugs to remedy miscarriages. However, according to Lile and Francis, mifepristone’s assistance is not statistically significant, or necessary when treating miscarriages. Neither does it remove the need for in-person visits, they said. 

‘When people think of it outside of the abortion context, they understand how important that in-person evaluation is, how important it is to know exactly how far along someone is,’ Francis said. ‘So that’s what we’re calling for, and [in-person evaluations] being put back into place would not impact a physician’s ability to use that drug to treat miscarriage, if that is their protocol for treating miscarriage.’ 

The White House is expecting a ‘spike’ in federal resignations ahead of a Thursday deadline for a buyout offer, Fox News Digital has learned. 

Nearly all federal employees were offered a buyout as part of President Donald Trump’s plan for government employees to physically work out of their offices, following years of remote work stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Government employees have until Thursday to take the offer, with the Trump administration expecting an influx of resignations in the next two days. 

‘The number of deferred resignations is rapidly growing, and we’re expecting the largest spike 24 to 48 hours before the deadline,’ a White House official told Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning. 

Axios reported earlier Tuesday that roughly 20,000 federal employees have taken the offer, accounting for about 1% of the federal government’s workforce. The White House official told Fox News Digital following the report’s publication that the 20,000 figure ‘isn’t current.’ 

The Office of Personnel Management, which operates as the federal government’s human resources department, notified roughly 2 million federal employees on Jan. 28 that they would be required to work out of their respective offices five days a week, or they could leave their roles through the equivalent of a buyout offer. 

Those who choose to take the offer will retain all pay and benefits and be exempt from in-person work until Sep. 30. 

‘We think a very substantial number of people will not show up to work, and, therefore, our government will get smaller and more efficient,’ Trump told reporters of the plan in late January. ‘And that’s what we’ve been looking to do for many, many decades.’ 

The buyouts do not apply to positions such as military personnel, the U.S. Postal Services or positions related to immigration enforcement and national security. 

The White House has previously said it anticipated 5% to 10% of the federal workforce to resign. 

The buyout deadline comes as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, has taken a hatchet to various government agencies and departments, as the team works to cut overspending and alleged corruption within the highest echelons of the U.S. government. 

The United States Agency for International Development is the latest agency to land under DOGE’s microscope. Hundreds of USAID employees reported they were locked out of the agency’s computer system, while its headquarters in Washington, D.C., was closed on Monday. 

On X, Musk has railed against the organization as rife with ‘marxists’ and is operating as a ‘criminal organization.’ 

‘USAID is a criminal organization,’ Musk posted to X on Sunday. ‘Time for it to die.’ 

‘USAID was a viper’s nest of radical-left marxists who hate America,’ he said in another message. 

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen repeated on Monday that Greenland is ‘not for sale,’ but she remained open to bolstering the American ‘footprint’ on the Arctic island.

As European Union leaders convened for a meeting in Brussels, Frederiksen addressed President Donald Trump’s prospect of acquiring control of Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark, a U.S. ally, through military or economic force. 

‘I think we have been very clear from the Kingdom of Denmark, with great support from the European partners and the European Union, that everybody has to respect the sovereignty of all national states in the world, and that Greenland is today a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, it is a part of our territory, and it’s not for sale,’ Frederiksen told reporters, speaking in English. ‘The chairman, the leader of Greenland, has been very clear that they are not for sale.’ 

Frederiksen signaled that Denmark would welcome Trump sending more troops to Greenland, where the U.S. Space Force already has a base to monitor missile threats. 

‘I totally agree with the Americans that the High North, that the Arctic region is becoming more and more important when we are talking about defense and security and deterrence,’ Frederiksen said, as China and Russia have both been increasingly active in the region. ‘And it is possible to find a way to ensure stronger footprints in Greenland. They [the U.S.] are already there, and they can have more possibilities. And at the same time, we are willing to scale up from the Kingdom of Denmark. And I think NATO is the same. So if this is about securing our part of the world, we can find a way forward.’ 

Frederiksen also responded to Trump’s threat of implementing tariffs on imports from the European Union. The Danish leader said EU members ‘are willing to help each other and to stick together, and I will never support the idea of fighting allies, but of course, if the U.S. puts tough tariffs on Europe, we need a collective and robust response.’

Last week, her government announced a nearly $2 billion agreement with parties, including the governments of Greenland and the Faeroe Islands, to ‘improve capabilities for surveillance and maintaining sovereignty in the region.’ It would include three new Arctic naval vessels, two additional long-range surveillance drones and satellite capacity, the Danish Defense Ministry said.

Meanwhile, European Council President Antonio Costa, noting that the EU has stood beside Ukraine in defense of its borders, said of Greenland on Monday: ‘Of course, we will stand also for these principles, all the more so if the territorial integrity of a member state of the European Union is questioned.’

Trump has said the United States needs control of Greenland, as well as the Panama Canal, for ‘national security purposes.’ While Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Panama this week, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino pledged to end his country’s key Belts and Road project agreement with China. Trump had lamented Beijing’s increased control of the strategic waterway, built by the United States, connecting the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

In Brussels on Monday, Frederiksen also reacted to Vice President JD Vance recently asserting that Denmark has ‘not been a good ally.’ In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Vance repeated that Greenland is ‘really important to our national security,’ as China and Russia increasingly traverse sea lanes near the island, and ‘frankly, Denmark, which controls Greenland, it’s not doing its job, and it’s not being a good ally.’ 

‘You have to ask yourself, how are we going to solve that problem, solve our own national security if that means that we need to take more territorial interests in Greenland? That is what President Trump is going to do, because he doesn’t care about what the Europeans scream at us. He cares about putting the interests of America’s citizens first,’ Vance said, adding, ‘You’ve got probably 55,000 people living on Greenland who are not actually happy with Danish government. They’ve got great natural resources there. They’ve got an incredibly bountiful country that the Danes aren’t letting them develop and explore. Of course, Donald Trump would take a different approach if he was the leader of Greenland.’ 

Speaking in Danish, Frederiksen told reporters that Danes ‘have fought side by side with the Americans for many, many decades,’ according to reports and an online translation. 

‘We are one of the United States’ most important and strongest allies – and I will not accept the notion that Denmark is a bad ally. We are not, we never have been, and we never will be in the future. The Arctic Cooperation is important. It is something we are willing to prioritize,’ Frederiksen said, arguing that it would align with the interests of Denmark, the U.S. and NATO. 

‘It is sensible, but it is also important that we work together against terrorism, against the destabilization we see in the Baltic Sea right now with sabotage, and it is important that we work together on NATO’s Eastern flank and thereby holding firm in relation to Russia,’ she added, turning to the Ukraine war. ‘So we would be able to work together in many ways, but I do not want to be sitting on Denmark’s name and remuneration that we should be a bad ally, because we are not.’ 

Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., visited Greenland’s capital Nuuk, to meet with locals last month, weeks before his father took office.

Trump’s 10% tariffs on Chinese imports into the U.S. took effect this week, as the administration aims to hold Beijing accountable for precursor chemicals said to be fueling the fentanyl crisis. He agreed to suspend a 25% additional tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tax on energy imported from Canada, including oil, natural gas and electricity, by 30 days after both countries agreed to send additional troops to their borders with the U.S., among other stipulations. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., came out in support of Tulsi Gabbard to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI), just hours before her crucial committee vote. 

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the senator said, ‘American intelligence officers around the globe deserve our respect and support. I appreciate Tulsi Gabbard’s engagement with me on a variety of issues to ensure that our intelligence professionals will be supported and policymakers will receive unbiased information under her leadership.’

‘I have done what the Framers envisioned for senators to do: use the consultative process to seek firm commitments, in this case commitments that will advance our national security, which is my top priority as a former Marine Corps intelligence officer. Having now secured these commitments, I will support Tulsi’s nomination and look forward to working with her to protect our national security,’ he added. 

Gabbard will need the support of all Republicans on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in order to advance to the floor for a confirmation vote. 

That is assuming she does not get the votes of any Democrats. No Democrats on the committee have endorsed her for the role.

Tulsi Gabbard appears to be seeking to assuage senators’ concerns about her nomination in a new opinion piece explaining why she thought ‘traitor’ was too harsh a word for Edward Snowden. 

Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence (DNI), did not endorse Snowden’s whistleblowing actions during her confirmation hearing, but her refusal to call him a traitor left some Republicans unsettled. 

She admitted that Snowden’s release of classified information to the media ‘harmed our national security’ but also ‘revealed illegal and unconstitutional government programs that conducted mass surveillance of millions of Americans’ data.’

Gabbard elaborated in a Newsweek op-ed. ‘Given the interest by committee members about whether Edward Snowden should be called a ‘traitor,’ here’s what I shared with the Senate Intelligence Committee in the closed session about why I do not casually throw around that term: Treason is a capital offense, punishable by death, yet politicians like former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former US Senator Mitt Romney have slandered me, Donald Trump Jr. and others with baseless accusations of treason.’

‘Snowden should have raised his concerns about illegal surveillance through authorized channels, such as the Inspector General or the Intelligence Committee, instead of leaking to the media,’ she wrote. 

Gabbard struck a different tone as a Democratic member of the House, when she introduced a resolution with former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., calling for all charges to be dropped against Snowden. She also put forth a bill that would have offered additional whistleblower protection for people like Snowden.

‘If it wasn’t for Snowden, the American people would never have learned the NSA was collecting phone records and spying on Americans,’ she said on Joe Rogan’s podcast in 2019. 

Snowden, who now lives in exile in Russia, leaked classified documents about global surveillance programs that pitted national security concerns against privacy concerns. 

If confirmed as DNI, Gabbard said she would not protect those who go outside authorized whistleblower channels to leak classified information, but she would also establish a hotline directly to herself for whistleblowers. 

Gabbard added that she would institute proper oversight to protect against illegal intelligence collection programs and conduct security clearance reform to minimize access to highly classified intelligence. 

She also promised to end ‘weaponization’ of the intelligence community and pointed to the Iraq War as a prime ‘failure of intelligence.’ 

‘This disastrous decision led to the deaths of thousands… And it led to the rise of ISIS, the strengthening of al-Qaeda and other Islamist Jihadist groups, and the emboldening of Iran.’

During her confirmation hearing, Gabbard was also pressed on her past meetings with then-Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, her previous Section 702 of FISA stance and her views on Russia. 

While Intel Committee Chair Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has continued to promote Gabbard for the role. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., initially a skeptic, announced Tuesday morning he would support Gabbard’s confirmation in a committee vote after receiving written assurances about her perspective on whistleblowers. 

Gabbard will likely need the support of every single Republican on the committee, assuming no Democrats vote in her favor. None of the Democratic senators have said they will vote to advance her nomination.

She clinched support from other GOP senators – James Lankford, Okla., John Cornyn, Texas, and Susan Collins, Maine, after her hearing.

Gabbard still has not won the support of Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell, Ky., Jerry Moran, Kan., Lisa Murkowski, Alaska, and John Curtis, Utah.

Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report.