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Illegal alien alleged groping of minor girls at high school being investigated by Education Department

March 31, 2026 2:30pm EDT / Fox News

This is the latest in a ‘long list of investigations’ opened into schools in deep blue Northern Virginia, the Education Department said

By Peter Pinedo Fox News

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President Donald Trump’s Department of Education has launched “yet another investigation” into Fairfax County, Virginia, after police say that an adult illegal immigrant student allegedly groped a dozen minor girls at a high school he attended.

The Education Department announced Monday that it is opening the investigation following reports “from 12 high school girls who have credibly accused one male student — an illegal immigrant — of sexual assault.”

This comes after outraged Fairfax County parents expressed disgust, frustration and fear about Fairfax County High School’s handling of complaints alleging that 18-year-old illegal alien Israel Flores Ortiz groped several girls from behind on school grounds.

According to the department, this is the latest in a “long list of investigations” it has opened into schools in deep blue Northern Virginia.

LINDA MCMAHON SAYS FEDERAL TAX CREDIT SCHOLARSHIP WILL HELP PARENTS MOVE THEIR CHILD OUT A ‘FAILING SCHOOL’

A photo of the Fairfax High School campus in Fairfax, Virginia, from March 15, 2022. (L) A mugshot of Israel Flores Ortiz, accused of groping girls at Fairfax High School, taken in March 2025.(John M. Chase/Getty Images; Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office)

Flores Ortiz, 18, is facing 13 counts of assault and battery for allegedly inappropriately touching female classmates at a Fairfax County school.

Fairfax police were alerted on March 5 by Fairfax High School about reports of multiple assaults on campus. An arrest warrant was issued, and Flores Ortiz turned himself in on March 7. He is currently being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Flores Ortiz is an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration in 2024. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said a detainer has been filed for him by federal authorities and that he could face removal from the country.

Parent Stacy Langton told Fox News Digital last week that “it’s terrifying as a parent, because when I send my daughters to school, I think they’re safe in the care of the school.”

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO LEAVE BUILDING AFTER 40 YEARS AS PART OF EFFORT TO ELIMINATE GOVERNMENT AGENCY

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6391470464112

“And in this case, they absolutely were not safe, and I don’t know what parent wouldn’t be completely distraught at the idea that their daughters could be getting sexually battered while they’re changing classes,” said Langton.

A spokesperson for Fairfax County Public Schools confirmed the investigation, telling Fox News Digital that it “received the complaint yesterday and is reviewing it.”

The spokesperson said that the school system is “prepared to fully cooperate with the U.S. Department of Education’s inquiry.”

“We are grateful to our law enforcement partners and are continuing to work closely with them as their investigation into this matter moves forward,” the spokesperson said, adding, “to maintain the integrity of the ongoing investigation, we cannot share additional details at this point.”

They said that “in addition to the law enforcement investigation, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid has requested that FCPS retain an independent outside law firm to conduct a comprehensive review of this matter.”

The spokesperson shared that the firm McGuireWoods “will conduct this thorough, objective, and independent review.”

“The goal is clear: to establish a definitive understanding of what occurred, when it occurred, and confirm that all policies, procedures, and regulations were properly followed,” the spokesperson said, adding, “The safety of our students and staff remains a top priority.”

The system previously released a statement saying that it prioritizes the safety of students and staff.

“While Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is unable to comment on specifics due to federal and state privacy laws, we prioritize student and staff safety, and we fully investigate any time someone shares that an incident has occurred at school, or that they do not feel safe at school,” the district said at the time.

GOP DISRUPTOR COUNTERS BIDEN’S STUDENT LOAN BAILOUTS WITH PLAN TO SHIFT COSTS AWAY FROM TAXPAYERS

Education Secretary Linda McMahon testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In addition to the Fairfax County incidents, the Department of Education said it is investigating several other incidents in Northern Virginia schools involving female students filing complaints about inappropriate conduct in female-only spaces by men allowed in under gender identity policies.

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The department said that “Virginia’s experiment with radical gender ideology, race-based admissions systems, far-Left indoctrination, and unlawful discrimination has inflicted immeasurable harm on our students,” adding, “It must stop.”

Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion and Taylor Penley contributed to this report.

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

Americans are reducing their retirement savings. That’s a “warning sign,” experts say.

2026-03-31 2:47 PM EDT / CBS News

By Aimee Picchi

Americans are sliding backward in preparing for retirement, with employees reducing their annual contributions to their 401(k) accounts last year, according to new research from payroll firm Dayforce.

Full-time workers cut their contribution rate in 2025 to 8.9%, from 9.2% a year earlier, while one in four workers reduced their annual savings in their 401(k) or other types of employer-sponsored accounts, the study found. The dip — the first decline since Dayforce began tracking the measure three years ago — was sharpest among workers with annual income of $50,000 to $100,000.

That decline may point to the financial pressures on middle-class Americans, with some cutting retirement contributions to boost take-home pay, Jason Rahlan, global head of sustainability and impact at Dayforce, told CBS News. The analysis also found that almost 20% of full-time workers tapped their 401(k) plans for loans last year — the highest share since the company started tracking the data.

“This should be a warning sign,” Rahlan told CBS News. “It may be a sign of financial strain,” pointing to workers setting aside their retirement goals to focus on more immediate budget issues.

About half of Americans said they were more financially stressed heading into 2026 than a year earlier, according to a December study from insurance firm Allianz Life. Covering day-to-day expenses was the biggest source of concern, the analysis found.

“Seeing the crunch”

Although the dip in retirement contributions is relatively small, it could result in a “real impact over the long term” if that trend continues, given the importance of continuously saving throughout one’s career, noted Matt Bahl, vice president at the Financial Health Network, a nonprofit focused on financial issues that contributed to the report.

“When you are struggling day to day, it’s hard to focus on your long-term goals,” Bahl said. “We’re really seeing the crunch for those middle-income earners — it speaks to the affordability crisis.”

The decline in retirement savings is likely to continue this year, Rahlan and Bahl said, pointing to projections showing that households will spend an additional $740 on gasoline this year due to the jump in global oil prices stemming from the Iran war.

Other financial research supports Dayforce’s findings. In March, for example, retirement planning giant Vanguard found that a record share of Americans tapped their retirement savings accounts last year to cover emergency expenses. In 2025, 6% of people enrolled in 401(k) plans managed by Vanguard made so-called hardship withdrawals from their accounts, up from 5% in 2024.

Loans from retirement accounts are slightly different from hardship withdrawals, as the former don’t incur taxes and penalties. But loans must be repaid to the retirement account. By contrast, hardship withdrawals — which can be made for emergencies such as medical treatment or to avoid foreclosure or eviction — don’t need to be repaid.

Generational differences

Total retirement plan contributions and savings rates declined for most employees last year regardless of their age, including baby boomers, Gen Xers and millennials, Dayforce found.

However, one generation bucked the trend: Gen Z workers, who were born between 1995 and 2009, the firm’s analysis found. While their retirement plan savings rate tends to be lower than that of older workers, they were the only generation to boost their contributions, with the typical Gen Z employee increasing their contribution rate to 6.2% last year from 5.9% in 2024, Dayforce found.

“They have experienced the greatest gains of any generation in participation savings rate and contributions,” Rahlan said.

Younger workers may have learned from the mistakes of older generations, especially those who were the first to enter the workforce as the retirement system shifted from pensions to 401(k) plans, where the onus is on workers to make contributions and investment decisions, Bahl said.

“They learned from both the good and bad behaviors” of older Americans, he said.

Edited by Alain Sherter

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/record-number-of-americans-making-emergency-401k-withdrawals/

Profanity-fueled social media posts heat up Arkansas Republican runoff for secretary of state

2026-03-31T13:45:47-04:00 / Fox News

GOP candidate acknowledged using ‘some salty language from time to time’ but pledged voters would never hear him speak that way again

By Paul Steinhauser Fox News

Published March 31, 2026 1:45pm EDT

Confrontational and expletive-laden social media posts by a Republican candidate for Arkansas secretary of state are in the campaign spotlight in a GOP nomination runoff election in the solidly red state.

U.S. Army veteran Bryan Norris is facing off against state Sen. Kim Hammer in Tuesday’s ballot box battle for the Republican nomination in the race to succeed Secretary of State Cole Jester.

Both candidates for the top elections job in Arkansas have spotlighted their support for President Donald Trump but have offered different plans for implementing the president’s push to overhaul voting.

Hammer enjoys the backing of top Arkansas Republicans, including Sen. Tom Cotton, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge, Attorney General Tim Griffin and Jester.

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The Arkansas State Capitol building in Little Rock.(Getty Images)

The current secretary of state, in endorsing Hammer, called on Norris to drop out of the race over his controversial past social media posts.

Among those posts is one responding to Cotton where Norris, pointing to the senator, wrote, “With all due respect, and from one combat veteran to another … F— You Tom!”

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Asked about the profane comment, Norris told the Camden News it stemmed from long-standing frustrations he had with the senator after he retired from the Army.

In an interview with KATV, Norris acknowledged using “some salty language from time to time” but pledged, “you’re never going to hear me talk or speak that way again.”

Norris, who is running as an outsider and is backed by far-right Trump allies, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, and Hammer were the top two vote-getters in Arkansas’ March 3 GOP secretary of state primary. Because no candidate topped 50%, Norris and Hammer advanced to the runoff election.

The winner will face off in November’s general election against Democrat Kelly Grappe, who ran unopposed for her nomination.

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The eventual Republican nominee will be considered the clear frontrunner for the general election in Arkansas, where no Democrat has won statewide since 2010.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.

Trump administration prepares final lending rule to narrow civil rights protections

2026-03-31 5:06 PM UTC / Reuters

By Douglas Gillison

March 31, 2026 5:06 PM UTC Updated 2 hours ago

节点运行失败

Signage is seen at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) – The U.S. federal watchdog agency for consumer finance expects to finalize new regulations proposed in November ​that would narrow key civil-rights-era antidiscrimination requirements for ‌lenders, according to a government website.

The new policy from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would free banks and others from a decades-old requirement ​to prevent discriminatory impacts on women and minorities, instead ​focusing solely on preventing explicitly discriminatory conduct.

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Representatives for ⁠both the Office of Management and Budget and the ​CFPB did not immediately respond to requests for comment on ​Tuesday.

The change makes good on an executive order President Donald Trump issued a year ago, which said requiring companies to prevent “disparate impact” encourages favoritism ​and unfairly burdens companies.

The website of OMB, an arm ​of the president’s office also controlled by the CFPB’s Acting Director Russell ‌Vought, ⁠showed on Tuesday that a final version of the regulation was now under review with “no material change” from November’s proposed version.

It was unclear when the CFPB would be ready ​to adopt the ​new rule ⁠or whether OMB experts would recommend any changes.

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The new rule comes over the objections of ​fair-lending and pro-consumer advocates who say such a ​change ⁠flies in the face of lawmakers’ intent when they adopted the 1974 Equal Credit Opportunity Act and subsequent reforms. Industry ⁠groups, ​however, said they supported the proposal ​as it would free banks and others from unnecessary compliance burdens and legal ​liabilities.

Reporting by Douglas Gillison in Washington; Editing by Mark Porter

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

American journalist Shelly Kittleson kidnapped in Iraq

March 31, 2026 / 4:11 PM EDT / CBS News

American journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped in Baghdad on Tuesday, according to two sources familiar with the matter as well as an Iraqi official.

Iraq’s Interior Ministry announced that a foreign journalist was kidnapped by “unknown individuals” but did not identify the victim. The ministry said that security forces had managed to arrest one suspect and seize a vehicle used in the abduction.

Alex Plitsas, Kittleson’s designated point of contact in the U.S. and a CNN national security analyst, confirmed to CBS News that Kittleson had been taken. Plitsas said that the U.S. government had warned Kittleson about a specific threat against her by the Iranian-backed paramilitary group Kata’ib Hezbollah, which was allegedly looking to kidnap or kill female journalists.

Plitsas said Kittleson was advised that her name was on a list in Kata’ib Hezbollah’s possession. A second source confirmed that she had been told of a risk but that she thought it was likely false information.

Dylan Johnson, an assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, confirmed in a post on X that the suspect who was taken into custody by Iraqi authorities had ties to Kata’ib Hezbollah.

Without naming Kittleson, Johnson also said that the State Department had “previously fulfilled our duty to warn this individual of threats against them and we will continue to coordinate with the FBI to ensure their release as quickly as possible.”

An Iraqi official told CBS News that authorities are working “at the highest level” to secure Kittleson’s release.

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The FBI, National Security Council, State Department, Delta Force and the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service are in contact about the situation, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

AI-Monitor, a Middle East-focused news outlet for which Kittleson works as a freelance reporter, released a statement calling for her immediate release.

“We are deeply alarmed by the kidnapping of Al-Monitor contributor Shelly Kittleson in Iraq on Tuesday. We call for her safe and immediate release,” the statement said. “We stand by her vital reporting from the region and call for her swift return to continue her important work.”

The FBI declined to comment, and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On March 29, the U.S. Embassy in Iraq warned that Iran and its aligned terrorist militias may intend to target American universities in Baghdad and other cities, as well as universities associated with the U.S. Americans were told to leave Iraq for their own safety.

Iran moderates pushing Trump deal risk being ‘eliminated’ as regime fractures deepen

March 31, 2026 3:47pm EDT / Fox News

Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to name US contacts inside Iran, saying doing so ‘would get them in trouble’

By Emma Bussey, Fox News

Iranian officials pushing for negotiations with the United States risk being labeled traitors and “most likely eliminated,” according to a policy expert, as internal fractures emerge inside Iran’s new regime.

Hooshang Amirahmadi, president of the American Iranian Council, said moderates advocating engagement with Washington are increasingly vulnerable at a moment when the Trump administration says it is in contact with elements of a “new” leadership.

“If the moderates were to push toward negotiation and a ceasefire, they will be considered traitors and will most likely be eliminated,” Amirahmadi told Fox News Digital.

Amirahmadi’s warning came as Washington also appears to be navigating internal “fractures” amid the ongoing conflict.

President Donald Trump on Monday said the U.S. is engaged in serious talks with a “new” and “more reasonable” regime in Iran as the war enters its fifth week, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to say who exactly the U.S. is negotiating with but cited “fractures.”

MEET IRAN’S HARDLINE SPEAKER WHO THREATENED TO BURN US FORCES — REPORTEDLY TEHRAN’S POINT MAN FOR TALKS

Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a bilateral meeting with China’s Foreign Minister (not in picture) in Munich, Feb. 13, 2026, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.(Alex Brandon / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

“Well, I’m not going to disclose to you who those people are, because it probably would get them in trouble with some other groups of people inside of Iran. Look, there are some fractures going on there internally,” Rubio said on “Good Morning America.”

“Anyone in Iran who speaks of negotiation is suspected of paving the way for more war and destruction,” Amirahmadi said before stating that the moderate reformers are thought of as “infiltrators and deemed traitors.”

Amirahmadi also confirmed Rubio’s comments and highlighted an internal struggle within Tehran’s power structure, where remnants of what he called the “old regime,” or the Khamenei-era system, still exist.

“Many of them support negotiation or a ceasefire. But the emerging new regime is made up of more hard line elements and views the others as traitors,” he said.

“For a long time, there has been a serious gap — what we call a cleavage — between the hardliners or radicals and the moderates or reformists.”

PAKISTAN’S AMBASSADOR WARNS IRAN TOO ‘WAR-TORN’ TO RESPOND QUICKLY AS TRUMP EXTENDS STRIKE DEADLINE

Iranian Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, looks on while attending a media conference at a conference hall in the Iranian Parliament building in Tehran, Iran, on December 2, 2025.( Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Amirahmadi also described how “assassination in the Islamic Republic is not a new phenomenon. It has been there for a long time.”

Amirahmadi spoke ahead of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth saying Tuesday that Washington remains firm on reaching an agreement to end the monthlong conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and the Islamic Republic.

Speaking at a press conference, Hegseth reiterated that Trump is willing to make a deal to end the war, adding that the new regime is now in place.

“If Iran is smart, it will make a deal. The new Iranian regime should already know that. This new regime, having undergone a regime change, should be smarter than the previous one. President Trump does not bluff and will not back down. He will make a deal, he is willing, and the terms of the deal are known to them,” Hegseth said.

“The field and the war are in the control of the radical colonels, and that is what matters at this point,” Amirahmadi added.

“The established bureaucracy is still run by the same old moderate regime, but then that is not a new regime. The new regime is certainly more radical,” he said.

WHO ACTUALLY RUNS IRAN RIGHT NOW? THE KEY POWER PLAYERS AS TRUMP CLAIMS TALKS TO ‘TOP’ OFFICIAL

Iran’s power structure is increasingly dominated by IRGC figures like Ahmad Vahidi(Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Since the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the succession of his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, the regime appears more reliant on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iran’s power structure is increasingly dominated by IRGC figures like Ahmad Vahidi and Qods Force chief Esmail Qaani, alongside judicial figures such as Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Ayatollah Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei.

While President Masoud Pezeshkian’s influence could have waned, figures like Saeed Jalili, Guardian Council insider Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi continue shaping Iran’s security posture.

“There are basically the colonels; there are the Revolutionary Guards, people that are in the military. A few non-military hardliners are in universities, in government and places,” Amirahmadi added.

“They have changed the regime into a very radical regime,” Amirahmadi warned, “I don’t even think Khamenei’s son would favor negotiation, at least initially.”

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“His position and condition are not entirely clear. His leadership appears symbolic — a reaction, even a gesture against figures like Trump.”

“Trump and Netanyahu wanted regime change, and they have already achieved it, but the regime has just become more radical,” Amirahmadi concluded.

Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture.

Crew that flew Apache helicopters near Kid Rock’s house suspended from flying

March 31, 2026 / 3:50 PM EDT / CBS News

By Cara Tabachnick

The crew operating two Apache helicopters that were seen hovering outside the home of singer and rapper Kid Rock over the weekend has been suspended from flying, a spokesperson for the Army said Tuesday.

The aircrew has been grounded while the Army conducts a formal investigation into why the AH-64 helicopters flew near the singer’s Nashville house and a No Kings protest during a training mission.

Army spokesperson Maj. Montrell Russell said in a statement that the investigation will look into “the circumstances surrounding the mission, including compliance with relevant FAA regulations, aviation safety protocol, and approval requirements.”

“The Army takes any allegations of unauthorized or unsafe flight operations very seriously and is committed to enforcing standards and holding personnel accountable,” Russell said.

It is not clear what the purpose of the training mission was. It was also not immediately clear how many people the suspension affected.

Kid Rock said in an interview with local ABC affiliate WKRN that he thinks the crew is “going to be alright.”

“My buddy’s commander-in-chief,” he added, referring to President Trump. He also said he doesn’t know what the Army is looking into, as the helicopters “stopped for, I don’t know, seconds? A minute?”

The singer said, “It’s not the first time they’ve flown over my house,” noting the pilots fly from Fort Campbell and he often sees the helicopters.

After Kid Rock posted two videos of the helicopters on social media Saturday, Maj. Jonathon Bless, a spokesperson for the 101st Airborne Division, said in a statement Monday that the Army had opened an investigation into the incident, adding they “take all concerns regarding aircraft operations and their impact on the surrounding community seriously.”

The videos Kid Rock shared on social media show helicopters hovering outside his home. One video shows him standing poolside next to a replica of the Statue of Liberty, clapping wildly, as the helicopter hovers. He salutes the pilots before they fly away.

A second video shows Kid Rock pumping his fist as the helicopter flies away.

In his interview with WKRN, Kid Rock said he spoke to pilots at Fort Campbell last year during a Thanksgiving celebration. The singer, who appeared at the holiday event with Vice President JD Vance, said he told the pilots they are “always welcome” to cruise by his house.

He told WKRN he thinks it’s a great thing if it made the pilots happy to fly by his house and “it’s harmless.”

Melissa Quinn and Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/army-investigates-apache-helicopter-flyby-at-kid-rocks-home/

‘The face of the Pentagon’: CNN report details Hegseth’s role touting military power during war in Iran

2026-03-31 1:26 PM EDT / CNN Politics

By Manu Raju, CNN

Manu Raju talks to Kristen Holmes about her reporting on Secretary Pete Hegseth’s role during the war in Iran. “We had people telling us that Hegseth wanted to keep his job by blowing stuff up,” Holmes said, adding, “the White House laughed off that idea, at one point saying, if he has any concern about his job, it’s not coming from us.”

https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/31/politics/video/inside-politics-cnn-report-hegseth-war

Jamie Dimon says he doesn’t know if Iran war will be “tipping point” for recession

March 31, 2026 / 2:36 PM EDT / CBS News

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said he doesn’t know whether the war with Iran will be a “tipping point” that pushes the U.S. into a recession, but “what’s more important to the future of the world is that the war successfully conclude.”

“The economy is one big, complex beast, and even AI can’t figure it out,” Dimon said in an interview with “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil. “I tell people anything that happens is a straw on the camel’s back. So maybe one day the straw’s gonna cause that tipping point and push us through a recession. Hopefully not stagflation.”

Dimon said “the war is a couple straws on that camel’s back,” but that “whether that causes a tipping point, I don’t know.”

“I think what’s more important for the future of the world is that this war successfully conclude,” he said. Dimon pushed back against those who argue that Iran wasn’t an imminent threat, citing its ballistic missile capabilities and its nuclear program.

He said it was “very unfortunate” that high gas prices would cause hardship for many Americans, and said “the sooner it gets properly resolved, the better.”

When asked what he’d say to people who already feel like America’s in a recession, Dimon said, “I think it is for them … there are parts of society that are not doing very well, and I completely acknowledge that.”

As to whether America needs to take control of and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Dimon said: “I don’t know the answer to that question.”

“I have to be a little humble here,” he said. “I don’t know what the military knows. I do know they’re quite smart.” Dimon said the military has “multiple plans on the books,” but said he thinks “it would be a real problem for the global economy” to leave without reopening the Strait of Hormuz — a key transit route for 20% of the world’s oil supplies.

Jamie Dimon on Iran war and recession fears

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/jamie-dimon-says-he-doesnt-know-if-iran-war-will-tip-economy-into-recession/

SEE IT: Lawmakers caught on vacation amid record-breaking shutdown while DHS workers go unpaid

March 31, 2026 12:56pm EDT / Fox News

Sen Lindsey Graham was spotted at Disney World and Rep Robert Garcia at a Las Vegas casino bar during the shutdown

By Adam Pack Fox News

Delta CEO blasts Congress over TSA delays, calls shutdown fallout ‘travesty’

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian tells FOX Business anchor Liz Claman that lawmakers should “stand in line” as staffing shortages snarl travel and pressure builds to fix DHS funding.

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While tens of thousands of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees are struggling to make ends meet, some members of Congress appear to be going about their business as usual during the record-breaking government shutdown.

Instead of staying in Washington to resolve the funding stalemate, both chambers commenced a two-week Easter recess over the weekend, a move that is expected to prolong the record-breaking 46-day shutdown until mid-April.

In the meantime, some lawmakers have been spotted on vacation, posing for selfies on congressionally-sponsored trips and socializing in ritzy casino bars.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., sparked controversy after being spotted by TMZ at Disney World over the weekend.

Sen. Lindsey Graham was spotted holding a Little Mermaid-themed toy at Disney World over the weekend.(TMZ)

CORNYN TARGETS LAWMAKERS’ AIRPORT FAST PASS AS TSA LINES GROW DURING DHS SHUTDOWN

The South Carolina lawmaker was captured holding a “Little Mermaid”-themed bubble wand retailing for $40. Eyewitnesses told TMZ that Graham was holding the toy for a child while she went to the bathroom.

The influential Republican senator was also seen waiting in line with a family to ride Space Mountain and dining at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

Graham blamed Democrats for the ongoing shutdown in a statement to TMZ, adding that he had repeatedly voted for DHS spending bills filibustered by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

“I was invited to a meeting in South Florida on Friday with Trump official Steve Witkoff and others to talk about the possibility of normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel,” Graham told the outlet. “I went to Orlando to meet friends after. I’m already back in South Carolina.”

“I voted 7 times to fully fund the government. Call a Democrat,” he added.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., was also seen eating at Disney World’s Contemporary Resort during the government shutdown.(TMZ)

TMZ’s reporting came after the outlet asked for Americans to send tips about lawmakers on vacation or engaging in leisure during the planned recess period.

The pictures have sparked outrage, partly because lawmakers — who earn a base salary of $174,000 per year — are still receiving their paychecks, though members can elect to defer their salary until the shutdown ends.

In sharp contrast, certain individuals employed by the U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are not expected to receive salaries until DHS funding is restored.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that Trump wants lawmakers to cancel the recess and “to fund and reopen the Department of Homeland Security entirely.”

The embattled Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workforce began to receive back pay on Monday after reporting to work without pay during the first six weeks of the shutdown, following an executive order from President Donald Trump. More than 500 TSA agents quit during the funding lapse, according to senior DHS officials.

FETTERMAN SLAMS DEMOCRATIC ‘MESS’ AS TSA WORKERS MISS PAYCHECKS DURING DHS SHUTDOWN

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., was spotted in a buffet line at Disney World over the weekend.(TMZ)

Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rick Scott, R-Fla., have called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to cancel recess and call senators back to Washington. However, neither lawmaker was present during the Senate’s pro forma session on Monday.

Some lawmakers have defended the planned recess, despite the 46-day shutdown having no clear end in sight.

“You know very well that we’re not off,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told reporters Monday. “We’re working every day in our home states. For most of us, this is when we have time to go up and down our state and to meet with our constituents and listen to their concerns.”

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the influential House Oversight Committee, was spotted at a casino bar by TMZ over the weekend at the luxurious Fontainebleau Las Vegas resort.

Garcia’s Vegas visit came after he voted against a two-month DHS funding extension late Friday. The California Democrat had previously voted against a full-year DHS spending bill three times, citing his opposition to funding Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown efforts absent reforms.

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., was spotted at the Las Vegas Fontainebleau resort over the weekend.(TMZ)

“Actually, I don’t mind what TMZ is doing here,” Garcia wrote on X following the images’ circulation. “Like the story says my dad has lived in Vegas for 15 years and I had just finished lunch with him. I try to see him whenever I can.”

“And like I said a few days ago, Speaker Mike Johnson should have never sent us all home,” Garcia added.

Additionally, Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., is planning to co-host a watch party for the premiere of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island,” TMZ reported.

The offices of Graham, Garcia and Magaziner did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., told TMZ that he was visiting his father, who has lived in Las Vegas for over a decade.(TMZ)

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Some lawmakers are also participating in congressionally sponsored trips abroad during the DHS funding lapse.

Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., John Curtis, R-Utah, and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., traveled to Taiwan as part of a congressional delegation to strengthen U.S.-Taiwan ties.

The group was seen smiling while taking photos with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te and other Taiwanese officials on Monday, according to images released on social media by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democrats.