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Gen Z is working hard, but the economy is putting the American dream out of reach for many

Economists say payments on a median home doubling under Biden, not laziness, is driving delayed homeownership

July 15, 2026 6:00am EDT / Fox News

By Amanda Macias

Conservative economist pushes back on Leavitt’s Gen Z ‘lazy’ remark: Young Americans are getting squeezed

Paul Teller argues Republicans should acknowledge Gen Z’s economic challenges and focus on lowering costs instead of questioning the generation’s work ethic.

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Young people are working. They’re just waiting longer for the “American dream” that work was supposed to buy.

Labor force participation among Americans in their prime working years remains near its highest level in decades. Yet younger adults are buying homes later, delaying marriage and putting off having children as housing prices, elevated interest rates and other household expenses continue to outpace wage growth for many households.

The economic backdrop has come under renewed scrutiny after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested Gen Z’s frustrations stem in part from “laziness.”

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Once her comments drew backlash, Leavitt said critics had taken her remarks out of context, arguing she was referring to young people embracing socialism and communism — not a blanket statement regarding all of Gen Z. She added that “many Gen Z Americans are hardworking, entrepreneurial, and deeply patriotic.”

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Labor force participation among younger Americans remains historically strong despite mounting affordability challenges.(Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/Getty Images)

Generation Z, often shortened to Gen Z, includes Americans born between 1997 and 2012, and is emerging as a growing force in both the labor market and U.S. politics.

Leavitt also claimed the Trump administration’s economic agenda — including tax cuts, deregulation and other affordability-focused policies — is intended to strengthen economic conditions for younger Americans.

WE ASKED AMERICANS TO GRADE THE ECONOMY. THEN WE ASKED IF IT WOULD CHANGE THEIR VOTE.

While her remarks sparked debate, economists say today’s young people entered adulthood during one of the most challenging economic environments in decades, marked by high inflation, soaring housing costs and a cooling white-collar job market.

The labor market data paint a more nuanced picture. Labor force participation among Americans ages 25 to 54 stood at about 83% in May, hovering near its highest level in decades, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Participation among Americans ages 20 to 24 has also remained above pre-pandemic levels.

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“There’s lazy people in every generation,” Heritage Foundation Chief Economist EJ Antoni told Fox News Digital. “It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about the boomers, Gen Z or anybody in between.”

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Richard Stern, vice president of the Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise at Advancing American Freedom, said the data suggests Gen Z’s preference for flexible work should not be confused with a lack of work ethic.

“Labor participation rates for 16- to 19-year-olds, for 20- to 24-year-olds are all high,” Stern said. While younger workers may prefer flexible or remote schedules, “that’s not a work ethic thing. I think it’s actually a preference thing,” he added.

A PROBLEM HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT IS KEEPING AMERICANS FROM BUYING HOMES

Antoni pointed out how “the monthly mortgage payments on a median-priced home literally doubled during Biden’s four years in office.”

“You don’t have to ascribe any pejoratives to young people to realize that that is completely unsustainable.”

Housing affordability has deteriorated sharply over the past several years. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate climbed from roughly 3% in early 2021 to about 6.5% today, while the median U.S. home price rose from roughly $329,000 to more than $400,000, dramatically increasing the cost of buying a home.

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Stern said higher borrowing costs have made it dramatically harder for younger Americans to purchase homes and vehicles — two traditional markers of financial independence.

“Interest rates have tripled on things like cars and mortgages,” Stern told Fox News Digital. “So for new workers and young families, higher inflation and much higher interest rates have made it tremendously less affordable to buy a home or a car.”

Those affordability pressures have delayed more than just homeownership. The median age of a first-time homebuyer reached a record 38 years old in 2025, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Paul Teller, a conservative strategist who previously served in the Trump-Pence White House, said Leavitt’s comments surprised many conservatives because they don’t reflect what he sees from young workers.

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“Folks are working hard,” Teller told Fox News Digital. “We’re Americans, so this is what we do in our nature. Americans don’t have to be told to work hard.”

Teller said younger Americans are discovering that the same path to the middle class no longer delivers the same results. “The same education that their older siblings got or their parents got isn’t taking them this far,” he said. “The same relative wage isn’t taking them as far.”

The numbers suggest the challenge for many younger Americans isn’t participating in the workforce. It’s that work no longer buys the same milestones it once did.

Amanda Macias covers the intersection of business, economics and politics, with a focus on how policy decisions shape markets, businesses and American workers.

US Senate to grill Trump spy nominee Clayton on journalist subpoenas

2026-07-15T11:02:17.953Z / Reuters

Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York speaks during a press conference at the New York Police Department headquarters in New York City, U.S., March 9, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary

• Lawmakers plan to question Clayton over subpoenas targeting New York Times journalists
• Trump delayed Clayton’s hearing last month to pressure Congress on voter identification bill
• Many lawmakers in both parties eager for Clayton to replace acting DNI Bill Pulte

WASHINGTON, July 15 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the top ​U.S. spy, Jay Clayton, appears at his delayed confirmation hearing on Wednesday, and lawmakers said they planned to grill him ‌about his recent subpoenas of New York Times journalists in his current role as the leading U.S. attorney for Manhattan.

The Republican president threw doubt on Clayton’s confirmation as Director of National Intelligence (DNI) last month by ordering the abrupt postponement of his hearing in an effort to force Congress to pass a strict voter identification bill.

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Known as the SAVE Act, ​the voting measure remains stalled in Congress, where it lacks the support needed to pass the Senate. While the administration has said ​the legislation is needed to protect election security, voting rights groups say it would disenfranchise millions of Americans who ⁠lack ready access to passports and birth certificates.

Before Trump’s action, Democrats had seemed largely amenable to confirming Clayton, hoping to quickly replace the acting DNI, ​Bill Pulte, a close Trump ally who previously had been director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and lacked national security experience. Pulte replaced , ​who resigned from her job in May.

Clayton raised concerns among Democratic lawmakers, however, after issuing subpoenas on Friday ordering several New York Times journalists to testify before a federal grand jury after they reported on security concerns involving Trump’s new Qatari-donated Air Force One.

The newspaper described the move as “an extraordinary escalation” in Trump’s efforts to intimidate journalists, a view ​echoed by some senators.

In a statement to Reuters, a Department of Justice spokesperson did not confirm or deny the subpoenas but said the administration, ​while not targeting reporters, was concerned about people leaking classified information.

JOURNALISTS SUBPOENAED

“I think one of the questions is what about these subpoenas for New York reporters that ‌is in ⁠his jurisdiction? What is his commitment to the First Amendment?” Senator Angus King of Maine, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, told Reuters in a brief hallway interview.

King, a senior member of the intelligence panel that will conduct the hearing, said he also wanted to know whether Clayton “will do the most fundamental job of any intelligence person, which is to tell the truth about what the intelligence shows, rather than what the policymaker, including the president, ​wants to hear.”

Still, congressional Democrats — and ​some Republicans — are eager to ⁠move Pulte out of the DNI role, which oversees the 18 U.S. intelligence agencies and has access to the nation’s most sensitive secrets.

Skeptical lawmakers from both parties have expressed concern about Pulte’s lack of intelligence experience and reputation ​for “weaponizing” his power within the government against Trump’s perceived political foes. Republicans in Congress typically back Trump nominees ​nearly unanimously.

Since assuming his ⁠acting position last month, Pulte has announced repeated rounds of staff reductions.

Lawmakers also hope the removal of Pulte as acting spy chief and confirmation of Clayton would help lead to the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, which allows law enforcement to collect foreign intelligence without ⁠judicial authorization.

Trump continues ​to repeat unfounded assertions that the U.S. election system is riddled with fraud, despite ​his party’s capture of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives in the 2024 elections.

The Republican president has scheduled a national address on Thursday night about newly declassified intelligence on ​election investigations and what the White House says are voting machine vulnerabilities, an administration official said.

Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Don Durfee and Edmund Klamann

美国伊朗互相袭击 巴林科威特拦截空袭

2026年7月15日 18:05 / 联合早报

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7月14日，伊朗发布的视频显示一枚导弹发射，目标是巴林和科威特的美国目标。 （法新社）

美国和伊朗星期三（7月15日）继续互相袭击。波斯湾国家科威特和巴林证实，他们拦截了来自伊朗的新一轮空袭。

法新社报道，伊朗军方在一份声明中说，美军空袭造成伊朗东南部伊朗沙赫尔市（Iranshahr）附近一个兵营的七名士兵身亡。

伊朗国家媒体星期三报道称，美军再次空袭伊朗南部港口城市布什尔，这里拥有伊朗唯一的民用核电站。

科威特军方说，他们正在拦截攻击型无人机，并指责伊朗发动了“邪恶的侵略”。巴林军方随后说，他们“成功拦截并摧毁了多起伊朗的恶意空袭”。

当天凌晨，巴林内政部说，他们已拉响警报，并敦促公民和居民保持冷静，前往最近的安全地点。

在美军袭击伊朗后，伊朗星期三分别对科威特境内的美国目标，以及巴林境内的美国第五舰队发动袭击。

向伊朗特工发送视频 以色列士兵判监五年

2026年7月15日 18:09 / 联合早报

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以色列军方说，涉案士兵在去年6月与伊朗的12天战争期间发送了两段导弹拦截视频，“因此获得报酬”。 （法新社）

以色列军方星期三（7月15日）说，判处一名现役士兵五年监禁，罪名是向一名伊朗特工发送导弹拦截视频。

法新社报道，以军称，这名士兵在去年6月与伊朗的12天战争期间发送了两段此类视频，“因此获得报酬”。军方补充说，他还与伊朗特工分享多段在民用场所拍摄的视频。

军方说，在民用场所拍摄的视频中，有一段是士兵从网上找到的，记录了一次导弹击中目标的画面。

军方称：“最终，在感到压力后，被告向他所在部队的某名成员透露，他曾与一名外国特工联系。第二天，他被以色列国家安全局逮捕。”

这名士兵通过Telegram收发消息，其中包括一些工作邀请。

军方称，这些消息还包括一名伊朗特工询问他是否愿意“通过执行与摄影相关的任务”来赚钱。

军事检察官曾寻求对这名士兵判处七年监禁。

军方说：“法院考虑到，被告并未泄露军事信息或通过履行军事职责获得的信息，并且主动终止与外国特工的联系，及时向上级指挥官报告此事。”

“法院判处被告五年监禁，缓期执行，并处罚金1000谢克尔（约432新元），降为列兵。”

美国拟制裁俄能源买家 北京：只会搬起石头砸自己脚

2026年7月15日 16:52 / 联合早报

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2026年6月14日，一艘油轮驶向山东省青岛港原油码头泊位。 （法新社）

美国计划推出新制裁法案，将包括中国和印度在内的主要俄罗斯油气进口国列为制裁对象，并可能征收最高100%的关税。中国外交部对此表示坚决反对，并警告搞胁迫施压“最终只会搬起石头砸自己的脚”。

据法新社报道，这项由美国两党参议员推动、并获得总统特朗普支持的法案，被视为华盛顿进一步就乌克兰战争向俄罗斯施压的重要工具。不过，法案能否顺利在国会通过，目前仍存在变数。

推动法案的美国参议员上周发表联合声明称，更新后的法案文本预计将在近期公布。

根据早前草案版本，美国对购买俄罗斯石油、天然气、铀及其他产品国家的进口商品征收最高500%的关税。此外，美国总统将有权对继续购买俄罗斯能源的国家实施关税和其他制裁措施。

对此，中国外交部发言人林剑星期三（7月15日）在例行记者会上说，中国坚决反对没有国际法依据、未经联合国安理会授权的非法单边制裁，将采取一切必要措施，坚定维护本国企业和公民的正当权益。

他还说：“搞双重标准，胁迫施压，最终只会搬起石头砸自己的脚。”

向伊朗特工发送视频 以色列士兵判监五年

2026年7月15日 18:09 / 联合早报

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以色列军方说，涉案士兵在去年6月与伊朗的12天战争期间发送了两段导弹拦截视频，“因此获得报酬”。 （法新社）

以色列军方星期三（7月15日）说，判处一名现役士兵五年监禁，罪名是向一名伊朗特工发送导弹拦截视频。

法新社报道，以军称，这名士兵在去年6月与伊朗的12天战争期间发送了两段此类视频，“因此获得报酬”。军方补充说，他还与伊朗特工分享多段在民用场所拍摄的视频。

军方说，在民用场所拍摄的视频中，有一段是士兵从网上找到的，记录了一次导弹击中目标的画面。

军方称：“最终，在感到压力后，被告向他所在部队的某名成员透露，他曾与一名外国特工联系。第二天，他被以色列国家安全局逮捕。”

这名士兵通过Telegram收发消息，其中包括一些工作邀请。

军方称，这些消息还包括一名伊朗特工询问他是否愿意“通过执行与摄影相关的任务”来赚钱。

军事检察官曾寻求对这名士兵判处七年监禁。

军方说：“法院考虑到，被告并未泄露军事信息或通过履行军事职责获得的信息，并且主动终止与外国特工的联系，及时向上级指挥官报告此事。”

“法院判处被告五年监禁，缓期执行，并处罚金1000谢克尔（约432新元），降为列兵。”

The frenzied sprint among Maine Democrats hoping to replace Graham Platner

2026-07-15T09:00:25.498Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/15/politics/graham-platner-maine-democrats-convention-us-senate-susan-collins

County party chairs inundated with calls. An endless stream of Google sign-up forms and spreadsheets. And a disgraced former nominee looming over it all, haunting the party’s hopes of starting anew.

The snap Democratic election to replace Graham Platner and face Republican Sen. Susan Collins this fall is off to a hectic and dramatic start.

The implosion of Platner’s campaign after he was accused of rape – an allegation he denies – left Maine Democrats scrambling to create a highly unorthodox process that reflects the high stakes for the battle to win control of the Senate.

On July 25, just 15 days after Platner formally dropped out, 601 delegates will meet in Bangor, the state capital, to vote on a new nominee. Most of the delegates – 500 – will be picked this weekend at county meetings across Maine. The other 101 delegates will automatically come from Maine’s Democratic State Committee, and they are already being heavily courted.

At least eight candidates are rushing to collect enough signatures to qualify for the convention and assemble slates of delegates to vote for them.

“We are in a perilous situation, and there is no perfect way to deal with an unprecedented situation like this,” one of the candidates, Jordan Wood, told reporters this week.

Platner’s tarnished legacy looms large, with some of his supporters looking for a replacement nominee to continue the working-class progressive movement that he tried to build.

Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, who launched his Senate campaign with the support of over 50 current and former elected officials, appears to be making the most explicit appeal along those lines.

“You poured your hearts, your time and your energy into building this movement alongside another candidate in Maine, and I know that there’s real pain, anger and disappointment, and I’m not going to try and minimize that,” Jackson said Monday on a call with members of the national progressive group Our Revolution. “But look, this movement has always been bigger than one person.”

Candidates face a 5 p.m. Wednesday deadline to declare their intent to run, with the first scheduled debate on Thursday. By the end of Monday, candidates will need to submit 500 signatures to qualify for the ballot, including 50 signatures from at least eight separate counties.

On Tuesday night, the Maine Democratic Party said it had already received more than 5,500 submissions from Democrats who either want to be delegates or attend the county meetings to pick delegates.

It is a process with a far smaller electorate than a traditional primary, requiring an intense focus on organizing and interpersonal relationships. At least some campaigns may have reached out to, if not spoken to, all 601 delegates by the time they arrive in Bangor.

Maine Democrats have little room for error. July 27 — two days after the convention — is the last day under state law on which they can submit the name of the replacement nominee for inclusion on the ballot.

“I think that all of us are working hard to make this process transparent, inclusive and as timely as possible,” Paige Zeigler, chair of the Waldo County Democrats, said in an email that partly addressed out-of-state political observers: “We Mainers will show the way because ‘as Maine go, so goes the nation.’ Now follow us and elect some damn good leaders this November.”

Previous statewide candidates, with built-in political networks, could have an advantage.

Nirav Shah’s campaign for governor, which got the most first-round votes in the June 9 Democratic primary before losing to Hannah Pingree, was still winding down when Platner ended his candidacy. Shah’s campaign staff were preparing to have their final meeting and discussing ideas for keeping supporters engaged in Maine, such as hosting community service events.

When it became clear the Senate nomination would be up for grabs, they quickly pivoted and held a call on Friday evening with over 100 volunteers, dozens of whom spent the next couple of days printing petitions and gathering signatures. The campaign announced Sunday night it had hit the signature threshold.

“Our team basically never stood down,” said Kayla vanWieringen, Shah’s campaign manager. “Everyone just completely mobilized.”

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, another former gubernatorial candidate now seeking the Senate nomination, has been reaching out to “super volunteers” and “county captains” from her last campaign for help with collecting signatures and recruiting delegates. They include supporters who hosted dozens of house parties for her earlier this year.

Some campaigns have hired new staff but acknowledge that initial efforts in the frenzied race have been largely carried out by volunteers.

A person familiar with Jackson’s operation, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss strategy, described an “all-out blitz” reaching out to potential delegates. “It’s just hours on the phone, frankly,” the person said.

Publicly, campaigns have been quizzing supporters on whether they plan to attend their county meeting this weekend, and if so, whether they plan to run to be delegates themselves or support that campaign’s delegate candidates. Ideally, a campaign could emerge from the county meetings with a known baseline of support for the convention.

“The goal is to lock in as many delegates you can this weekend so that you feel good heading into the nominating convention in Bangor,” the person familiar with Jackson’s operation said.

Even then, delegates are not legally bound to support a particular candidate, and their loyalties could shift from the county meetings to the convention, where there will be multiple rounds of voting until a candidate wins a majority.

“Nothing is set in stone,” said one person involved in the race.

Sure enough, the race kicked off this week with an illustration of how external events could quickly upend campaigns. After a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a man in Biddeford on Monday, Jackson attended an “emergency” rally in the coastal town and Shah held a news conference Tuesday to criticize Collins’ record of voting to fund ICE.

Campaigns are weighing how much to balance in-person events with private outreach to delegates, and they acknowledge traditional campaign tools such as TV ads are inefficient with such a small pool of voters. Even more targeted methods — such as digital ads or text messaging — may have to wait until the full list of delegates is available next week.

Platner sought to shape the race to replace him as he prepared to exit it. State Rep. Valli Geiger, a prominent Platner supporter, has said she was among “several” potential candidates Platner contacted. She announced Monday she would not run, instead backing Bellows.

Even if state and national progressives are done with Platner, it appears a sizable faction in Maine wants to see him replaced by a candidate with a similar vision.

Jackson boasted Tuesday that he had signed a petition supporting a Platner-like platform of universal healthcare rights, taxing billionaires and ending so-called “forever wars.”

Jackson was arguably the closest to Platner, campaigning alongside him multiple times. He called on Platner to drop out after the rape allegation, and in an MS NOW interview last week, Jackson said Platner “lied to me” about whether there was anything concerning in his past.

Wood is going in a different direction. He told reporters that the nominee needs to be someone who can “very quickly separate themselves” from Platner.

Wood has his own history with Platner, calling on him to drop out last year when they were both running in the Senate primary. Wood later switched to the primary for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District and backed Platner for Senate once Platner’s chief opponent, Gov. Janet Mills, stepped aside.

Brewery owner Dan Kleban, who briefly ran for Senate against Platner before dropping out and backing Mills, is positioning himself for the convention as a Platner-like outsider without the baggage. Like Platner, Kleban is a critic of New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and has vowed not to support him as Senate Democratic leader.

Schumer backed Mills in the primary, but his aides have promised he will not get involved in the convention.

It remains to be seen if all the national progressive figures who backed Platner will make endorsements before the convention. Rep. Ro Khanna of California, who was one of Platner’s most loyal supporters in Congress, has already backed Jackson, but Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have not made endorsements.

Sanders told CNN on Monday he did not think he would endorse a candidate ahead of the convention.

Most other outside Democrats are staying out of the primary – with two notable exceptions. Both of Illinois’ Democratic senators have spoken out against Shah over his time as the state’s public health director.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth said last week she “strongly opposes” Shah’s Senate campaign based on his record in her state. Sen. Dick Durbin, another Illinois Democrat, told CNN on Tuesday he would not support Shah if he wins the nomination.

Shah shrugged off the criticism at a Monday news conference.

“I don’t think Democrats are helped with other Democrats criticizing Democrats,” said Shah, who left Illinois in 2019 for a similar public health role in Maine. “I’m confident (Mainers) know me and they’ve seen me show up for them. That’s ultimately what matters.”

Trump administration scales back immigration crackdown after ICE shootings

July 15, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. EDT / The Washington Post

The administration is again retreating from some aggressive actions, but Republicans expect Democrats to expand calls to “abolish ICE.”

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A man yells at a woman working security near an ICE facility Tuesday in Scarborough, Maine, one day after a fatal shooting in nearby Biddeford. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)

By Isaac Arnsdorf and Ted Hesson

The Trump administration is again scaling back aspects of its immigration crackdown after fatal Immigration and Customs Enforcement shootings, the latest turn in a cycle where pressure to ramp up arrests collides with the political fallout from increasingly aggressive enforcement.

俄媒：朝鲜劳工“身价暴涨” 俄地方政府因工资过高放弃引进

2026年7月15日 18:44 / 联合早报

俄乌战争持续导致俄罗斯劳动力短缺加剧，朝鲜劳工在当地已不再是“廉价劳动力”。随着薪资水平大幅上涨，部分俄罗斯地方政府和企业被迫放弃引进朝鲜劳工。

俄独立媒体《梅杜扎》（Meduza）星期一（7月13日）报道，俄罗斯南部奥伦堡市原计划引进朝鲜劳工，从事市政清洁及维护等公共服务工作，但双方因薪资分歧最终未能达成协议。

奥伦堡市长尤马迪洛夫说，市政府去年曾提出每名工人月薪5万5000卢布（约900新元）的条件，但朝方没有接受。“据我了解，朝鲜工人不会为了5万5000卢布来工作，他们现在要求的工资是这一水平的两三倍。”

按此推算，朝方期望的月薪约为11万至16万5000卢布（约1800至2700新元）。

尽管如此，尤马迪洛夫仍高度评价朝鲜劳工，称他们“像机器人一样工作”，纪律严明、效率极高，但以当地财政预算难以承担如此高的工资，最终未能签约。

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俄罗斯南部奥伦堡市长尤马迪洛夫高度评价朝鲜劳工，称他们“像机器人一样工作”，纪律严明、效率极高。图为朝鲜平壤火车站人来人往。 （法新社）

他还说，俄部分地区已成功引进朝鲜劳工，但奥伦堡州未被列入合作名单。最终，当地改为引进来自西非塞内加尔的劳工，目前已有31人在公共服务部门工作。

韩国统一研究院今年发布的报告指出，根据俄企业者等受访时透露，俄方为朝鲜劳工支付的人均人工成本通常约为每月1000美元（约1290新元）。

分析指出，尤马迪洛夫所说的金额并非单纯工资，而是引进一名朝鲜劳工的整体成本。截至2025年底，包括机票、签证、保险及规避联合国对朝制裁所需的中介费用在内，单名劳工的用工成本已超过2300美元。

专家也对俄地方政府披露的薪资数字持保留态度。朝鲜经济专家世宗研究所沃德（Peter Ward）认为， 普通朝鲜劳工的平均工资绝不可能达到1400美元，更接近1400韩元（约1.21新元）。

他认为，朝方往往不是根据劳工实际价值定价，而是依据对方的支付能力来开价。

研究俄罗斯经济的东西大学教授蒙代（Chris Monday）则认为，朝鲜政府及中介机构可能从海外劳工工资中大幅抽成，也不排除朝方利用俄劳动力严重短缺的机会，提高对俄方的报价。他形容，这更像是朝鲜中介商借机向俄罗斯抬价。

Jay Clayton, Trump’s DNI nominee, to testify at Senate confirmation hearing

July 15, 2026 / 6:26 AM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Jay Clayton is set to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee for a confirmation hearing Wednesday, after President Trump abruptly canceled plans to move forward with his nomination last month.

The hearing on Capitol Hill is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m.

Last month, Mr. Trump pushed Senate Republicans to cancel his own nominee’s hearing, saying Clayton’s nomination should not move forward until the Senate approved a replacement for him in his current role as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Trump also suggested that the nomination process was moving too quickly and would prevent his controversial pick for acting intelligence chief, Bill Pulte, from temporarily taking the helm.

Mr. Trump’s selection of Pulte, a housing official, as acting director roiled the Senate last month, and led Democrats to refuse to agree to an extension of a warrantless surveillance program under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Senate Republicans had been moving quickly to confirm Clayton with the hope of breaking a logjam on the surveillance program a few days after it expired. But the president dashed those plans when he pushed for the mid-June hearing to be canceled.

Soon afterward, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton announced that the hearing had been postponed. The Arkansas Republican called it “regrettable that the president has directed Jay Clayton not to appear at his confirmation hearing.”

“Mr. Clayton is a patriot and a highly qualified nominee, as the president has said repeatedly,” Cotton wrote on X at the time. “I look forward to proceeding with his confirmation in the near future.”

Now, as Clayton appears Wednesday for his belated confirmation hearing, Section 702 remains lapsed, and Pulte has been the acting DNI since June 19.

The opening came after former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said in May that she would resign due to her husband’s cancer diagnosis. The next week, Mr. Trump announced Pulte as acting director. And after intense pushback over the pick, and pressure from Senate Republicans to select a long-term director, Mr. Trump announced Clayton would be his permanent pick for the role on June 11 — hours before the warrantless surveillance authority was set to expire.

Clayton is well regarded by Republicans and Democrats and leads the U.S. Attorney’s Office in one of the highest-profile and most prestigious jurisdictions in the country. He had a lengthy career at the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, which is representing the president in his appeal of his criminal conviction for hiding a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, as well as his appeal in a civil fraud lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

During the hearing, Clayton may face questions about subpoenas he issued to three New York Times journalists last week after they reported that the new Air Force One, which was donated by Qatar, does not have all of the advanced security features possessed by the older planes. The Times said that the journalists were ordered to testify before a Manhattan federal grand jury on Wednesday, the same day as Clayton’s confirmation hearing.

During the first Trump administration, Clayton served as the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission.