Politics

Biden says he hasn’t had time to visit southern border, admits he probably should

President Joe Biden said on Thursday night that he hasn’t had time to visit the southern border to address the surge in illegal immigrants and admitted that he “should go down.”

“I’ve been there before, I know it well, I guess I should go down,” Biden told CNN’s Anderson Cooper during a town hall event. “The whole point of it is, I haven’t had a whole hell of a lot of time to get down.”

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 21: U.S. President Joe Biden walks with first lady Jill Biden prior to a Marine One departure for Baltimore, Maryland, October 21, 2021 at the White House in Washington, DC. President Biden is scheduled to participate in a town hall in Baltimore where he will discuss the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal and Build Back Better agenda with Americans. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Biden blamed the damage done by hurricanes and his trips to visit affected areas as a reason why he has not yet visited the border.

It is not clear whether or not Biden has ever traveled to the border as a senator, vice-president, or concerned citizen, and multiple queries from Fox News to the White House have not produced an answer.

A Central American migrant is apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol agents after crossing the Rio Grande in Roma, Texas, U.S., on Saturday, June 12, 2021. Legislation that would grant a path to citizenship to young immigrants brought to the U.S as children has triggered a fresh round of partisan skirmishes over border security, as the fate of a program shielding them from deportation hangs in the balance. Photographer: Nicolo Filippo Rosso/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Getty Images)

GARLAND CAN’T BALLPARK NUMBER OF ILLEGAL MIGRANTS DOJ IS CURRENTLY PROSECUTING

The migrant crisis at the southern border continues to plague the Biden administration, and recent data show arrests by Border Patrol have soared to the highest levels since 1986.

U.S. authorities detained more than 1.7 million migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border during the 2021 fiscal year, which ended in September, according to CBP data obtained by the Washington Post.

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS GATHERING ON SOUTHERN BORDER AHEAD OF ‘REMAIN-IN-MEXICO’ RESTART, SOURCES SAY

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday did not have an answer to a question about how many migrants the Justice Department is prosecuting for illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, which is a federal crime.

At least 160,000 illegal immigrants have been released into the U.S., often with little to no supervision, by the Biden administration since March – including a broad use of limited parole authorities to make more than 30,000 eligible for work permits since August, Border Patrol documents obtained by Fox News earlier this month showed.

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FILE – In this Sept. 20, 2021, file photo migrants, many from Haiti, board a bus after they were processed and released after spending time at a makeshift camp near the International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas. President Joe Biden embraced major progressive policy goals on immigration after he won the Democratic nomination, and he has begun enacting some. But his administration has been forced to confront unusually high numbers of migrants trying to enter the country along the U.S.-Mexico border and the federal response has inflamed both critics and allies. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File) (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Border Patrol sources told Fox News that as many as 60,000 migrants are massing on the Mexican side and intend to enter the U.S. in the coming days, knowing that the Biden administration intends to re-implement the Trump-era policy next month in response to a court order from a federal judge that was upheld by the Supreme Court.

Fox News’ Emma Colton, Bill Melugin and Audrey Conklin contributed to this report

Biden says police officers, first responders should be fired for refusing jab

President Biden on Thursday said police officers and first responders who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine should stay home and be fired.

Speaking during a presidential CNN town hall, moderator Anderson Cooper noted that as many as one in three emergency responders in some major cities are refusing to comply with city vaccine mandates.

“I’m wondering where you stand on that,” Cooper said. “Should police officers, first responders be mandated to get vaccines? And if not, should they be mandated to stay at home, let go?”

President Joe Biden receives a COVID-19 booster shot during an event in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (Evan Vucci)

“Yes and yes,” Biden replied, going on to suggest that he implemented his controversial vaccine mandate only as a last resort.

In July, Biden announced businesses with more than 100 employees will be required to mandate coronavirus vaccines or administer weekly tests. Employers are also required to pay employees for time off to get vaccinated and recover from side effects.

“The mandates are working,” Biden further claimed, claiming even most airline employees have complied.

BIDEN EMPLOYER VACCINE MANDATE A STEP CLOSER TO REALITY AS OSHA SUBMITS RULE TEXT TO OMB FOR REVIEW

Biden went on to say that those who oppose vaccine mandates are attempting to make vaccines “a political issue.”

The president also scoffed at those who oppose vaccine mandates on the basis of “freedom.”

“I have the freedom to kill you with my COVID,” Biden said, mocking what he sees as the attitude of mandate opponents. “No, I mean, come on, freedom.”

As a presidential candidate, Biden opposed a vaccine mandate.

Nearly 70% of U.S. adults have received at least one, while more than 60% of all Americans have received both doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

DESANTIS THREATENS TO SUE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION OVER VACCINE MANDATES

Two dozen Republican attorneys general have threatened to sue the administration over the mandate, calling it “disastrous and counterproductive” in a joint letter on Sept. 16.

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“From a policy perspective, this edict is unlikely to win hearts and minds – it will simply drive further skepticism,” the letter addressed to Biden said. “And at least some Americans will simply leave the job market instead of complying.”

Fox News’ Brie Stimson contributed to this report.

Biden would consider ending filibuster for voting rights ‘and maybe more’

President Biden said Thursday he is open to the possibility of altering or eliminating the filibuster to pass federal voting rights legislation “and maybe more,” an admission that marked a reversal of his previous stance.

Biden initially appeared reluctant to address filibuster reform during his appearance at a CNN town hall, noting that he risked losing “at least three votes right now” on his spending bill. Sen. Joe Manchin and other moderates oppose altering or abolishing the filibuster.

When pressed on his stance, Biden said he supported restoring a requirement that lawmakers “hold the floor” to maintain a filibuster. The president added that Congress was approaching a point “where we fundamentally alter the filibuster,” citing recent moves by Republicans to block votes on raising the federal debt limit and on a sweeping Democrat-backed federal elections overhaul.

BIDEN SAYS ABOLISHING FILIBUSTER WOULD ‘THROW ENTIRE CONGRESS INTO CHAOS’

President Joe Biden participates in a CNN town hall at the Baltimore Center Stage Pearlstone Theater, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“The idea that, for example, my Republican friends say we’re going to default on the national debt because we’re going to filibuster that and we need 10 Republicans to support us is the most bizarre thing I’ve ever heard,” Biden said.

“If that gets pulled again, I think you’re going to see an awful lot of Democrats being ready to say, not me, I’m not doing that again, we’re going to end the filibuster,” he added.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper pressed Biden to explain what he meant by fundamentally altering the filibuster.

President Joe Biden participates in a CNN town hall at the Baltimore Center Stage Pearlstone Theater, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021, in Baltimore, with moderator Anderson Cooper. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“That remains to be seen exactly what that means in terms of fundamentally altering it, whether or not we just end the filibuster straight up,” Biden said. “There are certain things that are just sacred rights.”

Near the end of the exchange, Cooper asked Biden whether he would entertain ending the filibuster entirely on the one issue of voting rights legislation.

“And maybe more,” Biden said in response.

Progressives have repeatedly called on Biden to support abolishing the filibuster to address election reforms. Republicans have used the filibuster to block votes on Democrat-backed legislation on three separate occasions this year.

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Biden reiterated his opposition to the idea in July, arguing abolishing the filibuster despite fierce GOP objections would “throw the entire Congress into chaos.”

In March, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell warned Biden risked a “scorched earth” Congress if he backed efforts to end the filibuster.

Biden pledges to defend Taiwan if China attacks

President Joe Biden vowed to protect Taiwan from any Chinese incursion during a CNN town hall on Thursday night.

“Are you saying the US would come to Taiwan’s defense if China were to attack?” CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked Biden to which the president responded, “Yes, we have a commitment to do that.”

In this image taken from video by Taiwan’s EBC, Premier Su Tseng-chang, in purple mask, tries to make a policy speech amid a scuffle between opposition Nationalist party and ruling Democratic Progressive Party lawmakersduring a parliament session in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021. Taiwan’s legislature on Tuesday descended into a rowdy brawl on Tuesday, after opposition lawmakers interrupted an important policy address and rushed the podium. (EBC via AP )

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Biden had been asked by an audience member about China’s recent testing of hypersonic missile and questioned him about whether or not the United States would stand up to China.

“Don’t worry about whether they’re going to be more powerful,” Biden said after reaffirming that the rest of the world “knows” that the United States has the most powerful military in the world.

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech via video for the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference, in Beijing Tuesday, April 20, 2021. Xi on Tuesday called for more equitable management of global affairs and, in an implicit rejection of U.S. dominance, said governments shouldn’t be allowed to impose rules on others. (Ju Peng/Xinhua via AP)

Biden also dismissed the idea that he wants to start another cold war with China.

“I don’t want a cold war with China,” Biden said. “I just want China to understand that we are not going to step back and we are not going to change any of our views.”

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The Taiwan Relations Act to which the United States is currently party does not guarantee the U.S. will engage militarily if China attacks Taiwan, which it has claimed for decades is sovereign Chinese territory, but states that the United States “will make available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain self-sufficient defense capabilities.”

U.S. presidents have pursued a policy of “strategic ambiguity” so that China would not know exactly what the U.S. response would be to an attack.

Recent aggression toward Taiwan by the Chinese communist regime has suggested that Beijing is looking to test the resolve of the Biden administration, particularly in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, experts tell Fox News.

Beijing has sent dozens of warplanes over the last month towards the territory’s air defense zone, part of a muscular approach to the region which has been escalating for months. President Xi Jinping has also renewed calls for it to be brought into China, calling for “peaceful reunification.”

Beijing views Taiwan as a breakaway province and claims that it is part of its own territory. The two countries split in 1949, and China has been increasing pressure on the self-ruled nation, while opposing its involvement in international organizations such as the United Nations. The U.S. does not formally recognize Taiwan, but maintains an unofficial relationship and is supportive of its democratic government.

Experts say that, while there are many reasons for China increasing its aggressive maneuvers recently toward the U.S. ally, including domestic power struggles, the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan is one of those contributing factors.

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“They periodically ratchet up the pressure to pressure Taiwan, to pressure the United States and to probe weaknesses, to test our resolve,” James Anderson, President of the Institute of World Politics and a former senior defense official in the Trump administration, told Fox News. “And probably the proximate cause of the most recent escalation and probing has to do with our sloppy and unfortunate disaster with respect to the withdrawal from Afghanistan.”

The withdrawal at the end of August is seen as having damaged U.S. standing and commitment abroad, and Chinese state media used the chaotic departure as an opportunity to mock the U.S.

“U.S. just showed the world that it’s unable or unwilling to confront a small adversary in Afghanistan with very basic weapons,” the state-controlled Global Times tweeted. “So in the future, when it urges its allies to challenge major powers like China and Russia, very few would follow.”

Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report

Glenn Youngkin, Jewish leader dismiss Dem’s ‘ridiculous’ claim that criticizing Soros is ‘antisemitic’

Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., accused Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin of spreading an “anti-Semitic conspiracy theory” in claiming that left-wing billionaire George Soros had inserted liberal operatives in Virginia school boards. Both the Youngkin campaign and an Orthodox Jewish rabbi shot down Luria’s claim.

“I call it out in my own party and I’m calling it out now,” Luria declared on Twitter. “Evoking George Soros as a shadowy funder is an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. This is an unacceptable statement from Glenn Youngkin.”

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During a speech in Burke on Tuesday, Youngkin claimed that “George Soros-backed allies” in “the left, liberal progressive movement” have “inserted political operatives into our school system,” in the school boards.

The Youngkin campaign ridiculed the idea that the claim was “anti-Semitic.” A spokesperson told Fox News that Luria’s claim is “ridiculous partisan nonsense.”

“She can take this up with The Washington Post and Politico, who have reported extensively on George Soros pumping money into Democrat campaigns in Virginia,” the spokesperson added.

Rep. Elaine Luria (Parker Michels-Boyce for The Washington Post via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

In April 2019, The Washington Post published a story explaining how a PAC funded by George Soros impacted two prosecutor races in Northern Virginia. In August 2016, Politico published a story detailing “George Soros’ quiet overhaul of the U.S. justice system,” by channeling “more than $3 million into seven local district-attorney campaigns in six states over the past year.”

YOUNGKIN VOWS TO HOLD LOUDOUN COUNTY OFFICIALS RESPONSIBLE AFTER ALLEGED SEXUAL ASSAULTS

A Soros-launched PAC donated $625,000 to various statewide races in Virginia in 2019. Soros-funded prosecutor candidates swept the Virginia elections that year. The prosecutor who sought jail time for the father whose daughter was allegedly sexually assaulted by a male student in a dress in a girls’ restroom has ties to both Soros and Terry McAuliffe, the Democrat running against Youngkin. As recently as June, Soros spent $200,000 on another prosecutor’s race in Virginia.

Soros seems to have also helped Luria herself. According to FEC data, Soros contributed $5,000 to PAC TO THE FUTURE in December 2019, which turned around and gave $10,000 to the Elaine Luria campaign in 2020.

Rabbi Yaakov Menken, managing director of the Coalition for Jewish Values, which represents some 1,500 Orthodox Jewish rabbis, condemned Luria’s suggestion that calling out Soros’s activism constitutes an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.

(AP Photo/Christian Monterrosa) (Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images | AP Photo/Christian Monterrosa)

“It is ridiculous to say that because Soros is a wealthy Jew, if you criticize him, you’re going after Jewish money,” Menken told Fox News. “Anti-Semitism is too real and too dangerous to use as a partisan cudgel.”

“It’s not merely true that Soros has tried to turn education and policing to suit his partisan vision,” Menken continued. “He also funds groups that condemn Israel for placing barriers before suicide bombers, promote free entry for Hamas terrorists into Israel, and blame Israel for Arab terrorism.” He specifically named the Arab American Institute, which condemned Israeli barriers, and Ilam, a network which Soros funds and which, according to Menken, blames Israel for Arab terrorism.

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Soros’ “work clearly endangers Jewish and American lives,” Menken said. “Opposing him isn’t anti-Semitic, it’s a Mitzvah,” a command and a commendable act.

Rep. Luria did not respond to Fox News’ request for comment.

Dems pushing amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants through reconciliation package: GOP

Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy held a roundtable discussion Thursday as a means to “expose” one of the underreported provisions in the Democrats‘ multitrillion-dollar reconciliation package: An attempt to grant amnesty to up to 10 million illegal immigrants.

About 1.3 million migrants have been taken into custody at the border since President Biden took office, McCarthy noted at the top of his Capitol Hill briefing. He was flanked by Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, Kat Cammack, R-Fla., John Rutherford, R-Fla., and Troy Nehls, R-Texas. The lawmakers were also joined via Zoom by Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, Sheriff Mark Dannels of Cochise County, Arizona, and Mayor Don McLaughlin of Uvalde, Texas.

Judd, who has been on the front lines of the crisis, emphasized McCarthy’s reading of the statistics at the border, saying he’s “never seen anything like it.” And if the Democrats succeed in pushing amnesty through reconciliation, he said, human traffickers and other bad actors at the border “will be rewarded.”

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio shared a few more numbers, saying about 208,000 migrants were apprehended in August. He noted Congress has still not received the September numbers from the Department of Homeland Security.

MENENDEZ OUTLINES PLAN C AMNESTY PUSH FOR MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN DEMOCRAT RECONCILIATION BILL

The Democrats are only going to “add insult to injury” by adding amnesty to the reconciliation package, Jordan said.

Mounted U.S. Border Patrol agents watch Haitian immigrants on the bank of the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas on Sept. 20, 2021 as seen from Ciudad Acuna, Mexico. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Rep. Cammack deemed it “a great day to be a cartel member” at the border. Americans, she said, are “unaware” of what is truly going on, calling the reconciliation social programs and amnesty attempts “frightening.” The uptick in crime in local communities is a “direct result” of the White House’s policies, Cammack added, by way of suggesting the reconciliation bill would not affect only the U.S. economy.

“The bill not only is going to tax and spend us down the drain,” she said. “This is going to make us more vulnerable than ever.”

A majority of the lawmakers in the room condemned the White House for its recent moves – or lack of action – on the border. Biden was criticized, for example, for repealing former President Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy, which kept migrants in Mexico for their hearings, only to have to reinstate it next month in response to a court order from a federal judge that was upheld by the Supreme Court.

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Sheriff Dannels, calling in from Arizona, told the lawmakers that Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been handling some border issues, has not reached out to him to discuss the chaotic situation. Harris was previously lambasted for waiting nearly 100 days to visit the southern border since her appointment as the person in charge of solving the “root causes” of the problem. When pressed by reporters why she had waited so long to book the trip, Harris was often flippant in her responses.

Migrants camp under the International Bridge in Del Rio on Sept. 18, 2021. (Rep. Pfluger)

Cammack added that when she contacted Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, he told her that he was in charge at the border, suggesting there was widespread miscommunication in the administration on an issue that needs some immediate solutions.

As overwhelming as the situation on the border is, the lawmakers predicted it’s “going to get worse” because the White House does not seem to be willing to change its approach.

“The administration is sending a bat signal out for illegals with amnesty,” Gonzales said.

Border Patrol agents have been fired upon in a series of targeted attacks this month, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said. (Getty Images)

Gonzales told Fox News Digital he needs to see three things happen at the border before even considering negotiating with Democrats on the crisis: A wall or a barrier, more technology such as censors and drones, and more boots on the ground. Only until all those boxes are checked, he said, can they start talking about immigration reform.

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Judd made the point of noting that despite the narrative that it’s just immigrants from Central America who are flooding into the U.S., many migrants from countries like Niger, Georgia, Russia and Romania have been intercepted in recent weeks.

“If that doesn’t scare the American people…I don’t know what will,” Judd said.

Senate Democrats’ attempts to add amnesty to the reconciliation bill have so far been rebuffed by Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough. In her recent ruling, MacDonough said that such a change in the law is a “tremendous and enduring policy change that dwarfs its budgetary impact” and is therefore a misplaced effort.

Schumer endorses socialist for Buffalo mayor

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., meets with reporters before a key test vote on the For the People Act, a sweeping bill that would overhaul the election system and voting rights, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 22, 2021. The bill is a top priority for Democrats seeking to ensure access to the polls and mail in ballots, but it is opposed by Republicans as a federal overreach. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has endorsed India Walton, a self described socialist, for mayor of Buffalo.

“Today, I endorse @indiawaltonbflo, the Democratic nominee for Mayor of Buffalo,” the New York Democrat tweeted Thursday. “She’s a community leader, nurse, & mother with a clear progressive vision for her hometown. Dems are at our best when we build a big tent & forge inclusive coalitions to fight for everyday people.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., speaks to the media after a Democratic policy luncheon, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

DEFUND-POLICE SUPPORTER DECLARES VICTORY IN BUFFALO MAYORAL ELECTION

Walton, who defeated Buffalo’s Democratic incumbent mayor this summer and is on the ballot to be mayor in a November 2 election, has been endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America and is a vocal proponent of defunding the police.

Progressive Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is scheduled to participate in a rally with Walton this weekend.

UNITED STATES – JULY 1: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., talks with a reporter as she walks down the House steps after the last votes of the week in Washington on Thursday, July 1, 2021. (Photo by Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) ( (Photo by Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images))

TED CRUZ: DEMOCRATS WOULD RATHER PLAY POLITICAL GAMES THAN BE HONEST WITH THEIR VOTERS

Walton is all but assured to win the general election in November. There is no Republican candidate in the race.

Asked by reporters during the primary race if she identified as a socialist, she said, “Oh absolutely.”

“I’m just excited to be a part of this movement that is ushering progressive politics into Buffalo,” she told reporters. “Being the third-poorest mid-sized city in this country, we should be considering how we begin to eradicate concentrated poverty and disadvantage, and Democratic socialist leanings are a big step in getting us there.”

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Democratic Buffalo mayoral primary candidate India Walton reacts when her supporters tell her with 94% of the vote in that she’s going to be the winner against Byron Brown, Tuesday, June 22, 2021 in Buffalo, N.Y. (Robert Kirkham/Buffalo News)

Buffalo’s current mayor, Democrat Byron Brown, was defeated by Walton in the primary but has launched a write-in campaign that most experts believe will fail and has been challenged legally.

If elected, Walton will become the first female mayor in Buffalo’s history.

Associated Press contributed to this report

White House press corps member pleads for Biden to take more questions

A member of the White House press corps called for President Biden to take more questions, as the White House claimed “he takes questions all the time.”

White House reporter Brian Karem, who became known during the Trump administration for his aggressive style when asking questions, asked to have the same opportunity with Biden.

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“I’m sure there have been dozens who would humbly request that the president of the United States not only do a town hall, but show up, either in this room or in the East Room, to appear before the full press for a robust round of questions that will no doubt benefit the American public,” Karem told White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

Biden is appearing at a “town hall” event on CNN Thursday evening.

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 21: Principal Deputy White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during a daily White House news briefing on October 21, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Jean-Pierre interjected and claimed Biden “takes questions all the time,” adding that it is a “large press corps.”

While Biden sometimes gives brief answers to reporters as before or after meetings at the White House and as he travels, he has a history of refusing to take multiple questions at once or hold press conferences of his own – usually turning his back on reporters who have questions.

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 13: U.S. President Joe Biden departs after speaking about supply chain bottlenecks in the East Room the White House October 13, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

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In the first nine months of his presidency, Biden only engaged in 11 interviews, far less than former Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama at the same time in their presidencies. Biden gave his last interview on August 18, more than two months ago. His last press conference was held on July 15, nearly 100 days ago.

Dozens of GE employees walk out of South Carolina plant in vaccine mandate protest

At least dozens of General Electric employees walked out of a South Carolina factory on Thursday to protest a federal government mandate stating that employees with federal contracts must be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Roughly 100 people lined the street outside a GE plant in Greenville Thursday, according to The State with a handful of them wearing GE uniforms and ultimately driving away from the property.

An American flag hangs inside the General Electric Co. (GE) energy plant in Greenville, South Carolina, U.S., on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017. General Electric Co. is scheduled to release earnings figures on January 20. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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Protesters could be seen carrying signs that said, “Jab or Job. No mandate,” “My body, my choice,” and “We support GE employees.” One quoted the Bible verse 2 Timothy 1:17, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Two GE employees, Jason Owens and Shannon Harrill, told the Greeneville news that the protest was directed at the vaccine mandate and not their company.

“We worked as an essential employee through the entire COVID pandemic,” Harrill, who has worked for GE for almost 20 years, said. “We were required to be here or lose our job. Now you’re requiring me to take it to stay here.”

A worker stands on the assembly line for gas turbines at the General Electric Co. (GE) energy plant in Greenville, South Carolina, U.S., on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017. General Electric Co. is scheduled to release earnings figures on January 20. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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The Greenville County Republican Party issued a statement saying that it stands in “solidarity with GE Power employees.”

President Biden signed an executive order in September mandating federal contractors be vaccinated and has since been sued over the move.

Several reports and social media posts have shown GE workers in states across the country protesting against the mandate including GE locations in Indiana and Ohio.

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Signage is displayed outside the General Electric Co. (GE) energy plant in Greenville, South Carolina, U.S., on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017. General Electric Co. is scheduled to release earnings figures on January 20. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“As a federal contractor, GE is complying with the executive order which requires employees of federal contractors to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19,” a GE spokesperson told Fox News about the walkouts. “All GE U.S. employees will be fully vaccinated or receive a medical or religious accommodation by December 8th as required in the order.”

Fox News Poll: High concern over what schools are teaching

Voters are worried about the classroom.

The latest Fox News national survey finds 73% of registered voters are “extremely” or “very” concerned about what public schools are teaching children.

The only issues more concerning to voters are inflation/higher prices (87%), political divisions within the country, and health care (76% each).

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Republicans (81%) and parents (80%) are among those most concerned about what is being taught. For Republicans, only inflation (89%) and migrants at the border (82%) rank higher, while the top worry among parents is also inflation (88%), they put health care in the second spot (81%).

For Democrats, concern over school curriculum comes in eighth in a list of 12 issues, while independents have it tied as their third concern.

“The debate about the nature of the curriculum in the public schools has become a hot button issue for Republicans,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson. “There is strong sentiment on the right that administrators are imposing a liberal agenda against the wishes of parents.”

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When asked about certain actions in schools, more voters say it’s a “major problem” that school administrators are pushing political agendas (63%) and there are threats against school officials (57%) than point to parents aggressively pushing political agendas at school boards (54%) and not getting enough say in their kids’ studies (47%).

About half say too much focus on race (49%) is a major problem with schools, while somewhat fewer say the same about overly accommodating transgender policies (44%).

Parents’ views on the major issues with schools are almost identical to the overall results.

The top major problem among Democrats is threats against school officials (67%), followed by parents (61%) and schools (51%) pushing political agendas. Too much focus on race (32%), parents not having a say (31%), and transgender policies (28%) are further down the list.

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Among Republicans, the major problem is school boards pushing a political agenda (72%). The next tier is too much focus on race (64%), parents not having a say and transgender policies (62% each), followed by threats against officials (51%), and parents pushing political views (50%).

“As national politics boil over into school board meetings, Democrats and Republicans agree that school boards and parents pushing political agendas are a major problem,” says Anderson. “But that’s where the agreement ends, with Republicans twice as likely as Democrats to think there is too much focus on race in schools and that parents don’t have enough say.”

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This comes in the wake of the National School Boards Association (NSBA) asking the U.S. Justice Department and President Biden to investigate threats of violence from parents who are upset about school curriculum, saying these threats may amount to domestic terrorism. The September 30 letter stated, “America’s public schools and its education leaders are under an immediate threat. The [NSBA] respectfully asks for federal law enforcement and other assistance to deal with the growing number of threats of violence and acts of intimidation occurring across the nation.”

Fifty-three percent think school boards truly need extra protection from real threats, while 40% believe school boards are trying to stop parents from opposing their policies by asking the federal government for help.

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Democrats (77%) are much more likely than Republicans (36%) and independents (43%) to believe school boards need protection.

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More parents believe school boards need security (63%) than say the boards are trying to stop parents from going against them (34%).

Conducted October 16-19, 2021 under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News Poll includes interviews with 1,003 registered voters nationwide who were randomly selected from a national voter file and spoke with live interviewers on both landlines and cellphones. The total sample has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

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