President Donald Trump turned heads when he signed a recent executive order promising to defend the state of Qatar from attack and – in so doing – protect U.S. interests. The language of the order is clear: if Qatar is attacked, ‘the United States shall take all lawful and appropriate measures – including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military.’

This move comes after Israel, another close American ally, hit Qatar with airstrikes targeting Hamas officials. Some people who don’t understand the full context of the president’s Middle East peace strategy have questioned this order, even though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since apologized for the strikes and promised no further action in Qatar.

The truth is that Trump’s executive order is yet another example of his abiding commitment to protecting American interests in the Middle East. During his first term, he declared that ‘The nation of Qatar, unfortunately, has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level.’ 

The Biden administration rewarded Qatar’s support during its withdrawal from Afghanistan by designating the nation a major non-NATO ally in 2022. We are in a new strategic calculus surrounding Qatar, and this is the context in which Trump has taken such a bold move.

President Trump is interpreting the strategic moment unlike any United States president before him. The Qatar announcement puts all parties in the region on notice: Israel conducted military strikes against Doha. It won’t do that again any time soon. Iran struck Qatar. It will think long and hard about doing anything close. The Saudis have paired up with the Pakistanis for mutual defense. Trump has done a checkmate. The political office of Hamas in Qatar is just less relevant now. 

Trump is forcing peace by clarifying options and the game for long-standing divisions from the Levant to the Gulf. This is bringing the broader Middle East closer to peace than it has been in years.

Who else could staunchly support Israel’s right to defend itself from Hamas and Iran’s nuclear program while simultaneously being tough on Netanyahu to actively pursue peace? There’s a tremendous amount of nuance in this approach.

Here is the president’s goal: A durable peace deal, not just between Israel and Hamas, but one that brings all parties in the Middle East to the table. This is why the United States has been so involved in brokering a deal in the Middle East and has relied on the positive relationships that Trump has built through trade and diplomacy.

America has been clear that there is some room for negotiation, but some things won’t change. Primary among them is that Hamas must disarm. This is a prerequisite to any lasting peace and Trump knows it. That’s why the 20-part plan is take it or leave it on the condition of disarmament.

Further evidence of the genius of this approach is the broad support the plan has received from disparate countries, both in the Middle East and in Europe. It has garnered support from countries that are both for and against Palestinian statehood. The plan has served as a unifying beacon to a region (and a world) that has long wanted peace but has never had a leader courageous and tenacious enough to make that dream a reality.

Another outcome of this broad support is the true isolation of Hamas. They’re the only ones who are for their continued militarization. In effect, by their protracted resistance to peace, they have alienated almost everyone who may be sympathetic to some of their nonviolent goals. That puts Hamas under enormous pressure – pressure that is both intentional and calculated to move the Middle East toward lasting peace.

All this comes while Trump has doubled down on American and European support of Ukraine to find a way to speed up the end of Europe’s horrible war, yet another example of the administration keeping promises made during the presidential campaign. The approach should sound familiar. 

The president provided Russia with every opportunity to end the conflict peacefully. Despite that effort, Moscow refused and has continued its aggression toward Ukraine. Now, as a last resort — just like the situation with Iran’s nuclear program – the United States is providing additional support to its allies, all in service of the ultimate goal, which has always been and will always be lasting peace, not just for the Middle East, but for the world. Trump is determined to be the peace strategist. 

The Senate is set to leave town on Friday until early next week as neither side is ready to give in the ongoing government shutdown stalemate.

Lawmakers voted deep into the night on Thursday on the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which advanced on a largely bipartisan vote. But the $925 billion package, which authorizes funding for the Pentagon, was effectively the last hurrah for the week in the upper chamber.

While there was discussion of putting the House GOP’s continuing resolution (CR), along with congressional Democrats’ counter-proposal, on the floor for one last vote, the plan never came to fruition. Both would likely have failed for an eighth consecutive time.

Senate Republicans and Democrats will instead return on Tuesday next week, after observing Columbus Day, to continue the ongoing back and forth on the GOP’s CR following a week of trying and failing to pass the bill and reopen the government.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., plans to continue bringing the Republicans’ bill to the floor in an effort to fragment Senate Democrats. So far, only three Democratic caucus members have consistently split from their largely unified party.

Talks have continued in the background behind closed-doors, but nothing has quite yet materialized into full-blown negotiations on expiring Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), tax credits to find an off-ramp as the government shutdown barrels into a third week.

‘The ACA issue is important to a lot of us, not just to Democrats,’ Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said. ‘The tax subsidies were enhanced during COVID. They do need to be reformed, but they do need to be extended as well.’

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., is one of a handful of Republicans consistently meeting with Democrats. He said he’s not meeting with lawmakers ‘so dug in that they can’t get off their position,’ but still, no movement across the aisle has happened.

Mullin and other Republicans want to pass their short-term CR until Nov. 21, while Senate Democrats are adamant that, unless there is a deal on the ACA subsidies, they won’t provide GOP with the votes to reopen the government.

‘Well, if it continues, the way it’s gone, the longer we go, the harder it is,’ Mullin said. ‘It’s a big task. Anything to do with ACA or healthcare, you get a lot of moving parts. I think that gets very difficult the longer this thing [goes on]. You get into next week. I mean, we’ve got four and a half weeks left, right, and so that timeframe keeps getting shorter.’

Their return next week also all but guarantees that members of the military will not receive their paychecks on time, given that the date to have payroll locked in and processed falls on Monday.

‘Certainly, if folks miss a paycheck, the intensity will go up,’ Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., said.

The continued gridlock has most in the Senate GOP unwilling to consider turning to the ‘nuclear option,’ a move they made last month when they unilaterally changed the Senate’s rules for confirmations on nominations to break through Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus’ blockade of President Donald Trump’s nominees, to change the filibuster.

‘There’s always a lot of swirl out there, as you know, from, you know, social media, etc., but no, we’re not having that conversation,’ Thune said.

But not every Republican wants to ignore nuking the 60-vote filibuster as, day in and day out, the GOP’s plan to reopen the government falls five votes short.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, said that if the shutdown continues, it’s an option that should be considered.

‘Look, 50%, 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck,’ he said. ‘We’re going to trip that wire next week. Now if there’s another paycheck — that’s probably 80% of Americans that can’t go without two paychecks in a row. I think at that point we have to look at it and say ‘the Democrats are still doing political stunts.’’

Republicans also found a new point of attack against Democrats. Schumer told Punchbowl News in an interview that ‘Every day gets better for us,’ in his assessment of Senate Democrats’ political momentum as the shutdown marches onward.

‘Who is ‘us?’ Not better for the American people,’ Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said. ‘Who does he mean by ‘us?’ Not the military who is not getting paid. Not the Border Patrol who are not getting paid. Not the air traffic controllers who are not getting paid. Who is ‘us?’ He’s playing a game!’

But Senate Democrats are largely shrugging off the issue. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, contended that it was Republicans’ latest attempt to ‘change the topic from 114% increase in premiums,’ a point Democrats have argued could happen if the Obamacare tax credits aren’t extended.

‘They’re a little desperate to change the news cycle, and this is their latest attempt,’ Schatz said. 

Senate Republicans are taking a hands-off approach to threats from White House budget chief Russ Vought, arguing that his pressure on Senate Democrats to reopen the government, for now, is warranted.

Away from the gridlock on Capitol Hill, Vought, who is the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), has made moves to pressure Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to reopen the government.

Before the shutdown started earlier this month, the OMB released a memo to government agencies instructing mass firings beyond the typical furloughs of nonessential employees during government shutdowns. He has since withheld nearly $30 billion in infrastructure funding to blue states and cities.

And earlier this week, a memo circulated around the White House that suggested that furloughed employees would not receive back pay when the government reopened — a move that runs counter to a law signed by President Donald Trump in 2019.

‘We heard earlier, right at the beginning of the shutdown, that we may see some terminations, some firings within the department,’ Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told Fox News Digital. ‘We saw a lot of big numbers kind of thrown around, and they haven’t materialized, which I think is good, but certainly what it does, it’s very unsettling.’

The administration’s latest actions come as conversations on a path out of the shutdown have been ongoing. For now, Republicans don’t believe that Vought’s moves are undercutting those talks.

Sen. John Hoeven. R-N.D., told Fox News Digital that Vought was what Vought ‘thinks probably helps push Democrats to come to the table and open the government back up.’

‘I mean, that’s for him to decide,’ he said. ‘What I’m looking to do is to try to talk to enough Democrats, and I hope that between reaching out to them and pressure they get from back home, we can get the government open and back to work on these things.’

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital that the administration was ‘going to do what they’re going to do, and they’ve got to manage this, and they’re going to manage it according to their priorities.’

‘I think they’re trying to be sensitive to discussions up here that might be productive,’ Thune said. ‘But, you know, as of right now, it’s like I said before, all this stuff is just kind of window dressing until we fundamentally get down to the issue about, are we going to open up the government or not?

‘And I think when all those issues go away, these guys, the things that the White House is talking about doing or hinting that they might do, become unnecessary,’ he continued.

Senate Democrats are demanding a deal extending expiring Obamacare subsidies, and won’t provide the votes needed to reopen the government unless they get more than a guarantee to tackle the issue.

Thune and Senate Republicans are adamant that they will negotiate on extending the tax credits, with reforms baked in, only after the government reopens. And so far, as the stalemate has dragged on, neither Vought nor the administration have taken action on their threats of mass firings or back pay.  

‘Right now it’s fine,’ Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital. ‘If he starts taking Draconian sorts of actions, then I think it creates a more difficult scenario for us. It puts us further away from what he wants to get accomplished, too.’

Still, Senate Democrats have not taken kindly to his overtures.

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., told Fox News Digital that there was ‘no question’ Vought was hurting ongoing talks between the parties.

‘Russ Vought is basically acting like a bomb thrower, and bomb throwers are never helpful in negotiations,’ he said. 

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a staunch supporter of Israel, congratulated President Donald Trump on Wednesday shortly after the commander in chief announced in a Truth Social post that Hamas and Israel agreed to phase one of a peace plan.

Fetterman said that he and the president are both unflinchingly committed to the U.S. ally.

‘I congratulate @POTUS on this historic peace plan that releases all the hostages. Now, enduring peace in the region is possible. Our parties are different but we have a shared ironclad commitment to Israel and its people,’ the senator noted on X while including a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social post.

Israel launched a war effort in the wake of the heinous Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in which terrorists committed atrocities including murder, rape and kidnapping. 

Trump, who has been brokering a peace deal, declared in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, ‘I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan. This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace. 

‘All Parties will be treated fairly! This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!’ the president added.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and others have said Trump should receive the Nobel Peace Prize for the deal, but GOP Rep. Randy Fine argued that the award would be insufficient if lasting peace is obtained, instead suggesting that presidential term limits should be abolished.

‘The Nobel Peace Prize isn’t enough. If every living hostage is returned and lasting peace in the Middle East is secured, we should repeal the 22nd Amendment and thank the Lord for every day @realdonaldtrump can be our President. There will never be another one like him,’ he said in a post on X.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., is demanding information from the FBI on whether she has been subjected to additional surveillance, following revelations that former Special Counsel Jack Smith tracked her phone calls, calling the action ‘one of the most serious infringements on the separation of powers in American history.’ 

Fox News Digital first reported Monday that Smith and his’Arctic Frost’ team investigating Jan. 6 allegedly monitored the phone calls of Lummis and fellow GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and GOP Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.

Fox News Digital exclusively obtained an FBI document stating the names of the lawmakers and that an FBI special agent on Smith’s team ‘conducted preliminary toll analysis’ on the toll records associated with them.

An FBI official told Fox News Digital that Smith and his team were able to view which phone numbers the senators called, along with the location each call originated and where it was received.

Lummis is now seeking more information on the matter, writing a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel thanking him, President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi for their ‘transparency regarding the blatantly unconstitutional surveillance activities conducted on the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives by the Biden Administration during Operation Arctic Frost.’

‘Your willingness to expose these abuses is crucial to getting the FBI and Department of Justice focused back on its core mission of delivering justice for all,’ she wrote in the letter to Patel, obtained by Fox News Digital.

Lummis is now demanding all FBI and DOJ records that identify which members of the Biden administration ‘authorized or approved the surveillance of my phone records and communications.’

Lummis is asking for the names of all DOJ officials, FBI officials, and any White House officials involved; the entire data file collected on her, including all phone records and any recordings or transcripts of her private communications; any legal statutes cited to justify the data collection; and any individuals with whom the information was shared.

She is also requesting documentation of ‘any other surveillance conducted by the FBI or DOJ from January 20, 2021, through January 20, 2025, on me related to my official duties as a United States senator.’

‘I believe that the surveillance of sitting United States Senators by the executive branch represents one of the most serious infringements on the separation of powers in American history,’ she wrote. ‘It seriously impinges on both my civil rights and my constitutional duties as a legislator, especially since this surveillance was directly connected to core legislative activities protected by the Speech or Debate Clause of the United States Constitution.’

Lummis added that ‘the American people deserve to know the truth about how the Biden administration weaponized federal law enforcement against their elected representatives.’

‘Those responsible will be held accountable,’ she wrote. ‘Thank you for your prompt attention to these requests, and for restoring integrity to the FBI.’

‘Arctic Frost’ was opened inside the bureau on April 13, 2022. Smith was appointed as special counsel to take over the probe in November 2022. 

An FBI official told Fox News Digital that ‘Arctic Frost’ is a ‘prohibited case,’ and that the review required officials to go ‘above and beyond in order to deliver on this promise of transparency.’ The discovery is part of a broader, ongoing review.

‘The American people deserve the truth, and under my leadership, they will have it,’ Patel told Fox News Digital. ‘We promised accountability for those who weaponized law enforcement, and we will deliver it.’

Patel added: ‘Under our watch, the FBI will never again be turned against the American people.’

‘It is a disgrace that I have to stand on Capitol Hill and reveal this — that the FBI was once weaponized to track the private communications of U.S. lawmakers for political purposes,’ FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who briefed senators on the matter, told Fox News Digital. ‘That era is over.’

Bongino added: ‘Under our leadership, the FBI will never again be used as a political weapon against the American people.’

Meanwhile, the FBI has terminated employees and disbanded the CR-15 squad. Patel announced the actions were taken in response to the revelation of the ‘baseless monitoring’ of U.S. lawmakers.

‘We are cleaning up a diseased temple three decades in the making — identifying the rot, removing those who weaponized law enforcement for political purposes and those who do not meet the standards of this mission while restoring integrity to the FBI. I promised reform, and I intend to deliver it,’ Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Patel also posted about it on X, saying, ‘Transparency is important, and accountability is critical. We promised both, and this is what promises kept looks like… We terminated employees, we abolished the weaponized CR-15 squad, and we initiated an ongoing investigation with more accountability measures ahead.’