CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said he’s open to working with President-elect Donald Trump’s new border czar — but said he was skeptical the incoming official had the “authority” to do everything he said.

“Being a border czar is not an official position in the government, and it will be up to the President of the United States and up to the leaders of the Customs and Border Patrol to make decisions about how we’ll manage the border,” Pritzker said.

Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan, visited Chicago on Monday and said both Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson “suck” for their comments about not working with federal agents on deportations. Illinois is a sanctuary state and Chicago is a sanctuary city, meaning there are laws and ordinances that prevent local law enforcement from working with ICE.

Homan spoke at a Chicago GOP gathering and said the city would be ground zero for “the biggest deportation operation this country has ever seen.”

Pritzker dismissed Homan’s comments as political rhetoric but said he should be “serving Democrats and Republicans. If you take a position in the executive branch, you serve all of the people of the United States.”

Pritzker said he agrees that “violent criminals who are undocumented and convicted of violent crime should be deported.” Asked if that meant he would work with federal agents to allow deportation of convicted violent criminals, Pritzker said, ‘Yes. Sure, just as I do every day with federal and state law enforcement on other matters.”

Trump has also promised to bring in National Guard units to help in the new administration’s deportation efforts. Pritzker said he would reject any attempt to use the Illinois National Guard to assist ICE, and he would reject Guard units from other states coming to Illinois.

“I do not believe that we should be pitting one state’s National Guard against another state,” said Pritziker. “I think that’s un-American.”

Sen. John Fetterman plans to meet with Pete Hegseth on Thursday, making him the first Senate Democrat to sit down with Donald Trump’s embattled pick for Pentagon chief.

The Pennsylvania senator, known for his blunt and pragmatic approach, confirmed the meeting on Wednesday and said he’s not ruling out supporting Hegseth. His decision comes amid allegations against the former Fox News anchor of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement.

“He could theoretically become the head of the Defense Department,” he said. “I’ve discovered in my time in D.C. that that’s important. And, ‘Are you having a conversation with someone?’ I don’t know why that’s shocking.”

Fetterman, a populist outsider, said he wanted to hear out Trump’s pick.“I mean I’m waiting,” he said. “And I’m looking forward to having an opportunity to have a conversation.”

Hegseth’s team is voicing new optimism about his chances of confirmation after MAGA allies waged a pressure campaign against Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who was seen as wavering until Monday when she struck a warmer tone.

As part of a weeklong blitz of Capitol Hill, Hegseth has meetings planned Wednesday with Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) — as well as Montana Republican Senator-elect Tim Sheehy.

Hegseth on Wednesday met with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the incoming chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and widely viewed as a swing vote, for nearly an hour and half.

Collins said she won’t make up her mind until a FBI background check is completed and he testifies at an Armed Services confirmation hearing. The two spoke about a variety of topics, Collins said, including women in the military, sexual assault, NATO, and Ukraine. She said she also pressed Hegseth on the allegations against him, although did not say how Hegseth responded.

“I asked virtually every question under the sun,” Collins told reporters. “I obviously always wait until we have an FBI background check and one is underway in the case of Mr. Hegseth. And I wait to see the committee hearing before reaching a final decision.”

The Senate failed to end debate on a bid to extend the tenure of Lauren McFerran at the National Labor Relations Board after drama on the Senate floor — and a final decisive “no” vote from Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.).

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hoped to extend McFerran’s tenure at the NLRB to give Democrats effective control of the body into 2026 — part of the way through President-elect Donald Trump’s second term.

The floor stayed open at length awaiting a decision from Manchin with the tally tied at 49. The retiring West Virginian, who voted against several NLRB picks in September 2023, ultimately emerged in opposition to the nomination, making the finally tally 49-50.

Vice President-elect JD Vance returned to oppose ending debate, as did independent Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who voted no in her first appearance in the chamber since the Thanksgiving break.