Washington Reporter In our latest edition, we have an interview with incoming
Rep. Tom Barrett, exclusives on a new campaign to keep the Biden administration
accountable and on the race to succeed Gov. Kristi Noem, op-eds from Reps. Mike
Flood, Mike Simpson, Bob Turner, and more!

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November 21, 2024

In this edition


[1] Interview: Incoming-Rep. Tom Barrett on how he flipped a House seat, his
goals for this Congress, and how being a “citizen soldier” prepared him to serve
<[link removed]>
[2] Heard on the Hill
<[link removed]>
[3] Exclusive: race to succeed Kristi Noem is wide open: poll
<[link removed]>
[4] Exclusive: Power the Future launches “Lame Duck Watch” to “expose any
attempted malfeasance”
<[link removed]>
[5] Rep. Jim Jordan to Biden administration: preserve your records
<[link removed]>
[6] Nineteen Senate Democrats join “Hamas Caucus”
<[link removed]>
[7] Scoop: Rep. Bill Huizenga touts over $10 million donated to elect House
Republicans <[link removed]>
[8] Op-Eds: Rep. Mike Simpson on stopping violence against indigenous women,
Rep. Mike Flood on Gary Gensler’s disastrous tenure at the SEC, Rep. Bob Turner
on the red wave that washed over New York,Doug Quezada on X, and Tom Jones on
John Arnold’s latest anti-education moves
<[link removed]>
[9] What we’re reading
<[link removed]>


<[link removed]>
Both sides agree: NOW is the time to pass real PBM reform.

Rein in the middlemen pharmacy benefit managers and require them to increase
transparency, share discounts with seniors, and delink PBM profits from the
cost of medicines in Medicare.

Pass S. 2973 and S. 3430 today. Help America's seniors.

In our latest edition, we have an interview with incoming Rep. Tom Barrett,
exclusives on a new campaign to keep the Biden administration accountable and
on the race to succeed Gov. Kristi Noem, op-eds from Reps. Mike Flood, Mike
Simpson, Bob Turner, and more!






[1] Interview: Incoming-Rep. Tom Barrett on how he flipped a House seat, his
goals for this Congress, and how being a “citizen soldier” prepared him to serve
By: Matthew Foldi

Incoming Rep. Tom Barrett lost the most expensive House race in America in
2022, before scoring a victory and flipping the seat this cycle.

Barrett, who served for over two decades in the Army, was inspired to run for
Congress following America’s failed withdrawal from Afghanistan. He
successfully leveraged the lessons of his first run to flip a Michigan seat
this cycle — and he spoke with theWashington Reporter about his goals for the
next two years.

Click HERE
<[link removed]>
to read more about incoming-Rep. Tom Barrett’s priorities for the next
Congress.

Finish Reading ➝
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[2]
Heard on the Hill

What we're hearing from people we trust on and around the Hill – please send
us more tips <[link removed]>!

* Senate shakeup scoop 1: Senate Democrats are changing up their committee
leadership for the next Congress. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) is remaining
atop the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, while Sen. Amy
Klobuchar (D., Minn.) is taking over Agriculture and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D.,
Ore.) is taking over the Budget Committee.
* Senate shakeup scoop 2: Sen. Roger Marshall (R., Kansas) is likely to join
the Finance Committee if Republicans add another seat to it.
* Dick Durbin and Hamas: Sen. Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) surprised his colleagues
and Senate staff by voting on Wednesday night to restrict weapons deliveries to
Israel for fighting against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. One Senate aide told
us, “this two-faced fraud pretends to be bipartisan, but when push comes to
shove, he votes to allow terrorists to destroy Israel.”
* Future of KOSA: Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) predicted that the Kids
Online Safety Act (KOSA) will pass during the lame duck Congress. Rep. Brett
Guthrie (R., Ky.)predicted
<[link removed]>
this in aWashington Reporter interview several months ago as well.
* Credit card hearing and the Wall Street Journal: After the Senate Judiciary
Committee held one of its lasthearings
<[link removed]>
of the year on credit card fees, theWall Street Journal weighed
<[link removed]>
into the debate, calling the Credit Card Competition Act, “crony capitalism
masquerading as consumer benefit.”
* Money men: President Donald Trump met with financiers Scott Bessent and
Marc Rowan this week; both are in the running to helm the Treasury Department.
* The future liberals want: The left’s worldview was decisively rejected in
the 2024 elections, but Alliance for Consumers is out with a newcampaign
<[link removed]> warning about the
vision that liberals have for the year 2035. Warning: it’s not pretty.
* The future conservatives want: Coign, America’s first credit card for
conservatives, honored charities including Rescue 22, Young America’s
Foundation, Turning Point USA Foundation, and Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center at
an event on Capitol Hill this week. Coign will donate a quarter of a million
dollars to conservative charities this year because their cardholders are
choosing to align their spending with their values instead of supporting
companies that fund the progressive agenda. Spotted at the event: Sens. Tim
Scott (R., S.C.) and John Barrasso (R., Wyo.) and Rep. Darin LaHood (R., Ill.),
along with Luke Thompson, Nate Brand, Matt Whitlock, Cassie Smedile Docksey,
Steve Guest, and some adorable and heroic service dogs.
* DOGE, Elizabeth Warren, and the IRS: Biden’s economic team, which includes
an alum of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), wasdelighted
<[link removed]> by reports that Elon
Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) commission is considering an
“app” for filing taxes. Creating an IRS run “direct-file” system has been a top
priority of Warren and the Biden administration. However, Republican Hill aides
cast cold water on the idea: “a Musk DOGE tax app would be great. But Liz
Warren’s IRS ‘direct file’ power grab that would cost taxpayers billions is
DOA.”
* Release the dogs of WarRoom: Steve Bannon took Capitol Hill by storm this
week, swinging by Butterworth's on Capitol Hill for a party for the new book,
Rebels, Rogues, and Outlaws, which spotlights members of the Bannon wing of the
GOP. Attendees included Raheem Kassam, Matt McDonald, Bonnie Glick, Caroline
Glick, Paul Dans, Lianna Farnesi, Rep. Andy Ogles (R., Tenn.), incoming Rep.
Abe Hamadeh, and former Rep. George Santos (R., N.Y.)
* G-men: President Donald Trump met with both Mike Rogers and Kash Patel, who
are finalists to helm the FBI.

Share ➝ <[link removed]>


[3] Exclusive: race to succeed Kristi Noem is wide open: poll
By: Matthew Foldi

Gov. Kristi Noem (R., S.D.) will likely leave office soon to assume her role
as America’s next head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); but the
race to succeed her, especially assuming the seat becomes open quickly, is a
jump ball between the state’s lone representative in Congress, Dusty Johnson,
and the state’s attorney general, Marty Jackley.

According to a poll obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, and
conducted shortly before the 2024 election, Johnson and Jackley are almost
tied, with the former scoring support from 25 percent of respondents and with
the latter netting 28 percent support — a difference within the margin of error
of the poll, which was conducted on behalf of co/efficient.

“We are already seeing a close race between Marty Jackley and Dusty Johnson,”
co/efficient noted. “Key voting groups are nearly tied in their support for the
two candidates, and half of voters are still to be persuaded. The candidate who
can secure the former president's endorsement will be well-positioned to win
the GOP nomination.”

Click HERE
<[link removed]>
to share the latest about South Dakota’s soon-to-be open governor’s race.

Share ➝
<[link removed]>



[4]
Exclusive: Power the Future launches “Lame Duck Watch” to “expose any
attempted malfeasance”
By: Matthew Foldi

An American energy independence advocacy group has launched Lame Duck Watch
in an effort to hold the Biden administration accountable in its waning days,
and to “expose any attempted malfeasance” as Democratic political appointees
exit Washington, D.C.

Power the Future, which launched Lame Duck Watch, will focus on three
potential areas of corruption: green energy grift; “highlighting last-gasp
efforts to shell taxpayer dollars toward so-called green projects”; and
“monitoring Biden officials who find a cozy landing spot at the environmental
groups they have been funding at every turn.”

Click HERE
<[link removed]>
to read more about Power the Future’s plans to hold the Biden administration
accountable until the last day.

Finish Reading ➝
<[link removed]>



[5] Rep. Jim Jordan to Biden administration: preserve your records
By: Matthew Foldi

With just weeks before Donald Trump assumes office, Rep. Jim Jordan (R.,
Ohio) has warned the Department of Justice (DOJ) against improperly deleting
records, according to a letter he sent to the department’s Assistant Attorney
General, Jonathan Kanter.

“According to information available to the [Judiciary] Committee, the
Antitrust Division aggressively moved to escalate its regulation of American
businesses shortly following the election of President Trump,” Jordan wrote to
Kanter. “Specifically, we have received allegations that the Division sent
demand letters to numerous businesses indicating an intention to start
enforcement actions in the final days of the Biden-Harris administration.”

Click HERE
<[link removed]>
to read more about the latest moves by Rep. Jim Jordan to hold the Biden
administration accountable in its final days.

Finish Reading ➝
<[link removed]>




<[link removed]>
Both sides agree: NOW is the time to pass real PBM reform.

Rein in the middlemen pharmacy benefit managers and require them to increase
transparency, share discounts with seniors, and delink PBM profits from the
cost of medicines in Medicare.

Pass S. 2973 and S. 3430 today. Help America's seniors.


[6] Nineteen Senate Democrats join “Hamas Caucus”
By: Matthew Foldi

Nineteen Senate Democrats have voted for legislation that would restrict U.S.
weapons sales to Israel, America’s closest ally in the Middle East. Some
foreign policy observers told theWashington Reporter the votes group such
Democrats into a “Hamas Caucus.”

The measures, put forward by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), would restrict
additional American weapons from being sold to Israel while the country is in
the midst of an existential multi-front war. TheReporter first covered
<[link removed]>
Sanders’s plans to delay these votes until after the election, which would
allow more Democrats to vote against America’s ally, without fear of electoral
repercussions.

Jewish voters across America shifted drastically to the right this election
cycle, as Bonnie Glick and the Republican Jewish Coalition’s (RJC) Matt Brooks
noted in aWashington Reporter op-ed. “Dangerous, disgraceful” votes to cut off
aid to Israel, the RJC said, are “a major reason why Democrats continue to
hemorrhage Jewish support.”

“Sanders’s attempt to halt life-saving aid to Israel in the midst of a war
would be like trying to stop US aid to Great Britain during the blitz,” a
foreign policy expert told theReporter.

Click HERE
<[link removed]>
to read more about the political consequences facing Democrats who abandoned
America’s greatest ally in its time of need.

Finish Reading ➝
<[link removed]>




[7] Scoop: Rep. Bill Huizenga touts over $10 million donated to elect House
Republicans
By: Matthew Foldi

Rep. Bill Huizenga (R., Mich), a top contender to chair the House’s Financial
Services Committee next Congress, has donated more than $10 million to elect
House Republicans since he first won in 2010 — all while Democrats spent over
$1 million dollars to defeat him in one of America’s most pivotal swing states.

Huizenga, his team told the Washington Reporter, has given almost $5 million
directly to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), has raised
$4.1 million directly to Republican incumbents and candidates through his Beers
with Bill series, and has given an additional $2.2 million to Republican
candidates through his leadership PAC. Huizenga himself traveled to
battleground districts across America with members of House leadership this
cycle.

Click HERE
<[link removed]>
to read more about how Rep. Bill Huizenga has donated millions of dollars to
elect House Republicans, all while sitting in a seat that Democrats continue to
try and compete in every two years.

Finish Reading ➝
<[link removed]>



[8]
Op-Ed: Rep. Mike Simpson: We must address the ongoing Missing and Murdered
Indigenous Women crisis
By: Rep. Mike Simpson

For too long, we have seen countless Indigenous women and girls who have been
murdered or gone missing at a disproportional rate. While the issue has
received greater attention in recent years, we must continue bringing awareness
to these heartbreaking tragedies so that affected families may find the justice
they deserve. We must continue to do what we can to address the devastating
rates of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) and Girls.

For decades, our American Indian and Alaska Native brothers and sisters have
dealt with high rates of violence in their communities. Homicide is the number
three leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native females
between the ages of 10 and 24 and the number five leading cause of death for 25
to 34-year-olds. Additionally, 40 percent of all victims of sex trafficking are
identified as American Indian and Alaska Native women. In 2023 alone, over
5,800 American Indian and Alaska Native females were missing—and 74 percent
were children.

Click HERE
<[link removed]>
to read more from Rep. Mike Simpson about the urgency of confronting the
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis.

Finish Reading ➝
<[link removed]>



[9] Op-Ed: Rep. Mike Flood: Gary Gensler’s legacy of chaos
By: Rep. Mike Flood

In about 65 days, President Donald Trump will be sworn into office. On day
one, he’ll fulfill one of his most important promises: firing Gary Gensler,
President Joe Biden’s handpicked Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC).

Over the past four years, Gensler has led a body in charge of regulating a
major source of America’s economic strength: our capital markets. When he is
relieved of his duties next month, he will leave a legacy that should never be
repeated.

Let’s take a look back at Gensler’s time as SEC Chair — a chapter for
America’s financial markets that was marked by chaos.

Click HERE
<[link removed]>
to read more from Rep. Mike Flood about the disastrous tenure of Gary Gensler
at the helm of the SEC.

Finish Reading ➝
<[link removed]>



[10] Rep. Bob Turner: Kathy Hochul should heed the lessons of New York’s Red
Wave
By: Rep. Bob Turner

As the magnitude of President-elect Donald Trump’s victory reverberates from
coast to coast, some New York Democrats are scrambling to understand what went
wrong. Take Rep. Ritchie Torres (D., N.Y.), whonoted
<[link removed]>, that "the working
class is not buying the ivory-towered nonsense that the far left is selling.”
Or Rep. Tom Suozzi (D., N.Y.), whosaid
<[link removed]>
that, “the Democrats have to stop pandering to the far left.”

Granted, after Trump narrowed his margin by 20 points
<[link removed]>
in Torres’s Bronx and outright won Suozzi’sNassau County
<[link removed]>,
there could be some political expedience behind these statements. Both men know
full well they will face voters again in two short years. But give them some
credit for at least nodding to reality.

Then there’s Gov. Kathy Hochul (D., N.Y.). Days after labeling Trump
supporters as "anti-American <[link removed]>" and
calling his rally at Madison Square Garden “the white flag of surrender
<[link removed]>
,” Hochul held a press conference alongside Attorney General Letitia James, the
original architect of the left’s unceasing and unsuccessful lawfare campaign
against Trump, warning the incoming administration of apledge to
<[link removed]>
“fight you every step of the way.”

So much for heeding the will of the voters or respecting democratic norms.

Click HERE
<[link removed]>
to read more from Rep. Bob Turner about the lessons that Gov. Kathy Hochul —
and all New York Democrats — should take from the Red Wave that washed over the
Empire State.

Finish Reading ➝
<[link removed]>



[11] Op-Ed: Doug Quezada: Donald Trump is making strategic appointments for
America’s power renaissance
By: Doug Quezada

As the Vice Chairman of an energy company, I've observed with keen interest
the recent appointments to key positions in the Trump administration that
directly influence our nation's energy policies. I see these choices as
strategic and forward-thinking, setting the stage for policies that will
harness our nation's rich energy resources, while maintaining effective,
results-driven environmental stewardship.

The selections of former Rep. Lee Zeldin for Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) Administrator and of Gov. Doug Burgum for Secretary (R., N.D.) to be
Secretary of Interior (DOI) signal a robust potential for a return to pragmatic
energy strategies that could significantly benefit both our industry and the
nation at large.

Click HERE
<[link removed]>
to read more from Doug Quezada about the American energy revolution that
Donald Trump can lead, with help from Lee Zeldin, Doug Burgum, and Chris Wright.

Finish Reading ➝
<[link removed]>



[12] Op-Ed: Tom Jones: John Arnold wants to control where your kids go to
college
By: Tom Jones

After the pandemic, parents across the nation ran straight to the polls to
elect candidates who opposed DEI and CRT in grade schools. Their efforts to
elect conservative candidates — and to ensure their children were being taught
to love, not hate America — were largely successful, and even a handful of our
nation’s largest universities have eliminated these types of departments.

Now those winds of change have shaken Washington, D.C. itself. In 2024 the
American people have sent a clear-cut message: things can’t go on as they have
for the last 4 years, especially when it comes to education.

But in order to fix these problems, it’s important to understand how things
got to be so bad in the first place. For the past few years, normal,
traditional education has come under attack. How and why did this happen?

Click HERE
<[link removed]>
to read more from Tom Jones about how Arnold Ventures, LLC, is trying to shut
down non-woke schools.

Finish Reading ➝
<[link removed]>


[13] What we're reading

The Spectator
<[link removed]>: Trump 47
is transforming what a cabinet means, by Ben Domenech.

National Review
<[link removed]>
: Bob Casey Is Humiliating Himself — and His Party, by National Review.

Washington Examiner
<[link removed]>
: Billionaire Musk foe bankrolls second Trump resistance, by Gabe Kaminsky.

Washington Free Beacon
<[link removed]>
: In Parting Shot to Jewish State, Biden-Harris Sanctions Israelis, Pours
Millions into Palestinian Coffers, by Adam Kredo.

Jewish News Syndicate
<[link removed]>
: Report: Organized anti-Israel nonprofits driving Canadian Jew-hatred, by Dave
Gordon.

Town Hall
<[link removed]>
: By the Numbers: Trump's Extraordinary Gains Among Latinos, From Texas
to...California? by Guy Benson.

Washington Examiner
<[link removed]>
: Biden staffers disrupt lame-duck period with new round of protest about
Israel, by Brady Knox.

New York Magazine
<[link removed]>
: Jeff Bezos Cracks Down on the Washington Post, by Charlotte Klein.





****




About the Washington Reporter

We created the Washington Reporter to give Republicans in Congress an outlet
for insights to help you succeed, and to cover the toughest policy fights that
don't get the attention they deserve. We hope you'll send us tips, story ideas,
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