November 21, 2024
In this edition
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 the Washington Reporter about his goals for the next two years.
Click HERE to read more about incoming-Rep. Tom Barrett’s priorities for the next Congress.
| |
[2] |
Heard on the Hill
What we're hearing from people we trust on and around the Hill – please send us more tips!
- 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 this in a Washington Reporter interview several months ago as well.
- Credit card hearing and the Wall Street Journal: After the Senate Judiciary Committee held one of its last hearings of the year on credit card fees, the Wall Street Journal weighed 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 new campaign 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.), was delighted 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.
| | | [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 to share the latest about South Dakota’s soon-to-be open governor’s race.
| |
[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 to read more about Power the Future’s plans to hold the Biden administration accountable until the last day.
| | | [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 to read more about the latest moves by Rep. Jim Jordan to hold the Biden administration accountable in its final days.
| |
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 the Washington 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. The Reporter first covered 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 a Washington 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 the Reporter.
Click HERE to read more about the political consequences facing Democrats who abandoned America’s greatest ally in its time of need.
| | | | [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 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. | |
[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 to read more from Rep. Mike Simpson about the urgency of confronting the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis. | | | | [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 to read more from Rep. Mike Flood about the disastrous tenure of Gary Gensler at the helm of the SEC.
| | | | | | | [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.), who noted, that "the working class is not buying the ivory-towered nonsense that the far left is selling.” Or Rep. Tom Suozzi (D., N.Y.), who said that, “the Democrats have to stop pandering to the far left.”
Granted, after Trump narrowed his margin by 20 points in Torres’s Bronx and outright won Suozzi’s Nassau County, 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" and calling his rally at Madison Square Garden “the white flag of surrender,” 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 a pledge to “fight you every step of the way.”
So much for heeding the will of the voters or respecting democratic norms.
Click HERE 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. | |
| [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 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.
| | | | | | | [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 to read more from Tom Jones about how Arnold Ventures, LLC, is trying to shut down non-woke schools. | | | | | | | [13] | What we're reading
The Spectator: Trump 47 is transforming what a cabinet means, by Ben Domenech.
National Review: Bob Casey Is Humiliating Himself — and His Party, by National Review.
Washington Examiner: Billionaire Musk foe bankrolls second Trump resistance, by Gabe Kaminsky.
Washington Free Beacon: In Parting Shot to Jewish State, Biden-Harris Sanctions Israelis, Pours Millions into Palestinian Coffers, by Adam Kredo.
Jewish News Syndicate: Report: Organized anti-Israel nonprofits driving Canadian Jew-hatred, by Dave Gordon.
Town Hall: By the Numbers: Trump's Extraordinary Gains Among Latinos, From Texas to...California? by Guy Benson.
Washington Examiner: Biden staffers disrupt lame-duck period with new round of protest about Israel, by Brady Knox.
New York Magazine: 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, and feedback–and please subscribe.
|
Washington Reporter
3033 Wilson Blvd.
Suite E - 536
Arlington, Virginia 22201
© 2024 Washington Reporter. All rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions
Unsubscribe
|
