Washington Reporter In our latest edition, we have an interview with Richard
Hunt about attacks on your credit card rewards miles, an expose on one of the
military’s health care providers, op-eds from incoming Rep. Julie Fedorchak,
Bonnie Glick, Dan Eberhart, and much more!

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November 25, 2024

In this edition


[1] Interview: Richard Hunt wants to protect your credit card rewards from a
“draconian” bill
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[2] Heard on the Hill
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[3] Exclusive: “We can’t even see our 12 year old daughter’s birthday”: Army’s
health care system withholds childrens’ data from their parents
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[4] SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda chronicles family’s journey from internment
camps to the federal government
<[link removed]>
[5] “Trying to suck up to Trump like a cheap straw”: Former Republican
congressman reversing course on Trump
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[6] Scoop: Microsoft under MAGA microscope
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[7] “What is the objective of war? Peace”: Rep. Derrick Van Orden discusses
“sneaky war” <[link removed]>
[8] Op-Eds: Incoming Rep. Julie Fedorchak on Gov. Doug Burgum’s energy agenda,
Bonnie Glick on the lessons of 2024, ILGOP Chairwoman Kathy Salvi on the
radicalism of Gov. JB Pritzker,Dan Eberhart on the pro-energy agendas of Doug
Burgum and Chris Wright, andAlex Titus on why Howard Lutnick is the perfect
pick to run the Commerce Department
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[9] What we’re reading
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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 Richard Hunt about attacks on
your credit card rewards miles, an expose on one of the military’s health care
providers, op-eds from incoming Rep. Julie Fedorchak, Bonnie Glick, Dan
Eberhart, and much more!






[1] Interview: Richard Hunt wants to protect your credit card rewards from a
“draconian” bill
By: Matthew Foldi

Even though Sen. Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) may not run for reelection in 2026,
he may be gunning for Americans’ credit card rewards, Richard Hunt, the
executive chairman of the Electronic Payments Coalition (EPC), told the
Washington Reporter in an interview.

Hunt is a well-known advocate and giant in the D.C. financial services space
who is deeply respected across the aisle. He has a reputation for being
tenacious and a brawler on policy issues; he is detail-oriented, but also, in a
complimenting description from a Hill staffer, “down-to-earth and doesn’t take
himself too seriously.”

Durbin has pushed for the Durbin-Marshall Act alongside Sen. Roger Marshall
(R., Kansas) for years. If it becomes law, Americans would move the current
“safe and secure” payment system “that provides access to credit,” to one “that
would increase fraud, limit credit cards, and eliminate all your valuable
reward miles,” Hunt said.

Hunt’s EPC is a “coalition made up of financial institutions, large and
small, a group of airports, airlines and small businesses across the country,
making sure that payment for American consumers are safe and secure” and leads
the opposition to the Durbin-Marshall bill, which Hunt called “draconian.”

Click HERE
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to read more from our interview with Richard Hunt, who is leading the fight to
protect Americans’ credit card rewards.

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]>!

* Onward and upward: Dan Kunsman, Sen. John Barrasso’s (R., Wyo.), current
chief of staff, will be heading up his Whip office. Congratulations!
* Notable quotable: RealClearPolicy picked up
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the op-ed that Protect the Public’s Trust’s Michael Chamberlain wrote for us
about how the Biden administration has been “Trump-proofing” itself for months.
* Florida men on the move: President Donald Trump has already made his picks
in the races to succeed Florida Reps. Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz. Trump is
packing Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer in the wide-open race
to succeed Gaetz, and state Senator Randy Fine to succeed Waltz.
* Making his pitch: Rep. Mike Carey (R., Ohio) has been making the rounds
pitching himself as the logical successor to Sen. JD Vance (R., Ohio.). Gov.
Mike DeWine (R., Ohio.) gets the final say in the decision.
* Kamala 2026? Kamala 2028? Kamala Harris has a surprising ally as she
deliberates her political future: Dan Conston, the president of the
Congressional Leadership Fund super PAC. Harris is reportedly weighing
everything from another presidential campaign to a bid for governor of
California in 2026, when Gov. Gavin Newsom will be term-limited. Following her
campaign’s implosion, Conston tweeted “endorse” for either of her plans.
* Drink up: Jen Psaki was spotted at the Israeli coffee shop Tatte.

Share ➝ <[link removed]>


[3] Exclusive: “We can’t even see our 12 year old daughter’s birthday”: Army’s
health care system withholds childrens’ data from parents
By: Matthew Foldi

Tricare, one of the health insurance providers for military families, allows
children as young as 12 years old to opt out of sharing health information with
their parents, a group of military spouses told theWashington Reporter.

“If we had a 12+ year old kid, we’d be unable to access their records if our
child opted us out,” one military wife said. “They could feasibly get
insurance-covered gender transition procedures done without our ability to see
what their doctors are doing paperwork wise.”

TriCare policies obtained by the Reporter confirm that “dependents 12-18 must
give authorization for anyone (even the parent!) to access their medical
records.”


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Click HERE
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to read more about how TriCare is allowing 12 year olds to opt out from
sharing their medical information with their parents

Finish Reading ➝
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[4]
SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda chronicles family’s journey from internment camps
to the federal government
By: Matthew Foldi

Two generations ago, Mark Uyeda’s grandfather lost everything when he was
sent to an internment camp in Arkansas for Japanese-Americans. Following his
release after World War II, he started a small business that delivered fresh
produce to local franchises, including the then-new Mexican restaurant Taco
Bell.

His grandson Mark, now a Republican commissioner at the Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC), spoke to the Congressional Asian Pacific American
Staff Association (CAPASA) last week about his journey to the top ranks of
financial regulators.

“Despite the unjust internment of Commissioner Uyeda's family during World
War II, the Commissioner emphasized that his proudest moments as a public
servant have been representing the United States overseas,” an attendee of his
speech told the Reporter. “His story exemplifies the resilience of the American
spirit. We are fortunate to have dedicated public servants like Commissioner
Uyeda.”

Click HERE
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to read more about SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda’s family journey from
internment camps to the highest levels of government.

Finish Reading ➝
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[5] “Trying to suck up to Trump like a cheap straw”: Former Republican
congressman reversing course on Trump
By: Matthew Foldi

Former Rep. Jim Nussle, who left the Republican Party almost four years ago,
is sounding a new tune following President Donald Trump’s decisive victory.

Nussle, who said in 2021 that “the GOP is NO more and left me and others
behind,” is the president and CEO of America’s Credit Unions. Nussle is now
“trying to suck up to Trump like a cheap straw,” a Republican strategist told
theWashington Reporter. Nussle wrote to Trump urging him “to resist any calls
for eliminating the credit union tax exemption just as you did during the
passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in 2017.”

Click HERE
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to share this story about former Rep. Jim Nussle’s 180 on President Donald
Trump.

Share ➝
<[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] Scoop: Microsoft under the MAGA microscope
By: Matthew Foldi

Microsoft could find itself in MAGA crosshairs as the incoming Trump
administration seeks to slash government with the help of Elon Musk, who has
longstanding rivalry with Microsoft CEO Bill Gates. Microsoft board member Reid
Hoffman and Gatesspent
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tens of millions of dollars in 2024 between the two of them on efforts to
defeat President Donald Trump, which could leave them on the outside looking in
next year.

Due to a variety of factors, including what experts call
<[link removed]>
“vendor lock,” the federal government has given Microsoft hundreds of millions
of dollars in minimally-competitive contracts. “In one prime example of
vendor-lock, the government spent $112 million more to buy Microsoft Office
than Google Workspace in order to avoid perceived costs to switch,” government
procurement expert Michael Garland wrote in a report.

Click HERE
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to read more about how Elon Musk and DOGE could drastically reshape government
contracting.

Finish Reading ➝
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[7] “What is the objective of war? Peace”: Rep. Derrick Van Orden discusses
“sneaky war”
By: Matthew Foldi

America should use different levers of power to wage irregular, or “sneaky,”
warfare, Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R., Wis.) said during a Special Operations
Association of America (SOAA) talk last week. Joined by a small group of
national security professionals, including strategy expert Dr. Sean McFate, the
talk illuminated several real-world examples of how the United States can
emphasize America’s constitutional strengths relative to authoritarian states.

“One example the United States could have conflated in the information
environment was in the fall of 2022 when Chinese citizens watched the World Cup
broadcast where a stadium of fans gathered without masks for COVID and weren’t
sick, or being castigated for congregating,” David Cook, SOAA’s executive
director, told theWashington Reporter. “This put the Chinese authoritarian
government on its heels for lying to a nation about the dangers of COVID. The
United States could have fanned those flames with truth.”

Click HERE
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to read more about “sneaky wars.”


Finish Reading ➝
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[8]
Op-Ed: Julie Fedorchak: Governor Doug Burgum is the right leader to usher in
a new era of American energy dominance
By: Julie Fedorchak

As a lifelong North Dakotan, I am proud of our state’s history that is
grounded in resilience, innovation, and grit. Ours is a story about harnessing
our abundant natural resources while protecting our land for future generations.

This is the approach Americans want in all their leaders, and it is the
record of my governor, Doug Burgum, who is President Donald Trump’s nominee for
U.S. Secretary of the Interior and Chairman of the National Energy Council.

Click HERE
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to read more from incoming Rep. Julie Fedorchak about why Doug Burgum is the
man for the job to run the Interior Department.

Finish Reading ➝
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[9] Op-Ed: Bonnie Glick: Thanks Obama: Democrats in the wilderness
By: Bonnie Glick

As part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping electoral victory, he won in
regions once thought unattainable for the Republican Party. The GOP has also
regained control of the Senate and maintains its hold on the House. While
countless analyses will attempt to dissect how Democrats arrived at this
juncture, one underlying truth is clear: they have fundamentally lost touch
with the American people.

To understand how we got here, we need to look back to the Obama
administration. Although many Democrats fondly recall the Obama era, others
remember it differently. To these voters, President Obama’s tenure was marked
by an attitude that he alone knew what was best for the average American. Few
have been as convinced of their own vision as Barack Obama, and many of his
political proteges inherited that same belief: they knew better than the public.

The issue today is that these individuals now hold highly influential roles
within the Democratic Party and American cultural institutions including
businesses and education.

Click HERE
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to read more from Bonnie Glick about the implosion of the Democratic Party’s
coalition.

Finish Reading ➝
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[10] Op-Ed: Kathy Salvi: JB Pritzker puts illegal border crossers before
Illinois families
By: Kathy Salvi

While President Donald Trump won the presidency in an historic landslide
election and is now preparing for his second term, the 2028 Democratic primary
for president is already underway — and it’s not looking promising.

At the forefront of the Democrats doing anything in their power for airtime
and attention is Gov. JB Pritzker (D., Ill.). A serial tax-and-spend Democrat
who has driven business and families out of Illinois, Pritzker is looking to
propel himself away from the state he helped drive into the ground toward
federal office, twisting himself into a pretzel to praise Joe Biden and get in
the good graces of Kamala Harris in 2024.

Now that she’s failed, Pritzker is already pivoting towards 2028.

Click HERE
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to read more from ILGOP Chairwoman Kathy Salvi about how Gov. JB Pritzker is
prioritizing illegal immigrants over the citizens of Illinois.

Finish Reading ➝
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[11] Op-Ed: Dan Eberhart: Energy realism and dominance are behind Donald
Trump’s cabinet picks
By: Dan Eberhart

President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet selections to run federal energy
policy signal hisintent
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to extend America’s “energy dominance” during his second term in office. While
some argue that the United States, which has been the world’slargest
<[link removed]> oil and gas producer
since 2018, has already achieved that impressive feat, thanks largely to the
shale boom of the past 15 years, more can be done to unleash U.S. energy
production.

After four years of the Biden administration, which prioritized alternative
energy and tackling climate change while treating traditional fossil fuels as
an unfortunate necessity, there is ample room for Trump to elevate America’s
standing in global energy markets further.

Trump named <[link removed]>
Gov. Doug Burgum (R., N.D.) as both his Interior Secretary and as his “energy
czar,” handing him sweeping authority to open federal lands to frackers and to
deregulate agencies to boost U.S. oil and gas output. He later picked as his
Energy Secretary Chris Wright, a shale executive who had been promoted by shale
pioneer and Trump energy advisor Harold Hamm for months.

Click HERE
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to read more from Dan Eberhart about how Doug Burgum and Chris Wright will
work with Donald Trump to unleash American energy once again.

Finish Reading ➝
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[12] Op-Ed: Alex Titus: Howard Lutnick is the right pick to run the Commerce
Department
By: Alex Titus

President Donald J. Trump announced this week that his transition co-chair,
long-time friend, and billionaire entrepreneur Howard Lutnick will serve as his
Secretary of Commerce, a key role to help carry out the president’s historic
economic and trade agenda. By selecting Lutnick, President Trump is delivering
an early win on his commitment to advance America First policies and push back
on nefarious trade practices from countries like China.

Click HERE
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to read more from Alex Titus about why Howard Lutnick is the right pick to
lead Donald Trump’s Commerce Department.

Finish Reading ➝
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[13] What we're reading

Fox News
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: State lawmakers, companies prepare to push back against DEI, 'woke'
initiatives: experts, by Jamie Joseph.

Daily Wire
<[link removed]>
: Backed By Millions In Liberal Dark Money, Group Teaches Climate Activists To
‘Talk Like a Human,’ by Ashe Schow.

National Review
<[link removed]>
: U.S. Service Academies Must End Race-Based Admissions, by Sen. Todd Young.

Washington Free Beacon
<[link removed]>
: Biden-Harris Admin Races To Dish Out $25 Billion for Green Energy Before
Trump Takes Office, Sparking Fraud Fears, by Thomas Catenacci.

Financial Times
<[link removed]>: The
Northvolt dilemma: can European EVs avoid relying on Asian batteries? by Kana
Inagaki.

Fox News
<[link removed]>
: Ohio congressman vying to replace JD Vance in the Senate says Trump's agenda
must be priority on 'Day One,' by Danielle Wallace.





****




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