January 24, 2025

In this edition

1. Interview: Rep. Jason Smith on why Congress should pass “one big, beautiful bill,” the future of Trump’s tax cuts, and holding higher education accountable

2. Heard on the Hill

3. Fact checking the attacks on Tulsi Gabbard

4. Gun groups welcome prospect of Blake Masters as ATF Director

5. Inside Conor McGregor's meeting with Gold Star Families

6. Congress praises President Donald Trump’s selection of Morgan Ortagus for top role

7. Scoop: European regulators blame President Donald Trump for antitrust delays, ignore his plans for big tech

8. Marco Rubio rolls out plan to prioritize release of American hostages

9. Op-Eds: Sen. Tommy Tuberville on how Doug Collins can rightsize the VA, Rep. Tim Moore on President Trump’s upcoming visit to North Carolina, Mayor R. Daniel Graves on why Brooke Rollins will be a champion for rural America, Brad Schimel on Biden’s commutation spree, and Laurie Buckhout on how cybersecurity fits in with DOGE

10. What we’re reading

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In our latest edition, Rep. Jason Smith lays out the case for one reconciliation package, we fact check attacks on Tulsi Gabbard, Sen. Tommy Tuberville backs Doug Collins at VA, and much more!

Interview: Rep. Jason Smith on why Congress should pass “one big, beautiful bill,” the future of Trump’s tax cuts, and holding higher education accountable

by Matthew Foldi

Rep. Jason Smith (R., Mo.), the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, predicted that the GOP would win a trifecta in 2024. But “people thought I was crazy,” he told the Washington Reporter in an interview.

Prediction in mind, the congressman and his colleagues traveled to “more than 20 different states, hearing directly from real small business owners, real family farmers, real working families, about the issues that they're facing in today's economy, and we are ready to craft the policy that addresses their needs.” He is now fully aligned with President Donald Trump in wanting “one big, beautiful [congressional reconciliation] bill.”

“It is our opportunity to deliver, to ensure we get as much possible of President Trump's agenda enacted into law as soon as possible,” he said — and he wants the Senate Republicans to get on board. “I would tell my colleagues on the other side of the building that we have the House, we have the Senate, and we have the White House because of President Trump. We have a mandate from 77 million Americans because of President Trump, and he is wasting no time delivering for the American people, and Congress should not either.”

Smith also laid out his priorities about the debt ceiling, making Trump’s tax cuts permanent, and holding colleges accountable for coddling campus anti-Semites.

FINISH reading

Heard on the Hill

• MAGA McGregor: UFC star Conor McGregor seemed to be everywhere during Trump’s inauguration weekend. The legendary fighter spent hours with Gold Star families who lost their loved ones during President Joe Biden’s failed withdrawal from Afghanistan, and was also spotted at the exclusive Starlight ball, the Commander in Chief ball, Trump’s rally at Capital One Arena, Turning Point USA’s party, Elon Musk’s party, and more, those who saw him told the Washington Reporter. McGregor also got a highly-coveted seat inside the rotunda for Trump’s inauguration itself. He had viral moments with Jon Jones, Theo Von, and the Paul brothers, in addition to joining Tucker Carlson at the Museum of the Bible where Carlson spoke extensively about the decay of Ireland. McGregor also got a coveted FaceTime session with First Lady Melania Trump.

• JPMorgan on debanking controversy: President Donald Trump called out several of the world’s largest banks for allegedly debanking conservatives. JPMorgan’s CEO, Jamie Dimon, denied this accusation a few days before Trump’s remarks. Following the latest salvo of debanking news, JPMorgan said in a statement to the Reporter that “we have never and would never close an account for political reasons, full stop. We follow the law and guidance from our regulators and have long said there are problems with the current framework that Washington must address.” Sen. Tim Scott (R., S.C.) will hold a hearing on debanking of conservatives in the near future.

• Southern charm: Scott Bessent, the South Carolinian President Donald Trump appointed to serve as Treasury Secretary, had an endearing moment with Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas) during his committee hearing in which the duo praised the conservative leadership of their states. “Senator Cornyn, I enjoyed visiting in your office, and I would note that while Texas has more arrivals due to good economic policies, South Carolina has more arrivals as a percent of the population, also driven by our wonderful governor, Henry McMaster,” he said. Cornyn told him that he’ll still “vote for your nomination,” adding that he thinks it’s “1,600 people a day in Texas.” Bessent deftly replied: “everything’s bigger in Texas, sir.”

• Newsmax on the rise: One of the most exclusive parties of the weekend was Newsmax’s, which was hosted at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium. Those spotted included Newsmax’s own Chris Ruddy, John Bachman, John Tabacco, Marisela Ramirez, Anna Laudiero, Khan Ahmadzai, as well as Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), Marco Rubio, former Reps. Alex Mooney, Marc Molinaro and Anthony D’Esposito, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Sergio Gor, Mary Walter, Ric Grenell, Lee Greenwood, Enes Kanter, Larry and Meredith O’Connor, Olivia Coleman, Mercedes Schlapp, Roma Daravi, Alex deGrasse, Chris Zeller, Seth Denson, Daniel Lippman, Matt Capp, and more.

• Harrigan’s health care rollout: Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) and Rep. Pat Harrigan (R., N.C.) are rolling out legislation that Harrigan told the Reporter will “confront[] one of the most shameful betrayals of our service members: [when] over 8,400 patriots, men and women who swore to defend this nation, had their careers destroyed, benefits ripped away, and records permanently stained,” because they did not take the COVID-19 vaccine. Their bill, the AMERICANS Act, “does what the mandate never did: it restores justice,” Harrigan added. “It reinstates careers, restores benefits, clears records, and ensures that no administration can ever weaponize mandates to punish those who defend our freedoms. This isn’t just about fixing the past: it’s about protecting the future of our military.”

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Exclusive: Fact checking the attacks on Tulsi Gabbard

by Matthew Foldi

Democrats are trying to delay and sink Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination, after President Donald Trump picked her to serve as Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

Attacks on Gabbard, who has spent decades in the military, have focused on everything from her religion, to her views on Israel and Iran, to her meeting with Bashar al-Assad. The Washington Reporter’s reviews of several of the attacks against her are below.

FINISH reading

Scoop: Gun groups welcome prospect of Blake Masters for ATF Director

by Matthew Foldi

President Donald Trump has not announced his pick to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), but a close ally of his and Vice President JD Vance’s is in the running.

Blake Masters, a Trump ally who ran for Senate and Congress in Arizona, is a favorite for the job by leading Second Amendment advocates. His proximity to Donald Trump, Jr. is a key asset, a source involved with the transition team told the Washington Reporter.

FINISH reading

A message from our sponsor.

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.

Exclusive: Inside Conor McGregor's meeting with Gold Star Families

by Matthew Foldi

World-renowned UFC fighter Conor McGregor came to Washington, D.C., this week with a mission — meet with the group of Gold Star families who invited him to President Donald Trump’s Inauguration. The Washington Reporter first reported McGregor’s visit with the Gold Star families and had exclusive access to the evening.

McGregor met the families in private and spent an evening swapping stories with them about their now-deceased children, many of whom watched McGregor’s fights. McGregor signed UFC gloves, an American flag with the names of the 13 service members killed during President Joe Biden’s failed withdrawal from Afghanistan, and more. He had a simple message for the family members. “The cream always rises,” the prize-winning fighter said.

For many of the families, the evening was an opportunity to meet the fighter who they and their kids spent hours watching.

Cheryl Jules, the aunt of Sgt. Nicole Gee (who was killed in the Abbey Gate attack), explained to McGregor how much he meant to her niece. “Nicole was a huge fan,” she said. “She went on a Navy ship and within six months became a black belt in jiu jitsu…and could deadlift 285 with a pulled hip flexor. She was a huge fan.”

FINISH reading

Congress praises President Donald Trump’s selection of Morgan Ortagus for top role

by Matthew Foldi

Morgan Ortagus, one of President Donald Trump’s top foreign policy hires, is getting rave reviews from Hill Republicans.

Ortagus, Trump’s former State Department spokeswoman, now serves as his deputy Middle East envoy under Trump’s longtime friend Steven Witkoff. Ortagus, who ran the national security-focused group Polaris, spent much of 2024 traveling America on a series of trips to the southern border and hosting national security roundtables with candidates for House and Senate — several of whom told the Washington Reporter that they are eager to see what she does next.

Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R., Pa.) told the Reporter “I love that” when he learned that Trump had tapped Ortagus for the role. Bresnahan’s border trip with Ortagus “totally changed my story, and I was able to speak from a position of authority, because I saw it with my own eyes,” he previously told the Reporter in an interview.

FINISH reading

Scoop: European regulators blame President Donald Trump for antitrust delays, ignore his big plans for big tech

by Matthew Foldi

European insiders have used President Donald Trump’s recent election to excuse delays in a series of antitrust cases against Apple, Google, and Meta.

A senior European Union (EU) diplomat familiar with the EU’s thinking said in comments to the Financial Times that European regulators’ approach to tech is “a whole new ballgame with these tech oligarchs so close to Trump.”

A spokesperson for the European Commission­­ — the EU’s top big tech regulator — was noncommittal when asked about a timeline for the antitrust cases, saying that “all of these cases” remain at the “technical level” and are not yet subject to review.

President Trump’s record on antitrust enforcement, and his plans to crack down on online censorship, haven’t lessened concerns across the Atlantic.

FINISH reading

Marco Rubio rolls out plan to prioritize release of American hostages

by Matthew Foldi

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is rolling out plans to get American hostages held in Gaza back home.

“The safety and security of U.S. citizens is the Secretary's highest priority,” Rubio laid out in a missive sent to staff. “This includes ensuring the welfare of every hostage and wrongful detainee and bringing them home to be with their loved ones.”

Donald Trump’s administration has already had success in freeing Americans held captive by terrorists. Hours after Trump’s inauguration, the Taliban announced it would release Americans Ryan Corbett and William Wallace McKenty in exchange for one Afghan.

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Op-Ed: Sen. Tommy Tuberville: The VA is broken, and Doug Collins can fix it

by Sen. Tommy Tuberville

There is clearly a substantial amount of rightsizing that needs to be conducted at the VA, and it’s going to require a secretary who is willing to drive change within the agency.

Luckily, President Donald Trump has tapped an experienced civil servant to fix the mess the Biden administration is leaving at the VA. Doug Collins is a former U.S. Congressman, long-time pastor, and current Air Force Reserve Chaplain. He’s an Iraq War veteran and continues his work at home as Chaplain at the Air Force Reserve Command. He has the work ethic and compassion to identify and meet the needs of each and every veteran.

FINISH reading

Op-Ed: Rep. Tim Moore: President Donald Trump can Make FEMA Great Again

by Rep. Tim Moore

During my first week in the office, I received a call from a young mother with four children whose FEMA hotel voucher had expired, and she didn’t know if her family would have a place to sleep that night in freezing temperatures. She explained to my staff that she called FEMA, but they had not yet determined if she still qualified for an extension because they did not have the staff to do a home check to see if her home was still uninhabitable.

My team was able to step in and contact FEMA to ensure that she would still have a place to stay, but unfortunately, this was not an isolated incident. Under the Biden-Harris administration, North Carolinians who have lost everything have fallen through the cracks.

The previous administration's misplaced priorities drained FEMA’s resources, leaving families in desperate need without the help they were promised. While FEMA's budget had been funneled toward covering the cost of failed border policies, disaster-stricken communities in Western North Carolina have been forced to fight for every ounce of aid they should have received without delay.

FINISH reading

Op-Ed: Mayor R. Daniel Graves: President Trump is listening to rural America; Brooke Rollins is the proof

by Mayor R. Daniel Graves

If one needs an example of why rural communities feel that President Donald Trump is listening, I would suggest they look no further than the nomination of our native daughter Mrs. Brooke Rollins for Secretary of Agriculture.

Surely Secretary-designate Rollins’s background, including her policy work at the highest levels of government and in private research, is indisputable. Quite frankly, even the most partisan review of her resumé and public service cannot avoid the conclusion that she is eminently qualified and capable of leading the USDA. But more importantly, what rural Americans see now is that the most critical federal agency to their community will once again be headed by someone who doesn’t just acknowledge their values, but was molded by them.

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Op-Ed: Brad Schimel: Biden’s commutations are a symptom of a dangerous agenda

by Brad Schimel

Former President Joe Biden’s commutations are a symptom of a broader problem: a dangerous ideology that has pervaded our justice system, one that prioritizes the feelings of criminals over justice for victims. Last November, the American people sent a deafening message to President Biden and the politicians who have presided over the downfall of our justice system: “enough.”

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Op-Ed: Laurie Buckhout: It might be counterintuitive, but cybersecurity could be a target of DOGE

by Laurie Buckhout

Given the harmful and persistent nature of the threats facing America, the federal government, in partnership with the private sector, must do more to assure our cyber defenses. This should be should be one of the first targets for President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — led by Elon Musk. It might seem counterintuitive to put cybersecurity at the top of the to-do list of an organization designed to cut government, but there is plenty of waste to be found.

For decades, in an effort to shore up our defenses, lawmakers and regulators at every level of government have developed a progressively duplicative and complex thatch of rules, the weight of which now creates drag on our businesses, security, and economy. This approach is not creating better outcomes and, perhaps worse, we’re all paying for it in one way or another.

FINISH reading

What we’re reading

• The Spectator: President Trump’s ‘First Hundred Hours,’ by Charles Lipson.

• Washington Free Beacon: As the Los Angeles Fires Rage, the California National Guard’s Top Wildfire Response Expert Says the Newsom Administration Fired Him Because He’s Jewish, by Andrew Kerr.

• Fox Baltimore: How George Soros used Baltimore as a 'testing ground' for liberal policies, by Patrick Hauf.

• Washington Free Beacon: Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm Spends Final Days in Office Sending Billions to Home State, Defying Inspector General, by Thomas Catenacci.

• New York Post: Hey, Anna Wintour — I dare you to put Usha Vance on the cover of Vogue, by Kirsten Fleming.