February 28, 2025

Let’s dive in.

1. INTERVIEW: FTC Top Cop: How FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson is laying down the law in his new job

2. READ IT: Inside Eli Lilly's $50 billion investment in America announcement

3. Heard on the Hill

4. EXCLUSIVE: Trump Ambassador to the UN Elise Stefanik blasts Barnard College anti-Semitism

5. K-STREET, 10,000 FEET: Inhaling the unknown: We don’t know what’s in the illicit vapes pushed in America by Mexican cartels and China

6. OPINIONATED: Rep. Tony Wied on how to Make America Efficient Again and Clive Fields on the future of MAHA

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In this edition, Elise Stefanik bashes anti-Semitic college students, new FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson talks about how he is the top cop on antitrust, Heard on the Hill, and more!

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INTERVIEW: FTC Top Cop: How FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson is laying down the law in his new job

by Matthew Foldi

Andrew Ferguson, the new chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), likens himself to a “cop on the beat” and a “law enforcement officer” when it comes to fighting for consumer protection in his new role, repeatedly stressing the importance of competition throughout the marketplace. During a conversation moderated by the Washington Reporter, he discussed his plans to “vigorously and aggressively” enforce antitrust laws.

Ferguson emphasized that Big Tech can both crush innovation and take over the role of big government if left unconstrained. He cautioned that “we don't want to replace a large government with giant monopolies that get to do the same thing in our economic system.” Ferguson further elaborated that “the antitrust laws don't tell us to pursue social and political power, but they do tell us to care about market power. One of the symptoms of market power is tremendous social or political power, and that should matter to the antitrust enforcers.”

Gene Burrus, the Global Policy Counsel for the Coalition for App Fairness (CAF), which sponsored the event, told the Reporter that “the monopolistic practices of Apple and Google limit consumer choice, stifle American digital innovation, and drive-up costs." Burrus added, that “their unacceptable overreach has severe consequences for the economy and deprives us of the benefits of our free-enterprise society. We need competition and consumer protection legislation that fosters a truly competitive and fair digital marketplace.”

“We applaud Chairman Ferguson's commitment to enforcing legislation that reins in Big Tech monopolies, protects consumer choice, and ensures fair competition, as unchecked market power threatens innovation and free enterprise,” Burrus added.

Ferguson’s views on antitrust amount to: bad actors will be investigated and that he wants to “get out of the way” of everyone else. “Ex ante regulation can often unintentionally, notwithstanding the best intentions of the regulator, sort of fix entrench incumbent power,” Ferguson said. “Competition is the way we avoid ever having to confront that problem.”

“At the FTC, we are going to take incredibly seriously the fact that the antitrust laws protect competition in labor markets and that the consumer protection laws protect a huge array of conduct that Americans engage in to make a living,” Ferguson said, while emphasizing that he still believes that the agency having bipartisan commissioners remains a strength, as he had told the Reporter in an interview when he was a commissioner last year.

To that end, Ferguson defended his move to follow the tougher merger review boards advanced by the Biden administration in 2023, while adding that he reserves the right to change and update them as is needed. He added that while he voted against Biden’s FTC issuing its ruling against noncompetes, he said that the FTC will launch its “labor markets task force” and said that it will focus on noncompetes; his FTC will be “on the lookout for noncompetes that violate the antitrust laws, and we’re going to do something about them.”

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Inside Eli Lilly's $50 billion investment in America announcement

by Matthew Foldi

The Trump administration rolled out the red carpet for Eli Lilly and Company this week at an event in which the health care giant announced its plans to invest tens of billions of dollars directly into America.

Eli Lilly’s CEO Dave Ricks joined Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Director of the National Economic Council Kevin Hassett, Sen. Todd Young (R., Ind.) for a Washington, D.C. announcement that his company will invest up to $50 billion, including a $27 billion new investment, in new American plants — moves the company said could create up to 13,000 jobs; the Washington Reporter first covered the company’s plans for a massive American infusion.

The move comes amidst major changes for the health care industry. “The company wrapped itself around the American flag, which is newer to the industry, which has a lot of foreign CEOs,” an attendee told the Reporter. Eli Lilly’s moves come as President Donald Trump has threatened to tariff the pharma industry if it doesn’t return onshore back to America — and Lutnick noted that moves like Lilly’s justify the tariff threats.

Ricks himself agreed, calling tariffs a stick and added that the Tax Cuts and Job Act (TCJA) serves as a significant carrot. Ricks said that the Trump tax cuts should be made permanent to allow for continued investments like these.

Following the main events, there was some discussion about the Inflation Reduction Act and about pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) policy, but only in response to questions, an attendee told the Reporter.

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HEARD ON THE HILL

• MAGMA HOT RSVP: On March 4, the Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) Forum and Project InnerSpace are hosting a conference on MAGMA, which stands for (Making America Geothermal: Modern Advances). “Geothermal House is a unique, immersive educational experience, featuring live programming, a ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’ virtual reality experience, geothermal themed food and drinks, spotlights on the movers and shakers building and funding the future of geothermal energy, and a few surprises in between,” they note. RSVP here.

• 340B PROGRAM ON LIFE SUPPORT: Senate Republicans are looking at legislation and investigations to address the fentanyl and opioid crisis, specifically whether oxycodone prescriptions are being improperly filled by hospitals through the 340B program. Expect public inquiries in the coming weeks.

• BLACKROCK DEI DROP: Blackrock recently dropped its highly-criticized “workforce representation goals” that Republicans attacked as inappropriate DEI. A Senate Republican source told the Washington Reporter that “it’s another good sign that DEI is recognized as bad policy and bad politics.”

• VIVEK CLEANING UP: Vivek Ramaswamy has already been endorsed by Donald Trump and Elon Musk in his campaign for Governor of Ohio. Now, an invitee flagged for the Washington Reporter that GOP financier Omeed Malik is hosting Ramaswamy and Donald Trump Jr. for a Palm Beach fundraiser on Sunday. The suggested contribution is $15,499.69. Read Malik’s recent interview with the Reporter here.

• TRIPLE LOYALTY? Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Ohio) is in hot water for questioning Elon Musk’s loyalty to America. “When push comes to shove, who is he going to be loyal to?” she asked at a poorly-attended press conference. “South Africa, Canada, or the United States? Remember, he’s only been a citizen for 22 years.” Remember that Kaptur has been in Congress for 42 years.

• WOKE ON NOTICE: Donald Trump Jr. just flagged “a new account [that] just launched to call out woke corporations and politicians still pushing DEI policies. Be sure to follow: @WokeWarRoom.” Follow Woke War Room here.

• EGYPTIAN CONNECTION : The next round of ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas will be held in Egypt.

• INSIDE TITLE IX DEFENSE: President Donald Trump hosted Republican attorneys general from around the country this week for a discussion about the importance of protecting women’s sports. Doug Quezada, an entrepreneur and advisor to various government leaders including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, was in the room, and he told the Washington Reporter that “President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi’s leadership in defending female sports is a marked contrast from what we saw from four years under Joe Biden; they refuse to bow to social pressures that seek to undermine their efforts to protect women. It’s a return to common sense policies.” Quezada added that “established leaders like Texas AG General Paxton who have led in this fight, and new colleagues like Utah AG Derek Brown, left this meeting more inspired than ever to continue their work on this essential issue, charging forward to preserve fairness and integrity in athletics and our communities.” We’ve got pictures from the meeting here.

• COACH ON OFFENSE: Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R., Ala.), a college football coaching legend, will be putting vulnerable Senate Democrats on defense with a series of Title IX-related votes on Monday. Tuberville is already putting Sen. Jon Ossoff (D., Ga.) on notice by tweeting a poll showing that “73% of voters in my neighboring state of Georgia do NOT want men competing in women’s sports.” Tuberville helpfully added “I hope my Georgia Senate colleagues will join me in voting for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act on Monday to protect Title IX and SAVE WOMEN’S SPORTS.”

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EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Elise Stefanik says that “Barnard College’s appeasement of the pro-Hamas anti-Semitic mob left their Jewish students at risk,” demands expulsions and prosecution

by the Washington Reporter

THE LOWDOWN:

• Barnard College saw a building overtaken by pro-Hamas students and faculty;

• Staff fled the building as the protesters filed in;

• Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump’s designate to the UN and current New York congresswoman, told the Reporter that “Barnard College’s appeasement of the pro-Hamas anti-Semitic mob left their Jewish students at risk.”

In yet another cowardly exposition of anti-Semitic behavior at Barnard College — and, by extension, Columbia University — staff were forced to flee a university building overrun by pro-terrorist students.

The Washington Reporter reached out to President Donald Trump’s United Nations Ambassador Designate Elise Stefanik about the viral video posted online showing professors leaving a building on campus that was taken over by keffiyeh-wearing students too scared to associate their faces with the Marxist movement they support.

The video showed staff fleeing the building after pro-Hamas students staged an invasion of the Barnard College facility. The pro-terrorist students also reportedly assaulted a staff member and caused thousands of dollars in damages to the school — all without consequence.

Stefanik, a current New York congresswoman, told the Reporter that “Barnard College’s appeasement of the pro-Hamas antisemitic mob left their Jewish students at risk.” When Stefanik puts a college in her crosshairs, changes soon follow. After last Congress’s viral hearings on campus anti-Semitism, several purportedly elite schools like Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania fired their top leadership, or saw them resign in disgrace.

“While these self-proclaimed terrorists forcibly took over a campus building, assaulting staff to the point of hospitalization, and spewing vile antisemitic hate,” she said.

“Barnard's leadership entertained their demands taking hours to issue a passive statement resulting in no disciplinary action and a meeting with the college president to negotiate,” Stefanik continued.

“There can be no negotiating with self-proclaimed terrorists. Any students and faculty involved must be immediately expelled, fired, and prosecuted,” she added.

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K-STREET, 10,000 FEET

Inhaling the unknown: We don’t know what’s in the illicit vapes pushed in America by Mexican cartels and China

by the Washington Reporter

THE LOWDOWN:

• One industry facing a boom in innovation right now is the tobacco industry, which has taken to the production and promotion of electronic cigarettes;

• The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the cartels reportedly working with Chinese vape manufacturers to profit off of other geographic areas they control;

• These cartels have flooded the U.S. with illicit nicotine vapes.

Vices like nicotine and alcohol are heavily regulated due to their impacts on people’s lives that can lead to addiction or even worse fates. We have these regulations after years of research and real-world observations, and we have seen the innovations taking place in these industries. One industry facing a boom in innovation right now is the tobacco industry, which has taken to the production and promotion of e-cigarettes.

While many in public health acknowledge that e-cigarettes are a better alternative to smoking cigarettes, over the past four years, China has been illegally flooding the market with these devices in conflict with state and federal regulations. These products from China evade all regulation — meaning that no one knows whats in them, how they’re made and how they’re marketed. It’s no surprise that the leading brands kids say they use today come from China — and that they come with games built in or with kid-appealing flavors like “Rainbow Cotton Candy.” And the fact that no one knows what’s in them raises serious concerns about the health impact these devices are having on Americans.

What is also concerning about the widespread practice of Chinese companies selling illegal e-cigarettes is that we see a page taken from the playbook for manufacturing and distributing fentanyl. It has been widely reported in Mexico that the e-cigarette trade in that country is being run by groups like the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which already has a long history of profiting from the sale of other illegal tobacco products. These cartels — which produce deadly opioids, including fentanyl, at the behest of China — are now reportedly working with Chinese e-cigarette companies to manufacture illicit e-cigarettes.

The Sinaloa Cartel’s “Los Chapitos” is one of the cartels reportedly working with Chinese e-cigarette manufacturers to profit off of other geographic areas they control. Mexico outlawed e-cigarettes in December 2024 but, according to major Mexican national newspaper Milenio, the Sinaloa Cartel is circumventing this ban by contracting Chinese e-cigarette manufacturer iJoy and controlling the market through brutal and deadly enforcement.

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OPINIONATED

Op-Ed: Rep. Tony Wied: How we can Make America Efficient Again

by Rep. Tony Wied

I was sent to Washington by the people of Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District with a clear mission: to reduce wasteful government spending and to get our fiscal house in order. That’s exactly why I recently introduced the Unplug the Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Programs Act. This bill would end the failed electric vehicle (EV) charging station programs from the so-called infrastructure bill, which spent $7.5 billion over three years to build just 59 charging stations nationwide.

For years, we’ve watched the federal government waste the taxpayers' hard-earned money on projects that provide little to no benefit to the American people. The Biden administration’s green energy giveaways are a prime example of this waste. Rather than focusing on unleashing American energy and making our country energy dominant, the former administration pushed forward green energy projects that yielded little to no results.

You don’t need to look any further than the Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Program to see this waste. Despite receiving a staggering $7.5 billion from American taxpayers, only 59 charging stations were built across the country. That’s nearly $130 million per charging station. This is an absurd and laughable outcome, and it’s the exact reason why Americans don’t trust the federal government with their money — and they shouldn’t.

As a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, it is my job to provide proper oversight into infrastructure spending. When I saw the lack of results from this wasteful green energy pet project, I knew I had to do something about it.

President Donald Trump and I both campaigned on the promise of rooting out waste and inefficiency in government, and the American people overwhelmingly supported that vision. They’ve made it clear that they will no longer stand by as their hard-earned money is wasted on pointless vanity projects.

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Op-Ed: Clive Fields: What does MAHA mean for America’s physicians?

by Clive Fields

With President Donald Trump’s inauguration and with the confirmation hearings for Bobby Kennedy behind us and with Mehmet Oz’s to follow, what exactly is the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement and what does it mean for America’s physicians? What is clear is what it is not — it is not a single person, a single issue, or a single idea. It is a fundamental reevaluation of and reorientation of our health care system to deliver on the promise of making America healthy again.

Americans are living shorter, less healthy lives despite spending the most on health care. It shouldn’t be taboo to ask why the system doesn’t work the way we want and why it costs so much.

A career in family medicine has made me acutely aware of the burden of chronic disease and spurred me to think about how to address it. As part of that process, I’ve spoken with policymakers, including leaders in the MAHA movement, to share my experiences and hear their plans for reform. I believe MAHA has three defining pillars: intellectually, permission to be curious and challenge the status quo; clinically, prioritization of prevention, wellness, and the management of chronic disease; and economically, a focus on outcome-based reimbursement.

Most importantly, MAHA is a movement that puts patients first, respects the trusted relationship between physicians and patients, and recognizes that health care decisions are best made in exam rooms around the country, not in the cloakrooms of Washington D.C.

As a medical student and resident, I saw the negative impacts of an environment that discouraged inquiry. My fellow students and I had questions about almost everything, but traditional medical education made it difficult to ask them. It didn’t take long to realize that agreeing with the status quo was the easiest path to success. The longer we trained, the less likely we would ask why. You knew the answer: “because that’s the way it’s done here,” or “that’s the way I did it.”

MAHA gives permission to ask questions without a forgone conclusion or fear of retribution. Why do vaccine schedules differ in Western countries: is one more effective than another? Why have autism rates increased: is it changes in diagnosis, greater recognition of sex differences in presentation, or could there be another cause? Do we need fluoride in the water now that we have fluoride in our toothpaste? Why don’t we train more primary care physicians to meet the needs of an aging population? These don’t seem like irreverent questions, and they should be answered with honesty and scientific rigor, regardless of the result. Will there be room for different interpretations? Of course. That’s what drives the next set of questions, moving science forward, not holding it back.

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