May 30, 2025

Let’s dive in.

1. EXCLUSIVE: RSC members unveil legislation to defund NPR

2. Heard on the Hill

3. EXCLUSIVE: Democratic Congressman mourns wrong victims following deranged anti-Semitic murder of Israeli embassy staff

4. EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Mark Alford rolls out legislation to prevent Iran, China, Russia, and North Korea from buying any American land

5. EXCLUSIVE: Kennedy Center sells out new family-friendly show, doubles number of screenings to meet demand

6. POLL: Near-universal support for Medicaid work requirements bolster Republicans in reconciliation fight

7. K-STREET, 10,000 FEET: Republicans slam IRS revenue rule: “Trump can fix this”

8. OPINIONATED: Rep. Andy Barr on the need for the Senate to pass the Big Beautiful Bill and Sarah Chamberlain on the truth about Medicaid reforms in reconciliation.

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EXCLUSIVE: RSC members unveil legislation to defund NPR

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• Four members of the House’s conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC) are introducing a series of bills to follow through on President Donald Trump’s moves to defund National Public Radio (NPR), the Washington Reporter can exclusively report.

• The bills, whose sponsors include Rep. Claudia Tenney (R., N.Y.), Kat Cammack (R., Fla,), Ronny Jackson (R., Texas), and Dale Strong (R., Ala.), would permanently end NPR’s federal funding.

• This series of bills represents the latest in the RSC’s Set in Stone Initiative. Under its chairman, Rep. August Pfluger (R., Texas), the group has led House Republicans in moving to codify Trump’s executive orders.

• Strong likewise emphasized the ties that his No More Funding for NPR Act has with Trump’s priorities. Strong’s bill, he said, is “common sense.”

Four members of the House’s conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC) are introducing a series of bills to follow through on President Donald Trump’s moves to defund National Public Radio (NPR), the Washington Reporter can exclusively report.

The bills, whose sponsors include Rep. Claudia Tenney (R., N.Y.), Kat Cammack (R., Fla,), Ronny Jackson (R., Texas), and Dale Strong (R., Ala.), would permanently end NPR’s federal funding.

They are the latest in a series of bills that Hill Republicans are rolling out that will codify many of the cuts that Trump wants via his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) work.

Tenney told the Reporter that she’s introducing the Defund Government-Sponsored Propaganda Act precisely because she worked as a newspaper owner and publisher.

“I understand the importance of balanced, non-partisan journalism. Unfortunately, NPR has strayed far from that standard,” Tenney said. “NPR uses American taxpayer dollars to manipulate the news, lie to the public, and promote a partisan, left-wing agenda.”

This series of bills represents the latest in the RSC’s Set in Stone Initiative. Under its chairman, Rep. August Pfluger (R., Texas), the group has led House Republicans in moving to codify Trump’s executive orders.

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Heard on the Hill

• DC’S NEXT TOP LOBBYIST: Don’t forget to nominate your friends, loved ones, respected coworkers, or that very influential lobbyist you heard of for the Washington Reporter’s list of the most influential advocates in our nation’s capital! To submit a nomination, please provide the nominee’s name, affiliation, and a brief explanation of why they deserve a spot. Submissions should be emailed to [email protected] with the subject line “NOMINATION FOR INFLUENTIAL ADVOCATE.”

• NOT SO FAST: Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), Maria Cantwell (D., Wash.), and Ben Ray Luján (D., N.M.) are demanding that President Donald Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick release the $42 billion in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding. The problem, as Sen. John Thune’s (R., S.D.) comms director Ryan Wrasse noted, is that this is “the same $42 billion Biden-created BEAD program that connected zero people to the internet under Broadband Czar Kamala Harris' leadership.”

• RAVE REVIEWS: One long time Kennedy Center insider told the Washington Reporter that the latest schedule release by the prestigious arts center is great news for anyone who loves culture in D.C. “I hear people talking about censorship and performers being canceled, this shows thats not happening,” the industry veteran said. “It’s a great symphonic season filled with amazing music.”

• YOUNG MAN? After Alleigh Marré’s organization, the American Parents Coalition, issued a Lookout warning “parents about the YMCA's guidelines prioritizing gender ideology over children's safety, the organization started deleting related webpages.” But, Marré cautioned, it looks like “the YMCA [is]...simply concealing their ongoing efforts.”

• LAWFARE ALERT: David Blackmon spotlights lawfare against Big Oil in a state you wouldn’t expect in an interesting piece well worth reading.

• CHEERS! American Beverage is touting a new report that showcases the “generational impact of uniquely American industry, [which employs] 275,000 Americans and support[s] 4.5 million jobs nationwide.” Kevin Keane, the group’s president and CEO, noted that “behind every bottle or can of your favorite beverage are American workers – truck drivers, plant operators, sales teams — who help bring our products to communities across the country.”

• ZAI JIAN: Secretary of State Marco Rubio is revoking visas “of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.”

• THANK YOU, ELON! As Elon Musk departs from his time in government, we at the Washington Reporter want to thank him for the sacrifices he’s made to expose waste, fraud, and abuse in our system. Few people have accomplished as much for the American taxpayer in as little time. Thank you, Elon.

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A message from our sponsor.

Medicaid helps keep more than 30 million children across America healthy, including nearly half of all children with special needs. These children rely on Medicaid for everything from regular checkups to life-saving surgeries.

Congress should vote against efforts to reduce Medicaid funding and instead focus on policies that strengthen access to 24/7 care.

EXCLUSIVE: Democratic Congressman mourns wrong victims following deranged anti-Semitic murder of Israeli embassy staff

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• The Washington Reporter exclusively obtained a letter written by Rep. Danny Davis (D., Ill.) to a constituent where he mourned the murders of “David Asher, an Israeli Embassy staff member, and Rachel Klein, a devoted museum volunteer.”

• The problem is that “David Asher” and “Rachel Klein” are not the names of the Israeli embassy staff who were murdered by a deranged gunman, whose name the Reporter will not publish.

• Yaron Lishinsky and Sarah Milgrim were the innocent Israeli embassy staffers who were gunned down in Washington, D.C.

• Elsewhere in his letter, Davis also “All Lives Matters” the scourge of anti-Semitism, writing that he “call[s] on every resident of the 7th Congressional District to denounce antisemitism, racism, and xenophobia wherever they appear.”

An 83-year-old Democratic congressman wrote to a constituent mourning the Israeli embassy staff who were gunned down in an anti-Semitic terrorist attack by a left-wing pro-Hamas maniac — but there was one glaring problem.

The Washington Reporter exclusively obtained a letter written by Rep. Danny Davis (D., Ill.) to a constituent where he mourned the murders of “David Asher, an Israeli Embassy staff member, and Rachel Klein, a devoted museum volunteer.”

The problem is that “David Asher” and “Rachel Klein” are not the names of the Israeli embassy staff who were murdered by a deranged gunman, whose name the Reporter will not publish.

Yaron Lishinsky and Sarah Milgrim were the innocent Israeli embassy staffers who were gunned down in Washington, D.C.

Their names are nowhere to be found in Davis’s letter to his constituent.

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EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Mark Alford rolls out legislation to prevent Iran, China, Russia, and North Korea from buying any American land

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• Rep. Mark Alford (R., Mo.) has a message to America’s adversaries in countries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea: your days of buying American land are over.

• The Washington Reporter exclusively obtained the latest version of Alford’s American Land and Property Protection Act, which orders “the President [to] take such actions as may be necessary to prohibit the purchase of public or private real estate located in the United States” by adversaries.

• Alford’s reasoning for rolling out the legislation is simple: “our foreign adversaries have no business owning American land,” he said.

• This legislation is the latest effort by Republicans to crack down on American adversaries’ influence in our nation from the land level to higher education and more.

Rep. Mark Alford (R., Mo.) has a message to America’s adversaries in countries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea: your days of buying American land are over.

The Washington Reporter exclusively obtained the latest version of Alford’s American Land and Property Protection Act, which orders “the President [to] take such actions as may be necessary to prohibit the purchase of public or private real estate located in the United States by nonresident aliens, foreign businesses, an agent, trustee, or fiduciary associated with the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the Government of the Russian Federation, the government of North Korea, the Government of Iran, and the governments of other foreign adversaries.”

Alford’s reasoning for rolling out the legislation is simple: “our foreign adversaries have no business owning American land,” he said.

“Unfortunately, we continue to see concerning reports of people associated with China and Russia continuing to purchase U.S. real estate,” Alford said. “We need real action to end these transactions once and for all.”

“The American Land and Property is a commonsense step toward protecting the homeland,” he added.

This legislation is the latest effort by Republicans to crack down on American adversaries’ influence in our nation from the land level to higher education and more.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced this week that the State Department will review visas from students from China.

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EXCLUSIVE: Kennedy Center sells out new family-friendly show, doubles number of screenings to meet demand

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• The Kennedy Center set its latest record under the leadership of President Donald Trump and of Ambassador Richard Grenell — selling out one of its latest shows in one an insider called “lightning speed,” and even adding an extra screening of the film King of Kings due to demand, the Washington Reporter can exclusively report.

• The Kennedy Center’s success in selling out its King of Kings screening follows a series of moves by Grenell to cut costs at America’s premier arts center, many of which have been exclusively confirmed by the Reporter. Grenell and Trump took over the center following years of what Grenell has called “criminal” mismanagement that left the center deep in the red.

• Jason Walton, a sponsor for the film’s screenings at the Kennedy Center, told the Reporter that “the Kennedy Center is a national treasure,” and that “it is an honor to support President Trump, Ambassador Grenell, and the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees in the shared vision to inspire and celebrate our cultural heritage at America’s performing arts center.”

• The CEO of Angel Studios explained that the film’s success “proves that when you give the audience the power to choose, they’ll elevate stories that matter and that will amplify light to families around the globe.” The Kennedy Center, Jordan Harmon added, “has the pulse on art and entertainment that is impacting our culture, and to see this film celebrated there is a victory for faith, family, and the future of storytelling.”

The Kennedy Center set its latest record under the leadership of President Donald Trump and of Ambassador Richard Grenell — selling out one of its latest shows in one an insider called “lightning speed,” and even adding an extra screening of the film King of Kings due to demand, the Washington Reporter can exclusively report.

“King of Kings sold out in less than a week and so we added a second showing,” Grenell told the Reporter. “The studio was elated with the demand. It simply reinforces what we already knew coming into the Kennedy Center: Traditional programming is very popular and will be the reason people keep coming to the Kennedy Center.”

The Kennedy Center’s success in selling out its King of Kings screening follows a series of moves by Grenell to cut costs at America’s premier arts center, many of which have been exclusively confirmed by the Reporter. Grenell and Trump took over the center following years of what Grenell has called “criminal” mismanagement that left the center deep in the red.

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POLL: Near-universal support for Medicaid work requirements bolster Republicans in reconciliation fight

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• Democrats and their allies in the media, however, have been trying to use Republicans’ plans to reform Medicaid against them. However, polling suggests that Republicans, even in potentially competitive districts, are on firm political ground.

• In a warning sign for Democrats, only 34 percent of voters surveyed agreed with Paragon’s categorization of the policy favored by many elected Democrats.

• Despite the polling advantage that Republicans have on Medicaid work requirements, liberal reporters are working hand-in-glove with Democrats to try and sink the GOP on this issue.

• Rep. Gabe Evans (R., Colo.), who faces a divisive Democratic primary to take him on next year, represents a district where Paragon’s polling found that 65 percent of voters, including a whopping 68 percent of independent voters, support “making Medicaid eligibility for able-bodied adults with no young children at home contingent on working, training, or volunteering at least 20 hours per week.”

After months of drama, House Republicans narrowly passed the first version of the Big, Beautiful Bill.

The signature piece of legislation that Republicans will use to secure legislative wins on everything from tax cuts to health care made it through the House after much deliberation.

Democrats and their allies in the media, however, have been trying to use Republicans’ plans to reform Medicaid against them. However, polling suggests that Republicans, even in potentially competitive districts, are on firm political ground.

A nationwide survey from Paragon Health Institute, which interviewed 1,000 registered voters, found that majorities of voters want “government policies [to] encourage more private health insurance coverage.”

“Congress [to] focus on eliminating waste, fraud and abuse in federal health care programs,” and for the government to make “reforms to federal government health care programs to ensure they can best meet the needs of Americans now and in the future,” the survey said.

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K-STREET, 10,000 FEET:

Republicans slam IRS revenue rule: “Trump can fix this”

by the Washington Reporter

THE LOWDOWN:

• The IRS Revenue Ruling 2024-14, which was announced by the Biden administration in June of 2024 is coming under fire from Republicans, who slammed it to the Washington Reporter.

• The ruling expands use of the economic substance doctrine (ESD), which was originally codified by the Democratic-controlled Congress in 2010 with support from the Obama administration. The Biden administration’s IRS ruling weaponized the ESD by removing guardrails around its use, which has led to massive fines and compliance fees, costing the American economy billions.

• Insiders tell the Reporter that the Revenue Ruling is high on the list of priority fixes for the new Trump team to ensure it no longer undermines President Donald Trump’s pro-growth agenda.

• A person close to the Trump administration told the Reporter that “President Trump has an opportunity to fire Biden/Obama deep state officials, undermining his agenda, and end a rule that is crushing economic growth. This is a no brainer.”

The IRS Revenue Ruling 2024-14, which was announced by the Biden administration in June of 2024 is coming under fire from Republicans, who slammed it to the Washington Reporter.

The ruling expands use of the economic substance doctrine (ESD), which was originally codified by the Democratic-controlled Congress in 2010 with support from the Obama administration. The Biden administration’s IRS ruling weaponized the ESD by removing guardrails around its use, which has led to massive fines and compliance fees, costing the American economy billions.

Insiders tell the Reporter that the Revenue Ruling is high on the list of priority fixes for the new Trump team to ensure it no longer undermines President Donald Trump’s pro-growth agenda.

One former Senate GOP chief of staff told the Reporter that “there’s an urgency to revoke the Revenue Ruling now. This Biden SWAT team is dishing out absurd fines according to numerous companies I’ve spoken with. Many are afraid to speak publicly because they fear retaliation. Fines and litigation fees will cost billions. It’s undermining President Trump’s economic agenda because businesses won’t onshore only to be further punished by the IRS. The Revenue Ruling could be revoked today. This is a nightmare.”

The Reporter has also learned that the House Republicans have been privately engaging with the Trump administration to end this rule.

Adding more concern for Republicans is the fact that Holy Paz, a Biden holdover, is the commissioner of the division overseeing a special pass-through audit team created by Biden to target businesses and partnerships with this Revenue Ruling — and which has openly mocked President Trump and his supporters.

Paz was previously a key deputy to Lois Lerner, the former Obama official who targeted conservative nonprofits at the IRS. Further, Paz was accused of misleading Congress by Rep. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) at the time. Republican leaders have spoken out about her and her role in pushing weaponized rulings beyond just the Revenue Ruling, with Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) calling her continued presence at the IRS, “Deeply Disturbing.”

A person close to the Trump administration told the Reporter that “President Trump has an opportunity to fire Biden/Obama deep state officials, undermining his agenda, and end a rule that is crushing economic growth. This is a no brainer.”

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OPINIONATED

Op-Ed: Rep. Andy Barr: Why the Senate must pass President Trump's Big, Beautiful Bill

by Rep. Andy Barr

One week ago, President Donald Trump rallied House Republicans to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. I was proud to stand with him. Now, it’s the U.S. Senate’s turn. My message to U.S. Senators, especially to those from Kentucky, is simple: support President Trump, support the American people, and pass this bill.

Some votes in Congress are tough calls. This one isn’t. President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill stops the largest tax hike in American history. If the 2017 Trump tax cuts expire, Kentuckians will see their taxes rise by 24 percent — an average of nearly $1,200 per household. That’s unacceptable.

Instead of raising taxes on the American people who are still recovering from Bidenflation, this bill delivers a massive tax cut across the board. This is a pro-family, pro-growth, pro-worker bill. It raises the Child Tax Credit to historic levels, doubles the guaranteed standard deduction, and makes permanent the lower tax rates and brackets created in 2017. According to the Council of Economic Advisers, a typical family with two children would see their take-home pay rise by $13,300.

It also protects what working Americans rely on — overtime pay, tips, and deductions for car loan interest — because American workers know how to spend their hard-earned dollars better than the Washington swamp.

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Op-Ed: Sarah Chamberlain: Dispelling the left’s myth about Medicaid in the "One Big Beautiful Bill"

by Sarah Chamberlain

It’s reconciliation season, which means we’re once again being inundated with exaggerated claims and political scare tactics from the left. One of the most persistent and misleading narratives from Democrats is that President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” will “gut” Medicaid and strip millions of Americans of their healthcare. That is simply false.

The truth is that our bill reforms Medicaid to make it stronger and more sustainable. After four years of neglect under the Biden administration, the sustainability of Medicaid is at risk. Republicans are committed to fixing Medicaid and protecting the program’s integrity and public trust.

Let’s look at the facts. Medicaid has ballooned into one of the largest and least efficient government programs, covering almost 80 million people, or roughly one in four Americans. Costs are soaring, and oversight has been lacking for years. If we do not address the failures of the previous administration, the program could collapse, putting care for the truly needy at risk.

The “One Big Beautiful Bill” proposes several smart, proven reforms. One of the most important is restoring work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents, an idea with broad bipartisan support. These requirements are far from onerous, asking only 20 hours per week of work, volunteering, or job training. The bill promotes independence, restores dignity, and helps ensure that the safety net remains strong for those who truly need it.

Another key component is returning healthcare decisions to medical providers, not to unaccountable NGOs or politically connected intermediaries. Doctors, hospitals, and community clinics are on the front lines of care every day. They understand patient needs better than outside groups that often focus more on advocacy and administration than actual outcomes. This reform helps ensure that Medicaid dollars go directly to care delivery, not to overhead, bureaucracy, or activist agendas.

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