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Goodbye to Iran’s Uranium-Bricked Road
Republicans unite behind Trump’s maximum pressure campaign on Iran, Trump’s congressional opponents seek to weaken him on foreign policy
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June 17, 2025
Let’s dive in.
INTERVIEW: Rep. Randy Fine lays out strategy for Middle East victory: "Israel needs to unleash Hell on Iran"
Heard on the Hill
INTERVIEW: Rep. Mark Harris talks Israel-Iran War, warns “Iran couldn't care less” about holy sites
INTERVIEW: Rep. Marlin Stutzman: The world “really needs to unite against” the “authoritarian-type of thought” to wipe out Israel
SCOOP: Republicans across Congress are united behind Israel following Iranian ballistic missile attacks
SCOOP: Bipartisan Trump foes in Congress oppose White House’s tough on Iran policy
K-STREET, 10,000 FEET: IRS accountability organization calls for further review of Biden-era “basis shifting” transactions rule for businesses
OPINIONATED: Mario Duarte on rescuing Americans for Israel and other conflict zones, Michael Bellaman on the taxpayer cost of PLA mandates, and Jennifer Nassour on protecting fairness and safety in girls’ sports
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INTERVIEW: Rep. Randy Fine lays out strategy for Middle East victory: "Israel needs to unleash Hell on Iran"
by Matthew Foldi
THE LOWDOWN:
As missiles fired into Jerusalem, Rep. Randy Fine (R., Fla.) spoke with the Washington Reporter about the need for “Israel to unleash Hell on Iran.”
For days, the Islamic Republic has fired hundreds of ballistic missiles at civilian targets throughout Israel, while Israel focuses its targets on the leadership of the totalitarian Iranian regime.
“This is long overdue,” Fine said. “Iran has now chosen to launch what would clearly be a genocidal attack against Israel, and I hope that Israel will respond appropriately.”
While Fine is undoubtedly hawkish on Iran, telling the Reporter that the country is run by “Muslim lunatics and western values don't fit with that,” he commended President Donald Trump for trying to negotiate with the terror-sponsoring regime.
JERUSALEM, Israel — Rep. Randy Fine (R., Fla.) is one of Congress’s newest members, but he’s made a quick impression, especially on matters of foreign policy as one of the House’s only Jewish Republicans.
Fine spoke with the Washington Reporter about the need for “Israel to unleash Hell on Iran” amidst the war raging in the Middle East.
“This is long overdue,” Fine said. “Iran has now chosen to launch what would clearly be a genocidal attack against Israel, and I hope that Israel will respond appropriately.”
For days, the Islamic Republic has fired hundreds of ballistic missiles at civilian targets throughout Israel, while Israel focuses its targets on the leadership of the totalitarian Iranian regime.
Republicans in Congress, Fine said, are uniformly behind Israel, dismissing anti-Israel chatter that’s popped up from a handful of influential voices on the online right.
“The overwhelming majority of Republicans stand with Israel and support what I'm supporting, which is defensive and supplying them with the material they need to win,” he said.
As for what Fine would like to see America do, he told the Reporter that he’d “like to see us supplying Israel with the weapons they need, and doing what we can to help shoot down these missiles.”
“We should be standing shoulder to shoulder with them and behind them to defend and supply.”
While Fine is undoubtedly hawkish on Iran, telling the Reporter that the country is run by “Muslim lunatics and western values don't fit with that,” he commended President Donald Trump for trying to negotiate with the terror-sponsoring regime.
Heard on the Hill
DHS wants BBB: A one-pager from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that’s circulating on the Hill makes the case for the Big, Beautiful Bill, noting that “if we want to continue delivering mass deportations for the American people, even in the face of future riots, the Senate must pass the Big Beautiful Bill.”
BUSTED: The American Accountability Foundation (AAF) announced a project called “Bloomberg Busted” to expose Michael Bloomberg’s funding of left-wing causes and his use of political influence for personal gain. This includes his $19 million in contributions to the Biden campaign in 2024 only months before the Biden administration proposed a sweetheart rule that would force financial institutions to adopt Bloomberg LP’s own system for identifying financial instruments.
AM YISRAEL CHAI: A new Senate GOP Conference poll distributed to Republican senators illustrates the conference’s support of Israel amid the Jewish nation’s military strikes against Iran.
APP FOR THAT: Another Democrat running for office was just detained by ICE; Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.) has a simple solution. “There should be an app so Democrats can schedule their next staged arrest by ICE,” he suggested.
CLOSER: In a huge win for Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C), his provision to close a tax loophole that benefited liberal litigation hedge funds was included in the Senate’s reconciliation package. The Tillis provision has been praised by conservatives for lowering costs for Americans.
EMPTY THREATS: As the radical Islamist regime in Iran continues to crumble under the Israeli military’s operation, Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani made a dire, but empty, threat against President Donald Trump, wildly claiming his life is now in the hands of Iran.
UNACCEPTABLE: Maura Sullivan, a Democratic candidate for Congress in New Hampshire’s 1st District, posted a photo where someone held a sign saying “86 47,” which is a reference to assassinating President Donald Trump.
TRIPLE CROWN?: Failed Democratic House candidate Christina Bohannan is planning to run against Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R., Iowa) again. The Washington Reporter’s Matthew Foldi first broke years ago that much of Bohannan’s self-proclaimed engineering experience came from an internship in Florida.
VICTORY: Congratulations to the Republican Team for, once again, dominating the Democrats in the annual Congressional Baseball Game; more importantly, thanks to everyone for donating millions of dollars to charity along the way.
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The Biden administration cut Medicare Advantage two years in a row.
Now President Trump is working to protect and strengthen it.
Seniors are counting on Congress to do the same.
Protect seniors. Protect Medicare Advantage.
INTERVIEW: Rep. Mark Harris talks Israel-Iran War, warns “Iran couldn't care less” about holy sites
by Matthew Foldi and the Washington Reporter
THE LOWDOWN:
Rep. Mark Harris (R., N.C.), a pastor-turned-politician, warned that “Iran couldn't care less” about the holy sites they are indiscriminately bombing in an interview with the Washington Reporter.
Harris caught up with the Washington Reporter’s Matthew Foldi as he weathered missile strikes on Jerusalem in a bomb shelter. The pastor pointed out that the Genesis covenant God made with Abraham itself denotes that the “land belongs to Israel.”
Harris said that Iran’s lack of respect for the holy sites in Jerusalem — which see visits paid by Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike — as well as the indiscriminate strikes on Israeli civilians is “very sad.”
Harris’s pro-Israel bona fides are unquestionable; he’s been going to the country since before the 9/11 terrorist attacks — and he also pushed back against beliefs that his Republican colleagues in Congress feel much differently.
JERUSALEM, Israel — As missile fire continues to unfurl amid the Israel-Iran War, Rep. Mark Harris (R., N.C.), a pastor-turned-politician, warned that “Iran couldn't care less” about the holy sites they are indiscriminately bombing.
Harris caught up with the Washington Reporter’s Matthew Foldi as he weathered missile strikes on Jerusalem in a bomb shelter. The pastor pointed out that the Genesis covenant God made with Abraham itself denotes that the “land belongs to Israel.”
“And God is going to restore that land to Israel,” Harris said. “I have always had that position, and have certainly taken the Bible at face value, and have taught it and proclaimed it.”
“I've traveled to Israel several times as a pastor to tour the Holy Land and to see those sites so that that would be how my biblical basis has informed my position that that land does belong to Israel, and I do believe that they they were coming back home in 1948 when everything was reestablished, and the nation began to move forward,” he continued.
Harris said that Iran’s lack of respect for the holy sites in Jerusalem — which see visits paid by Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike — as well as the indiscriminate strikes on Israeli civilians is “very sad.” He noted that Iran “is just firing these missiles and couldn’t care less about civilian lives.”
“Iran couldn't care less about the holy sites that mean so much to millions across the world. And it is very sad,” Harris said. “They're just indiscriminately striking Israeli population centers from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.”
Harris’s pro-Israel bona fides are unquestionable; he’s been going to the country since before the 9/11 terrorist attacks — and he also pushed back against beliefs that his Republican colleagues in Congress feel much differently. “Absolutely” he said, when asked if pro-Israel sentiments are shared within the caucus — and that belief translates with both Republicans and Democrats in North Carolina’s 8th District as well, he said.
INTERVIEW: Rep. Marlin Stutzman: The world “really needs to unite against” the “authoritarian-type of thought” to wipe out Israel
by Matthew Foldi and the Washington Reporter
THE LOWDOWN:
Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R., Ind.) told the Washington Reporter in an interview that America “wouldn’t stand” for a nuclear program ratcheting up in Cuba, and that Israel has “more patience with these crazy authoritarians in the Middle East than we would ever have.”
Stutzman said the love for Israel runs deep in Indiana and in America’s Heartland, where there is “a spiritual connection as well to the Israeli homeland.”
Stutzman said that while he was last in Israel, he spoke with Israeli officials who told the congressman “that there's conversations going on already with the Syrian government.”
Stutzman said there “needs to be a UAE model of education where all faiths, all backgrounds, are respected and rather than any sort of hatred, taught.”
JERUSALEM, Israel — As Israel battles its new war against the Islamic dictatorship in Iran, one voice in Congress is calling on the world to “unite against” the “authoritarian-type of thought” demanding Israel’s complete destruction.
Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R., Ind.) told the Washington Reporter in an interview that America “wouldn’t stand” for a nuclear program ratcheting up in Cuba, and that Israel has “more patience with these crazy authoritarians in the Middle East than we would ever have.”
“We would never have that sort of patience. So kudos to Israel for trying to balance all that and make it work; [America] just wouldn't put up with it,” Stutzman said. “Look what we did after 9/11. There was a strong reaction to that. So I get tired of these journalists saying ‘it is just unnecessary for Israel to be attacking Iran.’”
“Well, if they had a nuclear bomb, that would be a disaster,” Stutzman continued. The other thing I would say too as well that it shouldn't be just Israel going after this nuclear program in Iran. It should be the Saudis. It should be the Turks. It should be other countries in the region too.”
“Because if Iran has a nuclear weapon, of course, they want to wipe out Israel, but they're also going to leverage Saudi and the Turks as well,” he warned.
Stutzman said the love for Israel runs deep in Indiana and in America’s Heartland, where there is “a spiritual connection as well to the Israeli homeland.”
“Whether it's Jerusalem, or even someday, maybe Christians can visit Damascus in Syria. But there's a spiritual connection from Indiana to Israel and to Jerusalem,” Stutzman said. “That's why we believe that it's the Jews that have a right to that land. We believe also that Judea and Samaria need to be respected as Israeli land.”
Stutzman pointed out that “they’ve used the ‘West Bank’ terminology to confuse people that it's not just the West Bank that they want in Israel.”
“It's half the country. And even with Gaza, they've allowed for Palestinians to live in Gaza, trying to create peace,” he continued. “And they've just shown over and over, because of Hamas and Qatar and now of course, Iran continues to facilitate unrest and attacks on Israel because they don’t want them there.”
SCOOP: Republicans across Congress are united behind Israel following Iranian ballistic missile attacks
by Matthew Foldi
THE LOWDOWN:
During an unprecedented level of Israeli strikes on the Iranian regime in Tehran, freshman and veteran lawmakers alike from across the GOP spectrum made it clear that they want Trump to keep up the pressure.
Rep. August Pfluger (R., Texas) the chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), said that “Iran remains the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, destabilizing the Middle East through decades of proxy violence and chaos.”
On the Senate side, Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) told the Reporter “Israel is doing the world a favor. President Trump’s leadership and support for Israel has made every American safer.”
Similarly, a trio consisting of Reps. Randy Fine (R., Fla.), Marlin Stutzman (R., Ind.), and Mark Harris (R., N.C.) told the Reporter in a series of interviews why they back Trump on Iran. Other Trump allies told the Reporter that events of the last week make not only Israel and America safer, but also the entire world.
Republicans in Congress, from the Freedom Caucus to the Main Street Caucus, are united behind President Donald Trump’s maximum pressure campaign against Iran, multiple members told the Washington Reporter.
During an unprecedented level of Israeli strikes on the Iranian regime in Tehran, freshman and veteran lawmakers alike from across the GOP spectrum made it clear that they want Trump to keep up the pressure.
Rep. August Pfluger (R., Texas) the chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), said that “Iran remains the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, destabilizing the Middle East through decades of proxy violence and chaos.”
“America has zero tolerance for a nuclear-armed Iran…” Pfluger said. “As Iran escalates its aggression, America stands firmly with Israel and will defend our ally with the full force of American power.”
“The United States — especially with President Trump in the White House — is in the business of supporting friends like Israel against enemies like Iran that has so much American blood on its hands,” Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.) told the Reporter.
“The truth is, this day has been coming since I was an active duty Army officer and our commander in chief Jimmy Carter showed historic weakness to the Ayatollah and began our almost 50-year Iran crisis,” Issa added.
Issa is one of the most senior members sitting on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and has been one of Trump’s top allies in Congress. His fellow veterans in Congress explained to the Reporter how Israel’s work has already made America safer.
SCOOP: Bipartisan Trump foes in Congress oppose White House’s tough on Iran policy
by Matthew Foldi
THE LOWDOWN:
A small coalition of lawmakers like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.), and Thomas Massie (R., Ky.) plan to introduce a measure that would preemptively tie the president’s hands when it comes to dealing with the Ayatollah.
Ocasio-Cortez and Tlaib both voted to impeach Trump multiple times, and Trump recently said that Massie should be “voted out of office.” Massie’s team-up here is far from the first time that he’s working with progressive Democrats to sabotage Trump’s agenda — in 2019, he opposed Trump’s declaration of an emergency at the southern border, for example.
A Hill aide told the Reporter that “Thomas Massie, Rand Paul, and Marjorie Taylor Greene have two things in common: they hate Israel, and they’re fringe nuts that are hated by their colleagues and have no influence on the White House.”
The coalition of Democratic socialist and libertarian lawmakers stands in direct opposition to what Trump’s base wants, too. According to polling that Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) showed to Senate Republicans this week, Trump’s voters want to see American action against Iran.
President Donald Trump’s biggest opponents in Congress, some of whom voted to impeach him multiple times, and others who campaigned viciously against him in 2024, are lining up to oppose him on Iran.
A small coalition of lawmakers like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.), and Thomas Massie (R., Ky.) plan to introduce a measure that would preemptively tie the president’s hands when it comes to dealing with the Ayatollah.
The measure is doomed to fail, Hill experts told the Washington Reporter.
“This is a group of leftists and kooks,” one said. “Senate Republicans overwhelmingly back Israel and Trump’s support for Israel’s strikes. This has a zero percent chance of passing the Senate or the House.”
Ocasio-Cortez and Tlaib both voted to impeach Trump multiple times, and Trump recently said that Massie should be “voted out of office.” Massie’s team-up here is far from the first time that he’s working with progressive Democrats to sabotage Trump’s agenda — in 2019, he opposed Trump’s declaration of an emergency at the southern border, for example.
A Hill aide told the Reporter that “Thomas Massie, Rand Paul, and Marjorie Taylor Greene have two things in common: they hate Israel, and they’re fringe nuts that are hated by their colleagues and have no influence on the White House.”
This anti-Trump coalition is already leading many in Congress to reject their demands from the outset. “If AOC and Massie are a yes, that’s a good bet that I’ll be a no,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R., N.Y.), whose reelection bid was recently endorsed by Trump, noted.
K-STREET, 10,000 FEET:
IRS accountability organization calls for further review of Biden-era “basis shifting” transactions rule for businesses
by the Washington Reporter
THE LOWDOWN:
The Washington Reporter exclusively obtained AIA executive director Chuck Flint’s April 30 letter to acting IRS commissioner Michael Faulkender calling on the official to keep up oversight on the agency.
Flint noted the AIA supported the Trump administration’s Notice 2025-23, which proposed regulations to withdraw a Treasury regulation “relating to so-called partnership basis-shifting transactions.”
Flint said his organization believes that “the IRS’s review of Biden administration decisions should continue” and noted that Revenue Ruling 2024-14 “is the next logical target for review and withdrawal.”
Flint said that Revenue Ruling 2024-14 “reflected a dramatic and unsupportable change in policy” in the IRS’s “longstanding application of the economic substance doctrine” and that, after Congress codified the doctrine in 2010, the IRS “correctly recognized that it should apply only where the transaction lacked economic substance and the taxpayer was not permissibly taking advantage of tax incentives adopted by Congress.”
When most Americans hear the name of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), their minds likely go to President Ronald Reagan’s immortal words: the scariest words in the English language are, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
Those words rang especially true throughout the Biden administration, which sought to scale up the size of government, especially within the IRS. But the size and scope of the IRS is only one half of the issue — and the Alliance for IRS Accountability (AIA) is working to ensure the drumbeat of scrutiny on the Biden administration’s rules keeps going.
The Washington Reporter exclusively obtained AIA executive director Chuck Flint’s April 30 letter to acting IRS commissioner Michael Faulkender calling on the official to keep up oversight on the agency.
Flint noted the AIA supported the Trump administration’s Notice 2025-23, which proposed regulations to withdraw a Treasury regulation “relating to so-called partnership basis-shifting transactions.”
Flint also said that the Department of Treasury and IRS “properly recognized in the notice that these regulations fell squarely within the President’s deregulatory directive to revoke rules that “are based on anything other than the best reading of the underlying statutory authority or prohibition,” or that “impose undue burdens on small business and impede private enterprise and entrepreneurship.”
“As Treasury and the IRS recognized, the Basis Shifting [Transactions of Interest (TOI)] Regulations impose an improper burden on ‘many ordinary-course and tax-compliant business activities, creating costly compliance obligations and uncertainty for businesses,’” Flint wrote. “They were properly targeted for withdrawal.”
Flint said his organization believes that “the IRS’s review of Biden administration decisions should continue” and noted that Revenue Ruling 2024-14 “is the next logical target for review and withdrawal.”
OPINIONATED
Op-Ed: Mario Duarte: The quiet heroics of Project DYNAMO that rescue Americans from the fires of crisis
by Mario Duarte
In a world where missile explosions, political paralysis and increasingly destructive natural disasters rage across our news sources, Project DYNAMO emerges not just as a helping hand but as a lifeline. This 501(c)(3), whose name is less likely to trend on social media than the chaos it responds to, dedicates itself to the most fundamental mission: saving lives. When our government stalls, when commercial options are unavailable, and when families are left in terrifying limbo, Project DYNAMO acts with speed, with courage and with humility.
Our mission is simple yet immense: to rescue Americans in crisis, whether trapped in war zones, threatened by terror, or stranded by the forces of nature. And we do it quietly, without fanfare, without reimbursement (all support is donated from our generous supporters), and almost always without the certainty of safety. We do it because we cannot leave Americans behind. Our track record speaks louder than any press release, documentary appearance, social post, or speech from a podium. Over the past several years, DYNAMO has earned a reputation as the first in and last out, bringing home thousands of Americans from the most dangerous corners of the globe.
The most recent proof of this heroism is unfolding right now in the shadow of the deepening conflict between Israel and Iran. As conflict once again spirals in the Middle East, Israel finds itself under increasing threat from Iran, putting Americans in Israel in mortal danger. As missiles explode and air raid sirens scream across Tel Aviv and Haifa, many Americans — students, tourists, dual citizens and aid workers — have found themselves unable to leave. With canceled flights, overloaded embassies and a rapidly deteriorating security situation, the options for evacuation have dwindled. Into this void stepped Project DYNAMO.
Op-Ed: Michael Bellaman: Taxpayers lose as Trump PLA mandates sideline 90 percent of the construction workforce
by Michael Bellaman
On June 12, the Trump administration delivered a shocking and costly setback to taxpayers, the business community and construction workers alike by saying it will continue to enforce a discriminatory and inflationary Biden-era policy mandating project labor agreements (PLAs) on federal construction projects of $35 million or more.
This decision cannot be reconciled with the president’s statements about merit, fairness, and nondiscrimination because it inhibits fair and open competition and prioritizes special interests over taxpayers and workers. It also doubles down on an unfair, wasteful policy that inflates costs and delays critical construction projects, including those important to the defense of our country.
PLAs are project-specific collective bargaining agreements that typically require contractors to hire union workers, follow union work rules and pay into union benefit and pension plans — regardless of whether their employees are union members. For the 90 percent of the U.S. construction workforce that does not affiliate with a union, PLAs are exclusionary by design. They discourage competition, serving as a taxpayer-funded handout to politically connected labor groups.
New data from a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ 2025 study validates what ABC and its members have warned for years: PLA mandates are the most wasteful policy in military construction procurement. The government’s own study found that labor requirements increased military construction costs by 22 percent — the highest cost impact of any procurement policy analyzed — with PLAs contributing 10 percent to 50 percent to total construction costs.
These numbers translate into billions in waste. At a time when infrastructure demand is surging and federal budgets are tightening, failed Biden-era policies that increase costs and reduce capacity should be abandoned — not embraced.
Op-Ed: Jennifer Nassour: Let’s protect fairness and safety in girls’ sports
by Jennifer Nassour
As a mother, I’ve seen firsthand the drive and determination that girls bring to sports. My youngest daughter is a phenomenal soccer player who has spent countless hours training and pushing herself to achieve excellence. Nearly every weekend, we travel together for her soccer tournaments, and I know from speaking with other parents that her journey reflects a truth many parents know well: girls work hard for their wins. That’s why I believe our daughters deserve to be able to compete in a fair and safe environment.
Unfortunately in Massachusetts and many other blue states — from Washington state to Minnesota — fairness and safety in girls' sports are major concerns. Under current law, boys are allowed to compete on girls’ teams if they identify as female or if there is no equivalent boys’ team. This means my daughters — and girls across the Commonwealth — could be forced to compete against biological males in high-impact, high-stakes games.
Unfortunately, we saw the consequences of this in Minnesota just last week where a biological male led his team to a state championship in softball, pitching 35 straight innings to steal a state title from dozens of young women.
This isn’t just a matter of sportsmanship. This is a matter of safety and equity. Anyone who has spent time on the sidelines or in the stands knows that physical differences between boys and girls can’t be wished away. When girls are matched against boys on the field, court, or track, they can be placed at a real disadvantage, both competitively and physically. It’s not only unfair, but, in some cases, it’s downright dangerous.
Let me be clear: this isn’t about discrimination. It’s about acknowledging biological reality and respecting the integrity of girls’ athletics. In my home state of Massachusetts, the Protect Female Athletes bill was introduced to ensure that girls aren’t forced to compete against male athletes if they don’t believe it’s fair or feel it’s safe. This isn’t a ban on individuals from playing in sports. Instead, this bill gives athletes, parents, and coaches the ability to prioritize girls’ safety instead of facing repercussions.
What is the point of having boys’ and girls’ sports teams if boys can play in, and dominate, girls only teams?
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