September 16th, 2025

Let’s dive in.

1. INTERVIEW: Why HUD Secretary Scott Turner and Rep. Lisa McClain want Jerome Powell to cut interest rates

2. Heard on the Hill

3. INTERVIEW: Reps. Lisa McClain and Jen Kiggans on why Schumer would own a shutdown, how to maintain the Navy's strength, and more

4. INTERVIEW: Reps. Rob Wittman and Lisa McClain on how the House GOP is lowering energy costs for Americans

5. INTERVIEW: "Never forget": Rep. John McGuire reflects on Charlie Kirk's legacy and on the 9/11 anniversary

6. SCOOP: Rep. Lisa McClain on her three roles as GOP Conference Chair, the One Big, Beautiful Bill, and more

7. OPINIONATED: Coby Lobaugh on why Charlie Kirk’s assassination feels different

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INTERVIEW: Why HUD Secretary Scott Turner and Rep. Lisa McClain want Jerome Powell to cut interest rates

by Matthew Foldi

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Rep. Lisa McClain (R., Mich.) had a joint message for Jerome Powell ahead of this week’s Federal Reserve meeting: cut interest rates.

The two policymakers partnered for HUD’s Innovative Housing Showcase, which they held on the National Mall, and both spoke with the Washington Reporter about why Powell needs to learn from their leadership and hear directly from the American people; both, in fact, invited him to tour the country with them.

“He needs to bring [interest rates] down,” Turner said. “This is not an individual thing. This is a team effort. From a fiduciary standpoint, from a monetary standpoint, from a regulatory standpoint, from a congressional standpoint, from an agency standpoint, from the president's standpoint, everybody is doing what they're supposed to be doing in order to help American people achieve the American Dream and to create housing. And so my question [to Powell] is what are you doing now? Why does it make sense for you not to bring down interest rates from a businessman’s perspective?”

McClain agreed with both Turner and with President Donald Trump, who has been pressuring Powell to lower interest rates for months.

“At the end of the day, I'm out there in the communities, and I hear from people who are thinking about buying or who want to buy, and the rates are a big deal for that,” McClain said. “It just matters. What I always tell people is that Washington bubble is real. What I would suggest is Jerome Powell might want to get out, come down from the Washington bubble and actually go and talk to average Americans on the street who are struggling with the interest rates, and who are concerned about the interest rates…We work for the people. The least we could ask is that we actually listen.”

Both McClain and Turner also laid out three-point agendas that each are working on to lower costs for Americans like their children to buy a home, which both said is a critical part of the American Dream.

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Heard on the Hill

• SCHUMER VS. SCHUMER: For years, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) has opposed government shutdowns. But Senate Republicans noted that Schumer is “in the minority and [is] feeling the heat from progressives, [and] is willing to oppose a clean continuing resolution and shut down the government.” Just last year, Schumer said that “avoiding a shutdown is very good news for the country, for our veterans, for parents and children, and for farmers and small businesses – all of whom would have felt the sting had the government shut down.” A GOP aide told the Washington Reporter that “we’re going to give them a clean CR, which Dems have advocated for in the past. Plus it will have a bunch of money for member security in there. Nothing they can claim is partisan. Will be hard for them to oppose with a straight face.”

• LAW AND ORDER ADS: Campaign sources tell us that former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democratic Party candidate for Senate in North Carolina, will face a barrage of ads over Cooper's soft-on-crime policies that led to the horrific murder of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte. Expect the ads to start this week.

• DEM LEADERS MIA: The House hosted a vigil to honor Charlie Kirk following his assassination. No top Democrats appeared. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) blamed a Steering and Policy Committee meeting, but Jerry Calengor with Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R., La.) office noted that “both [Debbie] Dingell and [Jimmy] Panetta are on Steering and Policy but managed to make it.”

• GUESS WHO’S BACK: Failed vice presidential candidate, Gov. Tim Walz (D., Minn.) announced that he will run for another term.

• PENN ON NOTICE: Rep. Pat Harrigan (R., N.C.) wants the University of Pennsylvania to fire disgraced climate activist Michael Mann, following Mann’s celebration of the assassination of Charlie Kirk. “Penn doesn’t get to hide behind statements or hand-waving,” Harrigan said. “Fire him. Make it clear that celebrating political murder disqualifies you from teaching a single American kid. If they keep him on payroll, they own every word he posted.” Will Hild, the executive director of Consumers’ Research, noted that “Penn is aware of Michael Mann's vile rhetoric attacking Charlie Kirk, but is choosing to remain silent.”

• SHOPPING SPREE: Sen. John Cornyn’s (R., Texas) campaign rolled out a microsite modeled after “Crime Stoppers” targeting his opponent in the GOP primary; the site is called “Ken Stoppers.”

• DUI DAVE MIN’S NEW NEIGHBOR: Rep. David Min (D., Calif.), a controversial lawmaker best known for a DUI arrest, posted a bizarre and false tweet about how the “Charlie Kirk assassin has been identified as MAGA,” his office neighbor, Rep. Addison McDowell (R., N.C.) posted a poster of Kirk outside his office, so that Min will see it every time he goes to work.

• KASH ON THE HILL: FBI Director Kash Patel is on the Hill this week, joining the House and Senate Judiciary Committees for hearings. Earlier today, he noted to senators that “we are on track to have the lowest murder rate in modern American history.”

• ELI LILLY EXPANSION: Eli Lilly announced plans to create 2,450 high-wage manufacturing and construction jobs outside of Richmond, Virginia. David A. Ricks, Lilly’s CEO, touted his company’s commitment to “building a secure, resilient supply chain that delivers for patients today and supports the breakthrough medicines of tomorrow.” The Reporter was first to break Lilly’s planned multi-billion dollar investment earlier this year, and Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R., Ind.) last week touted Lilly as a Hoosier success story in an interview with us.

• THANKS FOR READING: Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.) shared our full story, “EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Darrell Issa will use NDAA to expand Gold Star family access to military bases,” on his government website.

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INTERVIEW: Reps. Lisa McClain and Jen Kiggans on why Schumer would own a shutdown, how to maintain the Navy's strength, and more

by Matthew Foldi

As the federal government careens towards another funding deadline at the end of the month, Reps. Lisa McClain (R., Mich.) and Jen Kiggans (R., Va.) told the Washington Reporter that, should it happen, it is completely Sen. Chuck Schumer’s (D., N.Y.) fault.

“From the Republicans’ perspective, we are ready,” McClain explained. “We have done our work. We will continue to do our work. Tom Cole, the Appropriations Chair, has done an absolutely amazing job. And what people have to understand is that we are going to have to give and take, because we have to have 60 votes in the Senate. If the Democrats and Schumer want the Schumer shutdown again, that's going to be on them.”

Republicans “are ready, and we are at the table, willing to negotiate, to put a conservative package,” she continued. “But listen, we can't spend like we've spent in the past. We have to be better stewards of the American people’s money, and Republicans are committed to keeping the government open. I'm not sure if the Democrats are, but if this shutdown happens, it will 100 percent be a Schumer shutdown, and it'll be on the Democrats.”

For years, Kiggans has voted to avoid government shutdowns — and regularly introduces legislation to ensure that, in the event of a government shutdown, American troops still get paid. She told the Reporter that she agreed with McClain, and added that “we should fully fund the government through our budget process, but we're being very careful, because we have a $37 trillion debt right now that's not sustainable for the future of the country.”

“We need to make sure that we're spending smartly and responsibly,” Kiggans added. “I think you will see a lot of interest in maybe a short term [continuing resolution], so that gives us a little bit more time to get the actual budget passed. We know that when we just pass a longer CR, it's really hurtful for people like the defense industry, because they rely on that predictable budget, so that's what we want to give them, but it's going to take some time to get that in.”

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INTERVIEW: Reps. Rob Wittman and Lisa McClain on how the House GOP is lowering energy costs for Americans

by Matthew Foldi

GLEN ALLEN, Va. —

In New Jersey, it is illegal to pump your own gas. But when Reps. Lisa McClain (R., Mich.) and Rob Wittman (R., Va.) come to town with Americans for Prosperity (AFP), it’s unnecessary to pump — or pay for it — yourself.

McClain and Wittman teamed up with AFP for an event at a 7-Eleven to pitch the merits of the GOP’s One Big, Beautiful Bill when it comes to everything from permitting reform to energy exploration to slashing red tape.

“It’s important for us to talk to the American people who really are benefiting from the working families tax cut,” McClain told the Washington Reporter in an interview. “It's communities like this that really bring those policies to life. So whether it's seniors with no tax on tips, whether it's Rob putting almost $12,000 of money back into the American people's pockets with no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, doubling the Child Tax care credit, money for airport transportation, money for permitting reform, this is the policies coming to life. Gas prices going down, groceries going down.”

“When's the last time we heard about $8 egg prices?” McClain asked. “Nobody talks about anymore. When's the last time we heard about millions of people coming through the border illegally every day? We don't hear about anymore, because we've gotten those fixed and with the One Big, Beautiful Bill and the working families tax cuts, we are here experiencing the positives of that bill and are seeing the legislation that we brought forth come to light so you can see it.”

Wittman, for his part, laid out several provisions in the One Big, Beautiful Bill that help businesses across his district.

“First of all, it's the tax provisions in there for small businesses across the district,” he said. “In the 1st Congressional District, over 60,000 businesses file their taxes as small businesses. This bill helped them avoid what would be a $340 million tax increase. The tax rate was getting ready to go to 43.3 percent, instead it's at 20 percent for small businesses; that's a big deal.”

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INTERVIEW: "Never forget": Rep. John McGuire reflects on Charlie Kirk's legacy and on the 9/11 anniversary

by Matthew Foldi

POWHATAN, Va. —

As a Navy SEAL, Rep. John McGuire (R., Va.) knows about sacrifice, and on the 24th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, he hosted Rep. Lisa McClain (R., Mich.) — the House GOP’s Conference Chairwoman — in Virginia’s 5th District to speak with his constituents about what House Republicans are doing, particularly with the Working Families Tax Cut.

But McGuire also spoke about service and sacrifice, shouting out his brother — Louisa County Commonwealth Attorney Rusty McGuire — along with the recently-assassinated Charlie Kirk, as well as first responders and veterans.

On September 11th, 2001, McGuire immediately thought “that doesn’t look like an accident” after he saw the first plane crash into the World Trade Center. Since that terrorist attack, he said, “we've lost more Navy SEALs since 9/11 than in the history of Navy SEALs.”

“I tell people on this day,” he continued, “it's one of those days in history we can never forget, but also it's a never forget moment, but we have to live a life worthy of the sacrifice of all the first responders, law enforcement, men and women, the military….Think about Charlie Kirk being assassinated yesterday. That's another one of the never forget moments. He's an incredible young voice, and I think his voice, his message, is going to go up exponentially in our country.”

During his interview with the Washington Reporter, McGuire said that as House Republicans, “we’ve gotta work better on communicating.”

“For example, the Working Family Tax Cut,” he said, has “got no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, [and it’s a] big tax help for senior citizens. Everybody in the district always talks about how President Trump's executive orders are not permanent. We've been codifying them. I asked for a show of hands. Who knew that 28 Trump executive orders were codified in the Working Family Tax Cut? Only a few people raised their hands. I have had a lot of people say, ‘hey, thanks for telling me that.’”

While McGuire visited every county and town in his district during recess, he also traveled to Israel on a trip that he said “made me a better congressman.”

Upon his arrival to Israel, McGuire was confronted firsthand by the barbaric actions of Hamas and of other Palestinian terrorists. He laid out scenes straight from a horror movie.

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SCOOP: Rep. Lisa McClain on her three roles as GOP Conference Chair, the One Big, Beautiful Bill, and more

by Matthew Foldi

POWHATAN, Va. —

It’s no secret that most Americans don’t know what exactly the House GOP’s Conference Chair does, but Rep. Lisa McClain (R., Mich.) is working to change that.

For months, she has criss-crossed America with her GOP colleagues, learning from Americans about what they want to see more of from Washington, while also pitching the merits of the GOP’s signature legislative package of this Congress: the One Big, Beautiful Bill.

At a visit to a restaurant with Rep. John McGuire (R., Va.), McClain explained what exactly her job is.

“I see it as threefold,” she explained. “One, I believe I am the number one salesperson for the conference. It is my job to work hand in hand with the White House to deliver messaging for the Republican conference. And that's exactly what we're doing, and I think we're doing it very, very well. But it's not me, it's all of the people who work in Congress. They come back to the districts, and they bring the stories to life of the working families tax cuts or of the One Big, Beautiful Bill, there's enough in there for everybody in it.”

“Job number two,” she continued, “is to run the conference. Figure out at all of our conference meetings what we're going to talk about, what our messaging is, what our strategy is, work with leadership on what bills are going to get to the floor, what we're going to cover, and how we're going to do it. It's more on a strategic level and I work hand in hand with the White House to make sure we don't get off the rails. We need to make sure that the House, the Senate, and the White House are all rowing in the same direction, and that there is no light between us.”

“And then the last thing,” she said, is that “we need to keep our majority. Not only do we need to keep it but we need to grow it. As I was talking to some of you earlier, if we don't, it's not going to go back to the moderates; the Blue Dog Democrats are gone, they are done. It's going to go back to your leftist extremes, and we will not know what this country looks like.”

McClain told the audience that she “will take any issue on face to face,” and she did so on everything ranging from taxes to immigration to Medicaid reform.

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OPINIONATED

Op-Ed: Coby Lobaugh: Why Charlie Kirk's assassination feels so different to us

by Coby Lobaugh

Charlie Kirk’s murder shocked the nation and awakened the world to the fact that anyone, even with First Amendment protections, is not safe from harm for voicing their opinions. Kirk’s death is more devastating than a presidential assassination because it proves it can happen to anyone.

Political violence is nothing new, Americans have had a generational gap in political violence causing a tumultuous, opinionated history to fade. Realistically, we are reliving the 1960s, which saw Martin Luther King Jr., Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, President John F. Kennedy, and some of their murderers assassinated.

In 1967, the Governor of California began his inaugural address with “freedom is a fragile thing, and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction.” It appears, however, that freedom and America’s memory can only last one generation.

Our country relies on disagreements to determine her future. In the land of law and order, disagreements resulting in death are rare but not unprecedented.

Presidents Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, and Kennedy were all assassinated; similarly, presidents and candidates Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, President Donald Trump, and George Wallace have all been the targets of assassination attempts.

These politicians were generally targeted or killed owing to disagreements over policy. In these examples, their death breaks the dynamic in which the entity in charge loses the position of power and ability to control the dissenting party.

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