November 8th, 2025

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Let’s dive in.

1. INTERVIEW: House Intel Chairman Rick Crawford explains why Trump, Hegseth, and Rubio striking Venezuelan drug boats is America First

2. INTERVIEW: CUFI Action Fund’s Sandra Hagee Parker explains why supporting Israel is grounded in Christianity

3. Heard on the Hill

4. EDITORIAL: Why President Trump ending Biden’s Direct File is a “great win for everyone”

5. EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Tom Cotton wants FDA to fast-track American e-cigarettes amidst crackdown on illicit Chinese vapes

6. EXCLUSIVE: House Democrats’ offices are closed and locked despite Hakeem Jeffries attacking House GOP for “vacation”

7. EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Bryan Steil leads legislation to pay Capitol Police during shutdown

8. SCOOP: Homeland Security Chairman outlines “increased risk” of air travel due to Schumer Shutdown

9. SCOOP: Five takeaways from Treasury’s “costly catastrophe” experiment with Direct File

10. SCOOP: Rep. Jimmy Patronis blasts Democrats for “political stunt” after Washington Reporter expose on how many Democrats’ offices are closed

11. SCOOP: How the Kennedy Center used visual arts to bear witness to the horrors of October 7th

12. OPINIONATED: Saul Anuzis on why Rep. Bruce Westerman’s SPEED Act is great policy, S.C. Legoni on why anti-Semitism is a problem that concerns everyone

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INTERVIEW: House Intel Chairman Rick Crawford explains why Trump, Hegseth, and Rubio striking Venezuelan drug boats is America First

by Matthew Foldi

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio came to the Hill this week to brief top lawmakers in both parties about the drone strikes that the Trump administration is carrying out against Venezuelan drug boats.

Rep. Rick Crawford (R., Ark.), the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, was in the room, and in an interview with the Washington Reporter, he explained what he learned — without leaking classified information, as former-Rep. Adam Schiff was wont to do — as well as how these strikes fit in with an America First foreign policy.

The drug boats, Crawford argued, “threaten[] us geopolitically in the region, but also threaten[] the homeland with regard to the introduction of narcotics and human trafficking and other criminal enterprises associated with narco trafficking, drug trafficking organizations.”

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INTERVIEW: CUFI Action Fund’s Sandra Hagee Parker explains why supporting Israel is grounded in Christianity

by the Washington Reporter

The Washington Reporter has been following the debate on the right over U.S. support for Israel. Our editorial position is unequivocal: Israel is an ally, Israel’s enemies are our enemies, and a strong U.S.-Israel relationship is in our national security interest.

We decided to ask our friends at Christians United for Israel (CUFI), a deeply-respected group for Christians who believe God’s Abrahamic covenant endures, to explain the theological argument for why believers should back a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.

We appreciate CUFI and Sandra Hagee Parker’s thoughtful answers below.

Washington Reporter:

Can you tell us about your role and how you ended up at CUFI’s Action Fund?

Sandra Hagee Parker

CUFI began in 2006, and with its exponential growth, it became clear that we needed a full-time team in Washington, D.C. to ensure that our members and their issues were well represented year-round, at both the state and federal levels. We achieved that goal in 2015 when we opened the CUFI Action Fund.

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Heard on the Hill

• WALMART DELIVERS: President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans praised Walmart for offering customers a Thanksgiving meal at 25 percent less than last year’s cost. A Hill source told us that “affordability is the number one campaign issue. We have more to do. But good for Walmart for delivering the lower prices Americans want.”

• HEALTH CARE WIN: President Donald Trump just announced that the “two world’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturers, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, have agreed to offer their most popular GLP-1 weight loss drug…at drastic discounts.”

• A BITE AT THE APPLE: An Apple spokesperson told the Washington Reporter how the company views recent legislation introduced by Rep. Kat Cammack (R., Fla.), which Cammack claims would roll back some of the power that Apple and Google have on app stores. “Apple is deeply committed to kids’ online safety, which is why we support efforts to pass meaningful child safety legislation in Congress and continue to create powerful tools to help parents protect their children online,” the spokesperson said. “The App Store Freedom Act would have the opposite impact, undermining kids’ online safety while also stifling competition and eroding privacy and security protections for consumers. Apple will continue to prioritize kids’ safety online, as well as advocate to protect American innovation and the best interests of users and developers who rely upon the App Store.”

• FAILED STUNT: Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D., Ariz.) set up a protest display outside of Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R., La.) office, only to be removed. As the Washington Reporter previously reported, Ansari’s office was locked and closed this week.

• UBER ACT: Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R., Ala.) introduced the Understanding Basic English Requirements (UBER) Act, which requires drivers participating in rideshare applications that receive government contracts to be proficient in English

• NEW MOVES: Former Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R., Ohio) is joining CGCN as a strategic partner.

• SPOOKY SPOTTED: Political Halloween costumes were aplenty at a Halloween party hosted by CJ Pearson. The consensus best costume belonged to White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf, who dressed up as a member of the East Wing’s demolition crew. Among those in attendance were Grace Newton, Hannah Eddins, Victoria Garrastacho, Matthew Foldi, Victoria Churchill, Parker Armstrong, Greg Price, Veronica Snell, David Bader, Vikram Prasad, Peter Finocchio, Samantha Feigelson, Maura Schlee, Ali McDaniel, and Rick Ross.

• HAPPY BIRTHDAYS! Serena Pfeiffer, Talia Katz, James Dobson, and Marlon Bateman all turned another year older — and hopefully wiser — this week. Our best to them all.

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EDITORIAL: Why President Trump ending Biden’s Direct File is a “great win for everyone”

by the Washington Reporter

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the end of the deeply-controversial Biden-era IRS Direct File program that has long been under fire from both Republicans and from good government organizations.

This move is both great policy and great politics for the Trump administration. For over a year, our sources on and off the Hill have blasted Direct File as an unconstitutional power grab by a power-hungry Biden administration, and the administration is giving both taxpayers and conservatives more broadly a huge win at a critical juncture.

According to the Department of the Treasury itself, the Direct File program was expensive, unnecessary, and the costs could have skyrocketed even further. A source close to the Trump administration told the Washington Reporter that “President Trump knew that Direct File was an Elizabeth Warren scheme meant to force Americans to trust the IRS to be the tax preparer as well as the tax auditor. This is a great win for everyone except the left-wing consultants that got rich off this racket.”

From the day Direct File was proposed, Republicans blasted it as a blatant overreach. The Reporter documented GOP concerns for over a year, noting that lawmakers viewed the program as “nothing more than an excuse to supercharge the IRS at great cost to taxpayers.”

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EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Tom Cotton wants FDA to fast-track American e-cigarettes amidst crackdown on illicit Chinese vapes

by Matthew Foldi

Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.), one of the Senate’s leading opponents of the illicit flood of Chinese e-cigarettes into America, wants the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to both “further curb distribution of illicit Chinese e-cigarettes” while also “increas[ing] the number of regulated American products available in the U.S. market.”

Cotton’s letter to FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, follows a series of Trump-era successes on curbing the flood of dangerous vapes from China. Cotton commends, for example, the “recent Trump administration actions…[including the announcement of] the seizure of more than 2.1 million Chinese e-cigarette products across seven states. FDA also announced the seizure of 4.7 million units valued at $86.5 million, the largest ever seizure of its kind.”

But, Cotton noted, “more must be done.” He wants the FDA to “increase the number of regulated, legal, American products available to consumers…Only when adult consumers have legal, regulated, and satisfactory alternatives available in the American marketplace will the market demand for illicit Chinese products disappear.”

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EXCLUSIVE: House Democrats’ offices are closed and locked despite Hakeem Jeffries attacking House GOP for “vacation”

by Matthew Foldi

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) blasted House Republicans yesterday for going on what he described as a “vacation.” The Republicans’ antics, he said, made him “sick.”

However, it is House Democrats who appear to be out to lunch, on Election Day in particular, according to photos and videos obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter.

Democrats, including ones running for election today, closed their offices, sending a message to any constituent who would need them in Washington, D.C. that they are not able to help them.

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A message from our sponsor.

President Trump promised to protect Medicare for seniors — but the No UPCODE Act would cut Medicare Advantage by billions of dollars. This after cuts from the previous administration have already reduced benefits and increased costs for millions of beneficiaries. Protect seniors. Stop the No UPCODE Act.

EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Bryan Steil leads legislation to pay Capitol Police during shutdown

by Matthew Foldi

While the government shutdown drags on, Rep. Bryan Steil (R., Wis.) is working to ensure that the Capitol Police officers who protect visitors, staff, and even Democrat leaders like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.),finally have their pay restored.

Steil, who previously explained to the Washington Reporter why Senate Democrats are to blame for Capitol Police missing multiple paychecks, is rolling out new legislation, obtained exclusively by the Reporter, to restore pay to those officers.

Steil’s Pay Our Capitol Police Act is a straightforward piece of legislation. As Chairman of the Committee on House Administration, Steil oversees the Capitol Police, who are poised to miss a third paycheck at the end of this week. His bill, if passed, would apply retroactively to October 1st, 2025 — the first day of the Schumer Shutdown.

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SCOOP: Homeland Security Chairman outlines “increased risk” of air travel due to Schumer Shutdown

by Matthew Foldi

Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R., N.Y.), the Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, explained to the Washington Reporter how his home state senator’s ongoing shutdown is causing an “increased risk amid an evolving threat landscape.”

While Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) continues his historic obstruction, Garbarino painted a bleak portrait of what America’s airports look like — and laid the blame squarely at the feet of Schumer and his fellow Senate Democrats.

“By refusing to pass the House’s continuing resolution, Senate Democrats are forcing dedicated TSA and FAA personnel to work without pay, putting additional stress on this frontline workforce and causing lengthy delays at major airports, like Newark,” Garbarino told the Reporter. “Even worse, every minute this shutdown continues, it is undermining these professionals’ homeland security missions and putting the traveling public — and our airspace — at increased risk amid an evolving threat landscape. As we near the busy holiday season, it is vital for Congress to know the extent of these operational impacts and for my Senate Democrat colleagues to see the dangerous cost of prolonging this shutdown.”

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SCOOP: Five takeaways from Treasury’s “costly catastrophe” experiment with Direct File

by Matthew Foldi

A new Treasury Department report gives credence to what conservative leaders like Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) said all along: President Joe Biden’s IRS “Direct File” experiment was costly and failed to deliver on its promises. Here are five takeaways from Treasury’s report that was made public yesterday:

1. Virtually no one used it: Fewer than 0.5 percent of all taxpayers tried it. In the pilot states, usage was 0.3 percent. Our Hill sources tell us that even the program’s harshest critics assumed that far more taxpayers would at least try it.

2. The cost was massive: The IRS spent at least $225 per return in its first year and $138 per return in 2024. And the Treasury report suggests the real cost, counting for all personnel time, may be magnitudes higher than this. For comparison, taxpayers have plenty of free options to file their taxes today. Ironically enough, taxpayers will likely see higher taxes in the future to pay for the failed Direct File program.

3. Most people were ineligible: Despite all the hype, most Americans couldn’t use the program. Anyone who was self-employed or who itemized deductions was ineligible for Direct File, meaning it only worked for the simplest returns.

4. It was unpopular: Treasury took a poll and only 19 percent of taxpayers had heard of Direct File. The poll did not ask whether respondents hated the IRS power grab but we suspect if they did, many Americans would have said they do not want the IRS to act as preparer and auditor.

5. No one needs this: The IRS already partners with companies through the Free File Alliance — a program that costs taxpayers less and serves more people.

A Senate source told the Washington Reporter that their “boss opposed the program because it is a conflict of interest. The IRS wants more of your money. You shouldn’t trust it to be your tax preparer. But this report shows the program was a bigger trainwreck than we could have imagined. What on earth was the IRS thinking putting billions of dollars into this costly catastrophe? This is worse than [Biden Secretary of Transportation] Pete Buttigieg’s electric charging fiasco. This is another reminder that progressives fail at everything they do.”

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SCOOP: Rep. Jimmy Patronis blasts Democrats for “political stunt” after Washington Reporter expose on how many Democrats’ offices are closed

by Matthew Foldi

Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R., Fla.) reached out to the Washington Reporter following a report by the Reporter about how several House Democrats have closed their Washington, D.C. offices during the Schumer Shutdown to criticize his colleagues across the aisle for their “political stunt.”

The Reporter covered how Democrats, ranging from rank-and-file members like Rep. Nikema Williams (D., Ga.) to potential presidential candidates like Rep. Ro Khanna (D., Calif.) had their offices closed and locked on, for example, Election Day 2025. To Patronis, elected earlier this year in a special election, that is nothing short of “hypocrisy.”

“They claim to stand for working families, but this shutdown proves otherwise,” he said. “It’s not about healthcare or helping Americans, it’s a political stunt designed to energize their base and attack Republicans.”

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SCOOP: How the Kennedy Center used visual arts to bear witness to the horrors of October 7th

by Matthew Foldi

While the two year anniversary of the October 7th terrorist attacks has come and gone, the Kennedy Center — under the leadership of President Donald Trump and Ambassador Richard Grenell — has continued its work to remind visitors of all stripes of the horrors of that day.

For about a month, the Kennedy Center hosted an exhibit entitled Edut עֵדוּת: The Visual Testimony of October 7, in the center’s Israeli Lounge, sponsored in part by Shari Redstone’s Redstone Family Foundation. The exhibit featured art from Israeli-American artist Marc Provisor, whose son was at the Nova Music Festival on October 7th. While Provisor’s son escaped, several of his friends, including Avinatan Or were taken hostage by Palestinian terrorists for over two years.

“Everything I paint is a self-portrait,” Provisor said. “The works that you see here are based on what I personally saw,” Provisor explained of his pieces. “I hail from the security world in Israel. I started painting, actually, in 1983 during the Lebanon War, when I was serving in the IDF. For me, it was a way to process that war. I would come home and paint some of the images that I saw and it helped me work it out, because I would come home and then go back, and then come home and so on.”

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OPINIONATED

Op-Ed: Saul Anuzis: Why Rep. Bruce Westerman’s SPEED Act is needed to cut through red tape and power America’s future

by Saul Anuzis

In Washington, common sense is often in short supply. But occasionally, a bill comes along that reminds us what government can do when it gets out of the way and lets America build again. The Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act is one of those rare moments — a chance to jumpstart our economy, strengthen energy independence, and restore public faith in government competence.

Led by Rep. Bruce Westerman (R., Ark.) and advanced by the House Natural Resources Committee, the SPEED Act has begun its race through Congress with growing support from job creators, energy producers, and industry leaders. The Energy Workforce and Technology Council (EWTC), representing tens of thousands of skilled American energy workers, has praised the bill as a long-overdue fix to the bureaucratic gridlock strangling U.S. development. The legislation now awaits full consideration by the House of Representatives, where members on both sides should see it for what it is — a practical, bipartisan step toward restoring America’s capacity to build.

For decades, America’s permitting process for infrastructure, energy, and manufacturing has been buried in red tape. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), enacted with good intentions in 1970, has morphed into a tool for delay and obstruction. Instead of protecting the environment while allowing progress, NEPA reviews have turned into multi-year odysseys that drain capital, discourage innovation, and derail vital projects. It can take five, ten, even fifteen years to secure federal approval for a new energy facility or transmission line. Meanwhile, competitors in China and the Middle East move at lightning speed.

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Op-Ed: S.C. Legoni: Anti-Semitism isn’t the Jews’ problem. It’s ours.

by S.C. Legoni

It seems every few days we are shocked again by a fresh wave of antisemitism. Insane conspiracies of Jewish control. Harassment and assault of Jews at universities and on city streets. Intimidation and defamation of Jewish people online and horrific violence in real life. And with each wave comes the same question: why do people hate the Jews?

Some claim it is jealousy. Jealousy of Jews’ financial success, their educational achievements, their prominence in the arts, sciences, and business. But this explanation collapses under the weight of history. It was not wealthy financiers who were driven from pogrom-ravaged villages in Ukraine or whose families were slaughtered in Polish shtetls. The Jews of Yemen and Iraq, dirt poor, politically powerless, and often barely literate, were targets of the same homicidal rage.

The answer is more foundational, more spiritual, and far more uncomfortable to face. Antisemitism does not stem from what Jews do. It stems from what they represent. For that reason, antisemitism is not the Jews’ problem. It is ours. Antisemitism is the world’s oldest hatred. But it is also the most revealing. It tells us not about the Jews, but about ourselves.

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