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Rep. Troy Downing with a Veterans Day call to service, Rep. Zach Nunn on how the Schumer Shutdown devastated the Midwest, and more
Rep. Ben Cline fact checks his Democratic neighbor, Democrats flee when asked about Mamdani, and more!
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November 11th, 2025
Let’s dive in.
INTERVIEW: Rep. Troy Downing’s Veterans Day message: “Service is a noble act”
INTERVIEW: Rep. Zach Nunn on the harms of the “catastrophic” Schumer Shutdown and how Trump’s Asia trip is helping the Midwest
Heard on the Hill
EXCLUSIVE: Zohran Mamdani’s win silences House Democrats and Democratic candidates
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Troy Downing rolls out legislation to require national cemeteries to remain open on federal holidays
SCOOP: Rep. Zach Nunn highlights the Iowa impact of the Democrats’ shutdown
SCOOP: Rep. Ben Cline weighs in on sign wars with his Democratic colleague
SCOOP: House Republicans roll out video series to commemorate Veterans Day
OPINIONATED: Rep. Jeb Hensarling on why raising the FDIC cap is a threat to economy and Coalter Baker on how to avoid a Jamaica-style disaster in America
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INTERVIEW: Rep. Troy Downing’s Veterans Day message: “Service is a noble act”
by Matthew Foldi
Rep. Troy Downing’s (R., Mont.) path to military service was unconventional, to say the least. Downing, born as the “product of an unplanned pregnancy of an unwed teenage mom” went on to have an extraordinarily successful career in business — but the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, changed his life forever.
“When September 11th hit and this nation was under attack, it made me think: what have I ever done to deserve this country?” Downing asked during an interview with the Washington Reporter shortly before Veterans Day. “This country is one of the few places you can be the product of an unplanned pregnancy of an unwed teenage mom, without family money, without family connections, and be as successful as I was, and I needed to feel like I deserved it.”
Following the Islamic terrorist attacks, his “initial reaction was, I wasn’t sure how to serve, and after a couple of days of thinking about it, I came to conclusion that I needed to serve. I needed to be part of the solution of these terrorists attacking this country that had been so good to me. And so I walked into a recruiter’s office, and I was not prior military, and I had very little knowledge of how it worked or what I was getting into, and I told the recruiter, ‘I used to teach at New York University. I’ve got a pilot’s license. What can you do with me?’ And the recruiter looked me in the eye and said, ‘how old are you?’ And I said, ‘34,’ and he went, ‘good, 35 is the cutoff.’”
Downing, who had no prior military training, reported to boot camp as the “oldest man” there, but emerged as an honor grad, and then he “deployed every time they asked me: I deployed twice to Afghanistan, during Operation Enduring Freedom.”
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INTERVIEW: Rep. Zach Nunn on the harms of the “catastrophic” Schumer Shutdown and how Trump’s Asia trip is helping the Midwest
by Matthew Foldi
While the Schumer Shutdown has devastated Americans across the country, Rep. Zach Nunn (R., Iowa) has spent the past few weeks meeting with constituents who have been devastated by what he categorized as the Democrats’ “partisan, extreme primary politics” that have ground America to a halt.
The Washington Reporter previously covered Nunn’s latest tour of Iowa’s 3rd District; now Nunn, in his latest interview with the Reporter, shared his thoughts on how Democrats are abandoning their roots in states like Iowa and how President Donald Trump scored a major win for farmers, manufacturers, and rural Americans during his most recent trip to Asia.
Nunn, a self-described “common sense conservative” who represents one of the most competitive districts in America, painted a bleak picture of how the Schumer Shutdown has devastated districts like his.
The “harvest is ongoing. The Department of Agriculture’s offices are closed. We’ve got guys who are having their hardest farm year ever, and it’s coming on the back of the fact that the president has gone above and beyond to try and open up new markets, particularly in Asia, for things like soybeans, corn, and beef. All good news.”
Heard on the Hill
HE TOLD YOU SO: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) voted against the legislation that will reopen the government. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) predicted this to us in his most recent interview we did with him. “I would be very surprised in the end, when the government opens up, if he’s one of the votes to open it,” Thune told the Washington Reporter about his counterpart.
MAHA WIN: President Donald Trump’s leadership drove a huge price cut for Amgen’s Repatha, now just $8 a day on AmgenNow and heading to TrumpRx.gov. Millions of Americans are poised to benefit from this cardiovascular therapy.
GEAR SHIFT: General Motors (GM) just graduated its 99th veteran out of its Shifting Gears program in Fort Hood. This GM course provides outgoing soldiers with the skills needed to become auto technicians, like diagnosing, repairing and maintaining vehicles. This program fills a need for both veterans, many of whom do not have jobs lined up after they leave the military, and for the U.S. economy, which is short almost 40,000 trained technicians every year.
SPECIAL GUEST: Ambassador Richard Grenell was the highly-touted special guest conductor at the National Symphony Orchestra on Friday. The Kennedy Center kicked off a fundraising drive where the winner will conduct the orchestra for a song.
MUST READ: CQ Roll Call published a must-read profile of Sen. Tim Scott (R., S.C.), focusing on the Banking Committee chairman’s lifelong commitment to expanding economic opportunity and financial access for hardworking Americans. Read highlights here.
THANKS FOR READING: Baptist News picked up our recent interview with CUFI Action’s Sandra Hagee Parker, specifically on her rejection of “replacement theology.” Read their story in full here.
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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: Zohran Mamdani’s win silences House Democrats and Democratic candidates
by Matthew Foldi
Zohran Mamdani’s convincing win in the New York City mayoral election is great news for the city’s Democratic Socialists of America chapter, but House Democrats and Democratic candidates are already struggling to respond to charges that the socialist Mamdani is the leader of their party.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) compiled a series of videos, obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, of Democratic candidates and lawmakers outside the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) new candidate week in Washington, D.C.
Democrats of all stripes running across the country had nothing to say when asked if they would support Mamdani, if they want his support, or if they think he is the future of their party. In one case, James Osyf, who is running against Rep. Jen Kiggans (R., Va.), was physically pushed into the building when he was asked if he will “condemn Zohran Mamdani.”
For some Democrats, like Beth Davidson, Mamdani’s win happened in their backyard. Davidson is running in a crowded primary to take on Rep. Mike Lawler (R., N.Y.), but she had no answer when asked if she is “happy that Mamdani is now leading New York.”
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Troy Downing rolls out legislation to require national cemeteries to remain open on federal holidays
by Matthew Foldi
In advance of Veterans’ Day, Rep. Troy Downing is unveiling legislation, obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter that will allow veterans to access national cemeteries on federal holidays like Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day.
Downing’s legislation, called the National Cemetery Access Act, would require national cemeteries to remain open during federal holidays. In Downing’s own district, for example, Custer National Cemetery at the site of the Battle of Little Bighorn was closed on Memorial Day.
Downing himself has spoken with the Reporter about his unorthodox path to military services. Hours after the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks, he walked into a recruitment office and joined the military, ultimately serving multiple tours in Afghanistan.
SCOOP: Rep. Zach Nunn highlights the Iowa impact of the Democrats’ shutdown
by Matthew Foldi
For much of his time in Congress, Rep. Zach Nunn (R., Iowa) has been on a “quest to turn DC into Des Moines.” But, as the Schumer Shutdown entered its second month, Nunn had no choice but to bring the government to his constituents.
In his latest district-wide trip, the details of which were obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, Nunn met with industry leaders in public safety, education, agriculture, and more — and finished the tour with a clear message that Republicans and Democrats need to work together to open the government back up.
“Senate Democrats just broke Washington’s record for dysfunction,” Nunn explained. “As we hit the longest shutdown in American history, I spent the day with Iowa farmers, veterans, small business owners, families, and volunteers stepping up to fill the gap. Across the board, the message was clear: stop the political games and open the government.”
Nunn kicked his tour off by meeting with Iowa’s Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig at Heartland Co-Op’s Avon facility in Carlisle. The duo was joined by Co-Op CEO Tim Hauschel and producers from across central Iowa, and they covered how the Schumer Shutdown is compounding the stresses they already have from harvesting season.
A message from our sponsor.
 |
The App Store “Freedom” Act poses a cybersecurity risk.
Sideloading insecure apps creates vulnerabilities that bad actors can exploit. It would break tools parents use to control what apps kids are able to download.
Tell Congress to protect children and ensure parents can choose a secure smartphone experience by voting NO.
SCOOP: Rep. Ben Cline weighs in on sign wars with his Democratic colleague
by Matthew Foldi
Rep. Ben Cline (R., Va.) is fact-checking his colleague down the hall and across the aisle, who is falsely claiming that House Republicans have done “nothing” to help working families.
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D., Fla.), who is perhaps best-known for self-funding her campaign to the tune of millions of dollars that led to the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) referring her to the Department of Justice, put up the sign in question.
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However, her office neighbor, Rep. Ben Cline (R., Va.) decided to fact check her claim with signs of his own that told the truth. Cline’s response sign includes just some of what House Republicans have delivered for working families.
SCOOP: House Republicans roll out video series to commemorate Veterans Day
by Matthew Foldi
In advance of Veterans Day, the House GOP rolled out a series of videos, obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, featuring Republican veterans-turned-lawmakers who gave their messages to America’s veterans, past, present, and future.
In one video, recorded by Rep. Don Bacon (R., Neb.), the Air Force general thanked the “one percent that defend our country. And I thank also the five percent who are veterans who wore the uniform in the past, and still do great things for our country.”
Joining Bacon in recording message to veterans were Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R., Fla.), Rich McCormick (R., Ga.), and Joe Wilson (R., S.C.), who have decades of distinguished military service between them.
In her message, Luna notes that she and her husband are both Air Force veterans who “understand firsthand the issues that are facing our community.”
OPINIONATED
Op-Ed: Rep. Jeb Hensarling: Why raising the FDIC cap is a threat to economy
by Rep. Jeb Hensarling
Legislation was introduced in the U.S. Senate last month that would raise the federal deposit insurance limit on non-interest-bearing transaction bank accounts (accounts typically used by businesses) from $250,000 to $10 million — that’s a whopping 4,000 percent jump.
Many mid-size and regional banks argue that this drastic move is necessary because they have been put at a competitive disadvantage due to the regrettable implicit federal guarantee backstopping the so called Too Big to Fail (TBTF) money center banks. The measurable deposit flight that took place after the failures of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature, and First Republic in 2023 is strong evidence that they may be right.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has now indicated he supports efforts to raise the limits. He shouldn’t. It’s a bad idea for both taxpayers and the economy and is fraught with moral hazard.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was born out of the Great Depression when over 9,000 banks failed due to massive runs. To restore confidence in the banking system, federal deposit insurance was instituted in 1934 on member bank accounts up to $2,500. This would equate to $58,000 today as adjusted for inflation. At the time even New Deal architect President Franklin Roosevelt expressed concerns regarding the new program stating “we do not wish to make the United States government liable for the mistakes and errors of individual banks and put a premium on unsound banking in the future.” Regardless of what good may have been done in the moment, FDR’s fears have indeed been realized.
Op-Ed: Coalter Baker: Jamaica’s disaster could have happened here. President Trump is the only one who can protect the Texas Energy Metroplex from the next Category 5 hurricane
by Coalter Baker
Hurricane Melissa slammed into Jamaica as a historic Category 5 storm with 185 mph winds. It was the strongest hurricane ever to hit the island, causing catastrophic damage. At least 19 people have died, and thousands remain in shelters amid widespread infrastructure collapse and communication blackouts. The storm’s slow pace brought rainfall rivaling Hurricane Harvey, raising alarms about the potential for similar devastation along the U.S. Gulf Coast.
President Donald Trump recently renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, and now his own Gulf of America coastline needs help to prevent the next Hurricane Melissa or Hurricane Katrina from striking. If a hurricane of Melissa’s strength came through the Port of Houston, we would take a direct hit in the heart of our nation’s oil and gas energy metroplex. Damages and economic losses from a hit like Melissa could climb into the multi-billions of dollars within days.
Most people don’t know that 80 percent of the nation’s military-grade fuel, 30 percent of the nation’s gasoline, and a quarter of the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve are all right here off the coast of Houston. Our ship channel generates almost $1 trillion in economic benefits and supports 3.4 million jobs.
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About the Washington Reporter
We created the Washington Reporter to give Republicans in Congress an outlet for insights to help you succeed, and to cover the toughest policy fights that don't get the attention they deserve.
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