November 25th, 2025

Let’s dive in.

1. EXCLUSIVE: Attorney General Pam Bondi invites Democratic governors and mayors to partner with the Trump administration on public safety

2. Heard on the Hill

3. EXCLUSIVE: Bipartisan resolution commends Israel and Kazakhstan for Abraham Accords expansion

4. EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Tom Emmer endorses Houston Gaines for Georgia’s 10th District

5. EXCLUSIVE: Ambassador Richard Grenell responds to “unsubstantiated” accusations from Sen. Whitehouse about the Kennedy Center

6. SCOOP: Secretary Scott Turner launches HUD hotline to protect Americans in public housing

7. EXCLUSIVE: 24 House Republicans outline how the Department of Energy can prioritize more baseload energy

8. SCOOP: GOP sounds alarm that Biden IRS ruling is still on books and could be used to go after Trump Organization

9. SCOOP: Rep. Andy Barr slams European Union’s continued push of CSDDD plan

10. OPINIONATED: Brigadier General Ronald J. Johnson on why President Trump and Secretary Hegseth’s defense procurement is working, Zach Lilly on the problems with the App Store Freedom Act, Evan Swarztrauber on how federal software could get a DOGE makeover, and Saul Anuzis on the real drivers of high health care costs

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EXCLUSIVE: Attorney General Pam Bondi invites Democratic governors and mayors to partner with the Trump administration on public safety

by Matthew Foldi

MEMPHIS, Tenn. —

Attorney General Pam Bondi went to Tennessee this week with a simple message: “Make Memphis beautiful again.”

Bondi, who went to Memphis to tout the successes of President Donald Trump’s Memphis Safe Task Force, was joined by Sens. Bill Hagerty (R., Tenn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.), Gov. Bill Lee (R., Tenn.), Rep. David Kustoff (R., Tenn.), as well as by Scott Turner, the secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Gady Serralta, the director of the United States Marshals Service (USMS), Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, and Tyreece Miller, the U.S. marshal for Tennessee.

“In 2024, Memphis had the highest violent crime rate in the country,” Bondi said. “No longer, thanks to the leadership of President Trump and our dedicated men and women in law enforcement.”

The Washington Reporter was on site for Bondi’s whirlwind Memphis tour, and asked her what she wanted Democrats to glean from the Trump task force’s success.

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Heard on the Hill

• ENDING WOKE CAPITAL: Manhattan Institute’s James Copland published an op-ed in the New York Post pointing out how the big three passive investment funds have been pushing companies to embrace progressive policies — and how the SEC can fix this by encouraging passive funds to vote the same way they invest: passively. Copland’s op-ed made the rounds on the Hill, with one Senate source praising it as “a pretty simple fix to the woke business problem that doesn’t require legislation.”

• WALBERG’S LATEST: Rep. Tim Walberg (R., Mich.), the chair of the House’s Education and Workforce Committee, announced an investigation into K-12 anti-Semitism.

• GENESIS LAUNCH: Michael Kratsios, President Donald Trump’s science advisor, was at the White House this week to celebrate the launch of the Trump administration’s Genesis Mission, which the Department of Energy describes as “a national initiative to build the world’s most powerful scientific platform to accelerate discovery science, strengthen national security, and drive energy innovation.”

• HHS DELIVERS WIN FOR PATIENTS: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its new Hospital Price Transparency Rule, which experts view as an essential step to fulfilling President Trump’s commitment to ensuring price transparency across healthcare. Cynthia A. Fisher, the founder of PatientRightsAdvocates.org, explained why the move is so important: “By requiring hospitals to post actual prices in standardized, accessible formats, this rule empowers patients with financial certainty and the freedom to compare costs — driving competition and lowering prices…For five years, too many hospitals have evaded the law through obfuscation and omission. We call on Secretary Kennedy and Administrator Oz to ensure strong accountability and robust enforcement through substantial fines for executives who continue to hide prices.”

• COUNTERING TERRORISM: The Trump administration made history, designating multiple chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations. Sebastian Gorka, the Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council (NSC), explained why the decision matters. Branches of the Muslim Brotherhood, including its Egyptian offshoot, are the “progenitor of all modern Jihadists, al Qaeda, ISIS and Hamas included. As we left the Oval, President Trump explicitly instructed us to inform the World of his tectonic act.” National security experts like the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’s Mark Dubowitz, predict that “the Muslim Brotherhood Executive Order is the start, not the finish, of the [counterterrorism] and lawfare campaign against this dangerous Islamist movement.”

• AI INVESTMENT BOOM: Amazon announced plans to invest up to $50 billion to expand supercomputing infrastructure and AI usage for U.S. government agencies. As part of that move, “Amazon Web Services (AWS) will build and deploy the first-ever AI and high-performance computing (HPC) purpose-built infrastructure for the U.S. government,” the company said.

• ENERGY 101: Rep. Brett Guthrie (R., Ky.), the Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, sat with Puck for a discussion on American energy policy. Among those in attendance were Chris Russo, Victoria Garrastacho, Kristin Whitman, Mollie O’Dell, Lance West, Doug MacGillivray, Matt Gorman, Andrew Wills, Sumi Somaskanda, Matt Glassman, Jared Powell, Lauren Gillis, Kelly Hudak, Jonathan Van Buren, Kent Knutson, David Leiter, David Abadir, Alex Nason, Brielle Hopkins, and Alex Allaire.

• LEGENDARY BIRTHDAY: The Monocle, one of the go-to restaurants for senators and their staff, celebrated its 65th birthday in style, featuring a lively dance floor and take-home monocles for those in attendance. Among those spotted were Grace Newton, Hannah Eddins, Abby Mathis, Matthew Foldi, Melanie Meyers, Caleb Alford, Jesse Oney, Blake Kernen, Josie McLaurin, Brett Richards, Anderson Helton, Grace Murkowski, Trenton Hoekstra, Lauren Ashton, Luke Diel, Val Hart, and AnnaGrace Stallings.

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A message from our sponsor.

The App Store “Freedom” Act jeopardizes children online.

Forcing app stores to allow insecure software lets hackers and scammers easily target children. It breaks crucial parental controls, removing your power to approve or reject downloads and to control in-app purchases.

Tell Congress to stop this bill and protect your kids.

netchoice.org/keepyourphonesecure

EXCLUSIVE: Bipartisan resolution commends Israel and Kazakhstan for Abraham Accords expansion

by Matthew Foldi

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is lauding both Israel and Kazakhstan for the countries’ historic moves to further their historic ties, as Kazakhstan becomes the latest country to join the Trump-created Abraham Accords.

Rep. Craig Goldman (R., Texas), the co-chair of the House’s Abraham Accords Caucus, is unveiling a resolution, obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, celebrating the momentous diplomatic achievement.

The legislation “welcomes the November 6, 2025, announcement regarding the Republic of Kazakhstan’s anticipated accession to the Abraham Accords, enhancing ties between Israel and Kazakhstan”; the resolution ends with hope from the lawmakers that “this agreement could pave the way for more countries in the Middle East and beyond to join the Abraham Accords.”

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EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Tom Emmer endorses Houston Gaines for Georgia’s 10th District

by Matthew Foldi

Rep. Tom Emmer (R., Minn.) is making his latest 2026 moves, obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter: the House GOP’s Whip is moving to clear the primary in Georgia’s 10th District for state Representative Houston Gaines in Georgia’s 10th District.

The seat, which is now open due to Rep. Mike Collins (R., Ga.) running for Senate, covers northeast Georgia, and Gaines has quickly proven to be a top fundraiser; he raised over $1 million in the first two months of his campaign.

“Houston Gaines is the type of America First Conservative we need in Congress. In the state legislature, Houston has delivered results for Northeast Georgia and in Washington, he’ll do the same,” Emmer explained. “I’m proud to endorse Houston Gaines for Congress, and know he will stand with House Republicans and President Trump.”

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A message from our sponsor.

The App Store “Freedom” Act jeopardizes children online.

Forcing app stores to allow insecure software lets hackers and scammers easily target children. It breaks crucial parental controls, removing your power to approve or reject downloads and to control in-app purchases.

Tell Congress to stop this bill and protect your kids.

netchoice.org/keepyourphonesecure

EXCLUSIVE: Ambassador Richard Grenell responds to “unsubstantiated” accusations from Sen. Whitehouse about the Kennedy Center

by Matthew Foldi

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D., R.I.) wants to investigate the Kennedy Center after President Donald Trump and Ambassador Richard Grenell took it over earlier this year. Whitehouse claims that Grenell and the Kennedy Center are providing discounts to Trump loyalists — claims the Kennedy Center rebuked as “unsubstantiated.”

The Washington Reporter exclusively obtained Grenell’s response letter to Whitehouse; the Rhode Island lawmaker notified the New York Times about his investigation before Grenell saw the complaint, a Kennedy Center insider told the Reporter.

“I am concerned about your careless attacks on me and my team,” Grenell wrote to Whitehouse. “The letter you signed did not undergo basic fact-checking. It is filled with partisan attacks and false accusations. Your staff relied on anonymous sources, inaccurate gossip, and allegations from partisan reporters who never had access to the data or facts I’m happy to provide below.”

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SCOOP: Secretary Scott Turner launches HUD hotline to protect Americans in public housing

by Matthew Foldi

MEMPHIS, Tenn. —

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is launching a hotline for Americans in public housing to “report criminals [and] illegal aliens,” wreaking havoc in public housing, which should be a “sanctuary” for low-income Americans, HUD Secretary Scott Turner announced Monday.

And Americans were Turner’s clear priority during his announcement: ”illegal aliens have no place in public housing,” he said, adding that they “usurp spots” from public housing that should support the American people.

“The hotline will allow residents of public housing to have their voices heard” so their homes can be safe, he said. The hotline will aid his efforts to “clean up our public housing so they can fulfill their function” for residents.

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EXCLUSIVE: 24 House Republicans outline how the Department of Energy can prioritize more baseload energy

by Matthew Foldi

Twenty-four members of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC) want the Trump administration to prioritize more baseload energy sources to keep the lights on for American families.

Lawmakers wrote to Energy Secretary Chris Wright in a letter obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, thanking Wright and President Donald Trump for their “thoughtful leadership on energy dominance and for your commitment to strengthening America’s grid to meet the emerging power demands of data centers and artificial intelligence (AI).” They specifically appreciate Trump’s Executive Order 14154, which “terminated harmful Biden-era policies, advanced meaningful improvements in the efficiency and certainty of permitting approvals, and supported critical baseload energy projects.”

But, they want the administration to do even more. “It is crucial for the United States to harness our abundant natural resources and increase our baseload energy capacity to unlock this once-in-a-generation opportunity,” the lawmakers, led by RSC Chairman August Pfluger (R., Texas) and Rep. Troy Balderson (R., Ohio), wrote; Balderson is also the chairman of the House Energy Action Team (HEAT).

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SCOOP: GOP sounds alarm that Biden IRS ruling is still on books and could be used to go after Trump Organization

by the Washington Reporter

A controversial Biden-era IRS ruling is still active — and could become a ready-made playbook for a future Democratic administration to go after the Trump Organization and other conservative-leaning businesses, Republicans are warning.

At issue is Revenue Ruling 2024-14, a dense IRS document from June 2024 that tells auditors to use the “economic substance doctrine” to wipe out tax benefits in common partnership transactions among related companies. The IRS’s work announcing the team behind the Revenue Ruling 2024-14, the launch of the ruling, and the launch of a little-reported “complex exams” team tracks closely with the legal cases against President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization.

The IRS announced the team that would lead policy work on the Revenue Ruling on September 2023 — just a few weeks after Trump’s Fulton County mugshot was released. The actual Revenue Ruling was released in June 2024 — just weeks after Trump was convicted by a New York City jury. The IRS announced another team to focus on “complex exams” — which could include the Trump Organization — in October 2024, right before the presidential election, and shortly after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Trump’s immunity from many criminal charges, although not from the type of civil liability for the Trump Organization that the IRS could target.

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SCOOP: Rep. Andy Barr slams European Union’s continued push of CSDDD plan

by Matthew Foldi

Importing European-style regulations into the American energy space could come at a steep price for Americans, Rep. Andy Barr (R., Ky.) cautioned this week, amid reports that the European Union is moving ahead with its Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

The “last thing America wants to import from Europe is a broken regulatory system that discriminates against energy production and drives up costs,” Barr told the Washington Reporter.

CSDDD’s critics view the measure as a far-reaching climate and supply chain mandate that could drive up costs for Americans and make energy bills more expensive. In contrast with how Europe’s leaders are operating, ““President Trump is Making America Affordable Again by unleashing American energy dominance to bring down costs in the longterm,” Barr said. “We need an all of the above energy approach to win the AI race, grow jobs across industries, and prevent blackouts that have plagued big American cities that have bought into Europe’s green energy regulatory framework.”

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OPINIONATED

Op-Ed: Brig. Gen. Ronald J. Johnson: President Trump’s and Pete Hegseth’s defense procurement reform is necessary — and it’s working

by Brig. Gen. Ronald J. Johnson

As a former Marine Corps brigadier general, I’ve seen firsthand the difference that decisive leadership and streamlined processes make when the nation’s security is on the line. Under President Donald J. Trump this country has begun a real transformation of our defense procurement apparatus — one that is now gaining serious momentum under Pete Hegseth.

Together, they are unlocking the industrial backbone America needs to compete on a global scale, especially when confronting the manufacturing stronghold of China and Russia.

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Op-Ed: Zach Lilly: The App Store Freedom Act was written by Lina Khan. That’s bad news for kids’ safety.

by Zach Lilly

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is hard at work putting together a comprehensive package of legislation with the goal of improving the safety and well being of America’s children online. The final product is yet to be released, and while I don’t expect to agree with every individual piece of it, I share their goal and celebrate their commitment to good policy. As with any omnibus legislation, everyone is looking to get their legislation attached.

For example, Rep. Kat Cammack (R., Fla.) is looking to include her App Store regulation bill into the mix. There’s just one problem: the bill was originally written by socialist former Biden appointee and current Zohran Mamdani advisor Lina Khan, and it would make the internet a lot less safe for kids.

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Op-Ed: Evan Swarztrauber: Federal software needs a DOGE makeover

by Evan Swarztrauber

On day one of his second term, President Donald Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with a mandate to modernize federal information technology (IT) systems. The effort spotlighted a longstanding problem: government agencies paying too much for inefficient software that wastes taxpayer money and puts our cybersecurity at risk.

To reverse this trend, agencies must look beyond the entrenched incumbents that have long treated government contracts as an invitation to fleece the American people.

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Op-Ed: Saul Anuzis: ACA subsidies distract from the real drivers of health care costs

by Saul Anuzis

In Washington, it’s easy to get distracted by the political fight of the moment. This week, that fight is over the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) expanded subsidies — sold as a way to “lower health costs” for American families. But the truth is far different. Subsidizing insurance premiums does nothing to address the real forces driving health care spending, and Congress must stop pretending that simply throwing more taxpayer dollars at the problem is meaningful reform.

If policymakers are serious about lowering health care costs, they need to look at the facts — and the facts show clearly that prescription drugs, which always get scapegoated in hearings and campaign ads, are not the primary cost driver in the system.

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