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In our latest edition, we're grateful to have an interview with Rep. Tom Emmer, who spoke with us about crypto policy, the banking industry, Kamala Harris’s impact on the 2024 elections, and his work as Whip.
By: Matthew Foldi
Minnesota, a state that hasn’t voted for a Republican president since 1972, is emerging as a swing state this election. Rep. Tom Emmer (R., Minn.), the state’s highest-profile Republican and the House GOP’s Whip, is capitalizing on this moment.
Emmer discussed with the Washington Reporter his fascination with Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, the banking industry, the 2024 elections, and the possibility that his governor (Tim Walz, probable Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris’s potential running mate) could be vice president.
Although Emmer doesn’t “actually own Bitcoin,” he said, he sees the industry as the latest evolution in the battle between big-government Keynesians and free market Hayekians.
“Now the Keynesians have become the modern monetary theorists. They believe that if a central government has its own fiat currency that it controls, it can print and spend as much as it wants without any consequences,” Emmer said. Emmer previously detailed the stakes of this election with regards to cryptocurrency in a Reporter op-ed.
Do you think Congress should be proactive when it comes to regulating the crypto industry?
Matthew Foldi
Editor-in-Chief
Remember that one of the main things that was responsible for something known as the boom economy was the development of something called the Internet, right here in this country. We did not put dramatic restrictions on it, we let it grow.
In this case what the central government folks have been doing is they’ve been trying to stop these industries because they could potentially lose their power if you and I are able to live and coexist together and work on things together without needing them. You’re gonna need some form of government but not the huge centralized top-down thing that we’ve got right now.
In the future, I see this happening with or without us. What the federal government, what we should do, in Congress, is we should put in some guardrails. I think we need stablecoin legislation but I think it should be dollar-backed stable coins that can be created anywhere as long as they meet the requirements of the dollar reserve. There’s all kinds of potential.
Rep. Tom Emmer
House GOP Whip
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By: Matthew Foldi
The current Democratic administration has not taken seriously threats posed by the Chinese Community Party (CCP), a bombshell 160-page report authored by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) and obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, alleges.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has made grand announcements, but repeatedly failed to implement them,” the report, One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: A Review of U.S.-Europe Cooperation on China reads. “Worse, the administration continues to pursue counterproductive policies that weaken U.S. and allied competitiveness against China.”
The report, authored by Sen. Jim Risch (R., Idaho), the SFRC’s ranking Republican, breaks down President Joe Biden’s record on a litany of China-related issues, giving the administration, at best, a C in “addressing the implications of China’s strategic investments.” Risch, however, gave the Biden-Harris administration D or D- ratings on every other topic, which included “shaping the future of technology,” growing U.S.-Europe cooperation in Africa and in the Indo-Pacific, “defending the international trading system,” and more.
Click HERE to read more on Sen. Jim Risch’s push to counter China, and to read his full report.
By: Matthew Foldi
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R., Ark.) is investigating whether a company her administration claims has ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is buying land near Ebbing Air National Guard Base — and her leadership is leading to calls for other governors to follow suit.
Sanders’s actions follow Arkansas law, which bans “prohibited foreign-party controlled business[es]” from acquiring either public or private land in the state.
The company, 4811 S Zero Street, LLC, “may be operating in violation” of Arkansas’s anti-CCP land purchasing law, Sanders’s administration found. She requested that Attorney General Tim Griffin look into if the company has improper ties to the CCP and “if so, commence appropriate legal action.” Sanders was the first governor to kick out a CCP-owned company off of farmland in America, when she forced a CCP subsidiary to relinquish 160 acres in Arkansas. Her latest actions were first reported by the Washington Reporter.
“Communist China is America’s greatest adversary,” Sanders told the Reporter. “I won’t let them buy up land close to our military installations and spy on our nation’s defense assets.” Arkansans and China hawks lauded Sanders’s decision.
By: Matthew Foldi
Texans sent a warm welcome to Elon Musk following his decision to relocate SpaceX and X to the Lone Star State from California, per a letter Texas congressmen sent the billionaire.
Reps. Pat Fallon, John Carter, and Troy Nehls wrote in a letter first obtained by the Washington Reporter, that they “extend our hand in friendship and welcome to Texas” to Musk, whose companies had long been headquartered in California. When Gov. Gavin Newsom (D., Calif.) signed a law this month that prevents schools from adopting policies that would require teachers to inform parents when their children want to be treated as members of the opposite sex, Musk announced that “because of this law and the many others that preceded it, attacking both families and companies, SpaceX will now move its HQ from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas.”
California’s loss is Texas’s gain, the Republicans noted.
“Due to the tireless efforts of state and federal legislators, Texas is an ideal state to conduct business in. This is showcased by the many Fortune 500 companies already headquartered in our state, along with the countless small businesses that are the backbone of our local economy,” they wrote.
Click HERE to read the letter sent to Elon Musk by Reps. Pat Fallon, Troy Nehls, and John Carter.
By: Matthew Foldi
Microsoft is facing scrutiny after a board member stated his desire for President Donald Trump to be a “martyr” and a recently released report alleged that the company is routing customer support phone calls from Department of Defense contractors to China.
LinkedIn co-founder and Microsoft board member Reid Hoffman, said just days before a gunman attempted to murder Trump that he wanted Trump to be an “actual martyr.” Over many years, Hoffman has flooded Democratic campaigns with millions of dollars.
Hoffman apologized for his remarks, which hasn’t quieted critics in Congress, and which may impact Microsoft’s ability to persuade lawmakers on issues related to the company.“I don’t know what’s more pathetic: another left wing lunatic calling for violence against Donald Trump and spreading conspiracy theories about his attempted assassination, or the fact that Democrats won’t say anything about it because he gives them so much in campaign donations,” Rep. Mike Collins (R., Ga.), who sits on the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, told the Reporter.
Click HERE to read more about Microsoft’s Reid Hoffman and China problems.
By: Rep. Andy Barr
Amidst Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a powerful and historic joint address to Congress last week, reinforcing the unique bond between the United States and Israel. His address highlighted the enduring partnership between our two nations at a time when Israel faces significant threats from Hamas and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups.
Netanyahu articulated Israel’s ongoing struggle against Hamas, emphasizing the nation’s right to defend itself against radical terrorists who seek its destruction. He underscored the moral imperative to combat forces that threaten peace and stability in the region. This war is not just Israel’s fight; it is a battle against the global scourge of terrorism that has been allowed to run rampant under the Biden-Harris administration.
As a steadfast supporter of Israel, I stand firmly with Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli people in their fight against terrorism. Israel has every right to root out and eliminate terrorists in Gaza to defend its national security and to bring to justice those who have carried out brutal attacks against innocent civilians.
The war against Hamas will continue until all Israeli hostages are returned safely and Hamas’s military capabilities are dismantled.
Click HERE to read more from Rep. Andy Barr about the importance of standing with our allies.
Vice President Kamala Harris has a big decision facing her: who to select as her running mate. It appears that she is likely to pick a Democratic governor, and we are excited to feature a series of op-eds from the Republican leaders who have a series of warnings they’d like to send to America.
