Sen. John Barrasso (R., Wyo.), the number three Republican in the Senate, is running unopposed to be the next Republican Senate Whip. Barrasso spoke with the Washington Reporter about how he’ll work as Whip, his relationship with Sen. JD Vance (R., Ohio), his thoughts on tax policy, this year’s Senate map, and more.

 “JD is a great friend of mine,” Barasso said, praising Vance’s “whole life experience [which] has prepared him for this moment to become our nominee for vice president.” While Barrasso would “hate to see him leave the Senate…we don’t want him hanging around the Senate casting tie-breaking votes like Kamala Harris had to do. We aren’t fighting for a tie in the Senate. We’re fighting for a strong majority.”

Barrasso’s priorities with a GOP majority are to “make life more affordable, secure the border, unleash American energy,” and fight against the IRS’s plan to collect taxes in-house via a direct filing system, which would make the IRS “tax collector, auditor, enforcer, and now tax preparer,” Barasso said.

Click HERE to read more about Sen. John Barrasso’s plans to fight the IRS and to make America energy independent once again.

House:

• On Wednesday, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, will address both chambers of Congress. Almost 60 Democrats skipped Netanyahu’s 2015 address to Congress, and more are expected to boycott this week.
• On Tuesday morning, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will host a roundtable with American families whose relatives are being held hostage by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza. 
• On Wednesday morning, FBI Director Christopher Wray will testify in front of the House Judiciary Committee. “For two years, Wray has come to Judiciary and said ‘I can’t comment on that, I can’t answer any questions about an ongoing investigation,’ but this time it won’t be enough,” a senior Judiciary Republican told the Reporter. “If he wants to make sure his tenure doesn’t end in a few months, he should rethink giving us the usual Christopher Wray performance.” Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R., N.D.), another Judiciary member, told the Reporter that the hearing will focus heavily on the assassination attempt against President Donald Trump. 

Senate:

• On Tuesday afternoon, the Senate Banking Committee will have a hearing on “Zelle and the big banks fail[ure] to protect consumers from fraud.”
• The Senate Judiciary Committee will be considering nominations on Thursday; expect fireworks from some of the more controversial ones. 
• The Senate Judiciary Committee is working through details to hold its own hearing on the Secret Service’s inability to protect President Trump. Our sources say to expect something to be finalized this week. 

What we’re hearing from people we trust on and around the Hill – please send us more tips!

• Microsoft, Reid Hoffman, and Hill Republicans: Sources tell us that Democratic mega-donor and Microsoft Director Reid Hoffman is becoming an area of focus among Hill Republicans over Hoffman’s comments wishing for President Trump to be “martyred.” Microsoft has yet to comment on Hoffman’s statement calling for the death of President Trump, but according to our sources, “[Microsoft’s] going to have to address [Hoffman] if they want to keep lobbying us.”
• Kamala Targeted by CLF: After President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid on Sunday, the House GOP’s leadership super PAC questioned his ability to serve, at all. “If Congressional Democrats cynically believe they can simply swap Biden for his Vice President, border czar and walking punchline, they have a fundamental disrespect for voters’ intelligence,” Congressional Leadership Fund’s Dan Conston said. “Democrats now have a big question to answer: if Joe Biden isn’t fit to run again, how is he possibly fit to be in charge of running the country now at such a perilous time?”
• James Comer’s Secret Service accountability: Multiple congressional committees wanted to question Kimberly Cheatle, the embattled director of the Secret Service, this week, and Rep. James Comer’s (R., Ky.) Oversight Committee will be the first. Rep. Lisa McClain, who sits on the committee, told the Washington Reporter that Cheatle’s “inability to lead is reflective of this disastrous administration. Monday’s hearing will be a watershed moment for our country and we will hold Director Cheatle’s feet to the fire.” She added that “bringing in Director Cheatle is another example of Chairman Comer and the Committee’s great work.”
• Cornhusker concern: While Rep. Don Bacon (R., Neb.) is leading his 2022 opponent, Tony Vargas, by three points in a recent Torchlight Strategies poll, he is sounding the alarm about the spending disparity in his race. “The Democrats have already done $3 million in attack ads and our side has spent nothing” since the primary, Bacon told the Reporter. “After a nasty primary opponent and the negative ads I’m fortunate to be up 3 percent. It’s a testament that voters know I’m one of the most effective legislators in Congress and have made a big impact in the district.” 
• Manhattan Institute nationwide survey: The Manhattan Institute released a poll on “America’s new consensus” on social issues, which includes plenty of good news for Trump, who is beating all likely Democratic opponents. Jesse Arm, the group’s Director of External Affairs, noted to the Reporter that the GOP has plenty of room to grow. “On social issues, it’s a mixed bag. While most voters signal support for left-leaning policy prescriptions on abortion and gun control, a clear majority of likely voters indicates conservative preferences on other social issues. These include an intense skepticism regarding gender transition treatments for minors, support for ending racial favoritism to move toward colorblind equality, and a wholesale embrace of tough-on-crime policing and prosecution,” he said. 
• What happens with Biden’s cash? FEC Chairman Sean Cooksey told the Reporter last month that “the answer to this depends a lot on how the ticket changes and when, but it goes without saying that this would be a first in modern politics. I don’t want to speculate too much about how the rules would impact a specific scenario, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it leads to a request for an FEC advisory opinion.” Read our full interview here. 

Republicans are returning to Washington, D.C., after last week’s Republican National Convention (RNC), ready to push a legislative agenda lawmakers say will make America wealthy, safe, strong, and great again.

Rep. Celeste Maloy (R., Utah) introduced the Enhancing Regulatory Flexibility Act, which would require federal agencies to analyze the effect their regulations have on small businesses.“We’ve let this experiment of bureaucratic rule making go on for 80 years. It’s time for the legislative branch to step up and get it back under control. That’s what I’m focused on,” she told the Washington Reporter. “The original bill meant to protect small businesses and require agencies to think of them when creating new rules, but flexible language has allowed agencies to ignore those requirements. My amendment will clarify the law and ensure agencies follow the RFA.”

Click HERE to read more on the GOP’s legislative priorities through November.

Over the last four years the United States has experienced the highest levels of illegal crossings at our Southern Border since Border Patrol started tracking this data in 1925. In fact, there have been more than 7.9 million encounters of illegal immigrants, with more than 1.8 million additional gotaways who evaded Border Patrol at the U.S.-Mexico Border. This has turned every state into a border state.

President Joe Biden’s open border policies have also led to historic numbers of deadly drugs being trafficked into our country. As a consequence, the Mexican cartels and their Chinese counterparts are finding cheaper ways to manufacture these drugs, most notably illicit fentanyl, and are easily smuggling it into our nation, endangering millions of Americans.

This rapid increase of illicit fentanyl in our communities is being felt across my home state of Kentucky. In 2023, illicit fentanyl was the cause of over 70 percent of all drug overdoses across the Commonwealth. This is no coincidence as the amount of illicit fentanyl that crosses the border continues to rise, so do the number of deaths across Kentucky and the nation.

Click HERE to read more from Rep. Brett Guthrie on legislative solutions he’s working on to combat substance use disorder and to secure our border.

Our nation narrowly avoided a catastrophe with the failed assassination of President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania last Saturday.

In the wake of this disturbing attack, I am grateful that President Trump is safe and recovering and join my fellow Tennesseans and Americans in praying for the two victims who were critically injured and in mourning the loss of Corey Comperatore, a rally attendee who was killed while heroically protecting his wife and daughters from gunfire.

As we make sense of this shocking act of political violence, it is imperative that we reflect on how we reached this point.

For 248 years, robust, bipartisan, and respectful debate has been the hallmark of our nation’s political process, empowering us to defend our freedoms and build consensus around lasting legislation that serves the American people. While debates can often be contentious, only through open deliberation can we freely express our beliefs, challenge others’ viewpoints, and figure out the best path forward for our country.

Yet, we have seen this process break down more and more as respectful debate gives way to vitriolic attacks.

Click HERE to read the rest of Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s reflections on the aftermath of the assassination attempt against President Donald Trump.