Alina Habba on President-elect Donald Trump: “He’s laser-focused on delivering results.” And what’s next for PBM reform?

In our latest edition, we interview President Donald Trump’s incoming counselor, Alina Habba; Rep.-elect Rob Bresnahan gives us a temperature check on the House GOP; and more!

December 23, 2024

In this edition

1. Interview: Alina Habba, President Donald Trump’s chief legal advisor, Interview: Rep.-elect Rob Bresnahan previews his first term

2. Heard on the Hill

3. House GOP rallies behind Speaker Mike Johnson

4. Scoop: Elizabeth Warren acolytes make last-minute regulations

5. What’s next for PBM reform? Both sides make their case

6. Exclusive: FDA funneled hundreds of millions to PR firm, watchdog reveals

7. Op-Eds: Tiffany Smiley on Pete Hegseth’s history of advocacy for veterans, Alex Titus on the “dream team” President Donald Trump is assembling at the Treasury Department, Nick Raineri on the State Department’s focus on Latin America, and Bonnie Glick and David Lega on how time is finally running out for UNRWA

In our latest edition, we interview President Donald Trump’s incoming counselor, Alina Habba; Rep.-elect Rob Bresnahan gives us a temperature check on the House GOP; the latest on last-minute regulations from radical Biden, and more!

Interview: Alina Habba, President Donald Trump’s incoming WH Counselor, previews Trump’s second term: “He’s laser-focused on delivering results”

by Matthew Foldi

Alina Habba’s parents fled Iraq’s persecution of Christians and came to America decades ago. Now, Habba is one of President Donald Trump’s closest advisors, and has helped him navigate an unprecedented legal assault during the campaign.

“[My parents’] journey, from facing persecution to watching their daughter work alongside President Trump, is a testament to what America stands for,” she told the Washington Reporter in an interview. “For me, it’s a profound responsibility. It’s about giving back to the country that gave us a chance at freedom and opportunity.” In recent years, her mettle has been put to the test and she emerged from it all as incoming counselor to the president.

Fighting against the left’s lawfare was “tough,” she said. “But it showed the world who President Trump is: a fighter. He never wavered, and neither did his commitment to his mission. It was an intense period, but it brought out the best in him and strengthened the resolve of everyone who supports him.”

Interview: “We believe in God in northeastern Pennsylvania.” Rep.-elect Rob Bresnahan previews his first term

by Matthew Foldi

“I speak bulldozer” is not just a line on the campaign trail for Representative-elect Rob Bresnahan, who unseated one of the GOP’s longtime white whales in November. Bresnahan, a native northeastern Pennsylvanian, relied on connections he’s built from over a decade of “servant leadership” and on the construction imagery in his own campaign ads to notch one of the House GOP’s most critical pickups.

The 34-year-old Bresnahan identifies as an “old soul,” and will be one of the youngest members of Congress after he’s sworn in. He “had to grow up fast,” he told the Washington Reporter in an interview. “I went to the University of Scranton, but I was also responsible for over 50 people to be able to take care of their families. So sure, did I have a wonderful life and incredible opportunities? Yes, but I never really rested on my laurels. And whether it was a project, a real estate development objective, sometimes you don't recognize that you're a millennial.”

Heard on the Hill

• Talk to you soon, Mr. President! We called President Donald Trump last week to get his thoughts on the continuing resolution. While he said he was “pretty busy,” he added “I like you guys.” Thanks for reading, sir!

• Thanks for reading! Sen. Rick Scott (R., Fla.) shared the op-ed Tiffany Smiley wrote with us about why she’s backing Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense.

• GOP unified: President Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) shared the stage at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest, where the two leading Republicans spoke about keeping “Texas, Texas.” Trump noted that Cruz “had a great race and did a fantastic job against like, $250 million spent against him. But Texas was very special, and it will remain very special.”

• Hard launch: Houston Keene, a veteran of the Hill and of conservative journalism, launched Democracy Restored, “a nonpartisan government watchdog that exists to help return the power to the people in the face of a federal government ceding authority to unelected bureaucrats,” with an op-ed on our site. Congratulations!

• Congratulations! A very Trump-y wedding took place at the Hay Adams Hotel, overlooking the White House, this weekend. Serena Frechter, a former Trump administration aide, and Connor Pfeiffer, a staffer at FDD action, tied the knot. Spotted: Bonnie Glick, Paul Foldi, Dore Feith, Allison Berger, Vic and Kate Matus, Naofa Noll, Kate Possehl, Talia Katz, Peter Berkowitz, Michelle and Garrett Exner, Deb Haartz, Omri Rahmil, Biden appointee Sophie Mirviss, and Dylan Gresik.

House GOP rallies behind Speaker Mike Johnson against “bullshit” criticisms: “He's willing to sit down with every single freaking member in every faction”

by Matthew Foldi

The 118th Congress ended like it started — with Democrats and media trying to divide House Republicans. Following a contentious debate over the government funding bill, House Republicans told the Washington Reporter that they are united behind Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) heading into the next Congress.

“It’s bullshit” to say that Johnson is weak, Rep. Claudia Tenney (R., N.Y.) told the Reporter in an interview. “He's not weak. Who are we going to get who is as deeply knowledgeable about the Constitution, has the humility, also has the hard work? He's willing to sit down with every single freaking member in every faction. No one else is going to do that.”

Scoop: “A stunning demonstration of regulation by enforcement”: Elizabeth Warren acolytes make their final stand via last-minute regulations

by Matthew Foldi

Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D., Mass.) longtime acolytes who staff the Biden administration in top roles are using their vast powers to target industries opposed to Joe Biden’s regulatory overreach, before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.

Under the cover of the week before Christmas and an explosive budget battle on the Hill, Rohit Chopra, the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), issued multiple actions against corporations, including a lawsuit against Zelle and three of the banks that partially own the peer-to-peer payment service. Chopra was one of Warren’s first hires when President Barack Obama tasked her with setting up the CFPB.

What’s next for PBM reform? Both sides make their case

by Matthew Foldi

Advocates on both sides of the pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) issue saw glimpses of victory during the recent year-end spending fight. PBM allies view them as critical in lowering costs of drugs, and opponents view them as shady middlemen that are responsible for a lack of price transparency in drug pricing. Both sides are aiming to claim both populist and Trump-y mantles as they gear for a potential rematch in the next Congress.

Exclusive: FDA funneled hundreds of millions to PR firm, watchdog reveals

by Matthew Foldi

Joe Biden administration’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) funneled hundreds of millions of dollars in user fees to public relations firms, NGOs, and universities, according to a new report by the nonpartisan watchdog Protect The Public’s Trust (PPT), obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter. PPT told the Reporter that it had to go to court to obtain the expenditures.

The FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) sets performance standards and reviews premarket applications for new tobacco products. CTP is funded by user fees, which are fees charged to companies and other organizations that participate in certain programs or regulated activities.

Op-Ed: Tiffany Smiley: Pete Hegseth is exactly what the United States military needs. I've seen this firsthand.

by Tiffany Smiley

On November 5th, Americans elected President Donald Trump with a clear mandate to turn our country around after four disastrous years under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. On November 6th, Democrats began their campaign to undercut President Trump and his cabinet nominees with threats and cancel culture.

We’ve seen these tactics play out in real time over the last several weeks as the Left has formed a vicious coalition against Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s nominee to be our next Secretary of Defense. Despite their attempts to spread lies and smear his record and service to our nation, Pete Hegseth has emerged stronger, with an unwavering commitment to serve our country.

Op-Ed: Alex Titus: Donald Trump picks the Treasury dream team in Scott Bessent and Mike Faulkender

by Alex Titus

President Donald J. Trump announced that Wall Street executive Scott Bessent and economist Mike Faulkender will lead the Department of Treasury as Secretary and Deputy Secretary, respectively.

Bessent and Faulkender will play a key role in helping to carry out the President’s growth agenda while guiding the country through murky economic waters. Through these picks, the president continues to build an economic dream team focused on recreating the best economy America has ever seen.

Op-Ed: Nick Raineri: Why Chris Landau is the right choice for Deputy Secretary of State

by Nick Raineri

As an American, I value the First Amendment tremendously. It is one of the core values of our country. It is something that keeps America very different from some of our closest allies, such as the United Kingdom and Canada where freedom of speech is under attack.

When our adversaries have the control and the ability to manipulate what Americans can see and post online, it becomes a concern for both America’s national security and to the First Amendment. When our adversaries retain the ability to monitor what Americans say and do online, it becomes an even greater concern.

Op-Ed: Bonnie Glick and David Lega: Dominoes are again falling to defund UNRWA

by Bonnie Glick and David Lega

President Donald Trump likes to say “America First,” while many in Europe follow that up with, “but not America Alone.” Now, Europeans are starting to emerge from Brussels’s preferred position of consensus to speak their nations’ consciences.

In January 2024, the Biden administration made the decision to end over $1 billion in contributions it had made to the UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees, based on abundant evidence of UNRWA staff complicity in the October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel presented by the Government of Israel and the Switzerland-based NGO UN Watch. Fifteen countries, mostly in Europe but also including Japan and Australia followed suit. UNRWA stood to lose over a billion dollars in funding in 2024 alone.

But the global solidarity against funding terrorism and its supporters lost steam. By April 2024, only the U.S. remained committed to its plans to turn off the donor spigot until at least March 2025.

With Trump’s election victory in November, it is clear that America’s path forward is to defund UNRWA well beyond March 2025, likely to become a permanent ban on funding the corrupt UN arm. Needless to say, the global community is watching closely and some will follow America’s lead. Europeans should all be fast followers. America should not be alone.