Heard on the Hill
What we're hearing from people we trust on and around the Hill
WIN FOR VETERANS: President Donald Trump signed legislation from Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R., Wis.) that establishes a permanent partial claims program within the VA Home Loan Program. Van Orden, a former Navy SEAL, praised Trump for “the strongest support of veterans and servicemembers of any president in our nation’s history.”
SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION: Paul Atkins, the Chairman of the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), gave a keynote address on “American Leadership in the Digital Finance Revolution” at America First Policy Institute today.
ANOTHER TRUMP WIN: This week, a judge stayed a court case challenging CFPB Rule 1033, known as the Open Banking rule, which the Washington Reporter has covered. This ruling grants the CFPB’s request and gives them the opportunity to rework the rule that began under the first Trump administration in a way that “upholds consumers’ fundamental right to their financial information” and protects financial innovation, access to Crypto, and more.
CFTC DRAMA: The White House's decision to delay Brian Quintenz's vote at the Senate Agriculture Committee to be the Chairman of the CFTC raised eyebrows on the Hill. A Hill source confirmed reporting by Elanor Terrett that Quintenz's ties to prediction market Kalshi — a business with interests before the CFTC — caused some Republicans to be concerned.
WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE: Senate sources tell us they were surprised to see Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D., N.H.) join the left side of her party and vote to block arms sales to Israel. “We expect this from Bernie Sanders, but Shaheen has really tarnished her legacy by joining the pro-Hamas wing of her party,” a Senate Republican aide told us.
ANOTHER TOWN HALL: Rep. Brandon Gill (R., Texas) is far from the only Republican hitting the road this week. Rep. Stephanie Bice (R., Okla.) hosted Reps. Jason Smith (R., Mo.) and Bruce Westerman (R., Ark.) for her most recent town hall; stay tuned for the exclusive recap of this, which we’ll post soon.
SEE EU SOON: President Trump’s European Union (EU) trade deal was quickly hailed by Republicans in Congress, particularly from the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC). Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R., Texas), the RSC’s Budget Task Force Chair, hit the local angle: “The European Union trade expansion is incredible for Texas agriculture, energy development, advanced manufacturing, and the millions of present and future workers who will benefit from President Trump's unprecedented deal making,” she said.
VICTORY LAP: Tennessee’s Attorney General, Jonathan Skrmetti, took a well-deserved victory lap at the Young Republican National Federation (YRNF) annual convention following his successful Supreme Court victory that allows states to ban genital mutilation of children.
ROAD TRIP: Rep. Lisa McClain (R., Mich.) is kicking off a One Big Beautiful Tour Across America, visiting districts represented by Reps. Tom Kean (R., N.J.), Rob Bresnahan (R., Pa.), and Ryan MacKenzie (R., Pa.) to sell the wins in the OBBB.
CRUZ TO THE RESCUE: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass) tumbled during last night’s floor votes. Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) was first on the scene to help her up.
COUNTERING CHINA: The Irregular Warfare Initiative and the Special Operations Association of America brought together leaders in government, industry, academia and several think tanks to discuss China’s influence in South America. Panel discussions centered around emerging threats to the Homeland, economic statecraft and supply chain risks, the SOF-space-cyber triad, operations and intelligence fusion, and adversary networks and open-source intelligence. A full day was dedicated to a table-top exercise which was designed to challenge participants to develop irregular warfare responses—such as gray zone deterrence, influence operations, and partner force enablement – to counter escalating Chinese-backed subversion, disinformation, and cartel activity.
REVIEWS ARE IN: Don’t expect Rep. Kevin Hern (R., Okla.) to read Kamala Harris’s new book. “Should be a pretty quick read, but something tells me that, much like a Kamala speech, it will be way too long, quickly lose focus on the topic, include vague aphorisms that don’t mean anything, and won’t say anything of substance,” he quipped.
SCHUMER SHUTDOWN: Senate sources tell us that Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) is preparing to whip his caucus against any agreement with Republicans to keep the government open, regardless of the merits. A Senate source told us that “Schumer is more focused on avoiding a primary from AOC than he is on keeping the government open. What a disgrace.”
JACK SMITH INVESTIGATION: Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) sent a letter to the Office of Special Counsel urging the office to investigate Jack Smith for partisan activity when Smith prosecuted President Trump in the 2024 election. A source said to expect the Office of Special Counsel to act.