Heard on the Hill
What we're hearing from people we trust on and around the Hill
ANOTHER TRUMP WIN: Amgen announced that it will increase both U.S. investment and job creation due to President Donald Trump’s tax bill.
BIPARTISANSHIP AMIDST THE SHUTDOWN: Nature Is Nonpartisan hosted a reception at Union Station celebrating the launch of the Senate Stewardship Caucus with Co-Chairs Sen. Martin Heinrich (D., N.M.) and Sen. Tim Sheehy (R., Mont.). Spotted: Sen. Steve Daines (R., Mont.), Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.), Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D., Nev.), Sen. John Hickenlooper (D., Colo.), Benji Backer, Collin O’Mara, Mike Reszler, Zach Hartman, Joel Pederson, Laird Hamberlin, Andrew Mills, Leslie Jones, Jerome Foster II, Pasha Madji, Ben Cassidy, and Amelia Joy.
SPOOKY DECORATIONS: A liberal Supreme Court justice in Maryland, appointed by Gov. Wes Moore (D., Md.) — a potential presidential candidate — is under fire for a left-wing array of Halloween signs in his front yard. Supreme Court Justice Peter Killough is currently involved in ruling on a high-stakes environmental case, and legal experts flagged that his lawn display that features tombs for concepts like “climate science” may cast doubt on his partiality.
LAUNCH PARTY: The Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) held its Summit on Ending Christian Persecution at the Kennedy Center, featuring a mix of administration officials, lawmakers, and faith leaders gathered to highlight global threats to religious freedom. Matt Schlapp, CPAC’s Chairman, and Mercedes Schlapp, CPAC Senior Fellow, led the event, joined by Jenny Korn, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Faith Office, Rep. Chris Smith (R., N.J.), a longtime religious freedom advocate; Rep. Riley Moore (R., W.Va.); and former Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), President Trump’s nominee as Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism. Others in attendance were Erik Prince, Chairman of Unplugged Technologies and founder of Blackwater, Lara Logan, investigative journalist and war correspondent, Jack Posobiec, Senior Editor at Human Events, David and Jason Benham, Chris Craigman, and Jordan Sekulow from the American Center for Law and Justice. CPAC also launched its Center for Faith and Liberty during the confab.
BILLIONS FROM OVERSEAS: Americans for Public Trust released a bombshell report about how just five charities from foreign countries have donated almost $2 billion to advocacy efforts in America that focused heavily on pushing left-wing talking point on climate.
BRIGHT SPOT FOR SCHOOLS: Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF), led by Executive Director Avi Gordon and Managing Director Trey Meehan, drew a high-wattage lineup of university leaders for a Capitol Hill event honoring institutions that have distinguished themselves in the fight against campus anti-Semitism. The panel discussion featured chancellors Andrew Martin of Washington University in St. Louis, Daniel Diermeier of Vanderbilt University (and formerly of the University of Chicago), and Kent Syverud of Syracuse University. Politico’s Ben Jacobs moderated a discussion in which the academics took frank stock of their successes and shortcomings in navigating the spike in anti-Jewish hate since October 7th, 2023. It was a stark counterpoint to the defensive crouch other university leaders have assumed in contentious congressional hearings on the same issue. Among those spotted were Dalia Calvillo of Christians United for Israel, Robein Bailey-Chen of Hillel, Grace Keathly of Passages Israel, and Todd Silberglied of the Israel on Campus Coalition. Hill staffers and federal relations professionals also turned out, including representatives from Florida International University, The Ohio State University, and colleagues from Lehigh University.