Heard on the Hill
What we're hearing from people we trust on and around the Hill
ANOTHER STEFANIK SCALP: Northwestern University’s embattled President Announced he is stepping down over President Trump’s pressure on the school to stop antisemetic mobs and racial discrimination. This is the sixth campus president to resign since Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.) grilled college presidents over their horrific response to October 7.
TAXPAYERS’ BIG WIN: Microsoft's decision to save taxpayers $6 billion on cloud services for the federal government is getting strong support from the Administration and Congress. One Congressional official said, "this is a win for taxpayers, it's a win for Josh Gruenbaum's leadership at GSA, this is a win for Microsoft. Policymakers will remember this. Amazon and Google should follow Microsoft’s lead immediately."
LOBBYING CHINA CONTROVERSY: In August, Ballard Partners registered to represent TP-Link, a company targeted by Republicans for ties to China. A Republican source said, “this is a company targeted by China hawks as a potential national security threat and this is raising a lot of eyebrows on the Hill.”
COUNT ‘EM RIGHT: Reps. August Pfluger (R., Texas) and Chuck Edwards (R., N.C.) rolled out the Citizen Only Updated National Tally (COUNT) Act to back up President Donald Trump’s recent census-related executive order; the law would, among other essential provisions, add what the lawmakers describe as a “crucial” question to the census about citizenship status.
HIGH-PAYING JOB CREATION: Amgen, the biosciences firm, announced a $600m new research facility with many high-paying jobs–yet another big win for President Trump and Republicans’ pro-growth economic policies.
MASK OFF MOMENT: A shady group called Home of the Brave recently put up signs across D.C. demanding that law enforcement officers “take off your masks!” The Washington Reporter looked into this group, and found that its leadership includes George Conway, current Baker Donelson lobbyist Barbara Comstock, and Benjamin Wittes — a friend of James Comey and Peter Strzok.
SPOILER ALERT: Attorney General Pam Bondi recently put Hollywood to shame with her description of the Trump administration’s counternarcotics strategy. “The show Narcos on Netflix? Now we know how it ends.” The Trump administration recently bombed a ship filled with drugs coming from Venezuela; over 50 senior cartel leaders and violent criminals that have come into U.S. custody since Trump returned to office. Bondi recently promised that top cartel leaders will die in federal prison.
CONTROL, NOT ENVIRONMENT: The Union of Concerned Scientists (USC) is one of the most active coalitions pushing back on the Trump administration’s pro-American energy independence policies. A recent report in Fox News by Peter Pinedo and Andrew Mark Miller exposed how USC is part of a “web of dark money.” Jason Isaac, the CEO of the American Energy Institute, explained that “this isn't about the environment. It's about political control over America's energy future and our energy dominance.”
JUDICIARY INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED: Reps. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) and Darrell Issa (R., Calif.) — top Republicans on the Judiciary Committee — announced plans to investigate the Climate Judiciary Project (CJP) for “allegedly seeking to bias judges hearing climate-related cases.” The Daily Caller’s Katelynn Richardson had it first.
HUGE WEEK FOR COACH: Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R., Ala.) scored major wins this week; Auburn beat Baylor and the Trump administration announced that it will move Space Command from Colorado to Alabama — something that Tuberville has spent years pushing for.
NEW VICE CHAIR IN TOWN: Rep. Laurel Lee (R., Fla.) is the new Vice Chair of the Republican Main Street Caucus; she won the election earlier this week. The Washington Reporter had the scoop on her orange-filled campaign materials.
FACT CHECK: Katie Couric, a journalist perhaps best known for deceptively editing a documentary about gun owners in America, recently attacked the Kennedy Center in its Instagram comments section, calling the cultural center a “disgrace” under the new leadership of President Donald Trump and Ambassador Richard Grenell. Grenell fact checked the journalist, replying that “we didn’t cancel a single show. Your team couldn’t perform for Republicans. They canceled. It is this exact intolerance that we fight against. Everyone is welcome to the Kennedy Center….even you!”