Inside the Room with Donald Trump and House Republicans, Sen. Tim Sheehy to donate salary, Rep. Mike Haridopolos backs Trump on Greenland, and more

In our latest edition, we go in the room with Trump and the House GOP, learn what Tim Sheehy plans to do with his salary, see the latest flurry of CFPB activity, and more!

January 13, 2025

In this edition

1. Interview: Rep. Mike Flood on Donald Trump’s meetings with House Republicans: Panama Canal, debt ceiling, and wildfires

2. Heard on the Hill

3. CFPB rolls out last minute duplicative measure that could crush community banks

4. Exclusive: Rep. Darrell Issa bashes liberal podcasters for “politically profiting” off Los Angeles fires

5. Exclusive: Sen. Tim Sheehy donates salary to charity, follows through on ethics pledge

6. Scoop: “As if AOC became a senator”: Dick Durbin becomes toxic among Republicans

7. Op-Eds: Rep. Mike Haridopolos on why Donald Trump is right about Greenland, Attorney General Kris Kobach on Joe Biden’s unjust death row commutations, Paul Vitek on why Chris Wright is the right pick for Secretary of Energy, Bonnie Glick on what Trump’s “Hell to Pay” strategy can look like, and Paul Rosenzweig on how the Art of the Deal can be used to tackle Communist China

8. What we’re reading

In our latest edition, we go inside the room with Donald Trump and House Republicans, cover the latest flurry of CFPB activity, learn what Sen. Tim Sheehy plans to do with his Senate salary, and much more!

Interview: Rep. Mike Flood on Donald Trump’s meetings with House Republicans: Panama Canal, debt ceiling, and wildfires

by Matthew Foldi

“A man, a plan, a canal, Panama” is a presidential palindrome associated with President Theodore Roosevelt — and, Rep. Mike Flood (R., Neb.) told the Washington Reporter in an interview, President Donald Trump’s focus on the body of water is similarly unrelenting.

Flood, the vice chair of the Republican Main Street Caucus, was in the room during one of Trump’s meetings with Republicans; during the meeting, “[Trump] started out with the Panama Canal,” Flood said. “He's really focused in on that. He wants to get the American advantage back there.”

“We talked a lot about the Los Angeles fires and how poor the Democratic leadership has been and the challenges that they have related to the environmental stuff they've pushed the last few years, and the fact that they haven't been doing a good job of managing those wooded areas compared to what other nations do,” Flood added, “[as well as] the idea that maybe we're going to have to consider a California supplemental given the damage and destruction of the fires, potentially pairing that with the CR expiration on March 14 and the debt ceiling in one and find a bipartisan way forward there.”

“The debt ceiling is definitely on the top of [Trump’s] mind,” Flood added, and he sees reconciliation as an opportunity to both rebuild California after unprecedented devastation and tackle the debt ceiling. “Our message was we feel we can be most effective with one big, beautiful bill, and what he's talking about is how do you deal with this debt ceiling, and we're saying we can deal with that in the California supplemental that also deals with our budget and make sure the appropriators on our side are leading the charge on that.”

Heard on the Hill

• Waiting all day for Monday afternoon: Legendary singer Carrie Underwood will perform at President Donald Trump's Inauguration; we had this great news before anyone else.

• Decision time: Gov. Mike DeWine (R., Ohio) is expected to announce his pick to succeed former Sen. JD Vance (R., Ohio) any day now, Ohio political operatives told us. In the running are Rep. Mike Carey (R., Ohio), Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, former Ohio GOP Chair Jane Timken, State Rep. Jay Edwards, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, and attorney Mehek Cooke.

• Free falling: This quote caught our eye: “The [Washington Post’s] daily traffic last year reached a nadir of just a quarter of what it was at its peak in January 2021. That month, the Post had around 22.5 million daily active users. But by the middle of 2024, its daily users hovered around 2.5-3 million daily users.”

• Accounting error? At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Florida accidentally paid an extra $5 million to a health care company to register people for vaccines, according to a lawsuit filed by a Florida agency. That company’s CEO at the time is now-Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D., Fla.). Cherfilus-McCormick self-funded her 2022 campaign with millions of dollars.

• Horrible boss: Missy Cotter Smasal, Rep. Jen Kiggans’s (R., Va.) Democratic opponent from last cycle, is being sued by a former staffer for failing to pay his salary for the final months of the campaign. Smasal’s campaign manager told him over text that “Missy is holding about 5 people’s pay hostage right now.”

• Moon landing: Gov. Ron DeSantis (R., Fla.) said he wants the headquarters of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) moved to Florida.

CFPB delays last minute duplicative measure that could crush community banks

by Matthew Foldi

Rohit Chopra, who is both the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and a board member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), is the latest Biden administration official to make a last-minute regulatory attempt to hamstring the incoming Trump administration and cause chaos in markets.

Chopra is acting in his capacity as an FDIC board member to plan to force BlackRock to reach a so-called passivity agreement with the FDIC, even though the giant asset manager already has a similar agreement with the Federal Reserve Board.

Chopra, who was one of Elizabeth Warren’s first hires when she helped start the CFPB, is also making last-ditch regulatory efforts via the CFPB to target companies like Walmart and Zelle as he heads out the door.

Since Trump’s election, the CFPB has proposed, issued and finalized five rules; between December 20 and January 6, the CFPB filed lawsuits against seven companies.

Exclusive: Rep. Darrell Issa bashes liberal podcasters for “politically profiting” off Los Angeles fires

by Matthew Foldi

After a liberal podcast tried to “politically profit” off the Los Angeles fires, Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.) is calling on ActBlue, the Democratic Party’s online fundraising platform, to reject the podcaster’s fundraiser.

“If you want to help those impacted by the California wildfires, please donate at http://votesaveamerica.com/relief,” Pod Save America tweeted in a post advertising its hours-long interview with Gov. Gavin Newsom (D., Calif.). The link takes users to a fundraising page hosted by Vote Save America Action — leading to widespread condemnation, including from Issa.

“We call on ActBlue to decline this fundraiser,” Issa told the Washington Reporter. “This isn’t just politicizing a horrific disaster that’s still occurring. It’s politically profiting off it.”

Exclusive: Sen. Tim Sheehy donates salary to charity, follows through on ethics pledge

by Matthew Foldi

After freshman Sen. Tim Sheehy (R., Mont.) won the most expensive Senate race in history on a per-vote basis, he will be “donating my senate salary to charity,” he told the Washington Reporter exclusively.

“I was fortunate to experience success in the private sector before I ran for office,” Sheehy said. Sheehy will announce the specific charities he is contributing to in the coming weeks. Sheehy and his wife Carmen have been prolific donors to Montana charities focused on health care, pediatrics, and youth programs. Sheehy said his new donations will likely focus on the same causes.

Sheehy also told the Reporter that his business experience will help him as a legislator. “My time in the private sector gives me a unique perspective on some of the greatest challenges facing our government,” Sheehy said. “I’ve seen firsthand how bureaucracy can hurt small businesses.”

“Voters sent a clear message that they want leaders from outside of politics to come to Washington and shake up the status quo,” Sheehy said. “Most voters told me they appreciated the fact that I had experienced success in business and hoped I could bring a businessman’s perspective to Washington.”

Scoop: “As if AOC became a senator”: Dick Durbin becomes toxic among Republicans

by Matthew Foldi

Senate Democrats are unsure how to deal with President Donald Trump’s historic return to the White House with a GOP trifecta.

Some Democrats, like Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.), are trying to work with Trump. Fetterman accepted an invitation to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and has already said that he expects to vote for multiple Trump cabinet picks. Sen. Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) is taking the opposite approach. One Senate Judiciary Committee aide told the Washington Reporter that “Durbin has simply become the resistance senator. He opposes everything President Trump wants to do. He is basically the same thing as if AOC became a senator."

Op-Ed: Rep. Mike Haridopolos: Take Donald Trump’s Greenland gambit seriously

by Rep. Mike Haridopolos

President Donald Trump made headlines when he introduced the idea that America should acquire Greenland. The result in the media was as expected, with liberal outlets either decrying the idea as imperialist and expansionist, or downplaying it as unserious and pointless. This attitude, however, could not be more wrong. It would be foolish to dismiss the possibility of acquiring Greenland, and there are many good reasons to take President Trump’s idea seriously.

While to many, the Arctic appears simply a rugged, frozen wilderness, this region is already of great importance to America’s national security, and in the coming years, its importance is only going to grow. Greenland’s position in the Arctic Circle and the abundance of critical minerals beneath it make a compelling case for its importance. The top of the world will likely soon become another major point of global competition, and America should make a clear-eyed attempt to pursue our strategic objectives in the Arctic.

Op-Ed: Attorney General Kris Kobach: Joe Biden’s commutations denied justice without justification

by Attorney General Kris Kobach

Of all of the unilateral executive actions taken by President Joe Biden, his latest may be the most breathtaking. Not because he lacked the authority to do it, but because of its disregard for others. I am referring to his commutation of the death sentence of 37 of the 40 federal death row inmates.

Biden’s commutations make a mockery of the rule of law. None were instances in which the inmate had a credible claim of innocence or mistaken conviction. All were heinous murders — the worst of the worst. Justice dictated the imposition of the death penalty.

And imposing the death penalty was not easy. In each case, thousands of man hours and dollars were spent to secure the conviction and the penalty. So many attorneys, witnesses, jurors, judges, and other court personnel invested so much time and effort to hold a fair trial and impose the death penalty justly and fairly. And then more resources were spent to litigate the numerous appeals. But Biden didn’t care. He tossed all of that work in the trash on his way out the door.

Op-Ed: Paul Vitek: Chris Wright is the leader to restore American energy dominance

by Paul Vitek

The saying goes that you spend more time with your coworkers than you do with your family, so you'd better like them. After having a front-row seat to Chris Wright's amazing career for the past 22 years, I can confidently say that the American people will benefit greatly with him as our Secretary of Energy. He is brilliant, innovative, passionate, compassionate, and unwaveringly committed to the projects and ideals he believes in. His leadership and vision inspire people to action and are exactly what this country needs at such a critical time for our energy future.

The United States desperately needs someone who understands the importance of energy independence that includes robust domestic oil and gas development, balanced with an appropriate use of alternatives including solar, wind, and nuclear. Chris Wright is that person.

With decades of experience and a proven track record of innovation across a number of energy sources, Chris has the knowledge, passion, and ability to secure America's energy future, providing reliable, affordable energy for all Americans while bolstering our economy and national security.

Op-Ed: Bonnie Glick: What does Donald Trump's "Hell to Pay" look like?

by Bonnie Glick

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that if the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, including seven American citizens, are not released before his inauguration on January 20, there will be “hell to pay.” That vision of “hell” looks like Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists, as well as their enablers in Iran, the UN system, and Islamist-supporting Qatar and Turkey being held to account.

Certainly there are multiple malign actors at work such that Hamas was able to invade Israel, perpetrate a genocidal pogrom by launching air, sea, and land invasions on southern Israel, murdering over 1,200 Israelis, raping untold hundreds of women, men, elderly, and children, and stealing 256 souls as hostages into Gaza’s subterranean terror dungeons.

The manifold expansion of the list of terrorism supporters grows further when considering that these precious souls, now numbering 98, have been held for 465 days and no one has been made to pay for this horrific abuse of human beings - indeed, many have lauded the work of some of the world’s most abominable criminals.

Hell to Pay starts with the worst of the worst, Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists. There is no reason to hold genocidal maniacs from Hamas "accountable." Hamas must be completely destroyed — that’s the only accountability required. Its political arm must be disbanded, denuded, defunded, and discarded. It cannot have any role whatsoever in representing the Palestinian people in the future — it should be afforded no international legitimacy.

What we’re reading

• Wall Street Journal: Trump’s CIA Pick Expected to Push for Bare-Knuckle Spycraft Against China, by Joel Schectman and Dustin Volz.

• Daily Wire: California Wants To View Air Quality Through ‘Racial Equity Lens,’ by Ashe Schow.

• Washington Free Beacon: Hawaii Democrats Talk a Big Game on the 'Climate Crisis.' They're Also Shielding an Oil Company Whose Execs Backed Their Campaigns, by Thomas Catenacci.

• Times of Israel: Columbia University professor retires as probe finds she discriminated against Israelis, by Luke Tress.

• Breitbart: Exclusive — Mike Waltz to Clean Out Deep Staters from National Security Council: ‘We’re Taking Resignations at 12:01’ on January 20, by Matthew Boyle.

• Daily Signal: DEEP STATE GEARING UP: Nearly Half of Federal Employees in the Swamp Plan to Resist Trump, Poll Finds, by Tyler O'Neil.

• News Busters: ‘Why Is My Face All Over CNN?’ Navy Vet’s Emotional Defamation Trial Testimony, by Nicholas Fondacaro.

• Washington Free Beacon: Navy Veteran Suing CNN for Defamation Was CIA Agent—and Left-Wing Network Gave Him Just 2 Hours To Confirm His Agency Affiliations, Messages Show, by Jessica Costescu.