Mark Alford talks rural America and more; Abe Hamadeh’s letter to the Army Secretary, and more!

Mark Alford talks rural America, tariffs, and more; Heard on the Hill; and more!

April 1, 2025

Let’s dive in.

1. INTERVIEW: Rep. Mark Alford recaps 94th public event, lays out his agenda for rural America, talks tariffs, and discusses the media's Trump Derangement Syndrome

2. Heard on the Hill

3. EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Abe Hamadeh calls on Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll to investigate Accenture’s DOD contracts

4. SCOOP: Rep. Zach Nunn and General Kenneth McKenzie on Trump's foreign policy: "The strikes against the Houthis are badly needed, long overdue"

5. DNI Tulsi Gabbard reorienting 2025 Annual Threat Assessment on “direct threats to American safety,” not climate change

6. K-STREET, 10,000 FEET: Meet the helicopter CEO changing the game in cities across the world

7. OPINIONATED: Rep. Marlin Stutzman on President Trump’s moves at the Department of Education, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler on the value of Medicare Advantage, and Rosemary Becchi on a tax cut provision worth saving

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INTERVIEW: Rep. Mark Alford recaps 94th public event, lays out his agenda for rural America, talks tariffs, and discusses the media's Trump Derangement Syndrome

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• Rep. Mark Alford (R., Mo.) spent decades in the local news business, so he knows how to handle rowdy crowds and hectic events — experience that could serve him given the influx of liberal activists across the country who are hijacking GOP town halls.

• Alford’s latest town hall, his 94th public meeting in just over two years, saw almost 5,000 people tune in to hear him discuss his success funding military installations, his work on the Farm Bill, and his work on the Appropriations Committee, which he recently joined.

• According to a poll conducted by Alford of his constituents on the town hall, a whopping 82 percent support President Donald Trump and his America First agenda.

• Alford’s ubiquitous presence in his district is essential for him to let his constituents know what he’s working on, especially for rural small businesses, which he said “were left on the sidelines” during the Biden administration.

Rep. Mark Alford (R., Mo.) spent decades in the local news business, so he knows how to handle rowdy crowds and hectic events — experience that could serve him given the influx of liberal activists across the country who are hijacking GOP town halls.

However, Alford’s constituents are far from mad at President Donald Trump or Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts, as Alford’s latest town hall showed.

Alford’s latest town hall, his 94th public meeting in just over two years, saw almost 5,000 people tune in to hear him discuss his success funding military installations, his work on the Farm Bill, and his work on the Appropriations Committee, which he recently joined.

The Missourians in attendance made their voices heard, too, contradicting the narrative pushed by Democrats and liberal journalists that Republican lawmakers are dealing with widespread objections to their policies.

According to a poll conducted by Alford of his constituents on the town hall, a whopping 82 percent support President Donald Trump and his America First agenda. Ninety percent believe that there is “waste, fraud, and/or abuse in the federal government that should be identified and eliminated to save taxpayer dollars,” 81 percent want Congress to “take action to prevent the largest automatic tax hike in American history by extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” and 74 percent prefer virtual events with their congressman.

The latter number is particularly interesting in light of Alford’s recent Washington Reporter interview where he said he’s seen how liberal protesters can “hijack” events at the expense of constituents firsthand.

Several months ago, he was hosting a coffee event in Belton, Missouri, for constituents. “Instead,” he said, “a massive group of organized protesters — some constituents and some from outside of our district — hijacked the event.”

“What this did in practice is prevent our constituents who wanted to have a civil discussion from being able to do so. And that’s unacceptable to me. I’m happy to talk to people who disagree with me, but it should be civil,” Alford said.

However, Alford doesn’t want to let the left win, and he has three pieces of advice for his GOP colleagues who are staring down left-wing agitators at events back home.

“One, we can’t let the radical left stop us from talking to our constituents face to face,” he said. “Two, we should fully utilize virtual town halls when we are unable to do them in person. I’ve started just calling them town halls instead of virtual or tele, because that reflects the reality of leftist agitators who refuse to engage respectfully. Three, the safety of our constituents and staff is paramount.”

Alford’s ubiquitous presence in his district is essential for him to let his constituents know what he’s working on, especially for rural small businesses, which he said “were left on the sidelines” during the Biden administration, “both in accessing capital and counseling from the SBA, and from private investment that historically has disproportionately gone to major metropolitan centers on the east and west coasts.”

The Missouri lawmaker has a three point plan to help rural small businesses thrive, now that he’s in the driver’s seat. “Extend and enhance the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, especially the 199a small business deduction”; “cut Biden’s burdensome red tape”; and “get SBA field reps out of the swamp and into rural communities.”

HEARD ON THE HILL

• HE’S NOT SPARTACUS: Multiple Senate Republicans mocked Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) at the Republican Senators Lunch today, laughing at his lengthy speech, and asking whether the left would take his antics seriously.

• SCALP TREATMENT: Kid Rock joined President Trump in the Oval Office for the signing of an executive order that is cracking down on ticket scalpers. Trump got immediate backup from groups like LiveNation, whose CEO Michael Rapino praised Trump. “Scalpers and bots prevent fans from getting tickets at the prices artists set, which is why we support any meaningful resale reforms — including more enforcement of the BOTS act, caps on resale prices, and more,” he said.

• HOT POLLS, COLD WEATHER: Voters in Wisconsin and Florida are heading to the polls for a series of important elections. In Wisconsin, the state’s former attorney general, Brad Schimel, is running to flip the state’s Supreme Court. Read an op-ed Schimel published with us about President Joe Biden’s lawless last-minute pardons here. Democratic megadonors have spent tens of millions of dollars against Schimel, as we’ve covered here.

• ROUND TWO?: One former Democratic congresswoman who lost in 2024 is gearing up for a rematch against the Republican who defeated her, we’re told. Watch this space for more information soon.

• BEATDOWN WITH RECEIPTS: Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.) took Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D., Texas) to task during a hearing about rogue judges, noting that when “AOC filed articles of impeachment on Justices Thomas and Alito, Ms. Crockett was one of the co-sponsors...It does seem interesting that when the shoe is on the other foot everyone is self-righteous.” Following the hearing, Issa remarked that “when you deal with Democrats, you bring the receipts.”

• SWING AND A MISS: Gov. Tim Walz (D., Minn.) wished the Minnesota Twins a successful 2025 season, predicting that the team will go “162-0.” The Twins have yet to win a game since his tweet.

• CHINA CRACKDOWN: The House Oversight Committee is doing a hearing next week on Chinese illicit products and the FDA.

• POTENTIAL BUYER?: The Trump administration is meeting with Oracle to discuss the deal to purchase TikTok. The deadline is Saturday.

EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Abe Hamadeh calls on Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll to investigate Accenture’s DOD contracts

by the Washington Reporter

THE LOWDOWN:

• Rep. Abe Hamadeh called on Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll to investigate two Department of Defense (DOD) contracts with consulting giant Accenture.

• In his letter, exclusively obtained by the Washington Reporter, Hamadeh congratulated Driscoll on his confirmation to lead the Army and noted that “there are myriad issues interfering with that mission — inherited from the Biden administration.”

• Hamadeh set his sights on two contracts currently under the Army purview: the Enterprise Business Systems Convergence and Military OneSource programs.

• Hamadeh’s letter comes as the symphony of government streamlining continues through the Department of Government Efficiency.

Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R., Ariz.) called on Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll to investigate two Department of Defense (DOD) contracts with consulting giant Accenture. Hamadeh is a former U.S. Army intelligence officer and is a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

In Hamadeh’s letter, exclusively obtained by the Washington Reporter, Hamadeh congratulated Driscoll on his confirmation to lead the Army and noted that “there are myriad issues interfering with that mission — inherited from the Biden administration.”

“Systemic waste, fraud, and corruption under poor stewardship of taxpayer resources now places us in a position of having to make difficult choices about our posture and readiness,” Hamadeh wrote. “This is why President Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, to root out corruption, increase efficiency, and restore accountability.”

“I would like to draw your attention to two contracting issues that emerged at the very end of the Biden administration, that are the embodiment of what DOGE and the DoD must be investigating,” he continued. “Both issues tie back to a single contracting behemoth.”

The first of Accenture’s contracts Hamadeh, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, brought to Driscoll’s attention was the $1 billion “‘Enterprise Business Systems Convergence,’ or EBS-C” contract with Accenture Federal Services. Hamadeh noted that the Government Service Administration (GSA) “target list” includes Accenture Federal and that “agencies have been directed to scrutinize the use of Accenture Federal.”

“Given the context and political taint of this award of taxpayer dollars, it is in your control to evaluate whether this recent award appropriately followed protocols—or is the fruit of a corrupt process,” Hamadeh wrote.

SCOOP: Rep. Zach Nunn and General Kenneth McKenzie on Trump's foreign policy: "The strikes against the Houthis are badly needed, long overdue"

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• President Donald Trump is getting backup on his lethal airstrikes against the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists from one of America’s most decorated generals, Kenneth McKenzie.

• In the latest episode of the Republican Study Committee’s (RSC) Right to the Point podcast, obtained first by the Washington Reporter, McKenzie told Rep. Zach Nunn (R. Iowa) that Trump’s “strikes against the Houthis are badly needed, long overdue.”

• Nunn and the RSC more broadly are poised to release a series of legislation aimed directly at countering a potential nuclear Iran in the coming days.

President Donald Trump is getting backup on his lethal airstrikes against the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists from one of America’s most decorated generals, Kenneth McKenzie. In the latest episode of the Republican Study Committee’s (RSC) Right to the Point podcast, obtained first by the Washington Reporter, McKenzie told Rep. Zach Nunn (R. Iowa) that Trump’s “strikes against the Houthis are badly needed, long overdue.” The two also discussed how to handle Iran’s sprint to nuclearization as well as March Madness finals.

“I'm glad that this administration chose to address the problem head on,” McKenzie, a retired Marine Corps general, told Nunn — himself an Air Force veteran and member of the RSC’s National Security Task Force. “We'd let this problem fester for a couple of years, and it could have been possibly addressed earlier at a smaller scale, but usually when you leave terrorist groups alone, they get worse over time, so we may have to put more effort into it than had we addressed them earlier. But I think it's the right course of action. This won't be a single strike, it will be a campaign, but we're off to a good start, and it's a very positive sign from this administration.”

McKenzie’s remarks came at a critical time for the Trump administration, which is embarking on a maximum pressure campaign against Iran, which Nunn called a “sea change” from the Biden administration’s “do nothing, maximum caution plan.” Nunn noted that “it's not just for Iran, but other leaders in the world are looking at this, whether they're in Moscow, Beijing, North Korea.”

Nunn and the RSC more broadly are poised to release a series of legislation aimed directly at countering a potential nuclear Iran in the coming days; his episode with McKenzie is the latest sign of an RSC messaging operation that is quickly capturing the messages of the day, and finding top-tier leaders to address them.

DNI Tulsi Gabbard reorienting 2025 Annual Threat Assessment on “direct threats to American safety,” not climate change

by Matthew Foldi

Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard made a critical point during her congressional testimony about the threats facing America in 2025: climate change is no longer one of the “direct threats to American safety” her office is focused on.

Gabbard’s first briefing in this role differed from those of her predecessors in both parties in “its very direct focus on threats most critical to U.S. citizens and U.S. national security, not broad, millennium-away threats,” a national security expert explained to the Washington Reporter. Gabbard’s reprioritization puts the DNI firmly in line with Trump’s policies, and continues the organization’s shift away from the radical DEI policies of the Biden administration, which Gabbard and her team are systematically working to uproot.

Gabbard’s update came following questioning from Sen. Angus King (I., Maine), who was shocked that all threat reports for over a decade have “mentioned global climate change as a significant national security threat, except this one.”

In answering King, Gabbard did not dismiss impacts of climate change, telling the lawmaker that “obviously, we're aware of occurrences within the environment and how they may impact operations, but we're focused on the direct threats to American safety.”

Gabbard explained why she changed the tune from even the previous Trump administration.

“I gave direction to our team at ODNI to focus on the most extreme and critical national security threats that we face,” she told King, taking ownership of the change.

Every year, the president’s top intelligence officials deliver a Threat Assessment to both chambers of Congress.

K-STREET, 10,000 FEET:

Meet the helicopter CEO changing the game in cities across the world

by the Washington Reporter

THE LOWDOWN:

• Rob Wiesenthal started Blade Urban Air Mobility a decade ago and has built the company into a multinational powerhouse.

• Wiesenthal told the Reporter that Blade focuses on “accelerat[ing] the transition from helicopters to what we call EVA, electric vertical aircraft, or what most people call eVTOL.”

• Wiesenthal noted that helicopters “only burn 40 gallons of clean jet fuel an hour” and that the transportation “doesn’t leave a big carbon footprint.”

• Wiesenthal is also a major advocate of a shift to advancing the world’s cityscapes through a “City 2.0 strategy.”

As time marches towards the future, people’s needs evolve. Companies are using cutting-edge methods and technology to address futuristic issues. One thing that seems distant, but is already here, is helicopter taxis.

And Rob Wiesenthal is leading the way as CEO of Blade Urban Air Mobility. Wiesenthal hopped on the phone with the Washington Reporter to talk about his company’s scope, start, and ambitions during the second Trump administration.

Wiesenthal started his now-multinational company a decade ago, saying that they focus on “accelerat[ing] the transition from helicopters to what we call EVA, electric vertical aircraft, or what most people call eVTOL.”

“And the reason why this is important is the eVTOL’s are quiet and emission-free and with

quiet aircraft you can build landing zones in more places,” Wiesenthal said. “Over the years, the number of heliports have declined because of the impact of noise as cities became bigger and more congested.”

Wiesenthal noted that helicopters “only burn 40 gallons of clean jet fuel an hour” and that the transportation “doesn’t leave a big carbon footprint.”

The Blade CEO said his company initially did “leisure routes” but are now offering helicopter flights between New York City and all major surrounding airports and the entirety of Southern Europe.”

“Airport flights are comparable “to the price of an Uber Black.” He also noted that the company’s partnerships with other luxury brands like Mercedes Benz helps both companies reach new customers.

“And, frankly, what a perfect test drive if you think about it,” Wiesenthal said. “You’ve got a great consumer who is obviously interested in travel and speed.” Wiesenthal noted that the passenger is “a great target consumer for Mercedes.”

Wiesenthal also said his company uses their helicopters to deliver life-saving organs to people needing them in hospitals, and has “along the way” become “the largest dedicated air transporter of human organs in the United States.

“We have 22 dedicated aircraft, mostly jets for organ transportation business,” Wiesenthal said, noting the organ transportation side of the business “has become bigger than Blade’s passenger business.”

On the subject of government streamlining, Wiesenthal praised the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team as “incredibly smart, incredibly talented, and fast-moving,” adding that “whether you are a new president or new CEO, one is presented with a very limited amount of time to make rapid change before the preexisting bureaucracy recements itself.”

OPINIONATED

Op-Ed: Rep. Marlin Stutzman: President Trump’s Department of Education Executive Order deserves an A+

by Rep. Marlin Stutzman

On February 5th, President Donald Trump stated, “If I could give the schools back to Iowa, and Idaho, and Indiana and all these places that run properly…you would have education that would be the equivalent of Norway and Denmark, and various other people that are at the top of the list.”

As a Hoosier, hearing the President say this makes me extremely proud to be from the Crossroads of America. The statement also strongly recognizes the contributions of previous Republican Governors and legislatures, dating back to Governor Mitch Daniels, with Governor Mike Braun and Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith continuing that legacy. Indiana has a school system that teaches our kids the information they need to succeed instead of brainwashing them with liberal ideology.

History has shown that American students were better off before the failed experiment of nationalized education, that spending more money per pupil has made them learn less, and that Indiana has the roadmap to success other states should be following when looking towards the federal Department of Education being dissolved from D.C.

The more nationalized our education system has become, the worse American students have fared. This is true even dating back to the Civil War era. Our country typically ranked in the top ten worldwide before the creation of the Department of Education in 1979. I owe that success to the fact that the schooling curricula were created by regional and state bodies rather than having what students learned dictated to them by a national body that views students as statistics rather than children needing an education.

We have all taken standardized tests. We all remember having a teacher walk us through the profiling questions that these tests demanded. The status quo has created a dangerous pattern where immutable characteristics are at the forefront of teaching rather than education in reading, writing, and arithmetic like the countries passing us. Students’ race and gender should not determine the quality or funding of education. Their educational needs should do that. Why would you not want your child’s education tailored as individually as possible? That is what sending education back to the states will accomplish.

By nationalizing education standards and funding, we have sent our kids on a one-way trip to the bottom of the literacy, math, and science totem pole worldwide. This problem started with spending slightly over $6,000 per pupil in 1979 to a projected $15,000 per pupil in 2025. The spending has resulted in what I see as a direct correlation in other countries passing our students at an alarming rate.

Op-Ed: Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler: MedPAC’s Medicare Advantage report compares apples to pickles

by Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has once again come out with its annual report to Congress, and once again, it has raised alarms about the cost-effectiveness of the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. With lawmakers looking to this report for guidance, it’s crucial to take a closer look at the assumptions behind MedPAC’s conclusions. Spoiler alert: they’re wrong.

The reality is that Medicare Advantage has consistently demonstrated its value. When analyzing actual data, a recent report found that, on average, Medicare Advantage costs about 9 percent less than traditional fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare. Moreover, increased enrollment in MA from 2012 to 2021 has led to an estimated $144 billion in savings for the federal government. This not only saves taxpayer money but also reduces total Medicare spending — what is known as “spillover” savings — demonstrating that MA is, in fact, providing a more efficient alternative to FFS.

But in its March report, MedPAC claims that MA is overpaid by approximately 20 percent. It attributes this overpayment to two factors: what they call “favorable selection” and coding differences. These are flawed assumptions and since MedPAC relies on assumptions rather than data, it’s garbage in garbage out.

First, MedPAC argues that MA plans attract healthier beneficiaries than traditional FFS Medicare, a phenomenon they describe as “favorable selection,” which they claim inflates the program’s costs.

In fact, research has consistently shown that Medicare Advantage plans actually enroll a higher proportion of beneficiaries with chronic conditions and complex healthcare needs, including those who are dual-eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. Beneficiaries in MA are often sicker and require more intensive care than their FFS counterparts. By ignoring this reality, MedPAC fails to recognize the true cost burden of serving these higher-need populations.

In addition, MedPAC’s analysis overlooks the fact that a substantial portion of Medicare beneficiaries who enroll in MA plans have no experience with FFS. These individuals are often new enrollees in the system, and MedPAC fails to account for them, instead using FFS-based assumptions that do not reflect the reality of the MA program.

Op-Ed: Rosemary Becchi: Why the 199A provision is a tax cut worth saving

by Rosemary Becchi

The arena of tax policy rarely excites people, but here’s a case in which the expiration of a single provision, something called the 199A deduction, would be felt not only on the shop floor, but at every kitchen table in America.

Unless Congress acts to save it, we are about to sunset a tax policy that has helped to stimulate nine-out-of-ten American businesses and has supported millions of jobs.

The 199A provision was part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. It has allowed pass-through businesses to employ a 20 percent tax write-off. The 199A provision has tremendously helped “S” Corporations, partnerships, and LLCs that provide the largest number of jobs in the United States.

A study on behalf of the National Federation of Independent Business found that making the 199A deduction permanent would lead to the creation of roughly one million new jobs every year over the next decade. Additionally, it would increase U.S. GDP by an average of $75 billion per year during the same period.

Put simply, the economic upside of Section 199A extends far beyond business owners and their workers. The deduction plays a crucial role in strengthening our broader economy, which keeps America competitive on the world stage.

When our economy is robust, U.S. businesses and entrepreneurs are inspired to lead the charge on innovation and productivity. Alternatively, placing an additional tax burden on businesses has the potential to disrupt our economy and negatively impact our international reputation.

What’s more, with international markets roiled by a tariff war, we need to reshore American manufacturing. The 199A deduction will take on an important role in making certain the enterprises (most of which are family owned) that make up 95 percent of U.S. companies will be able to do their part.

At the end of the day, the 199A deduction has enabled millions of businesses to reinvest in growth, improve wages and benefits, and plan ahead. But if Congress allows 199A to expire, the consequences will be far-reaching. Removing this deduction will ultimately feel like a tax hike for business owners, forcing them to reconsider the future and put growth on pause.

Companies of varying sizes across the country, many still recovering from the disruptions caused during the COVID-19 pandemic, cannot afford a sudden spike in their tax liability. And this tax incentive ensures that entrepreneurs, family businesses, and large organizations alike can continue to serve Americans.