Rep. Mike Simpson on the GOP’s OBBB wins, John Thune’s wins, and more!
Latest between Trump and Netanyahu, Rep. Randy Fine is defiant, and more
July 11, 2025
Let’s dive in.
INTERVIEW: Rep. Mike Simpson on reconciliation wins, and what comes next for Congress post-OBBB
Heard on the Hill
EDITORIAL: On MAHA and food, Republicans should tread carefully
EXCLUSIVE: TC Energy is bolstering America’s energy dominance through critical investments
EXCLUSIVE: John Thune touts six months of results for America
SCOOP: "Zero daylight": Trump-Netanyahu bromance takes D.C. by storm
SCOOP: "I came to Washington to fight this evil, not make peace with it": Rep. Randy Fine not backing down after Democrats condemn him
K-STREET, 10,000 FEET: Conservative coalition warns NAB petition requiring FCC to adopt NextGenTV counteracts Trump Golden Age agenda
OPINIONATED: Kalid Loul on why Zohran Mamdani won’t represent the future for Muslims in America
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INTERVIEW: Rep. Mike Simpson on reconciliation wins, and what comes next for Congress post-OBBB
by Matthew Foldi
THE LOWDOWN:
Rep. Mike Simpson (R., Idaho), who has been at the forefront of congressional negotiations with the One Big, Beautiful Bill (OBBB), spoke with the Washington Reporter about the reconciliation wins, what Congress should do next, and about what matters to him in life.
For Simpson, the most critical provision in the OBBB — a bill that he said contains “all of [our] campaign promises” — is “making the tax cuts permanent and getting our economy moving again.”
The OBBB also contained critical border security provisions that Simpson said that Idahoans and Americans in general want. The Democrats who opposed the bill, Simpson said, voted to “stop a lot of the ICE enforcement because we got money in there to secure the border, for the fence, to finish the fence, and also to increase the number of ICE agents we have, and so forth,” while also siding against the popular tax provisions.
Now, Simpson’s wife Kathy and his staff — namely Nikki Wallace, Lexi Hamel, and Lauren Radford — are helping him avoid homelessness while continuing to work for the people of Idaho. Those same people suffered a tremendous tragedy earlier this month when a lunatic lured firefighters to their death.
Rep. Mike Simpson (R., Idaho) has seen no shortage of fires in his personal or professional lives recently. One of those fires, a blaze that burned down his D.C.-area home, could have killed him if he had been there while it raged.
Simpson, who has been at the forefront of congressional negotiations with the One Big, Beautiful Bill (OBBB), spoke with the Washington Reporter about the reconciliation wins, what Congress should do next, and about what matters to him in life.
For Simpson, the most critical provision in the OBBB — a bill that he said contains “all of [our] campaign promises” — is “making the tax cuts permanent and getting our economy moving again.”
“What it did prevent is the largest tax increase in American history,” he said. “If these taxes would have gone up, I think that would have been devastating to our economy, and I think Idahoans recognize that, but they also have some concerns about parts of it, and that's okay, too.”
“I really think that the tax stabilization, if you will, is important, as is adding the provision for no tax on tips and no tax on overtime; that is very important to the middle class,” he added.
Simpson brushed back criticisms from Democrats, all of whom voted against the bill, that the OBBB is primarily for the richest Americans.
Heard on the Hill
GREAT FAKE NORTH: Colorado news picked up on our report that one of Rep. Gabe Evans’s (R., Colo.) Democratic opponents used a photo from Canada for his cover photo. Watch the clip here.
TICKET CRASHER: The Trump administration’s Department of Justice and FBI got backup from LiveNation, which sent its public comment about what it calls the “unfair practices in the live entertainment industry.” Trump’s Executive Order 14254 called for a deeper analysis on the harms caused by “unscrupulous middlemen” in the ticket resale industry.
REORG MOVING ALONG: Michael Rigas, a Deputy Secretary of State, emailed State Department staff today announcing further reductions in force. “The Department will soon be communicating to individuals affected by the reduction in force,” Rigas’s email, obtained by the Washington Reporter, read. “Once notifications have taken place, the Department will enter the final stage of its reorganization and focus its attention on delivering results-driven diplomacy.”
IF LOOKS COULD KILL: Chris Cuomo recently lavished praise on air to Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R., Fla.) for being both better looking than him and for having better hair than he does.
HOLOCAUST BELITTLING: The Lincoln Project, a failed liberal super PAC, is comparing Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R., Fla.) Alligator Alcatraz to the Holocaust. This move was rightfully condemned by conservative commentators for belittling the systemic genocide.
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EDITORIAL: On MAHA and food, Republicans should tread carefully
by the Washington Reporter Editorial Board
Before banning Lucky Charms and green Skittles, Republicans should consider both the policy ramifications and the politics. Here’s why:
The "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement helped drive votes to President Trump and offered Republicans a great opportunity to reach otherwise unaffiliated or disaffected voters. Many MAHA policies are both sound policy and sound politics, like Senator Tom Cotton’s (R., Ark.) proposal to limit screen time for kids and Senator Ted Cruz’s (R., Texas) work to prohibit COVID vaccine mandates that lack a scientific basis.
Because MAHA is broadly a political winner, some Republican officials assume that everything labeled “MAHA” must also be a winner. But when it comes to food regulations under the guise of MAHA, Republicans should consider the unintended consequences.
First, calling something MAHA doesn’t guarantee it’s sound policy or politics. Advocates are leveraging the perceived support for the “MAHA movement” to push proposals that we would have recently dismissed. Getting cell phones out of schools is indeed popular and aligns with conservative values, as excessive screen time for kids is a recent phenomenon that conservatives rightly question.
But preventing food manufacturers from using food coloring? That’s a policy that — until recently — Republicans would have assumed was a Michelle Obama proposal that our side would mock as preposterous.
After all, there’s nothing conservative about restricting customer choices in the free market. Americans are free to decide whether to buy cupcakes with food coloring, natural coloring, or no coloring at all.
EXCLUSIVE: TC Energy is bolstering America’s energy dominance through critical investments
by the Washington Reporter
THE LOWDOWN:
TC Energy president and CEO Francois Poirier caught up with the Washington Reporter to talk about his company’s moves to bolster American energy dominance. Poirier told the Reporter that TC Energy is “a North American company” that has “moved an awful lot of natural gas around all three countries” in the continent.
Poirier said the investment is being primarily driven by liquid natural gas (LNG) export growth, noting that LNG exporting is expected to triple in North America between 2024 and 2035. The TC Energy CEO said “the vast majority of that's gonna be in the U.S. on the U.S. Gulf Coast” and that America will see more of a shift away from coal to natural gas as Canada has seen.
Additionally, Poirier pointed out that TC Energy’s LNG pipeline was the first one to be put into service following the natural gas ban being lifted and praised the Trump administration as being “the most energy literate” administration the world has had “in many decades.”
TC Energy is yet another company investing in America and bolstering America’s energy dominance and national security.
Energy dominance is a key pillar of Republican governance that the Trump administration is ardently pursuing. American companies are answering the call, but TC Energy up in Canada is also joining the efforts.
TC Energy president and CEO Francois Poirier caught up with the Washington Reporter to talk about his company’s moves to bolster American energy dominance. Poirier told the Reporter that TC Energy is “a North American company” that has “moved an awful lot of natural gas around all three countries” in the continent.
Poirier said that “capital wants to flow where the opportunity is the greatest,” where “the risks are manageable and where the returns are the most attractive.” The TC Energy CEO said that, of the over $30 billion capital program housed by the firm, “more than half of it is focused on investing in the U.S.”
“And I would say, of the next $30 billion over the course of the next five years, so in the early 2030s, even more of that capital and investment wants to be in the U.S.,” Poirier said.
Poirier said the investment is being primarily driven by liquid natural gas (LNG) export growth, noting that LNG exporting is expected to triple in North America between 2024 and 2035. The TC Energy CEO said “the vast majority of that's gonna be in the U.S. on the U.S. Gulf Coast” and that America will see more of a shift away from coal to natural gas as Canada has seen.
Poirier said there is “still a lot of momentum for repowering retiring coal facilities with natural gas” but noted that Mexico is facing more of a shift from oil to natural gas.
EXCLUSIVE: John Thune touts six months of results for America
by Matthew Foldi
THE LOWDOWN:
Senator Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) has only been helming the Senate GOP for six months, but he’s already amassed a suite of accomplishments from tax policy to border security and more.
In recognition of Thune’s wins, his team compiled a list of some of the highlights that was exclusively obtained by the Washington Reporter.
Some wins illustrated the hard work undertaken by the Senate with Thune’s leadership, including how the Senate has taken more votes this year to date than any Senate has in recent history.
Even amidst this opposition, Thune did accomplish significant bipartisan legislation, including the Laken Riley Act, the GENIUS Act, and the HALT Fentanyl Act.
Senator Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) has only been helming the Senate GOP for six months, but he’s already amassed a suite of accomplishments from tax policy to border security and more.
In recognition of Thune’s wins, his team compiled a list of some of the highlights that was exclusively obtained by the Washington Reporter.
Many of the wins were included in the recently-passed One Big, Beautiful Bill (OBBB), which Thune was instrumental in shepherding through the Senate.
Other wins illustrated the hard work undertaken by the Senate with Thune’s leadership, including how the Senate has taken more votes this year to date than any Senate has in recent history.
The 119th Congress began with 10 straight weeks of voting in the Senate — the longest continuous stretch in almost 20 years.
Additionally, the Senate has already confirmed 21 of Trump’s cabinet appointees, “putting his team in place sooner than the last three incoming administrations,” Thune’s office told the Reporter.
The Senate recently announced that Mike Waltz will have his confirmation hearing next week. Those 21 confirmations don’t even include the 12 ambassadors and almost 100 civilian nominees.
SCOOP: "Zero daylight": Trump-Netanyahu bromance takes D.C. by storm
by Matthew Foldi
THE LOWDOWN:
For the third time in six months, Netanyahu returned to D.C. for multiple meetings with Trump himself, and with leading members of Congress of both parties.
The mood was pure jubilation, including at a highly-exclusive reception the prime minister hosted at Blair House that the Washington Reporter attended.
During his remarks, Netanyahu emphasized his alignment with Trump’s “peace through strength” doctrine, which recently included the devastation of Iran’s nuclear facilities with zero American casualties.
Those at the reception included Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, Ambassador Mike Huckabee, DOJ civil rights senior counsel Leo Terrell, Sens. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) and James Lankford (R., Okla.), Reps. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), Mike Haridopolos (R., Fla.), and Randy Fine (R., Fla.), among others.
The bromance between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is as strong as ever.
For the third time in six months, Netanyahu returned to D.C. for multiple meetings with Trump himself, and with leading members of Congress of both parties.
The mood was pure jubilation, including at a highly-exclusive reception the prime minister hosted at Blair House that the Washington Reporter attended. Those at the reception included Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, Ambassador Mike Huckabee, DOJ civil rights senior counsel Leo Terrell, Sens. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) and James Lankford (R., Okla.), Reps. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), Mike Haridopolos (R., Fla.), and Randy Fine (R., Fla.), among others.
During his remarks, Netanyahu emphasized his alignment with Trump’s “peace through strength” doctrine, which recently included the devastation of Iran’s nuclear facilities with zero American casualties. First came strength, now can come peace, Netanyahu said in remarks that Haridopolos echoed in comments to the Reporter.
Throughout the evening, Netanyahu was joined on stage by longtime friends and newfound allies, including Pastor Paula White-Cain and General Erik Kurilla, who received a map of Israel made from a missile fragment from Netanyahu.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu is the leader Israel needs right now, and the partner for peace who President Trump has been looking for,” Issa told the Reporter. Issa proudly displays a photo with Netanyahu in his office that was taken almost 20 years ago. The two leaders met when Issa had just started in Congress, and Issa has with Netanyahu numerous times.
SCOOP: Rep. Randy Fine not backing down after Democrats condemn him: "I came to Washington to fight this evil, not make peace with it"
by Matthew Foldi
Rep. Randy Fine (R., Fla.) has no interest in backing down to House Democrats, who are lambasting his “unhinged, racist, and Islamophobic” attack on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.).
Fine told the Washington Reporter that the Democrats’ hypocrisy in condemning him for referring to Omar as a “Muslim terrorist” is the bigger story at hand.
“Apparently Hakeem Jeffries has no issues with Ilhan Omar calling Bibi Netanyahu a war criminal but does when I call her out for doing it,” Fine said.
“Democrats like Jeffries want Americans to believe that supporting Islamic terror is a fringe ideology on the American left,” Fine added, shortly after he referred to Jeffries as the leader of the “Hamas Caucus.”
The reality, Fine said, “is that it is part of their party platform.”
K-STREET, 10,000 FEET:
Conservative coalition warns NAB petition requiring FCC to adopt NextGenTV counteracts Trump Golden Age agenda
by Matthew Foldi
THE LOWDOWN:
A coalition of conservatives is warning that a petition from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) to require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to “impose a mandate on the cable and satellite industries that would force them to adopt NextGenTV” runs counter to President Donald Trump’s Golden Age agenda.
According to a letter led by organizations like Americans for Tax Reform, Digital Liberty, Consumer Action for a Strong Economy, and more and obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, the FCC “should maintain its voluntary, market-driven adoption policy that has reached the vast majority of Americans, not embrace a mandate just to reach the small minority of markets broadcasters have struggled to penetrate.”
The coalition maintains that NAB’s request is unnecessary in part because of the widespread adoption of NextGenTV, which has already been adopted in around 75 percent of markets on its own merits.
A government mandate to force the rest of the markets to use it is unnecessary, and “runs directly contrary to Chairman [Brendan] Carr’s deregulatory agenda,” one market expert explained.
A coalition of conservatives is warning that a petition from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) to require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to “impose a mandate on the cable and satellite industries that would force them to adopt NextGenTV” runs counter to President Donald Trump’s Golden Age agenda.
According to a letter led by organizations like Americans for Tax Reform, Digital Liberty, Consumer Action for a Strong Economy, and more and obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, the FCC “should maintain its voluntary, market-driven adoption policy that has reached the vast majority of Americans, not embrace a mandate just to reach the small minority of markets broadcasters have struggled to penetrate.”
“The Commission should take the plight of broadcasters seriously,” the coalition wrote. “They should be understood as a legacy technology that was saddled with a steep regulatory burden back when that was in vogue in the mid-20th Century.”
“The solution now is to deregulate and allow genuine market competition to dictate which technologies survive and thrive,” they continued.
OPINIONATED
Op-Ed: Kalid Loul: Zohran Mamdani can't, and won't represent the future of Muslim America
by Kalid Loul
Zohran Mamdani may not yet be a household name in America, but if my fellow New Yorkers make the grave error of electing him as their next mayor, he will be soon — and for all the wrong reasons.
New York City is famed for its diversity, its dynamism, and its resilience. These qualities make cities strong — and America exceptional. My own family, like that of so many Muslim Americans, found in this country a place to worship freely, work hard, and contribute proudly to the civic good. The pluralism and freedom that define the American experience are why Muslims have thrived here in ways they have not in many other parts of the world.
But Mamdani has revealed — through his actions and words — that he would erode the very foundations that make that success possible. His campaign doesn’t celebrate American pluralism. It advances a brand of ideological radicalism that treats grievance as gospel and openly excuses extremism.
He’s advocated for government-run grocery stores, sweeping rent caps, and fare-free transit — hallmarks of a redistributionist agenda untethered from economic reality. And he’s used his platform to downplay anti-Semitism, obsessing endlessly over Israel and refusing to condemn calls to “globalize the intifada” — a slogan with violent, deeply troubling connotations.
This is not what Muslim Americans believe in. This is not what they want. And the data prove it.
According to a recent national poll by the Muslim American Leadership Alliance (MALA), Muslim voters — especially younger ones — are increasingly rejecting the grievance-first politics of the far left. They support public safety, religious freedom, and economic mobility. They value lawful immigration, free expression, and interfaith cooperation. In other words, they want what most Americans want.
