Rep. Ryan Zinke’s advice to Doug Burgum on running the Interior Department, lawmakers push back on FDA, why Sen. Eric Schmitt backs Pete Hegseth, and more!

In our latest edition, Rep. Ryan Zinke gives Doug Burgum advice on running the Interior Department, North Carolina legislators blast the FDA, Sen. Eric Schmitt backs Pete Hegseth, and much more!

January 16, 2025

In this edition

1. Interview: “Innovative” with “Western values”: Rep. Ryan Zinke praises Doug Burgum ahead of hearing

2. Heard on the Hill

3. Scoop: North Carolina lawmakers push to repeal Biden’s “de facto cigarette ban”

4. Scoop: Health care experts, seniors want Trump to “pause” the Inflation Reduction Act

5. Exclusive: Native American tribal leaders back Doug Burgum for Interior Secretary

6. Scoop: Rep. Kevin Hern blasts Biden’s “monstrous damage” to Medicare Advantage: “It's irresponsible, shameful, and just downright immoral”

7. Exclusive: Gold Star families back Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense: “He has been a tireless advocate for veterans of this country”

8. Marsha Blackburn rolls out amendments to strengthen the Laken Riley Act

9. Exclusive: Republicans back Trump’s antitrust picks, poll shows

10. WATCH: Sen. Ted Cruz secures a commitment from Pam Bondi to investigate 300,000 missing children

11. Op-Eds: Sen. Eric Schmitt backs Pete Hegseth, Rep. Julie Fedorchak explains why Doug Burgum is the best pick for the Interior Department, Rep. Vince Fong on how to prevent future forest fires, Tiffany Smiley on why Kash Patel is the most qualified FBI Director nominee ever, Tami Reller on Doug Burgum’s decades of leadership, and Doug Kelly and Asheesh Agarwal on how AI collaboration between America and our allies can preserve freedom

12. What we’re reading

In our latest edition, Rep. Ryan Zinke gives Doug Burgum advice on running the Interior Department, North Carolina legislators blast the FDA, Sen. Eric Schmitt backs Pete Hegseth, and much more!

Interview: “Innovative” with “Western values”: Rep. Ryan Zinke praises Doug Burgum ahead of hearing

by Matthew Foldi

Rep. Ryan Zinke (R., Mont.), President Donald Trump’s former Secretary of the Interior, “couldn’t be more thrilled” that Trump has tapped Doug Burgum for the job.

“Governor Burgum and I have become very close friends,” Zinke told the Washington Reporter in an interview. “I would describe him as super smart. He's innovative, but he also carries western values. He understands the water crisis. He certainly understands the value of Made in America energy. North Dakota itself is not about oil and gas. They're pretty broad in their spectrum…he also comes from a business background and understands that innovation and science should come to bear. And a lot of times with bureaucracy, the structure itself, it isn't a matter of putting more money in or taking more money out. You have to change the structure. So the structure can be, number one, efficient, but number two, also effective.”

As Interior Secretary, Zinke collaborated with governors of all political ideologies to help states respond to natural disasters; he worked closely with then-Governor Jerry Brown (D., Calif.), Burgum, who was then governor of North Dakota, and others.

“Doug understands that traditional values of the West like hunting and fishing and protecting that legacy is a part of the West, and is part of the Western culture,” Zinke said. The Department of Interior, Zinke added, regularly hits above its batting average because there is a strong “misconception that energy was over in the Department of Energy, and that’s patently untrue.”

Heard on the Hill

• Thanks for reading! Mick Mulvaney, President Donald Trump’s former acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), linked to our reporting (Exclusive: CFPB Director invested in asset manager he singled out for criticism) about current CFPB Director Rohit Chopra’s many scandals in his latest op-ed in The Hill.

• Friends of Judea and Samaria Caucus launch: Rep. Claudia Tenney (R., N.Y.) launched the Friends of Judea and Samaria Caucus this week, as we previewed a few days ago. One attendee told the Washington Reporter that “Claudia Tenney‘s leadership and long-held support for the formal and rightful recognition of Judea and Samaria (as opposed to the meaningless and non-existent terminology ‘West Bank’) was evident; she was the first member of Congress to be there, greeting folks when the doors opened, and the last to leave.”

• Sleepy Schiff: Sen. Adam Schiff (D., Calif.) appears to have dozed off during Pam Bondi’s confirmation hearing. Democrats booted Sen. Jon Ossoff (D., Ga.) for being too bipartisan and replaced him with sleepy Schiff.

• Anti-Direct File legislation: Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.), alongside Reps. Chuck Edwards (R., N.C.) and Adrian Smith (R., Neb.) rolled out bicameral legislation that would “name the Direct File program as an example of unlawful preparation.” We previously scooped the IRS’s planned nationwide Direct File rollout.

• NASA backup: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s love of outer space is legendary. He and former Rep. Bob Walker (R., Pa.) endorsed Jared Isaacman, President Trump’s pick to run the space agency, for the job.

• Fighting fire with legislation: Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif) rolled out the Direct Hire to Fight Fire legislation, which “grants a permanent authority to federal firefighting agencies to streamline the hiring of essential firefighting roles so that no critical position is left unfilled due to bureaucratic red tape,” his office said.

• Inauguration donation: The Electronic Payments Coalition is giving $1 million to President Trump’s inaugural committee. It has members in the credit card and banking industry such as Wells Fargo, Visa, and Mastercard.

• “Accountability is finally here”: Rep. Ashley Hinson (R., Iowa) and other House Republicans are pushing to prevent federal employees who work from home from getting location-based pay raises. “No bonuses for work-from-home bureaucrats, she said.

• She doesn’t even work here: The Congressional Progressive Staff Association sent House and Senate leadership demands for a 32-hour workweek for staff on a rotating basis. When Democrats ran the House and Senate, their offices were closed for years.

Scoop: North Carolina lawmakers push to repeal Biden’s anti-cigarette move that will “fuel crime, strengthen black markets, and leave our communities picking up the pieces”

by Matthew Foldi

The Biden administration’s “de-facto ban on cigarettes” is a “perfect parting gift for the cartels and organized crime,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.) told the Washington Reporter, as incoming President Donald Trump reportedly plans to help “scrap this ridiculous proposed rule.”

The Reporter previously covered the Biden administration’s Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) plan for a cigarette ban; now, the proposal is out — and it could devastate the 27,000 North Carolina jobs supported by tobacco, Tillis warned.

Rep. Tim Moore (R., N.C.) told the Reporter that “if this isn’t an attack on North Carolina and on agriculture, I don’t know what is.”

“I would hope and I would imagine that he will roll this mandate back…[Biden is] making it easier for dangerous drugs to get on our streets and yet he simply wants to weigh in now against cigarettes that adults can legally buy,” Moore said. “It is a nonsensical rule that does nothing. It would upend an industry that is obviously important to North Carolina but that is important, frankly, to the nation too. I think it’s irresponsible.”

Scoop: Healthcare experts, seniors want Trump to “pause” the Inflation Reduction Act

by Matthew Foldi

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is under renewed scrutiny as Republicans prepare to take full control of the government, and healthcare policy experts are cautioning against potential GOP efforts to “fix” the controversial legislation, they told the Washington Reporter.

Groups like Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC) Action, which advocate for seniors, warn that the IRA could jeopardize access to medicine for both low-income seniors and seniors living on a fixed income, like Social Security, while devastating independent pharmacies in rural or underserved areas.

AMAC Action’s recent polling of Americans age 55 and over found widespread bipartisan opposition to IRA provisions such as the narrowing of prescription drug plans and its “heavy penalties imposed on pharmaceutical companies for rejecting government-set prices or opting out of negotiations.”

The IRA’s raid of Medicare funds to pay for green energy was the most unpopular measure, AMAC Action’s polling found. There is “overwhelming support for reallocating IRA funds back to Medicare. 85% of respondents agreed that Congress should redirect funds currently used for green energy subsidies and other initiatives to reduce Medicare costs for seniors,” AMAC Action noted.

Exclusive: Native American tribal leaders back Doug Burgum for Interior Secretary

by Matthew Foldi

Native American leaders are urging the Senate to confirm former Gov. Doug Burgum (R., N.D.) as President Donald Trump’s Secretary of the Interior, arguing that Burgum’s time running North Dakota prepared him well for the position.

Sens. Mike Lee (R., Utah) and Martin Heinrich (D., N.M.) received letters from four Native American leaders, obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, in which tribal chairs and presidents explained why they back Burgum.

Scoop: Rep. Kevin Hern blasts Biden’s “monstrous damage” to Medicare Advantage: “It's irresponsible, shameful, and just downright immoral”

by Matthew Foldi

Joe Biden’s administration is spending its final days attempting to devastate senior citizens months before the 2026 midterm elections, healthcare policy experts warn — and Rep. Kevin Hern (R., Okla.) is blasting the president before he leaves office for his “downright immoral” last-minute regulations.

The Biden administration proposed to underfund the Medicare Advantage program, which could jeopardize healthcare for millions of seniors, health policy experts told the Washington Reporter.

“Biden spent his entire time in office pointing the finger at Republicans, at me, for wanting to fix Medicare and expand popular programs like Medicare Advantage,” Hern, the number five House Republican, told the Reporter.

Exclusive: Gold Star families back Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense: “He has been a tireless advocate for veterans of this country”

by Matthew Foldi

A coalition of Gold Star families is backing Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, according to a letter shared exclusively with the Washington Reporter.

The Abbey Gate Coalition, composed of family members of the American service members who were killed during the Biden administration’s failed withdrawal from Afghanistan, is urging members of the Senate to confirm Hegseth.

“We are very happy with that nomination for some of the following reasons,” they wrote. “First and foremost is his service and dedication to this country both in and out of uniform. He was an Infantry Captain and Major in the Army National Guard with combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan where he was awarded 2 Bronze Stars. And here at home, he has been a tireless advocate for veterans of this country, to which we also hold dear.”

Marsha Blackburn rolls out amendments to strengthen the Laken Riley Act

by Matthew Foldi

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) is working to strengthen the bipartisan Laken Riley Act.

Blackburn is introducing three key amendments to the bill, her team told the Washington Reporter: the CLEAR Act, the Advanced Border Coordination Act, and a provision to allow for additional defense space for criminal illegal immigrants.

Exclusive: Republicans back Trump’s antitrust picks, poll shows

by Matthew Foldi

President Donald Trump’s antitrust picks are supported by overwhelming majorities of Republicans across America according to a poll obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter.

The poll, conducted by J.L. Partners on behalf of the Bull Moose Project, interviewed 1,001 Americans online and showed. Seventy-two percent of respondents support the nomination of Gail Slater, a JD Vance aide, to run the Antitrust Division at the Department of Justice; only 10 percent opposed Slater’s nomination. Trump’s selection of Mark Meador, a veteran conservative litigator, is even more popular: 84 percent of respondents support Meador’s nomination, compared to only 5 percent who oppose it.

The poll also found that 78 percent of respondents support “continued government enforcement against Big Tech” and that 54 percent agree strongly or somewhat with Vance that Google should be broken up into smaller companies.

WATCH: Sen. Ted Cruz secures a commitment from Pam Bondi to investigate 300,000 missing children

by Matthew Foldi

President Donald Trump’s attorney general pick Pam Bondi’s relatively uneventful confirmation hearing bolstered Hill sources’ predictions that Bondi would be confirmed easily. One important commitment she made came in response to questioning from Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas).

“One statistic that every American should know is the number 300,000,” Cruz said. “There are over 300,000 children that this administration has lost, little girls and little boys who came here unaccompanied were in this administration's custody. They handed them over to adults, many of them not blood relatives, and they don't know where they are. I've never seen a single Democrat in this committee ask one question about the 300,000 children. I want to ask you a commitment. Will you as Attorney General investigate and make every effort to find those children, and if they are subject to abuse, get them out of those abusive situations that the federal government has put them into?”

“Yes,” Bondi replied.

Op-Ed: Sen. Eric Schmitt: It’s time to confirm Pete Hegseth; America’s security depends on it

by Sen. Eric Schmitt

I fully support Pete Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Department of Defense. Pete will restore the Pentagon’s standing as one of the world’s most respected institutions and resolve its longstanding procurement issues. Pete is also committed to eliminating dangerous and costly “wokeness” from our military institutions while restoring strength, trust, and respect — values I strongly support.

There is frankly no one better to lead our military and veterans. More than 100 Navy SEAL veterans support Pete’s nomination. His two decades of military service, two Bronze Stars, Ivy League education, and outspoken advocacy for military reform make him uniquely qualified. Why would some Senate members want to delay the confirmation of a man with over 20 years of distinguished military service? How could anyone oppose a two-Bronze Star-decorated Army Combat Veteran, an Ivy League graduate, and a passionate advocate for military reform?

Op-Ed: Rep. Vince Fong: Los Angeles fires show that time is of the essence to reform fire prevention policies

by Rep. Vince Fong

Americans across the country are absolutely heartbroken by the devastation and destruction that we are seeing from the fires impacting Southern California. My community has sent fire personnel, resources and supplies to help fight these fires and help the victims. And we are seeing that same dedication from other states and countries.

Sadly, I am too familiar with wildfires that affect our state. My community, from Fresno down to Kern County, has been impacted by numerous wildfires over the years with hundreds of thousands of acres burned, lives and property lost, and communities still trying to rebuild and recover. I have traveled to Paradise, California, which was devastated by the Camp Fire — standing in a school that was saved by proper forest management around it, only to look across the street and see homes in ruins.

To prevent fires before they start and to minimize risk, it is crucial to have effective vegetation and forest management. This is essential to reduce the fuel loads that exacerbate wildfires.

Op-Ed: Rep. Julie Fedorchak: Doug Burgum is the “Get It Done Guy” for U.S. energy dominance

by Rep. Julie Fedorchak

America needs a leader who is pro-growth, pro-entrepreneurship, an excellent executor, and capable of cutting through the red tape that has obstructed progress the last four years. I have watched Governor Doug Burgum’s leadership help North Dakota thrive, and for the sake of the United States, I urge my new colleagues in the Senate to confirm him so he can do the same for all Americans.

As a North Dakota Public Service Commissioner, I worked with Governor Burgum to fight Biden administration regulations such as the EPA’s greenhouse gas emissions and Mercury and Air Toxins (MATS) rules that are crushing businesses and energy producers. Because of the work Governor Burgum did to make North Dakota a pro-energy state, our state is now one of the wealthiest in the nation. Under Governor Burgum’s leadership the state’s economy boomed: GDP grew by nearly 4 percent — one of the highest in the nation — and North Dakota experienced both the lowest unemployment rate and the highest labor force participation in America. This success stems from Burgum’s pro-energy and growth policies, and, most importantly, his ability to execute. He is a “get it done” guy.

Op-Ed: Tiffany Smiley: Kash Patel will be the most qualified FBI Director our country has ever had

by Tiffany Smiley

Since his nomination was announced, Kash Patel has been relentlessly attacked by the left and the mainstream media. He has also been unfairly prosecuted and lied about. But the truth is, Patel is the most qualified FBI director our country has ever had. He’s worked in national security under both Democrats and Republicans, serving as Chief of Staff at the Department of Defense, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and director of counterterrorism on the National Security Council.

Furthermore, Patel’s experience as a federal prosecutor in the National Security Division of the DOJ, where he prosecuted criminals involved with terror groups like ISIS and al Qaeda, has given him insight into the threats our country is facing. It’s clear that he’s prioritized our national security since day one, and has the investigative expertise necessary to lead the FBI.

Op-Ed: Tami Reller: Doug Burgum’s leadership is badly needed at Interior

by Tami Reller

I’ve known Doug Burgum since 1984. He is a friend, mentor, family man, and honorable leader who cares greatly about natural resource production, outdoor recreation, and conserving the environment. This is why I was so thrilled when President Donald Trump nominated him to lead the Department of the Interior.

Doug’s experience as a two-term Governor and as a highly successful global business executive makes him uniquely positioned to lead and address the challenges and opportunities in the Department of the Interior. He will be focused on ensuring our country returns to a position of energy independence.

Doug deeply understands the intrinsic connection between energy, national security, and the economy. He will use his ability to think and act strategically to advance the country in all three areas, working effectively with colleagues in the Executive Branch and in Congress.

Op-Ed: Doug Kelly and Asheesh Agarwal: How AI collaboration between America and our allies can preserve freedom

by Doug Kelly and Asheesh Agarwal

At the upcoming Davos World Economic Forum, the new Trump administration has an opportunity to signal to the world a renewed and reinvigorated commitment to U.S. global technological leadership, a commitment that promises to uphold the values of freedom and democracy and to spread the economic benefits of innovation, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), around the globe.

In the face of a rising China and other authoritarian regimes, the United States must work with our allies to convert AI’s limitless potential into reality through sound policy choices that encourage investment and collaboration among all nations that value liberty.

What we’re reading

• New York Times: Nonprofit Founded by Stacey Abrams Admits Secretly Aiding Her 2018 Campaign, by David Fahrenthold.

• Washington Free Beacon: GOP-Led House To Take Up Bill Slashing More Than $35 Mil in UN Human Rights Council Funding, by Adam Kredo.

• Wall Street Journal: Nearly Half of Adults Worldwide Hold Antisemitic Views, Survey Finds, by Bojan Pancevski.

• New York Post: How California eco-bureaucrats halted a Pacific Palisades fire safety project to save an endangered shrub, by Alex Oliveira.

• Axios: Scoop: Trump's $500 million post-election windfall, by Marc Caputo.

• Rolling Stone: Democratic Senators Say a Campaign Treasurer Stole Their Money, by Dave Levinthal.

• Israel Nation News: Biden’s team of experts fuels Iranian aggression, by Aharon Friedman.