Sen. Lummis on Strategic Bitcoin Reserves, Sen. Risch looks to cut $40m agency, and more!
Cynthia Lummis on Bitcoin; Heard on the Hill; Jim Risch looks to cut agency; and more!
March 13, 2025
Let’s dive in.
INTERVIEW: Sen. Cynthia Lummis details why America needs a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve
Heard on the Hill
EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Jim Risch aims to eliminate $40 million agency, give its powers to State: “Good riddance.”
EXCLUSIVE: ICE continues drumbeat of arresting illegals, including rapists, murderers
SCOOP: Congressional Republicans unite to set Trump policies in stone
K-STREET, 10,000 FEET: Meta to roll out its own Community Notes, acknowledges that fact-checkers failed
OPINIONATED: Rep. Pat Harrigan on Fort Bragg’s legacy and OnMessage’s Brad Todd on the Democrats’ new boss.
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INTERVIEW: Sen. Cynthia Lummis details why America needs a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve
by the Washington Reporter
THE LOWDOWN:
President Donald Trump ordered the establishment of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve last week.
Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R., Wyo.) reintroduced her bill, the BITCOIN Act, to build upon President Trump’s order.
Lummis said she believes the U.S. needs a strategic Bitcoin reserve because “the U.S. is $37 trillion in debt” and “the U.S. dollar is debased in value or drops in value every year” while “Bitcoin goes up year over year.”
Additionally, Lummis praised President Trump for his leadership in establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, noting he “promised to lead the most pro-digital asset administration in American history, and he is fulfilling his promise to the American people.”
Cryptocurrency continues to shake up the global financial establishment through its utility and anonymity. These digital commodities have become so pervasive within American society that President Donald Trump recognized the strategic significance of stockpiling Bitcoin, the premiere cryptocurrency and widely-recognized “digital gold,” and ordered the U.S. to begin doing so last week.
But President Trump was not the only one pushing for this stockpile: Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R., Wyo.) has been a champion on the issue, backing her knowledge with legislative teeth in the upper chamber. Lummis spoke with the Washington Reporter this week to discuss her work pushing for a strategic Bitcoin reserve.
Lummis said she believes the U.S. needs a strategic Bitcoin reserve because “the U.S. is $37 trillion in debt” and “the U.S. dollar is debased in value or drops in value every year” while “Bitcoin goes up year over year.”
“And, since its inception, [Bitcoin’s value] has grown 55 to 60 percent per year,” Lummis said.
“So, we have an asset that has the characteristics of digital gold,” she continued. “Bitcoin is scarce; there will only be 21 million ever mined. There is no board of directors or founder — Bitcoin is completely trustless.”
“There’s nobody to turn to that you have to trust in order to make an investment in Bitcoin,” the Wyoming senator added. “And it’s infinitely divisible. It has a lot of the characteristics of gold, but in digital form.”
Lummis said her recently reintroduced BITCOIN Act will build on President Trump’s executive order establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, saying her bill is “consistent” with the president’s order.
“The very first 200,000 Bitcoin, which would form the initial corpus of a strategic Bitcoin reserve, would come from the asset forfeiture funds that are held by the U.S. Marshals Service, because we had Bitcoin forfeiture pursuant to asset forfeitures engaged in criminal activity,” Lummis said. “So we can start there.”
Lummis said she is “an advocate for using Bitcoin only within the strategic reserve because it specifically has the qualities of digital gold,” but that other cryptocurrencies like memecoins and stablecoins “can play a role more in the commercial economy in the identification and preservation of property rights.”
HEARD ON THE HILL
PAGING DR. CASSIDY: Sen. Bill Cassidy (R., La.) is set to release his 340B legislation as the Hill buzzes about Medicaid and Medicare. “340B reform is the most critical battle that must be won in the fight for patient access,” Terry Wilcox, the chief mission officer of Patients Rising, told the Washington Reporter. “We believe that Senator Cassidy’s legislation can be a bold step in helping patients by stopping the worst and bringing out the best in a program designed to support the most vulnerable communities in America.”
BLUE SHUTDOWN BLUES: At least one Democratic senator reached out to a Republican colleague to describe the Schumer shutdown plan as a “stupid way to make our base happy.” Republicans believe that many — perhaps even most — Democratic senators agree.
REVIEW SZN: Congressional Republicans have 12-15 more CRAs planned for the coming weeks.
TAKE A MICHIGANDER AT THIS: With Pete Buttigieg announcing he will forego a Senate campaign, Michigan Republicans tell the Reporter that Rep. Haley Stevens “has to be [the Democrats’] leading candidate.”
CLOCK’S TIKTOK-ING: The Trump administration is working to find a company or individual to purchase TikTok before the extension. Vice President JD Vance’s chief counsel, Sean Cooksey, has been tasked with leading the search.
HIGH ROLLERS TABLE: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been meeting with CEOs to squash fears about Trump’s tariff.
A message from our sponsor.
Medicaid helps provide security to our friends and neighbors, providing high-quality care for more than 72 million Americans, including children, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities.
Congress should vote against efforts to reduce Medicaid funding and instead focus on policies that strengthen access to 24/7 care.
Exclusive: Sen. Jim Risch aims to eliminate $40 million agency, give its powers to State: “Good riddance.”
by Matthew Foldi
THE LOWDOWN:
Sen. Jim Risch (R., Idaho), the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is rolling out an ambitious plan designed to save taxpayers tens of millions of dollars and streamline American foreign assistance.
Risch is rolling out the United States African Development Foundation Dissolution Act, which would both abolish the US African Development Foundation (USADF) and transfer its responsibilities to the State Department.
“Good riddance,” Risch said.
Sen. Jim Risch (R., Idaho), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is rolling out an ambitious plan obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter designed to save taxpayers tens of millions of dollars and streamline American foreign assistance.
Senator Risch has long been considered a leader in fighting against wasteful foreign aid and aid that counters American interests, and was a constant thorn in the Biden administration’s side as it tried to use foreign aid for progressive political purposes.
Risch is rolling out the United States African Development Foundation Dissolution Act, which would both abolish the US African Development Foundation (USADF) and transfer its responsibilities to the State Department.
Risch’s office said that “ensuring strict alignment of U.S. small grants programs in Africa with the national security and economic interests of the American people.”
“Any dollar of potential waste is worth exploring, and these $40 million deserve to go back to the taxpayers,” Risch said. “Good riddance.”
The legislation comes after Risch has spent years feuding with the USADF.
The senator has repeatedly demanded investigations of USADF over allegations, including from whistleblowers, of “misuse of official funds; fraudulent spending and record keeping; conflicts of interest among USADF management, board members, and private-sector/non-governmental partner; gross mismanagement, including inadequate staffing for compliance and oversight functions; inappropriate, abusive, and discriminatory management practices; and management efforts to suppress evidence of wrongdoing.”
EXCLUSIVE: ICE continues drumbeat of arresting illegals, including rapists, murderers
by Matthew Foldi
THE LOWDOWN:
President Donald Trump’s empowerment of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest criminals has contributed to a plummeting of illegal border crossings only months into Trump’s second term.
The Trump administration shared a list exclusively with the Washington Reporter of some of the individuals arrested by ICE this week, which includes multiple foreign nationals convicted of murder and several convicted rapists.
Several of ICE’s latest arrests had final removal dates from the last century.
ICE’s successes suggest that recent internal leaks regarding upcoming enforcement raids have not stopped the agency from finding and arresting criminals across America who are here illegally.
President Donald Trump’s empowerment of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest criminals has contributed to a plummeting of illegal border crossings only months into Trump’s second term.
A senior Trump administration official shared a list exclusively with the Washington Reporter of some of the individuals arrested by ICE this week, which includes multiple foreign nationals convicted of murder and several convicted rapists.
The arrests were carried out by ICE offices in cities ranging from Baltimore to Chicago to Sioux Falls. Several of ICE’s latest arrests had final removal dates from the last century.
ICE arrested foreign nationals from Mexico, Jamaica, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala in the sweep.
The arrests come after Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced last week that her department has identified the two leakers accused of disclosing the raid information to the press.
President Trump’s second administration, just weeks into its actions, is already miles ahead of the Biden administration’s total 2024 ICE arrest numbers.
ICE’s successes suggest that recent internal leaks regarding upcoming enforcement raids have not stopped the agency from finding and arresting criminals across America who are here illegally.
SCOOP: Congressional Republicans unite to set Trump policies in stone
by Matthew Foldi
THE LOWDOWN:
The largest caucus of House Republicans is teaming up with its colleagues across the Capitol to codify a tranche of President Donald Trump’s executive orders.
Leaders of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) were joined by Sen. Bill Hagerty (R., Tenn.) this week where they announced support for nine bills sponsored by RSC members.
RSC Chairman August Pfluger wants “speed and aggressiveness” when it comes to signing these bills into law.
Hagerty, for his part, has regularly met with RSC members and wants to help shepherd their bills to passage on the Senate side.
The largest caucus of House Republicans is teaming up with its colleagues across the Capitol to codify a tranche of President Donald Trump’s executive orders.
Leaders of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) were joined by Sen. Bill Hagerty (R., Tenn.) this week where they announced support for nine bills sponsored by RSC members, including the End the Deep State Act; the Dismantle DEI Act; the No Taxpayer Funding for the World Health Organization Act; the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act; and the REMAIN in Mexico Act of 2025.
Rep. August Pfluger (R., Texas), who chairs the RSC, told the Washington Reporter to expect even more legislation from him and his colleagues to codify priorities of Trump’s thus far only implemented via executive order.
Joining Pfluger at his press conference were Hagerty and fellow RSC members, Reps. Ben Cline (R., Va.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R., Ga.), Brandon Gill (R., Texas), Pat Harrigan (R., N.C.), Michael Cloud (R., Texas), Chip Roy (R., Texas), Brian Babin (R., Texas), Tom Tiffany (R., Wis.), Troy Balderson (R., Ohio), Stephanie Bice (R., Okla.), Glenn Grothman (R., Wis.), Marlin Stutzman (R., Ind.), Mike Haridopolos (R., Fla.), and Eric Burlison (R., Mo.).
Pfluger said during the press conference that “the Republican Study Committee is committed to delivering on that promise, bill by bill, vote by vote, until the America First agenda is firmly established as the law of the land.”
The Texan wants “speed and aggressiveness” when it comes to signing these bills into law.
K-STREET, 10,000 FEET
Meta to roll out its own Community Notes, acknowledges that fact-checkers failed
by Matthew Foldi
THE LOWDOWN:
Meta’s post-election rebrand continues with the rollout of its own “Community Notes.”
“We won’t be reinventing the wheel,” Meta wrote in its post. “Initially, we will use X’s open-source algorithm as the basis of our rating system.”
The new Community Notes rollout will hit all of Meta’s major platforms: Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, and will function similarly to how millions of X users see Community Notes on that platform.
Figures ranging from Elon Musk to random accounts have been hit with Community Notes over the years since it’s been implemented, and Meta is taking notice of how they work.
Meta is continuing its post-election 2024 rebrand with a rollout of “Community Notes” — taking a page out of Elon Musk’s X playbook.
The new Community Notes implemented by Meta will operate similarly to those on the X platform. There, community moderators are able to fact-check posts in real-time.
In a memo obtained by the Washington Reporter, Meta acknowledges that its previous reliance on third-party fact-checkers failed and that its imitation of Musk’s X may be the highest form of flattery.
“We won’t be reinventing the wheel,” Meta wrote in its post. “Initially, we will use X’s open-source algorithm as the basis of our rating system. This will allow us to build on what X has created and improve it for our own platforms over time.”
Since President Donald Trump’s election, Meta and its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, have made a plethora of moves to make amends with Trump and the GOP. Meta donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration and Zuckerberg was a prominent fixture at Trump’s celebrations in January. Meta also ended many of its DEI programs shortly before Trump returned to the White House.
The new Community Notes rollout will hit all of Meta’s major platforms: Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, and will function similarly to how millions of X users see Community Notes on that platform.
OPINIONATED
Op-Ed: Rep. Pat Harrigan: Fort Bragg returns and a legacy is restored
by Rep. Pat Harrigan
Last Friday, I stood in Fayetteville with Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll, Sen. Ted Budd (R., N.C.), and Rep. Richard Hudson (R., N.C.) to witness the restoration of something that never should have been taken away: Fort Bragg.
For a century, Fort Bragg has been the home of America’s most elite warfighters. The 82nd Airborne Division, U.S. Army Special Forces, and the Global Response Force have trained and deployed from this installation to fight and win the nation’s wars. The name Bragg became a symbol of military excellence, not because of its origin, but because of the Soldiers who carried it onto battlefields across the world.
Bragg paratroopers led the way in Normandy. They fought through the jungles of Vietnam, the mountains of Afghanistan, and the cities of Iraq. They have answered the nation’s call in every major conflict for the past hundred years, and they built the reputation of Fort Bragg through their victories and sacrifices.
In 2023, Washington bureaucrats attempted to erase that history. They spent six million taxpayer dollars renaming Fort Bragg, believing they could rewrite military tradition with the stroke of a pen. They ignored the generations of Soldiers who fought and died under that name. They disregarded the legacy of those who made Fort Bragg into what it is today.
They expected America’s warfighters to accept it and move on. They were wrong.
Fort Bragg is back, now bearing the name of Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II paratrooper who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Under enemy fire, he stole a German ambulance to save a wounded Soldier. He was awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart for his actions on the battlefield. His name now stands as a tribute to every warrior who has called Fort Bragg home.
The renaming of Fort Bragg was never about progress, it was about control. The easiest way to weaken a people is to separate them from their past. That is what Washington tried to do — erase the name, replace it with something hollow, and expect the warfighters who built its reputation to forget what it meant.
But warriors do not forget.
I know because I was one of them.
Op-Ed: Brad Todd: Meet the Democrats' new boss
by Brad Todd
Donald Trump is running the Republican Party and America – that much is clear. So liberal activists and journalists are asking: who’s running the Democratic Party? The answer lies in the the words of the 1971 hit by The Who, “meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”
Since November 8, 2016, Democrats have learned nothing. They persist in being owned by an unwillingness to add even a whiff of legitimacy to the public’s elevation of Donald Trump.
We must use rock-and-roll lyrics from the Woodstock Era to describe today’s Democratic Party because the hippie ethos of protest and identity politics is the time-warp they understand.
Admitting that identity politics has led them astray on a wide range of issues from crime to immigration to eligibility rules in girls’ sports is anathema. They are totally incapable of booking strategic losses to get problematic issues off the table if doing so validates Trump, however narrowly.
We saw this aversion last week during Trump’s joint address to Congress. Rep. Al Green (D., Texas), stood waving his old man cane at the leader of the free world and refusing to abide the Speaker’s calls for him to follow House rules on decorum. Green knew his tirade would get him kicked out of the House chamber, but civil disobedience is nirvana for a Woodstock-era lefty.
Green was not alone in acting the fool. Democratic congresswomen mindlessly wore bubble-gum pink pantsuits in protest. Other Democrats held up silly auction-house paddles with jeers at Trump printed on them. That all helped Trump use the Democrats as stage props, steering them into objecting to a litany of popular positions and accomplishments, like record-low border crossings, eliminating waste in government, and even cheering on a brave kid who’s battling brain cancer. He predicted up front that the Democrats would not clap for him no matter what he said, then proved it.
Democrats simply could not give Trump a win on anything because they hate his legitimacy too much.
