Stephanie Bice and other lawmakers on the Big, Beautiful Bill, NRSC rolls out historic vetting process, and more!

House Republicans defend reconciliation package; Sen. Moreno defended by bipartisan Jewish leaders; Heard on the Hill; and more!

May 20, 2025

Let’s dive in.

1. INTERVIEW: Rep. Stephanie Bice explains why the Big, Beautiful Bill is "vital" to Oklahomans and for lowering energy costs across America

2. Heard on the Hill

3. EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Jim Jordan explains why House must pass Big, Beautiful Bill: “Let’s all work together and get this package across the finish line”

4. EXCLUSIVE: Top Homeland Security Committee Republicans press for Big, Beautiful Bill's "fast" passage

5. EXCLUSIVE: Bipartisan Jewish leaders defend Bernie Moreno against evidence-free claim he brings "shame to Ohio"

6. EXCLUSIVE: Republicans rolling out "unprecedented vetting" to defend North Carolina Senate seat

7. SCOOP: Previewing Marco Rubio's Foreign Relations Committee testimony

8. K-STREET, 10,000 FEET: Sen. Tillis and others warn: Durbin’s Credit Card Competition Act sinks GENIUS

9. OPINIONATED: David Cook on living on after war; Ryan Ellis on ending the Credit Union Tax Loophole; and Evan Swarztrauber on the golden Wi-Fi goose.

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INTERVIEW: Rep. Stephanie Bice explains why the Big, Beautiful Bill is "vital" to Oklahomans and for lowering energy costs across America

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• House Republicans are poised to pass President Trump’s reconciliation package — his Big, Beautiful Bill — and Rep. Stephanie Bice (R., Okla.) is making the case that the reconciliation package includes wins for Americans in both her home state of Oklahoma and from across the country.

• Bice herself has been involved in crafting major aspects of the bill that are critical to mineral owners across America. One of its provisions is a bicameral one she worked on with Sen. John Hoeven (R., N.D.) that she said “provides regulatory relief and allows the BLM to better utilize its resources and give power back to mineral owners.”

• The legislative behemoth comes at a critical juncture for Republicans, who have what President Donald Trump has categorized as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure critical changes across American society.

• Bice said that reform “in the energy space has been needed for quite a long time” and that she describes the way former President Joe Biden treated the energy industry as “death by a thousand cuts.”

As Republicans gather momentum behind the Big, Beautiful Bill and urge its passage, a series of House Republicans have made the case in the pages of the Washington Reporter for its importance in matters ranging from homeland security to countering illegal immigration.

However, Rep. Stephanie Bice (R., Okla.) is making the case that the reconciliation package includes wins for Americans in both her home state of Oklahoma and from across the country, ranging from streamlining of permitting to the restoration of onshore lease sales in several oil and gas heavy states, including her own Oklahoma.

“Oklahoma has a working oil rig on the grounds of the state capitol, that is what energy means to our state and our community,” Bice told the Reporter in an interview.

“This legislation is vital in restoring American energy dominance and lowering inflation,” she continued. “After years of attack from the Biden administration, this legislation rightly put America and American producers and manufacturers first.”

Bice herself has been involved in crafting major aspects of the bill that are critical to mineral owners across America. One of its provisions is a bicameral one she worked on with Sen. John Hoeven (R., N.D.) that she said “provides regulatory relief and allows the BLM to better utilize its resources and give power back to mineral owners.”

“This commonsense approach will better respect private property rights and strengthen domestic energy production,” Bice added.

The legislative behemoth comes at a critical juncture for Republicans, who have what President Donald Trump has categorized as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure critical changes across American society. Bice said that reform “in the energy space has been needed for quite a long time” and that she describes the way former President Joe Biden treated the energy industry as “death by a thousand cuts.”

“The Biden administration passed a slew of executive orders making oil and gas lease sales very difficult — in some places, they banned it altogether,” Bice said. “At the same time, the government began to weigh non-economic uses of public lands such as conservation more favorably than energy lease sales.”

“This practice was pretty harmful to communities that rely on public lands bringing in some revenue to support their economy and municipal tax base,” she continued.

Heard on the Hill

• FACT CHECK: Rep. Steve Scalise (R., La.) joined Americans for Prosperity for a town hall-style conversation at AFP’s D.C. office today to discuss the importance of passing the Big, Beautiful Bill. Scalise noted that many of the same people in Congress and in the media who are attacking this bill are the same people who lied to the American people about President Joe Biden’s fitness to serve as president. Scalise went on to note several Democrats who ran interference for Biden: Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D., Md.) and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) and Jasmine Crocket (D., Texas). Following the event, AFP’s Chief Government Affairs Officer, Brent Gardner, noted to the Reporter that “we heard if from the President. We heard it from Leader Scalise. We heard it this weekend during our National Day of Action when we reached out to over 90k voters. It’s time to get this done for the American people. On this, we’re all on the same page.”

• SUNSHINEVILLE: The Merchant Payment Coalition (MPC) is pushing for Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D., Ill.) controversial Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) by using SMS vendor Newmode. Newmode is affiliated with radical left-wing groups such as the environmental organization the Sunrise Movement — a fact that may not make the Trump administration happy.

• ANOTHER WIN: CBS News’s president abruptly resigned this week in the wake of the embattled network’s multi-billion dollar lawsuit with President Trump. Ed Paltzik, one of Trump’s attorneys, told the Reporter that “during ongoing settlement talks, CBS News and Paramount aired a new, defamatory 60 Minutes segment regarding President Trump’s legitimate and necessary executive orders addressing unlawful activity in the legal profession, including election interference and employment discrimination. CBS and Paramount’s attempts to subvert the legal process with lies and smears may necessitate additional corrective legal action, which President Trump reserves the right to pursue.”

• POLITICS IS LOCAL: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum testified on the Hill today, and Rep. Mike Simpson (R., Idaho) praised the secretary “for his and the administration’s work in halting the out-of-touch Lava Ridge Wind Project.”

• DOME IS GOLDEN: Several members of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC), praised the Trump administration’s Golden Dome announcement. Reps. August Pfluger (R., Texas), Zach Nunn (R., Iowa), and Greg Steube (R., Fla.) all serve or served in the military, and they noted a series of reasons why this provision is necessary. “President Trump's Golden Dome stands as America's ultimate shield,” Pfluger said. “This innovation brings Reagan's vision into the 21st century, meeting today's deadlier threats head-on. With enemies at the gate and our future at stake, America stands united behind President Trump's unshakeable commitment to defend our homeland.”

• THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE: In a survey of business conditions from the first quarter of 2025, consumer lenders see current and future business conditions at the start of the Trump administration in an overall positive light. American Financial Services Association (AFSA), the largest and oldest national consumer credit trade group, released its Consumer Credit Conditions Index (C3 Index) for Q1, which found that 35.6 percent of respondents believe conditions improved in Q1 2025 compared to Q4 2024, with 47.6 percent expecting further improvement over the next six months.

• CONGRATS: Both the White House’s Jacki Kotkiewicz and the Republican Study Committee’s Calli Cooper celebrated their birthdays today. Happy birthdays!

EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Jim Jordan explains why House must pass Big, Beautiful Bill: “Let’s all work together and get this package across the finish line”

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• Rep. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) told the Washington Reporter why he’s backing the bill that House GOP leadership is confident will pass the full House as soon as this week.

• “President Trump’s main campaign promise was to secure the border and deport violent criminal illegal aliens,” Jordan said in an exclusive statement to the Reporter. “Our reconciliation package, which has already passed out of our Committee, helps him do just that.”

• Over the course of several years, House Republicans have put together a reconciliation package that includes major wins for conservatives on everything from energy policy to immigration to school choice.

• Trump mounted another push to convince a handful of GOP holdouts to give him a win over the past week, arguing that GOP “GRANDSTANDERS” are preventing his work to “fix the MESS that Biden and the Democrats gave us.”

Rep. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) is leveraging his clout as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee to help President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) get the Big, Beautiful Bill across the finish line.

Jordan told the Washington Reporter why he’s backing the bill that House GOP leadership is confident will pass the full House as soon as this week.

“President Trump’s main campaign promise was to secure the border and deport violent criminal illegal aliens,” Jordan said in an exclusive statement to the Reporter. “Our reconciliation package, which has already passed out of our Committee, helps him do just that.”

“Let’s all work together and get this package across the finish line in the House,” he added.

Over the course of several years, House Republicans have put together a reconciliation package that includes major wins for conservatives on everything from energy policy to immigration to school choice.

Trump mounted another push to convince a handful of GOP holdouts to give him a win over the past week, arguing that GOP “GRANDSTANDERS” are preventing his work to “fix the MESS that Biden and the Democrats gave us.”

EXCLUSIVE: Top Homeland Security Committee Republicans press for Big, Beautiful Bill's "fast" passage

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• Amid reconciliation season, top House Republicans are coming out of the woodwork to explain why President Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill needs to pass the House and then the Senate.

• During the Biden administration, illegal immigrants told the Reporter during a series of interviews on the southern border that “we know that the border is open.”

• “Walls work, and Border Patrol agents agree,” Rep. Mark Green (R., Tenn.), the Chair of the Homeland Security Committee, exclusively told the Reporter. “Frontline law enforcement has told our Committee time and time again that a completed border barrier system is essential for accomplishing their mission in the field.”

• Joining Green in pressing for the quick passage of the Big Beautiful Bill is Rep. Michael Guest (R., Miss.), the Chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement.

President Donald Trump is renewing his push to get Congress to pass the Big Beautiful Bill this week — and top House Republicans are coming out of the woodwork to explain why the bill needs to pass the House and then the Senate.

Trump has emphasized a series of conservative wins that are in the reconciliation bill, and top Republicans on the Homeland Security Committee explained to the Washington Reporter why the bill is critical from border control and immigration standpoints.

“Walls work, and Border Patrol agents agree,” Rep. Mark Green (R., Tenn.), the Chair of the Homeland Security Committee, exclusively told the Reporter. “Frontline law enforcement has told our Committee time and time again that a completed border barrier system is essential for accomplishing their mission in the field.”

“Even knowing this, the Biden-Harris administration spent years canceling construction of border wall that Congress had already paid for,” Green added.

During the Biden administration, illegal immigrants told the Reporter during a series of interviews on the southern border that “we know that the border is open.”

“House Republicans,” Green explained, “are putting more than $46 billion toward righting this wrong.”

“Our border wall system includes a full suite of technology and infrastructure to help agents safely and effectively combat drug and human smuggling between ports of entry. And make no mistake, a completed Southwest border wall system will leave a long-lasting legacy, one that any new Democrat administration can’t destroy. We must finish the work of President Trump’s first administration and finish the wall — fast.”

Joining Green in pressing for the quick passage of the Big Beautiful Bill is Rep. Michael Guest (R., Miss.), the Chairman of the Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement.

EXCLUSIVE: Bipartisan Jewish leaders defend Bernie Moreno against evidence-free claim he brings "shame to Ohio"

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• A bipartisan group of Jewish leaders is defending Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno after a podcast published an evidence-free episode accusing the senator of bringing “shame” to his state for advocating for the freedom of American hostages held by Palestinian terrorists.

• At home in Ohio, podcaster Chris Quinn falsely claimed that Moreno “basically [stood] up in Congress to announce support for the mass slaughter of women and children and human suffering.”

• Quinn’s claims are completely baseless, and four Ohio Jewish leaders wrote to tell him that in a letter obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter.

• The group also said they would like a face-to-face meeting at Quinn’s “earliest convenience.”

A bipartisan group of Jewish leaders in Ohio is defending Sen. Bernie Moreno (R., Ohio) after an evidence-free podcast aired that accused him of bringing “shame to Ohio” after his advocacy for an American who was held hostage in Gaza by Palestinian terrorists.

Bernie Moreno recently took issue with another Bernie, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), and what Moreno called Sanders moves to “parrot Hamas propaganda, refuse to acknowledge Hamas is holding an American, and [to] blame our ally Israel for defending herself” in a Senate floor speech.

At home in Ohio, podcaster Chris Quinn falsely claimed that Moreno “basically [stood] up in Congress to announce support for the mass slaughter of women and children and human suffering.”

Quinn’s claims are completely baseless, and four Ohio Jewish leaders — Jason Wuliger, the Chair of the Government Relations Committee Jewish Federation of Cleveland; Andrea Britcher, the co-Chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Columbus; Greg Miller, the Board Chair of Ohio Jewish Communities in Cincinnati; and Howie Beigelman, the president and CEO of Ohio Jewish Communities — wrote to tell him that in a letter obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter.

The Jewish leaders expressed their “shock and dismay at the way [Quinn] and [his] co-panelists vilified the state of Israel in its efforts to protect itself against an internationally recognized terrorist organization.”

“The unfiltered tropes and unsubstantiated claims expressed by you and your co-panelists – all of which went unchallenged during the episode – are the fuel that feeds today’s historic level of hatred targeting the Jewish communities which your news organization serves,” the signatories wrote.

EXCLUSIVE: Republicans rolling out "unprecedented vetting" to defend North Carolina Senate seat

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• Former Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D., N.C.) time teaching at Harvard University is over, and Republicans are welcoming his potential Senate candidacy with an “unprecedented vetting” campaign of him and of other North Carolina Democrats, according to plans obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter.

• While Cooper is believed to be the most formidable possible Democrat, the NRSC’s vetting campaign will also include Attorney General Jeff Jackson and former State Senator Wiley Nickel, the NRSC told the Reporter.

• Some Republicans are eager for Democrats to nominate Jackson in particular — and told the Reporter that an incident in which the parents of Jackson’s 2022 opponent had their home shot at might not fade away from the campaign trail.

• Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.) is up for reelection in 2026.

Former Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D., N.C.) time teaching at Harvard University is over, and Republicans are welcoming his potential Senate candidacy with an “unprecedented vetting” campaign of him and of other North Carolina Democrats, according to plans obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) is already pulling out all the stops to defend their stranglehold on both Senate seats in North Carolina.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.) is up for reelection in 2026. While Cooper is believed to be the most formidable possible Democrat, the NRSC’s vetting campaign will also include Attorney General Jeff Jackson and former State Senator Wiley Nickel, the NRSC told the Reporter.

“Republicans have held both North Carolina Senate seats for a decade now and the NRSC's work to ensure that streak continues has already begun,” Joanna Rodriguez, the NRSC’s Communications Director, explained.

SCOOP: Previewing Marco Rubio's Foreign Relations Committee testimony

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio is returning to his old stomping grounds this week in the Senate Foreign Relations and Appropriations Committees.

• The Washington Reporter spoke with foreign policy experts who predicted what Democrats on the committee may try and lob at Rubio, their former colleague — and found that the likely allegations from the Democrats are baseless.

• “Gonna be a lot of folks arrested,” one senior Hill staffer predicted to the Reporter about the upcoming hearing.

• Rubio spent years serving on the committee as a senator for Florida before he was unanimously confirmed as Secretary of State.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is returning to familiar ground this week: the Senate Foreign Relations and Appropriations Committees.

The Washington Reporter spoke with foreign policy experts who predicted what Democrats on the committee may try and lob at Rubio, their former colleague — and found that the likely allegations from the Democrats are baseless.

Sen. Jim Risch (R., Idaho), the Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, is working with Capitol Police to arrest liberal protesters who illegally disrupt congressional hearings, the Reporter previously exclusively reported.

“Gonna be a lot of folks arrested,” one senior Hill staffer predicted to the Reporter about the upcoming hearing.

“I’m expecting sparks to fly,” a veteran GOP foreign policy expert told the Reporter. “Democrats will be gunning for Rubio to compare and contrast his recent actions with previous, more aggressive and supportive foreign policy statements and votes, particularly those calling for greater spending.”

“Republicans will no doubt try to deflect that line of criticism,” the expert continued.

At the top of those concerns is likely to be that the Trump administration “illegally canceled” the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Rubio’s defenders are quick to highlight the gross mismanagement of taxpayer funds by the Biden administration’s USAID, which was helmed by Samantha Power. Rubio currently serves as the Acting Administrator of USAID.

K-STREET, 10,000 FEET:

Sen. Tillis and others warn: Durbin’s Credit Card Competition Act sinks GENIUS

by the Washington Reporter

THE LOWDOWN:

• The GENIUS Act is a bipartisan legislative effort aimed at establishing a comprehensive framework for stablecoin regulation, but congressional sources tell the Washington Reporter that a last-minute “poison pill” amendment may cause a delay or prevent the bill from becoming law.

• For more than a decade, Sen. Dick Durbin has pushed legislation to overhaul the credit card industry: successfully in the debit space with the Durbin Amendment to Dodd-Frank, and, thus far, unsuccessfully in the credit space with the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA).

• A congressional aide explained to the Reporter that the CCCA “is a poison pill trick to kill the GENIUS Act.”

• “If it were to be adopted in GENIUS, I would withdraw my support on the Senate floor,” Sen. Thom Tillis said.

The GENIUS Act is a bipartisan legislative effort aimed at establishing a comprehensive framework for stablecoin regulation, but congressional sources tell the Washington Reporter that a last-minute “poison pill” amendment may cause a delay or prevent the bill from becoming law.

Championed by Sens. Bill Hagerty (R., Tenn.), Cynthia Lummis (R., Wyo.), and a coalition of senators focused on advancing America’s leadership in blockchain technology, the GENIUS Act has garnered significant support from across the aisle and in the crypto industry.

However, Congressional officials warn that there may be one final major hurdle to passing the GENIUS Act — a “poison pill” amendment backed by Sen. Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) to overhaul the credit card industry.

For more than a decade, Durbin has pushed legislation to overhaul the credit card industry: successfully in the debit space with the Durbin Amendment to Dodd-Frank, and, thus far, unsuccessfully in the credit space with the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA).

The CCCA is a controversial bill that effectively sets price controls on credit card interchange fees, mandating that merchants be offered multiple network options for processing transactions. Proponents, including big-box retailers, claim this would lower costs for consumers by allowing merchants, instead of consumers, to decide which network to process a payment on.

Conservative critics, however, argue the CCCA would be a handout to large retail stores and progressive credit card companies — such as American Express and Discover (which are exempt from the bill) — and devastate credit card rewards programs.

OPINIONATED

Op-Ed: David Cook: “You were prepared to die, now live”

by David Cook

Every one of us has done it — imagine your death, whether in gory detail or in a soft release. Maybe a bullet when you never expected, the snap of headshot while your squad hears the crack a split second later. When service members take the oath in whatever back room, musty-smelling recruiting station that birthed a small part of the most lethal fighting force the world has ever seen, we know death is an occupational hazard. I imagined my own death several different ways in many countries. The last one, the one that really would’ve mattered, was in a helicopter crash — my son, who was two weeks old when I left for my last deployment to Syria, would only know me through pictures and what little I wrote him during his time in the womb.

I imagined my wife, sobbing by my casket while holding my infant son and a folded flag. Or maybe she was in shock and doesn’t flinch when the 21-gun salute goes off. I don’t have to wonder anymore — I came home, alive, and thrived.

That thought exercise is valuable for several reasons. The first is a soldier’s identity is so tightly woven into the fabric of our military uniform that when we hang it up, for good, a part of us goes with it. We question who we are without it, doubt our existence, our status, and our role in the world without a rank on our chest and an unwavering mission in our hearts. A recent study found that “the hazard rate of suicide was about 2.5 times higher for veterans within the first year of separation than for the active-duty population.”

That first year out of the military is the hardest — it’s called the valley of death and it’s where veterans need the most help and guidance. Since 2001, more than 140,000 veterans have died by suicide. If you add up all service members who died in combat in the Korean War, Vietnam War, and the War on Terror combined, then multiply by two, that equals around 140,000.

Confucius said that “every man has two lives, the second begins when he realizes he has only one.” The second reason imagining your own death during your service is valuable to your second life is that you’ve already overcome it.

That thing you thought you’d never live through? You did. Every time the military ordered you to a new job, a new post, a new deployment, that was a transition, and you adapted and overcame it — you may have even excelled or found new skills or talents. I won’t downplay exiting the military, it is the scariest thing I’ve ever done, but it’s certainly not impossible.

Op-Ed: Ryan Ellis: Pay for pro-growth tax cuts by ending the Credit Union Tax Loophole

by Ryan Ellis

The next month will be one in which Congress finally gets down to brass tacks on what the tax reform bill long talked about will actually look like. While most of the tax provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act can be made permanent without any offsetting tax increases (thanks to the “present policy” baseline Congress has adopted), that’s not true for everything in the bill.

Several essential pro-growth tax reforms (full business expensing, immediate research expensing, and parity for business interest deductions) are not part of the “present policy” baseline. Neither is the ransom that must be paid to blue area Republicans in the form of a higher personal state and local tax (SALT) deduction for itemizers. Neither is the package of “new Trump” tax cuts on tips, Social Security benefits, and overtime.

Those non-present policy baseline tax cuts must either be temporary and allowed to expire in the ten year window, or if Congress wants to make some or all of them permanent, Congress must find offsetting tax increases to do so. Reports are that the pro-growth trifecta of expensing, research, and interest is going to be the priority for permanent policy, which means finding billions of dollars per year in offsets.

In such an exercise, Congress should look at any number of tax provisions which are counterproductive or have outlived their usefulness. Near the top of that list is the tax free treatment of credit unions, especially large credit unions. According to Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation, ending the tax loophole for credit unions would raise $3 billion to $4 billion annually, money that would be much better allocated to pro-growth tax relief.

Functionally, there is no longer any difference between credit unions and banks. They each offer very similar products — checking and savings accounts, mortgages, car loans, credit cards, etc. While credit unions are technically restricted to providing services to members of a limited group, they have made it so easy to become a member of that group that the distinction between members and non-members is functionally meaningless. In fact, banks and credit unions are so similar that credit unions used their tax-free advantage to buy 11 community and regional banks in 2024 alone.

Op-Ed: Evan Swarztrauber: Don’t kill the golden Wi-Fi goose

by Evan Swarztrauber

Wi-Fi is one of those technologies so easy to take for granted. Remember the dark ages when you had to use an ethernet cord to get a decent connection? Today, Wi-Fi is ubiquitous and carries the vast majority of Internet traffic. It’s kept up despite ever-growing demands on broadband networks — from streaming video and online gaming to virtual reality and artificial intelligence (AI).

That it just works is not by happenstance. Like any wireless technology, Wi-Fi relies on spectrum — the invisible airwaves that power everything from your car radio to Bluetooth speakers to Starlink satellites. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which manages the nation’s commercial airwaves, has made key decisions to free up spectrum for Wi-Fi so that networks can satiate Americans’ ever-growing demand for and reliance on more data.

While Washington isn’t known for planning ahead, Wi-Fi offers a rare exception. In 2020, recognizing that Wi-Fi networks would become congested without access to more spectrum, the FCC under then-Chairman Ajit Pai made a bold and visionary decision. He led his fellow commissioners in a bipartisan, unanimous vote to triple the amount of spectrum available for Wi-Fi by freeing up the entire 6 GHz band for its use.

The decision was overwhelmingly popular, drawing plaudits from a wide and diverse range of stakeholders, including bipartisan members of Congress, tech manufacturers, rural broadband providers, and civil society groups. And the results speak for themselves.

Nearly 100 million 6 GHz-enabled devices were shipped to North America last year. Internet service providers (ISPs) serving some of the most rural and remote communities are leveraging 6 GHz spectrum to bridge the digital divide. The band is helping businesses improve security, integrate AI, and automate workflows. And perhaps most importantly, 6 GHz availability is sparking demand for American manufacturing in networking equipment — a field otherwise dominated by Chinese and European firms.

What could possibly disrupt this good news story? Well, Washington of course.

As the airwaves have gotten more crowded over time, policymakers are struggling to find more ways to free up spectrum for new users and to meet growing demand for existing ones. There is virtually no “greenfield” spectrum left, meaning unoccupied airwaves, and the federal government holds around 60 percent of the most sought-after “mid-band” spectrum.