Tom Cotton’s ‘Seven Things You Can’t Say About China’ Sold Out on Release Day; Brandon Gill talks reconciliation; Issa’s Israel update; and more.

In this edition, Sen. Tom Cotton talks about his sold out new book; Rep. Darrell Issa surveys the Middle East from Tel Aviv; and more.

February 20, 2025

Let’s dive in.

1. INTERVIEW: Sen. Tom Cotton tells all in his new book raising the alarm on the CCP

2. INTERVIEW: Freshman Class President Rep. Brandon Gill aims to codify Trump’s executive orders

3. INTERVIEW: Live from Tel Aviv, Rep. Darrell Issa surveys Israel, Egypt, Iran, and the broader Middle East post-October 7th

4. Heard on the Hill

5. K-STREET, 10,000 FEET: Inside the illicit vaping crisis: How China and Mexico’s cartels are poisoning America

6. New obesity medication polling shows Americans want Medicare and Medicaid to cover weight loss drugs

7. Op-Eds: Rep. Juan Ciscomani and Rep. Lisa McClain on how House Republicans will continue to make communities secure with another life-saving border bill, Ben Carson on why policymakers need to protect Medicaid state supplemental payments, and Rep. Roger Williams on what President Donald Trump’s SBA is doing to fight for Main Street America

In this edition, Sen. Tom Cotton talks about his sold out new book; Rep. Darrell Issa surveys the Middle East from Tel Aviv; Reps. Juan Ciscomani and Lisa McClain write about the House GOP’s new border security legislation, Rep. Roger Williams explains why Kelly Loeffler will fight for Main Street at the Small Business Administration, and more.

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INTERVIEW: Sen. Tom Cotton tells all in his new book raising the alarm on the CCP

by the Washington Reporter

THE LOWDOWN:

• Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) released his new book, “Seven Things You Can’t Say About China,” on Tuesday;

• The book has already sold out on Amazon;

• Cotton told the Reporter that Americans likely don’t know the “pervasive influence” Communist China has in America through things like the sister cities program.

Most Americans will agree that Communist China and its ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) pose a significant threat to America and an existential threat to not just our influence around the world, but to our American culture and way of life. Several leaders have emerged as prominent voices against the CCP’s incursion into our nation, but none have been as vocal as Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.).

Cotton, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a U.S. Army Ranger veteran, has been an outspoken critic on Communist China and the eastern power’s attacks on American institutions, from Hollywood to academia to even our own federal government. And he continues that push with his new book, “Seven Things You Can’t Say About China.”

The Arkansas Republican hopped on the phone with the Washington Reporter to talk about his new tome on the CCP threat facing America, which was already sold out on Amazon at the time of the interview.

Cotton told the Reporter that he wrote his new book “to ring the alarm bell about the threat China poses to the American way of life” and that he is “pleased” that his book has “been received very well” and that “so many people want to know more about the threat that China poses to America.”

Cotton told the Reporter that “Americans have a justly low opinion of Communist China” and are “probably better in their common sense than most American elites,” but he does not know if the public “knows the full extent of matters, in part because so many of our elites are invested in not sharing the full extent.”

“But I think, for instance, most Americans understand the military threat from China, the threat that a Chinese nuclear buildup poses,” Cotton said. “I think they understand what China has done to rob us of jobs and companies, or even whole industries.”

“They may not appreciate the pervasive extent of Chinese influence in the country everywhere they turn,” he said. “And it’s because our economy is so dependent on China, because there’s so many points of leverage and pressure China can bring to bear. No interaction with Communist China is just about economic gain. It’s not just about cultural exchanges. It’s always designed to bring points of pressure to bear.”

Cotton pointed to a “telling,” though “not the worst,” example of Communist China’s influence in American society most people wouldn’t think about: sister city programs.

“Many cities across America have sister cities, and if your sister city is in Denmark or Japan, that might be fine. But if your sister city is in China, Communist China has specifically chosen your community as a place that it wants to develop relationships and exert influence. And it’s going to do so by offering economic inducements or cultural exchanges, paid trips to China, and then [China] expect[s] your local officials, whether they’re elected officials or the chamber of commerce, the economic development corporation, to then lobby on China’s behalf. Not just about your relationship with that sister city, but about all of the things.”

INTERVIEW: Freshman Class President Rep. Brandon Gill aims to codify Trump’s executive orders

by the Washington Reporter

The Lowdown:

• Rep. Brandon Gill (R., Texas), the House GOP’s freshman class president, said the GOP is unified to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda in Congress;

• Gill said his top priority, if he could “boil it down to one concept, would be codifying and making permanent President [Donald] Trump’s executive orders that he has been signing”;

• Gill said he is developing “great” relationships with his fellow lawmakers and that “it makes a big difference” that everyone is on the same page behind Trump’s agenda.

Dallas, Texas, is home to many wonderful things that bring joy to the lives of those around the world: good food, good culture, and good people. Today’s journey takes us to the latter, and shows just how influential and impactful Dallas conservatives are on the national level. In fact, Dallas conservatives are so impactful on the national zeitgeist that one of them is the House of Representative’s freshman GOP class president: Rep. Brandon Gill (R., Texas).

Gill, who took the reins of Texas’s 26th Congressional District after the retirement of longtime Rep. Michael Burgess (R., Texas), hopped on the phone with the Washington Reporter to talk about his first term in Congress, his priorities, budget reconciliation, and more.

“The first term has been great,” Gill said. “We have an incredible freshman class coming in. Everybody in my class is unified to execute on the Trump agenda, something we all ran on. It’s something we are all serious about.”

“So that’s refreshing,” Gill added. “And I can say the Republican conference as a whole has been great, as well.”

Gill said America is in a “very different world” from where we were just eight years ago in 2017. The Texas Republican said that “there are no Liz Cheneys and there are no Adam Kinzingers in the Republican Conference now” and that there are a lot of opportunities “to get a lot of things done here.”

Gill said his top priorities, if he could “boil it down to one concept, would be codifying and making permanent President [Donald] Trump’s executive orders that he has been signing.”

“He has been doing exactly what he was elected to do, signing executive orders left and right,” Gill said. “And all of those are great, and they’re what we want to see and what voters want to see.”

INTERVIEW: Live from Tel Aviv, Rep. Darrell Issa surveys Israel, Egypt, Iran, and the broader Middle East post-October 7th

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.) told the Washington Reporter in an exclusive interview in Tel Aviv that the changes on the ground are extensive since the October 7th, 2023 terrorist attacks;

• Despite the horrors of that day, Issa believes that Israel is rapidly approaching a normalization with Muslim countries like Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, which would be the crown jewel of the Abraham Accords initiated by the first Trump administration;

• Issa’s CODEL included high-level meetings with leaders from across the Middle East, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who Issa has known for decades;

• Issa added that during his CODEL, he saw reports of Egypt amassing its army in the Sinai Peninsula, which could jeopardize the at-times fragile peace the country has with Israel.

TEL AVIV, Israel — The Middle East will never look the same, following the barbaric attacks on southern Israel by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists. Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), the Vice Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has had a front row seat, both to the changes since October 7 and over the past several decades.

Issa — who on that fateful October 7 day was set to fly to Israel from Saudi Arabia — told the Washington Reporter in an exclusive interview in Tel Aviv that the changes on the ground are extensive. “What we've seen is the vulnerabilities that we were told existed come to pass,” he said. “We've seen Syria fall. We've seen Hamas be diminished. We've seen Iran in free fall, looking to others to prop them up. We've also seen during that period of time a reluctance by President Joe Biden and his administration to weigh in.”

Issa’s latest visit to the region finds him leading a Congressional Delegation of six other members that includes stops in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon. His visit in Israel coincided with the 500-day anniversary of the terrorist attack on southern Israel. “We've seen Israel, to a great extent, taking the lead, diminishing Iran's anti-aircraft capability, creating a situation in which the collapse of Hezbollah, the collapse of Hamas, and a recognition that the status quo does not have to continue,” he said.

Despite the horrors of that day, Issa believes that Israel is rapidly approaching a normalization with Muslim countries like Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, which would be the crown jewel of the Abraham Accords initiated by the first Trump administration. Issa, who will return to Saudi Arabia in a few months, added that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told him in the past that “we have a deal. It's a question of when.” Issa added: “That timing would have been long ago, had the weakness of the Biden administration not led to a belief by Hamas that they could act. They were wrong, but it has caused a delay.”

While Issa noted that “no one in the Arab or Muslim world is bypassing the Palestinian situation,” he added that, practically speaking, “the leaders of Arab and Muslim nations have decided that they will sit at the table with Israel as a partner to help solve that problem, rather than staying on the outside, saying ‘solve the problem, and then we'll talk.’”

Issa’s CODEL included high-level meetings with leaders from across the Middle East, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who Issa has known for decades. He told the Reporter that Netanyahu’s “leadership since October 7 has been rivaled only by Churchill and by a handful of other leaders throughout history. He focused on not the immediate counterattack and not on simply reestablishing a border, but on changing the dynamic so that it couldn't happen again. He has been unambiguous in his statements. He has been bold in dealing with many around the world who wanted to point out that this was an ‘overreaction.’ It isn't an overreaction to decades of underreaction. It is the proper response when you say enough is enough.”

Heard on the Hill

• FTC MAKING MOVES: The Federal Trade Commission’s new chairman, Andrew Ferguson, has made a flurry of proclamations in recent days. We are excited to host his first interview in his new role on Monday. RSVP HERE before tickets are gone.

• TARGETED: America First Legal filed a class action lawsuit with the State of Florida against Target on Thursday “for Misleading and Defrauding Investors Over Market Risks of LGBTQ Activism.”

• END OF AN ERA: Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) announced he will not seek re-election for another term. Kentucky’s former attorney general, Daniel Cameron, quickly announced a bid, while Rep. Andy Barr (R., Ky.) is likely to enter the fray shortly.

• SLAM DUNK: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum returned to the basketball court following his leg injury and immediately drained a three-point shot while Fox News filmed.

• BOND RATES, LOWER BOND RATES: VP Vance told Senators that getting bond rates lower will be crucial to cutting the deficit, and that it’s a top priority of the administration.

• VOX POPULI: Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.) is polling his followers on X as to whether he should run for reelection, senate, or governor.

• TEEING UP: Senate Republicans going to bring up Ted Cruz’s CRA on crypto reporting requirements in the next week or two.

• CHIPS KASHED: Kash Patel was confirmed to helm the FBI on a 51-49 vote.

• CHAINSAW MAN: Argentinian President Javier Milei presented DOGE czar Elon Musk with a chainsaw — the traditional symbol of the Milei administration — at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

• THE PRICE OF PROGRESSIVISM: Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D., Texas) turned heads with her attack on Elon Musk’s idea of returning DOGE savings to the taxpayer.

K-STREET, 10,000 FEET

Inside the illicit vaping crisis: How China and Mexico’s cartels are poisoning America

by the Washington Reporter

THE LOWDOWN:

• Illicit Chinese vapes and fentanyl are flooding into American communities, including schools, via networks colluding with Mexican drug cartels;

• Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R., Texas) said she is “glad to have a partner in the White House who is working with us to dismantle this harmful network”;

• The CCP’s international gambit has a historical element to it, drawing from China’s “Century of Humiliation” following the Opium Wars with the West.

It is impossible to find someone unaffected by the opioid crisis in America. Be it family, friend, spouse, child, or acquaintance, we all know someone harmed by this scourge that has been killing our neighbors for nearly a decade now.

Just as the opioid crisis crosses party lines, the illicit vape market does the same. Children are being targeted with addictive chemicals masked with youth-enticing flavors, creating a dependent market on illegal nicotine that spreads through middle and high schools like a voracious plague. These vapes are hard to quit and easy to hide from parental supervision, creating a perfect storm for another addiction crisis to take hold in America.

At some point, we have to ask ourselves: is this intentional? And, as time’s arrow marches forward, we find more and more evidence pointing to that inquiry to be true. Illicit supply chains in China are not only pumping fentanyl and other dangerous opioids into our nation and fueling a historic drug crisis the world has never seen before, but also illicit nicotine vapes being used by children. In fact, these vapes are banned in China — but that doesn’t mean the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) won’t sell them abroad, including in America.

According to reports, “vapes are becoming an increasingly significant part of Mexican cartels' business portfolios” with cartels “mandating business owners” in Mexico to sell Chinese vapes called iJoy Bar. iJoy Bar is a Chinese company started by Wang Xizhi, the “martial arts master” founder and billionaire who also serves as the vice president of the Electronic Cigarette Association of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce (ECCC). The ECCC serves as a “bridge between enterprises in the (Chinese) domestic vaping industry and regulatory authorities” within the CCP. iJoy vapes aren’t only available in Mexico, but are being distributed and sold across the United States in flavors such as “Tropical Rainbow Blast.” In fact, recent law enforcement activity against major distributors Demand Vape, Safa Goods and Midwest Goods for selling illicit vapes (such as iJoy) has shed new light on the Chinese illicit vape distribution network in the United States that seems to mirror those of the cartel distribution networks in Mexico.

This is par for the course for China, however, according to the Brookings Institute think tank. Internal and international organized crime expert Vanda Felbab-Brown said in an October 2024 podcast that China offers help to countries it “has good relations or with whom it wants to build good relations,” extending its “law enforcement and counter-narcotics cooperation” to said nations. However, if you are not a nation that China likes or whose relationships break down, then you don’t get their help.

“So, when China announced in 2022, no more cooperation with the U.S., it acted very much according to its standard script,” Felbab-Brown said in the podcast. She also noted that China’s “counternarcotics and law enforcement cooperation are driven and subordinated to its geostrategic objectives.”

To put it plainly: China supplies illicit narcotics to other countries around the world to create a crisis. Then, the CCP leverages its counter-narcotic and law enforcement capabilities to get things they want and, if they don’t like your country, it is left to rot from the inside out.

New obesity medication polling shows Americans want Medicare and Medicaid to cover weight loss drugs

by Matthew Foldi

Medicare and Medicaid are in the news again, and polling obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans want both programs to cover prescription medications used for weight management.

A new poll, conducted by J.L. Partners on behalf of the Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition (DPAC), shows that Americans are simultaneously increasingly familiar with the suite of obesity treatment prescription medications that have exploded in recent years and that Americans would like these medications — such as Wegovy, Saxenda, Zepbound, and others — to be covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

J.L. Partners surveyed 1,010 registered voters across America and found that 86 percent were at least familiar with these types of treatments.

The poll found a statistical tie in support for both Medicare and Medicaid covering these drugs; the former clocked in with 73 percent who strongly or somewhat support coverage, the latter receiving 74 percent. The support is bipartisan across all age groups. A series of cited studies from the New England Journal of Medicine and the University of Southern California illustrated the weight loss drugs’ significant economic and health benefits, and respondents’ strong support for coverage shifted notably when made aware of these benefits.

While strong majorities have heard of these treatments and support coverage of them, they are not as widely-used amongst the respondents. 59 percent of those surveyed said that either they or members of their immediate family have not used any of them for treatment.

Op-Ed: Rep. Juan Ciscomani and Rep. Lisa McClain: House Republicans continue to make communities secure, pass another life-saving border bill

by Rep. Juan Ciscomani and Rep. Lisa McClain

Time and again, cartel members and human smugglers have shown they have no regard for human life. They weave through traffic at breakneck speeds to avoid capture and deliver their illicit contraband. They are chased by law enforcement through neighborhoods and on highways.

The consequences of these high-speed chases are devastating and often end in tragedy.

In 2022, Border Patrol Agent Raul Gonzalez was killed in the line of duty. He was chasing a group of illegal migrants — fleeing by vehicle — who had crossed the border near Mission, Texas.

For years, border communities have experienced the high-speed car chases. Law enforcement personnel, and residents, are constantly at grave risk. Too many families have lost loved ones, too many officers have mourned their fallen comrades, and too many residents live in fear that the next high-speed chase could spill into their community.

Yet, fleeing U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or local law enforcement assisting CBP is not a federal offense.

Law enforcement personnel have been outmatched and undermined by policies that favored leniency over security. That is why, last November, 77 million Americans entrusted Republicans to do the job that Democrats intentionally ignored: securing the border and our communities. That is exactly what we will continue to do.

This Congress, we have already passed several border-related bills out of the U.S. House. Last week, we have another, and it is named after Agent Raul Gonzalez.

H.R. 35, the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act is the result of close collaboration with local law enforcement officials. It would ensure that their voice is echoed in the halls of Congress.

And more importantly, it could help prevent the next Agent Gonzalez from being killed.

Op-Ed: Ben Carson: Why policymakers need to protect Medicaid state supplemental payments

by Ben Carson

Throughout my career — both as a neurosurgeon and as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development — I have seen firsthand the impact that strong, principled policies can have on struggling communities. From revitalizing neighborhoods through Opportunity Zones to implementing economic policies that lifted millions out of poverty, we proved that when government focuses on empowering people rather than controlling them, remarkable things happen.

Yet today, a looming crisis threatens some of the most vulnerable Americans — one that has been largely overlooked by the national conversation. It is a crisis not just of health care but of economic stability, national security, and fairness in governance.

For years, rural and underserved hospitals have been struggling to keep their doors open. Between 2010 and 2021, 136 rural hospitals shut down. Today, 418 more are at risk of closure, and last year alone, 50 percent of rural hospitals lost money. If this trend continues, entire regions of the country — many already suffering from limited access to medical care — will be left without essential health services.

Medicaid state supplemental payments have been a critical lifeline, allowing states to stabilize their hospitals without increasing taxes on their citizens. These payments ensure that care remains available in rural and low-income areas, where hospital closures could mean the difference between life and death.

During the previous administration, bureaucrats attempted to gut state Medicaid funding through sweeping government overreach that would have disproportionately harmed rural and underserved communities. These proposals are still being quietly advanced through bureaucratic efforts to advance the former administration’s agenda — without congressional approval and without regard for the devastating impact the policy would have on hospitals, patients, and communities.

One of the most troubling aspects of this issue is the selective targeting of states based on politics rather than based on policy. Reports indicate that the Biden administration attempted to cut off funding specifically to states with Republican leadership — like Florida, Texas, and Missouri — while allowing similar programs to continue in blue states.

Op-Ed: Rep. Roger Williams: President Donald Trump’s SBA will fight for Main Street America

by Rep. Roger Williams

With President Donald Trump’s pro-growth, pro-business initiatives and his strong choice of Kelly Loeffler as Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator, small businesses are filled with a new sense of hope and certainty. As a small business owner myself, I know firsthand the importance of a strong economy and support from those in Washington.

Now, more than ever, the American people need the federal government to work to reverse the damage done by the Biden Administration. Under the failed leadership of President Joe Biden, the SBA turned its back on Main Street America, crushing small business owners with record high inflation, burdensome regulations, and a dwindling economy.

Instead of ensuring small businesses were given the resources they needed to spur growth and opportunity, the Biden administration refocused the SBA’s efforts into electioneering, radical DEI programs, taxpayer funded censorship by proxy, and burdensome regulations that cost the American people $1.8 trillion dollars and 355 million of hours of valuable time.

In November, the American people gave us a powerful mandate: restore Main Street America. Working together, I am certain we can return the SBA to its intended mission — helping all small businesses develop and thrive.

Small businesses make up more than 99 percent of businesses in the United States. Small businesses in America are undeniably vital to the success of the U.S. economy. The hardworking men and women of Main Street deserve an SBA that works to uplift them, not burden them with hours of complicated paperwork and exorbitant fees. It is long past time for robust and meaningful reform at the SBA.

Administrator Loeffler has a proven track record as a strong conservative with an impressive background in business. I trust her to do the work necessary to regain agency credibility and put an end to the SBA’s un-American assault on Main Street. As Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, I look forward to working alongside Administrator Loeffler and President Trump to ensure our nation’s largest job creators have the resources and support they need to succeed. I am confident that together we will lessen the burden of regulations and taxation on small businesses, giving them greater opportunities for growth and survival.