Washington Reporter

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January 16th, 2026

In this edition

[1]	INTERVIEW: FCC Chair Brendan Carr tells us FCC order on disclosure coming, discusses mergers and affordability
[2]	Heard on the Hill
[3]	EXCLUSIVE: Trump and lawmakers celebrate affordability wins, tout American manufacturing comeback during Ford visit
[4]	EXCLUSIVE: Dozens of Democratic and Republican members of Congress back Trump administration "publicly condemning the Iranian regime's violent repression of protesters"
[5]	EXCLUSIVE: Cotton and Lee lead GOP effort to ban foreign spies from American labs
[6]	SCOOP: "Do-Nothing Marcy" under fire for taking credit for millions of dollars in grants she opposed
[7]	SCOOP: Trump Kennedy Center explains why it ended Washington National Opera partnership
[8]	SCOOP: Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee on a financial proposed rule: "risks turning a core piece of public market infrastructure into a private monopoly"
[9]	SCOOP: Wisconsin lawmakers hail Trump's whole milk push
[10]	OPINIONATED: Rep. Michael Flanagan on the possible Netflix merger with Warner Brothers, Sarah Chamberlain on the lessons from fraud in Minnesota, and Rachael Bade with a warning to the GOP on health care

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[1]

INTERVIEW: FCC Chair Brendan Carr tells us FCC order on disclosure coming, discusses mergers and affordability
By: Matthew Foldi

Last year was "such a banger of a year," Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), told the Washington Reporter in an interview, reflecting on his successes in deregulation, implementing new restrictions on foreign-manufactured drones, and abolishing the agency's DEI protocols.

Carr began the year by mandating that the FCC's staff return back to the office. "It's really impressive how much the whole FCC team got done," he said. "It started from when we came into the leadership position in the building in January; at that point the FCC was still operating under COVID-era work from home rules where you could fling the Code of Regulations around this building and not be in fear of hitting anybody. Now, we're all fully back, and folks are being really productive."

Carr also made news by telling the Reporter that the FCC is "mov[ing] to a final order" on national security disclosure requirements when asked about Senator Joni Ernst's call to investigate the router company T.P. Link.

One of Carr's first moves was "end[ing] the FCC's promotion of DEI. We'd been spending millions and millions of dollars promoting DEI. We had it listed as our second or third highest strategic priority, rather than just connecting people. So we right away had to reverse course on some harmful policy and personnel issues that had been running during the Biden years."

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[2]

Heard on the Hill

ALL ABOARD IN NEBRASKA: Labor Secretary and friend of the Washington Reporter Lori Chavez-DeRemer made a stop in Nebraska as part of her 50-state "America At Work" tour, visiting Union Pacific Railroad to spotlight the company's investments in jobs and economic growth amid its pending merger with Norfolk Southern. Chavez-DeRemer praised the rail giant's role in keeping American commerce moving and signaled the Trump administration's willingness to work with industry to get major projects across the finish line. "We want America to be number one, and that's what we're focused on," she told Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena, adding that the administration wants to help companies navigate compliance as they expand. "This next merger is a big deal, and we want to make sure that we can help you get all the way across the country and do all of those things."
GENESIS MISSION MILESTONE: The National Nuclear Security Administration inked a major contract with Amazon Web Services for a pilot to "validate core AI concepts and will inform the design of the broader initiative." Administration sources tell the Washington Reporter that the Genesis Mission is one of the administration's top priorities to demonstrate how AI can save the government trillions while making it work better, so expect more action and praise to come for the companies leading the way on this innovation.
FEDERAL JUDICIAL CENTER CONTROVERSY: A little-known judicial agency made a big splash this week after Mike Fragoso's article in the National Review showed how the Federal Judicial Center (FJC) published a "Reference Manual" to help judges "understand climate science." To say the manual is biased would be an understatement: it's written to encourage judges to rule in favor of climate plaintiffs suing energy companies. Sources on the Hill tell us that the article has made the rounds quickly among staff on the Appropriations Committee who are asking why taxpayers should fund an agency acting like a far-left political organization.
HEALTH CARE CONTROVERSY: During this week's hearing held by the Senate's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee chaired by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R., La.), the Democrats' witness repeatedly failed to answer questions from Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) about whether men can get pregnant. Following the hearing, the American Association of Pro Life OBGYNs set the record straight: "the FDA's own data shows that roughly 1 in 25 women who take mifepristone will end up in the emergency room. We also know that there is a 4x higher risk of complications than with surgical abortions – and this is under controlled circumstances where women are examined by a physician, and the drugs are not given beyond 9 weeks of gestation," it noted.
SENATE SHENANIGANS: Seth Bodnar, the President of the University of Montana, is reportedly looking at running for Senate as an independent as part of a plot by former Sen. Jon Tester (R. Mont.) to unseat Sen. Steve Daines (R., Mont.) next year.
FCC FACT CHECK: Rep. Darren Soto (D., Fla.) claimed to be "fighting to protect the 1st Amendment and news stories about Trump's rampant corruption," but FCC Chairman Brendan Carr pushed back on Soto's claim, noting that Soto "repeatedly pressured the Biden FCC to block the sale of a Florida radio station due to the political viewpoints of the owners Dems argued that blocking it was key to their electoral odds. The deal didn't go through."

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[3]

EXCLUSIVE: Trump and lawmakers celebrate affordability wins, tout American manufacturing comeback during Ford visit
By: Matthew Foldi

President Donald Trump visited a Ford plant in Michigan to showcase how his administration and Republican policies are working to make American-made cars and trucks more affordable.

While touring the Ford River Rouge Complex, the president highlighted multiple affordability wins for working families, pointing to falling vehicle prices, lower gas costs, and new tax relief aimed squarely at buyers of U.S.-built vehicles. Trump and the White House have used Ford's trucks to show how "America First" policies are delivering results for consumers. The White House praised Ford for leaning into affordability and investing billions to make vehicles at home.

"President Trump pledged to restore American auto industry dominance and turn the page on Joe Biden's economic disaster," White House Spokesman Kush Desai said. "Much work remains, but with inflation cooling and billions in auto manufacturing investments flowing into the United States, President Trump's visit to Michigan showcased the difference that strong, commonsense leadership makes."

Lawmakers and Republican officials said that Trump's visit and remarks were a sign of the administration's commitment to lower costs for Americans.

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[4]

EXCLUSIVE: Dozens of Democratic and Republican members of Congress back Trump administration "publicly condemning the Iranian regime's violent repression of protesters"
By: Matthew Foldi

A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants the Trump administration, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in particular, to continue its pressure campaign against the Iranian regime's brutal crackdown on protesters. The support for Iranian protesters comes at a critical junction in their campaign against their regime, with the Trump administration reportedly weighing a series of military options to help the anti-Ayatollah demonstrators.

In a letter obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, Rep. Randy Weber (R., Texas) led 59 of his colleagues in writing to Rubio, noting that "the Iranian people have made clear their demand for a secular, democratic, non-nuclear republic grounded in political pluralism and respect for human dignity."

President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned the Iranian regime against murdering its own civilians, and yet reports emerging from Iran suggest that upwards of 10,000 have been slaughtered.

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[5]

EXCLUSIVE: Cotton and Lee lead GOP effort to ban foreign spies from American labs
By: Matthew Foldi

Sens. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) and Mike Lee (R., Utah) are leading Senate Republicans' effort to ban foreign spies from American laboratories, a letter obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter shows.

The two lawmakers, who chair the Senate's Intelligence Energy and Natural Resources Committees, respectively, joined with Sens. Jim Risch (R., Idaho), Jim Justice (R., W-Va.), John Cornyn (R., Texas), John Barrasso (R., Wyo.), James Lankford (R., Okla.), Dave McCormick (R., Pa.), Jerry Moran (R., Kansas), Todd Young (R., Ind.), and Ted Budd (R., N.C.) and wrote to Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, noting that while the Trump administration has shown a "continued commitment to ensuring American dominance in the field of artificial intelligence (AI)" via projects like the "Genesis Mission" they have concerns about the "thousands of Chinese foreign nationals who are granted to, or work at, our labs."

Lawmakers are "concerned" about the access China's extensive espionage network in America could give American adversaries, lawmakers said in the letter. Despite China's well-documented espionage of American intellectual property, "for decades we continue to give Chinese national scientists access to our national laboratories, which employ America's best and brightest scientists who work on critical military, economic, and scientific technologies."

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[6]

SCOOP: "Do-Nothing Marcy" under fire for taking credit for millions of dollars in grants she opposed
By: Matthew Foldi

Although Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Ohio) bragged in 2025 about bringing over $11 million in funding projects to her district, Kaptur failed to mention that she voted against funding mechanisms in the continuing resolutions that sent federal dollars to her district — through programs like Safe Streets and Roads for All, Responsible Fatherhood Program, Exploratory/Developmental Grants program, Rural Energy For America Program (Reap) Renewable And Energy Efficiency Program, and more.

Kaptur, a member of both the House Budget and Appropriations Committee, noted as recently as December 2025 that she "secure[d] nearly $1.3 million in new safe streets funding to bolster vision for a safer NW Ohio." But Kaptur's votes against legislation that funded the government and sent millions of dollars to her district strikes the Republicans who want to oust her as hypocritical.

Kaptur's votes against legislation from March and November 2025 will likely be used by Republicans to paint her as out of step with her district, which voted for President Donald Trump in 2024, sources told the Washington Reporter. The November continuing resolution in particular included three full-year appropriations bills.

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[7]

SCOOP: Trump Kennedy Center explains why it ended Washington National Opera partnership
By: Matthew Foldi

The Trump Kennedy Center is rejecting reports that its 55-year-long partnership with the Washington National Opera (WNO) ended poorly.

The center told the Washington Reporter that the decision for the two institutions to part ways was made by the Trump Kennedy Center, not by the WNO, in an effort to support the "financial stability" of the center, a spokesperson said.

"After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with the WNO due to a financially challenging relationship," a spokesperson for the center said. "We believe this represents the best path forward for both organizations and enables us to make responsible choices that support the financial stability and long-term future of the Trump Kennedy Center."

Under the stewardship of President Donald Trump and Ambassador Richard Grenell, the Trump Kennedy Center has prioritized balancing the center's finances, which Grenell has categorized in previous interviews with the Reporter as "criminal," paying people out of its debt reserves.

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[8]

SCOOP: Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee on a financial proposed rule: "risks turning a core piece of public market infrastructure into a private monopoly"
By: Julia Duvall

State financial officers are raising concerns over how a not-yet-finalized Biden-era financial transparency rule may ultimately be implemented, warning that a proposal intended to give taxpayers more information could instead consolidate power in the hands of a single private company and drive up costs for governments and investors.

In a recent letter to federal regulators, state treasurers from across the country raised objections to the proposed rulemaking under the Financial Data Transparency Act, arguing that the approach — developed during the Biden administration — would effectively mandate use of a proprietary financial instrument identifier controlled by Bloomberg L.P. While the regulation's goal is greater transparency, treasurers say the structure of the rule could impose significant costs and operational burdens on market participants, with taxpayers ultimately footing the bill.

Republican Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee was one of the signatories. The Washington Reporter asked her to explain what the letter says, why it matters, and how states are working to improve transparency without disrupting existing financial systems:

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[9]

SCOOP: Wisconsin lawmakers hail Trump's whole milk push
By: Matthew Foldi

President Donald Trump's recently-signed bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act is a "win for everyone," representatives on the Hill told the Washington Reporter.

"Today is a great day for America's kids and dairy farmers," Rep. Tony Wied (R., Wis.) told the Reporter. "The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act is a commonsense piece of legislation that I was proud to cosponsor and I am thrilled to see President Trump sign it into law today. Growing children benefit from essential nutrients found in whole and 2% milk and farmers will benefit from greater demand for their products. Simply put this law is a win for everyone."

Dairy-heavy states like Wisconsin, as well as for Secretaries Brooke Rollins and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., supported the bill. The bill also is the latest Trump-era rejection of an Obama-era policy that banned schools participating in the United States Department of Agriculture's school meals program from serving whole milk.

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[10]

OPINIONATED

Op-Ed: Rep. Michael Flanagan: Congress finally confronts Netflix's streaming empire
By: Rep. Michael Flanagan

Congress's January 7 streaming hearing, in which members heavily criticized Netflix's proposed takeover of Warner Bros., treated media consolidation as what it is: a power struggle over who controls production and distribution in the culture industry.

The Netflix deal under discussion at the hearing forces a simple question: are Americans willing to accept an entertainment market where fewer and fewer companies set the terms of how the entertainment industry works? The decisions — from what gets made; to how it reaches audiences; to how much leverage creators and consumers have when deals go bad — are increasingly consolidating into fewer and fewer hands.

President Donald Trump already gave his answer last month when he expressed his concerns over this deal. Wednesday was Congress' turn.

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Op-Ed: Sarah Chamberlain: Let Minnesota be a lesson. Taxpayers deserve better than business as usual.
By: Sarah Chamberlain

Across the country, Americans are working harder and feeling like they are falling further behind. Groceries cost more. Health care costs more. Housing costs more. And too many families are left wondering why, after paying their taxes and playing by the rules, the system still doesn't seem to work for them.

One of the chief reasons is fraud. Not the abstract kind buried in spreadsheets, but real fraud that drains taxpayer dollars, weakens essential programs, and erodes trust in government at every level. When fraud runs rampant, it makes everything more expensive, leaves people feeling cheated, and convinces too many Americans that elected officials are either unwilling or unable to protect the resources meant for them.

Republicans are pushing back against that reality. Across Congress and in statehouses, we are focused on protecting benefits for those who rely on them and safeguarding tax dollars for the people who earn them. Fighting fraud is not about cutting programs or punishing those in need. It is about ensuring that programs work as intended and that bad actors are held accountable.

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Op-Ed: Rachael Bade: Republicans should shit or get off the pot on health care
By: Rachael Bade

Why keep the spotlight on an issue that plays terribly for the party ahead of the midterms?

"A pipe dream on magic mushrooms."

That's how one senior House GOP aide recently described to me the odds of Republicans passing a health care bill in 2026.

So, here's the real question the party should be asking itself: Why on earth are they keeping this issue in the spotlight during a contentious midterm year?

In the Senate, bipartisan negotiators have been saying for months — seriously, months! — that they're "close" on a bipartisan health care deal. Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) has floated the idea of Republicans drafting their own partisan bill via reconciliation in the House.

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