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The Hill
3 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
Trump, Noem, Powell and Democrats: Five takeaways from the Hill Nation Summit
Wednesday's Hill Nation Summit was packed with lawmakers and major figures on both sides of the aisle, and made clear that President Trump has an iron grip on the Republican Party. Republican speakers were notably deferent to and confident in Trump, while Democrats struggling to coalesce around a strategy to come back from their crushing 2024 defeat outlined their own ideas. Here are five takeaways from the summit. Trump is king for GOP Six months into Trump's second term, it is clear that his grip on other Republicans is the strongest it's ever been. Republicans at the Hill Nation Summit gave the president high marks for his term so far — and resisted any hint at criticism. Rep. John James (R-Mich.), who is running for governor, declined to criticize President Trump's tariffs despite representing an area heavily dependent on auto manufacturing. 'I have every reason to believe, when I talk to people in my district who are saying, 'We're getting more business than we've ever gotten before,' … that's a result of President Trump, a businessman who knows what he's doing,' James said. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said there was a 'huge distinction' between President Biden's policies around social media and Trump's pressure campaign on major law firms. 'It's not censorship,' Jordan said, arguing that the firms were not directed to take down particular posts or speech from their websites. House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) said that the pressure Trump exerts on members is actually helpful to help unify Republicans in Congress. 'I think too often we're all we're all carrot and no stick. And I think in life in general, and in business, to many audience members, I think you have to have equal parts carrot and stick, and that's generally the best way to incentivize the outcomes and the behavior we want,' Arrington said. Trump is winning, and his first six in months have underscored his willingness to hit back hard at his opponents in either party. The remarks from Republicans on Wednesday suggested they like the winning. But Republicans also aren't interested, for the most part, in getting on the president's bad side. Powell's future hangs over event Did we just say something about staying on Trump's good side? One person who isn't on his good side is Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who is under a severe pressure campaign from the president. In the first hour of the confab, Peter Navarro, the White House senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, unloaded on Powell at the summit, labeling him the 'worst Fed chair in history' — without, notably, calling for his ouster. All I want is a Fed chair who understands how economies work, and Powell ain't that,' he said. 'We're in the endgame now for Powell.' During the event, reports surfaced that Trump, during an Oval Office meeting with House Republicans on Tuesday, indicated that he would likely fire Powell 'soon,' according to a senior White House official. Trump later said it was 'not true' and 'highly unlikely,' but noted 'I don't rule out anything.' One of the GOP lawmakers in the meeting, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), sat down for an interview at the Hill Nation Summit shortly after. Donalds refused to disclose details from the gathering — 'I'm not gonna get into the details of that conversation' — but notably said he was not, and likely would never be, in favor of pushing Powell. 'I'm not there yet, but I'll tell you that the president doesn't rule anything out,' Donalds said. 'It's pretty clear the president is frustrated about where short-term interest rates are.' 'I think the greater issue is Congress being smart with the people's money,' he added. Asked if he would ever get to a moment where he believes Powell should be fired, Donalds responded: 'For me, probably won't get to that point.' Democrats debate how to make comeback Democrats attending the Hill Nation Summit all had something to say about how their party can make a comeback and regain power in Washington. But there were some differences over how to do so. Activist David Hogg, 25, who has sought to pressure his party into shifting toward the left and allowing a new generation of leaders to take hold, said it is vital for his party to make big changes. He joked that he was confident he'd eventually win out since he'd 'out-live' many of those on the other side of the debate, and more seriously compared the Democratic Party to the Soviet Union when it came to aging leaders holding on. Other speakers, such as Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.), said they thought age was overrated, even as they said the party needed to rethink some things. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said that one of the problems Democrats are facing is that 'we were way too judgmental' of people who voted for President Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Khanna, a prominent House progressive, recently visited South Carolina, a crucial stop on the road to the Democratic nomination, but said he hadn't made a decision on running for president in 2028. 'Whether I run or whether I get behind someone and have a network that can then support them, I haven't decided,' Khanna said. 'But I do know this: the Democratic Party has not had a compelling economic vision for years. I have a compelling economic vision.' Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) said his state's governor, Gavin Newsom, would be a great 2028 candidate. He also predicted Republicans would pay for their 'big, beautiful' bill's cuts to Medicaid, noting Sen. Josh Hawley's (R-Mo.) bill seeking to undo parts of the legislation's Medicaid provisions. 'One thing the bill does is for any Republican that's been saying, 'Oh, these weren't actually cuts to Medicaid,' it shows a lie to that,' Lieu said at the Hill Nation Summit. 'Our messaging is, if you want to elect the same person who voted for the cuts, you can do that, or you can elect a Democrat that's going to stop the cuts.' And while Hogg was pushed out of his unpaid role at the Democratic National Committee earlier this year, he said he is still interested in working with the committee in the future, adding that he still has a 'good' relationship with the DNC Chair Ken Martin. 'There's obviously disagreements that we have at the end of the day, but I think that we all still have good relationships. I still have, you know, enormous respect for all my fellow vice chairs, for the other officers of the DNC,' Hogg said. McCarthy opens door to return to politics Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who has joined the speech-giving circuit since he was ousted from the Speakership and left Congress, had previously ruled out taking a role in the Trump administration — but cracked that door back open at the Hill Nation Summit. Asked if he would be open to serving in the Trump administration or another government role, McCarthy said: 'Oh, yeah. I talk to the president often. I will do whatever I can to help this president, I will do whatever I can to help this country be successful.' But McCarthy indicated he is happy, at least for now, with being outside the government. 'I think there's things I do now that do that in a way that I don't have to take a paycheck from the government, I think that's more helpful to the taxpayer,' McCarthy said, adding: 'I don't have to go back into government — but I will always help individuals.' Noem defends, attacks and surprises The Department of Homeland Security is a large enterprise that gives its secretary, Kristi Noem, power and influence over a host of issues. At Wednesday's summit, that was underlined as Noem defended the administration's record, went on offense on immigration and surprised, at least a bit, with some news on security at airports. Noem, commenting on the immigration raid on a California marijuana farm where protesters clashed with federal officers, said, 'We will go places where we know there are known criminals, where we've built a case to go get those individuals.' That signaled Noem and the administration have no intention of backing down on an issue that has been a huge strength of Trump's, though the known criminals part of Trump's wording could also suggest the administration will be less focused on migrants without criminal records who may be working on farms. Noem separately said the Trump administration might not spend all of the money allocated to it to build a wall on the southern border. That funding was included in the tax and spending megabill earlier this month. She said the funding might not need to be spent given the significant drop in border-crossing numbers since President Trump came into office. 'Maybe you don't need all that money for the wall because we've done such a great job securing the border. We'll look at all of that,' Noem told NewsNation's Blake Burman. Noem separately suggested changes could be coming to the size of liquid containers allowed for passengers boarding flights in the United States. Noem said such changes were one of the things the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which reports to Noem, is weighing. 'But I will tell you — I mean the liquids — I'm questioning. So that may be the next big announcement is what size your liquids need to be,' Noem told NewsNation's host Blake Burman at the Hill Nation Summit. 'We're looking at, you know, our scanners.' Noem's comments came about a week after the DHS, which oversees the TSA, announced travelers flying domestically will be allowed to keep their shoes on while passing through TSA screening. Currently, liquids like juices, bottled water and coffee as well as aerosols, creams, gels and pastes all under 3.4 ounces are allowed in carry-on bags. Noem spoke about streamlining the experience for domestic travelers at airports, revealing that the DHS is in discussions with 'several' companies about making it happen 'Well, hopefully the future of an airport where I'm looking to go is that you walk in the door with your carry-on suitcase, you walk through a scanner and go right to your flight,' Noem said Wednesday, adding that it could take just 'one' minute to get to the gate.
Politico
3 days ago
- Business
- Politico
Jordan talking to White House on reviving partisan immigration bill
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan is in touch with the White House about bringing his sweeping immigration overhaul bill up for a vote — in exactly the same form as in the previous Congress. In an interview this week, the Ohio Republican said he wants to revive consideration of legislation that passed the House in May 2023 without any Democratic votes. 'What I'd like to do in our committee, and we're talking to the White House about when it makes sense to do this, is look at … the language that we had last Congress,' said Jordan. Jordan had previously signaled an openness to tweaking the bill text to include some changes to high-skilled visa rules — a policy change championed by Elon Musk, tech mogul and former head of the Department of Department Efficiency initiative. Since that time, however, Musk left his administration posting on bad terms with Donald Trump over for the GOP's sweeping domestic policy package, railing against the megabill and burning bridges with the president along the way. And while Musk and Jordan had at one point been close allies, Jordan was recently one of the several high-profile Republicans who Musk unfollowed on his social media platform, X, following passage of Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' Jordan's immigration overhaul bill would significantly crack down on legal immigration in the United States through limits on asylum and parole eligibility. It also would require employers to use E-Verify, an online system where they can ascertain an individual's eligibility to work in the U.S., while setting a new minimum of 22,000 active-duty agents for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. A 2023 report from the Congressional Budget Office found that the bill would lower population estimates by 2033 by 600,000 'mostly by reducing the number of unaccompanied alien children present in the country.' The nonpartisan scorekeeper also estimated that 4.4 million people would also no longer be eligible for parole or asylum. It would come on the heels of the megabill's allocations of tens of billions of dollars for completing the border wall and implementing new fees for applicants seeking entry into the country.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Democrats demand Pam Bondi and Kash Patel be summoned for Epstein hearing
Democratic members of the House judiciary committee on Thursday demanded that Republicans summon the attorney general, Pam Bondi, the FBI director, Kash Patel, and their deputies for a hearing into the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein's death and the sex-trafficking case against him. The letter from all 19 Democratic members on the committee to its Republican chair, Jim Jordan, comes amid a rift between Donald Trump and some of his supporters over the justice department's conclusion, announced last week, that Epstein's death in federal custody six years ago was a suicide, and that there is no secret list of his clients to be made public. The US president, who knew Epstein personally, has long claimed that there is more to be made public about his death and involvement in running a sex-trafficking ring for global elites. Last week's report, together with the justice department's announcement that nothing further about his case would be made public, has sparked rare criticism of Trump among the rightwing influencers and commentators who are usually among his most ardent defenders. In their letter, Democrats argued that the matter can only be settled if Bondi and her deputy, Todd Blanche, along with Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, appear before the judiciary committee. 'The Trump DOJ and FBI's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein matter, and president Trump's suddenly shifting positions, have not restored anyone's trust in the government but have rather raised profound new questions about their own conduct while increasing public paranoia related to the investigation,' the Democratic lawmakers wrote. 'Only a bipartisan public hearing at which administration officials answer direct questions from elected representatives before the eyes of the American people can restore public trust on the matter.' A spokesperson for Jordan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Democrats have sought to capitalize on the questions raised by the justice department's announcement, and earlier on Tuesday, House Republicans blocked an attempt by the minority to force release of documents related to the Epstein case. Last week, most Democrats on the judiciary committee signed a letter to Bondi that accused her of withholding some files related to the financier to protect Trump from any damaging disclosures. It went on to call for the release of any documents in the Epstein files that mention Trump, as well as the second volume of former special counsel Jack Smith's report into Trump's alleged mishandling of classified materials. In this week's letter, Democrats argued that only a congressional hearing would resolve whether there is indeed a cover-up over Epstein's death, or if Trump was just promoting conspiracy theories as he sought an advantage on the campaign trail. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion 'We must submit to public scrutiny President Trump's and MAGA's longstanding claims about the 'Epstein files,' new questions as to whether President Trump himself has something to hide, whether he is keeping damaging information secret to protect other individuals or to maintain future blackmail leverage over public and private actors,' the lawmakers wrote, 'or, perhaps the simplest explanation, whether President Trump and his Administration magnified and disseminated groundless Epstein conspiracy theories for purposes of political gain which they are now desperately trying to disavow and dispel.' The reignited turmoil over the Epstein case has sparked reports that Bongino, a former podcaster who has long promoted conspiracies about his death, clashed with Bondi and is considering resigning his position at the FBI. Over the weekend, Trump defended Bondi in a post on Truth Social and pleaded with his supporters. 'One year ago our Country was DEAD, now it's the 'HOTTEST' Country anywhere in the World. Let's keep it that way, and not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about,' he wrote.
Fox News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Democrats capitalize on GOP Jeffrey Epstein fallout with new demands for Jim Jordan
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are seizing on Republican fractures over the Jeffrey Epstein case, demanding a public hearing on the issue. A letter from Democrats states, "To that end, we request that the Committee invite — and, if necessary, subpoena — Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel, and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino to testify publicly about the Trump Administration's review of the Epstein matter, including the conclusions set forth in the undated and unsigned Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI memo providing that 'no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.'" They made the request to House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a close ally of President Donald Trump's. The letter, led by Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., is also signed by progressives like Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., and Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas. The memo they referenced, first reported earlier this week, said the late pedophile died by suicide. It also said there is no list of clients whom Epstein may have procured for exploitation by third parties. It's ignited a firestorm within the GOP, with far-right figures going after the attorney general for what they see as backpedaling on her promise to deliver full transparency on the Epstein files. Democrats, meanwhile, have appeared to put their concerns about fanning the flames of what the left has long seen as a conspiracy theory aside to use the Epstein case as a political cudgel to further divide Republicans. Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino reportedly considered quitting his federal role over how the Epstein case was handled. Trump has been among Bondi's most ardent defenders in the fallout and has publicly urged his base to move on from the discord. The letter Tuesday from Democrats pointed out that Trump, Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel all made public statements regarding Epstein before taking power. "President Trump and his top appointees at the DOJ and FBI have spent years advancing theories that 'the Deep State' has been suppressing the true magnitude of the child sex trafficking and abuse ring created by Jeffrey Epstein and his associates," the Democrats said. "These claims have sunk deep into the public consciousness, due in no small part to President Trump, Mr. Patel, Mr. Bongino, and others' continued authoritative hyping of 'Epstein files' conspiracy theories to energize President Trump's supporters." They warned "the public will turn to conspiracy theories to fill the void of credible information" if "facts and evidence" were not made clear. "The Trump DOJ and FBI's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein matter, and President Trump's suddenly shifting positions, have not restored anyone's trust in the government but have rather raised profound new questions about their own conduct while increasing public paranoia related to the investigation," the letter said. "We must submit to public scrutiny President Trump's and MAGA's longstanding claims about the 'Epstein files,' new questions as to whether President Trump himself has something to hide, whether he is keeping damaging information secret to protect other individuals or to maintain future blackmail leverage over public and private actors or, perhaps the simplest explanation, whether President Trump and his Administration magnified and disseminated groundless Epstein conspiracy theories for purposes of political gain which they are now desperately trying to disavow and dispel." Trump has denied any allegations of impropriety related to Epstein. Fox News Digital reached out to Jordan's office for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Axios
4 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
House Dems press GOP to hold hearing on Epstein files
A group of Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are demanding their Republican counterparts hold a public hearing on the Trump administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein documents. Why it matters: Democrats have homed in on a strategy this week of squeezing Republicans on the issue as President Trump comes under fire from his own base. "We must submit to public scrutiny President Trump's and MAGA's longstanding claims about the 'Epstein files,'" the Democrats, led by Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), wrote to chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
