Today’s notice: Time to talk about prices again. Time to talk about taxes again. Time for a change at the DNC. And time to meet our newest reporter.
The Man Who Sees No Downsides to Tariffs
For a lot of elected officials, the worrying has begun now that the promised tariffs are set to take effect Tuesday. While Republicans are quick to shift in a MAGA direction on all manner of things, Republicans are divided over Donald Trump’s promise that these tariffs will solve more political problems than they create.
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You’d really have to be pretty sure of yourself to believe that right after an election waged on high consumer prices. Enter Peter Navarro, who is, if nothing else, extremely sure of himself, NOTUS’ Haley Byrd Wilt reports. She talked to a number of Republican lawmakers who have tried to talk the White House’s tariff guy down over the years, as well as others, like Steve Bannon, who have witnessed lots of those conversations.
The core finding, Haley writes: “It’s impossible to win an argument with him.”
“His superpower is his relentlessness,” Bannon told her.
Trump’s “senior counselor for trade and manufacturing” wants to use tariffs to create an economy where products sold in America are made domestically, and “any resulting higher prices or supply chain challenges are simply growing pains” in his mind, Haley reports.
Politicians in D.C. eyeing the next election generally do not like “growing pains” one bit. Navarro has the will, however, and through Trump, he also has the way. Democrats were out minutes after the tariff announcement, calling the White House move a “$100 billion tax that will hike costs and tank businesses.” Fair to say they’re going to keep that up as news of the impacts of these tariffs rolls in. So Navarro and his acolytes may soon find themselves in more arguments about tariffs, and whether Trump lets him keep winning them or not is a key political question moving forward.
Republicans Hate Raising Taxes, Unless They Apply to Harvard
While upping tax rates isn’t exactly popular with Republicans, there’s one monied group that some conservatives are perfectly fine targeting: “elite” universities.
NOTUS’ Violet Jira has a dive on the GOP effort to hike the university endowment tax rate, a policy that universities oppose because they say it would take away resources for education and research.
As it stands, there’s a 1.4% excise tax on investment income on the endowments of private colleges and universities. Lawmakers are proposing a range of increases from 10% to 14%, and some are even suggesting it should be as high as the corporate tax rate of 21%. Rep. Troy Nehls is lobbying to wedge the latter proposal into Republicans’ rewrite of Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
“Elite private universities, like Harvard or Columbia, have accumulated and sit on massive endowments, yet pay a tax less than 2% on the investment earnings of their endowments — far lower than what most Americans pay in taxes,” he said in a statement to NOTUS.
Front Page
- Four Trump Nominees Wouldn’t Tell Congress If They’d Refuse Illegal Orders: Senators asked Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel, Pam Bondi and Pete Hegseth about how they would respond if they received an illegal order from Trump.
- Oklahoma Is Counting on FEMA but Open to Trump Overhaul: “The president’s asked for a council to review FEMA, and I’ve got no problem with that,” said one Oklahoma state senator.
The New Faces of the DNC
Over the weekend, Democrats ushered in a new era of Democratic National Committee leadership — but they kept some familiar faces around too.
Ken Martin was picked as the new chair, defeating his top opponent, Ben Wikler, to replace Jaime Harrison. The three vice chair positions are also new faces: Artie Blanco, Malcolm Kenyatta and David Hogg.
The committee reelected incumbents for the remaining leadership roles. Vice Chair for Civic Engagement and Voter Participation Reyna Walters-Morgan, Secretary Jason Rae, Treasurer Virginia McGregor and National Finance Chair Chris Korge will all stay on in their roles.
—Calen Razor | Read the story.
Refugee Resettlement and the EOs
The groups who resettle refugees in America were effectively sent “a cease and desist order” by Trump, NOTUS’ Casey Murray reports. Multiple executive orders related to foreign aid and immigration, some of dubious legality, have left the groups reeling and refugees who expected to come here stranded outside the country.
A New Jersey pastor and head of a resettlement nonprofit told Casey he has been forced to lay off 20% of his staff as expected federal funds have been frozen indefinitely. This is the first time he’s ever had to make that call.
Week Ahead
- The Senate will vote on Pam Bondi, Russell Vought and Chris Wright confirmations this week. Other confirmation votes are likely.
- The Washington Press Club Foundation will host a dinner Wednesday evening for the congressional press corps and lawmakers.
- Trump is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Washington.
- The Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, a game that is sure to attract some political VIPs. Sports!
Meet Us: Ursula Perano
Welcome to “Meet Us” where we introduce you to a member of the NOTUS team. Up today is Ursula Perano who is a reporter covering the Senate.
- Hometown: Tampa, Florida
- Past: Politico, The Daily Beast and Axios
- Why journalism: Nothing beats the feeling of writing a story that really matters.
- Why AJI/NOTUS: I care about lifting up the next generation of journalists, and I’ve been so impressed with the work this newsroom has done so far!
- Thing you can’t live without: Caffeine.
- Best advice you’ve ever been given: To ditch high heels early in my Capitol Hill career. Save your feet — and your sanity — and wear the flats.
Not Us
We know NOTUS reporters can’t cover it all. Here’s some other great hits by … not us.
- Trump said he hadn’t read Project 2025 — but most of his early executive actions overlap with its proposals by Steve Contorno and Casey Tolan at CNN
- Big Oil wants a lot from Trump. It has an ally in Doug Burgum, the president’s Interior pick by Brian Slodysko and Jack Dura at the Associated Press
- The Rewriting of a Pioneering Female Astronomer’s Legacy Shows How Far Trump’s DEI Purge Will Go by Lisa Song at ProPublica
Tell Us Your Thoughts
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