News: Democratic fundraising giant ActBlue is warning that President Donald Trump is preparing to target the group via executive order, although what steps the administration will take are still unclear.
ActBlue CEO and President Regina Wallace-Jones sent an email to Democrats on Wednesday, noting that rumors were rampant that Trump was about to issue an executive order on the organization that afternoon. That didn’t happen, but Wallace-Jones said the threat of a potential federal criminal investigation is already having an impact on ActBlue:
The current strategy of distraction and exhaustion is effective. We see this across the country and are not immune to this ourselves. The flow-on effect from the initial innuendo of the EO caused many in the ecosystem anxiety and distress.
You can read the full email here.
House Republicans have been investigating ActBlue for several months, including interviewing two ActBlue employees over allegations that the organization doesn’t do enough to prevent potentially fraudulent donations, including by foreign sources. ActBlue has strongly denied any wrongdoing or improper behavior.
Democrats warn that Trump and Hill Republicans are looking to choke off the hugely successful Democratic fundraising operation. ActBlue says it raised $400 million in the first three months of 2025 alone.
Reconciliation roundup: House Republicans are aiming to spend $150 billion on new defense funding in their reconciliation bill, according to multiple people with knowledge of the process.
The spending plan is a win for GOP defense hawks, who were alarmed when the House initially set a lower target for Pentagon spending. Some Republicans have been counting on higher funding levels in the reconciliation package to make up for a shortfall for the Defense Department in the CR that passed in March.
The House Armed Services Committee is planning to mark up its piece of the GOP’s bill next week, as we scooped. And House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans will meet on Monday as the panel works toward a May 7 markup. The panel is under pressure from moderates who don’t want to see deep cuts to Medicaid and deficit hawks who are demanding big spending cuts.
