Morgan Chalfant

Washington, D.C.

Principals Editor at Semafor

Deputy Washington bureau chief @semafor. Previously @thehill. Retweets are not endorsements. Reach me at [email protected] or DM for Signal

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Articles

Uncommon bonds: Lowering drug prices

2 days ago | yahoo.com | Morgan Chalfant

the issueLowering drug prices in the US is becoming a popular bipartisan issue as populist impulses go stronger on both the left and the right. The topic is attracting attention not only from lawmakers in both parties, but also from President Donald Trump’s White House, where a forthcoming executive order is expected to push it to the forefront this week.
🟡 Semafor Principals: Taxman | Semafor

5 days ago | semafor.com | Morgan Chalfant

House GOP power through on taxesHouse Republicans are muscling ahead with a key phase of Trump’s tax agenda, even as their conference remains divided over crucial issues like Medicaid and state and local taxes. The House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce committees have jurisdiction over most of the contentious provisions — and both panels are lining up votes for Tuesday, giving lawmakers just days to coalesce around a path forward.
🟡 Semafor Principals: A fan of tariffs | Semafor

6 days ago | semafor.com | Morgan Chalfant

Cruz makes ‘legacy’ pitch for tax billSen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, had a challenge for Republicans’ at their retreat on Wednesday on reconciliation. “The case I made to my colleagues is: We should ask ourselves in this bill, what will be the legacy that people will remember and talk about 10 years from now, 20, 30, 40 years from now?” Cruz told Semafor afterward.
Rivals, buddies, or future running mates? Trump stokes a Vance-Rubio competition

1 week ago | semafor.com | Shelby Talcott |Morgan Chalfant |Burgess Everett

President Donald Trump gave JD Vance and Marco Rubio huge portfolios and has openly named both as his potential successors — putting two unlikely friends on a collision course for the GOP nomination in 2028. Vance and Rubio aren’t exactly rivals; in fact, White House officials and people close to the vice president note he’s developed a close relationship with the secretary of state during their time together in the Senate and now in the Trump administration.
🟡 Semafor Principals: Deal or no deal | Semafor

1 week ago | semafor.com | Morgan Chalfant

Trump’s DC attorney pick on thin iceSen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., is opposing Trump’s pick for DC’s top prosecutor, Ed Martin, as the nominee faces a May 20 deadline on his interim appointment. Trump spoke to Tillis on Tuesday shortly after the North Carolina Republican announced his opposition, which is driven by Martin’s support for some Jan. 6 defendants.
🟡 Semafor Principals: Return to Alcatraz | Semafor

1 week ago | semafor.com | Morgan Chalfant

Carney faces early test in WashingtonCanada’s new prime minister heads to the White House today, an early test of Mark Carney’s leadership after he ran successfully on taking on President Donald Trump’s “betrayal.” Top of mind will be trade, as Canada looks to ease tariffs and broker a broader economic agreement. “Do not expect white smoke out of that meeting,” Carney said last week, lowering the stakes for his visit.
Time to push Putin ‘to the corner,’ Estonian foreign minister says

1 week ago | semafor.com | Morgan Chalfant

Estonia’s foreign minister wants the US and Europe to work together to push Russian President Vladimir Putin “to the corner” after US President Donald Trump’s overtures revealed the Russian leader to be unserious about Ukraine peace talks. “Trump has offered Putin the way out … and Putin is not ready to take it,” Margus Tsahkna told Semafor in an interview Monday on Capitol Hill, ahead of scheduled meetings with lawmakers in both parties.
Debatable: Can the Trump administration cut off Harvard’s funding?

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Morgan Chalfant

what’s at stakeThe courts may get the last word on the Trump administration’s high-profile feud with Harvard University. Last month, the administration moved to freeze more than $2 billion in federal dollars promised to the school in the form of grants and contracts, accusing Harvard of failing “to uphold civil rights laws” and to prevent the mistreatment of Jewish students. The university quickly sued, alleging that the move represents a violation of the First Amendment.
Debatable: Can the Trump administration cut off Harvard’s funding?

1 week ago | semafor.com | Morgan Chalfant |Burgess Everett

The courts may get the last word on the Trump administration’s high-profile feud with Harvard University. Last month, the administration moved to freeze more than $2 billion in federal dollars promised to the school in the form of grants and contracts, accusing Harvard of failing “to uphold civil rights laws” and to prevent the mistreatment of Jewish students. The university quickly sued, alleging that the move represents a violation of the First Amendment.
Trump is ousting National Security Adviser Mike Waltz

1 week ago | semafor.com | Shelby Talcott |Morgan Chalfant

President Donald Trump is expected to oust his national security adviser, Mike Waltz, as well as Waltz’s deputy, Alex Wong, two sources told Semafor. The sources, one White House official and another person close to the White House, stressed that nothing is final until Trump announces it. Waltz had been embroiled in controversy earlier this year, after he inadvertently added a reporter for The Atlantic to a Signal group chat on which senior Trump officials discussed sensitive military plans.