Since the start of Donald Trump’s second term, reports WIRED, an events company that helped organize the infamously violent January 6th rally in 2021 has been given tens of millions in government contracts. Contracted by the General Services Administration, Event Strategies will receive as much as $100 over the next 15 years.

What’s more, according to HigherGov, which monitors governmental contractors, 8 of 11 tracked projects were bid on solely by Event Strategies, indicating a suspicious lack of competition.

Senate Democrats concerned about the situation sent an open letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgham declaring, “It is imperative that Congress and the public understand how decisions are made, who exercises control, and what guardrails exist to prevent inappropriate donor influence.”

Over the past decade, the company has become deeply involved with the Trump organization. Its CEO Justin Caporale worked as Director of Operations for Melania Trump in 2018 before joining the Trump campaign in 2020. When Trump lost the election, Event Strategies cofounder Tim Unes served as stage manager for the Jan 6 rally, with company Chief of Staff Megan Powers Small noted as “Operations Manager for Scheduling and Guidance” on the rally permit. After leaving office, Trump continued his association with the company, which went on to produce many of his rallies.

Upon reelection, Trump named Caporale “executive producer for major events,” and the company has since garnered several high-value contracts, including for producing Trump’s widely panned military parade. During the first year of Trump’s second term, Caporale was also paid $6,500 per month by the Republican National Committee.

By September 2025, Event Strategies had negotiated multiple contracts linked to celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Slated to run through 2030 with the option to extend through 2045, the contract terms are vague and give the company broad hiring powers.

Critics are wary of this lack of transparency.

“Absent clear rules,” warned Democratic senators, “this structure risks blurring the line between legitimate civic fundraising and pay-for-play access tied to official government functions, an all too familiar feature of the current Administration.”

Event Strategies’ largest governmental customer is currently the Department of Defense, which has paid the organization to manage several events, including nearly $190,000 for a “backyard cookout and performance.”

Following Donald Trump’s demand that Republicans nuke the filibuster to ensure passage of a divisive election reform bill, Senate Majority Leader John Thune has some “not so good news” for the White House, according to Frank Thorp of NBC News.

“The votes aren't there to nuke the filibuster,” said Thune, “It's just a reality. … The math doesn't add up.”

Trump has spent the past month pushing the Republican-led Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, legislation that would require voters to provide proof of American citizenship at polling locations before voting. While the bill passed in the House last month, opposition in the Senate means it is unlikely to get the 60 votes necessary to avoid a legislative filibuster.

Trump and some GOP lawmakers have urged Republican senators to take action that would force Democrats into a “talking filibuster,” in which a vote on the bill would only be delayed as long as a member of the opposition party was physically holding the floor while speaking, and that would allow passage by a simple majority as soon as they stopped. But after Thune and others from his party argued that such an approach would be “complicated and risky,” he now says that the numbers aren’t there to support it in the first place.

In a further attempt to pressure GOP lawmakers to support the bill, reports NBC, Trump has declared that he will not sign any other legislation until the SAVE Act is passed. Said Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, his party welcomes this Trump-imposed “total gridlock,” arguing that they will not support the bill “under any circumstances” as it will disenfranchise tens of millions of American voters.

According to Politico, Trump has also said that he is withholding his endorsement in the Texas Senate race, waiting to see which of the two GOP candidates would offer the strongest support to nuking the filibuster and pushing through the bill. This, asserted Thune, is a mistake.

“It’s probably not a linkage that’s in anybody’s best interest,” said Thune.

As Republicans scramble to shore up support for the bill, its future seems increasingly uncertain, regardless of pressure from the White House.

“Voting on the SAVE America Act is something we will do, but passage is not guaranteed,” admitted Thune. “I just wouldn't assume that that's going to happen.”