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Kaitlyn McClure

Kaitlyn McClure is a policy advisor in Covington’s Public Policy Practice, leveraging her experience in government and politics to provide strategic advisory services and support to clients with legislative matters before government agencies and Congress.

Before joining the firm, Ms. McClure was the Associate Vice President of Client Relations at DDC Advocacy. Prior to working for DDC, Ms. McClure served as the strategy assistant for former presidential candidate Governor Mitt Romney. Her experience also includes working in the U.S. Senate as a legislative assistant for Republican Senators John Hoeven of North Dakota and Judd Gregg of New Hampshire.

Last week saw the President’s first speech to a joint session of Congress.  The speech was widely regarded as a success, though its long-term effect in Congress is likely to be muted.  Following the speech, Washington returned to a frenzy over contacts between persons involved in the Trump campaign and Russia.  It is against this

Both chambers are set to return on Monday after a weeklong recess, kicking off a six-week session of legislative business in Washington, D.C. The issues expected to dominate this work period include the confirmation hearing for Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court and negotiations over how to keep the government funded beyond the

Both houses of Congress return on Monday. The Senate will continue to focus on confirming President Trump’s cabinet appointees and the House will continue to consider legislation disapproving federal regulations issued in the final months of the Obama Administration under the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

The House is scheduled to return to legislative business on

Congress this week will continue to move forward on approving President Trump’s cabinet nominees and disapproving federal regulations issued in the final months of President Obama’s Administration in an effort to overturn them under the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

There will be an abbreviated week of legislative business in the House of Representatives, with the Democratic conference retreat scheduled to begin on Wednesday in Baltimore, MD.  House floor activity this week will continue to focus on passage of resolutions of disapproval under the CRA to overturn regulations issued by federal agencies in the final months of the Obama Administration.  Members will consider three such disapproval resolutions this week.

Before tackling the disapproval resolutions, on Monday members will take up seven bills under suspension of the rules, with six under the jurisdiction of the Natural Resources Committee and one under that of the Judiciary Committee.  As with the other suspensions that have been considered thus far this year, each of this week’s suspension bills had been passed by the House during the 114th Congress.

On Tuesday, the House will consider three disapproval resolutions under the CRA to block implementation of the previous administration’s regulations.  The first measure up for consideration is H.J. Res. 44, a resolution of disapproval of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) Resource Management Planning rule, finalized in December 2016.   The regulation establishes the procedures used to prepare, revise, or amend land use plans pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, but a number of congressional Republicans, state and local governments, and stakeholders have complained the new process creates more confusion and greater uncertainty.  Consideration of H.J. Res. 44 will be subject to a rule.

Members will then consider two disapproval resolutions targeting rules issued by the Department of Education.  The first, H.J. Res. 57, would overturn a rule relating to the implementation of accountability standards and state plans under the Every Student Succeeds Act.  The second measure, H.J. Res. 58, would disapprove a rule finalized in October 2016 to expand the federal government’s involvement with teacher preparation.  Consideration of each of these disapproval resolutions will be subject to a rule.

Across the Capitol, the Senate is also scheduled to return to legislative business on Monday when it will resume consideration of the nomination of Betsy DeVos to serve as Secretary of Education.  Senate Democrats are expected to force the full 30 hours of post-cloture debate on the floor due to their opposition to the nominee, whom they largely oppose due to her lack of experience and her history of activism in support for school choice.  Teacher union opposition to the nomination is also likely a key
Continue Reading This Week in Congress – February 6, 2017

Following last week’s session shortened by the congressional Republican retreat to strategize for the 115th Congress, this week leadership in both chambers and congressional committees will begin to pursue some of the major Republican legislative priorities for the year ahead and put in place more of the President’s Cabinet nominees. Congressional activity this week is

Following the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States last Friday, the Senate this week will continue to move forward on the consideration of the President’s cabinet picks while congressional committees on both sides of the Capitol begin to conduct their formal organization proceedings for the 115th Congress.  Members of

The House of Representatives is not in session this week for legislative business.  The Senate faces a shortened week, with the observance of the federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, January 16, and the inauguration of Donald Trump as President set for Friday, January 20.

The Senate returns to

Republican leaders in Congress plan to take the initial steps towards repealing and replacing Obamacare this week, hoping to deliver on the campaign promises made by most Republicans over the past six years and by President-elect Trump during the 2016 election cycle.

Both chambers are expected to begin their consideration of the Fiscal Year (FY)

The 115th session of Congress will convene in the U.S. Capitol this week and, for the first time since 2006, Republicans will control both legislative chambers and the executive branch of government. The GOP retained its majority in the House and Senate in November’s election, and the unexpected (at least based on the pre-election polling)

This should be the final week of legislative activity for the 114th Congress, with the House and Senate expected to work through the outstanding items that remain on their to-do list for 2016.  Lawmakers are scheduled to be in session until December 16, but resolution and passage of a spending measure to keep the government