On January 4, 2021, the narrowed Democratic majority in the House of Representatives passed, in a party-line vote, a set of rules governing the House for the 117th Congress. While the House, unlike the Senate, has to approve its rules every Congress, the rules stay generally consistent from Congress-to-Congress, with more significant amendments often coming … Continue Reading
After the election of two Democratic Senate candidates in the Georgia runoff elections on January 5, 2021, the Senate this year will be equally divided between 50 Democratic Senators (and those caucusing with them) and 50 Republican Senators. Governing in an equally divided Senate presents several challenges regarding the internal rules of the Senate, the … Continue Reading
With the election over, the process of selecting and vetting individuals to fill the next administration’s key appointed positions is quickly shifting into high gear. For those who are called to serve in such positions, the decision to enter the process may be one of the most important and life-changing decisions they ever make. Accordingly, … Continue Reading
Before the new administration takes office, we may well see further US actions on China during the transition that will be hard to reverse. The Trump Administration has invested great effort to reorient US China policy and may try to lock in its approach that sees the Chinese Communist Party as a grave threat. Actions … Continue Reading
With control of the U.S. Senate at stake, hundreds of millions of dollars are expected to flow into Georgia over the next two months as voters decide the outcome of two U.S. Senate run-off elections. Donors seeking to make contributions to support their preferred candidates in these run-offs should be mindful of a variety of … Continue Reading
Energy, climate, and environment are areas where the policy differences resulting from the final outcome of the election also will be particularly stark. On November 4, 2020, President Trump took the final step consummating his pledge to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement. This reflects his early and consistent perspective, embodied in … Continue Reading
Trump’s trade policy in a second term would basically be more of the same: he would continue hard bargaining with China and other trade partners, including by threatening tariffs under various provisions of U.S. trade law. President Trump would try to build on the Phase 1 trade agreement with China and would continue his hostility … Continue Reading
As we navigate a presidential transition over the coming months, what should we expect in terms of continuity and change when it comes to national security priorities and investments? Regarding policy priorities, there will be several areas of continuity with the Trump administration, with some adjustments to how they are pursued. These include: prioritizing the … Continue Reading
With Republicans favored to clinch retention of the Senate Majority by winning two of three remaining Senate races in Georgia and Alaska, a comprehensive immigration reform bill probably will not gain significant traction in the Senate in the next two years, even if the Democratic-controlled House decides to move such a bill. In the event … Continue Reading
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been an issue in every Congress since it was enacted in 2010 and this next Congress will be no different. There are so many health care issues that need to be debated—a national vs state pandemic strategy; funding for testing; additional relief for health care providers; surprise billing; treatment … Continue Reading
Starting with COVID-19 relief, both former Vice President Biden and President Trump have embraced the need for another COVID-19 economic stimulus package. A Biden administration would likely pursue “high-multiplier” policies that funnel money to people and businesses that need it and are likely to spend it, thereby helping funds circulate through the economy quickly to … Continue Reading
Vice President Biden campaigned on a number of tax proposals: Raise the corporate rate from 21% to 28% “on day one” Increase the Global Intangible Low Taxed Income rate from 10.5% to 21% Create a new corporate alternative minimum rate of 15% on financial statement income over $100 million Increase the top individual rate and … Continue Reading
Technology policy is a growing issue for the Congress, especially since it is to the economy and to our national security what oil was 20 years. Congress has a love-hate relationship with tech: love them for their innovation, jobs, and international competitiveness, and hate them for their size, bias and perceived hubris. Enter antitrust: a … Continue Reading
The election results show how deeply divided the electorate is and that division is reflected in the make-up of the government with a Democratic President and House and a Republican Senate. Neither Republicans nor Democrats have hit upon the right recipe to realign their party and shift a substantial portion of the voters in their … Continue Reading
As we all know, racial disparities continue to persist in this nation. In education, health care, the criminal justice system, and economic opportunities, persistent gaps challenge our nation’s promise to extend opportunity to all. The COVID-19 pandemic and the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other African Americans during the summer of 2020 heightened … Continue Reading
If Vice President Biden’s election is confirmed, we anticipate a somewhat more assertive regulatory posture in certain areas to develop over time. As some of you may recall, the Obama Administration was very active on nutrition issues. Participants will recall that First Lady Michelle Obama was very engaged on those issues. One item that remains … Continue Reading
Two years ago, the newly elected Democratic majority in the House promised a wave of investigations—and they sure did deliver. Even if you set aside the investigations related to the impeachment, the pace of investigations over the last two years was unlike anything we had witnessed in more than a decade. A hallmark of the … Continue Reading
Under the Biden administration, it is unlikely that major financial services legislation like a Dodd-Frank Act will pass in the next few years, especially if Republicans hold the Senate. The Biden Administration will nevertheless have significant opportunities to shape policy through the federal financial agencies. The adage that “personnel is policy” rings especially true for … Continue Reading
The unprecedented use of mail-in balloting in this election due to the COVID-19 pandemic led to delays in the processing of ballots in key states. While millions of ballots were cast prior to election day, election officials in many states were not permitted to begin processing mail-in ballots until the days before election day, and … Continue Reading
As both presidential and down-ticket candidates gear up for post-election recounts and related litigation in several states, they and their political parties will be raising new funds to finance these efforts. As with campaign contributions made before the election, there are a variety of rules that apply to contributions to support post-election disputes. The Federal … Continue Reading
