Last week saw the Keystone XL oil pipeline and President Obama’s executive action on immigration take center stage in Washington. The Senate on Tuesday narrowly defeated legislation (S. 2280) that would have approved the Keystone XL pipeline, delivering a political setback to Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) in her Dec. 6 runoff race against challenger Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-LA). The vote was 59-41, falling just shy of the 60 needed to pass the legislation. Also on Tuesday, the Senate rejected a measure (S. 2685) to reform the National Security Agency's surveillance program in a 58-42 vote, with 60 votes needed to advance. Senators also approved a series of judicial and executive branch nominations. With Republicans taking control of the upper chamber in January, Democrats are looking to clear as many of President Obama’s nominations as possible before the end of the year.
Month: November 2014
TRP Financial Services Report
President Obama’s Executive Order on Immigration certainly stirred the rhetorical pot. Its impact on the political environment is still to be determined. Certainly it may impact the end of the year spending bills – though then again, it may not. We continue to hear that the Chairs of the Appropriations Committee, and House and Senate Leadership support an omnibus appropriations bill – but whether all the pieces can come together in the week that Members of Congress return from Thanksgiving remains TBD. What is clear is that once Republicans take control of the entire Congress in 2015 their rank and file members are eager to keep immigration on the front burner. What that means and more importantly, how impacts other issues on the agenda, such as tax reform or Dodd-Frank Reform will become clearer in the New Year.
The Hill: TRP Snags Rich White, Known for ‘Bipartisan Relationships’
A new article in The Hill highlights the addition of Thorn Run's ninth partner, Richard White. He joins Thorn Run from the firm of Roberti & White, where he was a founding partner. According to the article, "White has forged bipartisan relationships during his nearly 20-year advocacy career, [but] is known for his connections to Senate Republicans." His clients have run the gamut from small biotech and medical device firms, large PhRMA companies, hospitals and medical specialty groups, to Fortune 500 companies, including one of the world’s largest insurance groups.
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Rich White Joins Thorn Run Partners
Senior Republican Lobbyist Named Ninth Partner at One of Washington’s Fastest Growing Firms
For immediate release: November 17, 2014
Contact: Andy Rosenberg, 202-247-6301
Thorn Run Partners (TRP) announced today the addition of veteran lobbyist, Richard White, as Partner. Rich joins Thorn Run from the firm of Roberti & White, where he was a founding partner.
“We would be ecstatic to add someone of Rich’s caliber to our team under any circumstance,” stated TRP’s founding Republican partner Chris Lamond, “but we are especially excited to boost our Republican reach as the GOP takes over the Senate. Rich is a stellar addition to our team.”
TRP Federal Clean Technology and Renewable Energy Update
After nearly two months on the campaign trail, Congress returned last week for new member orientation, leadership elections and a smattering of legislative business. The leadership elections offered few surprises, as Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Harry Reid (D-NV), and Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) all received their caucus’s endorsement to lead their party in the 114th Congress. McConnell was unanimously named to serve as majority leader when the new Congress convenes in January, while at least six Senate Democrats reportedly opposed Reid in the secret-ballot vote. House Speaker Boehner easily advanced to his post following a GOP wave election that effectively silenced any opposition to his leadership. House Democrats will hold leadership elections this week, where Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) seeks re-election unopposed. Perhaps the only notable addition came from the Democratic leadership, where Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) was elevated to the newly created position of Strategic Policy Advisor to the Democratic Policy and Communications Center (DPCC).
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TRP Financial Services Report
The first quarter of the lame duck is in the books and it didn’t take long for commentators to begin chipping away at the spirit of bipartisanship that was being forged following the election. Notwithstanding the game of political chicken looming over the Immigration issue and the end of year spending bills –shaping up either to be finalized by December 8th, or perhaps sometime next year –we continue to believe that 2015 will show positive development for legislative activity in Congress, including the potential for regulatory relief from Dodd-Frank as both Chairman Hensarling and Chairman Shelby have both expressed an interest in including that issue on their agenda. Additionally, as long as Leader McConnell allows for more, if not unlimited amendments, it will ensure that all sides have at least a chance to raise their concerns on a variety of issues.
TRP Health Policy Report
After nearly two months on the campaign trail, Congress returned last week for new member orientation, leadership elections and the start of the lame-duck legislative session. The leadership elections offered few surprises, as Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Harry Reid (D-NV), and Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) all received their caucus’s endorsement to lead their respective parties in the 114th Congress. Perhaps the only notable addition came from the Democratic leadership, where Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) was elevated to the newly created position of Strategic Policy Advisor to the Democratic Policy and Communications Center (DPCC). House Democrats will hold leadership elections this week, where Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is seeking re-election unopposed.
TRP’s Jason Rosenstock Spars with Politico’s Morning Money on the Outlook for 2015
Thorn Run's Jason Rosenstock offers an optimistic vision for potential cooperation between Congress and the White House in this morning's edition of Politico Morning Money. The leading finance tip-sheet for beltway-watchers, which frequently features Mr. Rosenstock's insights, borrowed some prognostication (published first in the TRP Financial Services Report) into what Washington may be able to accomplish in the 114th Congress. While Politico's Ben White sounds a note of pessimism towards bipartisanship in 2015, Mr. Rosenstock sees compromise between Congress and the Administration as being in both parties' best interest. "[T]he combination of the 2016 map, as equally unfavorable to the GOP as 2014’s was to the Dems, and the small majority that soon to be Leader McConnell has to work with means that if anything is going to move it will ultimately need to be bipartisan.”
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TRP Financial Services Report
While Republicans rejoiced and Democrats lamented the results of Tuesday’s election, both sides appeared to concur that once again, the electorate was sending a message that they want Washington to work. Not surprisingly, immediately both sides were talking about ways to work together, which almost immediately followed by commentators explaining why this couldn’t happen. (See, Example 1, Example 2, Example 3, Example 4)
While we don’t like to be contrarian, it does appear that this time things could be different. This will be the first time that the Republicans are in complete control of the Congress, at least in name, during the Obama administration. Further, the combination of the 2016 map, as equally unfavorable to the GOP as 2014’s was to the Dems, and the small majority that soon to be Leader McConnell has to work with means that if anything is going to move it will ultimately need to be bipartisan. While some on the right have argued that Republican should dare Obama to veto everything, that strategy would likely backfire because of the need for Democratic votes to override any vetoes, and, as Senator-elect Cory Gardner has noted, there are powerful political reasons for the GOP to show it can govern. The veto strategy doesn’t fit into that box.
TRP Health Policy Report
Riding a surge of voter discontent, Republicans seized control of Congress in last Tuesday’s midterm elections, a result that transforms the political dynamic in Washington and gives the GOP new power over President Obama’s final two years in the White House. Republicans gained at least seven Senate seats to assemble a majority of at least 52 seats, with further pickups possible, once tallying in Alaska is complete and Louisiana holds a run-off next month. The GOP gained at least 12 seats in the House and has won at least 243 seats – a majority that is likely to grow as final races are called. The sweep left Democrats without a majority in either chamber for the first time since 2006. In separate news conferences last Wednesday, President Obama and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) talked of cooperation in the aftermath of the huge GOP election victory, flagging areas of potential compromise, including tax reform, trade deals and other policy matters. President Obama also hosted leaders from both parties at the White House on Friday to discuss how they can accomplish goals in the lame-duck legislative session that begins this week.