All legislative activity will stem out of the upper chamber this week as the House is in recess until next Monday. Specifically, Senate lawmakers will attempt to conclude debate on legislation to expand treatment for opioid addiction, finalize a deal to pass both energy legislation and a measure designed to help Flint, Michigan recover from its tainted water crisis.
Continue reading “This Week on the Hill: Senate Hopes to Finish Opioid, Energy, Flint Bills”
The Week in Review
Politics arguably outweighed policy last week, as the “Super Tuesday” primary elections delivered commanding leads for real estate mogul Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in their respective presidential nomination races. After winning seven of the eleven contests on Tuesday, Trump went on to win two more states – Kentucky and Louisiana – in Saturday’s elections, but Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) actually narrowed the gap on the Republican frontrunner by winning Kansas and Maine. As it stands, Trump maintains an 82 delegate lead on Cruz and over double that amount on the next closest competitor, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). On the Democratic side, conventional wisdom dictates that Hillary Clinton has a seemingly insurmountable lead in both delegates and the party insiders known as “superdelegates” after winning seven states on Super Tuesday and Louisiana on Saturday. However, Bernie Sanders (I-VT) strung together weekend wins in Colorado, Nebraska and Maine, bringing his win total to 8 states, as compared with 11 for Clinton. The next votes will be cast tomorrow, with both parties voting in Michigan and Mississippi, and Republicans also holding contests in Hawaii and Idaho.
Today, The Hill published a detailed analysis on the ethics rules introduced by the Obama Administration, including insight from Thorn Run's Andy Rosenberg. The administration has been successful in hiring fewer former lobbyists to executive agency positions, but many in Washington are skeptical of the benefits that policy has supposedly brought about. "I don't think it's been to their benefit," said Rosenberg. "If you have been involved in policymaking for any considerable amount of time, it's likely that you will have lobbied at some point."
Continue reading “Rosenberg: Obama Lobbying Restrictions Have Negative Impact on Policymaking”
Looking Ahead
Near Term
The Week in Review
A relatively quiet week in Washington featured the confirmation of a new commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the Senate and the passage of a slew of homeland security and federal land use bills in the House.
Senate lawmakers could vote as soon as today to confirm Dr. Robert Califf to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after Califf’s nomination passed a cloture vote yesterday evening by the substantial margin of 80-6. A few in the Democratic caucus, including presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), have opposed Califf’s nomination over the pharmaceutical industry’s support for his academic research and questions on the FDA’s approach to combatting the opioid epidemic. In part due to this pressure, the FDA recently agreed to a number of changes in its opioid approval process, including convening an advisory panel meeting before approving new painkillers that do not include an abuse-deterrent feature. Califf’s impending confirmation will mark a rare instance of Republican support for a high-level Obama-nominee to an executive agency.
Continue reading “Today on the Hill: Califf Vote in the Senate, DHS Bills in the House”
Politico this morning featured an article on the chances that former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg could run for, and win, the presidency in 2016. Thorn Run's Jason Rosenstock broke down Bloomberg's appeal, calling him the "middle ground between the populist firebrand that is Sanders and the unpredicatable demagogue that is Trump." Many are skeptical of Bloomberg's potential, but Mr. Rosenstock urged political analysts not to dismiss the billionaire philranthopist: "It may be a bit far-fetched to think someone with Bloomberg's profile could win," said Rosenstock. "But who thought Trump would be this legitimate six months ago? We are in a unique election period and all bets are off."
Continue reading “In Politico, Rosenstock Breaks Down Bloomberg’s Presidential Chances”
The Week in Review
The House and Senate were both in recess for the Presidents’ Day Holiday last week. The Senate aims to reconvene today, with the House set to follow suit tomorrow.
Over the weekend, voters in South Carolina and Nevada went to the polls for the Republican primary and Democratic caucus, respectively, with real estate mogul Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gaining victories. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, who was considered an early favorite to gain the Republican nomination, decided to end his campaign for the presidency after finishing fourth in the Palmetto state.
Our Take
The world lost a legal giant on Saturday and the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia threw another monkey wrench into the already frazzled gears of the 2016 Presidential campaign. Although it would mean leaving the seat vacant for more than 11 months, Republicans, led by Senate Leader McConnell, immediately indicated their preference to wait until the next President is sworn in before considering any nomination to replace Justice Scalia. Expectedly, Democrats immediately pounced on the politicization of the appointment process, with some noting the irony of modifying the clear constitutional reading on appointments in order to replace one of the leading minds of the originalist theory of judicial interpretation. With both sides digging in, it is hard to say what happens. However, it is important to note that the court has some very important cases before it, and 4-4 decisions mean that lower court rulings are upheld, though without setting precedent.
