This afternoon, Investment News featured analysis from Thorn Run's Jason Rosenstock on a bill sponsored by Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) that would stop a contentious Department of Labor rule related to investment advice from taking effect. Many members of the minority party have opposed the rule, but as Jason states in the article, "Democrats who may ultimately be supportive of the Roskam-Neal approach still want to see the final rule before they back any legislative remedy."
Author: Thornrun
Financial Services Report
Looking Ahead
Near Term
- House is in recess
- Senate is in session and is scheduled to take up the Syrian refugee bill before moving onto an energy bill that could be on the floor for a couple of weeks.
Health Policy Report
The Week in Review
With the President delivering his final State of the Union address and Republicans holding a joint retreat to plan their legislative priorities for the year, last week in Washington featured competing political visions for 2016. In his address on Tuesday, the President avoided the policy ‘laundry list’ that typically accompanies the State of the Union, instead opting for a message calling for greater political unity, a defense of his foreign policy priorities, and a challenge to the nation’s scientific community to cure cancer. Later in the week, House and Senate Republicans travelled to Baltimore to plan their legislative agenda. Topics of conversation included reconciling differences on the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Freedom Caucus’ insistence to push through tax reform and a replacement to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the viability of a budget resolution in the Senate Appropriations Committee. However, this last point already hit a major challenge when the Appropriations Committee’s ranking Democrat, Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), said that she doesn’t see the need for a budget resolution because lawmakers have already agreed to a two-year budget deal that sets topline spending numbers.
This Week on the Hill: Senate to Consider Refugee Resettlement; School Lunch Bill Markup
With the House in recess this week in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Senate will first vote on the nomination of Wilhelmina Marie Wright to be U.S. district court judge in Minnesota before moving on to the contentious debate over settling Syrian refugees in the United States. On Wednesday, the upper chamber will hold a cloture vote on whether to proceed to legislation (H.R. 4038) the House passed last year, which would require top U.S. law-enforcement and national security officials to affirm to Congress that each individual Syrian refugee doesn’t pose a security threat. The Obama administration contends the refugee program would grind to a halt, and has threatened to veto the measure.
TRP 2016 Congressional Outlook
Introduction
After a turbulent, but ultimately successful 2015, Congress enters an election year on an upswing. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have both emphasized their commitment to receiving more input from the rank-and-file members of the party in the shaping of legislative priorities for the upcoming session. As such, specific timelines for legislation may be released following a party retreat in Baltimore this week.
Rosenberg to Roll Call: Spending Bills an ‘Opportunity’ in Election Year
Today's edition of Roll Call featured insight into the dynamics of election-year policymaking in the halls of Congress, including analysis from Thorn Run's Andy Rosenberg. According to Rosenberg, the push for regular order on spending bills, led by Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), will provide more flexibility for legislating than in a typical election year. "[Regular order’s] something that opens up opportunities to do a lot more legislating," Rosenberg said. "It leaves a lot of room for monkey business and playing both offense and defense in the appropriations process."
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Today on the Hill: #SOTU, Audit the Fed, Strip Mining, North Korea Sanctions
President Obama will provide an overview of his record in office as he attempts to burnish his legacy tonight during his final State of the Union address. The speech to a joint session of Congress will give Obama a chance to sell the public – and, to a lesser extent, lawmakers – on his legislative priorities, including gun control and approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. Also look for the president to make the case for revamping sentences for street-level drug crimes, an effort that is hitting an impasse over crimes committed in corporate suites. Delivering the Republican response will be South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who has criticized President Obama on labor and healthcare policies and the resettlement of Syrian refugees. Haley most recently garnered national attention when she led the removal of the Confederate battle flag from statehouse grounds following the June mass shooting at a Charleston church.
Continue reading “Today on the Hill: #SOTU, Audit the Fed, Strip Mining, North Korea Sanctions”
This Week on the Hill: Senate Returns as State of the Union Headlines Week
The Senate returns to Washington today, but the highlight of the week will be President Obama’s final State of the Union address tomorrow night. After taking the spotlight with executive actions on gun control last week, the President is expected to use the annual speech to outline the remainder of his agenda, particularly selling Congress on an approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. Delivering the Republican response will be South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who has criticized President Obama on labor and healthcare policies and the resettlement of Syrian refugees. Haley most recently garnered national attention when she led the removal of the Confederate battle flag from statehouse grounds following the June mass shooting at a Charleston church.
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Health Policy Report
The Week in Review
With the Senate remaining in recess, the House reconvened from the winter break and set to work on a legislative agenda that highlighted a deep partisan divide on healthcare and regulatory issues. Most notably, the House approved Senate-passed budget reconciliation legislation (H.R. 3762) that would repeal key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and reallocate federal funding for Planned Parenthood to the Community Health Center (CHC) program. The bill’s passage on a 240-181 vote Wednesday sent it to the White House, where President Obama vetoed it on Friday, saying that the ACA had put the country’s healthcare system on a “smarter, stronger course.” With just one Democrat voting in favor, the bill will be unable to gain the two-thirds majority necessary to override a presidential veto in Congress.
This Week on the Hill: House to Vote on Reconciliation; Senate Remains in Recess
While the Senate will remain in recess until Monday, January 11, a new year in Congress starts tomorrow as the House is scheduled to reconvene from its winter break. House lawmakers are set to begin on a highly partisan note with the consideration of the Senate-passed budget reconciliation bill (H.R. 3762) that would repeal key enforcement and financing provisions of the Affordable Care Act, including Medicaid expansion and the individual and employer mandates related to health coverage. A roll call vote for the bill is lined up for Wednesday and will likely pass along partisan lines and be sent to the White House, where the President is expected to issue a veto. With very limited support among Democrats, the bill will likely fall well short of the two-thirds majority necessary to override a presidential veto.
Continue reading “This Week on the Hill: House to Vote on Reconciliation; Senate Remains in Recess”