The Latest on the Government Shutdown

The Week in Review Congress went for an omnibus roller coaster ride last week as lawmakers struggled to negotiate the terms of the legislative package, but ultimately approved a mammoth $1.3 trillion spending bill ahead of the deadline to prevent a government shutdown on Friday. The 2,232-page bill was released late Wednesday night and will […]

It’s a snow day in Washington as the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has shuttered the federal government’s D.C. offices due to an ongoing snowstorm striking the area a day after the official start of spring. However, with lawmakers in town and a government funding deadline looming, it’s unclear how much of an effect the […]

Looking Ahead Near Term The House and Senate race to complete a spending bill as the Friday, March 23rd deadline for current funding to expire quickly approaches.  Reportedly the text of the proposal is supposed to be released Monday evening, though it is possible it could slip.  It is also possible that negotiations could fail.  […]

The Week in Review House lawmakers started last week hoping to consider an omnibus package ahead of the Mar. 23 government funding deadline, but negotiations have once again proven contentious and floor consideration was delayed to this week. Instead, the House considered ‘right to try’ legislation on the floor, with a suspension vote failing to […]

Our Take Last week was one of the busiest for those whose work covers the financial services industry and Congress as the Senate began its debate on a regulatory relief package (a/k/a the Bank Lobbyist Act for those readers on the left).   It also may have been the unofficial start of the 2020 Democratic Presidential […]

The Week in Review A late-breaking foreign policy development on Friday became the main headline of the week as President Trump accepted an invitation to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to negotiate the future of the rogue state’s nuclear program. The meeting would be the first time a sitting American president has negotiated […]

Early policy headlines this week are focused on the fallout from the Administration’s decision to enact tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, which will reportedly be finalized this week. President Trump tweeted about the decision numerous times over the weekend and suggested in a message this morning that the tariffs are linked with the ongoing […]

The Week in Review As high-level negotiations on an omnibus spending bill continue off the floor, both the House and Senate met last week and advanced financial services bills and judicial nominations, respectively. Specifically, House lawmakers passed a measure (H.R. 4296) that would place restrictions on federal regulators seeking to impose operational risk capital requirements […]

With a quiet official schedule, lawmakers are using the public momentum for gun control to craft legislation that would make some limited changes to the nation’s background check system and gun purchasing policies. The starting place for those negotiations is a bill dubbed Fix NICS (National Instant Check System) that would push state and local […]

Both chambers will be back in session today after a week off for the Presidents’ Day holiday. The Mar. 23 deadline for an omnibus funding bill remains the biggest item on Congress’s to-do list, but those negotiations are only expected to continue behind the scenes this week. The House aims to pass a pair of […]

The Week in Review Congress was in recess last week in honor of the Presidents’ Day holiday. President Trump headlined the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in a week where political debate again focused on gun control.  Momentum for gun control legislation seems to be building, but it remains unclear what specific measures, if […]

Our Take Dating back to 1862, and every year since 1886, the Senate has read President George Washington’s Farewell address.  It is worth reading and thinking about our first President’s writing – both for its sage advice, but also as a reminder that many of the political ills that cloud our government today date back […]