The Latest on the Government Shutdown

The twin battles over government funding and tax reform both took steps forward yesterday as House Republicans released the text of their preferred version of a continuing resolution (CR) and tax conferees reached an “agreement in principle” on the final form of a legislative package. On the former issue, the House Republican CR (text) would […]

In an Inside Health Policy article published Monday, Thorn Run Partner’s Senior Vice President Shea McCarthy discusses possible next steps for CMS and the Trump administration following the end of the 2018 Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment period. The article notes that industry lobbysts expect CMS to take some sort of action following the end of the enrollment period, possibly […]

Political observers will be waiting eagerly for the returns from today’s special election in Alabama to select Jeff Sessions’ replacement in the U.S. Senate. The unusually competitive race between Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones has attracted national attention and resources, making today’s result another indicator for both parties as they plot their strategies […]

Our Take While not known as a prescient sage, back in 2006 John Mayer may have seen the future when wrote   "And when you trust your television What you get is what you got Cause when they own the information, oh They can bend it all they want"   Much has been written about […]

While government funding and tax reform remain at the forefront of lawmakers’ concerns, this week’s work is likely to focus on behind-the-scenes negotiations. On tax reform, the first public conference meeting is set for Wednesday and reports suggest that Republicans are making progress in working out the differences between the House and Senate tax bills. […]

The Week in Review Lawmakers temporarily avoided a government shutdown by passing a two-week continuing resolution (CR) in both chambers last week, setting up Dec. 22 as the new deadline to fund the government. That effort is expected to be a lot more contentious as Democrats will be seeking policy concessions in exchange for their […]

Looking Ahead Near Term The House and Senate will commence the first formal conference for a major tax reform bill since the showdown in Gucci gulch.  At this point the conference is anticipated to last around a week to give both sides enough time to get a bill to the President before the end of […]

Even after the Senate’s approval of tax reform legislation last week, the issue will remain in the headlines. The House returns ahead of schedule today to consider a motion to go to conference on the tax reform bill, allowing for lawmakers to reconcile the differences between the two versions of the legislation. Republicans hope that […]

The Week in Review The tax reform debate in the Senate consumed nearly all of the political oxygen in Washington last week, ultimately culminating in a 51-49 passage of the proposal in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Despite many Republican senators expressing reservations, the only “no” vote from the majority came from Sen. Bob […]

Last week’s much-needed break comes ahead of an anticipated legislative frenzy for the remainder of the calendar year. Republicans are racing to finish their tax reform push and the legislative calendar will be complicated by the expiration of government funding on Dec. 8. Given that Democratic votes will be needed for any funding package, expect […]

The Week in Review Both chambers of Congress were in recess for the Thanksgiving holiday. The most notable development in the absence of floor action was the formal release of legislative text detailing the Senate tax reform plan, which will likely appear on the Senate floor this week.

Today, RealClearPolicy published an article authored by Thorn Run's Shea McCarthy that outlines the implications of implications of the various tax reform bills on the nation's healthcare system. With the Senate eyeing a vote on its version of a tax overhaul bill after thanksgiving, McCarthy noted that stakeholders should take the implications of the GOP's once-in-a-generation tax reform […]