The Latest on the Government Shutdown

The Week in Review Health care continued to be at the forefront of discussions in Washington last week as Senate Republicans made further progress on the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) – their plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released an updated version of the […]

Lawmakers return to Washington this week facing a critical three-week period before the August recess. Without any major legislative achievements so far this year, Republicans will be focused on the tense Senate negotiations on legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). An agreement has yet to be reached on the legislative text […]

The Week in Review Washington was quiet last week as lawmakers celebrated July 4 in their home districts and President Trump travelled to Europe for the G-20 summit of the world’s leading economies. Both groups were met by some protests; lawmakers who held in-district events faced raucous crowds over the ongoing debate on the Republican […]

Our Take While it would be too easy to write that Members of Congress fled town this week like rats off a sinking ship, the reality is that the dysfunction and gridlock of Washington only continues to grow and it is highly likely that all 535 members of Congress and the Senate were incredibly grateful […]

Congress has left for the July 4 recess, and will return to Washington the week of July 10. Awaiting lawmakers is a daunting agenda of major policy initiatives and must-pass items, with a limited calendar in which to pass them. Of course, chief among those items is the stalled effort to repeal and replace the […]

Looking Ahead Near Term All eyes will be on the Senate this week, as Leader McConnell attempts to thread the needle on Healthcare reform.   With only two votes to spare, there could be a lot of sausage to make before the end of the week.   The House will take up two bills endorsed by the […]

This week has the potential to be the most important of the year in healthcare, as the Senate could vote as early as Thursday evening on their version of a bill to repeal and replace major provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will likely bring the bill to the […]

The Week in Review The Senate’s version of a health care overhaul was released with a great deal of fanfare last week as supporters and detractors quickly tried to establish their positions on the bill. Four conservative Republican senators — Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Mike Lee (R-UT) — […]

In an Inside Health Policy article published yesterday, Thorn Run Partner’s Senior Vice President Shea McCarthy offered his take on the role of conservatives in the House — namely the Republican Study Committee (RSC) and the House Freedom Caucus — in looming negotiations between the two chambers as lawmakers continue to digest the Senate’s healthcare […]

Our Take The horrific events of last week drew poignant remarks from leaders on both sides of the aisle, who along with others, not only condemned the violence but urged participants on all sides to tone down the vitriol of the current state of political discourse.   Unfortunately, like all too many parents know, when petulant […]

As the summer churns along, Republican leaders are hoping to break the stalemate on their major priorities, namely health care legislation, tax reform, and the appropriations process for the 2018 fiscal year. All three appear to be deadlocked at the moment, with health care reform at the front of the queue. According to a report […]

The Week in Review The week in Washington was marred by tragedy after a gunman opened fire at a baseball practice for Republican Members of Congress ahead of the annual Congressional Baseball Game, injuring four, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA). Members of Congress were shaken by the event, particularly after it was apparent […]