Legislative Activity Markups on Appropriations Bills Begin in the House this Week with FY2018 MilCon-VA Bill; House Republican Members Push for an Omnibus Before August Recess Appropriations subcommittees in the House will commence FY 2018 spending bill markups this week, with the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA) subcommittee markup scheduled for this evening. Still … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity With a Passing Glance at the President’s Request, Congress Continues Work on FY 2018 Appropriations President Trump’s FY 2018 budget request, which was released on May 23, was received in Congress with reservation by Democrats and Republicans alike. The $4.09 trillion federal budget request, entitled “A New Foundation for American Greatness,” proposes cutting … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity President Trump’s FY 2018 budget This week brings the long-anticipated full details of President Trump’s FY 2018 budget, which is expected to be released on Tuesday. The Administration’s “skinny budget” released in March indicated the potential for large cuts to several agencies amounting to a $54 billion reduction in domestic spending. The budget … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Appropriators Turn Attention to FY 2018 Process Without the Guidance of a Budget Resolution Now that the FY 2017 budget is finalized, appropriators are ready to focus on the FY 2018 process, even though the budget committees have yet to produce a budget resolution to provide topline spending levels for the upcoming fiscal … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity President Trump’s FY 2018 Budget Proposal The Trump Administration intends to release a FY 2018 budget proposal within the “next several weeks” according to President Trump’s Press Secretary, Sean Spicer. It is likely that this submission will be an outline (“skinny budget”) which will lay the groundwork for a more complete budget plan … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Confirmation Hearing for OMB Director Nominee On Tuesday, January 24, the Senate Committee on the Budget and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will hold confirmation hearings for President Donald Trump’s nominee for Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC). It is anticipated that … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity White House Sends Economic Report to Congress On February 19, the White House released the Economic Report of the President, together with the Annual Report of the Council of Economic Advisors. In the report, the Administration weighs the merits of various approaches to tax reform, including repealing the corporate income tax, cutting the … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity EPA to Hold Public Hearings on Clean Power Plan This week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold public hearings in Washington D.C., Atlanta, Denver and Pittsburgh to receive comments on its proposed Clean Power Plan. EPA’s Clean Power Plan intends to reduce carbon emissions from existing power plants to 30 percent below … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate Confirms Three CFTC Commissioners, House To Take Up CFTC Reauthorization Bill On June 3, the Senate confirmed Timothy Massad as Chairman and Sharon Bowen and J. Christopher Giancarlo as Commissioners at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Chairman Massad was sworn in to his new office on June 5. It is expected … Continue Reading