Congress approved an Omnibus spending measure and tax extenders package last Friday, its final major hurdle before adjourning for the year. The House is expected to return for the new congressional session on Tuesday, 5 January 2016, with the Senate to follow on Monday, 11 January. President Barack Obama departed Washington late Friday for his … Continue Reading
Congress reconvened last Monday to work on advancing several priority measures – such as an Omnibus spending measure to fund the federal government, a tax extenders package, and the customs bill, among others – in anticipation of adjourning later this week for the year. San Bernardino Shooting The Federal Bureau of Investigation continues to investigate … Continue Reading
Combating ISIL On Sunday, in his third address to the nation from the Oval Office, President Barack Obama spoke of the terrorist attack last week in San Bernardino, California, where 14 Americans were killed. He sought to address the broader threat of terrorism and how to ensure the homeland is safe from threats such as … Continue Reading
Combatting ISIL – Syria and Iraq Crises After Turkey downed a Russian fighter jet over its territory last Tuesday, President Barack Obama maintained Turkey had a right to defend its airspace. He spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that day, expressing U.S. and NATO support for Turkey’s right to defend its sovereignty. The two … Continue Reading
Terrorist Attacks – Paris and Beirut Last Friday evening, President Barack Obama addressed the nation as the press reported of numerous fatalities and injuries resulting from coordinated terrorist attacks at multiple locations in Paris, France. The President immediately offered U.S. assistance to France and said the attacks were “an attack on all of humanity and … Continue Reading
Syrian and Iraqi Crises Secretary of State John Kerry delivered remarks on U.S. Middle East policy last Wednesday at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The Secretary called on the Russian Government to contribute to the end of the Syrian conflict, including through a political settlement. He also highlighted areas where the United States, Russia, … Continue Reading
Indonesia – Washington Visit This afternoon, President Barack Obama will welcome President Joko Widodo of Indonesia to the White House. President Widodo is making his first visit to the United States since becoming President of Indonesia. President Obama and President Widodo are expected to discuss plans to expand existing areas of bilateral cooperation, including in … Continue Reading
Iran Nuclear Deal Enters into Force – Congress Scrutinizes Iran’s ICBM Test On Sunday, President Barack Obama issued a statement on the adoption day of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between the P5+1 and Iran. The President said he had directed the heads of all relevant U.S. executive departments and agencies to begin … Continue Reading
TPP Update Extending into a fifth day on Sunday, TPP negotiators spent the weekend hashing out final compromises on biologics exclusivity, dairy market access, sensitive products, investor-state dispute settlement, and other last minute issues. The United States and Japan reportedly reached agreement in principle on automobile market access and rules-of-origin in talks that also included … Continue Reading
President Obama’s UNGA Schedule President Barack Obama is in New York City (NYC) attending the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) until Tuesday. He delivered remarks at the closing session of the Post-2015 Development Agenda after he arrived Sunday afternoon. The President will address the UNGA this morning, where he is expected to review progress made over the last year … Continue Reading
Iran Nuclear Deal On Thursday, 10 September, the Senate failed to pass a motion to invoke cloture on the resolution disapproving of the Iran nuclear deal (H.J.Res. 61) by a vote of 58-42. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) immediately filed a new motion, teeing up another vote on the measure this week. President Barack Obama … Continue Reading
President Obama’s Africa Trip President Barack Obama travelled to Kenya this past weekend, where he met with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. The Governments of the United States and Kenya issued a joint commitment to promote good governance and anti-corruption efforts in Kenya. The White House also released fact sheets on: (1) Advancing Democracy, Human Rights, Gender Equality, Wildlife Conservation, … Continue Reading
Iran Early last Tuesday, President Obama announced that, after two years of negotiations, the P5+1 negotiators reached a comprehensive, long-term deal with Iran that will prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Congress will now have an opportunity to review the deal, and the Obama Administration has already begun outreach to Members. President Obama also … Continue Reading
Iran According to the press, the P5+1 negotiators and Iran plan to announce today that they have reached a historic deal that would address Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief. Though negotiators said that they had hoped to reach a nuclear agreement with Iran by last Friday, Secretary of State John Kerry announced … Continue Reading
Iran As was expected, the P5+1 countries agreed last week to extend their voluntary deadline for finalizing a comprehensive deal with Iran over its nuclear program by one week to 7 July. At a White House press briefing, President Obama acknowledged that hard negotiations remain, but it will ultimately be up to the Iranians to … Continue Reading
TPA Moves Separately, Senate Vote Sequencing Outlined After the House Rules Committee approved a vote on a standalone Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) bill – unlinking it from the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) bill that previously failed in a vote – the House passed the measure last Thursday by a vote of 218 to 208. This … Continue Reading
Recap of Last Week’s House Action on Trade Legislation Last Friday, President Barack Obama made a last-minute trip to Capitol Hill in the morning to encourage support among Democrats for the bill containing Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), acknowledging to the press that the vote situation remained fluid. That afternoon, the … Continue Reading
G-7 Summit President Barack Obama arrived in Germany on Sunday to attend the G-7 Summit. The leaders are expected to review the current situation in Ukraine; discuss continued support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity; and underscore their support for a diplomatic solution based on full implementation of the Minsk agreements. Many expect the G-7 … Continue Reading
Vice President Mourns Death of Son Late on Saturday, 30 May, the White House informed the public that Vice President Joseph Biden’s son, Joseph R. “Beau” Biden III , passed away after a two-year battle with brain cancer. He was 46 years old. Iran Despite media reports last week that yet another delay may be … Continue Reading
Trade Promotion Authority On Tuesday, 12 May, the Senate failed, on a largely party line vote, to pass a motion to proceed to H.R. 1314, which includes Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA). After the failed vote, negotiations between Republicans and Democrats continued in earnest to chart a way forward for the TPA-TAA … Continue Reading
TPA Update Last Wednesday, 6 May, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) filed a motion to proceed to a “shell” House-passed bill (H.R. 1314) for Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), a procedural tactic used since TPA is a revenue measure and must originate in the House. The next day, the Majority Leader filed cloture on a … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity National Defense Authorization Act Last Monday, House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) provided a timeline for House action on the FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). He said that the HASC subcommittees would mark up their portions of the annual policy measure the week of 20 April. The full … Continue Reading
Secretary Carter to Testify on the Defense Department’s Budget This week, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter will testify this week on the Department’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Budget request. He is scheduled to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday and the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee on Wednesday. Sequestration In advance of congressional oversight … Continue Reading
Defense Department’s FY 2016 Budget This week, Congress will hold the following hearings to examine the Department of Defense’s FY 2016 budget request: Wednesday, February 25: The House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on the Department of the Navy’s FY 2016 Budget request for seapower and projection forces. Thursday, February 26: The House … Continue Reading
