Talks among party leaders in Washington about a future COVID-19 relief package are at an impasse, with Democrats still adamant about enacting legislation that injects trillions of additional dollars into the American economy, and Republicans seemingly trying to run out the clock in hopes Democrats will consent to passing a “skinny” deal that temporarily addresses … Continue Reading
In an article published in Bloomberg Law, we observed that despite Congress’s determination to hold recipients of CARES Act funds accountable, there is likely to be a significant gap between the expected oversight activity, and the capacity of the Department of Justice to, where merited, follow up with criminal prosecution or civil action on fraud … Continue Reading
Five weeks after passing the US$3 trillion HEROES Act, House Democrats are moving to pass a companion measure, the Moving Forward Act, that would add another US$1.5 trillion by funding an array of national infrastructure projects and related Democratic priorities. The bill is expected to be taken up on the House floor prior to Independence … Continue Reading
Recent Developments in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Treasury Secretary Mnuchin announces important changes Senate small business committee Democrats ANNOUNCE a new PPP bill On Wednesday, June 10, 2020, in testimony before the Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship yesterday, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin announced two major changes to the PPP that the Trump Administration … Continue Reading
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who has been the lead domestic policy negotiator for President Donald Trump and his administration during the COVID-19 crisis, made clear in testimony Wednesday to congressional lawmakers that the White House believes passage of another major coronavirus response package will be necessary soon, notwithstanding a generally positive national jobs report … Continue Reading
The US Congress is moving urgently to formulate new legislation that goes to the heart of the current policy debate in America, and it has nothing to do with coronavirus. Instead, the focus of Congress’ current short-term agenda is police reform, calls for which have surged across the nation in the wake of the universally … Continue Reading
Fueled by a stronger-than-expected monthly national employment report, President Donald Trump is vowing to press the US Congress to craft a bipartisan COVID-19 response package this summer that places a heavy emphasis on policies that would accelerate the return of the American economy as it emerges from the pandemic-driven shutdown. The White House drive comes … Continue Reading
President Donald Trump issued an executive order (EO) Thursday directing federal agencies to streamline their permitting processes to allow for expedited movement on infrastructure projects as a means of contributing to a swift recovery of the American economy as states and US territories emerge from their coronavirus-driven lockdowns. The president’s order came as policymakers prepared … Continue Reading
As public protests against police brutality and racial disparity continued to dominate the national policy debate, pushing coronavirus-related news from the front pages, the US Senate has given its approval to legislation passed last week by the US House of Representatives making changes to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) created by the March 27 Coronavirus … Continue Reading
For the first time since early 2020, the dominant topic in the American policy debate is not the COVID-19 pandemic. With national attention consumed by protests, riots and the state of race relations in the United States, efforts continue in Washington to stabilize and stimulate an American economy that was brought to a screeching halt … Continue Reading
The Federal Reserve is set to begin providing emergency loans to midsize businesses as soon as this week through the US$600 billion Main Street Lending Program (MSLP) established by the March 27 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The US Senate is preparing to return to Washington, DC to resume legislative activity, including … Continue Reading
The US House of Representatives returns to Washington this week, but negotiations aimed at forging a bipartisan consensus on the next federal COVID-19 response package are still weeks away. The Memorial Day holiday weekend brought a surge of activity by Americans who have been in lockdown for months and are yearning for a return to … Continue Reading
Speaking at a pre-Memorial Day event hosted by The Hill, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said it will be “a few weeks” before the Trump Administration moves to negotiate with Congress on another large-scale coronavirus response bill, while conceding there is “a strong likelihood” such legislation will eventually be needed to support the struggling … Continue Reading
Legislative Action Flint and Water Infrastructure Funding In our continued tracking of the package of federal funding for Flint’s water crisis,the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee recently favorably reported its Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which authorizes $220 million in funding in a combination of grants and loans for both Flint and for drinking water … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity DOL’s Fiduciary Rule in Focus as SEC Announces Delay With many lawmakers still opposed to the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Fiduciary Rule, this week both the House Financial Services and Ways and Means Committee will tackle the issue. The House Financial Services Committee will hold a markup on Wednesday of legislation to require … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Schedules “Energy Week” for Legislative Debate This week, the House Republican leadership has planned a thematic “energy week” to organize legislative debate on the floor. The House will consider three rules bills and several non-controversial bills under suspension of the rules. The three rules bills include: (1) H.R.3826, the “Electricity Security and … Continue Reading
Executive and Legislative Branch Activity Defense Authorization, Budget And the Sequester The Fiscal 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (S.1197) is expected to come to the floor on Wednesday, November 13. The Military Justice Improvement Act (S. 967) – a bill to address military sexual assaults that has 46 Senators supporting it – is expected … Continue Reading
Executive and Legislative Branch Activity Iran Secretary of State John Kerry joined the P5+1 Talks last Friday in Geneva, Switzerland. The Talks failed to reach an agreement this past weekend and are expected to resume at a lower level on November 20. At the conclusion of the Talks, Secretary Kerry said: “There’s no question in my … Continue Reading
