President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are being pressured by anti-establishment organizations to provide no further federal spending in response to the coronavirus. But the president and his team appear poised to move in the opposite direction, having recently revealed plans to put forth a US$1 trillion national infrastructure spending blueprint in the coming days … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Moves CHOICE Act Forward as Senate Banking Committee Discusses Banking Reforms Last week, the House passed the Financial CHOICE Act of 2017 (CHOICE Act) by a vote of 233-186. The comprehensive deregulatory bill would roll back many of the regulations put in place by the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Set to Choose Path for CHOICE Act as Senate Holds Hearing on Community Banking This week, the House is set to vote on H.R. 10, the Financial CHOICE Act of 2017 (CHOICE Act). After a contentious markup in the House Financial Services Committee last month, the bill was favorably voted out of … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate Banking to Vote on Treasury and Commerce Nominations This Week This week, on Tuesday, May 23, the Senate Banking Committee will vote on the nominations of several individuals to fill key posts within the Treasury and Commerce Departments (see below for additional details). Last week, Senate Banking Democrats concentrated on potential Trump … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate Banking to Host Secretary Mnuchin, Focus on Treasury This week, the Senate Banking Committee will consider the nominations of several individuals to fill key posts within the Treasury and Commerce Departments (see below for additional details). The Committee will also host Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to discuss an array of domestic and … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Financial Services Committee to Hold Markup of CHOICE Act on Tuesday After much anticipation, House Financial Services Committee Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) introduced the Financial CHOICE Act of 2017 (CHOICE Act) last week following a contentious hearing on the bill. Unsurprisingly, the hearing revealed partisan differences over the effectiveness of the Dodd-Frank Wall … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Financial Services Committee Chooses CHOICE Act as President Trump Signs Financial Services Executive Orders After a two-week recess, the House Financial Services Committee is wasting no time getting back to work as it plans to hold a hearing on the Financial CHOICE Act this Wednesday. The bill, an acronym standing for Creating … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate Banking, House Financial Services Committees Set Sights on Financial Services Regulatory Reform With the first 100 days of the Trump Administration largely behind them, financial services lawmakers are beginning to move forward with their review of and efforts to reform the financial services sector. During the Senate Banking Committee’s hearing last week, Chairman … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Lawmakers Moving Forward with Financial Services Reforms House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) has indicated that he plans to reintroduce his replacement for the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) – the CHOICE Act – but in various bills to give at least some provisions a greater likelihood of being enacted. Chairman … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate Committees to Consider Labor, SEC Nominations This Week; House Has Full Slate of Hearings After Examining Flood Insurance and the Fed Last Week This week, two Senate committees will consider the nominations of President Trump’s picks to lead the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). On Wednesday, … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity President Trump Orders Review of Financial Regulations Last Friday, February 3, President Trump issued an Executive Order related to financial services regulatory reform (generally) and an Executive Memorandum specifically targeting the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Fiduciary Rule. The Executive Order on Core Principles for Regulating the United States Financial System directs the Secretary … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Republicans Remain Committed to Dismantling Dodd-Frank At last week’s Congressional Republican retreat in Philadelphia, President Donald Trump urged Congress to make financial regulatory reform a priority to “help striving Americans get the credit they need to realize their dreams,” while Vice President Mike Pence confirmed that “dismantling Dodd-Frank” is a top legislative priority … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate Banking Committee Set to Vote on Carson Nomination This Tuesday, January 24, the Senate Banking Committee is set to vote on the nomination of Dr. Ben Carson to be Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Two weeks ago, Dr. Carson received a fairly warm welcome from both Democrats … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity New Year, New Look for Senate Banking and House Financial Services Committees With the new Congress officially under way, both the Senate Banking and House Financial Services Committees have announced new Committee members. Joining Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) on the Senate Banking Committee are fellow Republican Senators David Perdue (R-GA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Financial Services Policymakers Outline Agendas for 2017 Last week, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) outlined his ambitious agenda for 2017. At the top of the list is moving forward with the Creating Hope and Opportunity for Investors, Consumers and Entrepreneurs Act (CHOICE Act), which Chairman Hensarling estimates will be on … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate Banking Takes on Terrorism Financing Taking the lead from the House Financial Services Committee, which held a hearing earlier this month to exam the terrorism financing implications of the “ransom payments” to Iran, the Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing this Wednesday on the matter. Outside of the more recent focus … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Lawmakers Press on with Financial Services Reform Efforts On June 23, 2016, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) unveiled a discussion draft of legislation aimed at replacing the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank). The legislation, Creating Hope and Opportunity for Investors, Consumers and Entrepreneurs (Financial CHOICE Act), … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House to Vote on Financial Services Appropriations Bill as Hensarling Pushes Plan to Replace Dodd-Frank This week, the House is expected to consider the FY 2017 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, which passed out of Committee largely along partisan lines and contains various provisions that would peel back certain aspects of … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Hensarling to Release Plan to Replace Dodd-Frank House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) is set to unveil details about the Republican plan to replace the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) with a “pro-growth” alternative during a speech to the Economic Club of New York on Tuesday, … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate Banking Sets Its Sights Overseas In the coming weeks, the Senate Banking Committee will turn its focus to a number of international-related financial services issues. First, on Tuesday, May 10, the Committee will hold a hearing to evaluate the financial risks of China. Additionally, toward the end of the month, the Committee … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate Agriculture Committee Votes to Reauthorize CFTC Following a Senate Appropriations hearing last week to review the FY17 Budget Requests for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), on Thursday, April 14, the Senate Agriculture Committee voted 11-9, to reauthorize the CFTC. Though the timing of Senate … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Lawmakers to Mark-Up, Vote Various Financial Services Bills This week, on Wednesday, April 13, the House Financial Services Committee is set to mark-up various bills that would significantly alter the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act), including legislation that would repeal the government’s orderly liquidation authority, as well … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Financial Services Committee Sets Its Sights on the CFPB This week, on Wednesday, March 16, the House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing for Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Richard Cordray to provide his Semi-Annual Report to Congress. Among a myriad of topics likely to be raised during the hearing, much … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Lawmakers Still Divided on Labor’s Fiduciary Rule With the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Fiduciary Rule now with the Office of Management and Budget and being prepared for release in final form later this spring, last week Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) emphasized his opposition to the proposal, noting that he is … Continue Reading
