Balloon Incident Underscores U.S.-China Competition Concerns The Chinese surveillance balloon incident may elevate the issue of China competition in the public consciousness and galvanize bipartisan support, particularly in the House, for addressing aspects of the U.S.-China bilateral relationship.… Continue Reading
The 115th Congress convened on Tuesday, 3 January. U.S. businessman Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on Friday, January 20. Russia –Aggression Scrutinized At the end of December, the Obama Administration announced punitive measures targeting Russia for what President Barack Obama characterized as the “Russian government’s aggressive … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Congressional Tax-Writers Press on With Tax Reform Proposals This week, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Tax Policy, chaired by Representative Charles Boustany (R-LA), will hold a hearing to examine Member proposals to improve the current U.S. tax system. This hearing is part of a series of hearings on tax reform and … Continue Reading
Historic snowfall levels kept the U.S. Federal Government from officially reopening until Wednesday of last week. President Barack Obama, however, met the day before with his health and national security teams to discuss the rapid spread of Zika and other mosquito-borne viruses in the Americas and steps being taken to protect U.S. citizens. The President … Continue Reading
The Senate was in session last week, while the House of Representatives remained in recess in observance of the Martin Luther King holiday. On 16 January, Implementation Day of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran took effect, as did a prisoner swap. Washington’s attention then quickly shifted to an impending historic blizzard … Continue Reading
Executive and Legislative Branch Activity Ukraine & Russia On Wednesday, March 12, President Obama will welcome Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk of Ukraine to the White House. The President and Prime Minister Yatsenyuk are expected to discuss how to find a peaceful resolution to Russia’s ongoing military intervention in Crimea that would respect Ukrainian sovereignty and … Continue Reading
Executive and Legislative Branch Activity Iran On February 6, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control introduced the Foreign Sanctions Evaders List (FSE List) to identify foreign persons sanctioned under Executive Order 13608 – Prohibiting Certain Transactions with and Suspending Entry into the United States of Foreign Sanctions Evaders with Respect to Iran and Syria. Eighteen … Continue Reading
Executive and Legislative Branch Activity Budget and the Debt Ceiling Debate With no congressional consensus on a bill to fund the U.S. federal government for FY 2014, on Tuesday, October 1, the U.S. government partially shut down. Last week, the House attempted to advance its strategy of passing “mini” continuing resolutions (CR) to fund parts … Continue Reading
