December is often the busiest time in Washington, and this year is no different as Congress races toward the holiday finish line. There is still a multitude of problems to solve before members can head back to their...more
12/12/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
DACA ,
FCC ,
Federal Budget ,
H-1B ,
Individual Mandate ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
IPAB ,
Israel/Palestine ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Middle East ,
Natural Resources ,
Ownership Requirements ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Repeal ,
Section 232 ,
Tax Reform ,
Trade Remedies ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas
Congress continues its heavy workload with the Thanksgiving recess roughly three weeks away. On October 26, the House passed the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget resolution by the slim margin of 216-212—opening the door for...more
11/7/2017
/ Asia ,
CFIUS ,
Congressional Budget Resolution ,
Congressional Committees ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Disaster Aid ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Federal Pilot Programs ,
Federal Register ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Flood Insurance ,
Foreign Investment ,
Medicare ,
NAFTA ,
New Legislation ,
Presidential Memorandum ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Senate Finance Committee ,
Tax Code ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Congress returned after Labor Day for a busy September and acted quickly to avoid a government shutdown by passing stop gap funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 and raising the debt ceiling. The already crowded congressional...more
10/9/2017
/ Budget Reconciliation ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Debt Ceiling ,
Executive Orders ,
Government Shutdown ,
Healthcare Reform ,
NAFTA ,
Natural Disasters ,
NDAA ,
Paris Agreement ,
Retirement Plan ,
Tax Reform ,
Travel Ban ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Trump Administration
The exuberance of a November election victory for Republicans has given way to the difficult reality of passing legislation in a closely divided Senate. While the GOP has made significant gains in the area of regulatory...more
8/8/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Arbitration ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Insurance ,
Immigration Reform ,
Iran Sanctions ,
NDAA ,
North Korea ,
RAISE Act ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Repeal ,
Russia ,
STEM ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
User Fees ,
Venezuela
On June 30, Congress gaveled out for the July 4 recess after postponing a critical vote to begin debate on an Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal-and-replace bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the GOP caucus...more
7/10/2017
/ Clean Water Rule ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Healthcare Reform ,
International Relations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NAFTA ,
Qatar ,
SCOTUS ,
Section 232 ,
Steel Industry ,
Tax Reform ,
Trade Expansion Act of 1962 ,
Trump Administration ,
Trump v Hawaii
Despite the headlines coming out of Washington, Congress continues to move forward in regular fashion, discussing and acting upon key issues, such as funding the government, addressing the need to raise the debt ceiling and...more
6/3/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Campaign Finance Reform ,
Cybersecurity ,
Debt Ceiling ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Federal Budget ,
FERC ,
Financial CHOICE Act ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NAFTA ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Political Contributions ,
Quorum ,
Repeal ,
SCOTUS ,
Tax Reform ,
Trans-Pacific Partnership ,
Trump Administration ,
User Fees
This week, President Trump announced his decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, describing it as “disadvantaging the United States” and indicating that the United States will “cease implementation”...more
6/3/2017
/ Climate Change ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Global Warming ,
Investment Funds ,
Oil & Gas ,
Paris Agreement ,
Popular ,
Renewable Energy ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Retaliation ,
Trump Administration
On Tuesday, May 23, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative issued a Federal Register notice asking for public comments on what the negotiating objectives should be for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)...more
Congress returned to session the week of April 24 following a two-week recess. Active discussions and debate surrounding the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and efforts to “repeal-and-replace” the Affordable Care Act resumed...more
5/10/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
American Health Care Act (AHCA) ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Electric Generation Suppliers ,
Employee Training ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
Extraterritoriality Rules ,
Federal Budget ,
FERC ,
Legislative Agendas ,
OTMP ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Repeal ,
Tax Reform ,
Trade Expansion Act of 1962 ,
Trump Administration
Invoking statutory authority not used in almost two decades, President Trump on April 20, 2017, directed the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to conduct an investigation into the effects of steel imports on U.S. national...more
4/26/2017
/ Anti-Dumping Duty ,
Countervailing Duties ,
GATT ,
Imports ,
National Security ,
Presidential Memorandum ,
Section 232 ,
Statutory Authority ,
Steel Industry ,
Trade Expansion Act of 1962 ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Remedies ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
Unfair Trade Practices Act ,
WTO
Congress entered into its spring recess on April 7 having delivered regulatory reforms to President Trump’s desk. In the first 75 days of the Trump administration, legislators approved 13 Congressional Review Act resolutions,...more
4/15/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Call Blocking ,
China ,
Confidential Business Information (CBI) ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Disclosure ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
FCC ,
Foreign Relations ,
GAO ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Infrastructure ,
Lobbying ,
Neil Gorsuch ,
Omnibus Guidance ,
Robocalling ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Spoofing ,
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) ,
Trade Deficit ,
Trump Administration ,
Two For One Rule
On March 31, President Trump signed two Executive Orders (EOs) that address trade. The first EO addresses increased enforcement of U.S. trade and customs laws and specifically calls for plans and strategies to combat the...more
4/5/2017
/ Anti-Dumping Duty ,
Counterfeit Goods Regulation ,
Countervailing Duties ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Executive Orders ,
Exports ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Imports ,
Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act ,
Trade Remedies ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Customs ,
USTR
As the Trump presidency completes its first 10 weeks, the administration is celebrating big wins on the regulatory reform front while nursing some wounds from a major defeat on efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable...more
4/3/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Bilateral Agreements ,
Broadband Privacy Rules ,
China ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Electronic Devices ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
FCC ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Healthcare Reform ,
International Relations ,
International Travel ,
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) ,
Judicial Appointments ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medical Devices ,
NAFTA ,
National Security ,
Neil Gorsuch ,
NEPA ,
North Korea ,
Obama Administration ,
OMB ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Repeal ,
Secretary of State ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Supreme Court Justices ,
Tax Reform ,
Trade Policy ,
Trans-Pacific Partnership ,
Transportation Security Administration ,
Trump Administration ,
User Fees ,
USTR
The Trump presidency is halfway through its first 100 days. The legislative and executive branches are under a unified Republican government for only the second time since the Eisenhower administration, and the GOP is seeking...more
3/22/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
CBO Report ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Congressional Budget Office ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Electricity ,
Energy Market ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
FCC ,
FERC ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Health Insurance ,
Immigration Reform ,
NAFTA ,
Presidential Appointments ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Repeal ,
Tax Reform ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
Two For One Rule
The Trump administration and Congress continue to take on a new shape. The Presidential Transition Team officially shut its U.S. General Services Administration office on February 28, 2017, and the remaining staff moved to...more
3/4/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
B-1 ,
Budget Reconciliation ,
Buy American Act ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Employer Mandates ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Executive Orders ,
FCC ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Former Employee ,
H-1B ,
L-1 ,
NAFTA ,
Obama Administration ,
Repeal ,
Rescission ,
Tax Credits ,
Television Broadcast Stations ,
Trafficking ,
Trump Administration ,
Waters of the United States ,
Work Visas
The first four weeks of the Trump administration have brought a flurry of policy and regulatory activity through Executive Orders (EO), proposed new legislation and review of existing regulation. After eight years of the...more
2/17/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Border Adjustment Taxes ,
Comment Period ,
Conflict Mineral Rules ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Dakota Access Pipeline ,
Deregulation ,
Dodd-Frank ,
E-Verify ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Executive Orders ,
H-1B ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Reform ,
Imports ,
Infrastructure ,
Keystone XL Pipeline ,
Mexico ,
Mining ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Refugees ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Tax Reform ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Relations ,
Trans-Pacific Partnership ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
US-Mexico Border Wall ,
USTR ,
Visas
The results of the U.S. presidential election are historic and unanticipated, and they will have significant economic, political, legal and social implications. As we prepare for the Trump presidency, many uncertainties...more
11/17/2016
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cybersecurity ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Foreign Policy ,
Health Insurance ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Tax Reform ,
Trade Policy ,
Trump Administration
If you read one thing…
- On October 7, 2016, President Obama issued an Executive Order that effectively eliminates sanctions against Myanmar (referred to as Burma by the White House) and removes the sanctions...more
U.S. lawmakers recently submitted a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) raising concerns about increased Chinese investments in the U.S. film and entertainment industry and questioning whether the Committee...more
Congress has enacted new legislation, the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2016 (H.R. 4923), which offers a unique opportunity for U.S. companies whose imported goods require the payment of tariffs (i.e., normal...more
Wednesday, February 3, brought additional developments pertaining to the transfer of personal data from the EU to the U.S. consistent with EU privacy law. Just one day prior, we reported on the announcement by the EU and U.S....more
In the wake of the European Court of Justice’s (“CJEU”) landmark decision of Schrems v. Data Protection Authority earlier this month, the EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova announced this week that the EU has “agreed in...more
11/2/2015
/ Article 29 Working Group ,
Binding Corporate Rules ,
Data Protection Authority ,
EU Data Protection Laws ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
International Data Transfers ,
Model Contracts ,
National Security Agency (NSA) ,
Schrems I & Schrems II ,
US-EU Safe Harbor Framework
If you read one thing...
- Just this week, Europe's highest court struck down the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework, stating that it failed to adequately protect the privacy rights of EU citizens.
- The ruling,...more
A recent decision by the D.C. Circuit has prompted much speculation about possible changes to the traditionally opaque and secretive national security review process administered by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the...more