As the November elections rapidly approach, Congress faces a number of key legislative deadlines, including the need to fund federal agencies and extend expiring federal programs at the conclusion of the current fiscal year...more
9/15/2020
/ Biologics ,
CARES Act ,
China ,
Drug Pricing ,
EU ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Funding ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
Lame Duck Session ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part B ,
Medicare Part D ,
OECD ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pipelines ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Presidential Elections ,
Public Health ,
Reauthorization ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Secretary of HHS ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)
The post-Memorial Day summer session has begun in Washington with the House and Senate facing a similar to-do list but with different approaches and philosophies. The main items on the summer agenda include the Phase 4...more
6/5/2020
/ Appropriation ,
CARES Act ,
Contact Tracing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
COVID-19 Consumer Data Protection Act ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) ,
Flood Insurance ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Loan Forgiveness ,
NDAA ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Public Works ,
Section 230 ,
Small Business ,
State and Local Government ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
WRDA
The 116th Congress has officially reached the halfway point as members return this month after a productive December. For the first time since Fiscal Year (FY) 2016, Congress completed all 12 appropriations bills prior to the...more
Congress returns to Washington this week after the Thanksgiving recess to find a feast of leftover legislative items still on the table. Congress has a limited number of days remaining on the 2019 legislative calendar to...more
12/5/2019
/ Appropriations Bill ,
Banking Sector ,
Broadband ,
China ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
DACA ,
Data Privacy ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
EB-5 ,
Export-Import Bank of the US ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
H-1B ,
Health Care Providers ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Reform ,
Investors ,
L-1 Visas ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Privacy Laws ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Reauthorization ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Robocalling ,
Surprise Medical Bills ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Liability ,
Tax Planning ,
Telecommunications ,
Trade Relations ,
TRIA ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
Visas
Congress returns to D.C. this week for a short three-week sprint to a series of important deadlines on September 30. Chief among them is funding the federal government for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 which begins on October 1,...more
9/13/2019
/ Appropriations Bill ,
Data Privacy ,
Drug Pricing ,
Federal Budget ,
Federal Funding ,
Foreign Policy ,
General Assembly ,
Government Agencies ,
Gun Laws ,
Income Taxes ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Natural Disasters ,
NDAA ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Privacy Laws ,
Retirement ,
Surprise Medical Bills ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Extenders ,
Tax Reform ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)
The summer season has arrived in Washington and things are heating up in the halls of Congress. A number of high priority legislative proposals ranging from health care to appropriations to patent reform to defense...more
6/12/2019
/ Appropriations Bill ,
Budget Control Act of 2011 ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Congressional Budget Office ,
Congressional Committees ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Fiscal Year ,
Impeachment ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NDAA ,
Political Parties ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. House ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
USTR
• On April 8, 2019, the U.S. government announced its intention to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, effective April 15, 2019. This unprecedented action will result...more
4/15/2019
/ Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) ,
CAATSA ,
Foreign Policy ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
National Security ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Terrorist Threats ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury
Following a truncated August recess, the House and the Senate returned to Washington after Labor Day with a full plate of legislative items to address prior to the end of the fiscal year on September 30. That list includes...more
10/4/2018
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Appeals ,
Broadband ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Clean Water Rule ,
Comment Period ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Delays ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Drug Approvals ,
Drug Pricing ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Farm Bill ,
FCC ,
Federal Funding ,
Federal Pilot Programs ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Generic Drugs ,
Health Care Providers ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Manufacturers ,
Medicare Advantage ,
Medicare Part B ,
NAFTA ,
Notice of Inquiry ,
OMB ,
Pesticides ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Political Candidates ,
Primary Elections ,
Privacy Laws ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Rebates ,
Risk Management ,
Safe Harbors ,
SNAP Program ,
State and Local Government ,
Telehealth ,
Trade Promotion Authority ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
Vacated ,
Waters of the United States
As talks between the parties rapidly approach a conclusion, the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement is expected to reach a new milestone. President Trump notified Congress of his intent to sign a new...more
9/5/2018
/ Canada ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Deadlines ,
Foreign Relations ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Mexico ,
NAFTA ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Promotion Authority ,
Trump Administration
As talks between the parties rapidly approach a conclusion, the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement is expected to reach a new milestone. President Trump pledged to notify Congress on August 31st of his...more
9/4/2018
/ Canada ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Deadlines ,
Foreign Relations ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Mexico ,
NAFTA ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Promotion Authority ,
Trump Administration
Lawmakers returned from their Independence Day recess prepared for more legislative fireworks over a slew of outstanding agenda items, including a showdown over the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace...more
7/18/2018
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Appropriations Bill ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Drug Pricing ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Exports ,
Farm Bill ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
FIRRMA ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NDAA ,
Presidential Appointments ,
Section 340B ,
Steel Industry ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
Lawmakers have returned from the Memorial Day recess and are facing a packed legislative agenda over the summer. With the announcement this week of a shortened August recess, the Senate will have more time to address...more
6/13/2018
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Appropriations Bill ,
Bipartisan Budget Act ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Farm Bill ,
FCC ,
Federal Election Commission (FEC) ,
Federal Funding ,
Final Rules ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Policy ,
Hazardous Waste ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NAFTA ,
NDAA ,
Net Neutrality ,
North Korea ,
Opioid ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Repeal ,
Spectrum ,
Tariffs ,
Telecommunications ,
Trade Policy ,
Tribal Lands ,
Trump Administration ,
Water Resources Development Act
Washington saw a flurry of bipartisan activity over the last few weeks. Most notably, Republican and Democratic negotiators reached a long-awaited deal on sequestration budget caps. The compromise, announced on February 7 as...more
6/7/2018
/ Add-ons ,
Aluminum Sales ,
Banking Sector ,
Bipartisan Budget Act ,
Capital Requirements ,
Congressional Review Act ,
CRA ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
DACA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Drones ,
Drug Pricing ,
FCC ,
Federal Budget ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Gun Laws ,
Imports ,
Infrastructure ,
Internet ,
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part D ,
National Security ,
Open Internet Rules ,
Opioid ,
Petition for Rulemaking ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Popular ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Section 201 ,
Section 232 ,
Section 340B ,
Solar Panels ,
Steel Industry ,
Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Extenders ,
Tax Relief ,
Technology Sector ,
Trade Act of 1974 ,
Trade Expansion Act of 1962 ,
Trade Remedies ,
Trump Administration ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
The current news coverage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations has touched heavily on the tight deadlines set around reaching an agreement. There is, however, a lot of unnecessary confusion—even...more
Congress returned from its spring recess with a host of issues to address—trade, Trump administration nominations and opioid legislation sitting atop the priority list. Given the ongoing data scandal at Facebook, privacy...more
4/12/2018
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Appropriations Bill ,
Bipartisan Budget Act ,
Broadband ,
Department of Agriculture ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Exports ,
Farm Bill ,
FCC ,
Foreign Agents ,
Fuel Standards ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Health Care Providers ,
HELP ,
Infrastructure ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Lobbying Disclosure Act ,
NAFTA ,
NHTSA ,
Omnibus Guidance ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Policy ,
Registration Requirement ,
Rural Areas ,
Secretary of HHS ,
Section 232 ,
Section 301 ,
Section 340B ,
Senate Finance Committee ,
Telecommunications ,
Trade Expansion Act of 1962 ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Promotion Authority ,
Trump Administration
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