Breakthrough Insights ● Information Advantage On TAP 3 April 2017 The Administration Project powered by DELVE East And Middle East Meet The __________________________ West Wing Jeff Berkowitz Founder and CEO [email protected] What’s inside: Matt Moon Executive Vice President [email protected] The Issue in Brief .................................................................................... 2 David Selman What's On TAP for Banking and Finance? .............................................. 4 Senior Vice President [email protected] What's On TAP for Foreign Policy? ......................................................... 5 Foster Morss What’s On TAP for Defense? .................................................................. 6 Vice President, Research [email protected] What's On TAP for Economic Growth? ................................................... 7 What’s On TAP for Energy and Environment? ...................................... 10 What's On TAP for Healthcare? ............................................................ 12 What's On TAP for Education? ............................................................. 13 What's On TAP for Justice? .................................................................. 13 A comprehensive listing of Administration appointees can be viewed at the TAP webpage www.delvedc.com/administration-key-players which our team of analysts will keep updated with each week’s personnel announcements. www.delvedc.com Competitive Intelligence for Public Affairs The Administration Project (TAP) is Delve’s on-demand research service to help subscribers understand the who, what, and when of the Administration. A standard TAP subscription includes weekly updates and insights on the Administration delivered directly to your inbox every Monday with the “On TAP” research report prepared by our team of analysts. Subscribers also receive exclusive pricing on any custom vetting and background research on any and all issues regarding the Administration. Learn more @ www.delvedc.com/the-administration-project. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 1 2017 Delve, LLC SEE DISCLAIMER ON LAST PAGE 3 April 2017 _________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Issue in Brief Banking and Finance CFPB chief Richard Cordray will testify before the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, Federal Reserve Governor Daniel Tarullo’s resignation takes effect, though no successor has been named. In other news, Acting FTC Chair Maureen Ohlhausen has announced plans for an Economic Liberty Task Force to work with states to address anti-competitive occupational licenses at the state level. Foreign Policy President Trump has a full week of foreign policy meetings, beginning today with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. On Wednesday, he will meet with King Abdullah of Jordan, a meeting that is expected to set the stage for a meeting later this month with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. In addition to the perennial discussion of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, the Egyptian and Jordanian meetings are expected to focus on defeating ISIS and addressing the Syrian refugee issue. Al-Sisi in particular expects a much warmer reception from Trump than in the prior administration. On Thursday and Friday, the President will host Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago. The meeting will likely focus on North Korea’s nuclear program and disputes over trade and territory in the South China Sea. Jared Kushner’s instrumental work coordinating President Xi’s visit with Chinese Ambassador, Cui Tiankai has shined a light on his emerging role as the go-to back-channel diplomat for foreign nations seeking better communications and understanding with his father-in-law. Defense Secretary Mattis visited London and held a joint press conference with his British counterpart, where he affirmed Secretary Tillerson’s statement last month that military force is “on the table” to stop North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Mattis has also asked The White House to lift Obama Administration restrictions on providing support to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for their operations in Yemen against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Finally, Fiona Hill was named White House National Security Council Senior Director for Europe and Russia. Economic Growth President Trump announced the creation of a new White House Office of American Innovation (OAI), to be led by Jared Kushner, which will lead efforts on reorganizing the government and streamlining the bureaucracy. The effort is similar to initiatives started by most modern presidents, and OAI’s chances of success will depend largely on being able to get buy-in from career staff at departments and agencies, a difficult task to achieve from The White House. After the failure of GOP efforts to replace Obamacare, the Administration is re-focusing on tax reform and infrastructure, but the fight over how to pay for these initiatives could derail the effort. To understand what tax reform could look like, look at the consolidated tax plan Trump’s Transition team laid out between the election and Inauguration Day and the personnel he’s putting in place to drive the initiative. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 2 TAP The Administration Project 3 April 2017 _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Trade A draft version of a Trump Administration letter to Congress on how it wants to renegotiate NAFTA has been leaked. The proposal seeks more modest changes than Trump advocated on the campaign and would retain several controversial issues, “including an arbitration panel that lets investors in the three nations circumvent local courts to resolve civil claims.” Separately, President Trump signed two executive orders focused on trade. The first order calls for a report to examine if trade deficits between the U.S. and its major trading partners are caused by “cheating or other inappropriate behavior.” Once this report is complete, any determination that a nation is cheating could lead the Administration to call for protective tariffs or other measures. The second order to strengthen penalties on foreign products traded unfairly. While the Administration claims these orders are not directed at China, they are expected to be a point of discussion during President Xi’s upcoming visit. Energy and Environment President Trump signed a long awaited executive order calling for a review of the Clean Power Plan, removing the requirement that federal officials consider the “social cost of carbon”, an Obama era requirement attempting to place a dollar amount on the long-term negative impacts of carbon emissions when making federal policies, and rolling back several other Obama era energy directives. Trump has directed the EPA to replace the Obama Administration’s Waters Of The U.S. Rule by the end of 2017. In response Trump’s executive order, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke formally lifted the moratorium on coal leases on federal land. Healthcare New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will serve as the Chairman of a White House Commission to combat opioid addiction. Christie has been highly engaged on the issue of drug addiction and dedicated his final year in office to tackling the issue. FDA Commissioner nominee Scott Gottlieb will testify on Wednesday in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. In the past, Gottlieb has opposed efforts to expand clinical trials and argued for simplifying the FDA approval process. Education Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Ivanka Trump toured the National Air and Space Museum to encourage young girls to pursue careers in STEM subjects. At a separate event, DeVos called for expanding school choice programs and increasing educational options for students. Justice The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote today on advancing the nomination of Neil Gorsuch as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court to the full Senate. While the nomination will clear the committee, the threat of a filibuster is likely to lead the Senate Republican Leadership to invoke the “nuclear option” if they are not able to secure 60 votes to avoid a Democratic filibuster. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has made clear there will be a floor vote by Friday. Last week, U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson of Hawaii extended his ruling blocking President Trump’s travel and refugee executive order from temporary to indefinite, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the federal government may withhold criminal justice grants from jurisdictions that do not fully cooperate with federal immigration laws. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 3 TAP The Administration Project 3 April 2017 _________________________________________________________________________________________________ What's On TAP for Banking and Finance? Quick Takes: • CFPB chief Richard Cordray will testify before the House Financial Services Committee during a hearing entitled “The 2016 Semi-Annual Reports of the Bureau of Consumer Protection” on Wednesday. • Federal Reserve Governor Daniel Tarullo’s resignation takes effect Wednesday April 5th, though no successor has been named. FTC