THIS WEEK in WASHINGTON Week of May 22, 2017
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Like 0 Share Tweet Share this Page: THIS WEEK IN WASHINGTON Week of May 22, 2017 This Week in Washington ICYMI: Arizona Thanks for your continued interest in Washington, D.C. Issues in the News happenings and for reading This Week in Washington. Arizona receives additional funds to help conserve water It was by every measure a whirlwind week. Steve Gordon talks about the Elephant in the Room – the problems that are Legislation to provide relief being caused and the opportunities that could be created for for kids struggling with the legislative agenda in Heard on the Hill. Jim Miller dyslexia discusses both the opportunities and challenges for tax reform. Larry Smith covers the Robert Lighthizer’s first week ExArizona Social Services as US Trade Representative, which was also a very busy week Head Joins Trump for trade and NAFTA. Jake Ostenso – new to Total Spectrum – Administration covered the Ways and Means Committee’s first hearing on tax reform, and his report is also in this edition. Dana Marston Ducey signs tax break, provides some insight into Senate work on their version of a university funding bills as health care bill and division over Medicaid cuts, the Department of Interior’s review of national monuments, and final work wraps on signs of economic growth at the state level. legislation While the calendar gives some detail on this week’s hearings Moderate and markups, the Senate and House will recess on Thursday, May 25th for the Memorial Day Holiday. The Senate will Republican, return on June 5th and the House will return on June 6th. Democratic Senators Work on We’ll cover everything significant that happens this week in Health Care ‘Plan B’ an abbreviated edition next Tuesday, and then we’ll be back with a full This Week in Washington on June 6th. Click the image below for an update on the healtch care 'Plan Thanks for your comments and suggestions. Have a safe and B' that moderate senators are meaningful Memorial Day, and thanks again for reading This working on. Week. Heard on the Hill Like 0 Share Tweet Share this Page: By Steve Gordon, Managing Director, Total Spectrum Donald J. Trump ran an unconventional campaign, so it follows that we should expect a unconventional Presidency – and President Donald Trump has not disappointed. Republican Senators and Congressmen have been separating the President’s legislative policy agenda (the News – his GOP Senators agenda that they generally like) from the distractions (the Divided Over Noise—that they generally don’t like), and it’s mostly worked …most of the time … for most of them. Medicaid Cuts Click the image below to see Last Week’s Heard on the Hill referred to an influential the different factors GOP Republican Senator who said in an offtherecord setting that Senators are examing to he was generally pleased with the President’s agenda but it determine the fate of the was being negatively impacted by distractions. Majority Medicaid program. Leader McConnell later repeated his words in an onthe record interview – and called for less Presidential “theatrics”. Read more. Trade and NAFTA Update By Larry Smith, President Legislative Strategies Inc and Strategic Consultant to Total Spectrum Fourth Quarter US Trade Representative Lighthizer Sends Notification GDP Growth in Letter to the Congress Every State As required by Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of Click the image below for a 2015, Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. Trade Representative, complete update on the GDP officially notified the Congress that the Trump Administration growth in every state in the intended to initiate negotiations with Mexico and Canada in fourth quarter. an effort “modernize” the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). There is now a 90day waiting period before the talks can actually begin, so the earliest those trilateral talks can start is August 16, 2017. The Constitution clearly gives Congress jurisdiction over trade agreements, but Congress has delegated the responsibility of negotiating trade agreements to the Executive Branch. The Trade Priorities and Accountability Act maps out the responsibilities given to the U.S. Trade Representative while reserving the right of the Congress to approve or disapprove any treaty proposal. Builders' The notification letter to the Congress offered few details on trade issues other than to say the Administration was going to Confidence of initiate talks with Mexico and Canada and would consult with Housing market the Congress throughout the process. You can find a copy of the notification letter here. Read more. Highest Since '05 Click the image below for a look Tax Reform at the housing market index since 2005. By Jim Miller, Partner, Total Spectrum When the President's Budget is released early this week, it probably will not flesh out the President’s onepage set of tax reform goals. There probably will not be a Treasury Green Book that describes them. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin's testimony next week before the Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee is unlikely to provide much further direction. It does appear that the Administration will call for revenue neutral tax reform which will put pressure on eliminating tax expenditures. It is difficult to see how many expenditures Interior Secretary would survive a 15 percent top corporate tax rate if the goal is Zinke Reviewing revenue neutrality. However, the Administration's concept of Like 0 Share Tweet Share th2is2 P Nagaet:ional revenue neutrality will depend on its own economic analysis as done by Treasury's Office of Tax Analysis (OTA) and it may Monuments be pinning its hopes that the OTA will show the Trump tax cuts will largely pay for themselves. Click the image below to view the 22 landbased monuments being reviewed. But OTA's projections will not govern what happens on the Hill in tax reform. That role falls to the Joint Committee on Taxation, which is not likely to be generous in its analysis of the budget impact of the Trump proposals. Read more. Ways and Means Committee Hearing on Tax Reform By Jake Ostenso The House Ways and Means Committee held its first hearing in the current push for tax reform on tax reform on May 18. The hearing lasted a little over three hours and focused on ways in which tax reform could help grow the American Let's Rebuild economy and what reform might look like. America's Transportation The panel of witnesses included John Stephens (CFO of AT&T), Zachary Mottl (Chief Alignment Officer for Atlas Tool Infrastructure Works, Inc.), David Farr (CEO of Emerson Electric Co.), Douglas Peterson (CEO of S&P Global), and Steven Rattner Click on the image below to see (Chairman of Willett Advisors LLC). what voters have to say about transportaion infrastructure. Everyone agreed that they want tax reform. The disagreement came when discussing what that tax reform might look like. Despite repeated warnings about the cost of delay from both Republican and Democratic committee members, as well as those testifying, most concerns and suggested reforms fell along party lines. Democrats repeatedly talked about tax reform that would focus on middle class Americans. Ranking Member Richard On the Calendar This Week Neal (DMA) said Congress should focus on “middle class tax (All Times ET) reform.” Tuesday 9:30 a.m. Republicans stressed that one way to help middle class Senate Armed Services hearing on Americans would be to free up money for corporations to worldwide threats. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats invest in the economy through tax cuts, which in turn would and Defense Intelligence Agency create more jobs. Committee Chairman Kevin Brady said that Director Vincent Steward will it was “time to go bold” with tax reform by allowing for full testify. and immediate expensing of purchases in addition to corporate tax cuts. 10 a.m. House Ways and Means hearing on border adjustability. All of the witnesses agreed that any tax reform should try to be deficit neutral, but stressed that there needs to be focus on 10 a.m. reasonable tradeoffs. House Select Intelligence open hearing on the committee's Russia investigation. All of the members of the Committee as well as the participants called for more dialogue and stressed the need to 2:15 p.m. hear all sides of this issue. Senate Foreign Relations markup. The agenda hasn't been finalized yet. 2:30 p.m. Senate Environment and Public Works subcommittee hearing on two bills. 3 p.m. House Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee oversight hearing on the IRS. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration Russell George and Like 0 Tweet Share Share tIhRiSs' O Plsaong ew:ill testify. 3:30 p.m. House Armed Services subcommittee hearing on U.S. Cyber Command's fiscal 2018 budget request. U.S. Cyber Command chief Adm. Michael Rogers will testify. Wednesday 9:30 a.m. House Budget hearing on Trump's fiscal 2018 budget proposal. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney will testify. 9:30 a.m. House Oversight and Government Reform bearing on the FBI's independence. 10 a.m. House Appropriations Agriculture‐ FDA Subcommittee hearing on the fiscal 2018 budget request for the USDA Office of the Secretary. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue will testify. 10 a.m. Senate Judiciary confirmation hearing on a group of nominees: Vishal Amin to be intellectual property enforcement coordinator for the Executive Office of the President, Stephen Boyd to be an assistant attorney general and Lee Cissna to be U.S. citizenship and immigrations services director for the Homeland Security Department. 10:30 a.m. House Veterans'Affairs hearing on the fiscal 2018 budget request for the Veterans Affairs Department.