Insights

By last Friday it seemed like federal lawmakers would have no trouble meeting the January 30 deadline to approve the remaining fiscal year (FY) 2026 spending bills on their docket and avoid another (partial) government shutdown. (Legislators need to pass...

It may be hard to believe it, but the longest shutdown in the history of the federal government ended only less than two months ago. And while we’re nearly a quarter of the way through fiscal year 2026 (the fiscal year in Washington, D.C. begins October 1 of each...

It’s been an eventful start to 2026. While lawmakers and the international community are reacting to the Trump administration’s decision to unilaterally remove Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, we’ll focus on another impending major policy decision: the leadership...

The first session of the 119th Congress is nearly over. What are Republican leaders like Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-La.) and top Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wishing for as they celebrate the holiday...

All aboard! It’s mid-December in Washington, D.C. and the last policymaking train of the year is about to leave Capitol Hill. Over the weekend, lawmakers unveiled the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual defense bill that, for many decades, has been...

The March terminations left the FTC with just three commissioners. Then, more recently, Biden-appointed Republican commissioner Melissa Holyoak stepped down from her post. The commission now has just two of its five top positions filled. The FTC is, of course, not the...

As policymakers in Washington wound down their legislative work last week and prepared for Thanksgiving celebrations back in their home states and districts, breaking news rattled the nation’s capital: U.S. Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) announced suddenly that...

The Board of Tea Appeals. The Reconstruction Finance Corporation. The Office of Technology Assessment. And the Federal Theatre Project. These were all once federal agencies — until they were abolished by an act of Congress. Is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau...

This evening, members of the U.S. House of Representatives are expected to vote on a continuing resolution (CR) that would reopen the federal government after its longest shutdown ever. The Senate approved the measure Monday, so if a majority of lower chamber...

Election Day 2025 is now in the books. Voters went to the polls in several states around the country yesterday, including in California, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. As we reported two weeks ago in this column, off-year elections like this...

For the 13th time yesterday, members of the U.S. Senate voted down an attempt to move forward on a short-term fiscal year 2026 spending bill. The vote was 54-45. (The Senate requires 60 favorable votes to move forward to a final majority vote on the measure.) As a...

Election Day is just 13 days away. You read that correctly: voters will go to the polls in less than two weeks. In some states, at least. While the 2026 midterm congressional elections are still more than a year away, major races or ballot initiatives are happening...

Yesterday — for the eighth time since late September — the U.S. Senate failed to invoke cloture on a short-term continuing resolution (CR). As such, today marks the 15th day of the federal government shutdown, and there’s no apparent end in sight. Before the shutdown,...

The federal government may be shut down, but the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) gaveled in its 2025-26 session this week. The nine justices began hearing oral arguments on Monday. Per the SCOTUS calendar, they will continue to hear oral arguments during...

The U.S. government is shut down. After an unproductive meeting between President Donald Trump and a bipartisan group of congressional leaders earlier this week, and after the U.S. Senate failed once again yesterday to approve a House-passed continuing resolution...

It is looking more and more like the U.S. government is heading toward a shutdown. After agreeing to meet with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to discuss a plan to keep the federal government operating...

Over the 44 years between 1980 and 2024, there were 9,253 initial public offerings (IPOs) — an average of approximately 210 per year. But something’s happened in recent years and companies simply aren’t going public at nearly the same volume as they once did....

The Senate Banking Committee is expected to vote this morning on President Donald Trump’s nomination of Stephen Miran to be a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. The vote is important — if Miran is confirmed, President Trump will have one more...

Federal lawmakers are back from their long August recess, but President Donald Trump and top White House officials may not have their focus concentrated on Capitol Hill at this particular moment. In fact, they are more likely to be looking toward the judiciary. The...

If there is ever a quiet week in Washington, D.C., it’s the week before Labor Day. Federal lawmakers have been back in their states and districts for the last month. Their staff have fled to the beach or elsewhere, trying to get a few moments of peace before the...

The August congressional recess is more than half over, and one issue has consumed both federal and state lawmakers. It’s not tariffs or trade, nor implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s (OBBBA) spending and tax cuts, however. The issue is redrawing U.S....

After a significant push by President Donald Trump and the White House to keep the U.S. Senate in session during August to consider and vote on his executive branch and judicial nominees, the upper chamber of Congress finally has recessed. Kind of. One senator...

The redistricting skirmish that we discussed in last week’s blog post has, this week, turned into a full-scale battle between Republicans and Democrats. In states around the country, both parties are jockeying to redraw the lines of U.S. congressional districts in...

The 2026 midterm congressional elections may be a little over 15 months away, but federal lawmakers and their campaign committees already are deep into planning for Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. New polling numbers seem to be coming out every day, incumbent lawmakers are...

It’s July in Washington, D.C. That means the heat is sweltering, the humidity is high, and federal lawmakers’ (and their staffs’) desire to get out of town for the annual August recess – a sacred tradition on Capitol Hill – is growing by the minute. Some lawmakers are...

The Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will meet again at the end of this month. At that time, its members will determine whether to reduce the federal funds interest rate or to keep it where it is. FOMC members, especially Chair Jerome Powell,...

While much of the world and Washington, D.C. were focused on the debate over the major tax and spending bill that President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) quietly completed its eight-month term at the end of...

While members of the U.S. House of Representatives were back in their home districts over the weekend getting ready for Independence Day parades, U.S. senators remained in Washington, D.C. On Saturday, the chamber voted 51-49 to invoke cloture on the One Big,...

The One Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) — the budget reconciliation legislation that includes President Donald Trump’s tax, spending, energy, and immigration priorities — is nearly ready for consideration by the U.S. Senate. (Readers will recall that the U.S. House of...

While President Donald Trump traveled to Canada this week for a meeting with top international leaders — and abruptly left when the conflict between Israel and Iran escalated — lawmakers on Capitol Hill have continued to work on the centerpiece of the president’s...

July Fourth is 23 days away. While many Americans may not yet have planned their Independence Day celebrations, White House officials and Republican leaders in the U.S. House and Senate have for months had this date etched in their minds. That’s because GOP lawmakers...

In the papers and on cable news, most eyes are on Washington’s tax and spending fights — President Donald Trump’s release of his “skinny” fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget and Senate consideration of the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA, or the FY 2026 budget...

For most of the United States’ history, politicians, political philosophers, and voters themselves have argued for, and against, the notion of states’ rights – the constitutional argument that, despite the existence of a national government, state governments should...

The U.S. House of Representatives could vote as soon as later today on Republicans’ “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA). Yes, that name really is what has been given to the legislation. As we explained in our column last week, the OBBBA includes massive spending...

This past March, in advance of the April 15 deadline to file state and federal income taxes, Gallup asked voters how they feel about the U.S. tax code as it is currently written. The polling organization found a majority of voters, 59 percent, think the amount they...

While President Donald Trump is focused on tariffs on toys and on the foreign film industry, and on negotiating trade deals with dozens of countries, Republicans on Capitol Hill have turned their attention to another important “t” word: taxes. Well, taxes, federal...

President Donald Trump marked the 100th day of his second term in office yesterday. He celebrated the milestone with a rally in Warren, Mich., a swing state that will be pivotal in the midterm elections next year. (Readers may recall that, last November, President...

President Donald Trump has been a frequent critic of the Federal Reserve's monetary policy. As a candidate in 2016, he suggested that then-Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen was keeping interest rates low to boost his opponent, Hillary Clinton's, odds of being...

About two weeks before election day last year, the Pew Research Center released a poll that found nearly two-thirds of Americans, 63 percent, were not confident in the reliability or security of cryptocurrency. More than one-third, 38 percent, who had invested in...

As of the close of trading yesterday, Tuesday, April 8, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 6,322 points, or 15 percent, since January 17, 2025, the last trading day before President Donald Trump took office. The S&P 500 was off 1,078 points, or 18 percent....

Yesterday was April Fools’ Day. It also was Election Day — at least in Florida and Wisconsin. For both Democrats and Republicans, the tea leaves that revealed themselves in Tuesday’s contests were no joking matter. In fact, they could serve as early indicators of...

Two months ago, in a sub-headline published eight days after Inauguration Day, The New York Times declared, “A deliberate effort by the president and his team to roll out an unceasing flow of initiatives has knocked his rivals off balance in the first days of the new...

It’s spring break in Washington, D.C. At least for Congress. After approving the fiscal year 2025 continuing resolution that will keep the federal government’s doors open until September 30, lawmakers are back in their states and districts this week. There’s little...

Late yesterday afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a continuing resolution (CR) that will keep the federal government funded through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2025. The virtually-party line vote was 217 to 213. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was the...

“The people elected me to do a job and I’m doing it.” That was President Donald Trump last night in his address to members of the U.S. House and Senate. Clocking in at more than 90 minutes, the speech, which was not formally deemed a State of the Union address since...

It may feel as though there’s a new executive order from the White House to decipher and parse every day. In reality, though, that’s simply not true. The Trump administration, in fact, is actually issuing about two executive orders every day. (Note: executive orders...

The Department of Government Efficiency has moved quickly to expand its reach to new federal agencies.

The CFPB is, for all intents and purposes, shut down. This week we breakdown how we got to this point, what is happening at the CFPB now, and what may happen next.

After articulating his “America First Trade Policy” in an executive memorandum on his first day in office, this past Saturday President Donald Trump made good on his promise to impose new tariffs on some of America’s largest trading partners.

Ten days into the second Trump administration, CFPB Director Rohit Chopra is still on the job.

The United States is now about 48 hours into President Donald J. Trump’s second term in office. The initial rush of executive orders — heavily focused on immigration, energy exploration, and changing the nature and responsibilities of the federal workforce —...

Amidst the pomp and circumstance, January 20th is going to be a busy one for the Trump White House.

As Senate committees prepare to launch confirmation hearings, President-elect Trump hasn’t yet named his picks to lead financial regulatory agencies.

The 119th Congress begins tomorrow. Will GOP Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) win reelection?

Rep. French Hill was elected by the House GOP Steering Committee to lead the House Financial Services Committee next Congress.

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have been tasked with slashing government spending. Will they be successful?

The GOP plans to use budget reconciliation next year to enact several of President-elect Trump’s campaign pledges.

President-elect Trump has pledged to reverse scores of Biden-era regulations. How will he do so?

President-elect Trump has begun to announce his cabinet picks. Will they be confirmed by the Senate?

One week since winning re-election to the White House, President-elect Trump is forming his government.

The 2024 elections are over. What happens next?

With less than a week to go, the 2024 elections are looking incredibly close.

Preparing for the count, the recounts, and the litigation that could decide the winners of the 2024 elections.

Will Congress finally act on data privacy late this year?

The 2024 elections are less than a month away. What does the polling tell us might happen on Election Day?

There’s only about a month until Election Day and most voters have made up their minds. Could an October Surprise alter the 2024 election?

The Fed cut the federal funds rate by 50 basis points last week. How quickly will additional rates cuts come?

The Federal Reserve will cut interest rates for the first time in four years later today. Will voters care?

The crypto industry is pouring millions of dollars into the 2024 elections in an effort to bolster crypto-friendly candidates.

Fresh back to D.C. from their August recess – and eager to return to the campaign trail – Congress has work to do in September.

A look at what the polls indicate Election 2024 could mean for control of the U.S. House and Senate.

With five months remaining in his term, what would President Biden like to accomplish? And what does history tell us he could?

With the 2024 presidential election less than three months away, both candidates’ economic plans are still works in progress.

Vice President Kalama Harris yesterday named Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. Who is he – and what do voters think of him?

President Biden this week endorsed significant changes for the Supreme Court. Supporters should temper expectations.

Vice President Harris has sewn up the Democratic nomination and moved quickly to take over the Biden campaign. But can she win in November?

Who is Sen. J.D. Vance, and what impact, if any, do VP picks have in presidential elections?

What financial services policies might Congress and the regulators consider throughout the remainder of the year?

What happens is President Biden abandons his reelection bid?

A look at the ballot initiatives voters will consider this November.

The CFPB’s medical debt rule is raising both substantive and political questions from industry and policymakers.

With the veepstakes in full swing, we take a look at former President Trump’s options.

Overturning a 40-year old legal precedent could have significant consequences for federal regulators.

Americans are both excited and concerned by AI’s potential impact on their lives. Washington has taken notice.

The presidential debates will look different this year.

The Chairman of the FDIC is fighting on Capitol Hill to keep his job this week.

Several unrelated pieces of legislation could hitch a ride on an FAA reauthorization bill being considered by Congress this week.

With just six months before the 2024 elections, we take a look at the polls.

A controversial SEC rule, myriad state laws, and a fraught political environment make it difficult for companies to navigate the ESG space.

The November elections could have a big impact on your tax return next year.

The GOP and Democratic chairs of the Commerce committees in the House and Senate unveiled a data privacy bill. Could it become law?

With government funding dispensed with (for now), what will Congress focus on before the November elections?

House Republicans may once again seek a change in their leadership.

What impact would a partial government shutdown have on financial services regulation and supervision?

Fast-moving legislation in Congress that could ban TikTok in the U.S. is attracting lots of attention from America’s youth.

A quick guide to the State of the Union and a preview of what President Biden will say tomorrow night.

Amidst a legislative logjam in Washington, state policymakers are forging ahead on AI regulations, legislation, and executive orders.

Capital One’s proposed acquisition of Discover could test the Biden administration’s competition posture.

Recent economic data will make spending fights on Capitol Hill even more difficult.