Men may die, but the fabrics of free institutions remains unshaken.
-Chester A. Arthur
TRIPPING OVER TAXES: Republicans in the House are divided on two tax issues as part of replacing the ACA. The members of the conservative Republican Study Committee and Freedom Caucus don’t want a tax credit to assist people with the cost of insurance as they believe it’s too costly and leaves potential for abuse. The other tax proposal would set a limit on the non-tax treatment of employer-sponsored health insurance as a way to pay for the tax credit. This worries many Republicans as it resembles the highly unpopular Obamacare Cadillac tax and was part of the plan that Republican’s railed against eight years ago.
BUDGET BALANCING ACT: The federal budget process started a cleanse yesterday as President Trump assembled his budget advisors and called the finances in the U.S. a “mess” vowing to improve them and “do more with less.” The budget team consisting of Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, OMB Director Mick Mulvaney, as well as top aides Jared Kushner, Stephen Miller, Steve Bannon, and Reince Priebus has their work cut out for them as the president ambitiously plans to release his proposal by mid-March.
REX THE REPAIRMAN: Following a rocky start, the United States and China are cozying back up to each other thanks in part to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Both countries have affirmed the importance of a bilateral relationship, and both sides agreed on the need to address the North Korean threat. The progress made between Tillerson and China is a long jump away from early talk of backing away from the One China Policy.
NOT SO SLOW: The pace at which Republican’s on the Hill are working to enact an agenda has caused a lot of angst amongst Trump supporters. While progress on some of the major Republican policies like health care and tax reform has not moved as fast on the Hill as some supporters would like, President Trump is singing bills on the same pace as Presidents Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter.
AT&T/TIME WARNER: SOME TURBULENCE BUT SHOULD LAND SAFELY (T, TWX, DISH, NFLX, AMZN): Our Senior Telecom & Media Policy Analyst writes that deal opponents are looking for leverage but we continue to think FCC review is avoided and DOJ ultimately gives the OK. You can read the full analysis here.
CALL INVITE: HOTSPOT KOREA: A FORMER COMMANDER’S VIEW: Join us on Monday, 27 Feb at 11AM EST to hear the four star former commander of U.S. and UN forces in Korea explain the chance of war there. You can find the dial in details here.
CALL INVITE: WILL CONGRESS PASS TRUMP'S AGENDA: AN ASSESSMENT FROM SPEAKER RYAN'S FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF: Join us for a call on March 1 with David Hoppe, Speaker Ryan's former CoS, the morning after President Trump's Address to a Joint Session of Congress. You can find the dial in details here.
