People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives.
-Theodore Roosevelt
POISED FOR PRIVACY WIN:The House voted to repeal the privacy rules adopted by the FCC late last year via the CRA sending the measure to President Trump. This repeal is viewed as a victory for cable operators and telecom carriers who have been lobbying aggressively for the rule to be overturned. While the rules were not going to go into effect until later this year, their mandates were a clear obstacle to the achievement of ISP digital advertising goals. Under the rules, ISPs would need affirmative consent (opt-in) from subscribers before data involving web browsing history or app usage could be monetized through third-party ads. Customer data and the ability to monetize it represents a major growth area that can offset saturation of traditional subscription services. Our Senior Telecom and Media Analyst Paul Glenchur has a full analysis which you can read here.
“HE SAYS HE’S NOT DEAD”: Republicans emerged from their Tuesday conference meeting trumpeting the message that ACA repeal and replace isn’t dead. Speaker Ryan indicated that they are going to get healthcare right while continuing to push forward with their agenda. Many House Republicans called for the repeal and replace efforts to be revived since many feel they different factions weren’t too far away from an agreement. Even President Trump and his lieutenants have weighed in with key players on the Hill voicing their willingness to re-engage and resuscitate. Somebody better bring Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady back into the fold - it looks like he and other key chairmen are keeping their eyes on the tax reform prize...
WHO’S HOLDING THE CHECKBOOK?: The latest intrigue to watch in Washington centers around who is going to lead the tax reform push for the Trump Administration. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has signaled that he will be the lead man in any negotiations. However, others feel that National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn has become a powerful force in economic policy and he could take a leadership role when it comes to pushing the legislation. Overhauling the tax code is the toughest and most thankless job in Washington with the code last being reformed over 30 years ago. Any division within the White House needs to be resolved otherwise a tough task will only be tougher. How about two heads are better than one?
THIS WASN’T PLANNED: With the continuing resolution expiring in a month, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan will try and do whatever it takes to ensure the government doesn’t shut down. Ryan broke Republican orthodoxy and is considering taking Planned Parenthood off the table when it comes to the continuing resolution. This will help keep Democrats’ ears open if Ryan and Senate Majority Leader McConnell need help as April 28th approaches. Ryan did call for Planned Parenthood to be defunded via reconciliation which would be a more permanent fix and should keep Republicans quiet on the matter.
HITTING A WALL: Trump’s border wall dream is running into a wall of its own as Republicans in the House and Senate are moving closer to a bill that will fund the government for the rest of 2017. Senator Roy Blunt, who sits on the Appropriations Committee believes that a supplemental spending bill to pay for military activities and the wall will only make talks more difficult. Democrats have already shown they will reject any deal that includes any money for the border wall - and it’s likely that Republicans won’t include the poison pill as they will need to cross the aisle to reach a deal.
THE OTHER BLACKLIST: In keeping up with his push to keep the ball rolling on regulatory reform, President Trump repealed the “blacklisting rule.” The rule required federal contractors to disclose labor violations. The rule was intended to prevent the government from contracting business responsible for wage theft or workplace safety violations. This is a win for businesses who were against the rule, but labor unions - with membership including many Trump voters - have spoken out against the repeal.
Programming note: We will not be publishing tomorrow - back online on Friday.
