I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer.
-Ulysses S. Grant
SLIPPING THROUGH THEIR FINGERS: While House conservatives and the White House are still struggling to reach some sort of agreement to bring back an Obamacare replacement bill, the recess clock is ticking. Republicans promised voters over the years that they would allow a bill to sit for three days so the public could review it. The issue Republicans are now faced with is the two week Easter recess beginning at the close of business Thursday, and would have to delay heading home a day just to get a vote in before May if legislation gets written today. When the recess ends on April 25, there are just three days before the government shuts down which will be their sole focus upon returning to Washington. Talks continued late into the night, but a deal bridging the gulf between moderates and the Freedom Caucus still appears to be elusive.
ACROSS THE AISLE: Trump has followed through on his promise to reach across the aisle and work with Democrats following the failure to pass healthcare reform. One of Trump’s top legislative lieutenants, Marc Short, met with conservative and moderate Democrats to discuss tax reform and infrastructure and assured them that the must-pass spending bill, that will need to be passed later this month, will not have provisions that Democrats loathe. This effort could serve as a backstop for the Trump Administration’s agenda in the House especially if the Freedom Caucus continues to be an impediment.
DELAYING DODD-FRANK: Republican’s came into the new Congress with an aggressive agenda, but it is now causing a logjam. Wall Street reform was oft-mentioned by Trump during the campaign, but with Congress struggling with health care and trying to move forward with tax reform and infrastructure, Dodd-Frank keeps getting pushed back. Now reform of the seven year-old law likely won’t see the light of day until the summer, but the House remains confident that they will have no issue getting it done. The Senate on the other hand…
STEPPING INTO THE BATTER’S BOX: The timeline for Trump’s infrastructure proposal has moved up quickly. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao indicated that it could be revealed as soon as next month. The package is expected to include a wide array of transportation projects and could even target broadband access and veterans hospitals. To help pave the way for these projects President Trump has put a heavy emphasis on streamlining regulatory hurdles with the goal of shortening the permitting process - and less on ways to pay for it.
TO BLOCK OR NOT TO BLOCK?: Boeing agreed to its second major deal with an Iranian airline. This time it is a $3 billion deal with Iran Aseman Airlines. This deal will put President Trump in a difficult position straddling his campaign promise of helping manufacturing workers and being tough on Iran. If the Trump Administration tries to block the deal, then Iran will shift its order to Airbus sending potential jobs overseas. If they let the deal go through, though, Trump’s tough talk on Iran during the campaign may be but a distant memory along with Mexico paying for the wall.
.
