DRIVING THE WEEK:
- Both the House and Senate are in session this week.
- The Trump Administration is finalizing a plan to combat the opioid crisis that calls for law enforcement measures like the death penalty for some drug dealers, a move that Congressional Republicans and public health advocates warn will detract from efforts to stem the epidemic. The plan is expected to be announced today when President Trump and the First Lady are set to visit New Hampshire, a state hard hit by the epidemic.
- The House and Senate expect to vote this week on the "Omnibus" — the more than $1 trillion spending bill that will fund the government until the end of the 2018 fiscal year. They need to pass the bill before the end of the week to avoid a government shutdown. White House officials have told key Republican leaders that Trump is open to striking a deal that would protect young immigrants from deportation in exchange for border wall funding as part of an upcoming spending bill.
- The current plan is to have a House Republican Conference meeting today at 5:45 pm to unveil the Omnibus bill. After the meeting, there will be an update on the ongoing whip check to determine how many Republicans will vote for the package. The reaction of Republican House members to the proposed Omnibus will determine whether the bill will be posted before midnight tonight. If the plan is rejected by a large number of House Republicans, changes will need to be made to secure the votes needed. That could delay the posting of the Omnibus until Tuesday and the shutdown narrative will take over, but we don’t envision that taking place. The only wildcard in the equation is Trump. The major spending fights are down to the Gateway project and spending for the wall. There are several fights taking place with regard to policy riders. Our note Friday in more detail here.
- Trump has reportedly instructed Administration officials to be ready for a formal announcement about steep tariffs and investment restrictions on China in response to intellectual property theft in the coming weeks.
- Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the Treasury Department is planning to impose additional sanctions "to hold Russian government officials and oligarchs accountable for their destabilizing activities by severing their access to the U.S. financial system.
- On Tuesday Trump will welcome the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the White House.
- The House plans to try again this week to pass so-called "right to try" legislation.
- Illinois will hold primary elections on Tuesday, including nominating contests for the competitive gubernatorial race and U.S. House.
KIM, TRUMP AND A PEACE PRIZE: Read General Dan Christman's latest piece on machinations surrounding North Korea here.
CALL INVITE | GUEST SPEAKER CALL ON MLPs AND INCOME TAX: Latham Energy Lawyer Explains FERC Decision with our energy team - today, March 19 at 1pm. Find the call details here.
AT&T/TIME WARNER | KEY AREAS OF FOCUS (T,TWX): The DOJ challenge goes to trial this week. AT&T is still the favorite, but investors should focus on the government's core strategies. Read Paul Glenchur's latest here.
CALL INVITE | UHS, ACHC AND AAC AND THE FEDERAL/STATE RESPONSE TO OPIOID CRISIS: Emily Evans will discuss the rapidly changing Federal and State payment policies and what they mean to AAC, ACHC, UHS. President Trump and most State Governors have made addiction prevention and treatment a high priority in 2018. To be successful, they will need to overcome coverage and payment policies and stymie a steady flow prescription drugs from providers to patients. We will look at all the major new policy trends and the relative position of UHS, AAC and ACHC in the emerging landscape. Join Emily today at 10AM ET. Contact for access.
CALL REPLAY: ROLLING BACK DODD-FRANK: Last week, the Senate passed the bipartisan ECONOMIC GROWTH, REGULATORY RELIEF, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT (S. 2155) sponsored by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo by a vote of 67-31. The path to the measure becoming law is uncertain as negotiations with House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling have hit an impasse. We discussed the Senate deregulation bill, convergence with Hensarling's efforts and next steps. CLICK HERE to listen to a replay of the call.
Monday, March 19, 2018
HOUSE:
Committee on Rules | Hearing: H.R. 4566Alleviating Stress Test Burdens to Help Investors Act Rules Committee Print 115-65Showing the text of H.R. 4566 as ordered reported by the Committee on Financial Services; H.R. 5247Trickett Wendler Frank Mongiello Jordan McLinn and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act of 2018
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
HOUSE:
Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies | Hearing: FY19 Budget Hearing - Department of Commerce
Committee on Appropriations | Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Hearing: FY19 Budget - Department of Housing and Urban Development
Committee on the Judiciary | Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Hearing: Preventable Violence in America: An Examination of Law Enforcement Information Sharing and Misguided Public Policy
Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations | Hearing: FY19 Budget - Department of Education | Hearing: The Drug Enforcement Administrations Role in Combating the Opioid Epidemic
Committee on Appropriations | Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies | Hearing: FY19 Budget - National Nuclear Security Administration
Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Energy | Hearing: Fiscal Year 2019 Nuclear Regulatory Commission Budget
Committee on Natural Resources | Hearing: Oversight Hearing, “Policy Priorities for the Administration’s FY 2019 Budget for Indian Affairs and Insular Areas"
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure | Washington, DC | Hearing: Impacts of the 2017 Wildfires in the United States
Committee on Armed Services | Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces | Hearing: Submarine Industrial Base: Options for Construction
Committee on Financial Services | Terrorism and Illicit Finance | Hearing: Hearing entitled “Exploring the Financial Nexus of Terrorism, Drug Trafficking, and Organized Crime”
Committee on Homeland Security | Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection | Hearing: CDM: Government Perspectives on Security and Modernization.
Committee on the Judiciary | Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet | Hearing: Assessing the Effectiveness of the Transitional Program for Covered Business Method Patents
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform | Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection | Hearing: CDM: Government Perspectives on Security and Modernization.
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform | Subcommittee on Information Technology | Hearing: CDM: Government Perspectives on Security and Modernization
Committee on Small Business | Hearing: Workforce Development: Advancing Apprenticeships for Small Business
SENATE:
Armed Services | Hearings to examine United States Strategic Command in review of the Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2019 and the Future Years Defense Program.
Energy and Natural Resources | An oversight hearing to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2019 for the Department of Energy.
Environment and Public Works: Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety | Hearings to examine the nomination of John L. Ryder, of Tennessee, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Armed Services: Subcommittee on SeaPower | Hearings to examine Marine Corps ground modernization in review of the Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2019 and the Future Years Defense Program.
Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance, and Data Security | Hearings to examine an update on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and automaker efforts to repair defective Takata air bag inflators.
Intelligence| To receive a closed briefing regarding certain intelligence matters.
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
House:
Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Health | Hearing: Combating the Opioid Crisis: Prevention and Public Health Solutions
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform | Subcommittee on Government Operations | Hearing: Improper Payments in State-Administered Programs: Medicaid
Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies | Hearing: FY19 Budget - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Committee on Small Business | Hearing: American Infrastructure and the Small Business Perspective
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology | Subcommittee on Research and Technology | Hearing: Empowering U.S. Veterans Through Technology
Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies | Hearing: FY19 Budget - Department of Agriculture
Committee on Armed Services | Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces | Hearing: Ground Force Modernization Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2019
Committee on Foreign Affairs | Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific | Hearing: U.S. Responses to China's Foreign Influence Operations
Committee on Foreign Affairs | Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa | Hearing: Implications of a U.S.-Saudi Arabia Nuclear Cooperation Agreement for the Middle East
Committee on Natural Resources | Hearing: Oversight Hearing, “Examining the Proposed Fiscal Year 2019 Spending, Priorities and Missions of the Bureau of Reclamation and the Four Power Marketing Administrations"
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform | Subcommittee on National Security | Hearing: Bureaucratic Challenges to Hurricane Recovery in Puerto Rico
SENATE:
Environment and Public Works | An oversight hearing to examine the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Intelligence | Hearings to examine election security.
Budget | Hearings to examine the Economic Report of the President.
Veterans' Affairs | Hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2019 for veterans' programs and fiscal year 2020 advance appropriations requests.
Joint Economic Committee | Hearings to examine unleashing America's economic potential.
Indian Affairs | An oversight hearing to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2019 for Indian Programs.
Armed Services: Subcommittee on SeaPower | Hearings to examine Navy shipbuilding programs in review of the Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2019 and the Future Years Defense Program.
Armed Services: Subcommittee on Strategic Forces | Hearings to examine ballistic missile defense policies and programs in review of the Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2019 and the Future Years Defense Program.
Thursday, March 22, 2018
HOUSE:
Committee on Armed Services | Subcommittee on Strategic Forces | Hearing: Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Request for Nuclear Forces and Atomic Energy Defense Activities
Committee on Appropriations | Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies | Hearing: FY19 Budget - Applied Energy
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence | Business Meeting: Full Committee Business Meeting:Adoption of the Committees Investigative Report into Russian Active Measures During the 2016 Presidential Election
Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Communications and Technology | Hearing: Legislative Hearing on Four Communications Bills 2018
Committee on Armed Services | Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities | Hearing: Reviewing Department of Defense Strategy Policy and Programs for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction CWMD for Fiscal Year 2019
SENATE:
Armed Services | Hearings to examine the challenges in the Department of Energy's atomic energy defense programs in review of the Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2019 and the Future Years Defense Program.
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs | An oversight hearing to examine the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Energy and Natural Resources | Hearings to examine S.2539, to amend the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015, to reauthorize certain projects to increase Colorado River System water, S.2560, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish a program to facilitate the transfer to non-Federal ownership of appropriate reclamation projects or facilities, and S.2563, to improve the water supply and drought resilience of the United States.
Intelligence | To receive a closed briefing regarding certain intelligence matters.
