An Insider’s View - More on Campaign Subplots
Robert L. Ehrlich
Tea Party influence within GOP primary races continues to be a hot topic of conversation on Capitol Hill. More »
The Congressional Calendar - So Much To Do, So Little Time
Thomas J. Spulak
The House of Representatives is in recess this week in advance of Memorial Day. Next week, while the House will return for a few days, the Senate will begin a week’s recess of its own. More »
Heading Towards a Debt Ceiling Standoff, Part II
George C. Crawford
While the Treasury Department says that the current debt ceiling will be sufficient to get through the election this fall without the need for Congressional action, there is the possibility that House Republicans will try to accelerate action into the election cycle. More »
Paul Volcker Testifies on His Rule
J.C. Boggs
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker testified before the Senate Banking Committee on May 9th, arguing that the current proposal for the Dodd-Frank Act's ban on proprietary trading is too complex and should allow for profitable market-making activities. More »
Senate Moves to Prohibit Disclosure of Contributions by Government Contractors
Thomas J. Spulak, Claudia A. Hrvatin
On May 16th, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee favorably reported the Keeping Politics Out of Federal Contracting Act of 2011, a bill introduced by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) to prohibit the disclosure of political contributions by those seeking government contracts. The legislation is intended to rebut a draft Obama Administration executive order circulated in 2011 but never finalized. More »
CFPB on Mortgage Points and Fees
J.C. Boggs, William C. Talmadge
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on May 9th outlined proposed rules it is considering aimed at simplifying mortgage points and fees in an effort to bring greater transparency to the mortgage loan origination market. More »
Senate Hearing on Legislation to Promote Clean Energy - Could Preempt the EPA from Regulating Greenhouse Gases
Thomas J. Spulak, Allison F. Kassir, Lauren M. Donoghue
The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on its retiring Chairman’s effort to drive a discussion of how best to encourage the use of clean energy sources by utilities. Such a measure could advance the greater use and deployment of renewables, such as wind and solar, as well as other clean energy sources at no cost to the government. More »
Congress Moves Forward with Legislation to Reauthorize FDA User Fees
Lauren M. Donoghue, Daniel F. Donovan
Legislation to reauthorize the fees paid by drug and device manufacturers to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is front and center on the Congressional calendar this month and is expected to pass both chambers in the coming weeks. More »
Innovating with Less: Examining Efforts to Reform Information Technology Spending
J.C. Boggs
The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security has scheduled a hearing on May 24th to examine efforts by the Obama administration to cut wasteful and inefficient spending on the Federal Government’s Information Technology (IT) infrastructure through data center consolidations, cloud computing, and several other initiatives. More »
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