July 13, 2018
Most of the discussion in Washington this week focused on the Supreme Court nominee (and the special role of Arizona’s former Senator Jon Kyl), trade, and the economy. Steve Gordon focuses on each in Heard on the Hill. Larry Smith shows the wide array of trade activity since mid-June in his TRADE/NAFTA update. Al Jackson discusses the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2019. Dana Marston shares next week’s hearing and markup schedule, and looks at the Supreme Court nomination process as well as its impact upon the legislative calendar between now and the election. We are preparing for several upcoming interviews and we’ll run them in future editions of This Week.
Read MoreJuly 9, 2018
In this edition of Inside Democracy: From the Peach State to the Potomac, we highlight Congressman Rick Allen, who represents the Twelfth Congressional District of Georgia, which includes Augusta, Dublin, and Statesboro. Allen has served in the House of Representatives since 2015 and currently serves on the Agriculture Committee as well as the Education and the Workforce Committee.
Read MoreJune 8, 2018
Larry Smith is a pro’s pro, and he’s showed us why this week. The trade issue kept twisting and turning throughout the week – and Larry kept adjusting and modifying his report. We counted an original report and three updates from Larry before we pushed send. Impressive and appreciated. Steve Gordon provides insights on the U.S. Senate, its leaders, the August recess and the November elections – and how they all tie together – in “Heard on the Hill.” Jake Ostenso reports on a recent hearing before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance dealing with how autonomous vehicles will impact on the future of insurance. Dana Marston shares next week’s legislative calendar, as well as a look at rising fuel prices, unemployment, a recent executive order impacting federal employment, and federal grants being awarded to states to battle the opioid crisis.
Read MoreMay 30, 2018
U.S. Representative Buddy Carter represents the First Congressional District of Georgia, which covers the southeast portion of of the state and includes Waycross, Savannah and the Golden Isles. He has served in the House of Representatives since 2015 and currently serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee. We recently asked the Congressman to visit with us and our Inside Democracy readers.
Read MoreMay 24, 2018
The Administration scored a big win this week with final passage and signing of legislation rolling back major portions of Dodd-Frank. John McKechnie reports on this milestone in our cover article. Larry Smith catches up on the ever-changing state of NAFTA/trade, while Steve Gordon gets perspectives from the Administration, Majority Leader McConnell, and Congressman Erik Paulsen in “Heard on the Hill.” Jake Ostenso continues with his weekly Agency Watch, and Dana Marston looks into trends in energy employment, states most affected by the opioid epidemic, and a financial snapshot of Americans. Both the Senate and the House have left town for Memorial Day weekend, and next week is a scheduled state/district work period. We’ll grill a few hot dogs ourselves this weekend and will be back with the next This Week in Washington the week of June 8th.
Read MoreMay 21, 2018
These days it is difficult to find bipartisan agreement on big issues. However, supporting our veterans and military families is an issue which tends to bring the political realm together at all levels – federal, state and local. Last week, Congress and the Trump Administration took great strides in providing that support.
Read MoreMay 18, 2018
Larry Smith has this week’s cover story, trying to keep up with trade negotiations with Mexico and Canada on NAFTA and separate discussions with China. Al Jackson checks in on the status of defense appropriation, and Todd Smith writes about the passage of a House bill for veterans and their families. The bill honors Senator John McCain, the late Senator Daniel Akaka, and Congressman Sam Johnson of Texas, who like Senator McCain was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Steve Gordon tells us what he heard this week in Heard on the Hill. Dana Marston shares next week’s legislative calendar, as well as a few perspectives into renewable energy, growth in real personal income, and a little-known trade law the Administration is using to protect national security.
Read MoreMay 11, 2018
U.S. Representative Barry Loudermilk represents the Eleventh Congressional District of Georgia, which includes Bartow County, Cherokee County and parts of Cobb and Fulton Counties. He has served in the House of Representatives since 2015 and currently serves on the Financial Services Committee, the Science, Space and Technology Committee, as well as the House Administration Committee. We recently asked the Congressman to visit with us and our Inside Democracy readers.
Read MoreMay 4, 2018
Andy Ehrlich, Total Spectrum Partner, has known Andrew Wheeler for the last decade. He recruited Andrew from his Capitol Hill job and was asked by a reporter to offer his opinion on Andrew’s work experience and style as the second-highest ranking job at the Environmental Protection Agency. Today, Andy’s practice includes clients in the energy and environment sphere with issues before federal agencies.
Read MoreMay 2, 2018
Congressman Doug Collins, who represents the Ninth Congressional District of Georgia in the northeast part of the state, has been working for several years on a piece of legislation known as the Music Modernization Act (H.R. 5447 or MMA), which was mentioned in our Q&A with the Representative in Inside Democracy back in February. After clearing the Judiciary Committee with unanimous approval, the House passed the MMA 415-0 and sent it to the Senate on April 25th. With 49 co-sponsors (26 Democrats and 23 Republicans) in the House, this bipartisan and measured bill should give some relief for those who despair of Congress acting on much needed and long-overdue reforms to a major law – in this instance, copyrights and royalties paid to musicians.
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