WHAT K STREET IS LOOKING AHEAD TO THIS FALL:
. Congressional appropriatorsto keep the government open past the Sept. 30 deadline, but beyond appropriations, there’s relatively little consensus on what Congress may get done this fall. “I think basically other than defense authorization and appropriations, it’s really unlikely that anything other than low-hanging fruit is going to get done,”Public Policy & Regulation Group, told PI in an interview.
— One area on which there’s consensus is that trade, and particularly the Trump administration’s freshly negotiated U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, will consume a lot of attention. “I’m more optimistic than some” on trade,, told PI, adding he sees “a slightly better than 50 percent chance” of USMCA passage this fall., also expressed cautious optimism about USMCA: “If it’s going to happen, I think it’s going to happen by Thanksgiving.
— Beyond trade, Elmendorf predicts appropriations, health care and taxes will be the biggest drivers on K Street this fall. But there are roadblocks ahead that could derail movement on even potentially bipartisan issues like tax extenders and addressing surprise medical billing. “There’s a lot of things that could make what should be easy-to-compromise bills harder,” Geduldig said, including immigration, impeachment and potential movement on background check legislation.
as a client despite an internal policy against working with entities the firm views as involved in denial of climate change,