2018 Midterm Elections Update: 10 Developments We're Watching

Voters in Texas officially kicked off the 2018 midterm election season this week and brought many of the issues we’re watching into sharper focus, while also muddling some of the national party strategies.

Read More
David LeiterLitke, Leiter, Spanjich, Midterms, Midterm Elections, 2018, Republicans, Democrats, Capitol Hill, Campaign, Incumbent, poll, congressional vote, Congress, Administration, women, ballot, enthusiasm, Mueller, Youth, Gun control, gun violence, retirements, Pennsylvania, redistricting, congressional ma, congressional map, immigration, tax reform, tweeting, tweets, tweetstorm, policy, politics, Independents, ballot box
Crystal Balling the Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus for Authorizations

Congress is staring down a March 23 deadline to pass legislation to fund the government once the current continuing resolution (CR) expires. While it is always difficult to predict exactly what will happen on a must-pass funding bill, there is always the possibility the measure becomes a vehicle for a myriad of authorizations.

Read More
Claire WashburnLeiter, Litke, Spanjich, FY18, omnibus, authorizations, CR, FAA, flood insurance, Pentagon, FCC, DHS Reauthorization, Obamacare, stabilization, opioids, autonomous vehicles, tax extenders, gun control, immigration, tax reform technical corrections, FY16, FY17
The FY19 NDAA: National Defense Priorities and Opportunities for Non-Traditional Defense Companies

Although it seems the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) cycle just came to an end, the FY19 NDAA process is already underway. Because the annual defense policy bill is one of few “must pass” pieces of legislation, it is not only used to advance national security priorities, but in recent years, has also created opportunities for non-traditional defense companies.

Read More
Georgette (Spanjich) KerrSpanjich, Litke, Leiter, NDAA, National Defense Authorization Act, Armed Services, FY18, Trump, defense, national defense priorities, defense spending, Mattis, FY19, National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy, China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, nuclear, alliances, Nuclear Posture Review, Army, cybersecurity, BRAC, Defense Innovation Unit, TRICARE
The Immigration Debate: Easy to Fix or Impossible to Solve?

he immigration debate has always pitted Democrats’ desire for legalization and a pathway to citizenship against Republicans’ advocacy for more stringent border security and interior enforcement. Will there actually be a deal on DACA before the new February 8th deadline?

Read More
Georgette (Spanjich) KerrSpanjich, Litke, Leiter, immigration, daca, border wall, border security, Trump, Schmer, Schumer, Ryan, McConnell
2018 Legislative and Regulatory Outlook

With the November elections in mind, Congress and the Administration must quickly get to work addressing the growing list of policies needing their attention, as Washington asks: how many more times can we kick the can down the road? We’re running out of roads.

Read More
David Leiterlitke, leiter, spanjich, senate, house, congress, administration, budget, appropriatons, disaster relief, debt limit, health care, aca, Obamacare, FISA, flood insurance, immigration, DACA, farm bill, trade, infrastructure, entitlement reform, welfare, Medicare, medicaid, regulatory reform, tax reform, ndaa, defense, energy, FAA, net neutrality, pensions, nominations