Forging Industry Association Magazine

WASHINGTON UPDATE

LOOKING FORWARD: 2019 WASHINGTON UPDATE T he 116th Congress commenced chaotically on January 3, 2019, with democrats taking control of the United States House of Representatives for the first time since 2010, republicans retaining the Senate, and a partial shutdown of the U.S. government in full swing. A third of President Trump’s cabinet is vacant or filled with acting secretaries, a trade war with China continues, and theDemocratic presidential primary season will soon begin.

House, it is a smart bet that we will see nearly all the committees aggressively exercise their oversight authority to be a check on the administration. We’ll see hearings on Russian election tampering, the president’s taxes, regulation rollback, the administration’s anti-climate change policies, ethics infractions by various cabinet members, and a host of other issues. What remains to be seen is where the House decides to go on impeachment – many Washington prognosticators believe there is little appetite on the part of the Democratic leadership to tackle this politically-charged issue, but it is also believed that its fate rests on the results of the Mueller investigation. Finding Common Ground Legislative policies where many believe both the Senate and House can find common ground and get bills to the president’s desk include a comprehensive infrastructure package and data privacy regulation legislation. On infrastructure, there is bipartisan agreement that our nation’s roads, bridges and waterways need substantial upgrades. The key will be figuring out how to pay for it. On privacy, recent data breaches, and revelations about how one’s personal data is handled by social media companies and other consumer-oriented platforms and businesses have drawn bipartisan ire, and plenty members of Congress have made commitments to find a path forward on a national law that gives Americans more control over their personal data. Though this will not be an easy lift, Congress is compelled to act as California has enacted a privacy law that goes into effect on January 1, 2020. Should Congress fail to act before this, other states may then feel obligated to pass their own privacy laws, which will make it far harder to pass a federal standard in the future as states will push back against the federal government for

All this will ensure that this new Congress will be quite active and will merit constant monitoring! The Senate The Senate will spend much of its time confirming executive and judicial appointments. Majority Leader Mitch McConnel has been very clear that he considers part of his legacy to be reshaping the courts and he has worked hand in glove with the White House on getting judicial vacancies filled. So far, the Trump Administration and the Republican Senate have confirmed nearly 100 circuit and appellate court judges with dozens of vacancies still awaiting action. In addition, there are 330 vacancies in the executive branch for senior roles that require Senate confirmation including six cabinet secretaries and directors. Each confirmation takes time, and to get them over the finish line could come at the expense of legislating in the first quarter of the year. The House Look to the House of Representatives to take up legislation on ethics reform, expanded background checks for gun purchases, voting rights expansion, and an immigration bill to enact the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (“DREAM Act”). And with Democrats now in control of the

4 FIA MAGAZINE | MAY 2019