The Fed meets on rates, Congress fights over a budget, and an historic museum opens: Sphere’s TenCount for Sept. 19, 2016

  • For months, investors have looked forward to the Fed’s September meeting with an expectation that the outcome would be a bump up in interest rates. No more. When the Federal Open Market Committee meets Tuesday and Wednesday, the financial markets will be coming off a volatile week in which the S&P 500 index lost 2 percent. The activity likely took a September rate hike off the table, according to financial analysts. Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen will meet with the press Wednesday afternoon following announcement of the Fed’s decision.
  • Congress is winding down the last pre-election legislative session this week and, perhaps, next, as both chambers try to reach budget compromises to keep the government open past Sept. 30, when the current funding expires. The two houses are deadlocked over several issues that members trying to attach to the budget bill, including funding for the Zika virus. If they reach agreement, it will likely be on a package to extending funding through Dec. 9, leaving it to the lame duck, post-election session for legislators to come up with financing plans for 2017.
  • Just two weeks until the first Monday in October, when the U.S. Supreme Court convenes for its new term. At least three events this week will take a look at what to expect: The Georgetown University Law Center holds a media briefing Monday morning, while the Heritage Foundation hosts a lunchtime discussion (with Webcast) of the upcoming term on Tuesday and the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy conducts a preview at midday Wednesday.
  • Oh, yeah, in case you hadn’t heard, there’s an election in just 50 days.  Helping you to discern what it all means is the Brookings Institution, which on Tuesday morning hosts a discussion, “Understanding Voters’ Angst in the 2016 Election.” Further up Massachusetts Avenue at the same time, the Heritage Foundation puts a spotlight on possible election fraud, as it hosts “Will Your Vote Really Count? Assuring the Integrity of the American Election Process.”
  • Trade is also a hot topic in this election season, as the Obama Administration strategizes on how to get the Trans-Pacific Partnership approved by Congress. On Thursday, the Peterson Institute for International Economics hosts a discussion on a new report, “Assessing Trade Agendas in the U.S. Presidential Campaign.” And on Friday, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation hosts a discussion on “What’s Needed to Restore Faith in Trade and Globalization.”
  • Not a moment too soon following Saturday night’s New York City bombing , the House Homeland Security Committee will conduct a hearing Wednesday morning titled “Stopping the Next Attack,” focused on “how to keep our city streets from becoming the battleground.” Simultaneously, the House Armed Services Committee is scheduled to hear about “15 Years After 9/11: The State of the Fight Against Islamic Terrorism.” On Thursday, a House Homeland Security panel also hears about “Identifying the Enemy: Radical Islamist Terror.”
  • Congress as watchdog: On Tuesday, John Stumpf, the chairman and CEO of Wells Fargo & Company is expected to be in the witness chair when the Senate Banking Committee conducts “An Examination of Wells Fargo’s Unauthorized Accounts and the Regulatory Response.”  And on Wednesday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee begins “Reviewing the Rising Price of EpiPens,” with Heather Bresch, the CEO of Mylan Inc., as a witness.
  • Tech gets lots of attention this week, as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce conducts TecNation 2016, a half-day conference on Tuesday to discuss the impact that technology and data have on all sectors of the economy. And it’s Internet of Things Week at the Technology Industry Association in Arlington, Va., where each day includes a workshop or reception spotlights the broad spectrum of technologies, services and businesses that can flourish using the Internet  as a backbone for new applications.
  • The Government National Mortgage Association, better known as Ginnie Mae, conducts its Fourth Annual Summit on Monday and Tuesday, examining the future of government involvement in housing finance and debating why housing finance reform needs to go beyond the GSEs. And on Wednesday the Urban Institute hosts a discussion on “The Decline in Geographic Mobility and Implications for the Mortgage Market.”
  • The Smithsonian Institution officially opens the National Museum of African American History & Culture on the National Mall on Saturday with a host of events, including musical concerts (featuring Living Colour, Public Enemy and the Roots) and extended visiting hours through Oct. 2. (Timed passes required.)

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