What the Trump Administration is thinking on trade, tax and veterans issues: Sphere Consulting’s TenCount for November 14, 2016

  • Let the swamp-draining begin! Congress comes back to town this week after an extended absence, seeking to piece together a budget or, at least, another short-term spending extension by Dec. 9. There’s a full slate of hearings, think-tank seminars and conferences, including at the Bipartisan Policy Center on Tuesday, which begins “Analyzing the 2016 Election.” And the guessing game continues on who will fill which positions in the Trump Administration.
  • Everybody wants to know, of course, what the new administration is thinking, and there are plenty of events that will mull it over. Economists for Peace and Security kicks things off on Monday with “Policy Challenges for the New U.S. President.” The Wilson Center on Tuesday conducts a discussion of “What Does the World Expect of the New President.” On Thursday, the Council on Foreign Relations discusses Congress and U.S. foreign policy priorities in the new administration.
  • Other events look at specific slices of the new administration’s interests. On Monday, the Jamestown Foundation’s annual terrorism conference assesses the new challenges and threats facing the Trump administration. On Tuesday, the American Conservative hosts “Foreign Policy In America’s Interest: Realism, Nationalism and the Next President.” The Middle East Institute on Wednesday begins its two-day “Middle East Policy Challenges for the Next Administration.” Other policy conferences focus on education, cyber-warfare, the budget process, FinTech and upgrading Washington’s ancient technology.
  • Trade, of course, is high – or low, depending on how you view it – on the Trump agenda. All week, Georgetown’s Institute of International Economic Law hosts its 2017 Global Trade Academy. Monday, the Cato Institute discusses “The Way Forward for Trade” and Politico hosts “Election Aftermath: The New Politics of Trade.” On Wednesday, the Atlantic Council eyes “Regrouping After the Elections: U.S. Leadership Without TPP.” And Thursday the Washington International Trade Association discusses “Trade, Congress and the American Voter.”
  • Tax Policy also will play a big role in the administration’s first 100 days. On Monday, AEI and the IMF discuss “U.S. corporate tax reform and its implications for the international system” and the AICPA kicks off its 2016 National Tax Conference. Wednesday, Politico hosts “Tax Reform in the New Washington.” And on Thursday, the Century Foundation and the Economic Policy Institute discuss “Paying for Progress: A Tax Reform Agenda for the Next President.”
  • With the return of Congress come new hearings on all manner of topics. The House kicks off a busy week with hearings that focus on S.E.C. oversight (including testimony from Chairwoman Mary Jo White), the Secret Service’s operations, the implications of self-driving cars, the role of the Internet of Things in recent cyber attacks, the federal food stamp program, and modernizing the real estate appraisal process. The Senate calendar, so far, is empty except for a Joint Economic Committee hearing, “The Economic Outlook,” featuring testimony from Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen.
  • Veterans’ issues played a large role in President-Elect Donald Trump’s campaign, with the candidate assailing the V.A. for long wait times for medical care and for incompetent government employees who cannot provide timely responses to veterans’ inquiries. On Monday, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald, who took over the post in 2014 after the emergence of the medical care scandal, will address the Council on Foreign Relations.
  • During the campaign, Donald Trump said President Obama should “resign in disgrace” for refusing to use the words “radical Islamic terrorism” to describe violent extremism practiced by Islamist groups. Two events this week take a look at the scourge: On Tuesday, the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts “Turning Point – A New Comprehensive Strategy for Countering Violent Extremism” (viewable only by webcast) while on Thursday the Wilson Center discusses “Transatlantic Perspectives in Fighting Violent Extremism.”
  • While the stock market rose after election results were in, bond prices fell. That was no surprise to the scholars at the libertarian Cato Institute, who believe that central banks’ promotion and tolerance of zero-to-negative interest rates “have created severe distortions in asset markets by increasing risk taking and politicizing credit allocation while failing to bring about economic growth.” Such will be the subject of Cato’s 34th annual Monetary Conference on Thursday.
  • Sphere Consulting’s unparalleled stable of relationships and unique business model have been built for this day. Sphere is an independent firm with no obligations to a large holding company, and no firm has invested more resources to ensure the ability to drive campaigns to impact policy than Sphere Consulting. We have worked on $50 billion of infrastructure deals and $270 billion of mergers and acquisitions across multiple industries, including aerospace and defense, pharmaceuticals and financial services. We have anchored corporate responses to federal rulemakings and provided litigation support for some of the most complex cases domestically and overseas. Now we are even better positioned to help our clients. For information on the Sphere edge, contact Jim Courtovich at [email protected].

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