28 Nov
2016
Deconstruction of Election Results, the Federal Budget and Wasteful Spending: Sphere Consulting’s TenCount for November 28, 2016
- Expect more tea-leaf reading about the effects of the election as Congress returns to work this week and President-Elect Trump continues to fill out his cabinet. On Tuesday, the Washington Post hosts a discussion with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy on the Republican-led Congress’ agenda for the Trump Administration’s first year. And on Thursday, the National Press Club discusses “The Trump Victory and the 2016 Election – What the Media Got Right and Wrong.”
- Despite Republican victories in the race for the White House and control of Congress – and soon, the Supreme Court – Conservatives are wringing their hands about the future of their movement. On Tuesday, the American Enterprise Institute hosts “Conservatism: What Now?” and on Thursday AEI mulls “Conservatism in the 115th Congress.” On Friday, the Conservative Women’s Network meets for “The Results Are In: How Conservatives Move Forward After the 2016 Election.”
- Congress hauls itself back into town this week to try to settle on a budget – or at least to keep the government open past December 9. Three events take a close look at the budget process, beginning Wednesday at Brookings Institution’s “A reform agenda for the federal budget process,” followed on Thursday at the Bipartisan Policy Center’s discussion “Fixing Fiscal Myopia,” and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget’s confab on steps the new administration should take to lay the foundation for a stronger fiscal future.
- Economic reports this week could set the table for a Federal Reserve rate hike when the Fed meets on December 13-14. On Tuesday, the Commerce Department will release its revised estimate of gross domestic product for the third quarter. Analysts expect a slight upward revision from 2.9% reported earlier. And Friday the Labor Department will release its November jobs report, with 180,000 jobs expected to be added, keeping the unemployment rate at 4.9%. If the two numbers come in as expected, look for a Fed rate hike next month.
- President-Elect Trump wants to bring peace to the Middle East, and there is no shortage of events to ponder how to make that happen. On Monday, Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies discusses “What’s Next for America and Israel?” Tuesday the Atlantic Council discusses “What to do about Russia’s rising profile in the Middle East” and the Arab Center hosts “The Battle for Mosul: Political Implications for the Next Administration.”
- Middle East events continue Wednesday with the Atlantic Council’s discussion on a report by the Middle East Strategy Task Force featuring Madeleine Albright. On Thursday, the American Bar Association hosts Ambassador Ryan Crocker for “Foreign Policy Challenges: The Middle East and National Security Issues.”
- President-Elect Trump admitted to the New York Times last week that there is a connection between human activity and climate change. On Tuesday, Johns Hopkins looks at “Energy and Climate Policy Proposals for the Next Administration” while on Wednesday the Progressive Policy Institute takes aim at “Energy and Climate: The Art of the Deal?” and the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts “The Future of Power Generation: A New Era for Renewables.”
- Trump appointed Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary last week, giving new visibility to an advocate for publicly financed vouchers for private-school tuition. On Thursday, GW’s Graduate School of Education and Education Week magazine host “What’s in Store for Pre-K-12 Education in a Trump Administration.”
- Congressional hearings ramp up again this week, as the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs probes the new leadership of the U.S. Border Patrol. Meanwhile the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee looks on Thursday at “Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination at the U.S. Department of Agriculture” and on Friday at “Oversight of WMATA,” the D.C. subway authority.
- Wasteful government spending is always a popular topic among those who oversee federal spending, and Tuesday brings Senator James Lankford and the Heritage Foundation’s annual “Federal Fumbles: 100 Ways the Government Dropped the Ball,” a look at specific examples of wasteful federal spending and negative regulatory impacts to the economy.