The Weekly Hill Update

By Adam Higgins on May 23, 2022 Posted in The Weekly Hill Update

Below is this week’s congressional update by BakerHostetler’s Federal Policy team. We’ll continue to post in weeks when both chambers of Congress are in session.

HEADLINES

President Joe Biden is in Japan, the final stop on his first trip to Asia as president.
Primary season is in full swing, with elections Tuesday in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and Texas.
Congress is winding down toward Memorial Day, with the House only holding committee meetings and the Senate in for a short week.

The Weekly Hill Update

By Adam Higgins on May 16, 2022 Posted in The Weekly Hill Update

Below is this week’s congressional update by BakerHostetler’s Federal Policy team. We’ll continue to post in weeks when both chambers of Congress are in session.

HEADLINES

President Joe Biden will visit Buffalo Tuesday, after 10 people died in a supermarket shooting that local authorities have described as “straight up, a racially motivated hate crime.”
Pennsylvania voters on Tuesday will choose their parties’ nominees for the November general election, including for retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey’s seat, sure to be among this year’s most hotly contested races.
Congress and the White House are scrambling to address a nationwide shortage of baby formula that has left some parents desperate.

The Weekly Hill Update

By Adam Higgins on May 9, 2022 Posted in The Weekly Hill Update

Below is this week’s congressional update by BakerHostetler’s Federal Policy team. We’ll continue to post in weeks when both chambers of Congress are in session.

HEADLINES

Abortion politics are roiling Washington after last week’s leak of a preliminary Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe vs. Wade; the Senate will vote on legislation to codify Roe.
First Lady Jill Biden is finishing a trip to Eastern Europe, which included a surprise visit to Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska in western Ukraine, as the White House pushes for additional humanitarian and military aid.
Budget hearings continue in Congress, including several with members of the president’s cabinet.

The Weekly Hill Update

By Adam Higgins on April 25, 2022 Posted in The Weekly Hill Update

Below is this week’s congressional update by BakerHostetler’s Federal Policy team. We’ll continue to post in weeks when both chambers of Congress are in session.

HEADLINES

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin return from meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, the first visit by senior U.S. officials since Russia’s invasion.
Congress returns from its Easter-Passover recess aiming to approve additional funding for aid to Ukraine for its defense against the Russian invasion.
Lawmakers may also take up additional COVID funding, and begin House-Senate negotiations on legislation to promote competitiveness with China.

The Weekly Hill Update

By Adam Higgins on April 4, 2022 Posted in The Weekly Hill Update

Below is this week’s congressional update by BakerHostetler’s Federal Policy team. We’ll continue to post in weeks when both chambers of Congress are in session.

HEADLINES

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will be confirmed as a Supreme Court justice by the end of the week, barring any unforeseen developments.
Ahead of a two-week recess, Congress has a busy week planned, including additional COVID-related funding.
Western nations are seeking to enhance pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin as fresh evidence emerges of Russian forces committing atrocities in Ukraine.

Kevin Edgar Submits Written Testimony about Proposed Federal Legislation that Amounts to “Direct Assaults on U.S. Exchanges”

By Kevin Edgar on April 1, 2022 Posted in Congress

On March 30, 2022, Counsel Kevin Edgar submitted written testimony for the record on behalf of client the Equity Markets Association (EMA) at a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Financial Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship and Capital Markets. The hearing was titled, “Oversight of America’s Stock Exchanges: Examining Their Role in Our Economy.”

Learn more about Kevin Edgar’s testimony here.

The Weekly Hill Update

By Adam Higgins on March 28, 2022 Posted in The Weekly Hill Update

Below is this week’s congressional update by BakerHostetler’s Federal Policy team. We’ll continue to post in weeks when both chambers of Congress are in session.

HEADLINES

The White House releases President Joe Biden’s budget for fiscal year 2023 today.
The Senate will vote on legislation aiming to promote the United States’ technological and economic competitiveness with China, setting the stage for the House and Senate to begin negotiating over the differences in the chambers’ respective versions of the bill.
The House plans to take up bipartisan legislation aiming to help Americans save for retirement.

HOUSE

The House will be in session this evening through Friday. The floor agenda includes bipartisan retirement legislation, as well as a bill to decriminalize marijuana.
The House Budget Committee tomorrow will review the president’s fiscal year 2023 budget with Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young.
The Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday on America’s stock exchanges and their role in the economy.
The full schedule of committee activity can be found here.

SENATE

The Senate will vote on the America COMPETES Act, which will likely lead to a conference with the House to negotiate a final version of the legislation to boost American competitiveness with China.
The Judiciary Committee today will consider judicial nominations, including Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court – but a committee vote on her nomination can be delayed one week under committee rules.
Wednesday, OMB Director Young will appear before the Senate Budget Committee to discuss the president’s budget.
The current list of committee meetings can be found here.

WHITE HOUSE

President Biden is back in Washington working to press Russia to end its ongoing war in Ukraine after his high-profile visit to Europe to rally allies for the pressure campaign.
The White House is rolling out the president’s budget today.

Tomorrow, Biden will host Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore at the White House.

Biden’s Executive Order on Digital Assets could Revolutionize U.S. Cryptocurrency Market

By Kevin Edgar on March 17, 2022 Posted in Federal Policy

The Federal Policy team’s Kevin Edgar co-authored an analysis of President Joe Biden’s executive order on developing a U.S. digital currency – among the most significant developments in the burgeoning domestic cryptocurrency market.

Click here for the full report from Kevin and other BakerHostetler attorneys.

The Weekly Hill Update

By Adam Higgins on March 14, 2022 Posted in The Weekly Hill Update

Below is this week’s congressional update by BakerHostetler’s Federal Policy team. We’ll continue to post in weeks when both chambers of Congress are in session.

HEADLINES

Washington and its NATO allies are on high alert after Russia struck a Ukrainian military base only a few miles from the Poland border.
President Joe Biden will host Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin for a Saint Patrick’s Day celebration.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is continuing her courtesy meetings with senators ahead of her confirmation hearings beginning next week.

The Weekly Hill Update

By Adam Higgins on March 7, 2022 Posted in Federal Policy, The Weekly Hill Update

Below is this week’s congressional update by BakerHostetler’s Federal Policy team. We’ll continue to post in weeks when both chambers of Congress are in session.

HEADLINES

Congress and the White House continue to explore all possible options to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including the possibility of cutting off Russian oil.
Democrats and Republicans in each chamber will hold party retreats starting Wednesday – President Joe Biden is set to speak to both Democratic retreats.
Current government funding is set to expire Friday – lawmakers are racing against the shortened legislative week to approve appropriations for the rest of the 2022 fiscal year, and will likely also include significant funding for Ukraine’s defense and humanitarian needs.