ML Strategies Legislative and Regulatory Report

Washington Outlook for 2017

01.19.2017

Happy New Year, and welcome to the new, 115th Congress!

After a long and tumultuous campaign season, Republicans maintained their majorities in the House and Senate and Donald Trump is the President-elect. The GOP has not controlled Congress and the White House since the 109th Congress of 2005-2006, and they are ramping up efforts to dramatically change the direction of the nation by, among other aspects, revisiting the regulatory legacy of the Obama Administration, attempting to repeal the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform bill, endeavoring for comprehensive tax reform, and achieving what has become the holy grail of conservative politics — a wholesale repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

As Congress returns to this changed political landscape, ML Strategies is pleased to continue our tradition of offering our outlook on what stakeholders can expect. While certainly not exhaustive of all that is to come over the next two years, this outlook highlights several top policy areas that are virtually certain to see activity in the early part of 2017:

Appropriations & Budget

Cybersecurity

Defense

Energy

Financial Services

Regulatory Reform

Supreme Court

Tax Reform

Telecommunications

Since the start of the 115th Congress on January 3rd, the House of Representatives and Senate have been busy organizing congressional committees, holding hearings on the president-elect’s cabinet nominees, and getting a head start on advancing a legislative agenda in preparation for Mr. Trump’s swearing in as president on January 20th.

It is our expectation that, upon taking office, Mr. Trump will move quickly to exercise his executive authority and revise policies at the federal agencies. Congress will also begin to churn out legislation that the new president will be eager to sign into law. However, it goes without saying that Mr. Trump and his Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill are not entirely aligned on all issues, so even with complete Republican control of government, the year ahead is sure to see heated debate and many twists and turns.

We hope you find these legislative updates useful as you prepare for the 115th Congress, and we encourage you to contact us if you have any questions.

What will the Trump administration mean for you and your business? We're monitoring policy, regulatory, and legal changes to help you move forward.

Our legal and government relations professionals are keeping a close eye on this transition — including changes in Congress and federal agencies — and monitoring the shift in legislative and regulatory priorities.

» View all ML Strategies Legislative Updates here.

» View the new Mintz Levin web page, The New Administration: Navigating Change

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