Update 172 Recess Recap Trump’s Economic Policy Scorecard As Congress prepares to go on a two-week recess, the Trump administration enters April with has no legislative productivity on big ticket items to its credit, its dreams of passing anything significant before August, a stated tax reform goal, looking remote. Trump made many campaign promises …
Recess Recap Trump's Economic Policy Scorecard (Apr. 6) Read More »
Update 171 — Pivot to Tax Policy Time to Pass a Bill or Pass the Ball Donald Trump’s presidency is at risk on several fronts. For our purposes, the most serious of these is the risk of a legislatively stillborn administration. After the Trump-Ryan health care brick at the buzzer last week, you might think …
Update 170: Skinny on the Budget Hard-Lite Turn for Fiscal Policy This morning’s budget release leaves little doubt as to the Trump Administration’s aim to honor campaign promises through major redistributions of discretionary funding. The document, the “skinny” budget, addresses discretionary funding issues for FY 18 only, as the mandatory funding budget is promised. And …
Update 169 — The Fed Rate Debate Does Political Risk Deserve Any Weight? As you probably know, the Federal Reserve announcement tomorrow afternoon is expected to confirm an all-but-promised 0.25 percent interest rate increase. On what basis is Fed acting in this instance? What is the role of the economy, the markets, and politics in its rate …
Update 168: Unsettling Scores The Tax Take on CBO’s AHCA Report The eagerly awaited CBO report on the GOP’s healthcare replacement plan released this afternoon set out what would be talking points, or rallying cries, for Democratic candidates and causes in the 2018 midterms. As most serious analysts predicted, the American Health Care Act is officially projected …
Update 167: Tax Take on Healthcare Bill (aka Reverse Robin Hood Tax Care Act) House Speaker Sen. Paul Ryan’s press conference yesterday about the new GOP healthcare bill oozed enthusiasm for the legislation to replace the ACA, which he referred to as “a collapsing law doing real damage to families every day in America.” The House …
Update 166: SOTU Spectacular — Anything to see here? Tonight at 9 pm ET, Millions will be drawn to the TV as Donald Trump makes his first presidential address to Congress. The anticipation reflects the ongoing and increasing uncertainty about the administration’s policy, which has been eccentric, fluid, and vague on issues of national concern like job creation …
SOTU Spectacular — Anything to see here? (Feb. 28) Read More »
Update 165: Trump Markets on SOTU-Eve — Rhetoric, Rally, and Reality A couple of hours ago, the Senate okayed Wilbur Ross for Commerce Secretary on a 72-27 vote. He is expected to square the administration’s four percent growth imperative with its hostility toward multilateral trade agreements, domestic spending cuts, even immigration and other commercial restrictions. Amid the …
Trump Markets on SOTU-Eve — Rhetoric, Rally, and Reality (Feb. 27) Read More »
Update 164 — Mnuchin’s Summer Job: Tax Reform by July, a Snowball’s Chance? This morning, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin outlined an “aggressive timeline” for passing tax reform, saying comprehensive reform of the U.S. tax code would be signed this summer. In an interview this morning with Maria Bartiromo, Mnuchin said the administration is aiming …
Update 163 — The Mnuchin Rule The Senate voted tonight to confirm Steven Mnuchin, mostly voting by party line. West Virginia Sen. Manchin crossed the aisle and cast his vote in favor of the ex-Goldman Sachs partner to head Treasury, making it 53-47. As Trump prepares his “phenomenal” tax plan for release later this month, …
