Update 555 — Reforming Money in Politics:Compromise’s Promise on Campaign Finance Word is just in, Democratic Senators have agreed to a new compromise political reform bill — the “Manchin compromise” — that is expected to be introduced as the Senate returns. Many years of work on the political reform bill of a generation are coming to legislative fruition. Senate …
Update 333: Bronx Cheer for Amazon in Queens City Loses Site in Firm’s Preemptive Break-Up In honor of the opening of spring training, we pause to remember the words of Casey Stengel, manager of the New York Mets, who played and mostly lost, compiling the worst record in baseball history in 1962, in Queens: “Come …
In the twilight moment between administrations, the poetry of the campaign inevitably gives way to the prose of governing. On the eve of the inauguration, testimony of the Treasury Secretary designate is more of a policy position commitment than when he was nominated in November. Now it counts. Treasury nominee Mnuchin’s confirmation hearing yesterday before …
The Trump cabinet nominee confirmation hearings are bringing into greater clarity the policy goals of the incoming administration. Although the policy focus to this point has been mostly non-economic, that began to change yesterday with the hearing of Commerce Secretary-designate Wilbur Ross. Today should provide a still-clearer policy picture when the Senate Finance Committee considers …
Mike & Co., This afternoon, Senate Majority Leader McConnell promised that the Senate would take up the Puerto Rico debt relief bill before the end of June, leaving hope that Congress can act in time to help the Commonwealth. Puerto Rico faces a $2 billion July 1 debt payment; a payment that the island’s Governor has stated …
Mike & Co., This afternoon, the House adopted a resolution 237-163 asserting that “a carbon tax would be detrimental to American families and businesses, and is not in the best interest of the United States.” This kind of preemptive strike is unusual — there isn’t any serious carbon tax proposal before Congress right now, and neither …
Mike & Co. –- On Sunday, a Commonwealth of Puerto Rico a $422 million bond interest payment comes due that can’t — or in any case won’t — be paid on time. Gov. Alejandro Padilla has repeatedly said that the island cannot make that payment; others have questioned those statements. Close behind follows a two billion dollar payment …
Mike & Co. — The House, which is still on recess this week (the Senate is in) continues to march toward Speaker Ryan’s self-imposed April 29 deadline to vote on a legislative solution to deal with the Puerto Rico debt crisis. Two relevant SCOTUS cases to be handed down before June further complicate the picture. If a bill cannot be …
Mike & Co. — The February jobs report came out this morning better than expected. Once again, the US economy maintained strong job growth without wage gains. Wages fell 0.1 percent in February, but 242,000 positions were added to the economy, marking 72 months of uninterrupted job gains – the longest streak on record. Additionally, …
Mike & Co. — In half an hour, the BLS jobs report for February is due to be released. If you’d like an update or have any questions, please let me know. Meanwhile, amid the most fractious campaign in recent history comes an initiative in Congress that sounds, well, incongruous with the cacophany. A broad …
