With less than three weeks left before government funding runs out, negotiators from the Republican-led Senate and Democratic-controlled House have agreed to topline spending figures for the 12 annual appropriations bills. Lawmakers will work to finalize details in the bills before a potential government shutdown begins after Dec. 20. On this episode of “Suspending the Rules” from Bloomberg Government, budget and appropriations reporter Jack Fitzpatrick breaks down the state of budget negotiatio...
Dec 02, 2019•16 min
Congress plans to vote this week on a continuing resolution to fund the government through Dec. 20. The move buys time for Democrats and Republicans to, potentially, conclude negotiations over spending allocations and the details of the 12 annual appropriations bills. On this episode of “Suspending the Rules,” Bloomberg Government’s podcast, budget and appropriations reporter Jack Fitzpatrick breaks down the state of play in the spending fight. Legislative analyst Michael Smallberg also joins th...
Nov 18, 2019•16 min
Congressional campaigns are taking stock of off-year election results in Kentucky, Virginia, and Mississippi as they ramp up their plans for the next 12 months. They'll also be watching how Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards fares in Louisiana's Nov. 16 runoff election. On this episode of “Suspending the Rules” from Bloomberg Government, in-house elections experts Greg Giroux and Kyle Trygstad discuss the races that will make or break the parties' majorities and the effects President Donald Tr...
Nov 12, 2019•18 min
Artificial intelligence, digital privacy, and other technology policy debates are all issues Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.) plans to address as a leader of the Congressional AI Caucus and a member of the House committee with jurisdiction over tech. On this episode of “Suspending the Rules” from Bloomberg Government, technology policy reporter Rebecca Kern sits down with McNerney to discuss AI, privacy legislation, the “Section 230” liability shield for tech companies, and Twitter’s recent decisi...
Nov 04, 2019•27 min
The House this week will vote on condemning the Ottoman Empire’s slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians during and after World War I under a nonbinding resolution. The event is widely known as the Armenian Genocide, a term Turkey disputes. On this episode of “Suspending the Rules,” a podcast from Bloomberg Government, legislative analyst Naoreen Chowdhury and congressional reporter Emily Wilkins discuss the resolution, why it’s coming up now, and why Turkey objects. The two also break down a separat...
Oct 28, 2019•10 min
Foreign offers of assistance to federal campaigns would have to be reported to law enforcement under a bill the House plans to take up this week. Other provisions in the “SHIELD Act” would require disclosures on online political ads similar to those in print or on television and would make social media platforms keep records of ad requests. On this episode of Bloomberg Government’s “Suspending the Rules” podcast, legislative analyst Michael Smallberg and senior editor for money and politics Ken ...
Oct 21, 2019•15 min
Hong Kong Protests Poised for Boost from House (Podcast) The House plans to show its support for ongoing protests in Hong Kong by considering two bipartisan bills. The measures would block sales of crowd control equipment, impose sanctions, and require an annual certification that Hong Kong is sufficiently independent from Beijing to justify the city's special treatment under U.S. trade law. On this episode of Bloomberg Government’s “Suspending the Rules” podcast, Bloomberg News congressional re...
Oct 15, 2019•11 min
Voters in Louisiana will go to the polls Saturday for the state’s open gubernatorial primary, as incumbent Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) tries to hold off two Republican challengers. President Donald Trump will hold a rally in the state Friday ahead of the election in an attempt to keep Edwards from winning 50% of the vote tally and force a runoff election next month against the top Republican vote-getter. On this episode of “Suspending the Rules” from Bloomberg Government, deputy news director Lore...
Oct 07, 2019•13 min
Reps. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) and Tom Graves (R-Ga.) are leading a bipartisan panel of lawmakers developing recommendations to improve the workings of the Capitol. The House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress is looking at improvements in areas ranging from staffing and technology to members’ relationships across the partisan divide. On this episode of Bloomberg Government’s “Suspending the Rules” podcast, congressional reporter Emily Wilkins sits down with Kilmer and Graves to dis...
Sep 30, 2019•32 min
Tech needs a made-in-America data privacy standard, House Energy and Commerce ranking member Greg Walden (R-Ore.) told the audience at the Bloomberg Law Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 18. On this episode of “Suspending the Rules” from Bloomberg Government, hear Walden’s conversation with technology policy reporter Rebecca Kern, discussing the progress lawmakers are making on nascent privacy legislation. Also on this episode, BGOV legislative analyst Michael Smallberg breaks down ...
Sep 23, 2019•26 min
Companies wouldn’t be able to require employees or consumers to resolve disputes through arbitration rather than court under a bill the House plans to take up this week. On this episode of “Suspending the Rules” from Bloomberg Government, legislative analyst Adam M. Taylor and Bloomberg Law congressional labor policy reporter Jaclyn Diaz break down the bill, the debate around it, and its prospects moving forward. Contact the BGOV podcast team at BGOVpodcast@bgov.com. Listen and subscribe to Susp...
Sep 16, 2019•12 min
Congress faces a long to-do list as it returns from its summer recess this week. Lawmakers will need to extend federal funding past Sept. 30 to avoid a government shutdown, and could take up legislation to address recent shootings, drug pricing, and trade. On this episode of Bloomberg Government’s podcast “Suspending the Rules,” budget and appropriations reporter Jack Fitzpatrick joins legislative analysts Danielle Parnass, Sarah Babbage, and Adam M. Taylor to preview the fall slate. Download th...
Sep 09, 2019•18 min
A special election in North Carolina is being watched as a potential bellwether for the 2020 campaign. The state’s 9th Congressional District will vote on Sept. 10 to fill a vacant seat in the House after the 2018 results were nullified following evidence of absentee ballot fraud. On this episode of “Suspending the Rules” from Bloomberg Government, BGOV campaigns and elections reporter Greg Giroux and Andrew Ballard, a staff correspondent based in Raleigh, break down the race between Democrat Da...
Sep 04, 2019•13 min
Legislation to regulate autonomous vehicles got hung up in Congress last year, but that hasn't stopped developers from rolling test vehicles onto the streets. This special episode of Bloomberg Government’s “Suspending the Rules” looks at how the industry is evolving without firm federal rules. The episode features Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) and Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), who are looking to restart momentum for an autonomous vehicle bill that stalled in the last Congress, as well a...
Aug 22, 2019•24 min
Republicans and Democrats are increasingly discussing potential changes to the law that protects social media platforms and other internet companies from liability for their users’ content. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has said that companies should face more accountability for their privacy practices and moderation of harmful content, while conservative lawmakers have introduced bills to prevent what they say is censorship of conservative voices. The White House is also reportedly draf...
Aug 13, 2019•13 min
With public and congressional attention increasingly focused on social media companies, lawmakers and other stakeholders are discussing changes to the obscure provision of law that’s been credited with the rise of online companies. The “Section 230” shield protects online platforms from liability for user-generated content. Members of Congress including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said they’re open to changes to create more accounta...
Aug 06, 2019•16 min
With the House scheduled to leave town for a six-week recess Friday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are negotiating a budget deal to address spending caps and the debt ceiling. On this episode of Bloomberg Government’s “Suspending the Rules,” budget and appropriations reporter Jack Fitzpatrick breaks down the talks and issues at stake in the deal. He also previews what to look for when the annual appropriations process resumes this fall. Contact the BGOV po...
Jul 22, 2019•17 min
The House last week easily passed a bill to eliminate the per-country cap on employment-based green cards, a move that would reduce the backlog of applicants from China and India. The measure faces a rockier road in the Senate, however, where concerns over specific occupations and the broader system of legal immigration are holding up action. On this episode of “Suspending the Rules” from Bloomberg Government, legislative analyst Adam Taylor and Bloomberg Law immigration reporter Laura Francis b...
Jul 15, 2019•16 min
The House this week will take up its version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act amid opposition from Republicans and potential defections from progressives. The Senate passed its version of the bill, which will need to be reconciled with the House’s version. On this episode of “Suspending the Rules,” Bloomberg Government defense reporters Roxana Tiron and Travis Tritten break down the House bill, highlight key difference with the Senate’s bill, and preview the measure’s prospects. ...
Jul 08, 2019•17 min
Lobbyists have been just as busy as lawmakers halfway through 2019, as industries and interest groups mobilize around drug pricing, mergers, and other hot-button topics. Democratic proposals like “Medicare-for-All” have spurred industry groups to hire lobbyists to oppose or blunt those initiatives. On this episode of “Suspending the Rules” from Bloomberg Government, lobbying reporter Megan Wilson breaks down the biggest stories in the industry, including the effects of candidates forgoing lobbyi...
Jul 01, 2019•14 min
The Senate passed a series of joint resolutions blocking 22 separate arms deals, worth more than $8 billion, with Saudi Arabia and other countries. The House could consider those measures as early as this week, sending them to the White House, which is near certain to veto them. On this episode of Bloomberg Government’s “Suspending the Rules,” defense reporter Roxana Tiron and legislative analyst Naoreen Chowdhury explain why lawmakers want to block these weapons sales and how the rising tension...
Jun 24, 2019•14 min
The Senate this week will consider its fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, a must-pass piece of legislation that has been enacted for the last 58 consecutive years. The House advanced its version through committee last week over objections from Republicans, who want a larger topline budget figure and oppose provisions related to border funding and the naval prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. On this episode of Bloomberg Government’s “Suspending the Rules” podcast, defense reporters Roxa...
Jun 17, 2019•16 min
The House will consider a five-bill minibus spending package totaling nearly $1 trillion this week, while Senate Republicans and the White House plan to huddle on budget caps and the debt limit. Bloomberg Government budget and appropriations reporter Jack Fitzpatrick and senior congressional reporter Nancy Ognanovich break down the budget debate state of play on this episode of BGOV’s “Suspending the Rules.” Contact the BGOV podcast team at BGOVpodcast@bgov.com . Listen and subscribe to Suspendi...
Jun 10, 2019•13 min
A bill to provide a pathway to citizenship for more than 2 million people who came to the country illegally as children tops the agenda this week, as the House is scheduled to vote on the “American Dream and Promise Act.” It’s the latest development in the ongoing immigration debate, a week after President Donald Trump announced tariffs on goods imported from Mexico that will escalate until the country stems the flow of migrants from Central America to the U.S. On this episode of “Suspending the...
Jun 03, 2019•19 min
A last-minute objection to the disaster aid deal reached between Democrats and President Donald Trump means it'll be back on the House's to-do list after the Memorial Day recess. Lawmakers will also resume the fight over humanitarian aid and wall funding for the southern border when they return. On this episode of "Suspending the Rules" from Bloomberg Government, budget and appropriations reporter Jack Fitzpatrick previews Congress's remaining work on emergency and fiscal 2020 spending. Deputy n...
May 28, 2019•14 min
The House plans to vote this week on the “Consumers First Act,” which would undo several recent changes made by the Trump administration to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). On this episode of Bloomberg Government’s “Suspending the Rules,” legislative analyst Michael Smallberg breaks down the legislation, which includes rolling back moves to reorganize the agency and limit its enforcement efforts. Contact the BGOV podcast team at BGOVpodcast@bgov.com . Listen and subscribe to Susp...
May 20, 2019•13 min
House Democrats have started moving fiscal 2020 appropriations bills at the committee level despite the lack of agreement on topline spending levels with Senate Republicans. On this episode of “Suspending the Rules” from Bloomberg Government, budget and appropriations reporter Jack Fitzpatrick sets the stage for the spending fight, which will be President Donald Trump’s first full-year appropriations process facing a Democratic House majority. Contact the BGOV podcast team at BGOVpodcast@bgov.co...
May 13, 2019•14 min
The Trump administration’s plan to give states wider latitude to pursue changes to the Affordable Care Act will be under the microscope this week, as the House is scheduled to vote on a bill to block recent guidance on the law's "state innovation waivers." On this episode of “Suspending the Rules” from Bloomberg Government, legislative analyst Danielle Parnass and senior health care reporter Alex Ruoff break down the waiver issue amid the ongoing battle over the ACA, as well as parallel efforts ...
May 06, 2019•17 min
President Donald Trump would be barred from pulling the U.S. out of the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement under a bill the House will consider this week. On this episode of Bloomberg Government’s “Suspending the Rules,” legislative analyst Adam M. Taylor and Bloomberg Environment reporter Tiffany Stecker break down the bill and Democrats’ climate agenda ahead of the 2020 elections. Contact the BGOV podcast team at BGOVpodcast@bgov.com . Listen and subscribe to Suspending the Rules from your mobile de...
Apr 29, 2019•13 min
States’ continuing push to legalize marijuana use – and the businesses that serve users – has sparked the interest of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. On this episode of “Suspending the Rules” from Bloomberg Government, legislative analysts Sarah Babbage, Michael Smallberg, Adam M. Taylor, and Adam Schank cut through the haze to break down cannabis-related measures Congress could take up. Proposals include full-scale legalization, as well as smaller bills that would allow states to regulate it, give p...
Apr 22, 2019•18 min
