A report coming this week on the economic effects of the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, could set congressional consideration of the USMCA in motion this spring. On this episode of "Suspending the Rules" from Bloomberg Government, legislative analyst Sarah Babbage highlights Democrats' critiques of the deal and its path forward in the three trading partners' legislatures. Once the Trump administration submits the deal to Congress, it will be considered under expedited fast-track pro...
Apr 15, 2019•13 min
The House this week is scheduled to vote on a bill to raise the statutory spending caps for two years. On this episode of "Suspending the Rules" from Bloomberg Government, budget and appropriations reporter Jack Fitzpatrick and legislative analyst Michael Smallberg break down the state of play in the fiscal 2020 budget debate. With Tax Day just around the corner, House leaders have also teed up a vote on a tax administration bill, while Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) has formally...
Apr 08, 2019•17 min
The House this week will consider a bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, which lapsed on Feb. 15. The measure would also make changes to gun laws, prisoner placement, and housing assistance programs. On this episode of Bloomberg Government's "Suspending the Rules," Naoreen Chowdhury and Adam Schank from the legislative analyst team discuss the state of play. Last week, the Justice Department asked a federal appeals court to invalidate all of the Affordable Care Act, also known as ...
Apr 01, 2019•17 min
The House this week will vote on a nonbinding resolution opposing the Trump administration's move to ban transgender troops from serving in the military. The Pentagon said it plans to implement the policy in April, after several temporary injunctions were lifted. On this week's episode of Bloomberg Government's "Suspending the Rules," Pentagon reporter Travis Tritten examines the ban and what comes next. The House has also scheduled votes on several bills targeting the regime of disputed Venezue...
Mar 25, 2019•12 min
President Donald Trump issued the first veto of his presidency on Friday, rejecting a resolution that would overturn his national emergency declaration at the southern border. Another resolution he opposes, this one to end U.S. involvement in Yemen's civil war, could land on his desk soon. On this episode of "Suspending the Rules" from Bloomberg Government, legislative analysts Michael Smallberg and Naoreen Chowdhury discuss the resolutions and what's next. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that t...
Mar 18, 2019•16 min
The White House officially kicked off the fiscal 2020 spending fight today with a budget that proposes aggressive cuts to domestic spending and increases for the Defense Department. On this episode of Bloomberg Government's "Suspending the Rules," budget and appropriations reporter Jack Fitzpatrick and legislative analyst team lead Adam Schank look at the big picture of the budget and what comes next. The House is scheduled to take up several measures this week focused on transparency. They incl...
Mar 11, 2019•15 min
House Democrats are poised to bring their signature elections and ethics package (H.R. 1) to the floor this week. On this episode of "Suspending the Rules" from Bloomberg Government, legislative analysts Michael Smallberg, Naoreen Chowdhury, and Adam M. Taylor break down some of the bill's key campaign finance and voting rights provisions. Last week, House Republicans used an obscure parliamentary tool to insert language opposed by most House Democrats into a gun-buyer background check bill. The...
Mar 04, 2019•15 min
Democrats in the House have introduced a joint resolution to undo President Donald Trump's emergency declaration, which he's using to divert funding for his border wall. On this episode of Bloomberg Government's "Suspending the Rules," legislative analyst Michael Smallberg and team lead Adam Schank break down the issues involved and process moving forward. Among the dozens of committee and subcommittee hearings scheduled for this week are several examining data security, privacy laws, and corpor...
Feb 25, 2019•16 min
President Donald Trump signed an agreement on Friday to keep the government open while issuing an emergency declaration to reprogram funding for a border wall. On this episode of Bloomberg Government's "Suspending the Rules," homeland security reporter Michaela Ross and legislative analyst Michael Smallberg break down the spending deal and Trump's emergency maneuver. House Democrats plan to take up two bills after the Presidents Day recess to close what they describe as loopholes in the nation's...
Feb 19, 2019•14 min
As of Monday morning, talks to keep the government open stalled over disagreement on the number of immigration detention beds. On this episode of "Suspending the Rules" from Bloomberg Government, budget and appropriations reporter Jack Fitzpatrick and legislative analyst team lead Adam Schank discuss the dynamics and possible paths forward to avoid a shutdown on Friday. House Democrats are starting to unveil health-care bills and hold committee hearings. In the second segment, BGOV health care r...
Feb 11, 2019•17 min
President Donald Trump will attempt to thread the needle in his State of the Union address Tuesday, demanding money for a border wall while calling for bipartisan compromise on other issues, Bloomberg Government White House reporter Cheryl Bolen says on this week's episode of "Suspending the Rules." She previews the speech alongside BGOV legislative analyst Michael Smallberg, who also discusses the latest on spending negotiations. Democrats last week reintroduced the Paycheck Fairness Act, which...
Feb 04, 2019•17 min
Senate Republicans have no appetite for another government shutdown, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) told Bloomberg Government homeland security reporter Michaela Ross at BGOV's 2019 Hill Watch event on Jan. 30. He spoke about congressional budget negotiations and his plans for military cybersecurity as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Cybersecurity. Hear their conversation and questions from the live audience on this special episode of "Suspending the Rules." The event also inclu...
Feb 01, 2019•27 min
Democrats oppose linking the debt limit to the border debate. Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.), the new chairman of the House Budget Committee, outlined that position and Democratic priorities -- including on "Medicare for All" -- in an interview with Bloomberg Government budget and appropriations reporter Jack Fitzpatrick at BGOV's 2019 Hill Watch event on Jan. 30. This special episode of "Suspending the Rules" includes that conversation and the audience questions that followed. Following the intervie...
Jan 31, 2019•27 min
Congress could tackle a host of policy issues this year, once the spending fight is resolved, including infrastructure, tax, health care, climate, and more. Members of the Bloomberg Government legislative analyst team took the stage at BGOV's Hill Watch event on Jan. 30 to discuss the outlook for those issues. Hear their panel discussion, including audience questions, in this special episode of "Suspending the Rules." Earlier in the event, House Budget Chairman John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) and Senator M...
Jan 30, 2019•36 min
Congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump reached agreement to reopen the government until Feb. 15. On this episode of "Suspending the Rules" from Bloomberg Government, budget and appropriations reporter Jack Fitzpatrick and legislative analyst team lead Adam Schank discuss the prospects for full-year appropriations bills, the debate over border security, and the new dynamics of the spending fight. House and Senate committees will hold hearings this week on drug pricing, renewing a push...
Jan 28, 2019•13 min
The Senate will act on legislation to open the government, fund the border wall, and make changes to asylum and other immigration programs. Democrats have rejected that proposal and the House is planning votes on a separate funding package this week. Adam Schank and Michael Smallberg from the Bloomberg Government legislative analyst team discuss the state of play on this week's episode of "Suspending the Rules." In the second segment, Bloomberg Law labor policy reporter Tyrone Richardson and BGO...
Jan 22, 2019•13 min
Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) is the new top Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, assuming the mantle as his party moves into the minority. In this special episode of Bloomberg Government's "Suspending the Rules," transportation policy reporter Shaun Courtney sits down with Graves to break down his goals for the next two years and plans to work with new chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and the White House. This is the second of two special episodes focused on the Transpo...
Jan 15, 2019•11 min
The partial government shutdown that began Dec. 22 is now the longest in U.S. history. Bloomberg Government budget and appropriations reporter Jack Fitzpatrick discusses the impasse and options President Donald Trump has floated -- such as an emergency declaration to build a wall on the southern border –- that could lead to a solution. In the second segment, Fitzpatrick breaks down the reasons why the Senate hasn't taken up the House-passed spending bills, which are nearly identical to Senate bi...
Jan 14, 2019•14 min
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) has been elevated to chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee under the Democrats' new House majority. In this special episode of "Suspending the Rules," Bloomberg Government transportation policy reporter Shaun Courtney sits down with DeFazio to discuss his priorities and plans for the committee during the 116th Congress. This is the first of two special episodes focused on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. An interview with the new ...
Jan 11, 2019•14 min
House Democrats unveiled their first signature piece of legislation in the majority: H.R. 1, which would impose new ethics rules on federal officials, expand access to voting, and make changes to the campaign finance system. On this edition of "Suspending the Rules" from Bloomberg Government, legislative analysts Sarah Babbage and Michael Smallberg break down the bill and discuss the motives behind it, as well as its prospects. The House plans to take up two health-related bills this week, and t...
Jan 07, 2019•16 min
House Democrats unveiled a spending package that will be considered this week to end the partial government shutdown. On this episode of Bloomberg Government's "Suspending the Rules," deputy news director Loren Duggan breaks down the spending debate and the state of play of the shutdown as it nears the end of its second week. The spending fight could offer a preview of the forthcoming debate over federal debt limit, which is scheduled to come back into effect on March 19, and discretionary spend...
Jan 02, 2019•18 min
Funding for about one-quarter of the federal government -- including the Homeland Security, Treasury, and State departments, and the EPA -- will run out at midnight Friday unless a new spending deal is enacted before then. On this episode of "Suspending the Rules," Bloomberg Government budget and appropriations reporter Jack Fitzpatrick and deputy news director Loren Duggan look at the latest appropriations state of play. Last Friday, a federal court judge in Texas ruled that the Affordable Care...
Dec 17, 2018•15 min
Last week, lawmakers announced a deal to advance legislation to establish a national safety framework for self-driving cars. Almost immediately, one prominent group withdrew its support, causing its chances for passage to crash. This week on "Suspending the Rules," Bloomberg Government transportation policy reporter Shaun Courtney and legislative analyst Sarah Babbage discuss what's in the compromise and if it will get a green light this Congress. The House is scheduled to take up a handful of h...
Dec 10, 2018•15 min
After cancelling votes following the death of former President George H.W. Bush, Congress likely won't resume legislative business until Dec. 10. Topping the hefty to-do list will be finalizing the seven full-year spending bills that weren't completed before the fiscal year began on Oct. 1. On this week's episode of "Suspending the Rules," Bloomberg Government budget and appropriations reporter Jack Fitzpatrick and deputy news director Loren Duggan provide an update on Bush's funeral arrangement...
Dec 03, 2018•14 min
House Democrats will select their leaders for the 116th Congress in closed-door caucus elections on Wednesday. On this week's episode of Bloomberg Government's "Suspending the Rules," congressional reporter Katherine Scott discusses the state of play for speaker and other Democratic leadership races. The National Flood Insurance Program is scheduled to lapse on Friday, potentially roiling coastal real estate markets. In the second segment, BGOV legislative analyst Michael Smallberg explains the ...
Nov 26, 2018•14 min
A bipartisan group of senators unveiled a compromise criminal justice measure last week that would ease mandatory minimum sentencing rules and expand programs to curb recidivism. On this Thanksgiving week episode of "Suspending the Rules," Bloomberg Government legislative analysts Naoreen Chowdhury and Michael Smallberg break down the proposal and its chances of advancing during the lame-duck session. Also last week, the Senate passed a Coast Guard reauthorization measure after reaching a compro...
Nov 19, 2018•15 min
Congress returns to Washington this week following the midterm elections where Democrats won control of the House. On this week's episode of "Suspending the Rules," Bloomberg Government congressional reporter Katherine Scott and lobbying reporter Megan Wilson break down the House leadership races for the 116th Congress and what they'll mean for lobbyists on K Street. The House has 15 noncontroversial bills on its agenda this week, as well as a more divisive measure that would end protections for...
Nov 13, 2018•13 min
Congress will look very different when it gavels in next year with a new House Democratic Majority and an expanded Republican Senate. On this special post-election episode of "Suspending the Rules," our reporters and legislative analysts break down the implications of a divided Congress for a variety of key issues. In this episode: • Bloomberg Government senior congressional reporter Nancy Ognanovich dives into the election returns and dynamics in the new Congress. • Bloomberg Government health ...
Nov 07, 2018•31 min
Democrats are favored to take control of the House of Representatives, while Republicans are projected to retain their Senate majority. On this episode of "Suspending the Rules," Bloomberg Government Deputy News Director Loren Duggan and elections reporter Greg Giroux provide a final preview before voters go to the polls on Tuesday. The first segment focuses on key races in the House and what a Democratic majority would look like operationally and legislatively. The second segment hones in on th...
Nov 05, 2018•18 min
Sanctions on Iran's energy sector are slated to come back into effect on Nov. 5 after President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal. On this week's episode of "Suspending the Rules," Bloomberg Government Legislative Analyst Naoreen Chowdhury discuss the history of the deal negotiated by former President Barack Obama and what is covered by the returning sanctions. As Election Day approaches super PACs and outside groups are pouring money into tight races across the country. In the se...
Oct 29, 2018•13 min
