Insights: Policy

Russia-related Tariffs/Sanctions

President Trump has said he would be “ok” with Congress passing legislation that would allow the U.S. to impose tariffs up to 500% on countries that buy Russian energy. Trump suggested that Congress should alter the legislation so that it applies to Iran as well. White House officials reiterated that Trump will support the bill if it is changed...

Mexico/Canada Trade (USMCA)

USTR recently collected comments on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) Free Trade Agreement review, with various stakeholders calling for changes to the agreement that provide insight into issues that will arise in eventual negotiations. The official USMCA review will begin next July. Meanwhile, the U.S. recently extended for “a few weeks” a trade...

Energy, Tech / Media / Telecom

Data Centers/Energy Usage

The increasingly visible rise in electricity prices was a prominent issue in last week’s elections in GA, NJ, and VA. Electricity costs are among a multitude of issues that relate to broader voter concern about the cost of living/affordability, which is increasingly dominating the policy dialogue at both the state and federal level. As a result,...

Stimulus Checks

President Trump posted yesterday that a “dividend” of $2k will be provided to individuals (not including “high income people”). He implied this would be financed via tariff revenue. Secretary Bessent said that he has not spoken to Trump about the idea and that tariff revenue is being used to reduce the deficit. Legislation must be enacted in...

Healthcare, Macro

Government Shutdown, ACA

The Senate last night passed a procedural motion 60-to-40 that will allow for a vote in the coming days on legislation to end the government shutdown. The motion passed with the support of eight Democratic Senators. The legislation includes a “continuing resolution (CR)” to fund the government through 1/30/26, three full-year FY26 appropriations...

340B Drug Discount Program

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) announced it has approved eight drugmakers for participation in the 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program. The model – which will start January 1, 2026, and run for at least a year – will allow drugmakers to provide 340B-discounted drug prices using a rebate...