Insights: Policy

President Trump for the first time has expressed interest (subtly/modestly) in Republicans passing partisan reconciliation legislation after signaling disinterest multiple times over the last six months. In addition, Senate Majority Leader Thune (R-SD) expressed more overt openness to pursuing reconciliation legislation than he has previously....

Tech / Media / Telecom

Republican activity on AI regulation is moving to a more advanced stage. This week, Sen. Blackburn (R-TN) has introduced the TRUMP AMERICA AI Act, which would preempt state-level laws and impose a variety of federal regulations on industry. And today, the White House released its National Policy Framework for AI, which similarly envisions...

Highway Funding

Authorization for federal surface transportation programs (i.e., highway, transit, other spending), expires on 9/30. Various key players in Congress are formulating reauthorization legislation, generally known as a “highway bill.” House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee Chair Graves (R-MO) said this week that he is planning a...

Iran War Funding

The Pentagon is considering asking Congress for $200b to fund the Iran war, though it has not specified its request and War Secretary Hegseth has said the number could change. Democrats appear very reluctant to providing funding of that magnitude at the moment, so there is some consideration among Republicans of using the “reconciliation” process...

Iran War (Domestic Political Dynamic)

Despite the rise in energy prices as a result of the Iran war, the growing number of U.S. casualties, and the proliferation of the conflict to the broader Gulf region, support for President Trump’s actions has not deteriorated among voters who supported him in 2024, nor among Congressional Republicans. Meanwhile, Democrats remain highly critical...

At their recent annual planning retreat, House Republican leaders—including Speaker Johnson (R-LA) and House Budget Chair Arrington (R-TX)—signaled their intent to pursue another partisan reconciliation bill before the midterm elections. As a reminder, reconciliation is a legislative process that allows tax and spending bills to pass with a...