Insights | Meridian Research Group | Page 16

Macro, Tech / Media / Telecom

CHIPS Act & Semiconductor Tax Credits

During President Trump’s speech to Congress this week, he was highly critical of the CHIPS Act and said Congress should get rid of it and whatever funding is left over. He implied that the funding hasn’t had an impact on investment/jobs in the U.S. and contrasted it with tariffs, which he suggested has caused firms like TSMC to make substantial...

Mergers & Acquisitions

Schlumberger/ChampionX

While we continue to expect the proposed merger will close, recent developments raise some concern that deal consummation is at risk and could be delayed past early-Q2. Recent feedback from industry participants (who are not involved in the merger) suggests the NCA’s concerns with the deal’s impact on the North Sea production chemicals market may...

HHS Rulemaking Process

Late last week, the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) rescinded a 1970’s memo, referred to as the “Richardson Waiver,” under which the agency agreed to (1) follow the notice-and-comment rulemaking process for rules related to “agency management or personnel or to public property, loans, grants, benefits, or contracts” and (2) sparingly...

Medicare Extenders

Republican Congressional and committee leaders are working to develop a “continuing resolution” (CR) to extend FY25 funding/appropriations beyond the current 3/14 deadline. Lawmakers are jockeying to have their preferred “riders” (provisions extraneous to ordinary annual government funding) added to that measure and in recent days, Rep. Murphy...

The Republican leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committee (Rep. Cole (R-OK), Sen. Collins (R-ME)) are now developing two different “continuing resolutions (CRs)" to extend FY25 funding/“appropriations" beyond the current 3/14 deadline. One would extend funding at current levels for one month and provide time to finish negotiations...

President Trump decided to put in place 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada (10% for Canadian energy imports) that had been paused since for the last month, and he imposed an additional 10% tariff on Chinese imports. The White House fact sheet announcing the tariffs primarily focuses on fentanyl shipments as the rationale for taking...