Director’s Desk
Kristin Nicholson | October 3, 2019
Dear Friends,
This last week has brought with it a whirlwind of activity. While we always have an eye on the federal appropriations process and how it affects your agencies, the fact that a Continuing Resolution was passed, as predicted by our last newsletter, got virtually no bandwith. The federal government is now funded through November 21, but all eyes are on impeachment, as each day has brought significant revelations and congressional reactions. Our team at GAI has put together a “Congress, Two Beers In” podcast on impeachment with congressional expert Colleen Shogan last Friday, also covering bipartisanship and women’s suffrage. Senior Fellow Matt Glassman has taken up the topic consuming us all in this week’s newsletter.
While the Ukraine story dominates the headlines, Congress is able to focus on less, especially as the 2020 race heats up. In addition to the Presidential contenders, whose views on everything from gun control to health care to their own October 15th debate get attention, we should be thinking about what 2020 means for Congress. There have been a string of retirements announced, particularly for Republicans. These can be significant in a number of ways, from committee composition, like the House Armed Services Committee losing its top Republican, who would have lost his position on the committee owing to the GOP’s six-year limit on holding committee leadership. A number of Senate committee chairs are retiring, including Lamar Alexander, who close watchers of Congress often note for his seriousness and bipartisan working relationship with Democrat Patty Murray. Some look to predictors of party fortunes, as the bulk of these have been Republican retirements, or changing dynamics in states, as many are Texan, including Will Hurd.
As always, we at GAI are here to help you figure it all out. We’ve got some great fall programming coming up on advanced topics such as the budget as well as the legislative process. Of course, let us know if we can more narrowly tailor a course for your team.
Best wishes,
Kristin
Categories: Director's Desk, Media Center, Updates