On The Hill

Lighthizer on Capitol Hill   U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer will testify on Wednesday (Jun. 17) before the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees. Lighthizer will discuss the Trump administration’s 2020 trade agenda.   To view the hearing advisory, click here.   To view the hearing details/video, click here.   Earlier this week, Lighthizer…

Digital Tax   On Thursday (Jun. 11), French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the U.S. was the only country obstructing a deal on an international digital services tax (DST).   “The last state to block an OECD agreement on digital taxation is the United States. All the others have rallied around (the OECD) proposal,”…

White House Executive Order   On Thursday evening (Jun. 4), the White House released a new executive order that invokes emergency powers to accelerate and waive the environmental review of some infrastructure and energy projects.   The order directs federal officials to waive environmental review for infrastructure projects like pipelines and highways by using emergency…

HHS Updates   ASPR Awards $250M to Providers: On Tuesday (Jun. 2), the HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) announced an additional $250 million for health care systems responding to the coronavirus pandemic. The funding will be used to support hospitals and other health care entities to train workforces, expand telemedicine and the use…

Section 301 Investigation Into Digital Services Taxes   On Tuesday (Jun. 2), the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced it will initiate Section 301 investigations into digital services taxes being considered by 10 U.S. trading partners.   According to a Federal Register Notice, digital services taxes (DST) being imposed or considered by the…

Paycheck Protection Program   On Wednesday (Jun. 3), the Senate passed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 by unanimous consent. The House passed the legislation 417-1 last week. The bill will give businesses 24 weeks to use the funds, only require 60 percent to be spent on payroll to qualify for full loan…

HEROES Act   On Friday (May 15), the House of Representatives will vote on Democrat’s $3 trillion coronavirus economic rescue plan, the HEROES Act. “We must think big for the people now because if we don’t it will cost more in lives and livelihood later,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said at the announcement.  …

House Dems Unveil ‘HEROES Act’   On Tuesday (May 12), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) released the ‘Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act’. The $3 trillion recovery package would provide additional relief for healthcare providers and more funding to ramp up testing, contract tracing, and surveillance programs. Additionally, the HEROES Act includes:…

“Buy American” Updates   The Trump administration is preparing an executive order that would require certain essential drugs and medical treatments to be made in the U.S. The draft order is still in preliminary stages and has not been signed off by the president.   “It is critical that we reduce our dependence on foreign…

Tax Credits Included House Dems ‘HEROES’ Act   The ‘Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions’ (HEROES) Act was introduced by House Democrats on Tuesday (May 12). The legislation calls for another round of $1,200 stimulus checks per single taxpayer and an additional $1,200 per dependent for up to three dependents. It would also expand…