Business Focus Washington from

Trump’s Job-Creation Promise Faces Challenge in Automotive Sector

June 23, 2017 Focus Washington

Promises made on the part of President Donald Trump to revive the struggling manufacturing industry, face new headwinds as the automotive sector announced thousands of new layoffs. The downsizing comes as the auto industry faces declining […]

Follow

Trump Sparks Rush of NAFTA Lobbying

June 21, 2017 Focus Washington

Lobbyists are preparing for the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a sweeping trade pact of critical importance to the United States, Canada and Mexico. Officials from the three nations are set […]

Follow

Mercuria’s Graduates Join Trump to Announce Workforce Development Initiative

June 17, 2017 Focus Washington

Graduates from Mercuria Energy’s apprenticeship program joined President Donald Trump Friday at the White House to emphasize the importance of workforce development in the United States. President Trump discussed plans to combat the skills gap […]

Follow

Congressional Democrats Sue Trump over Foreign Business Dealings

June 14, 2017 Focus Washington

Democratic members of Congress on Wednesday sued President Donald Trump in federal court, claiming he had violated the emoluments clause of the Constitution by accepting foreign funds through the Trump business, without Congressional approval, The […]

Follow

Treasury Secretary Says U.S. Government Can Pay Debts through Early September

June 13, 2017 Focus Washington

The U.S. government will be able to keep paying its debts through at least the beginning of September, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told a House panel on Monday, The Hill reports. Mnuchin did not give […]

Follow

Tennessee Becomes First State to Offer Free Community College for All Adults

June 12, 2017 Focus Washington

Tennessee has become the first U.S. state to offer tuition-free community college to all adults. Those who do not possess an associate or bachelor’s degree, can enroll for free starting in the 2018 fall semester. […]

Follow

D.C., Maryland Officials to File “Major Lawsuit” against Trump

June 12, 2017 Focus Washington

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and his D.C. colleague, Karl Racine on Sunday stated that they will file a “major lawsuit” against President Donald Trump. Although, they didn’t disclose the content of the lawsuit, they […]

Follow

FDA Wants Drugmaker to Remove Powerful Opioid Off the Market

June 9, 2017 Focus Washington

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested Thursday that the drugmaker Endo Pharmaceuticals stop selling Opana ER, which is the first time the agency has taken steps to remove an opioid from the market because […]

Follow

Democrats Urge Investigation into GOP ‘Stock Trading Scandal’

June 9, 2017 Focus Washington

A top Democrat on the House Rules Committee is calling for multiple federal investigations into a report that Republican representative Chris Collins told GOP lawmakers they could make lots of money by investing early in […]

Follow

Privacy Laws Block Trump Finance Disclosures, Deutsche Bank Says

June 9, 2017 Focus Washington

Deutsche Bank says that U.S. privacy laws prevent it from revealing details about President Donald Trump’s finances and his potential ties to Russia, The Hill reports. Five House Financial Services Committee Democrats sent a letter […]

Follow

Trump Administration May Restrict Reviews that Could Impede Infrastructure Plan

June 8, 2017 Focus Washington

The Trump administration may restrict the length of environmental reviews as part of efforts to streamline the approval process in the $1 trillion infrastructure package, The Hill reports. Speaking at a Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) […]

Follow

U.S. State Department Approves $1.4 Billion Military Sale to Saudi Arabia

June 7, 2017 Focus Washington

The U.S. State Department approved the sale of $1.4 billion in military training and equipment to Saudi Arabia as part of a larger arms deal signed by President Donald Trump in May, the Pentagon announced […]

Follow

Ethics Office Won’t Investigate Trump on Business Earnings

June 7, 2017 Focus Washington

The Office of Government Ethics (OGE) won’t investigate whether President Donald Trump’s business dealings violate a constitutional provision, limiting a president’s income to their official salary. OGE Director Walter Shaub said in a Monday letter […]

Follow

US Vice President Urges Congress to Adopt ObamaCare Replacement Bill

June 5, 2017 Focus Washington

US Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday urged the Republican-controlled Congress to adopt the ObamaCare replacement bill and to quickly move on to tax cuts, Reuters reports. Just days before lawmakers return to Washington amid […]

Follow

Trump Faces Increased Costs over Nuclear Arsenal Overhaul

June 5, 2017 Focus Washington

Trump’s cabinet is set to decide whether it will continue a 30-year, $1 trillion program to remake America’s atomic weapons, as well as its bombers, submarines and land-based missiles. The newly elected US President has […]

Follow

White House to Activate $1 Trillion Infrastructure Plan in Upcoming Week

June 5, 2017 Focus Washington

The White House is set to ramp up infrastructure efforts next week, to show progress on the $1 trillion rebuilding package, which President Donald Trump broadly outlined in his budget proposal last week, The Hill […]

Follow

States Struggle to Prevent Insurers Leaving amid ObamaCare Uncertainty

June 5, 2017 Focus Washington

Insurance commissioners are struggling to retain insurers by offering new flexibilities amid uncertainty over ObamaCare’s future. Insurers are pleading for certainty from Washington, expecting reassurance of any kind that they will continue to receive cost-sharing […]

Follow

Trump Administration to Announce Plan For Privatization of Air-Traffic Control

June 5, 2017 Focus Washington

The Trump administration is set to introduce a plan to privatize the air traffic control functions of the Federal Aviation Administration, as a part of wider infrastructure reforms. US Head of State Donald Trump will […]

Follow

US Unemployment Rate Notes 4.3 Percent Fall

June 4, 2017 Focus Washington

The U.S. economy added 138,000 jobs last month, the Department of Labor said Friday, with the unemployment rate now being 4.3 percent, Politico reports. Additionally, the average hourly wage grew by 0.2 percent, climbing 2.5 […]

Follow

White House Budget Chief Mulvaney Apologizes to CBO Analyst

June 3, 2017 Focus Washington

White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney apologized Friday to a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analyst, stating that his criticism of the group should have targeted the director, because as he said “it is the Director […]

Follow

Coal Country: A Dying Land

April 6, 2017 Focus Washington

By Chuck Conconi When President Trump, surrounded by representatives of the coal mining industry, signed his photo-op executive order cutting President Obama’s environmental regulations that had impacted the industry, he boasted: “My action today is […]

Follow

Braeburn Pharmaceutical’s President and CEO Discusses NC’s HB2 and Planned Facility

May 20, 2016 Focus Washington

On this segment of Focus Washington, Chuck Conconi interviews President and CEO of Braeburn Pharmaceuticals, Behshad Sheldon, about the New Jersey based company’s intention to proceed with plans to develop a manufacturing and research facility in Durham […]

Follow

The Fiscal Equivalent of Chutzpah

May 6, 2016 Focus Washington

Is the country’s budget process broken? Stan Collender sits down with Chuck Conconi on this week’s episode of Focus Washington to discuss the ins and outs of the budget process and prospects for compromise under […]

Follow

Ukraine’s National Bank Makes the Federal Reserve Seem Saintly

February 22, 2016 Focus Washington

By Stan Collender Many members of the U.S. House and Senate have complained long and hard about what they say is an out-of-control Federal Reserve Bank. They protested when the Fed took what they considered […]

Follow

Stan Collender Talks Shutdown, the Future, and More

October 5, 2015 Focus Washington

Chuck Conconi is back this week with a new episode of Focus Washington! His guest is budget expert Stan Collender, lending his insights into the continuing resolution, the effects of a shutdown, and giving his […]

Follow

Economic Stimulus and Environmental Laws

November 26, 2008 Focus Washington

I asked David Weinberg, a partner and the chair of the environment and safety practice at the Washington law firm of Wiley Rein, to discuss how the Obama Administrations economic stimulus package could clash with […]

Follow

Jim Wilson, Partner at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease

November 24, 2008 Focus Washington

Jim Wilson, Partner at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, today discussed with me the potential changes to antitrust law in the upcoming Obama administration.

Follow