This past week has seen a fast and furious array of announcements impacting the functioning of numerous agencies, and in some cases, court decisions countermanding those orders.  We will attempt to itemize and unpack these updates.

President Trump announced tariffs against Canada and Mexico (25%) and China (10%) over the weekend, triggering a tumble in the stock market and a range of strong reactions from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.  Democrats were quick to contrast the tariffs with Trump’s claim that he would lower grocery prices. 

Last week saw the certification of the 2024 election results and the finalizing of most Committee rosters.  Operations in Washington also paused last week for the ceremonies honoring the late President Jimmy Carter, who, at 100 years of age, was the oldest of all U.S. presidents.

In what is now the last week of scheduled session, negotiators are working to reach a government funding agreement before the expiration of funds later this week.  House Republican Steering named Committee leaders last week, and cabinet nominees for the upcoming Trump Administration 2.0 are making the rounds in the Senate this week.

CNBC unlocks the story behind Salt Lake City’s booming banking industry. The city’s exceptional growth in finance can be traced back to an early catalyst: industrial banking.

We are well into the end-of-the-year scramble, with lawmakers working through negotiations on the few (in number) but significant packages yet to be passed.  Chairmen Patrick McHenry (R-NC) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) are both preparing to leave their respective chambers and turn over their committees to new leadership. 

After a weeklong recess for Thanksgiving, Congress returns this week in hopes of tackling the few remaining must-pass items before the end of the year.

Lawmakers failed to move forward with a spending deal last week, so will return this week still working to provide funding continuity when appropriations expire at the end of the month.  Meanwhile, a second failed assassination attempt against President Trump took place yesterday in West Palm Beach.

This is the first week in a little while without life-altering political news, and we will count that as a win. The reprieve has given us time to focus on the things that matter, like reading up on the latest in El Chapo news.  For those Narcos: Mexico fans among us, the cast of characters is familiar. 

Once again, we are writing to you in objectively extraordinary times. We won’t spend too much time belaboring what has certainly permeated everyone’s awareness by now, but will simply say that the political world was shaken for a second week in a row with President Biden’s decision to withdraw from the Democratic ticket and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.

We enter this week in what is seemingly a new era of politics, altered permanently by the assassination attempt on former President and current presidential candidate Donald Trump. Amid the shock and outrage expressed across the political spectrum, we are certain that every aspect of this election landscape has shifted.