Insights

Washington – May 1, 2023: Aaron Cummings, former chief of staff to Republican U.S. Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the most senior member of the U.S. Senate, has joined Crowell & Moring to serve as co-chair of the firm’s bipartisan Government Affairs Group with partner Jim Flood, former Counsel to Sen. Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY). 

Washington – December 15, 2020: The Hill named Jim Flood and Scott Douglas as two of the “Top Lobbyists of 2020.” The list recognizes individuals who “stand out for delivering results for their clients in the halls of Congress and in the administration.” In what has been a uniquely challenging year for influencers, the list features “the people who wielded their clout and knowledge most effectively for their clients.”

Washington, D.C. – January 12, 2015: Crowell & Moring LLP is pleased to announce the arrival of James G. Flood as a partner and W. Scott Douglas as a senior policy director to the firm's Government Affairs and Health Care groups. With strong government relations and legal experience, Flood is a former counsel to Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and will chair Crowell & Moring's Government Affairs Group, and Douglas is the former finance director for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). The bi-partisan duo joins the firm from Omnicare, Inc., where Flood served as vice president, government affairs, and Douglas served as senior director, government affairs.

After weeks of tense negotiation between the White House and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the Fiscal Responsibility Act, H.R. 3746 (the Act) has passed both chambers of the U.S. Congress and awaits President Biden’s signature. The compromise agreement pairs a two-year suspension of the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling (through January 1, 2025) with cuts in federal spending. The agreement automatically reinstates the debt limit to the amount of debt outstanding on January 2, 2025; defense and nondefense discretionary spending would be subject to caps — allowing for certain exceptions — which would be enforced by sequestration. The legislation also makes several policy changes, including: a rescission of a portion of funds provided to the IRS in the Inflation Reduction Act that cover enforcement activities through 2031; a rescission of $27 billion of budget authority from a broad collection of accounts related to the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic; an overhaul of permitting reviews for energy projects; and higher age limits for work requirements on certain federal safety net programs. The legislation also codifies pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) requirements for the executive branch. The agreement, in large part, averts significant cuts to federal spending and preserves President Biden’s key climate, infrastructure and health priorities enacted in the first two years of his administration.

On March 9, 2023, President Biden released his fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget request outlining the administration’s priorities, including a nearly 10 percent increase in discretionary spending over the current enacted funding levels. The President’s budget requests a total of $6.9 trillion federal spending for FY 2024. Of this amount, $4.2 trillion would be in mandatory spending and $1.9 trillion would be in discretionary spending. Defense spending would receive an approximately 3 percent increase from FY 2023 for a total of $885 billion in discretionary spending, while non-defense spending would receive a nearly 4 percent increase from FY 2023 levels for a total of $1.02 trillion in FY 2024. The President’s budget request proposes a 7 percent increase over current non-defense spending level and tax increases among other proposed revenue raisers designed to lower the national deficit by $3 trillion over the next 10 years. 

With the midterm elections (mostly) behind us (Republicans won a narrow House of Representatives majority, and Democrats will retain their slim Senate majority), Congress will return to Washington next week to tackle a list of must-pass items before the conclusion of the 117th Congress. Topping the must-do list in this period referred to as the “lame duck” session is funding the government for the remainder of fiscal year 2023 before the current continuing resolution (CR) expires on December 16 and passing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual defense policy bill. Many other issues are likely to be taken up in what is expected to be a very active end of the 117thCongress. In addition to these legislative priorities, the Senate will likely pass the annual tax extenders bill, try to fit in a few other priority bills that have waited all year or are time sensitive, and continue to process federal judicial nominations and agency appointments that need Senate confirmation.

Crowell & Moring’s Tax Group invites you to join us for the 37th Annual Managing Tax Audits and Appeals. The seminar will provide an overview of everything you need to know about recent developments and hot topics in tax, from planning through litigation, including perspectives from the IRS.

On Tuesday, April 5, 2020 at 3 p.m. Eastern, Ken Dodds of Live Oak Bank, a leading SBA lender, will join Crowell & Moring attorneys and policy advisors in a webinar addressing the CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).  Just over a week after the creation of this lifeline small business loan platform, the webinar will address updates to program eligibility, the current SBA Form 2483 borrower application, and loan calculations and forgiveness based on the SBA’s interim final rules and guidance that have been issued in the past week. 

Crowell & Moring will host the 2017 Diesel Technology Forum and Truck & Engine Manufacturers Association Fall Meeting. This meeting will gather government regulators, stakeholders and leaders in clean diesel technology and regulation.

With the midterm elections (mostly) behind us, Congress is working through a list of must-pass items in the remaining days of the 117th Congress. Heading into the new divided Congress in 2023, with the narrowest Senate majority and House leadership not yet decided, we anticipate a move away from the Speaker-dominant House leadership model with small factions and individual members trying to exert influence over the agenda. We will discuss how razor-thin margins in both Congressional Chambers sets up a dynamic whereby President Biden and both parties in Congress will be motivated to find some common ground on legislation during the lame duck session and in the next two years. We will also provide insights into some key committees and issues that will be top priorities in the next Congress.

Join us for this year’s Health Care Ounce of Prevention Seminar (HOOPS), a webinar series where our experienced practitioners will provide insight into a number of exciting topics. This year’s seminar will focus on topics such as Remote Health Care and Telemedicine, Mental Health Parity, Health Care Litigation, and Health Care Trends for 2022. 

The current administration is focused on proposing large shifts in tax law that will affect corporate and individual taxpayers, paired with $80 billion to boost the IRS enforcement efforts. Join us to hear about all aspects of Biden’s tax agenda, from legislative proposals in the American Families and Made in America Tax Plan, to Biden’s enforcement initiatives.

In this episode, Joe Records and Payal Nanavati talk to Scott Douglas and Charlotte Freed about the mental health provisions in the federal gun safety legislation. The new law included billions in federal funds to support mental health care—a huge investment likely to have major impacts on the industry.