“Both President Donald Trump and the Democratic Party have plumbed their disapproval ratings recently. While the GOP’s midterm electoral fortunes are likely tied to the success of the president’s governing agenda, Democrats...more
7/30/2025
/ Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Donald Trump ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Candidates ,
Political Parties ,
Presidential Elections ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Stablecoins ,
State Elections ,
The GENIUS Act
The Cozen Lens -
• The federal debt has grown dramatically in recent years, with both parties pursuing significant deficit spending, the impacts of which will likely not be fully clear for several years.
• President Donald...more
7/22/2025
/ CARES Act ,
Debt ,
Deficit Reduction ,
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) ,
Federal Budget ,
Fraud Abuse and Waste ,
Government Efficiency ,
Legislative Agendas ,
One Big Beautiful Bill Act ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Parties ,
Populism ,
Presidential Elections ,
Spending Cuts ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration
“Elon Musk is the richest man in the world and has repeatedly defied naysayers in accomplishing what was deemed impossible. But even for Musk, establishing a viable and sustainable third political party to rival the GOP and...more
7/16/2025
/ Economic Development ,
Elon Musk ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
One Big Beautiful Bill Act ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Parties ,
Presidential Elections ,
Public Policy ,
Tariffs ,
Third-Party ,
Trade Policy ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies
“While the financial markets have become comfortable with dismissing the tail risks associated with the president’s boldest policy proposals, President Trump has successfully enacted ambitious policy proposals, albeit perhaps...more
6/4/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Clean Energy ,
Energy Policy ,
Federal Budget ,
Government Agencies ,
International Trade ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Nuclear Power ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration
“The Trump administration’s shock and awe campaign over the president’s first months back in the Oval Office has caused a spike in uncertainty for the economy and the private sector. It is still possible though to classify...more
5/21/2025
/ Federal Budget ,
Government Agencies ,
Healthcare Reform ,
International Trade ,
Legislative Agendas ,
OMB ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Reform ,
Trade Policy ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies
The Cozen Lens -
•President Trump relies on his worldview and instincts when it comes to tariff policy, creating a regime where winners and losers will be heavily driven by his own perceptions and preferences.
•GOP...more
“President Trump's reciprocal tariffs have introduced significant uncertainty into the economy. The one certainty though is that Trump loves tariffs and they will therefore likely continue to play a central role in his...more
4/9/2025
/ Healthcare ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Retaliatory Tariffs ,
Section 232 ,
Section 301 ,
Semiconductors ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Reform ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies
“Despite the myriad factions among congressional Republicans, President Donald Trump has for the most part imposed his will on GOP lawmakers. He is now shifting his focus to the independent judiciary.” — Howard Schweitzer,...more
4/1/2025
/ Constitutional Challenges ,
Debt Ceiling ,
Federal Budget ,
Fraud Abuse and Waste ,
Government Agencies ,
Government Efficiency ,
Judicial Authority ,
Legislative Agendas ,
OMB ,
Proposed Legislation ,
SCOTUS ,
Social Security ,
Trump Administration
"Democrats are struggling with how and when to resist President Donald Trump’s agenda. And it doesn’t help their cause that Trump is unifying the House GOP’s own notoriously fractious caucus.” — Howard Schweitzer, CEO, Cozen...more
3/26/2025
/ Debt ,
Federal Budget ,
Federal Funding ,
Federal Reserve ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Political Candidates ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration
“While the Trump administration continues to implement its executive agenda at a breakneck pace, congressional Republicans are literally forced to deal with consensus by committee to realize their legislative agenda.” —...more
2/19/2025
/ Congressional Committees ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Federal Budget ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Reconciliation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration
“President-elect Trump is quickly centralizing power in the White House and looking to install loyalists in Cabinet agencies with the goal of avoiding the internal dissension that at times plagued his first administration.”...more
The Cozen Lens-
· The second Trump term will be very different from the first. President-elect Trump and his team will enter office more prepared to enact much of their agenda through an aggressive expansion of executive...more
The Cozen Lens - While it’s becoming ever clearer Vice President Harris is likely to be the Democratic nominee following President Biden’s decision to step aside, it’s less clear what the impact will be on the presidential...more
7/24/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Biden Administration ,
Biologics ,
Biosimilars ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Donald Trump ,
Drug Pricing ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Homeowners ,
Housing Market ,
Incentives ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Joe Biden ,
Kamala Harris ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicare ,
Mortgages ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Political Campaigns ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Presidential Elections ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Policy ,
Real Estate Market ,
Tax Credits
The Cozen Lens -
•If either party sweeps control of the federal government in November, pressure will be high to reform the filibuster.
•The embrace of populism among Democrats and Republicans has made antitrust...more
6/18/2024
/ Antitrust Violations ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Big Tech ,
Budget Reconciliation ,
Congressional Budget Office ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Donald Trump ,
Joe Biden ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Political Parties ,
Presidential Elections ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
The Cozen Lens -
•Republican leadership is outlining an ambitious legislative agenda if the GOP gains control of the White House and both chambers of Congress in November.
•Despite House Republicans’ efforts to pass their...more
The Cozen Lens-
•As bipartisanship wanes, forced compromise remains an essential component of governance in Washington, DC. -
•Dealmaking activity is up, but antitrust enforcement is also expected to increase as growing...more
3/20/2024
/ Antitrust Division ,
Banks ,
Biden Administration ,
Credit Card Act ,
Credit Ratings ,
Debit and Credit Card Transactions ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Budget ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Legislative Process ,
Speaker of the House
The Cozen Lens-
• The Senate has historically portrayed itself as the adults in the room compared to the House. Senate Republican fissures, however, threaten this historical dichotomy.
• House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA)...more
In today's special 7th anniversary episode, Michael Schmidt brings back his inaugural and annual guest, Howard Schweitzer, to discuss the current state of politics in this election year and the impact on employers....more
The Cozen Lens-
• House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is out to prove that his ungovernable caucus is capable of governing.
• Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan and Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Jonathan...more
The Cozen Lens-
• The election of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has set off a fight within the House Republican conference as members from different factions jockey to become the affable new speaker’s influential...more
The Cozen Lens-
• The fight over the House speakership reveals how the combination of House Republicans’ narrow majority and fractious conference prevents them from accomplishing much for the remainder of 2023.
• The...more
10/25/2023
/ Electric Vehicles ,
Hamas ,
Highway Trust Fund ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Israel ,
Joe Biden ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Political Parties ,
Registration Fees ,
Speaker of the House ,
Tax Credits ,
Terrorist Acts
The Cozen Lens-
• The disarray in the House GOP conference has political benefits for Democrats, at least in the short term, but it could also have a significant impact on FY24 discretionary spending, which could result in...more
10/12/2023
/ Donald Trump ,
Gas Prices ,
Joe Biden ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Mortgages ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Parties ,
Presidential Elections ,
Price Inflation ,
Speaker of the House ,
Strike ,
UAW
The Cozen Lens-
•There remains high bipartisan interest in creating a regulatory framework for digital assets in the US as both the House Financial Services Committee and House Agriculture Committee intend to mark up a...more
7/13/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Data Privacy ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Services Committee ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Proxy Voting ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stablecoins
After a dramatic few months, the latest debt ceiling saga underscores how leadership on both sides of the aisle can navigate the partisan divide notwithstanding the high level of polarization that has become endemic in the...more
The Cozen Lens-
•Despite the legal jeopardy arising from former President Trump’s historic indictment, it looks like it could be a political boon for him, at least in the near term. But the longer-term implications on his...more