In The Hill, Arshi Siddiqui and Brendan Dunn Write Bipartisanship Is a Possibility for New Congress

November 14, 2018

Reading Time : 1 min

Contact:

Jacinta O'Shea-Ramdeholl

Director of Communications

Sarah Richmond

Senior Communications Manager

The Hill has published illthe article “Despite a divided government, the next Congress will provide opportunities for cooperation,” written by Akin Gump public law and policy partners Arshi Siddiqui and Brendan Dunn. The article questions whether Democrats and Republicans can move past this month’s midterm elections “and find common policy ground for the brief period before the 2020 election season begins in earnest.”

As former leadership staffers on Capitol Hill who have served during divided government, Siddiqui and Dunn write that House Democrats will have to balance “fulfilling their calls for greater transparency and accountability as a check on the administration, while also moving the dial on pressing policy priorities, such as health care, infrastructure and retirement security.” The authors say they expect potential investigations of private sector entities “that have either benefitted from regulatory decisions by the administration or that do significant business with the federal government.” They also expect Democrats, especially newly elected members, to conduct a thorough review of the Affordable Care Act.

Siddiqui and Dunn expect judicial nominations to remain a top priority in the Senate where Republications will still be in the majority. Given the pressure that these and other nominations put on the floor schedule, “additional changes to rules governing the Senate’s executive calendar might be considered,” they write.

As for where there might be some common ground, Siddiqui and Dunn suggest several areas, including drug pricing, infrastructure and data privacy. While it may not be “easy sledding,” they conclude, “the window for legislation is open, even if only for a while.”

Share This Insight

Related Services, Sectors, and Regions

© 2024 Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. All rights reserved. Attorney advertising. This document is distributed for informational use only; it does not constitute legal advice and should not be used as such. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Akin is the practicing name of Akin Gump LLP, a New York limited liability partnership authorized and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under number 267321. A list of the partners is available for inspection at Eighth Floor, Ten Bishops Square, London E1 6EG. For more information about Akin Gump LLP, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and other associated entities under which the Akin Gump network operates worldwide, please see our Legal Notices page.