Eye on Congress

CQ banking reporter Doug Sword explains the state of play as Republicans (and some Democrats) try to relax banking regulations enacted during the Obama administration to safeguard against a repeat of the 2008 financial meltdown.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CQ trade reporter Ellyn Ferguson and defense reporter John M. Donnelly spell out the risks posed by President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and his agreement to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adm. Michael Rogers, the head of U.S. Cyber Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee this week that the Defense Department believes Russia will target state election systems, which tally the votes, during the 2018 election. But CQ cybersecurity reporter Gopal Ratnam says that neither Congress, nor the Trump administration, has done anything to help states shore up their defenses.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Avery Gardiner, co-president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, wants Congress to toughen background checks, but not if it also means shielding more gun sellers from liability lawsuits.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congress' budget deal gives the Pentagon the money it says it needs to deter the world's other great powers. CQ defense reporter Andrew Clevenger and Mandy Smithberger of the Project on Government Oversight discuss lawmakers' reasoning in approving the funds.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bob Bixby, executive director of The Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan group that encourages fiscal responsibility in Washington, explains how Congress' adoption of the deficit-busting budget deal could affect the overall economy and why cutting entitlements may pose a problem for the GOP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump says he wants a $1.5 trillion to rebuild America's roads, bridges and other infrastructure, but differences over how to pay for it could prevent his ambitious plan from getting off the ground. CQ transportation reporter Jacob Fischler and budget editor Peter Cohn explain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CQ trade reporter Ellyn Ferguson looks at whether President Donald Trump will impose more tariffs and withdraw from more international trade agreements in 2018, or pursue a more moderate path. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congress disregarded concerns about government surveillance of Americans and on Jan. 18 reauthorized a controversial anti-terrorism law. CQ cybersecurity editor Patrick Pexton explains how the security hawks beat the civil libertarians — energized by the 2013 revelations from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CQ immigration reporters Camila DeChalus and Dean DeChiaro dig into the complications of finding an agreement to safeguard immigrants with special protections while funding a border wall demanded by the Trump administration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Week Ahead Podcast is now CQ on Congress. New look but same great show.    CQ Senate reporter, Niels Lesniewski, says the Senate Republican majority, now just one seat, will struggle to pass legislation and confirm judges in 2018.       Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roll Call political reporters Bridget Bowman and Simone Pathé dissect the political landscape in 2018 when all 435 House seats and 34 in the Senate are up for grabs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Internet service providers say they'd like Congress to pass a law mandating net neutrality now that the Federal Communications Commission has rescinded the rule requiring them to abide by it. But the providers also want Congress to exempt them from broader FCC regulation, says Rick Boucher, a former Democratic representative who now works for the industry. CQ reporter Alan Ota says such a measure faces a tough road on Capitol Hill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jamie Tucker of Independent Sector, which represents charities from The Red Cross to the Salvation Army, says the GOP tax bill could reduce charitable giving by as much as $20 billion and force charities to lay off hundreds of thousands of employees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CQ foreign policy reporter Rachel Oswald and defense editor Patrick  B. Pexton discuss the turmoil at the State Department and what Congress can do about it.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Millennials are the largest living generation and are just starting their careers, so the GOP's tax plan would affect them all of their working lives. They're concerned about the proposed changes to the tax treatment of housing, education, healthcare and income,  says CQ reporter Laura Weiss.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roll Call reporters Lindsey McPherson and Niels Lesniewski, who cover the House and Senate, walk us through the hurdles that Republicans have to overcome to pass the legislation.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rachelle Bernstein of the National Retail Federation and a long time voice on tax policy around Capitol Hill explains what businesses, large and small, are looking for in the tax overhaul and the lessons learned from the Bush-era tax cuts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a special episode of The Week Ahead and Budget Tracker Extra podcasts, CQ journalists Shawn Zeller, David Lerman and Peter Cohn take a deep dive into the new tax bill and explain what it would mean for corporations, small businesses and individuals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A bipartisan cast of lawmakers, including Sen. Ron Wyden, plan to curtail the government's surveillance powers that must be renewed by the end of the year, says CQ intelligence reporter Gopal Ratnam.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices