Insider Insights: 100 Days of Biden

History was made in more ways than one when the new administration officially moved into the White House in January. With the election of Joe Biden as president, the U.S. welcomed its first woman and first woman of color to the second-highest office in the nation.

On the final episode of Insider Insights: 100 Days of Biden, we talk about Vice President Kamala Harris and her role going forward as not just VP but the deciding vote in a Senate split 50/50. Host Lloyd Freeman, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Buchanan, talks with returning guest Liz Westbrook, Senior Advisor in Buchanan's Federal Government Relations practice in Washington, D.C., about Harris and what her priorities will be in the years ahead.

In this episode, Lloyd and Liz cover:

- The biggest impacts Vice President Harris has already made in her first three months

- What her role as the tie-breaking vote in the split Senate means for Democrats’ ability to pass legislation over the next two years at least

- The powers of budget reconciliation and how the Vice President has an outsized role in that

- The biggest differences between the President and Vice President

- What responsibilities Vice President Harris may have in shaping immigration legislation and other priorities

- The unique role of a young Vice President alongside the oldest person ever elected President

- The Vice President’s chances of being at the top of the Democratic ticket in 2024

Education under the Joe Biden administration will look vastly different from how it was under former President Donald Trump for many reasons. Certainly Betsy DeVos’s focus on charter schools is gone, but there are three key pieces of policy that have or will come out in 2021 that are sure to affect education – the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, budget planning for 2022 and the new infrastructure bill.

On this episode of Insider Insights: 100 Days of Biden, Jim Wiltraut and Chuck Kolling, senior principals in Buchanan’s Federal Government Relations practice, discuss the future of education under President Biden. Beyond new policy, there’s much to discuss in the world of student debt relief and Kolling shares his thoughts on what those in the higher education space need to know.

In this episode, Chuck and Jim cover:

- The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and what impact it will have on educational institutions

- The return of earmarks in the federal budget process for 2022 and what those in education should be saying to their representatives

- President Biden’s infrastructure bill and what might be available for colleges and universities

- Federal student loan debt forgiveness and whether or not the President will actually move to forgive all or some of it

- How the President and his Department of Education may address the future of schools in the COVID and post-COVID world

- The biggest differences in approach between Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and current secretary Miguel Cardona

There may be a misconception in the public that the transition from President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden would be a net negative for those with business in the defense sector. However, from President Biden's past statements and recent actions, that’s not necessarily the case, and it's more the progressives in the Democratic Party who dominate much of the conversation about Defense budget cuts.

In the sixth episode of Insider Insights: 100 Days of Biden, Jayson Wolfgang, litigation partner and managing shareholder of Buchanan Ingersoll and Rooney's Harrisburg, PA office, is joined by Jim Wiltraut, a senior principal in the firm's government relations practice in D.C.

In this episode, Jayson and Jim cover:

- The White House's likely approach to Defense spending and where there may be cuts to the budget

- The biggest differences in approach to Defense between President Biden and former President Trump

- How micro aggressions from Russia, China, North Korea change the landscape of defense and where money gets spent

- How the steel industry specifically may be impacted by the new administration and its approach to Defense

-  COVID-19 relief bills and whether they did enough to protect and help those with contracts in the Defense industry

President Biden has talked at length about the need to move toward more renewable energy sources. While some of his first acts as president walk that talk, some do not and actually continue what was in place under the Trump Administration.

In the fifth episode of Insider Insights: 100 Days of Biden, Kim Pizzingrilli, Co-Chair of Buchanan's Energy team and the chair of the firm's Government Relations Practice Group in Pennsylvania, is joined by Ed Hild, principal in Buchanan’s Federal Government Relations practice in Washington, D.C.

In this episode, Kim and Ed cover:

- The contrast between President Biden and former President Trump when it comes to energy policy and approach

- The surprising moves (or lack thereof) made by President Biden on energy policy

- What the future of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) looks like

- What exactly happened with the energy catastrophe in Texas

- The future of the Green New Deal 

- How Senators Lisa Murkowski and Joe Manchin can play a critical role in shaping energy policy for decades in the next two years.

While high unemployment has been a serious discussion in the world of COVID-19, President Joe Biden has promised plenty of new jobs to come now that he’s in the White House. How will any new laws or policy direction shape labor and employment regulations for companies? Will there be significant change that impacts the way businesses operate in Biden’s first 100 days?

In the fourth episode of Insider Insights: 100 Days of Biden, Joe Centeno, Co-Chair of the firm’s Labor, Employment, Benefits & Immigration Section; and Tim Costa, a principal on Buchanan's government relations team in D.C., discuss what's possible in job creation under the new administration.

In this episode, Tim and Joe cover:

- How President Biden can achieve the task of adding new jobs

- The contrast between President Biden and President Trump when it comes to keeping manufacturing jobs in the U.S.

- The future of the $15 per hour minimum wage and how that gets achieved

- How COVID-19 impacted the labor market and whether the new COVID-19 relief bill can create new jobs

- How the transmigration of workers from offices to the home will impact the labor market moving forward

- California's Proposition 22 -- what it does and whether this law can and will be adopted in other states or even nationwide 

President Joe Biden proposed building on the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) as his main healthcare goal by, among other things, introducing a public option. What does this mean for healthcare providers and insurers, and what steps will be taken in his first 100 days? What will the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) look like if President Biden’s selection for HHS secretary, current California AG Xavier Becerra, is confirmed?

In the third episode of Insider Insights: 100 Days of Biden, Mike Strazzella, practice group leader of Buchanan’s federal government relations practice and co-head of the firm’s D.C. office, and Bob Ramsey, co-chair of Buchanan’s healthcare industry group, discuss some of the biggest issues the White House faces to improve healthcare in the U.S.

In this episode, Mike and Bob cover:

- The biggest differences between President Biden’s views on healthcare and former President Trump’s

- What President Biden can do to reform healthcare via the Oval Office and Executive Orders and what will require the help of the House and the Senate

- What HHS might look like if Xavier Becerra is confirmed as secretary

- What’s included in President Biden’s executive order signed in January claiming to strengthen Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, and how it impacts payors and providers

- Predictions for the Supreme Court’s ruling on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, an opinion the Biden administration changed from his predecessor Donald Trump

- What, if anything, can be done to change or improve healthcare legislation via budget reconciliation and what will require full votes from Congress

As a candidate, Joe Biden promised he would prioritize rebuilding America’s middle class and often that starts with job creation to build critical infrastructure. Are there significant achievements in infrastructure policy Biden can enact in his first 100 days? What does former presidential candidate and South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg’s appointment to Secretary of Transportation mean for the industry? What role can companies have in shaping that policy? How will the president’s vision for a greener future for American energy impact infrastructure, at least initially?

In the second episode of Insider Insights: 100 Days of Biden, Jim Wiltraut and Terry Heubert, Principals in Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney’s Government Relations Practice Group, dive into what President Biden’s first 100 days will look like for those businesses and organizations that occupy the transportation and infrastructure sectors.

As part of this episode, Terry and Jim cover:

- Chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio’s plan for infrastructure and whether it can be an early bipartisan win for the Biden administration

- Pete Buttigieg’s qualifications for Secretary of Transportation and what the department may look like under his lead

- If and how private business can influence legislation in transportation and infrastructure in President Joe Biden’s first 100 days

- Congressional earmarks, whether they return under a democrat-led congress, whether that’s a good idea and how it gets done

- COVID-19’s impact on infrastructure and transportation, especially as it relates to airports and airlines

In the life sciences industry, all eyes will continue to be on a successful COVID-19 vaccine rollout and when it can be safely administered to enough of the population to return to normal life. If all goes as planned, what other challenges will face the industry under this new administration? How will life sciences companies need to evolve? How will capping drug prices, allowing Medicare to negotiate prices, and drug importation affect competition and growth in the industry?

In the first episode of Insider Insights: 100 Days of Biden, Barbara Binzak Blumenfeld, a life sciences shareholder with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney with a specific focus on FDA regulation, serves as host. She interviews Liz Westbrook a senior advisor from Buchanan's federal government relations team in Washington, DC. Liz focuses on analyzing prospective laws and regulations in the life sciences space and beyond.

As part of this episode, Barbara and Liz cover:

- Expectations for the Biden administration with distributing the COVID-19 vaccine

- What other topics and focuses the new FDA will have under President Biden

- How price capping, allowing Medicare to negotiate prices, and drug importation will affect competition and growth in the industry

- The names floated to lead key life sciences regulatory bodies, including HHS, FDA and more

- Actions to expect the Department of Health and Human Services to take on under the Biden administration