A group of economists have dimmed the rosy outlook for this year’s economic growth. According to The Wall Street Journal, the surveyed group blame a weaker than expected bounce following winter’s economic contraction. “The July consensus view calls for inflation-adjusted gross domestic product to grow just 1.6% this year…That would represent a steep drop from the 2.2% expected just a month ago, and is off more than a percentage point from the 2.7% and 2.8% estimates made in the first five months of 2014.”

The Senate voted to extend the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) with an overwhelming vote of 93-4. AAF Solutions offered ways to reform TRIA to better protect taxpayers.

After watching regulatory burdens skyrocket in the first half of the year, lawmakers have a new strategy to combat many of the Obama administrations new onerous rules. In portions of spending bills, legislators are including provisions against controversial and burdensome regulations such as EPA’s rules on coal. The Hill has a more complete list of the rules being questioned.

Eakinomics: Secretary Lew on Inversions

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew waded into the “policy” discussion on inversions with a letter to Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (and other tax-writing leadership on the Hill). I found it to be full of misleading statements and mistakes, probably because the staff inadvertently sent an early draft. As a favor, I edited it for clarity of facts and intent. 

 

 

PDF LINK

From the Forum

Weekly Checkup: Wide Variation In Prescription Drug Prices by Conor Ryan, AAF Health Care Data Analyst