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."

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