A Democrat-controlled House and a Republican majority in the Senate – with President Donald Trump at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue – is likely a recipe for gridlock next year on Capitol Hill, according to two former congressmen.
Former Reps. Mike Ferguson, R-N.J., and Heath Shuler, D-N.C., said there are narrow opportunities for bipartisanship – such as in infrastructure of prescription drug prices – but House Democrats' investigations into the Trump administration could extinguish what little desire there is for the parties to work together.
Ferguson is the leader of BakerHostetler's Federal Policy team, and Shuler is a senior advisor on the team. They conducted an hour-long webinar the day after the midterm congressional elections and offered their bipartisan analysis of the election results as well as a legislative forecast for 2019.
The former lawmakers discussed how the election results will affect infrastructure, tax, healthcare, energy, financial services, trade and tech policy next year.
They also discussed House Democrats' oversight agenda, which will include not only multiple probes of Trump administration activities but also private-sector entities, such as pharmaceutical manufacturers and stakeholders in the energy and financial services sectors.
Watch the webinar: