In his campaign season book, Crippled America, then-candidate Trump wrote that he likes "being unpredictable. I don't want people to know exactly what I'm doing—or thinking," he wrote. "It keeps them off balance," True to his word, the Trump presidency has been one of endless surprise. Consequently, as the first tumultuous year draws to a close, even the most seasoned Washington insiders are reluctant to predict what the future holds. But turning a blind eye to the future is not an option. Indeed, it's during periods of great uncertainty that all possibilities must be considered, examined and planned for.
Tax reform may be behind us, but whither Obamacare? An infrastructure spending package? Immigration reform? NAFTA renegotiations? Our ballooning budget deficit? Sexual harassment? All the regulations yet to be cut? The threat posed by Iran's and North Korea's nuclear weapons? Not to mention the Trump-Russia investigations. All of these issues, and more, will be vying for priority on the Republican leadership's hierarchy of concerns.
Policy Scan 2018, the Dentons US Public Policy team's annual analysis of the legislative and political landscape, takes a close look at the issues, questions and conflicts that will dominate the dialogue on Capitol Hill and in the White House.
And as in years past, we also include a review of state legislative activity in 2017, as well as pending legislation and the policy drivers that will shape state legislative and executive branch activity in 2018.
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