Like it or hate it, this 117th U.S. Congress has been anything but a “do-nothing Congress” as President Truman described the legislative branch in 1948. Lawmakers passed bipartisan infrastructure legislation and bipartisan semiconductor manufacturing law. Democrats passed the largely partisan American Rescue Plan Act and the fully partisan Inflation Reduction Act. These four bills alone represent over $3.5 trillion in new federal spending. And they’re not done yet.

While Election Day might feel like Groundhog Day to some, the candidates and issues on the ballot today, November 8, will affect the future of every business. Your vote is not just for Republicans or Democrats, but for the policy an individual may champion once in office. 

There are few things that the U.S. Congress does better than nothing. And after being off to a slow start in 2021, Harry Truman’s “do-nothing Congress” label affixed in 1948 was quite apt for this 117th Congress.

On October 12, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced it will open an electronic portal on November 15 to accept public input about the effectiveness of the Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports. The federal government is taking this step as part of the required four-year review of the tariff actions in the Section 301 investigation initiated by the previous administration to counter China’s intellectual property theft and forced technology transfer.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss, at least when it comes to some of President Biden’s trade policies toward China.

Supply chains and logistics are an integral and important part of a successful manufacturing operation. They have always been so, but with the advent of the COVID-19 virus and its having shut down the world’s economy for a time during a period of global quarantine, supply-chain issues have since taken center stage for consumers and manufacturers alike.

On the heels of the major climate and energy bill being signed into law in August 2022, the EPA recently sent to the White House for their formal review several major environmental regulations prior to their publications. Among those rules under review include the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Particulate Matter (PM), where the EPA says that “information indicates that the current standards may not be adequate to protect public health and welfare, as required by the Clean Air Act.” 

What will the government do for you? That’s a common question to hear around election season. Twice a year, however, the regulated community hears the question: What will the government do to you?

After decades of failed attempts by members of both parties in the U.S. to enact meaningful energy and climate-change policy, Democrats in Congress in August sent a $737 billion package to President Biden, unthinkable just weeks ago. 

NASA, FDA, NIH and the Departments of Energy and Defense: These are just a few of the government actors in the increasingly growing space of additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing