The U.S. economy is poised to thrive under President-elect Donald Trump, CTA President Gary Shapiro said in an opinion piece posted by Fox News Tuesday. He pointed to the unified GOP government combined with an incoming Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “With this new combination, we’re likely to see legislation that helps businesses invest in growing and hiring,” said Shapiro, who criticized Trump harshly during the campaign season, but post-election said he sees "a lot of positive" in his presidency (see 1611090038). “By lowering corporate taxes; reforming patent, securities and class-action laws; and reducing regulatory burdens, businesses will have more money to invest in growth and job creation.” He also mentioned Trump’s infrastructure funding intentions and talk of rolling back burdensome regulations. The stock market will be a check on Trump’s impulses, Shapiro said: “Should he take positions that hurt tech, it would affect the broader stock market since tech stocks represent more than 20 percent of the S&P 500.”
Having Jeff Eisenach and Mark Jamison on the FCC transition team could portend "favorable regulatory backdrop" for industry, said Macquarie Research analyst Amy Yong in a note to investors Sunday. That could point to an FCC regulatory regime that opposes net neutrality and preserves broadband pricing power, she said. Eisenach and Jamison are seen as conservative voices advocating telecom deregulation (see 1611210045 and 1611250022 and 1611230014). Pointing to CenturyLink's planned buy of Level 3, Yong said "a more conservative and pro-business FCC will bode well." She said FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler will likely leave the position on or before the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration. She said parties joining the DOJ transition team (see 1611210045 and 1611180043) -- such as McGuireWoods lawyer J. Patrick Rowan, Morgan Lewis lawyer Ronald Tenpas, Morrison & Foerster lawyer Jessie Liu, and Jones Day lawyers Gregory Katsas and James Burnham -- all have "conservative backgrounds that could lead to smoother deal approvals."
The transition team for President-elect Donald Trump added members Monday to its landing teams for the departments of Commerce and Justice. Ideagen CEO George Sifakis is a member of the Commerce group, and Hunton & Williams Managing Partner David Higbee is joining Justice’s. Higbee is "Vice-Chair of the firm’s Global Competition practice, based in Washington, DC, and works regularly on matters before the Federal Trade Commission and the Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice,” his firm’s website says. “David previously served at the Department of Justice as Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Chief of Staff of the Antitrust Division.”
A group of 29 science and education-focused groups urged President-elect Donald Trump to “quickly appoint a science advisor with the title of Assistant to the President for Science and Technology who is a nationally respected leader with the appropriate engineering, scientific, management and policy skills necessary for this critically important role,” they said in a letter to Trump dated Wednesday and released Monday. “This senior level advisor can assist you in determining effective ways to use science and technology to address major national challenges. Moreover, this individual can coordinate relevant science and technology policy and personnel decisions within the executive branch of government.”
President-elect Donald Trump named Kathleen McFarland deputy national security adviser and Don McGahn White House counsel Friday. McFarland had positions in the Nixon, Ford and Reagan administrations, the Trump team said. McGahn, a former member of the Federal Election Commission, is currently at Jones Day.
World Wide Technology Chairman Dave Steward is among those President-elect Donald Trump is contacting as part of his transition, Trump spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters on a call Friday. The discussion with Steward was one among many planned Friday meetings, also including Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., and involved Trump’s consideration “about people potentially playing a role in his administration,” said Spicer. World Wide Technology is “a global systems integrator with more than $7 billion in annual revenue and over 3,000 employees,” said its website. “We serve the technology needs of large public and private organizations, including many of the world’s best-known brands.” Steward co-founded the company in 1990. “With more than two decades of experience in the technology industry, David spends the majority of his time developing strategic supplier, customer and employee relationships,” the website said. “He plays a key role in WWT’s pursuit of large contract bids within its industry specific operating companies.”
President-elect Donald Trump's transition operation named four more members to its DOJ landing team Wednesday: Strayer University General Counsel Lizette Benedi Herraiz, a former deputy assistant U.S. attorney general; Dechert attorney Steven Engel, a former U.S. deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel; Frost Brown attorney Thomas Wheeler; and Stefani Carter & Associates principal Stefani Carter, a former Texas prosecutor. They join others previously named (see 1611180020 and 1611220049). Trump earlier announced said he will nominate Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., as attorney general. He also named new landing team members for such agencies as the Defense and Transportation departments.
President-elect Donald Trump named several individuals to landing teams that will help smooth the transition for several agencies and departments. R Street Institute senior fellow and financial systems studies director Alex Pollock was named to the FTC team, and William Gaynor, president of Rock Creek Advisors, and former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert to the Department of Commerce group. Other Tuesday announcements include: Joel Leftwich, staff director on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, to the Department of Agriculture team; James Carafano, vice president of foreign and defense policy studies at the Heritage Foundation, and Secure Identity & Biometrics Association CEO Michael Dougherty, to the Department of Homeland Security team; Jones Day attorney James Burnham, to the DOJ group; Nancy Butler, former vice president-government and federal relations for professional and technical services firm AECOM, to the group working on the Department of Transportation; and Geof Kahn, policy director at the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, to work on the Office of the Director of National Intelligence transition.
President-elect Donald Trump cited a new goal to restrict new federal regulation. “I will formulate a rule that says for every one new regulation, two old regulations must be eliminated,” Trump said in a video about his Day 1 priorities, released Monday evening. His campaign proposals on regulatory overhaul were expected to have a likely influence on the FCC if implemented in certain ways (see 1610190038). Free State Foundation President Randolph May welcomed the opportunity of unified GOP government to take on FCC rules. “It’s undeniable that the Obama administration’s FCC has been on a regulatory binge, adopting a number of major overly burdensome and unduly costly new rules, despite the lack of evidence of market failure or consumer harm,” May wrote in an opinion piece for The Washington Times, published Monday, calling the net neutrality order one example and questioning agency actions on the set-top box proceeding and on zero rating: “Certainly, the mere existence of the agency’s investigation into these free data plans or others has a chilling effect as service providers weigh whether to risk offering other innovative plans that might be popular with consumers.” Trump also will ask the DOD and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to put together a “comprehensive” plan to protect vital infrastructure from cyberattacks and issue a notification of intent to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, he said in the video. “My agenda will be based on a simple core principle -- putting America first,” he said. Transition spokesman Jason Miller told reporters Tuesday this is “a partial list of some of the Day 1 actions” expected for the Trump administration.
Advancing encryption, changing government surveillance, opposing internet censorship and pushing for comprehensive privacy legislation are some policy priorities that the Center for Democracy & Technology wants President-elect Donald Trump to adopt. CDT said Friday that it submitted a document to Trump outlining a series of technology and internet recommendations for the incoming administration. In the cover letter to Trump, CDT President Nuala O'Connor called the proposals "moderate" and "pragmatic." CDT said privacy and national security measures should include elevating encryption to bolster internet security, rejecting back doors that could weaken encryption, stopping warrantless spying on Americans and creating an environment for security researchers to find and help patch software vulnerabilities. CDT said Trump should reject policies that force companies to monitor their users, fight online censorship and protect open internet rules. Trump also should address technology that could "exacerbate inequality and lead to discrimination in automated systems" and improve data protection. Early last week, the Internet Association wrote a letter to Trump outlining industry priorities, which include privacy and security (see 1611140069).