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Revolving Door Picks Up Speed

Now that about 80 former members of Congress (the ones who are not truly retired) have officially been on the job market for almost a month, it's starting to become clear the pace at which many are moving through the revolving door between governance and advocacy.

Former House members have to wait one full year, and senators two years, before they may register as lobbyists and begin making direct appeals to their one-time colleagues about the shape of legislation. But during that time they're welcome to sign on with law firms and lobbying shops to provide behind-the-scenes political intelligence, strategizing and rainmaking advice. (The House Democrats' "good government" package, HR 1, would further limit how actively former members may support the lobbying of others during their so-called cooling off periods.)


Only a relative handful of Democrats still young enough to be attractive to K Street were defeated last year. The most prominent of then, former Rep. Joe Crowley of New York, is talking to several firms, while both former Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri and former Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois have taken up careers as political pundits, she on MSNBC and he on CNN.

But the progressive news site ThinkProgress is out this week with a roundup of Republicans who've recently moved out of offices on the House side of Capitol Hill and already landed new places "downtown."

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Among those who gave up their seats voluntarily, Dave Reichert of Washington, who was chair of the Ways and Means subcommittee on trade, is now vice president of Gordon Thomas Honeywell Governmental Affairs. Lynn Jenkins of Kansas, who chaired the Ways and Means oversight subcommittee, has started her own lobbying shop based in Kansas.

And both Lamar Smith of Texas, a former chairman of both the Science and Judiciary committees, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, a former chairwoman of Foreign Affairs, have signed on as "senior consultants" at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.

Of the unsuccessful Senators who sought re-election, Indiana's Luke Messer has signed on with Faegre Baker Daniels Consulting while Ohio's Jim Renacci will run a political group back home advocating for pro-business causes in Columbus.

Two Pennsylvanians effectively forced out of their seats by a court-ordered redistricting have found new homes. Ryan Costello is the new managing director for Americans for Carbon Dividends, which supports a federal carbon tax. Charlie Dent, in addition to landing a CNN contract, is at DLA Piper.

Kevin Yoder of Kansas, who lost re-election while chairing the Appropriations subcommittee on homeland security, is now at Hobart Hallaway & Quayle Ventures. And just this week another November loser, Barbara Comstock of Virginia, announced she was joining Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz.

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Trump to the Nation: "We're Just Getting Started"

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump is speaking about the early achievements of his presidency and his upcoming legislative agenda.

(Photo by Mandel Ngan-Pool/Getty Images)

Trump to the Nation: "We're Just Getting Started"

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress, emphasizing that his administration is “just getting started” in the wake of a contentious beginning to his second term. Significant themes, including substantial cuts to the federal workforce, shifts in traditional American alliances, and the impact of an escalating trade war on markets, characterized his address.

In his speech, Trump highlighted his actions over the past six weeks, claiming to have signed nearly 100 executive orders and taken over 400 executive actions to restore “common sense, safety, optimism, and wealth” across the country. He articulated that the electorate entrusted him with the leadership role and stressed that he was fulfilling that mandate.

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Many economists assert that tariffs are stealth taxes, that is, the burden is not distributed equally—while corporations may adjust by diversifying suppliers or passing costs along, working households cannot escape higher prices on essential goods like groceries and electronics. Analysts estimate these tariffs could add $1,250 to the annual cost of living for the average American household—a substantial burden for families already struggling with inflation. Additionally, according to the well-regarded Tax Foundation, the tariffs are projected to reduce GDP by 0.5% and result in the loss of approximately 292,000 jobs.

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Even as demand exceeded supply, in 1942, a presidential order banned the use of asbestos for non-military purposes until 1945. The application of asbestos-based material by the Military continued to increase until the 1970s when its carcinogenic nature came to light, and the use of asbestos started to be regulated but not banned.

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President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump arrive for the inauguration ceremony in the U.S. Capitol rotunda in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2025.

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S.E. Cupp: Where is the Democratic Party’s Ronald Reagan?

With all the attention deservedly on President Trump and what he intends to do with his defiant return to the White House, there’s a more than good chance we’ll spend the next four years consumed once again by all things Trump.

There’s already been a dizzying amount: a giant raft of executive orders; attacks on a constitutional amendment; his threats to invade sovereign nations; a seeming Nazi salute from one of his biggest surrogates; his sweeping Jan. 6 pardons; his beef with a bishop; his TikTok flip-flop; his billion-dollar meme coin controversy; scathing new allegations against one of his Cabinet picks; unilaterally renaming a body of water; a federal crackdown on DEI; promises of immigration raids across major cities. All this in just the first three days of Trump’s second term.

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