Jan 21, 2025
Welcome to The Hill's Business & Economy newsletter {beacon} Business & Economy Business & Economy   The Big Story  Trump sued over order targeting federal workers An executive order from President Trump creating a new class of federal employee is already under legal challenge. © Getty Images The latest move by Trump would allow those working on policy to be swiftly hired and fired like political appointees.   The measure reignites an idea rolled out in the waning days of Trump’s first term in office, creating a class of employee — Schedule F — who can be hired outside the traditional merit-based system for bureaucrats, raising fears of politicization of the workforce.   In the recent suit filed by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), the group said that Congress "has enacted comprehensive legislation governing the hiring and employment of federal employees."   "When establishing hiring principles, Congress determined that most federal government jobs be in the merit-based, competitive service. And it established that most federal employees have due process rights if their agency employer wants to remove them from employment."   “Because the Policy/Career Executive Order attempts to divest federal employees of these due process rights, it is contrary to congressional intent,” it added. The order from Trump complained that accountability among federal employees is currently “sorely lacking.”   The Hill's Rebecca Beitsch has more here.   Welcome to The Hill’s Business & Economy newsletter, we’re Aris Folley and Taylor Giorno — covering the intersection of Wall Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads  Key business and economic news with implications this week and beyond:   NJ governor asks Trump to examine Manhattan congestion pricing New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) on Monday asked President Trump to examine congestion pricing in Manhattan.  Full Story   SEC launches ‘crypto task force’ The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is launching “a crypto task force.”  Full Story   Trump trade battles could spike food prices, help China: former Mexico trade chief Trade battles being threatened by President Trump would spike food prices, help China and risk key U.S. economic relationships, Mexico’s former trade chief said Monday  Full Story {{if !contains(profile.lists,"Evening Report")}   {/if}}{{if !contains(profile.lists,"Evening Report")} COMING UP The Hill's Evening Report breaks down the day's big political stories and looks ahead to tomorrow. Click here to sign up & get it in your inbox {/if}}   Tax Watch  Senate panel advances Bessent to confirmation vote Welcome to Tax Watch, a new feature in The Hill's Business & Economy newsletter focused on the fight over tax reform and the push to extend the 2017 Trump tax cuts this year.   The Senate Finance Committee took a small but significant step toward advancing Trump's tax agenda Tuesday.   The panel voted to recommend Scott Bessent, Trump's pick to be Treasury secretary, for a full Senate confirmation vote, teeing up for confirmation sometime within the next couple of weeks.   Senators voted 16-11 to advance Bessent's nomination, with Democratic Sens. Mark Warner (Va.) and Maggie Hassan (N.H.) voting in favor of the nominee, along with all Republican members.   Most other Democrats, including Senate Finance ranking member Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), voiced opposition to Bessent, citing his support for Trump's tax cuts and his handling of his own taxes.   “He has opted out of paying his fair share of his Medicare taxes. The IRS has gone to court twice to ban this particular scheme that Mr. Bessent is using,” Wyden said. “Treasury policy says what Mr. Bessent is doing is against the law.”   But Bessent nonetheless seems like a lock for confirmation in the GOP-controlled Senate, which is eager to begin work on Trump's agenda.   Aris Folley has more here.   — Sylvan Lane    The Ticker  Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: The Senate Budget Committee will consider the nomination of Russell Vought to head up the Office of Management and Budget on Wednesday at 10 a.m. EST.   In Other News  Branch out with more stories from the day: How Trump will immediately seek to dismantle Biden’s sprawling federal DEI programs NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump has ordered a sweeping dismantling of the federal government’s … Full Story     Good to Know  Business and economic news we've flagged from other outlets: Dow rallies 400 points as investors feel Trump’s tone on tariffs is softer than feared (CNBC) Trump will announce a $500 billion AI infrastructure investment in the US (CNN) Trump's EV rollback not expected to suppress appetite for critical minerals (Reuters)   What People Think  Opinions related to business and economic issues submitted to The Hill: Federal debt as far as the eye can see — and then some  Pioneer values at the border: Compassion meets the rule of law     You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Business and Economy newsletter Subscribe
Respond, make new discussions, see other discussions and customize your news...

To add this website to your home screen:

1. Tap tutorialsPoint

2. Select 'Add to Home screen' or 'Install app'.

3. Follow the on-scrren instructions.

Feedback
FAQ
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service