0. Washington Update with Kevin Hickey
2017 Summer IDCC Meeting
Washington Update with Kevin Hickey

1. ADS Introduction Our Core Values
ADS Inc. is a global company that specializes in product procurement and value-added supply chain solutions, including custom sourcing & procurement, program management, integration services, assembly and quality control
Revenue ~1.5 billion
Markets We Serve:
Department of Defense
Federal Government Agencies
First Responders
Humanitarian Organizations
Partner Nations
State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies
Major Prime Contractors
Our Core Values

2. My Bio Education Professional Experience
B.A. in Economics and International Relations from University of Delaware
Professional Experience
15+ years of experience working with Congress
Present
Joined ADS as Vice President of Product Management in 2010
Started ADS government relations department in 2013
Worked with the Fabrics division of WL Gore & Associates
Performed various roles in sales, marketing, business development, and leadership, both in North America and internationally

3. State of Affairs Political Leadership Appointees
Total Positions
~4000
Total Positions Requiring Senate Confirmations
~1200
Total Number of Appointments by the President
33 and 5 in February 94
Confirmed So Far 42

4. Defense From our last meeting Reinvigoration of the military
Expansion of the nuclear arsenal
Roll-back of the Budget Control Act of 2011
Reduction in OCO appropriations
A 2017 Defense appropriation bill is likely though certain domestic spending might be on Continuing Resolution
$40 billion in Defense supplemental funding
Some form of earmarking is likely to return to this session
Increased cybersecurity spending
2017 NDAA has been signed into the law
$599 billion total budget for DOD with $62 billion in OCO funding
$19 billion increase over 2016 budget. This is about half of the increase sought by President Trump.
The increase in defense spending is significant because it signals a willingness by Congress to raise spending on defense without equivalent increases in domestic spending and opens the door to the possibility of turning back limits set by the sequestration.
FY 2018 Presidential Budget was announced on 05/22/2017 and it is in line with the budget proposed by President Obama
Total 2018 request of $639 billion with $574.5 billion Base and $64.6 billion OCO

5. Procurement Regulations
HR 2511 – Defense Acquisition Streamlining and Transparency Act
Bill introduced by Chairman Thornberry for defense acquisition reform
Acquisition System Streamlining
Procurement through Online Marketplace
Performance of Incurred Cost Audits
Modification to Cost or Pricing Data and Reporting Requirements
Early Investments in Acquisition Programs
Requirement to emphasize reliability and maintainability in weapon system design
Licensing of Appropriate Intellectual Property to Support Major Weapon Systems
Management of Intellectual Property Matters within the DOD
Improvement of Planning for Acquisition Services
Improvements to Test and Evaluation Processes and Tools
Acquisition Workforce Improvements
Enhancements to the Civilian Program Management Workforce
Improvements to the Hiring and Training of the Acquisition Workforce
Extension and Modifications to the Acquisition Demonstration Project
Acquisition Positions in the Offices of the Secretaries of the Military Departments
Transparency Improvements
Transparency of Business System Data
Major Defense Acquisition Programs: Display of Budget Information
Enhancements to Transparency in test and Evaluation Processes and Data
This 18-person panel was created in section 809 of the FY 2016 NDAA
It is tasked with finding ways to streamline and improve the defense acquisition process.
It constitutes of 10 teams aimed at different parts of the acquisition process
Current areas of interest are FAR, Procurement Process, Commercial Buying, Reducing Barriers to Entry, Best practices in procurement, IT Acquisition, Budgeting Process, Regulations, Cost Accounting Standards, and Workforce
The panel has 2 years to develop recommendations for changes in the regulation and associated statute to achieve those ends.

6. Financial Services
On June 8, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal and replace certain provisions of the Dodd–Frank Act (Dodd-Frank) by passing the Financial CHOICE Act
No More “Big Bank” Bailouts
Limit government discretion in providing financial relief to “Big Banks”
Hold big banks accountable
Require big banks to be strongly capitalized in hopes of making them less susceptible to failure
Repeal of the authority of the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) to designate firms as systematically important financial institutions (SIFIs) eligible for bailouts
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) would be restructured into an Executive Branch agency
A single director that would be a political appointee and removable by the President at will
Supervisory function would be eliminated 
Authority to bring cases against financial institutions would be removed
Community banks and credit unions would be major winners.  
Bill would repeal costly reporting requirements under Dodd-Frank
And, allow community banks to offer services which were previously unavailable or more difficult to implement, including residential mortgages, small business loans, and free checking

7. Immigration
Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States
To employ all lawful means to enforce the immigration laws of the United States
10,000 additions to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
Border Security And Immigration Enforcement Improvements
Border wall
Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States
Restrictions on travel / Extreme Vetting from certain parts of the world
Suspension all refugee admissions into the United States for 120 days
Buy American and Hire American
Rigorously enforce and administer the laws governing entry into the United States of workers from abroad
Propose new rules and issue new guidance, to supersede or revise previous rules and guidance if appropriate, to protect the interests of United States workers in the administration of our immigration system, including through the prevention of fraud or abuse
Suggest reforms to help ensure that H-1B visas are awarded to the most-skilled or highest-paid petition beneficiaries
DACA remains in effect while DAPA gets rescinded on press release by DHS 06/15/2017
DAPA - Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents
DACA - Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
Suspension of the “Premium Processing” for H1B visas

8. Environment Policies From our Last Meeting
Reduced EPA role and budget
Fewer regulations directed towards maintaining environmental standards
Boost to fossil fuel industry and a negative impact on the renewable energy industry
China like policies for manufacturing at home?
Judicial action by pro-environment forces
Scott Pruitt confirmed as the Director for EPA
U.S. Pulls out of the Paris Climate Agreement
President Trump announced the decision on June 1, 2017
However, individual states and major companies have committed to upholding their commitment to the Paris Accord.
Trump 2018 budget proposes steep cuts for the EPA
30% reduction in spending
EPA dismissed Science Advisors
Regulatory cuts for Coal Plants
However, states are not keen on producing more coal as Corporate America is demanding power from alternate fuels
Approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline, the Dakota Access Pipeline
Review of emission standards

9. Current Congressional Session
Number of Legislative Days remaining until the end of the FY - 32
Political Season
Primaries were held last week in VA
Special elections completed in GA, SC, KS, and MT
Days till 2017 elections (Governor) in VA, NJ – 139
Days till 2018 elections (House and Senate) – 503
Items on the list of Congress (or that should be !!!)
Healthcare Reform
Debt Ceiling
Budget / Appropriations Procedure
Authorization Bills are behind schedule
Tax Reform
Immigration and work visa reform

10. First 100 Days

11. Thank you

12. Reference