Policy Committee Updates

BUDGET RECONCILATION ADVOCACY

• As Congress considered the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in June and July, the Council’s policy staff collaborated on a cross-sector effort to identify and compile top priorities for inclusion in the final legislation, as well as key areas of concern.
• As a result of extensive member outreach and collection of feedback, the policy team prepared a letter that was sent to each member of the region’s Senate delegation that detailed the feedback.
• Specifically, the Council expressed support for:
  • Increased funding for Pell Grants
  • Provisions to promote investment in rare disease innovation, including the ORPHAN Cures Act
  • Investments in Air Traffic Control improvements
  • Preserving the 21% corporate tax rate
  • Restoration of full Research & Development (R&D) expensing
  • Extending and expanding the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit
  • Expanding the Low Income Housing Tax Credit
  • Provisions to encourage charitable giving
  • Expanding access to Health Spending Accounts(HSA)

• The letter outlined the Council’s opposition to:
  • Medicaid Program funding cuts
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding cuts
  • Changes programs that provide financial assistance for education
  • Phasing out of Renewable Energy Tax Credits
  • Expanding the Endowment Taxfor higher education institutions
  • Retaliatory taxes on foreign-based corporations

Read the Letter.

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

• During the 2025 Washington Leaders’ Conference, the Energy & Environment Committee met with Judy Chang, who serves as a Commissioner on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The meeting provided members with the opportunity to hear from the former Massachusetts Undersecretary of Energy on her priorities and key issues before FERC.
• In June, the Energy & Environment Committee convened for a planning meeting. During the virtual conversation, the Committee formally welcomed Joe Dalton as a new Committee Co-Chair. Joe currently serves as Vice President for Government & Regulatory Affairs at ENGIE. Additionally, the Committee thanked Mark Kalpin of Holland & Knight for his years of valued insight and guidance as Chair of the Committee.
• On September 5, the Energy & Environment Committee presented the latest installment of the Council’s New England Innovates series. The program, titled “Protecting New England Communities from Forever Chemicals” featured a fireside chat Congressman Jake Auchincloss focused on the rising concerns over chemicals in drinking water, food, and daily use products, primary known as PFAS. Following the discussion with the Congressman, Dr. Dan Rush of Waters Corporation, led a panel discussion with several experts on PFAS detection and remediation. View Program Agenda
• On September 3, the Council hosted a webinar on the regional impact of the recent stop work order issued by the Trump Administration for the Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut.  The program drew over 200 Council members and other interested businesses in the region.   We are also considering further advocacy on this issue, working closely with Orsted and Eversource, the two members involved in the project. Watch Webinar.
• The Energy & Environment Committee is also planning an event on October 28 focused on ongoing energy challenges, potential solutions, and the role of the federal government in that process. Gordon van Welie, President and CEO of ISO New England will deliver keynote remarks, followed by a panel discussion with NEC members in the energy sector.  The program will be held at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.

FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE

• During the 2025 Washington Leaders’ Conference, the Financial Services Committee will held two meetings – one with Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren’s committee staff, and a second Chairman Tim Scott’s committee staff.  During both meetings, committee staff updated members on the Chairman’s and Ranking Member’s respective priorities and possible areas for bipartisan collaboration on the committee.
• The Financial Services Committee has been working over the past six months with PwC and a group of other committee members to update the Council’s 2017 report on the economic impact of the financial services committee in New England.  Members have had opportunities to contribute throughout the process, and the report draft is now final and in the process of being designed and branded.  It will be released this fall, and a Congressional briefing on the report in DC is in the works.
• On September 12, the Committee met with Rep. Stephen Lynch following a larger Council breakfast program.  During the meeting, the Council provided the Congressman with a preview of the forthcoming report, and heard from him about key issues before the House Financial Services Committee, on which he serves as a senior member, this fall.

HEALTHCARE COMMITTEE

• During the 2025 Washington Leaders’ Conference, the Healthcare Committee met with staff to New England members of the Senate HELP Committee, including Senators Hassan, King, and Welch.  The staffers updated members on recent issues before the committee and the three Senators’ top priorities during the current Congress.
• In June, the Healthcare Committee convened for a planning meeting in which members outlined concerns with the reconciliation bill as well as highlighting upcoming concerns regarding government funding bills in the fall.
• The Healthcare Committee has seen progress in recent months on several of the group’s top legislative priorities:
  • Rare Disease Innovation: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in July included the ORPHAN Cures Act that the Council has supported in recent years.  The provision is aimed at encouraging innovation to treat rare diseases.
  • SUPPORT Act: Last week, the Senate passed the SUPPORT Act that the Council had endorsed earlier this year.  The bill, which reauthorizes key prevention, treatment and recovery programs for patients with substance use disorder, including programs to support the behavioral health workforce, is now headed to the President’s desk for final signage into law. More information.
  • Multi Cancer Early Detection: In July, the Healthcare Committee shared a letter of support for S.339/H.R. 842, the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage (MCED) Act. The bill seeks to allow Medicare to cover MCED tests in a timely manner following FDA approval and evidence of clinical benefit. Currently, most vulnerable patients could face years-long waits to access the latest innovations in cancer detection.  Read the letter.  The bill was advanced by the House Ways & Means Committee last week.
• Building upon this advocacy on MCED, the Healthcare Committee is planning an event focused on early disease detection in an upcoming installment of the Council’s New England Innovates series. The program will examine the challenges and opportunities surrounding early disease detection in the healthcare sector. The field of early detection and screening, including multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests, testing for Alzheimer’s, radiological screenings, as well as the use of biomarker technology, is developing at a rapid pace. Congressman Jim McGovern is confirmed to deliver keynote remarks on the role of federal research funding in the field of early detection, as well as examine challenges and opportunities for federal government involvement.

HIGHER EDUCATION COMMITTEE

• During the Washington Leaders’ Conference, the committee met with Sara Garcia, Senior Policy Advisor for the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions for Ranking Member Bernie Sanders.  The staffers updated committee members on key issues before the committee and discussed the Senators’ education related priorities during the 119^th Congress.
• We also held a small group meeting with Patrick Fox, staff for Senate HELP Committee Chair Bill Cassidy. The Council was represented by 6 NEC members in this meeting from most NE states and it was a productive conversation about concerns from the Higher Education community and recommendations for the Senate version of the reconciliation package.
• On June 10, the Higher Education Committee had a General Business meeting and a former Biden Administration official, Amanda Miller, joined us at the start of the conversation to discuss funding freezes and caps and how to move forward with grant applications. We also discussed our reconciliation letter and priorities for members of what they would like to include.
• On September 17, the Council sent a letter to House & Senate Appropriations Committee leadership expressing our support for continued federal research funding.  The letter highlighted the tremendous economic impact of federal funding through the NIH and NHS specifically, as well as the national and global impact of the innovations developed in the region. Read the Letter.
• On September 23^rd the committee will hold its fall general business meeting, during which the committee’s new co-chair, Jennifer Grodsky, Vice President for Federal Relations at Boston University will be introduced.

HOUSING WORKING GROUP

• The Working Group hosted a Fall meeting on September 3, which began with a presentation by two Senate Banking Committee staff members on the ROAD to Housing Act, which the committee recently advanced.  Following the presentation, two new working group co-chairs were introduced: David Gasson of the Housing Advisory Group, and Amy Iseppi of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston.  The Working Group also discussed NEC advocacy in support of the ROAD to Housing Act, as well as other legislative priorities and programming ideas.
• Following the meeting, the Housing Working Group sent a a letter of support for the bipartisan ROAD to Housing Act to the region’s Senate delegation.  In the letter, the Council outlined several specific provisions of the legislation that it believes will help address housing challenges in the region.  Read the Letter.

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION WORKING GROUP

• On May 15, 2025, during the Washington Leaders’ Conference, the working group met with staff to Rep. Seth Moulton to learn more about the Congressman’s work on the China Select Committee.
• On June 26^, the working group held a General Business meeting. Dylan Irlbeck, Energy and Commerce staffer for Congresswoman Lori Trahan joined the meeting to both introduce himself as he is new to the portfolio for the Congresswoman as well has share updates current issues before the House Energy & Commerce Committee.
• On July 8, 2025, The New England Council sent a letter to the region’s Senators and Representatives urging them to support legislation reauthorizing the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology (STTR) programs before they are set to expire on September 30, 2025. In the letter, the Council specifically expressed its support the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2025 recently introduced by Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) in the Senate, and Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) in the House, which would permanently reauthorize both programs. Read the letter.
• On September 18, the working group hosted its fall general business meeting. The meeting included a briefing by MassTech Collaborative to brief the group on the Northeast Microelectronics Hub.

TRADE WORKING GROUP

• On February 10, 2025, the Trade Working Group hosted a virtual briefing with a panel of trade experts from NEC member firm WilmerHale on the implications of President Trump’s trade policy.  Presenters included a former senior USTR official as well as former senior Senate and House trade staffers.  Over 100 members representing a wide array of industries participated in the briefing.  View Summary.
• On February 28, 2025, the Council sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to urge the Administration to reexamine imposing tariffs on products exported to the United States. The letter outlined the concerns registered by a number of Council members as to how tariffs would affect our region.  Read the Letter.
• On May 14, 2025, the members of the Council’s Trade Working Group held  an in-person meeting with Virigina Lenahan, Chief International Trade Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee (Minority. . This meeting was held  in conjunction with the Washington Leaders’ Conference. During the meeting, Ms. Lenahan provided insight into the efforts being taken by the Finance Committee related to the Administration’s tariff policy.
• On June 24, 2025, the Council’s Trade Working Group held a meeting featuring Dan RuBoss of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s staff.  He provided an overview of the Trump Administration’s trade and tariff policy and discussed the challenges Congress faces in curbing those policies. He also spoke about the reconciliation process that was underway at that time and how efforts to repeal the de minimis trade exemption had been put off for at least a short while.
• On September 15, 2025, the Trade Working Group hosted a virtual event open to all Council members where the Wilmer Hale experts who provided a briefing on President Trump’s tariffs in February will provided an update on where things stand and where tariff policy is projected to go in the months ahead.

TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE

• On February 11, 2025, the T&I Committee convened a virtual meeting to discuss committee priorities for the coming year. Prior to that discussion, members heard from Ms. Katie Donahue, Transportation Policy Advisor to U.S. Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA), who discussed the need to reauthorize the existing surface transportation law, the future of appropriations earmarks, aviation safety, rail safety, Coast Guard reauthorization, and the outlook for transportation funding to name a few.
• On May 15, 2025, during the Washington Leaders’ Conference, members of the Council’s T&I Committee met with the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Jimmy Ballard (Director of Coalitions) and Abigail Camp Wenk (Deputy Chief of Staff).  The two provided their insight on the numerous and varied responsibilities facing the T&I Committee and what the Committee likely will be working on for the foreseeable future.
• On May 15, 2025, during the Washington Leaders’ Conference, the members of the Council’s T&I Committee met with Tony Frye, Associate Administrator for Highway Policy and External Affairs (FHWA); Zan Guendert, Office of Policy and Governmental Affairs (FHWA); Ben Siegrist, Director Office of Public Liaison & Senior Advisor at the Department of Transportation; and Luisa Guerra-Young, Deputy Director Office of Public Liaison at the Department of Transportation. The discussion with these DoT leaders was wide ranging and included topics spanning FAA issues, a new surface transportation bill, and DoT grant procedures.

• On June 26, 2025, the members of the Council’s T&I Committee met with Nate Birnbaum, Legislative Assistant to Senator Ed Markey. He discuss a variety of policy issues including surface transportation reauthorization prospects, aviation and air traffic control issues, rail projects, water resources and climate resilience, and infrastructure funding. After Nate’s presentation, the Committee discussed several items of interest that the Committee should be focused on in the months/year ahead, including surface transportation reauthorization, gas tax/EV tax, and WRDA reauthorization.