Todd Stoves, director of congressional and political affairs for the American Institute of CPAs, led a conversation during the MACPA's monthly town hall meeting on Feb. 7 about how federal policy is shaping up under the new Trump administration. If you missed the meeting, here are three key takeaways:

• This year marks the third consecutive Congress in which the majority party in the House of Representatives has held just a single-digit margin, with Republicans holding a slim 217-215 edge over Democrats. Vacancies will not be filled until April at the earliest. This means that for the first 100 days of the Trump administration, House Republicans will need to maintain perfect party votes in order to advance their agenda.
  
  
• Key nominees that CPAs should know include Paul Atkins, who has been nominated as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission; and former Missouri Congressman Billy Long, who has been nominated as IRS commissioner. Scott Bessent has already been confirmed as Treasury secretary.
  
  
• A partisan tax bill might face a few barriers this year, including a tough fiscal environment, the challenge of aligning campaign promises with reality, the remarkably complex issues at play, and the extremely narrow majority margins, particularly in the House. A realistic timeline might see President Trump signing a new tax bill into law late in the current calendar year.

Learn more here
If you'd like to watch the February town hall meeting in its entirety, it will be replayed at 9 a.m. ET on March 6. Get details and register here.

Resources

• Download the slides from the February meeting.
• View the results of our polling questions.
• Watch past town halls (without CPE) at MACPA.org/new-townhalls.
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