Skip to content

Washington D.C. Update 4.28.25

April 28, 2025
By Nate Tamarin & Teneo's Washington D.C. Team

As President Trump hits the road this week to mark his first 100 days in office, we are monitoring the following:

The White House remains publicly optimistic about its tariff agenda, even as concerns about a looming recession intensify. Negotiations are ongoing with global trading partners, with Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer continuing to play a central role.

  • Amid negotiations with several nations, Bessent has signaled that a trade deal with India could be imminent, with South Korea and others potentially following.
  • Reports on negotiations with China remain mixed. The Trump administration has suggested there is some level of ongoing dialogue, although Chinese officials deny that negotiations are underway. China has exempted some goods from its retaliatory 125% tariffs against the U.S., carving out certain U.S. goods that would be difficult to source from other nations in the short term.
  • USTR has reportedly prepared a framework that outlines the pillars for negotiation, including tariffs and quotas, non-tariff barriers to trade, digital trade, rules of origin for products and broader economic issues.
  • President Trump also reportedly agreed to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the near future to discuss a deal.
  • Amid global uncertainty, foreign nations are coordinating their responses.
    •  Foreign ministers of BRICS nations met today in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to discuss their response.
    • U.K. and Indian officials kicked off two days of meetings today aimed at developing a new bilateral trade pact.
    • Additionally, the U.K. and E.U. announced a new strategic partnership focused on both economic and regional security.

Congress is back in session after its two-week recess, with attention now focused on drafting the reconciliation bill. Committee staff used the break to draft key portions of the legislation, but this will be a pivotal week as committee markups begin and members weigh in on how provisions could affect their constituents.

  • Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett met with GOP leadership at the Capitol this afternoon to outline the White House’s priorities for the package.
  • The Treasury Department is expected to release an updated estimate of when the federal government will reach its debt limit, which will help shape the timeline for passing the reconciliation package as Republican leadership want to tie an increase in the debt limit to the bill.
  • The Senate will also vote this week on a resolution to repeal Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. While the proposal has some bipartisan support, President Trump has threatened to veto it.

On Monday, President Putin’s spokesperson expressed the Kremlin’s willingness to begin peace negotiations with Washington and Kyiv, following a meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in Rome on Saturday. However, Moscow rejected Trump’s proposed peace deal after the White House declined to recognize Crimea and other occupied Ukrainian territories as Russian.

  • The Trump administration is also exploring cooperation in the Russian energy sector as a key element of economic incentive to win over the Kremlin as it pushes for a deal to end the war in Ukraine, according to people familiar with the planning.
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on NBC’s Meet the Press this weekend that the peace deal “needs to happen soon,” and signaled that this will be “a very critical week” for negotiations.
  •  Meanwhile, the U.S. and Ukraine could finalize a minerals deal as early as this week, after Kyiv announced it had won a key concession from the Trump administration to exclude past military aid from the negotiations.

April 29th marks President Trump’s 100th day in his second term. He will travel to Warren, Michigan tomorrow evening to deliver a speech highlighting his administration’s early accomplishments. The President is expected to focus on efforts to reduce inflation, secure the border, and attract new investment to the United States. On Thursday, Trump will deliver the commencement address at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

President Trump continues to advance his agenda through executive orders across a wide range of issues. This evening, the President is scheduled to sign two immigration-focused orders targeting sanctuary cities and strengthening law enforcement’s immigration enforcement authority. Last week, Trump signed notable executive orders, including:

  • Enhancing offshore mining of critical minerals.
  • Promoting AI education through the establishment of an AI Education Task Force and providing additional resources for AI education.
  • Restoring equality of opportunity and meritocracy by taking steps to eliminate the use of disparate-impact liability in hiring.
  • Increasing standards for probationary federal employees to gain tenure

The Senate will continue to process President Trump’s nominees this week, beginning with a procedural vote this evening on David Perdue to be U.S. Ambassador to China. Senate Majority Leader Thune has also teed up votes on Tilman Fertitta (U.S. Ambassador to Italy), Thomas Barrack (U.S. Ambassador to Turkey) and Warren Stephens (U.S. Ambassador to the UK).

The views and opinions in these articles are solely of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Teneo. They are offered to stimulate thought and discussion and not as legal, financial, accounting, tax or other professional advice or counsel.

To read more of our insights or for more information

Subscribe to Teneo's Global Newsletter and Insights Series

Fill out the form below to stay up-to-date with global trends that are shaping the world of business.

Please select region.
Please enter your first name.
Please enter your last name.
\ Please enter your company name.
Please enter a valid e-mail.
There was an error with your subscription. Please try again.

Thank you for subscribing!