As President Trump prepares to address the UN General Assembly and the likelihood of a government shutdown increases amid a Congressional stalemate, we are monitoring the following:
After attending the funeral of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Arizona yesterday, President Trump travels to New York City tonight ahead of his UNGA address tomorrow. In addition to his speech, Trump will meet bilaterally with leaders from Ukraine, Argentina and the European Union. He will also hold a multilateral session with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
- The Israel-Palestine conflict is dominating the stage of UNGA. France and Saudi Arabia are convening a conference to discuss the conflict today, as pressure builds on the U.S. following Australia, the UK, Canada and Portugal’s formal recognition of Palestinian statehood over the weekend; France followed suit this evening.
- The UN Security Council met today to discuss Russian fighter jets’ entry into Estonian airspace. Tomorrow, the Council will discuss the war in Gaza, broader conflicts in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine.
- Broader themes this week will include climate change and artificial intelligence.
This afternoon, President Trump and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. held an event announcing a new initiative to explore the root causes of autism, linking Tylenol use during pregnancy as a potential contributing factor. Trump characterized the announcement as “one of the biggest announcements… medically, in the history of our country.”
- RFK, Jr. called the initiative an “unprecedented, all agency effort to identify all causes of autism.”
- While vaccines—a longtime focus of Kennedy’s—were mentioned, the announcement emphasized other potential factors and treatment, include the use of leucovorin.
With Congress in recess for Rosh Hashana, a government shutdown on October 1 is imminent. Before leaving town last week, the House of Representatives passed a clean continuing resolution (CR) funding the government through late November, but it failed to overcome the Senate filibuster due to lack of Democratic support. The Senate also voted on the Democrats’ alternative proposal that included additional healthcare spending, which also failed.
- Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) cancelled votes scheduled for early next week, meaning that the House will not return to consider any other alternatives between now and the end of the fiscal year. With the Senate at an impasse and the House out of session, a shutdown next week is highly likely.
- In hopes of striking a last minute deal, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) plan to meet with President Trump meet this week. A firm date for the meeting has not yet been set, and it is not clear if Congressional Republican leaders will also attend.
- Before recess, the Senate passed a tranche of 48 nominees approved through committee on a bipartisan basis, under the new Senate rules that allow nominees to be confirmed en bloc.
President Trump’s proclamation last week implementing a new $100,000 fee for H1-B visa petitions has created uncertainty surrounding the future viability of the program. Trump’s order responds to recent criticism of the H1-B program, which allows high-skilled foreign workers to gain employment in the United States. While the program has been a boon to the tech industry in particular, in recent years some have expressed concern that it undercuts the domestic workforce through the importation of relatively inexpensive foreign labor.
- Since the release, the White House has clarified the fee only applies to new applicants, not those who currently possess them or may seek renewals.
- Notably, the proclamation allows for fee exemptions in the interest of national security or certain other considerations, raising questions about how lenient the exemption process will be.
- The proclamation is highly likely to be subject to legal challenges that may delay implementation.
The Trump Administration continues to advance new agreements with trading partners surrounding trade and enhanced geopolitical collaboration.
- Trump will host Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on Thursday, with a reset in the bilateral trade relationship and military agreements as the primary focus. The meeting will provide an opportunity for the two nations to make progress on several issues which are central to the tenuous relationship, including Turkey’s efforts to purchase F-16 and F-35 fighter jets.
- Other topics of discussion will include Turkish Airline’s proposed purchase of hundreds of Boeing aircraft and additional sales of U.S. LNG to Turkey that would reduce their reliance on Russian energy.
- Ongoing geopolitical differences surrounding Syria and Gaza will serve as a backdrop to the conversation, but are not expected to be a major topic of discussion.
- President Trump announced that he plans to meet with Xi on the sidelines of APEC summit in South Korea next month, as parameters of a TikTok deal are “well on its way,” according to Trump.
- Following last week’s signing of the U.S.-UK Technology Prosperity Deal, Treasury Department announced today that the U.S. and UK will convene a Transatlantic Taskforce for Markets of the Future, enhancing collaboration on digital asset regulation.
- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said today that his country is unable to meet President Trump’s demand to invest $350 billion in the U.S. in exchange for tariff relief, potentially complicating the path forward for a trade deal between the two countries.