April 2023

Although I typically try to offer just one thought of the week to open the blog, this week will be a little different. I’ll briefly touch on four issues that came across my desk.

Immediately following the two-week long Easter/Passover recess, and preceding a Congressional session that will take official Washington all the way to the July 4 recess, would seem to be the perfect time to host a rooftop open house…that’s also exactly what Delta Airlines thought as they celebrated the opening of their new Government Affairs office.

Today is the last day of Passover. I know this because mine is a mixed marriage. My wife is Jewish, and I was raised Catholic. While Easter is a Christian celebration of resurrection, new beginnings, and rebirth, Passover tells the story of the Jewish people’s flight from Egypt, and their freedom from bondage. Both celebrations are steeped in tradition and history. In fact, the story of Passover begins with a simple line, “A new king rose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” Without delving too deep into the meaning of Passover, which is told in Exodus, the second book of the Old Testament, that single line portends a cautionary tale about those who fail to learn from history are the same who may one day be condemned to repeat it.

On the same day I had lunch with one of Delta Airlines’ federal lobbyists and dinner with a small group of energy analysts, which included several former Trump administration EPA officials, President Trump was indicted. The indictment and subsequent arraignment made political history—Donald Trump became the first of America’s 46 presidents to be charged with a crime and forced to surrender to authorities.