Trump likely to push for regulatory relief

At press time, President Trump’s State of the Union message was shaping up as one that long-term care operators would fondly remember.

The White House has embarked on a pro-business agenda that tar- gets taxes and regulatory oversight. A debt plan passed in December will address the former by trim- ming corporate tax rates from 35% to 21%. And there is every indication policymakers in Washington will take up the cudgels this year for fewer rules and regulations.

In December, Trump announced that federal agencies had actually beat the regulatory goal he established when taking office: to eliminate two rules for every new one proposed.

“We blew our target out of the water,” Trump said. He has also called on his cabinet members to make deregulation a bigger priority.

“I don’t know if we’ll have any left to cut, but we’ll always find them,” he said.

The 2018 address to Congress was expected to address three of his campaign themes: a strong national defense, reduced taxes and a wall along the Mexican border.