The U.S. House of Representatives has called it quits for the summer and are taking a 5-week break before returning in September to begin the final legislative sprint before the mid-term elections. On the other side of the Capitol the U.S. Senate is still at work, trying to pass a handful of bills, including a bill to keep the government funded past September 30th. Both chambers have struggled throughout the year to get things done, and the nearness of the elections further complicates things. A combination of both inter- and intra-party fights, and the insistence by President Trump to pass the SAVE Act, despite lacking the votes has made moving any legislation practically impossible. It is more complicated than a simple partisan fight, Congress has become increasingly tribal with small groups of intransigent members holding bits and pieces of legislation or nominations hostage, hoping to gain political favor for their own favorite projects.

The congressional gridlock only further empowers a supercharged Administration to rule through executive order, like the recent battery of tariffs enacted last week. As detailed below, President Trump has strategically moved to rebuild the tariff wall he built last year, this time through a more time-tested approach that will likely be in place for years to come.