Republicans are celebrating a big policy win on tax reform. They hope to use the momentum they've picked up to replicate their victory in the new year, but can President Trump squeak out another win as the GOP advantage in the Senate shrinks?
Peter Van Voorhis, Reporter at Red Alert Politics, believes they can and they will. Voorhis says that, as Americans begin to get their paychecks in the next few months and see the money they are saving, they will rally behind Republicans and the GOP's policy agenda.
Now that tax reform is law, the big question on everyone's mind is what policy change will President Trump push for next. Could it be immigration or even a return to health care? Voorhis lays out the pros and cons of each option.
Cheddar's Chloe Aiello has our cannabis year-in-review, breaking down how several states legalized adult recreational use and greenlit medicinal use in 2021. She noted that while a cannabis legalization and decriminalization bill was introduced in Congress this year, potential FDA involvement in the industry, as well as a 25 percent excise tax, killed any chance the bill had of moving forward. Aiello also speculated that some form of cannabis reform could be rolled out in 2022, as the midterm elections draw closer.
Jim Worden, Chief Investment Officer at Wealth Consulting Group, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says the period between Christmas and New Year's is difficult to predict due to a lack of institutional volume, with the Omicron variant adding even more uncertainty on Wall Street.
Prices at the pump this year reached a seven-year high, and a new forecast from GasBuddy shared with CNN predicts that gas prices will only continue to rise in 2022 and that the national average could even reach $4.00 a gallon; however, analysts at GasBuddy say anything could happen when it comes to gas prices in the future, as the pandemic has made it difficult to make any predictions about the economy. Consumer Energy Alliance federal policy advisor Michael Zehr joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
David Stryzewski, CEO of Sound Planning Group, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says that some of the major stock positions are getting the most lift to the upside as the major indexes climb higher to begin the week.