{"id":1155231,"date":"2021-12-25T20:19:15","date_gmt":"2021-12-26T01:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1155231"},"modified":"2021-12-25T20:19:18","modified_gmt":"2021-12-26T01:19:18","slug":"here-are-the-2022-risks-that-official-washington-is-talking-about","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/here-are-the-2022-risks-that-official-washington-is-talking-about\/","title":{"rendered":"Here Are The 2022 Risks That Official Washington Is Talking About"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhere-are-the-2022-risks-that-official-washington-is-talking-about%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1155231&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>A recent report released by a Washington consulting firm outlined significant macro trends driving politics and policy by identifying key risks, like COVID-19 and inflation, heading into 2022.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The report was authored by Bruce Mehlman, a founding partner of the Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen &amp; Thomas and former assistant secretary of Commerce in the George W. Bush administration. Mehlman advises prominent companies to understand and prepare for emerging trends and risks critical to the ever-evolving policy environment.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Mehlman outlined over 20 risks in politics and policy, and the Daily Caller News Foundation identified eight of the most significant concerns. The risks included COVID-19, extreme weather, inflation, supply chain issues, stock market bubble, Biden\u2019s perception, decoupling between U.S. and China and employee activism.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Inflation, \u201csoftness\u201d in the White House, and pandemic uncertainty make up some of the biggest risks to the U.S. economy in 2022, according to a Washington consulting firm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery quarter, I take a macro look at trends driving politics and policy looking both backward and forwards and identify where key political risks may lurk and where political opportunities may present themselves,\u201d Bruce Mehlman, former assistant secretary of Commerce in the George W. Bush administration, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. \u201cThe most recent analysis targets 2022 and identifies the emerging risks business and government leaders should anticipate and prepare for.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A founding partner of the Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen &amp; Thomas, Mehlman advises prominent companies to understand and prepare for emerging trends and risks critical to the ever-evolving policy environment.<\/p>\n<p>Mehlman\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/mehlmancastagnetti.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022-Top-Risks.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">report<\/a>, \u201cLiving In Limbo: Anticipating the Top 2022 Risks In Politics and Policy,\u201d outlined over 20 risks in politics and policy, and the Daily Caller News Foundation identified eight of the most significant concerns.<\/p>\n<h3>COVID: The Fourth Wave<\/h3>\n<p>Looking forward to the risks COVID-19 poses heading into 2022, Mehlman believes the virus won\u2019t suddenly disappear but also won\u2019t wipe out humanity, he explained to the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am not an epidemiologist, but it feels to me that this is the best example where all expectations are either 1 or 11. You hear it either a common cold or that we will all get sick and die,\u201d Mehlman told the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, Mehlman sees an endemic situation, comparing it to a bad flu strain that will have a new flavor each year, he explained to the DCNF. <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/12\/20\/south-africa-gauteng-epicenter-omicron-cases-dropping\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>(RELATED: Doctor Says COVID Cases Have Started Dropping In South African Province Where Omicron First Hit)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt some point, we need to get to accepting that it will never go away and that it is not going to kill everybody,\u201d Mehlman told the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe risks are overhyped, and the preventions are under-embraced,\u201d he told the DCNF, adding that those preventions include mass vaccinations and wearing masks when bad outbreaks occur.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">In South Africa, we\u2019re thankfully seeing a striking decoupling between new Covid cases and ICU admissions and deaths. Whether <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Omicron?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Omicron<\/a> is inherently less virulent, whether this hopeful finding is result of baseline immunity in infected, or a combination of both, is still unclear. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/xtmCSdpCNc\">pic.twitter.com\/xtmCSdpCNc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Scott Gottlieb, MD (@ScottGottliebMD) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ScottGottliebMD\/status\/1472664060445569026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 19, 2021<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>COVID-19 cases continue to soar throughout the country and globe after the emergence of the Omicron variant.<\/p>\n<p>Over 90 countries have <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/12\/20\/stock-market-tumbles-as-countries-head-toward-omicron-lockdowns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a> Omicron cases, forcing some to implement new lockdown rules. Cases in the U.S. increased to over 156,000 on Friday, with the new variant now reported in 43 U.S. states, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/variants\/omicron-variant.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n<p>The CDC said Monday the Omicron variant has become the dominant strain in the U.S., making up 73% of reported cases. While <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/12\/08\/european-cdc-omicron-deaths-coronavirus-covid-19\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cases<\/a> continue to surge, deaths have not increased at the same rate as some believe the new variant is <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/12\/13\/omicron-variant-covid-19-coronavirus-death-uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">less dangerous<\/a> than previous strains.<\/p>\n<h3>Extreme Weather Disasters<\/h3>\n<p>In 2021 we saw an influx in extreme weather disasters, increasing costs, challenging supply chains, and driving policy<strong>,<\/strong> Mehlman explained to the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo far, these policies have disfavored fossil fuels, reducing investments and inventories causing severe energy inflation,\u201d Mehlman told the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p>Increased severe weather disasters pose a serious risk to insurers, Mehlman added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInsurers use historical data to price risk. We are increasingly seeing 500-year record floods and other disasters that are out of proportion to what was&nbsp;witnessed in the past,\u201d Mehlman told the DCNF. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/12\/14\/california-nevada-snow-storm-atmospheric-river-system\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: Highest Points In Two States Could Get 8 Feet Of Snow From Multiday Storm, \u2018Atmospheric River\u2019)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese insurers are now being asked to cover things that you didn\u2019t think would be insuring things that would be this bad because historically, they haven\u2019t been,\u201d Mehlman told the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are now covering people who didn\u2019t use to be in harm\u2019s way, but as a result of changing weather disasters, they are now at risk,\u201d Mehlman added, pointing to the recent winter freeze in Texas.<\/p>\n<p>A massive ice <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/02\/16\/texas-power-outages-no-heat-electric-wind-turbines-frozen-increased-demand-energy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">storm<\/a> hit Texas in February, leaving millions without power as the state\u2019s power grid became ineffective after it was coated with ice. The estimated cost was over $18 million in damages, making it one of the most <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/02\/19\/texas-winter-freeze-damages-insurance-claims-water-burst-pipes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">expensive<\/a> storms for insurers on record.<\/p>\n<h3>Manufacturers: Supply Chains<\/h3>\n<p>There are short term, medium-term and long term problems facing <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/12\/06\/fedex-predicts-record-holiday-delivery-season-continuing-labor-supply-chain-concerns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">supply chains<\/a> entering 2022, Mehlman told the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p>The short-term risk is the global employee, semi-conductor and energy shortages exacerbated by politics.<\/p>\n<p>Medium-term challenges for supply chains are the rising theme of economic nationalism, Mehlman told the DCNF. Headwinds that made global supply chains so efficient from 1989 through 2019 are fading, posing the greatest long-term risks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cU.S. and Chinese economies used to be tied together; now they are splitting apart. Technology used to encourage greater cross-border data flows, but now regulators are attempting to shut them down,\u201d Mehlman told the DCNF.<\/p>\n<h3>Consumer: Inflation<\/h3>\n<p>Continued inflation will continue to challenge the Biden administration\u2019s agenda, Mehlman told the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p>Soaring prices will determine how the Federal Reserve pursues its monetary policy heading into 2022, how much money the government will try and spend on safety nets and infrastructure, and if the administration will continue its antitrust competition reviews, Mehlman added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe companies the administration plans to go after are also probably some of the most productive companies in the economy,\u201d he told the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p>Inflation has <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/12\/10\/inflation-consumer-price-index-joe-biden-jerome-powell-bureau-labor-statistics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">soared<\/a> to its highest level in 39 years, with the Consumer Price Index jumping 0.9% in November, bringing the key inflation indicator\u2019s year-over-year increase to 6.8%. The producer price index, which measures inflation at the wholesale level, <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/12\/14\/producer-price-index-grows-the-fastest-it-ever-has\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">surged<\/a> 9.6% year-over-year as of November, growing at the fastest rate ever measured.<\/p>\n<p>Growing inflation, along with <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/12\/03\/november-jobs-report-joe-biden-jerome-powell\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">falling<\/a> unemployment, triggered the Federal Reserve to accelerate its asset purchasing stimulus while also forecasting three interest rate hikes in 2022, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2021\/12\/15\/fed-will-aggressively-dial-back-its-monthly-bond-buying-sees-three-rate-hikes-next-year.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to CNBC.<\/p>\n<h3>Markets: Irrational Exuberance<\/h3>\n<p>The biggest threat stock markets face in 2022 is potential financial bubbles that would persist as the Fed tightens its monetary policy<strong>,&nbsp;<\/strong> according to Mehlman\u2019s report.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe market is clearly out of all its historic wack,\u201d Mehlman told the DCNF. \u201cThe fact that in the last year we saw as much money invested in equities as the last prior 19 years is not normal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fact that so many stocks are down but the biggest five to 10 are off the charts up is also very unusual,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Mehlman identified elements of a robust stock market with justified profits, but also noticed characteristics of a bubble, he told the DCNF. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/11\/16\/the-fed-could-end-inflation-but-experts-say-wall-street-would-hate-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: The Fed Can End Inflation, But Experts Say Wall Street Would Hate It)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Stock markets tumbled Monday as the spread of the Omicron variant <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/12\/20\/stock-market-tumbles-as-countries-head-toward-omicron-lockdowns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">triggered<\/a> lockdowns in European countries. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 433.28 points at the end of the trading day Monday, while the S&amp;P 500 fell 1.1% and the Nasdaq declined 1.2%, according to CNBC.<\/p>\n<h3>Biden: Perceived \u201cSoftness\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>President Joe Biden\u2019s perceived \u201csoftness\u201d will serve his political risk entering 2022, according to the report.<\/p>\n<p>Mehlman pointed to Biden\u2019s softness on the border, economy, crime, and foreign policy. As his approval rating continues to plummet, and more Americans see growing failures and weakness in the respective categories, Biden and the Democrats will have a harder time passing legislation, Mehlman explained to the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA president with high approval is more feared and followed legislatively. It will be harder for him to get people to do what he wants and will also be dangerous news for down-the-ballot democrats,\u201d Mehlman told the DCNF.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">(Marist poll) Do you approve\/disapprove of Joe Biden?<\/p>\n<p>Overall: 41\/55<br \/>Dems: 87\/11<br \/>Indie: 29\/66<br \/>GOP: 4\/95<br \/>White: 40\/56<br \/>Latino: 33\/65<br \/>Non-white: 44\/52<br \/>White no college: 32\/63<br \/>White w\/ college: 52\/46<br \/>Gen Z\/Millennials: 41\/54<br \/>Biden Voters: 86\/12<br \/>Suburban Women: 57\/41<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RyanGirdusky\/status\/1472948896108363778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 20, 2021<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Roughly 46% of respondents approved of Biden\u2019s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, while 48% disapproved, according to a recent CNBC <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/12\/10\/joe-biden-approval-economy-covid-19\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">survey<\/a>. Biden\u2019s economic approval also plummeted, with 37% approving and 56% disapproving.<\/p>\n<p>Biden\u2019s disapproval rating surged once again on Monday reaching 55%, <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/12\/20\/joe-biden-high-disapproval-rating-low-approval-rating\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to an NPR\/PBS News Hour\/Marist Poll.<\/p>\n<h3>&nbsp;Multinationals: U.S.-China Decoupling<\/h3>\n<p>Looking at the future of U.S.-China relations, Mehlman saw a steady decoupling between the two world powers, but people shouldn\u2019t \u201cassume everything will catch on fire,\u201d he told the DCNF.<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/12\/16\/patel-unwinding-americas-catastrophic-china-mistakes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: PATEL: Unwinding America\u2019s Catastrophic China Mistake)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cBoth leaders will balance assertiveness and accommodation,\u201d Mehlman wrote in the report. \u201cBusinesses should plan for neither detente nor war but stead decoupling with tightening restrictions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBoth nations need to show that they are tough, but they both want to avoid a war and a recession. Both want to challenge big tech, but they also want to remain as an innovation powerhouse,\u201d Mehlman told the DCNF.<\/p>\n<h3>Brands: Employee Activism<\/h3>\n<p>Business leaders have seen increasing employee activism after the Trump administration and George Floyd\u2019s murder to urge businesses to become engaged in non-traditional issues, Mehlman told the DCNF. Company leaders now have to address employees urging their employers to combat growing liberal issues or run the risk of getting \u201ccanceled.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe found that as business leaders begin to think about political risks, some of the risks are the politics within the office place as opposed to national politics,\u201d Mehlman told the DCNF<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBusiness leaders are trying to decide when it is appropriate to weigh in on issues like voting rights, abortion, and climate change, and when to stay clear,\u201d Mehlman added.<\/p>\n<p>Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact <a href=\"mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent report released by a Washington consulting firm outlined significant macro trends driving politics and policy by identifying key risks, like COVID-19 and inflation, heading into 2022. The report &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86,"featured_media":1896142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1155231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1155231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/86"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1155231"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1155231\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1896142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1155231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1155231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1155231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}