With the U.S. Presidential and Congressional Elections last almost 9 months away , Peter Lefkin, Senior Vice President and head of the Washington, DC Government Affairs Office for Allianz SE, will be talking to Allianz Financial Advisors, on January 23rd to provide a political lay of the land, and describe the issues and matters that will be driving the vote of the 2024 American electorate Peter is a 35 year veteran of Allianz with almost 45 years of experience in working in about the government, as Staff Attorney for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Congressional Counsel, Trade Association Lobbyist, and the Allianz federal representative for its disparate business units including Allianz Life. Over the decades he has served as Chairman of the Government Affairs Committees for the American Insurance Association, the Insured Retirement Institute, the Financial Services Roundtable and the Organization for International Investment. He is also a current Member of the Board of Directors for the Global Business Alliance, German American Business Council and Co-Chair of the Business Advisory Group of the Congressional Study Group on Germany. Peters is graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and received his Masters Degree of Public Administration and Law degrees from Syracuse University Lefkin’s remarks will address of the key tax and regulatory issues affecting the annuity industry which include the 2023 proposed Department of Labor Fiduciary Duty regulation, attitudes toward ESG Investing, and what to expect should and if the Trump Tax Cuts expire in 2025. The U.S. is now confronting major budget deficits and many Advisors are worried about proposed Department of Labor Rules that would increase the number of employees eligible for time and one half pay when they work more than 40 hours a week The United States and the world is facing a lot of challenges, inflation, higher crime, border insecurity , political and civic incivility and world tensions generated from a rising China, a threatening Russia , and the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East. Covid revealed and exacerbated societal fissures that have been brewing for a while, and Lefkin will talk about them, as well as the underlying problems that are just beginning to be revealed from the massive deficits that have been accrued during the first 23 years of this century with little sign that things will get better. Our political discourse has deteriorated for a long time, but made much worse through social media and declining public support for institutions that buttress the United States and other Democratic nations. Polls taken during the Republican nomination process reveal that just as in 2016 and 2020, the country if evenly divided and with a narrow Republican Majority in the House of Representatives, and a narrow Democratic Majority in the House of Representatives, nothing can be predicted. The only consensus that does exists seems to be an apparent wish from people in both major political parties that they transition to the next generation of leaders. This probably won’t happen in 24. Peter will go through the major hot button issues driving the electorate in 2024 and the where the true battleground for votes arise that are likely to determine which party wins and loose in November 2024 As a long -term Washington, DC veteran, Peter has seen it all, and has a reputation for trying to talk about politics from the perspective, not as political advocate of either side, but instead as someone who has a deep concern and reverence for the United States a who wants to the country to renew itself through incremental bipartisan steps to make thing better. In his view, Political heaven will have to wait for another life and for a different day but its first step should be to make civility the norm again.