Architects of the New Economy: How Washington’s Economic Power Is Being Remade

In Washington, economic power no longer maps neatly onto party labels. The familiar divides — left vs. right, House vs. Senate, Republican vs. Democrat — are now insufficient to explain how influence is exercised in the capital. Today, power moves through a broader web that includes long-standing gatekeepers, ideological outliers, private-sector dealmakers and policy entrepreneurs.

Semafor’s Project

Semafor brings these actors into focus, combining digital reporting and live events to map who is shaping capital flows, writing the rules of markets, and remaking the institutions that govern the economy. Rather than tracking power by party alone, the project traces relationships, ideas and transactions that determine outcomes.

What the Coverage Looks At

The reporting examines a range of policy and market flashpoints — and why they matter for the broader economy:

• Expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) Subsidies: How lawmakers will address subsidies that affect insurance affordability and federal spending.
• Deposit Insurance: Proposals to expand coverage, their implications for financial stability, and the politics of bank protections.
• Crypto Market Structure: Debates over regulation, market infrastructure and systemic risks in digital-assets markets.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Risks: The potential economic disruption from AI adoption, job displacement, and policy responses to mitigate harm.
• Social Media Regulation for Children: Why Congress has struggled to pass legislation protecting minors online and the competing policy priorities at stake.
• Partisan Compromise and Reconciliation: The appetite for cross-party deals in leadership ranks and the practical prospects for a second reconciliation package.
• Venezuela And Recent Claims About A Seized Tanker: How foreign-policy moves can ripple through economic and energy markets.
• Health Care Debate More Broadly: Ongoing fights over coverage, costs and the political strategies shaping health policy.

Voices And Perspectives

Semafor’s reporting brings together conventional and unconventional actors — elected officials, staffers (including senior aides such as deputy chiefs of staff), policy entrepreneurs, industry dealmakers and advocacy leaders — to explain both the mechanics and the politics behind major economic decisions.

Rather than offering simple partisan explanations, the coverage aims to show who actually moves capital, crafts rules, and reshapes incentives across markets and government.

By mapping networks and highlighting crossroads where policy and markets intersect, this project helps readers understand how the new economy is being written — and who stands to gain or lose from the changes.