Regulatory Oversight Podcast

With the midterm elections approaching, congressional staff are already building target lists of industries and companies for the next wave of oversight. In this episode of Regulatory Oversight, host Stephen Piepgrass is joined by his colleague Jason Smith, a former Senate staffer with more than 12 years on Capitol Hill, and Troutman Strategies principal Lindsay Austin, to discuss how a shift in congressional leadership and committee dynamics could shape investigations in the months ahead.Lindsay and Jason explain how committees decide whom to investigate and how oversight differs from investigation. They describe how a congressional inquiry can lead to state attorney general or federal scrutiny down the road and identify the industries most likely to draw attention, including AI, energy, healthcare, pharma, finance, and crypto. The episode concludes with a discussion of the constitutional tension between Article I and Article II, and what it means for companies that acted at the administration's direction. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Regulatory Oversight, Ashley Taylor and Clayton Friedman, co-leaders of Troutman Pepper Locke's State Attorneys General (AG) team, welcome Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) President Sean Rankin for a wide-ranging look at the 2026 state AG elections and a landscape he says has shifted significantly over the course of the cycle.Rankin examines the races he sees as bellwethers and wild cards, from Arizona, Kansas, Wisconsin, and Georgia to Iowa, Florida, and Oklahoma. He discusses the 20% to 30% voter drop-off AG candidates can experience from top-of-the-ticket races and explains why the national political environment tells only part of the story. Rankin explains how state-specific concerns, including water rights in Arizona, tourism and affordability in Nevada, and environmental issues in Iowa, can shape AG races alongside national political trends.With a large class of new AGs taking office, the conversation also turns to what turnover could mean for the "chemistry in the room," emerging leadership, and coalition building among AGs.The group wraps up by discussing how state AGs serve as leading consumer regulators and often work across party lines, including on multistate matters that bring together a large majority of Democratic and Republican AGs. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this special crossover episode of Regulatory Oversight and The Consumer Finance Podcast, Chris Willis, Stefanie Jackman, and Mike Yaghi discuss California Governor Gavin Newsom's appointment of former CFPB Director Rohit Chopra to lead the state's newly created Business and Consumer Services Agency (BCSA).The group discusses Chopra's oversight of the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI), his broad authority alongside the California attorney general, and what his track record of aggressive, systemic enforcement at the CFPB and FTC might mean for California's consumer financial services industry going forward. They also get into DFPI's wide-reaching supervisory and enforcement powers, what companies should be doing to get ready, and whether this move sets Chopra up for a bigger Cabinet-level role down the road in a future Democratic administration.The episode wraps up with a bigger-picture look at whether federal regulators could swing hard back toward consumer protection enforcement under a future Democratic president. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this must-listen episode of Regulatory Oversight, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson joins Ashley Taylor and Graham Bryant to reflect on Ferguson's path from clerking for Justice Thomas and serving as Virginia's solicitor general to leading the FTC. Ferguson discusses the agency's enforcement priorities and how the FTC works alongside state attorneys general to maximize consumer redress. He closes with candid advice for companies and counsel navigating matters with the FTC: cooperate early; come prepared with substantive written advocacy well ahead of meetings; and understand that although the FTC prefers to resolve matters cooperatively, it remains prepared to litigate when needed. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Regulatory Oversight, Clay Friedman and Matt Berns are joined by New Jersey Attorney General (AG) Jennifer Davenport, who was sworn in as the state's 63rd AG in February 2026.Davenport brings an unusually broad background to the role, having served as a DEA intelligence analyst, assistant U.S. attorney, first assistant AG under three AGs, and deputy general counsel at a utility company. She shares how her years in corporate compliance reshaped her thinking about root cause analysis, clear regulatory guidance, and the value of hearing from industry before decisions are made.In this episode, they discuss Davenport's five biggest priorities, the office's junk fees campaign and broader affordability agenda, recent settlements holding social media companies accountable for child safety, and human trafficking work tied to the World Cup. They close with her message for in-house and outside counsel about the importance of clear rules, fair competition, and building compliance into business operations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.