In Washington, access is a valuable commodity.

Lobbyists fill their walls with photos of themselves with important folks to impress prospective clients.

Politicians-turned-lobbyists boast about their access to former colleagues.

So, what should we make of this?

Last month, more than 100 community bankers met with President Trump at the White House, presenting him with a “Make Community Banking Great Again” baseball cap.

That meeting followed a March meeting between the bankers and the president.

The Independent Community Bankers of America said their members discussed regulatory relief, access to capital and various other issues.

Would it surprise anyone if that pesky credit union tax exemption that bedevils bankers somehow came up in the discussions? Probably not.

Those conversations may have had their desired effect.

In May testimony before the Senate Banking Committee, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin promised senators he would be sending them a regulatory relief proposal for “community bankers.”

No mention of credit unions.

So far, Trump hasn't had face time with credit union folks.

It's not that they haven't asked.

“NAFCU has met with key White House staff, and we continue to be in contact with them,” an association spokesperson said. “We have received positive feedback on our request to meet with the president.”

So, is the fact that credit union folks haven't gotten their grip and grin photos with Trump a big deal?

A credit union lobbyist insists it isn't. He said credit unions have had plenty of access to key people.

“I am not concerned about access to this administration,” Ryan Donovan, CUNA's chief advocacy officer, said.

He said compared with past administrations, CUNA has had as much, if not more access to the right people to discuss everything from regulatory relief to the vacancy on the NCUA board. He described those meetings as “purposeful and impactful.”

And he said that when senior policymakers mention community banks, it is understood that they also mean credit unions.

Asked if CUNA officials have sought a meeting with Trump, Donovan said, “We've had a lot of contact with the administration during the last several months. I'm going to leave it at that.”

But so far, no grip and grins.

Now that House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) has jettisoned the repeal of the Durbin Amendment from his Financial CHOICE Act, the bill should sail through the House, right?

Maybe.

Then, the whole regulatory overhaul effort faces an uncertain future.

We all know that the Senate moves at a snail's pace and any effort would face significant opposition from Democrats such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

But Warren may not be the major roadblock for any Dodd-Frank overhaul.

That distinction may fall to President Trump, who ironically has called for dumping much of Dodd-Frank.

Right now, official Washington is distracted and may remain that way for a while.

Each day, another shoe seems to drop in the Russia investigation. And then, there's the president's budget request, a document that was unique in attracting bipartisan hatred. Finally, there's the health care debacle.

By insisting on a relatively fast repeal and replacement of Obamacare, Trump is likely to keep Congress greatly distracted.

That's not to mention the debt limit, which Congress may have to increase sooner rather than later.

And as the summer approaches, Congress will have to begin the appropriations process in an effort to keep the government funded past Sept. 30.

With so much must-do work, some issues that can wait surely will be pushed aside and that could include a Dodd-Frank overhaul.

A black belt isn't supposed to be a prerequisite for a career in journalism. But it's starting to feel that way for some of us.

In a greatly publicized event, Greg Gianforte, a Republican candidate for the House, body-slammed a reporter for The Guardian. He won his race in a special election a day later.

Earlier in May, security staff at the FCC manhandled a reporter for CQ Roll Call, John Donnelly, in the agency headquarters. His crime? Trying to ask FCC Commissioner Michael O'Reilly a question after a news conference.

Now I've known John Donnelly for more than a decade. He's a consummate professional.

How anyone could have considered him a physical threat is beyond me.

In almost 30 years in Washington, I've never been attacked (although there was the time when former Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) kept punching my arm to make her point. But she stands at 4'11'', so I didn't see her as much of a threat).

In general, the public doesn't think much of the press. But the verbal abuse and physical altercations we've seen during the past year or so are new.

What's going on?

The blame falls on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. When the president of the United States calls news organizations enemies of the state, it becomes almost patriotic to attack a journalist.

Well, it's not patriotic and it has to stop.

David Baumann is a Correspondent-at-Large for CU Times. He can be reached at dbaumann@cutimes.com.

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