Housing

Congress Enacts Housing Law With Changes to House-Passed Bill

After months of negotiations, Congress enacted a sweeping housing package that substantially changed the legislation the House initially approved. These...

Legislation

2027 Interior Bill Rejects 18% Cut But Faces December Deadline

The House Appropriations Committee's fiscal 2027 bill for the Department of the Interior (DOI) would hold overall funding roughly flat with fiscal 2026,...

Congress

Congress Weighs Further Geothermal Research as Potential Grows

The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) geothermal assessments remain preliminary, and Congress faces an open question about whether to advance and prioritize...

Congress

ROAD to Housing Act Provisions Diverged in House and Senate Bills

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act grew as it moved through Congress, with the enacted law containing 59 sections across 12 titles, more than either the...

Housing

ROAD to Housing Act Enacted With Key Senate Bill Sections Dropped

Housing affordability has become a growing concern in recent years, according to a new Congressional Research Service (CRS) report that cites rising home...

Congress

Civil Lawsuit Filing Deadlines Limits Under Scrutiny

Congress holds broad authority to set, shorten, or extend civil lawsuit filing deadlines, but that power has constitutional limits that vary depending on...

Politics

State-Passed Daylight Saving Time Laws Need Congress To Take Effect

Nineteen states have enacted permanent daylight saving time (DST) laws, but those laws cannot take effect without congressional authorization, according to...

Legislation

Federal Crop Insurance Subsidies Have Tripled Since 2000

The federal crop insurance program subsidizes about $15 billion in premiums annually, roughly two-thirds of all premiums, and covers more than 572 million...

Legislation

Clean Water Act Permitting Faces Pending Rules and 55 Bills

The Trump administration has proposed three separate rules that would narrow the scope of Clean Water Act (CWA) permitting, but none has been finalized,...

Congress

House Minority Motion to Recommit Rules and Limits Explained

The motion to recommit (MTR) lets House minority members propose sending a bill back to committee before final passage, but MTRs almost always fail. A rules...

Congress

National Park Service $24B Maintenance Backlog Awaits Congress

The national park maintenance backlog for the National Park Service (NPS) reached $24.237 billion for fiscal 2025, the largest deferred-maintenance total...

Politics

Federal Anthropic Restrictions Raise AI Competition Concerns

A Congressional Research Service report examines the Trump administration's efforts to restrict federal use of Anthropic's artificial intelligence...

Congress

Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation Caseload Still Unresolved

The Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation (ONHIR) was designed as a time-limited program, yet it continues to draw annual appropriations and carry...

Politics

Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Program History and Stakes for Congress

The structure of the offshore oil and gas leasing program gives Congress and the Trump administration direct leverage over domestic energy production...

Congress

Cost-of-Living Changes for Civil Service Annuities Clarified

The formula for cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) to federal civil service annuities and how it compares to Social Security's adjustment process carries...

Politics

Aging Water Systems Face Federal Uncertainty Over Repair Mandates

Aging water systems across the country require repair or replacement, and communities often struggle to identify which federal program applies to their...

Congress

House-Passed SPEED Act Would Narrow Federal Environmental Reviews

Federal environmental reviews for energy infrastructure and other projects could become faster but less comprehensive if the Senate acts on a House-passed...