Legislation
Lame-Duck Sessions a Regular Venue for Lawmaking
A new Congressional Research Service (CRS) analysis in “Lame Duck Sessions of Congress, 1935-2024 (74th-118th Congresses)” shows that the period after an...
Costs and Health Benefits of Air Quality Standards
Air-quality standards sit at the intersection of public-health protections, industrial compliance, and federal-state administration, according to the...
EEOC Proposal Would Shift Initial EEO Decisions to Agencies
The Congressional Research Service report dated Sept. 15 examines proposed changes to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s federal-sector equal...
Trump Directives Highlight Two Paths for Federal Place Names
The U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) sets geographic names for federal use, placing presidential renaming directives within an existing system for...
Oracle in Crosshair as Cost Overruns Mount at VA
The House Veterans' Affairs Committee unanimously voted to subpoena Oracle executives over a Veterans Affairs (VA) electronic health records modernization...
WuXi AppTec Hires Sander Lurie on Health Issues
WuXi AppTec Sales LLC, a U.S.-based subsidiary of a Chinese biotech firm, has switched lobbying representation after a federal designation threatened its...
Federal Agencies Split On E-Bike Rules For Public Lands
Interior Department regulations currently exclude e-bikes from motorized vehicle definitions and allow their use on nonmotorized trails at managers'...
Congress Weighs Army Corps Provisions in Water Resources Act
Two competing water resources bills are advancing through Congress as the Army Corps of Engineers faces unprecedented executive branch pressure to halt...
Federal K-12 Funding Falls From Pandemic-Era Highs
According to a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report titled "Funding for Public Elementary and Secondary Schools", the federal share jumped to 12.74...
Millennium Challenge Corporation Faces Legitimacy Crisis
A Congressional Research Service (CRS) report on the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) reveals sharp tensions between the agency's statutory mission...
House Panel Looks Into Error Adding 6,600 Noncitizens
A software error in New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission system added approximately 6,600 noncitizens to voter rolls between June 2023 and June 2024,...
Trump and House at Odds Over Homeland Security Provisions
President Trump and the House of Representatives are at odds over security provisions in the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) 2027 budget. A...
USDA Shares Climate Pest Risks but Lacks Resilience Plan
The Department of Agriculture is unprepared for climate-driven threats to American farms and forests, according to a new report from the U.S. Government...
Security Partnerships Hold Steady Amid Growing Stockpile Demands
The network of nuclear laboratories and production sites for National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is increasingly juggling work for outside...
House Staff Minimum Pay Reached $45,000; Senior Medians Fell
House staff compensation has emerged as a focal point for congressional operations, with a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report documenting...
11 of 16 Selected Senate Positions Had Higher Median Pay in FY25
A recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report tracking Senate committee staff pay finds that compensation for some key positions has moved in...
2025 House Committee Staff Median Pay Spanned $69,910-$228,032
House committee staff in 14 selected positions had median pay ranging from $69,910 for staff assistants to $228,032 for staff directors in 2025.
Congressional Staff Now Earn More Than Members
Members' base salaries have remained frozen at $174,000 since 2009, while their own staff can now earn up to $228,000 annually, creating a situation where...