Government Operations

House Bipartisanly Passes Value Over Cost Act

The House passed the Value Over Cost Act on July 21, 2026, sending a clear signal that both parties are ready to overhaul how the federal government buys...

Public Lands

House Panel Advances Lifeguard Bill Amid Budget Cuts

The House Natural Resources Committee advanced eight bills on July 22, 2026, in a bipartisan markup session that underscores competing priorities within the...

Government Operations

Trump Administration Defends UN Overhaul Amid Democratic Pushback

Why it matters: The hearing, held on July 22, 2026, exposed tension between the administration's confrontational strategy and concerns from Democrats about...

Education

Smithsonian Director Faces GOP Scrutiny Over Historical Narratives

Why it matters: The Trump administration is using federal oversight to reshape how American history gets told at taxpayer-funded institutions. The House...

Law and Order

Fauci Faces Senate Questioning on Legal Exposure

Anthony Fauci will face questioning from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in what amounts to a...

Government Operations

Senate Panel Advances 17 Trump Nominees Including Tense FEMA Pick

Why it matters: The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted on July 22, 2026 to advance 17 presidential nominees to the full...

Government Operations

The Latest Policy Issue: Sports Prediction Markets

Why it matters: The House Agriculture Committee's commodity markets subcommittee held a hearing on Tuesday to examine how federal regulators oversee...

Government Operations

Dominic Hastings Appointed Press Secretary and Digital Director

Dominic Hastings has joined the Diana DeGette staff as Press Secretary and Digital Director, marking another shift in the Colorado congressional office's...

Law and Order

Senate Republicans Advance Flowers to Sixth Circuit

The Senate advanced Benjamin M. Flowers' judicial nomination to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on a party-line cloture vote that underscored the deep...

Politics

Bucking the System

Congress remains sharply divided along party lines, but a small group of lawmakers in both chambers continue to break from their party's majority on a...

Government Operations

FinCEN Director Faces Oversight on Enforcement Priorities

Why it matters: The House Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions held an oversight...

Law and Order

Subcommittee Discusses Threat of AI Fraud on Federal Benefits

Why it matters: Federal agencies identified $186 billion in improper payments in fiscal year 2025, and the Trump administration is backing legislative...

Government Operations

George Humphreville Promoted to Legislative Correspondent

George Humphreville has been promoted to Legislative Correspondent for Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, the Rhode Island Democrat, beginning June 1, 2026. The...

Government Operations

Eric Wu Advances to Legislative Correspondent Role

Eric Wu Legislative Correspondent has been promoted within Senator Catherine Cortez Masto's Nevada Senator staff. Wu began his new role as Legislative...

Government Operations

Charles Alldredge Promoted to Counsel at Senate Judiciary Committee

Charles Alldredge has been promoted to Counsel at the Senate Judiciary Committee, a significant step up in the legislative staff changes 2024-2026 period....

Government Operations

J.M. Smucker Reports $520K in Second-Quarter Lobbying Spending

J.M. Smucker Co. disclosed a $120,000 lobbying engagement with Miller Strategies LLC for the second quarter of 2026. The filing marks a continuation of the...

Legislation

House Passes Stopgap Funding Bill to Avert Shutdown

The House is moving to pass H.R. 9770, a continuing appropriations bill designed to keep the government funded through early December and avert a shutdown...