Government Operations
Farm Credit Administration Lacks Quorum With Two Seats Vacant
The Farm Credit Administration's three-member board has only one sitting member, serving on an expired term, and two vacant seats, leaving the regulator of...
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...
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...
Hurricane Isaias Raises FEMA Aid Questions for Congress
A Congressional Research Service (CRS) report examines the federal response to Hurricane Isaias, highlighting questions about FEMA staffing, disaster...
State and Local Election Rules Face Federal Pressure and Court Blocks
Federal executive branch measures issued under the Trump administration would reshape how state and local officials conduct elections, from voter...
Visa Interview Wait Times Surge as State Department Staffing Falls
Nonimmigrant visa interview wait times have risen nearly eightfold since before the pandemic, while State Department staffing shortages have contributed to...
Supreme Court Ruling Raises Questions About GAO's Executive Powers
A recent Supreme Court ruling on presidential control over executive officials could raise new constitutional challenges to certain powers exercised by the...
Congress Examines Oversight of Thousands of GAO Recommendations
Federal watchdogs have tracked more than 17,000 unresolved recommendations to improve government operations but generally cannot compel agencies to...
GAO Finds Gaps in $126M U.S. Effort to Stop Gun Trafficking to Mexico
Federal agencies spending roughly $126 million to combat firearms trafficking to Mexico cannot demonstrate whether that money is working, according to a new...
Competing Cyber Rules Hinder Critical Infrastructure Response
Competing federal cybersecurity rules are making it harder for critical infrastructure operators to respond to cyber threats, according to a new GAO report...
Conditions Attached To Federal Funding Face Constitutional Limits
Congress's broad power to attach conditions to federal funding has real constitutional limits, and a new Congressional Research Service report maps exactly...
Suing the Federal Government: How Courts Shape Policy Mid-Case
Federal courts are able to block or reshape government policy long before a case reaches final judgment when the policy is contested in a civil suit. A new...
Most Improper Medicaid Payments Due To Lack Of Documents, Not Fraud
The total amount of Medicaid fraud is unknown, according to a new Congressional Research Service report. However, the research distinguishes fraud from the...
Federal Drought Policy Fragmented Across Agencies
The federal government generally defers to state primacy in surface and groundwater allocation, so states and local entities typically lead drought...
Election Worker Safety Relies On States as Federal Support Shrinks
Federal law prohibits certain types of intimidation of or interference with election workers, while the current status of some federal executive branch...
Energy Department Faces New Legal Limits On Grid Emergency Power
The Trump administration's use of Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, whose emergency language dates to 1935, to delay power plant retirements has...
VA Harassment Reports Top 31K
More than 31,000 reported incidents of harassment-related behaviors involving veterans at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers occurred...
VA Fertility Care Gaps Leave Some Veterans Unaware of Benefits
Around 30,000 veterans had an infertility diagnosis in fiscal year 2025, yet some interested veterans may be unaware of the fertility care available to them...
