Legislation

Congress Approves $877.9 Million in Federal Payments to D.C.

Congress approved $877.9 million in federal payments for the District of Columbia under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (P.L. 119-75), signed Feb....

Politics

Slowing U.S. Labor Force Growth Threatens Long-Term Economic Gains

Slowing U.S. labor force growth could constrain economic expansion and complicate federal budget decisions as an aging population and declining immigration...

International Affairs

Israel's Election Deadlock Raises Stakes for U.S. Foreign Policy

Neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing bloc nor the opposition secured a majority in Israel's Oct. 27 parliamentary elections, leaving...

Lobbying Activity

Electrical Contractors Association Lobbies Davis-Bacon Repeal

The National Electrical Contractors Association Inc. (NECA) lists lobbying on the Davis-Bacon Act in its 2026 third-quarter report, and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT)...

Politics

Ecuador's Security Crisis and U.S. Relations Reassessed

Ecuador faces compounding crises of organized crime, economic instability and political uncertainty that are reshaping U.S. policy priorities in the Andes,...

Congress

Permit Reform Bill Would Narrow Historic Preservation Review

A pending permitting-reform bill would substantially rewrite Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), narrowing which projects face...

Elections

State and Federal Laws Divided On Voter Registration Issues

Voter registration sits at the intersection of federal law and state administration, a division that has generated recurring friction over which level of...

Politics

SuperPAC Shuffle: SLF Takes Aim in Kansas

Republican-side groups booked $226,000 in airtime against $31,000 for Democratic-side groups, a 7.2-to-1 ratio, reversing the prior day, when...

Politics

TD PAC Spends on Supporting Florida's Angie Nixon

TD PAC, a Chicago-based super PAC, has concentrated nearly all its reported spending on supporting Democrat Angela "Angie" Nixon in Florida's U.S. Senate...

Congress

Noelle Cardi Joins Sen. Jack Reed's Office as Staff Assistant

Noelle J. Cardi has joined Sen. Jack Reed's personal office as a staff assistant, effective Nov. 1, 2026. The position is based in Washington, D.C. No...

Elections

Stronger Nation Super PAC Targets Republicans in Senate Races

Stronger Nation, a Los Angeles-based hybrid PAC, has concentrated its independent expenditures on opposing Republican candidates and supporting Democratic...

Elections

HMP Breaks Into Top Three With $281.8 Million as Election Day Nears

For the win: SLF PAC. This SuperPAC supports Republican candidates in competitive states, leads at $349.0 million, up from $301.3 million a week earlier....

Politics

Proposed Rule Strips Noncitizen Eligibility for Four Tax Credits

Treasury and the IRS have proposed a rule that would, for the first time, classify the refundable portions of four federal tax credits as federal public...

Politics

Congress Runs on Stopgap Through Dec. 11 With Pay Frozen at $174K

Congress has not enacted a regular fiscal 2027 legislative branch appropriations bill, leaving the government funded only through Dec. 11 on a continuing...

Government Operations

Oversight Options for Congress on Federal Civil Service Categories

The federal civil service is divided into three categories with different rules for hiring, pay and adverse actions. President Trump has used executive...

Legislation

Gun Dealers Can Now Screen Employees Through Background Checks

Gun dealers and other federally licensed firearms businesses will be able to run FBI criminal background checks on employees who handle weapons, under a...

Social Welfare

New Eligibility Rules Proposed For Health Insurance Marketplace Enrollees

Health insurance Marketplace applicants and enrollees would face new eligibility and verification checks before coverage begins, under a proposal the...