Politics
Federal Courts Received 97% of 2026 Budget Request
The judiciary's budget priorities shifted markedly in the final appropriation. Defender Services saw the largest dollar increase, rising 21.7 percent from...
U.S.-Mexico Relations: USMCA Review and Trade Pressure
A Congressional Research Service (CRS) report updated September 23 examines the full U.S.-Mexico bilateral relationship under the Trump administration and...
Senate to Examine Jack Smith’s Subpoenas of Lawmakers’ Records
Allegations that former special counsel Jack Smith's team improperly obtained phone records and text messages involving members of Congress sit at the...
GOP Candidates Break With Trump on Iran as Gas Prices Spike
Diesel prices hit $6.50 per gallon as of last Sunday, according to AAA, squeezing rural voters, truckers, and farmers in critical swing states. Polling...
Senate Panel Accelerates Pending Nominations Amid Ambassador Vacancies
More than 100 U.S. ambassador posts remain vacant, including critical positions in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq and Kuwait, while 37...
Senate Panel to Examine Changes at the Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is pursuing a proposed overhaul of how it defines a "small business," implimenting a workforce reduction of...
Senate Grills FBI Director Patel on Agent Firings, Polling Plans
FBI Director Kash Patel faced nearly five hours of intense questioning from both Democrats and Republicans on September 15 over mass firings of experienced...
Senate Judiciary Will Examine Pending Judicial Nominations
The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing titled "Hearings To Examine Pending Nominations" on Wednesday, September 30. Federal judicial...
Patent Office Policy Reversals Focus Of Senate Hearing
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has faced a series of abrupt policy reversals and transparency questions in 2026. USPTO Director John...
PeopleForBikes ends 4-year relationship with Brumidi Group
PeopleForBikes Coalition Ltd., the bicycle industry's national trade association, ended its relationship with lobbying firm Brumidi Group effective...
Petfive Brands Hires Monument Advocacy for Lobbying
Pet food manufacturer Petfive Brands Global Holding Inc. has entered the lobbying arena for the first time, engaging Monument Advocacy to represent its...
Maduro Faces Immunity Claims in U.S. Drug Prosecution
Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan leader seized by U.S. armed forces in Caracas on January 3, is now facing federal charges in New York. A Congressional...
Federal Retirement Claims Backlog Peaks at 65,237 in 2026
Federal retirement processing has deteriorated sharply in 2026, with a new Congressional Research Service (CRS) report documenting a backlog crisis that...
Federal Wiretaps and Fourth Amendment Tensions Unresolved
Emerging technologies continue to challenge the existing wiretap framework, and Congress has repeatedly amended Title III to keep pace with technological...
IRS Data Lag Leaves Policymakers Without Recent Info
A recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report published September 21 Policymakers are facing a critical blind spot because they currently lack IRS...
U.S.-Japan Trade Talks Stall Amid Overlapping Tariffs
The U.S.-Japan trade relationship faces mounting uncertainty as multiple tariff mechanisms overlap and key policy commitments remain unfulfilled, according...
Small Business Administration Proposes New Standards
The Small Business Administration announced a proposed rule on August 20 to radically reshape how federal programs classify small businesses, potentially...
U.S. Foreign-Born Population Reaches 50.2 Million in 2024
An estimated 50.2 million foreign-born people resided in the country in 2024, representing approximately 14.8 percent of the total U.S. population,...