Federal Policy Pulse

Trump hailed his “truly great friendship” with Xi as the Chinese leader called for “healthy” competition and closer cooperation to reduce friction...

Fundraising tells two very different stories for the midterms depending on whether the focus is Minnesota or the national level, showing how state and federal dynamics can send conflicting signals about party strength.

Democratic candidates in competitive House seats within blue states are actively separating themselves from unpopular state-level policies on taxes...

The full Fifth Circuit heard arguments on whether mandatory detention without bond hearings for longtime U.S. residents violates due process, after a...

The Trump administration filed an emergency Supreme Court appeal Thursday to revive its policy of deporting migrants to third countries without notice...

House Republicans' abrupt cancellation of the final two weeks of pre-midterm session has escalated Democratic charges of a do-nothing Congress, citing...

An informal custom lets four justices grant certiorari even when the majority opposes hearing the case.

• This 100-year practice emerged from 1925...

Congress delivered 97% of the judiciary's 2026 request, channeling the largest gain into Defender Services with a 21.7% jump to $1.766 billion that...

New state laws aim to ease physician shortages by letting some IMGs practice without US GME completion.

Key concerns include:

• No clear standards...

Bipartisan Senate appropriators are pushing legislation to bar demolition of the Kennedy Center without congressional approval, directly countering...

Retired Forest Service fire leaders are urging creation of a U.S. Wildland Fire Service centralized in the Department of the Interior to fix...

ICE's rushed expansion since January 2025 has already produced millions in wasted taxpayer funds.

• $1.07 billion spent buying 11 warehouses for...

• Senate could vote today on a War Powers resolution forcing President Trump to end Iran hostilities without new congressional approval.
• Bipartisan...

• Core aim: Force "fair trade" so overall exchanges balance out instead of perpetual US deficits in the hundreds of billions.
• Long-term goal:...

The Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling in Trump v. Slaughter eliminated removal protections for most independent-agency heads, overruling Humphrey’s...

The Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act funds agencies only through December 11, keeping the threat of a shutdown alive after the holidays....

Executive action has overtaken legislation in setting voter registration, citizenship checks, and election security policies.

• Key directives: EOs...

Missouri’s appeals court approved a Republican redistricting map but delayed enforcement until the Supreme Court reviews it.

This immediate fight...

Xi Jinping bypassed the UN General Assembly for a White House state dinner on AI, underscoring how nations now prioritize direct engagement with the...

Senate Democrats and Republicans are close to a permitting reform bill to speed infrastructure and renewables, yet passage remains uncertain.
-...