Washington Policy Digest

• DOT Order 2100.7 directs preference for grants to areas with above-average marriage and birth rates, per Section 5(b).
• FTA's FY2026 planning...

The new term places cases on climate liability, deportation, and rifle bans before justices already skeptical of broad agency authority.

• Climate...

Trump's campaign trail push for multibillion-dollar projects like Iowa's steel plant and Oklahoma's aluminum smelter emphasizes long-term...

The White House Accord relies on voluntary corporate pledges and an executive order that renames AI as “super intelligence,” yet offers no enforcement...

H.R.5109 directs the TSA to develop guidelines improving access to the Transportation Worker Identification Credential, targeting eligibility issues in this key transportation security program.

• Swift delivery: More than $38 million in LIHEAP funds reached Maine low-income households and tribes—one of the earliest releases in program history...

• Mandatory standards and audits: HISAA requires HHS minimum and enhanced security rules, plus annual independent audits for all HIPAA entities.
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Existing statutes such as the CFAA, wire fraud law, and identity theft provisions can already reach individuals who intentionally use AI tools for...

The Trump administration announced over $6 billion in federal, industry, university, and philanthropic commitments to expand scientific computing,...

Congress holds broad spending power but faces four constitutional limits on attaching conditions to federal funds, with separation-of-powers rules...

Rep. Golden's proposal reforms how Congress passes spending bills to cut debt and prevent shutdowns.

In a key FOIA victory, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ruled the DOJ must turn over records on Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Donald...

A new CRS report serves as a practical starting point for congressional offices navigating federal election and voting law.

• Key agencies: FEC...

The administration is advancing its 'New Golden Age of Science' agenda by pairing corporate infrastructure pledges with federal agency expertise.

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's "Next Great American Base" proposal carries clear strategic, fiscal, and political implications.

• Strategic edge: A...

Banks like BB&T accepted TARP funds in 2008 despite no need, simply because the Bush administration made clear that refusing would invite retaliation....

A 273-page DOJ report released October 5, 2026, documents how a private NSBA letter routed through the White House COVID team became an FBI task force...

H.R. 8141 would amend the FCRA to require resellers of consumer reports to ensure accuracy in the information they provide. The bill targets a key gap in accountability for companies that repackage and sell this data.

A federal regulatory floor for AI would set minimum standards while letting states exceed them, preserving experimentation that blanket preemption...

The CFTC is advancing a federal framework for retail crypto transactions through agency rulemaking after the Senate failed to advance the CLARITY Act...