Category: Federal
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An overview of the rules, agency documents, and notices published in the Federal Register in the third quarter of 2026
The federal government added 22,454 pages to the Federal Register in the third quarter of 2026, spanning from July 1 to Sept. 30. This is more than in all other quarters during the second Trump administration, except the second quarter of 2026, during which the government added 23,692 pages. The next highest was the third…
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Ballotpedia releases federal judicial vacancy count for October 2026
In this month’s federal judicial vacancy count, Ballotpedia tracked nominations, confirmations, and vacancies from Sept. 2 to Oct. 1. Ballotpedia publishes the federal judicial vacancy count at the start of each month. HIGHLIGHTS New vacancies There were 27 vacancies out of 870 active Article III judicial positions, a total vacancy percentage of 3.1, which is…
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Internal Revenue Service issues regulations for Education Freedom Tax Credit
On Oct. 2, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued regulations that determine how the Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC) will run and, in turn, how many states participate. The EFTC — also known as the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC), or IRS Section 25F — will allow individuals to receive federal tax credits for donations…
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President Trump has appointed 56 federal judges through October 1 of his second year of his second term
President Donald Trump (R) has appointed, and the Senate has confirmed, 56 Article III federal judges through Oct. 1, 2026, the second year of his second term in office. This is the third-highest number of Article III judicial appointments through this point in a president's second term since President Bill Clinton (D). Presidents since Clinton…
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Trump saw lowest average approval rating of his second term in September
At the end of September, approval polling averages showed President Donald Trump (R) at 39% approval. Sixty percent of voters disapproved of his performance. September saw the lowest average approval rating of his second term at 38%, last seen on Sept. 29, 2026. The highest average approval rating of his second term was 54%, last…
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Trump issued eleven executive orders in September, bringing his total across both terms to 508
President Donald Trump’s (R) issued 11 executive orders in September, bringing his second term total to 288 as of Oct. 1. Trump issued orders on livestock, ranching, adjustments to delegations under the Defense Production Act, veterans benefits and employment opportunities, water quality, hunting, fishing, the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Program, America.gov, super intelligence, and disease-carrying pests.…
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Forty states have appropriated funds for new SNAP administrative cost share
Forty states have partially or fully appropriated funds for their increased share of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) administrative costs under federal law. Beginning on Oct. 1, states are responsible for funding 75% of the administrative costs of running the program in their state, while the federal government covers the remaining 25%. Previously, states split…
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U.S. Supreme Court allows use of expanded SAVE system ahead of the November elections
On Sept. 25, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed a lower court ruling that blocked the federal government from using an expanded version of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system for voter registration and list maintenance. The SAVE system provides information about individuals' immigration and citizenship status. The interim docket ruling allows the U.S.…
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Stopgap funding bill delays OMB grants rule until December 11
On September 3, President Donald Trump (R) signed a stopgap spending bill which funds the federal government until Dec. 11. The bill averted a government shutdown, but also delayed the implementation of an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed rule on federal grantmaking that would give political appointees and agencies more say in awarding…
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EPA repeals power plant carbon standards
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Sept. 14 repealed most Biden-era carbon emissions standards for coal- and gas-fired power plants and proposed eliminating remaining federal greenhouse gas requirements for the power sector. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the actions during a meeting of G20 energy ministers in Houston. The Biden-era standards required certain coal-fired power…