Category: Federal
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Fifty members of Congress have announced they will not seek re-election in 2026—the most at this point since 2018
Fifty members of Congress—42 representatives and eight senators—have announced they will not seek re-election in 2026. That’s the most retirement announcements at this point in an election cycle since 2018. Since our Nov. 11 update, five representatives have announced that they will not seek re-election to the U.S. House in 2026. Here are the five…
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Senator proposes limits on proxy voting in federal retirement plan
On Nov. 25, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) proposed legislation affecting the federal Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), the retirement program for civilian federal employees and active-duty service members. The proposal would bar the firms that manage TSP assets—primarily BlackRock and State Street—from casting shareholder votes tied to those holdings. Cruz said he wants to stop the…
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Trump signs resolution disapproving of Bureau of Land Management plan for the National Petroleum Reserve
On Dec. 5, President Trump (R) signed a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) into law, disapproving of a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) resource management plan for land administered by the BLM in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. This resolution is the first time the CRA has been used to disapprove of…
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Supreme Court hears arguments on limits to presidential removal power in FTC case
On Dec. 8, 2025 the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in Trump v. Slaughter. The case examines whether Congress may limit the president’s authority to remove Federal Trade Commission (FTC) commissioners and whether courts may order reinstatement when a removal violates a statutory protection. During arguments, the justices focused primarily on how removal limits…
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IRS requests comments on implementing the U.S. school choice tax credit scholarship
On Nov. 26, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), a bureau of the U.S. Treasury, issued a notice requesting comments regarding the implementation of the U.S. school choice tax credit scholarship (USTCS) program. The 2025 budget reconciliation bill, called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), established the program when President Donald Trump (R) signed the…
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President Donald Trump (R) and the 119th Congress saw their lowest approval ratings of Trump’s second term in November
At the end of Nov., approval polling averages showed President Donald Trump (R) at 42% approval, the lowest of his second term. Fifty-five percent of voters disapproved of his performance. The highest approval rating Trump has received is 54%, last seen on Jan. 22, 2025. At the end of November, congressional approval was at 20%…
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November saw President Donald Trump’s (R) second-lowest monthly executive order total thus far in his second term
President Donald Trump (R) issued seven executive order in Nov., bringing his total to 217 in his second term. This was the second-lowest monthly total of his second term thus far. Trump issued orders on tariffs, artificial intelligence, foster care, and terrorism. Click here to read more about each order. Trump issued six more orders…
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Tracker: Article III federal judicial nominations by president by days in office since 2001
There were 47 vacancies out of 890 authorized federal judicial posts as of Dec. 1. Forty-six of those were for Article III judgeships. This report is limited to Article III courts, where appointees are confirmed to lifetime judgeships. In the past month: By Dec. 1, 316 days in office, President Donald Trump (R) had nominated…
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Rep. Troy Nehls becomes the sixth member of Texas’ congressional delegation to announce their retirement
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) announced on Nov. 29, 2025, that he will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026. On his retirement, Nehls posted on X, “Serving this country in the military, serving our community in law enforcement, and serving this district in Congress has been the honor of my life.”…
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Republican party committees maintain lead over Democratic party committees in October
As of Oct. 31, 2025, the end of the most recent party committee campaign finance filing period, the three committees associated with the Democratic Party have raised a cumulative $289 million and spent $264 million in the 2026 election cycle, while the three committees associated with the Republican Party have raised $319 million and spent…