Category: Federal
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Trump issued second-lowest number of executive orders of his second term in April
April saw President Donald Trump’s (R) second-lowest monthly executive order total thus far in his second term. Trump issued five executive orders in April, having issued 259 total in his second term as of May 1. Trump issued orders on pharmaceuticals, college sports, the administrative state, and retirement savings. Click here to read more about…
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Trump and 119th Congress saw lowest approval ratings of Trump's second term in April
President Donald Trump (R) and the 119th Congress saw their lowest approval ratings of Trump’s second term in April. At the end of April, approval polling averages showed Trump at 41% approval. Fifty-seven percent of voters disapproved of his performance. The lowest average approval rating of his second term was 40%, last seen on April…
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An overview of the rules, agency documents, and notices published in the Federal Register in the first quarter of 2026
The federal government added 16,150 pages to the Federal Register in the first quarter of 2026, spanning from Jan. 1 to March 31. This is more than in all quarters during the second Trump administration except the third quarter in 2025, during which the government added 19,256 pages. These pages constitute the 6,071 documents that…
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A look at the notable Republican primaries for U.S. Senate happening in May
There are eight states holding primaries for U.S. Senate this month. Additionally, on May 5, Ohio is holding a primary for the special election to fill the rest of the six-year term that Vice President J.D. Vance (R) was elected to in 2022. Eight Democratic primaries and eight Republican primaries are contested this month. Republicans…
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U.S. Supreme Court decides prominent redistricting case with implications for future map changes
On April 29, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a 6-3 decision in Louisiana v. Callais, ruling that Louisiana’s congressional map that added a second majority-Black district was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. In 2024, the Louisiana Legislature added the second majority-Black district in response to a previous lawsuit that argued the 2022 map diluted minority…
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Senate passes budget resolution that includes funding for ICE and defense
On April 23, 2026, the U.S. Senate passed the 2026 budget resolution and sent the proposed text to the House. The resolution was passed 50-48, with no Democrats voting in favor and two Republicans, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), voting against; Sen. Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Warner (D-Va.) did not vote.…
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ESG shareholder proposals drop 47% in 2026 proxy season
According to As You Sow, a shareholder advocacy nonprofit, in its 2026 Proxy Preview report, shareholders filed 184 ESG proposals at U.S. shareholder meetings as of March 17, 2026. That is down 47% from 355 proposals filed at the same point in 2025. Shareholders use proxy proposals to ask companies to adopt specific policies or…
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Senate Democrats introduce bill to repeal federal education tax credit scholarship
On April 15, 2026, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), introduced S. 4297 to repeal the provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) that established the federal education tax credit scholarship program, also known as the Education Freedom Tax Credit. The bill, titled the Keep Public Funds in Public Schools Act, has 29 Democratic and…
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Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick’s resignation leaves Florida's 20th Congressional District vacant
On April 21, 2026, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) resigned, leaving Florida's 20th Congressional District vacant. Cherfilus-McCormick’s resignation came after the U.S. House of Representatives Ethics Committee announced on March 27 that it had determined that she violated the chamber’s campaign finance rules, finding that she had misappropriated disaster relief funds for campaign purposes. A hearing…
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Tony Gonzales’ resignation leaves Texas’ 23rd Congressional District vacant
On April 14, 2026, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) resigned, leaving Texas’ 23rd Congressional District vacant. Gonzales resigned after allegations of sexual misconduct. As of April 14, 2026, Republicans have a 217 to 213 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, with four vacancies. Additionally, Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-Calif.) is an independent who caucuses with Republicans.…