Category: Federal

  • House passes three-year extension of expanded ACA subsidies

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    On Jan. 8, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, also known as the expanded premium tax credit (ePTC), for three years. Seventeen Republicans joined Democrats to pass the measure 230–196. The legislation would revive the ePTC, which expired on December 31, 2025. Supporters said the vote…

  • How states provide oversight of federal grants

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    Federal grants make up a significant share of state budgets, and states use a wide range of statutory frameworks to review, approve, and manage these funds. These frameworks determine which actors—governors, legislatures, agencies, auditors, or the public—play a role in evaluating grant applications, accepting federal dollars, and regulating how entities administer those funds. Collectively, these…

  • Here's what the new U.S. Postal Service rule on postmarks means for absentee/mail-in voting

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    On Dec. 24, a new U.S. Postal Service (USPS) rule took effect, stating that mail is not necessarily postmarked on the day it is posted — implicating official documents that require postmarks, including tax returns, court documents, bill payments, and, in some states, absentee/mail-in ballots received after Election Day.  USPS officials have said the rule…

  • An overview of the rules, agency documents, and notices published in the Federal Register in the last quarter of 2025

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    The federal government added 14,353 pages to the Federal Register in the last quarter of 2025, spanning from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, for an annual total of 61,584 pages. According to the publication, that's the lowest annual page count of the Federal Register since 1992. The highest annual page count hit 95,894 in 2016.…

  • Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation leaves Georgia’s 14th Congressional District vacant

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    On Jan. 5, 2026, Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives, leaving Georgia’s 14th Congressional District vacant.  Following Greene’s announcement that she would resign, CBS News’ Joe Walsh wrote that it came “after a weekslong falling-out with President [Donald] Trump and much of her party.” In a statement, Greene wrote, “I…

  • Trump signs more Congressional Review Act resolutions in 2025 than in every previous year combined

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    On Dec. 11, President Donald Trump (R) signed five resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), bringing the total number of enacted CRA resolutions this year to 22. Trump has now signed more CRA resolutions in 2025 than all presidents in every other combined. Between his two administrations, Trump has signed 95% of…

  • Fifty members of Congress have announced they will not seek re-election in 2026—the most at this point since 2018

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    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…