CategoryFederal

Pelosi elected speaker of the House

By Kelly Coyle
In Federal
January 4, 2019 at 1:37 PM
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was elected speaker of the House with 220 votes. Fifteen Democrats did not vote for her. Eight of those who voted against Pelosi were among the 16 Democrats that signed a letter opposing her candidacy on November 19, 2018.
 
Pelosi previously served as speaker of the House from 2007-2011. She is the first and only woman to hold the position.
 
The speaker of the House presides over sessions of the lower chamber and is second in the line of presidential succession.


Warren forms presidential exploratory committee and Iowa team

By Emily Aubert
In Federal
January 4, 2019 at 1:07 AM
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) announced Monday that she had formed a presidential exploratory committee, joining former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro (D) in taking the first steps towards a possible presidential run.
 
Warren has brought on several experienced staffers to her Iowa team from the Clinton, Obama, and Sanders campaigns: Emily Parcell, Janice Rottenberg, and Brendan Summers.
 
More than 440 candidates have already filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for president in 2020, including 133 Democrats, 60 Republicans, 18 Libertarians, and 10 Greens.
 
Ballotpedia is also tracking more than 60 possible Democratic and Republican presidential contenders.


December 2018 OIRA review count on same level as previous year; Total 2018 review count more than 100 rules higher than 2017

By Caitlin Styrsky
In Federal
January 3, 2019 at 2:32 PM
In December 2018, the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) reviewed 31 significant regulatory actions issued by federal agencies. The agency approved the intent of 26 rules while recommending changes to their content. OIRA approved three other rules without changes. Agencies withdrew two rules from the review process.
 
The 31 significant regulatory actions reviewed by OIRA in December 2018 is higher than the 30 significant regulatory actions reviewed by OIRA in December 2017. During the Obama administration from 2009-2016, OIRA reviewed an average of 58 significant regulatory actions each December.
 
The office reviewed a total of 355 significant rules in 2018. In 2017, OIRA reviewed 237 significant rules.
 
As of January 2, 2018, OIRA’s website listed 92 regulatory actions under review.
 
OIRA is responsible for reviewing and coordinating what it deems to be all significant regulatory actions made by federal agencies, with the exception of independent federal agencies. Significant regulatory actions include agency rules that have had or may have a large impact on the economy, environment, public health, or state and local governments and communities. These regulatory actions may also may conflict with other regulations or with the priorities of the president.
 
Every month, Ballotpedia compiles information about regulatory reviews conducted by OIRA.


2019 Congressional calendar

By Kelly Coyle
In Federal
January 2, 2019 at 3:27 PM
The 116th Congress will convene on January 3, 2019, and will conclude on January 3, 2021. The House is scheduled to meet for 130 days in 2019, and the Senate is scheduled to meet for 168 days.
 
In 2018, the House had 171 legislative days, and the Senate had 186 days.
 
From 2001 to 2018, the House spent an average of 140 days in session each year, while the Senate averaged 165 days in session each year.
 
Click here to view the calendar for the first session of the 116th Congress.


Federal Register weekly update; highest weekly number of final rules since September as 2018 draws to a close

By Sarah Rosier
In Federal
December 28, 2018 at 5:21 PM
The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity which includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory execution.
 
During the week of December 24 to December 28, the number of pages in the Federal Register increased by 1,600 pages, bringing the year-to-date total to 67,676 pages. A total of 556 documents were included in the week’s Federal Register, including 418 notices, one presidential document, 45 proposed rules, and 92 rules.
 
No proposed or final rules were deemed significant under E.O. 12866—meaning that they may have large impacts on the economy, environment, public health, or state or local governments. Significant actions may also conflict with presidential priorities or other agency rules.
 
During the same week in 2017, the number of pages in the Federal Register increased by 1,116 pages, bringing the year-to-date total to 61,950 pages. As of December 28, the 2018 total led the 2017 total by 5,726 pages.
 
The Trump administration has added an average of 1,301 pages to the _Federal Register_ each week in 2018 as of December 28. Over the course of the Obama administration, the Federal Register increased by an average of 1,658 pages per week.
 
According to government data, the Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.


Democratic donor who backed Obama’s 2008 run announces pro-Booker super PAC

By Emily Aubert
In Federal
December 21, 2018 at 9:43 PM
Democratic donor Steve Phillips announced the formation of the Dream United super PAC to support a possible presidential run by U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) Thursday. Phillips said he already had $4 million lined up to support Booker and expected to raise $10 million over the coming months. Phillips backed former President Barack Obama’s 2008 run in a similar fashion, with his groups spending $11 million on that campaign. 
 
While Booker said last month that he was considering running for president, three notable Democrats have taken formal steps towards a run. Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro (D) formed an exploratory committee last week and West Virginia state Sen. Richard Ojeda (D) and U.S. Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) both declared their candidacies.
 
Nearly 440 candidates have already filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for president in 2020, including 131 Democrats, 59 Republicans, 18 Libertarians, and 10 Greens.
 
Ballotpedia is also tracking more than 60 possible Democratic and Republican presidential contenders.


Trump announces withdrawal of troops from Syria

By Joel Williams
In Federal
December 21, 2018 at 8:41 PM

On December 19, 2018, President Donald Trump ordered all remaining U.S. troops to be withdrawn from Syria. The U.S. had been conducting direct combat operations in Syria since April 2017. Department of Defense officials said they expected the troop withdrawal to take no more than 30 days. In a video posted to Twitter, Trump said, “We have won against ISIS. Our boys, our young women, our men – they’re all coming back, and they’re coming back now.” According to The New York Times, this move was the catalyst for Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis’s retirement, which was announced Thursday night. Click here to read more about the conflict in Syria and the Trump administration. 



Democratic donor who backed Obama’s 2008 run announces pro-Booker super PAC

By Emily Aubert
In Federal
December 21, 2018 at 8:37 PM
Democratic donor Steve Phillips announced the formation of the Dream United super PAC to support a possible presidential run by U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) Thursday. Phillips said he already had $4 million lined up to support Booker and expected to raise $10 million over the coming months. Phillips backed former President Barack Obama’s 2008 run in a similar fashion, with his groups spending $11 million on that campaign. 
 
While Booker said last month that he was considering running for president, three notable Democrats have taken formal steps towards a run. Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro (D) formed an exploratory committee last week and West Virginia state Sen. Richard Ojeda (D) and U.S. Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) both declared their candidacies.
 
Nearly 440 candidates have already filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for president in 2020, including 131 Democrats, 59 Republicans, 18 Libertarians, and 10 Greens.
 
Ballotpedia is also tracking more than 60 possible Democratic and Republican presidential contenders.


Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis to retire in Feb. 2019

By Rob Oldham
In Federal
December 21, 2018 at 8:32 PM
Secretary of Defense James Mattis will retire at the end of February 2019, President Donald Trump announced in a tweet Thursday. Trump tweeted, “During Jim’s tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment. General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!” 
 
Mattis, a former Marine Corps four-star general, became secretary of defense in January 2017 after the U.S. Senate confirmed him in a 98-1 vote. He was the first recently retired general to serve in the position since George C. Marshall in the early 1950s.


Minnesota Congressman Rick Nolan will not seek re-election in 2018

By Ryan Burch
In Federal
December 10, 2018 at 2:40 PM

Congress Rick Nolan (D), who represents Minnesota 8th Congressional District, announced Friday that he will retire at the end of his current term and not seek re-election in 2018. Nolan was elected to his current seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012. Nolan was one of nine individuals elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012 who had prior congressional experience. He served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, from 1974 to 1980. Three candidates have filed to run in primaries for Nolan’s seat.

As of February 9, a total of 50 current representatives have announced that they will not seek re-election in 2018. Of those 50, 34 are Republicans and 16 are Democrats.