Category: Federal

On September 9, Judge Jon S. Tigar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California restored the nationwide scope of an injunction against a Trump administration asylum rule. He had originally issued a nationwide injunction against the rule in July, but the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals narrowed its scope to only…

Senate Democrats plan to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) this fall to reverse a guidance document that gave states more flexibility when applying for waivers from Obamacare requirements. The plan was included in a letter written by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.-N.Y.) outlining fall priorities for the Democratic Party, according to Politico on…

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a final rule on September 5 that withdraws rules made during the Obama administration that apply higher energy-efficiency requirements to some specialty lightbulbs. The department also published a separate proposed rule saying that current energy-efficiency standards do not need to change. This means that certain types of lightbulbs—rough…

  State Sen. Dan Bishop (R) defeated Dan McCready (D), Jeff Scott (L), and Allen Smith (G) in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District special election on September 10, 2019. Bishop received 50.8% of the vote to McCready’s 48.6% with 99% of precincts reporting, in addition to early voting results. The state board of elections called…

  State Rep. Greg Murphy (R) defeated Allen Thomas (D), Tim Harris (L), and Greg Holt (Constitution Party) in the special election for North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives on September 10, 2019. Murphy received 60.6% of the vote to Thomas’ 38.6% with 82% of precincts reporting, in addition…

Ten candidates will meet on stage for the third Democratic presidential primary debate in Houston, Texas, on Sept. 12, 2019.   The following candidates will participate:   • Joe Biden • Cory Booker • Pete Buttigieg • Julián Castro • Kamala Harris • Amy Klobuchar • Beto O’Rourke • Bernie Sanders • Elizabeth Warren •…

Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.) announced that she would not seek re-election in 2020. She was first elected to represent California’s 53rd Congressional District in 2000, and she won re-election in 2018 by a margin of 38 points. In a statement announcing her retirement, she said she had “a desire to live and work ‘at home’…

Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas) announced that he would not seek re-election in 2020. He was first elected to represent Texas’ 17th Congressional District in 2010, and he won re-election in 2018 by more than 15 points. In a statement announcing his retirement, he cited a desire to spend more time with his family.   Flores…

Special elections will take place in North Carolina’s 3rd and 9th Congressional Districts on Tuesday, September 10. These are the final two of three special U.S. House elections in 2019. Early voting began August 21 and was scheduled to end September 6, although many polling locations have been closed due to Hurricane Dorian. Here’s a…

In August 2019, the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) reviewed 48 significant regulatory actions issued by federal agencies. The agency approved the intent of all 48 rules while recommending changes to their content.   OIRA reviewed 35 significant regulatory actions in August 2018—13 fewer rules than the 48 significant regulatory actions…