
President Donald Trump’s (R) issued 11 executive orders in September, bringing his second term total to 288 as of Oct. 1. Trump issued orders on livestock, ranching, adjustments to delegations under the Defense Production Act, veterans benefits and employment opportunities, water quality, hunting, fishing, the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Program, America.gov, super intelligence, and disease-carrying pests.…

Forty states have partially or fully appropriated funds for their increased share of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) administrative costs under federal law. Beginning on Oct. 1, states are responsible for funding 75% of the administrative costs of running the program in their state, while the federal government covers the remaining 25%. Previously, states split…

On Sept. 25, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed a lower court ruling that blocked the federal government from using an expanded version of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system for voter registration and list maintenance. The SAVE system provides information about individuals' immigration and citizenship status. The interim docket ruling allows the U.S.…

Democrats have gained a net 13 state legislative seats in special elections since January 2025 — all flipped from Republican to Democratic control — while Republicans have not flipped any seats in the other direction during President Donald Trump's (R) second term. The pace is comparable to Trump's first term: Democrats gained a net 11…

On September 3, President Donald Trump (R) signed a stopgap spending bill which funds the federal government until Dec. 11. The bill averted a government shutdown, but also delayed the implementation of an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed rule on federal grantmaking that would give political appointees and agencies more say in awarding…

President Donald Trump (R) issued six executive orders in August, bringing his second-term total to 277. Trump issued orders on military spouses, citizenship, vaccines, the bulk-power system, and the Great Lakes. Click here to read more about each order. Trump issued four more orders in August than he did in July, when he issued two…

President Donald Trump (R) issued two executive orders in July, the second-fewest of any month in his second term. As of July 31, Trump had signed 271 executive orders in his second term. The July executive orders addressed defense supply chains and the Smithsonian Institution. Click here to read more about each order. Trump issued…

At the end of July, approval polling averages showed President Donald Trump (R) at 39% approval, a tie with June 2, 2026, for the lowest average approval rating of his second term. Fifty-eight percent of voters disapproved of his performance. The highest average approval rating Trump has received in his second term was 54%, last…

Executive Order Changes Federal Contracting Policy On April 30, 2026, President Donald Trump (R) issued an executive order which modified how the federal government structures government contracts. The order directed agencies to preferentially use fixed-price performance-based contracts rather than cost-reimbursement contracts. In a fixed-price contract, a contractor delivers goods or services to the government at…