Tag: federal government
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Senate confirms Lloyd Austin for secretary of defense
On January 22, 2021, the Senate confirmed retired Gen. Lloyd Austin to serve as secretary of defense by a vote of 93-2. He will be the first Black secretary to lead the Department of Defense and the second member of President Joe Biden’s (D) Cabinet to be confirmed. Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Mike Lee…
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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases December 2020 unemployment data
On January 8, 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its unemployment data for December 2020. The unemployment rate for December was 6.7%, the same rate that was reported for November 2020. The year’s highest unemployment rate was recorded in April 2020 at 14.8%; the year’s lowest reported rate was 3.5% in both…
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U.S. Small Business Administration relaunches Paycheck Protection Program
On Friday, January 8, the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) would make another round of loans available to new and some existing borrowers on January 11. Congress allocated $284 billion to the program in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which President Donald Trump (R) signed into law on December 27, 2020. The PPP, which Congress first authorized…
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Federal Register weekly update: Highest weekly page total of 2020
The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity. From December 28 to December 31, the Federal Register grew by 3,154 pages for a year-to-date total of 87,352 pages. Over the same…
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OIRA reviewed 90 significant rules in December
The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) reviewed a total of 90 significant regulatory actions issued by federal agencies in December 2020. The agency approved five rules without changes and approved the intent of 82 rules while recommending changes to their content. Agencies withdrew two rules from the review process. One rule…
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Federal Register weekly update: More than 3,000 final rules published so far in 2020
The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity. From November 23 to November 27, the Federal Register grew by 1,824 pages for a year-to-date total of 76,418 pages. Over the same…
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Partisan control of U.S. Senate will come down to Georgia
Two of the 35 Senate races held in 2020 remain uncalled: the regular and special Senate elections in Georgia. Republicans have secured 50 seats in the next Senate, and Democrats have secured 48 (including two seats held by independents who caucus with Democrats). Control of the Senate will come down to Georgia. Democrats would need…
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Federal Register tops 70,000 pages for 2020
The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. This journal is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity. From Nov. 2 to Nov. 6, the Federal Register grew by 2,104 pages for a year-to-date total of 71,222 pages. Over the same period in 2019…
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Office of Personnel Management implements Trump administration order regarding poor-performing federal employees
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on Friday issued final rules that revise federal agency methods for addressing poor-performing employees in the civil service. The rules implement President Donald Trump’s (R) Executive Order 13839, which aims to streamline the discipline and dismissal processes for poor-performing federal employees. The regulations implement the following changes to agency…
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Federal Register weekly update: 2020 page total tops 60,000 pages
The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity. From September 21 to September 25, the Federal Register grew by 1,510 pages for a year-to-date total of 60,682 pages. Over the same period in 2019 and…