On April 16th, 2025, the press reported that the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is planning to propose massive cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) budget in the President’s FY 2026 Budget Request, according to a leaked draft. The document, called a “passback,” has not been finalized and
The House of Representatives passed their Continuing Resolution (CR) to the fund the government through September 30th on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in a mostly party-line 217-213 vote. Representative Golden (D-ME) was the only House Democrat to vote for the bill and Representative Massie (R-KY) was the only House Republican to vote against it. Later
The 119th Congress officially began on January 3, 2025, when Vice President Harris certified the election results and the new members of Congress were sworn in. There are several major funding negotiations to come over the next six months, from Appropriations to reconciliation to the debt ceiling, and the Majority party has laid out a
In the last weeks of the Biden Administration, Executive offices pushed out numerous new rules, policies, and information memoranda. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released the following: Best Practices for Serving Young People Transitioning From Foster Care This Information Memorandum (IM) provides information on best practices for providing quality programs and services to
On June 12, 2024, the Senate Judiciary Committee convened for a hearing on combatting the youth vaping epidemic by enhancing enforcement against illegal e-cigarettes. Committee Chair, Senator Dick Durbin (D- IL), noted an alarming level of youth using e-cigarettes and the failure of federal agencies to protect children from the addiction associated with use. A
The Trevor Project released its 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People, which amplifies the experiences of more than 18,000 LGBTQ+ young people ages 13 to 24 across the United States. The survey finds: 39% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year — including 46%
The Biden Administration has published a number of new regulations in the past few weeks, moving at a very quick pace. The Congressional Review Act allows Congress to disapprove of a final rule, but the resolution must be introduced within a specific time frame: during a 60-days-of-continuous-session period beginning on the day Congress receives the
On May 1, 2024, House Agriculture Chairman G.T. Thompson (R-PA) unveiled an initial summary of the House Republican Farm bill, which encompasses important nutrition programs. A follow-up summary with additional detail was released on May 10th, providing more specific information about the various titles. Legislative text has not been released but is expected sometime this
On May 3, 2024, the Senate HELP Committee hosted a hearing entitled, “What can Congress do to address the severe shortage of minority health care professionals and the maternal health crisis?” Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) stated that the US health-care system is inefficient and ineffective. The US spends twice as much per capita on healthcare
On April 11, 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration and the Department of Justice announced a final rule regarding federal gun background check system outlined in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. This rule clarifies and expands the types of gun dealers that are required to conduct background checks on customers prior to selling. President Biden and Vice
