Archive for September 2025

Status of FY 2026 Funding Federal government funding is set to expire in 15 days.  Last week, the House voted to enter conference with the Senate on three appropriations bills: Agriculture, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs. The chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate appropriations committees have indicated that they are nearing…

Senate Changes Nominee Confirmation Rules Last week, Republicans voted to revise Senate rules so most presidential nominees (except for cabinet and judicial picks) will now be confirmed in group votes, saving floor time. While Republican senators may still object to individual nominees, minority party objections are no longer permitted. This marks the third unilateral change…

This Week in Congress The House voted on the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (H.R. 3838) and the Stop Illegal Entry Act (H.R. 3486), which seeks to increase penalties for individuals who unlawfully enter or reenter the United States after removal. Additionally, the House voted on measures that addressed topics such as…

Status of FY26 Funding The Republicans are split on how to keep the government running after September 30. Many Senate Republicans support a short-term funding bill, hoping to highlight Democratic resistance if they oppose it. However, the Senate’s bipartisan spending proposals exceed those from House Republicans and the White House, decreasing the likelihood of a…

IRS Funding The House’s Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill proposes a 23% cut to IRS funding and over a third reduction in enforcement funds. The report expresses concern about potential burdensome audits on small businesses by the Large Business and International Division and includes a policy rider preventing new beneficial ownership reporting rules…

U.S. Japan Trade Relations On Tuesday, President Trump signed an Executive Order implementing the framework agreement between the United States and Japan that he announced on July 22, 2025. The framework agreement provides American producers and manufacturers well over $15 billion of unprecedented access to Japanese markets while still accounting for U.S. national security needs.…

Update: Overtime Rule The U.S. Department of Labor has included an update to overtime pay eligibility in its “long term action” regulatory agenda, indicating that the Trump administration does not intend to address this rule in the near future.  The DOL re-released its Spring 2025 regulatory agenda last Thursday, after previously publishing and removing it…

Revised: OSHA Rules   The Trump administration aims to revise over 40 workplace safety rules, narrowing or removing provisions seen as obstacles to technological and economic progress. The OSHA Standards Improvement Project 2025 proposes changes to numerous Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards. Key changes include excluding hazards “inherent and inseparable from the core nature”…

This Week in Congress   Congress returned from their August recess to tackle a busy few months, including a potential government shutdown, a fight over presidential nominations (and adjacent issues relating to the President’s authority to fire a Federal Reserve governor), a bipartisan procedural maneuver to release files relating to disgraced late-financier Jeffrey Epstein, work…

September – National Preparedness Month   September is National Preparedness Month, an initiative designed to enhance emergency readiness across the nation. Though this timing coincides with peak hurricane season as we transition from summer to autumn, emergency preparedness remains vital year-round since natural disasters strike without warning. The financial toll of weather-related disasters continues to…