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Administration Rolls the Dice on a Pocket Recission   Last week, the White House notified Congress of the President’s intent to rescind $4.9 billion in funds appropriated for foreign aid.  The legality of this “pocket recission” is untested. The move has outraged Democrats and raises concerns among some Republicans regarding executive branch encroachment on Congress’s…

Status of FY 2026 Funding   Before recessing, the Senate passed just three of the twelve appropriations bills – Agriculture, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction-Veterans’ Affairs (Mil Con).  The House passed only two – Defense, and Mil Con. None of these bills have been enacted into law.  At least some Democratic votes will be necessary…

Confirmation of Trump Nominees As previously noted, Democrats have refused to consent to expedited Senate consideration of any of President Trump’s nominees this year.  As a result, moving each nomination involves several preliminary process votes, a two-session-day waiting period after the Majority Leader files cloture, and up to two hours of debate before the chamber…

Changes at IRS and Treasury   In August, former IRS Commissioner Billy Long was ousted from that position after just 50 days heading the agency.  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took over as acting Commissioner, the seventh person to hold the position this year.  President Trump also fired Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender, reportedly believing him…

Pending Special Elections and In Memoriam Elections will be held to fill the seats left vacant by the deaths of Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.). Virginia’s special election is September 9th, and Arizona’s is September 23rd. Jerrold Nadler, 78, a New York Democrat who has been one of Congress’s leading liberal voices…

Update on ASA’s Legal Defense Fund   Our Attorneys’ Council Members are regular presenters and contributors for ASA webinars, podcasts and member resources and we are grateful for their participation and contributions. ASA underwrites the legal costs of filing “friend-of-the-court” briefs to inform the Court regarding the broader impact of relevant construction industry cases throughout…

FY26 National Defense Authorization Bill – Procurement Issues Before the August recess, the Senate set up votes on its $925.8 billion defense authorization bill for fiscal year 2026, which will be addressed when Congress returns in the first week of September. The measure (S. 2296) would authorize $32 billion more than the Trump administration requested,…

OSHA Releases Rulemaking Docket on Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Rule The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released, in the rulemaking docket, its Compilation of Public Hearing Questions, following its informal rulemaking hearing for the proposed heat injury and illness prevention rule. The document lists all of the questions that OSHA asked participants…

President Trump’s Plan to Expand Apprenticeship Programs The Trump Administration has unveiled a comprehensive plan to expand the Department of Labor (DOL)’s apprenticeship program and simplify licensing rules, aiming to place one million workers into new apprenticeships. This plan is expected to take years to implement, with each of its pillars likely requiring at least…

Update on OSHA’s Walkaround and Silica Rules   The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has broadened its walkaround rule, allowing a wider range of individuals to accompany an OSHA compliance officer during workplace inspections. Meanwhile, the US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has introduced a silica rule that requires mines to reduce workers’…