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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has now been unfunded for 38 days. TSA lines and airport wait times continued to worsen over the weekend as more agents quit or stayed home. In response, President Trump announced that ICE agents will be deployed to airports and some Democrats interpret this as an effort by the…

The Pentagon is reportedly preparing to request $200 billion in FY 2026 supplemental funding to support operations in Iran. Many Democrats have already vowed to oppose any such spending, characterizing the effort as an unauthorized war. Without a major unifying event, it is highly unlikely that the measure could pass the Senate on its own,…

Last Wednesday, Senate Democrats forced a vote on one of five pending War Powers resolutions, this one sponsored by Sen. Booker (D-NJ) (S.J. Res. 118). The measure, which would have directed the removal of U.S. armed forces from hostilities within or against Iran that have not been authorized by Congress, failed by a vote of…

ASA strongly opposes Illinois House Bill 5042, which seeks to amend Section 1 (30 ILCS 550/1) of the Public Construction Bond Act, Illinois’ Little Miller Act, by raising the bond threshold to $10,000,000 for Illinois Department of Transportation (ILDOT) and State Highway Authority projects, and $5,000,000 for other state and local public works contracts. ASA…

This week, the House voted on the Deporting Fraudsters Act (H.R. 1958), which would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to clarify that aliens who  have been convicted of defrauding the U.S. Government or unlawful receipt of public benefits are inadmissible and deportable; and the BOWWOW Act (H.R. 4638), which would amend the same law…

Sen. Cassidy (R-LA) was joined by Sens. Risch (R-ID), Tillis (R-NC), Tuberville (R-AL), Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Lankford (R-OK), Johnson (R-WI), Schmitt (R-MO), Banks (R-IN), Crapo (R-ID), Britt (R-AL), Ernst (R-IA), Budd (R-NC), Cornyn (R-TX), Sheehy (R-MT), and Daines (R-MT) urging the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to revise the proposed heat rule as it would mandate…

The Department of Labor’s latest guidance, intended to reduce administrative complexity for employers initiating registered apprentice programs, may not be sufficient to meet the administration’s ambitious job creation targets. The three guidance documents released last week informed businesses that they are not required to comply with rigid standards regarding apprenticeship program durations and clarified expectations…

At their recent policy retreat, House Republican leaders and the President discussed legislative priorities for the year. Speaker Johnson emphasized renewing section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act before its expiration on April 20, advancing water infrastructure, a small farm bill, and pursuing a second tax and spending package through budget reconciliation. Members explored…

The Senate is scheduled to consider the SAVE America Act this week. However, due to unified opposition from Democratic members and some Republicans, the bill is unlikely to advance.  The President, along with certain conservative members, has suggested that Senate Republicans utilize an untested parliamentary approach known as the talking filibuster to potentially facilitate passage…