Weekly Update-9/8/2025

Weekly Update 9/08/2025 

President and Administration:

Supreme Court lifts restrictions on ‘roving’ ICE raids in Los Angeles: The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, allowed the administration to resume immigration raids in Los Angeles that target people based on broad criteria such as speaking Spanish, working day-labor jobs, or gathering at common pickup sites. The ruling temporarily blocks a lower court’s order that had restricted…

Trump border czar warns sanctuary cities nationwide to ‘expect action’: The Trump administration is escalating immigration enforcement in “sanctuary cities,” with border czar Tom Homan confirming that National Guard troops may be deployed to Chicago and other Democratic-led cities to support ICE operations. Homan said the Guard would not conduct arrests but serve as a “force multiplier”…

Nearly 500 detained in immigration raid at Georgia electric vehicle battery plant: Federal immigration authorities detained nearly 500 workers during a raid at Hyundai and LG’s under-construction EV battery plant in Georgia, calling it the largest single-site enforcement action in Homeland Security Investigations’ history. Most of those detained were South Korean nationals, prompting South Korea’s…

Congress:

Five takeaways from Kennedy’s Senate hearing: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced tough questioning during a Senate Finance Committee hearing last week, where senators from both parties criticized his handling of vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Medicaid. Lawmakers pressed him on restricting access to Covid vaccines…

Education:

California discipline data show widespread disparities despite reforms: A new analysis from the National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) shows California students in foster care, homelessness, and students with disabilities lose far more school days to suspensions than their peers, despite state reforms. In 2023-24, foster youth lost 76.6 days of instruction per 100 students…

Education Department plans to boost civil rights enforcement authority: The administration is preparing new Education Department rules to expand civil rights enforcement, giving the agency greater authority to strip federal funding from schools found in violation of its interpretations of Title IX…

Administration sends Education Department employees to Department of Labor: The administration is transferring career and technical education programs from the Department of Education (ED) to the Department of Labor (DOL) as part of efforts to dismantle the agency…

Education Department revamping student aid office to boost consumer education: The Education Department announced it is expanding the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman’s office into the Office of Consumer Education and Ombudsman, adding a focus on borrower guidance and financial literacy. Officials say the revamped office will provide clearer repayment…

Trump says he’ll direct Education Department to protect praying in public schools: Trump announced that the Education Department will soon issue new guidelines protecting students’ right to pray in public schools. Speaking at the Museum of the Bible, he warned of “grave threats” to religious liberty…

Weekly Update- 9/2/2025

Weekly Update 09/2/2025

President and Administration:

Trump bypasses Congress in attempt to cancel $4.9bn in foreign aid: Trump invoked a “pocket rescission” to block $4.9 billion in congressionally approved State Department and USAID funding, the first use of the tool since 1977. By sending the rescission request with just weeks left in the fiscal year…

FDA approves Covid shots with new restrictions: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved updated Covid vaccines for fall but restricted eligibility to people 65 and older and those under 65 with medical conditions, making this the most limited federal vaccine policy since the shots…

Kennedy fired C.D.C. director over vaccine policy: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pressured former CDC Director Susan Monarez to fire top career officials and commit to following recommendations from his newly reconstituted vaccine advisory panel, according to NYT. When she refused….

RFK Jr. demanded a vaccine study be retracted—The Journal said no: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. requested the retraction of a Danish study that found no link between aluminum in vaccines and childhood disorders, a rare move for a federal…
DOL pushes AI training in workforce development programs: The Labor Department is encouraging state and local workforce development programs to use federal funds to promote AI literacy and skills training, in line with the President’s executive order. The guidance highlights the growing demand for AI skills across industries and urges programs to prepare both…

Judge rules Trump deployment of National Guard in Los Angeles was Illegal: A federal judge has ruled that the president’s deployment of National Guard troops and Marines in Los Angeles was illegal, blocking the Pentagon from using them for police functions such as arrests and crowd control. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer…

DOJ reassigned top attorneys. They quit after feeling sidelined: In the early weeks of the Trump administration, senior Justice Department attorneys were reassigned to a new Sanctuary Cities Enforcement working group, which quickly became a dead-end assignment. Sources say the group’s tasks were mostly menial, such as basic research, with little connection to the…

Congress:

Congress returns with not much time to dodge a government shutdown: Congress faces a tight deadline to avert a government shutdown, with funding set to expire Sept. 30 and deep partisan and intra-party divides complicating negotiations. Lawmakers are expected to pursue a short-term continuing resolution, but Republicans are split between supporting a stopgap measure…

House Republicans propose 15 percent cut to Education Department, significant reductions to Labor, Health and Human Services budgets: House Republicans have proposed $67 billion in discretionary funding for the Education Department in fiscal 2026, a $12 billion, or 15 percent, reduction from the previous year, mirroring President Trump’s budget request.  This bill is a marked departure from the bi-partisan Senate proposal, which largely maintained funding for most LHHS programs. The bill would advance the administration’s education agenda by renaming Workforce Pell Grants as “Trump Grants” and making significant changes across K-12 and higher education programs. Title I funding for low-income schools would be cut by $5.2 billion (approximately 25%), while charter schools…

Education:

Charter schools, teachers unions draw closer to agreement on regulations: In Sacramento, California, charter school advocates and teachers unions are moving closer to an agreement on new rules for non-classroom-based charter schools, which allow students to study remotely. The debate centers on two competing bills: AB 84 by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-CA-66), which proposes sweeping regulations, and SB 414 by Senator Angelique Ashby (D-CA-8)…

States, districts seek to end federal funding freeze lawsuits: Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia, led by California, moved to dismiss their lawsuit over the Trump administration’s summer freeze on $6 billion in K-12 federal grant funds. The Education Department and Office of Management and Budget agreed to release remaining funds by early October…

Teacher program cuts to have ‘lasting negative effects’ on schools: A UCLA policy brief warns that federal cuts to teacher preparation programs under the administration will have “lasting negative effects” on schools, especially rural districts and efforts to diversify the educator…

Weekly Update-8/25/2025

Weekly Update 08/25/2025

President and Administration:

Supreme court lets Trump admin cut off health grants it says advance DEI: The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, allowed the Trump administration to halt over 1,700 NIH health research grants it claims promote diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) initiatives or “gender ideology extremism,” affecting studies on heart disease, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s, and other conditions…

Who’s in charge of Trump’s cultural realignment? Here are key players: The President has launched a broad cultural initiative in his second term, appointing allies to oversee institutions such as the Smithsonian, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts, while reviving the “Garden of American Heroes” project. A new executive order directs a review of Smithsonian…

FEMA staff warn Trump officials’ actions risk Katrina-level disaster: Roughly 150 employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have issued a letter to Congress warning that the agency’s current direction and leadership jeopardize its ability to manage disasters effectively…. 

Healthcare:

National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health (NNED) to go dark: The National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health (NNED), a network of community-based organizations (CBOs) across the United States focused on addressing the mental health…

The fall trip to the pharmacy for a COVID shot may be strewn with obstacles: Americans could face new barriers to getting COVID-19 shots this fall due to shifting federal guidance and state rules on pharmacists’ authority to vaccinate. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)….

California: 

Newsom signs California redistricting plan to counter Texas Republicans: California Democrats approved a sweeping mid-decade redistricting plan to counter Republican gerrymandering efforts in Texas, with Governor Gavin Newsom signing two bills and calling a Nov. 4 special election for voter approval. The plan, if passed as Proposition 50, would temporarily replace….

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Weekly Update- 8/18/2025

Weekly Update 8/18/2025

President and Administration:

Federal judge declares Education Department’s attempt to bar diversity programs unlawful: A federal judge in Maryland struck down the Trump administration’s attempts to require schools to comply with a conservative interpretation of federal anti-discrimination law. The ruling vacates a February 14th Education Department letter prohibiting schools from considering…

Bondi seeks to rescind D.C. police immigration policies as enforcement ramps up: The administration signaled on August 14th that it would use its takeover of the D.C. police to intensify federal immigration enforcement. The move comes amid rapid policy shifts, with…

In reversal, FEMA won’t deny grants to cities that boycott Israeli firms: The administration reversed a policy that would have barred states and cities from receiving FEMA grants if they enacted boycotts against Israeli companies. Earlier guidance linked FEMA funding to compliance…

Latino GOP Lawmakers voice concern about Trump’s mass deportation campaign: Hispanic Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are warning that President Trump’s aggressive deportation efforts could alienate Latino voters, threatening GOP gains from 2024. As Texas Republicans redraw congressional maps to bolster their party’s chances in the 2026…

Teen suicidal thoughts and depression decline, federal report finds: A new federal analysis of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that rates of suicidal thoughts and attempts among U.S. teens have declined between 2021 and 2024. Serious suicidal thoughts among 12-to-17-year-olds fell from nearly 13 percent to 10 percent, while suicide attempts dropped…

Congress:

The unusual GOP alliance pushing earmarks in this fall’s funding fight: House Republicans are weighing the return of earmarks, rebranded as “community project funding,” as a way to break a looming budget impasse before federal funding expires on Sept. 30. Vulnerable incumbents in the business-friendly Main Street Caucus and some fiscal conservatives, including Freedom Caucus…

California:

What to know about the California Democrats’ redistricting plan: On Friday, 8/15, California Democrats finalized their plan to take five GOP House seats next year by redrawing the state’s congressional lines. The new lines, which voters would need to approve in…

Education:

NACSA & CLE &Vimenti: Education Department eyes special education in school choice expansion: At the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs’ annual conference, Diana Diaz-Harrison, deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services…

Administration pursues gradual dismantling of Education Department: Republicans are exploring a piecemeal approach to fulfilling the President’s campaign promise to abolish the Education Department, rather than attempting an immediate shutdown. The President issued an executive order in March instructing Secretary Linda McMahon to “facilitate” the closure, and she has reduced…

Fears grow that Trump will cut special education support funding: Advocates warn that the administration may soon cut hundreds of millions of dollars in federal special education grants under Part D of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which fund research, teacher training, technology development, and parent support services. While core IDEA funding that flows directly to schools remains intact…

Judge rules that Trump can’t defund education research programs: A federal judge in Maryland ruled that the Education Department cannot terminate funding for two congressionally mandated programs—the Comprehensive Centers and Regional Educational Laboratories—that conduct research to reduce achievement gaps. The decision blocks an administration move to end the programs…

Weekly Update- 07/28/2025

Weekly Update 07/28/2025

Special Immigration Policy Updates: 

Administration sues New York City for impeding immigration crackdown efforts: The Justice Department filed a lawsuit Thursday (7/24) against New York City and its officials…

Judge dismisses DOJ lawsuit over Chicago’s sanctuary protections for immigrants: A federal judge has dismissed the administration’s lawsuit against Illinois and Chicago over their sanctuary policies…

Vermont DOC moves to publicly display data on detained immigrants; advocates pleased but pushing for more: The Vermont Department of Corrections (DOC) is developing a public dashboard to provide…

President and Administration:

Trump signs executive order pushing to institutionalize homeless people: The President signed an executive order Thursday (7/24) entitled Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets that directs federal agencies to prioritize enforcement of bans on urban camping, loitering, and drug use…

Administration releasing $6 billion in education funding it withheld: The administration on Friday (7/25) released approximately $6 billion in federal education funding that had been frozen earlier…

Congress:
House Appropriations: The House is on recess until September 2. It has moved the markup of the Commerce Justice and Science (CJS) Bill to after the August recess. 

Senate Appropriations: The Senate has advanced the (1) Transportation Housing and Urban Development (2) Interior-Environment and (3) Defense and Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Bills through committee. 

California:

Trump’s crackdown on homelessness: What does it mean for California: The President’s new executive order on homelessness mirrors aspects of Governor Gavin Newsom’s approach, such as enforcing encampment bans and expanding involuntary treatment for people with serious mental…

Education:

Flag for LVJUSD: The Education Department says gender policies in five Virginia districts violate the law: The Department of Education announced that gender identity policies in five Northern Virginia…

Education Department issues AI priorities, but guidance remains unsure: The U.S. Department of Education issued new guidance encouraging states and school districts to use existing federal grants…

Senate HELP Committee advances Trump Education nominees, including slow-rolled pick: The Senate HELP Committee advanced two of the President’s Education Department nominees, Mary Christina Riley…

HHS withholding Head Start funds violated Impoundment Control Act, government watchdog finds: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Department of Health and Human Services violated the Impoundment Control Act…