Weekly Update-1/12/2026
Weekly Update 1/12/2026 Capitol Advocacy Partners
President and Administration:
Blue states sue administration for freezing billions meant for kids, needy: Five Democratic led states, including California, have filed a lawsuit challenging the administration’s decision to freeze more than $10 billion in federal funding intended for children, low income families, and social services. The suit, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, argues that the Department of Health and Human Services illegally withheld grants administered through the Administration for Children and Families. The administration announced on Tuesday (1/6) that $7.35 billion for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, nearly $2.4 billion for the Child…
Trump announces U.S. will leave dozens of international organizations: The administration announced that the United States will withdraw from and stop funding 66 international organizations, including 31 entities affiliated with the United Nations, arguing that they conflict with U.S. sovereignty, security and economic interests. The list includes major bodies such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Global Forum on Migration and Development and the U.N. Population Fund…
Corporation for Public Broadcasting votes to shut down: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has voted to dissolve after Congress eliminated more than $500 million in annual federal funding last year, formally ending the organization that has supported NPR, PBS and hundreds of local public media stations since 1968. Executives considered keeping the corporation dormant in case funding was restored, but ultimately decided that doing so could expose it to political…
Congress:
Appropriations Sprint: Lawmakers are battling the clock as they work to push through appropriations ahead of the January 30 government funding deadline. The Senate is expected to take up a minibus appropriations package that would fund the Department of Justice, the Department of Commerce, key science agencies and related entities…
Health care subsidies: A bipartisan group of senators and House members aim to have text this week on a deal to extend expired Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies for two years, including changes Republicans said are necessary….
Republican Rep. LaMalfa dies, narrowing GOP’s House majority: Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a seven term Republican lawmaker from California, died at age 65, further tightening the already narrow House majority. His death, combined with the recent departure of another Republican member, leaves the party with little margin for error when trying to pass…
Indiana Rep. Baird hospitalized after car crash: Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN) and his wife were hospitalized last week following a serious car accident, according to statements from his office and comments made by the President at a House…
House GOP prioritizes Trump’s changes to showerheads: House Republicans are moving quickly to advance legislation that would codify the President’s efforts to loosen federal limits on showerhead water flow. The bill, known as the Shower Act and sponsored by Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC), would redefine federal showerhead standards to allow higher water usage and multiple…
Hearings:
On Tuesday, 1/13, the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education is anticipated to hold a hearing titled “Who’s Watching the Kids? How Employers, Innovators, and Parents are Solving America’s Child Care Crunch.”
On Thursday, 1/15, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is expected to hold a hearing to examine the impact of technology on America’s youth.
California:
Supreme Court asked to block California law against outing trans students: The Supreme Court has been asked to block enforcement of a California law that bars public school teachers from notifying parents if a student asks to use different pronouns or adopts a different gender identity. The emergency appeal, filed by the Thomas More Society, argues that the law violates parents’ religious…
Education:
School sports case reaches the Supreme Court at a fraught time for trans rights: The U.S. Supreme Court will hear its first case on state bans barring transgender girls from school sports on January 13, 2026, focusing on West Virginia’s law and a challenge brought by 15-year-old Becky Pepper Jackson. The case asks whether such bans violate Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination…
Department of Education to give over $208 million for mental health: The U.S. Department of Education is awarding more than $208 million to 65 recipients to expand school based mental health services in high need districts. The grants support the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration and School Based Mental Health programs, whose priorities were revised last summer…
Judge bars Trump from purging DEI terms from Head Start funding requests: A federal judge has temporarily blocked Trump from removing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) related language from Head Start grant applications and from laying off more staff in the Office of Head Start. The ruling responds to a lawsuit accusing the administration of illegally…
As school choice tax credit goes national, the battle over regulation begins: The new federal School Choice Tax Credit lets states opt into a nationwide private school choice program that gives donors a dollar for dollar tax credit of up to $1,700 for contributions to scholarship groups. More than 2,100 public comments show deep disagreement over…