Weekly Update- 12/01/2025
Weekly Update 12/1/2025 Capitol Advocacy Partners
President and Administration:
National Guard shooting suspect is Afghan man, official says: A 29-year-old Afghan immigrant, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members, killing one, outside a Washington, D.C., Metro station last Wednesday (11/26) after driving across the country from Bellingham, Washington. Lakanwal….
Judge dismisses Georgia criminal case against Trump: Georgia’s criminal case accusing Trump of trying to overturn the 2020 election has been fully dismissed. Judge Scott McAfee ended the prosecution on Wednesday (11/26) after lead prosecutor Peter Skandalakis said he could not pursue it, citing the difficulty of trying a sitting…
EPA to abandon air pollution rule that would prevent thousands of U.S. deaths: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is withdrawing its defense of a Biden-era rule that tightened limits on fine-particle pollution (PM2.5), effectively abandoning the stricter standard. In a court filing, the agency argued the rule was improperly issued and should be vacated before states…
Congress:
Appropriations: House GOP appropriators aren’t yet ready to advance the two biggest outstanding funding bills – Defense and Labor-HHS-Education – and are instead rooting for a cross-chamber compromise on several smaller funding measures, with sights on enactment of these measures by the end of December. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN)…
Hearings:
On Tuesday, 12/2, the House Small Business Committee is expected to hold a hearing “Main Street Under Attack: The Cost of Crime on Small Business.”
On Wednesday, 12/3, the House Committee on Homeland Security is anticipated to hold a hearing “When Badges Become Targets: How Anti-Law Enforcement Rhetoric Fuels Violence Against Officers.”
Education:
Treasury Seeks input on new Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Program, comments due Dec 26, 2025: The administration plans to release guidance allowing states to opt into a new federal scholarship tax credit program starting in 2026, ahead of its 2027 launch. Created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the program would offer taxpayers up to $1,700…
Chair Cassidy launches major investigation into liberal states failing to protect girls and women in sports, arguing such states may be defying Trump’s executive order: Senate HELP Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA) has launched a major investigation into 18 states and Washington, D.C., over policies that allow transgender students…
The Education Department gave another agency power to distribute its money. It hasn't gone well: The administration’s early effort to shift federal career and technical education funding from the Education Department to the Labor Department has been plagued by technical issues, delays, and communication problems. The move was meant to streamline…
CA ED CLIENTS ONLY: First look at 2026-27 state budget: Schools and community colleges are fine — for the moment: The Legislative Analyst’s Office projects higher-than-expected revenue for California’s 2026–27 budget due to surging AI-related income taxes, resulting in a $7.4 billion increase for schools and community colleges. Under Proposition 98…