Weekly Update- 1/26/2026
Weekly Update 1/26/2026 Capitol Advocacy Partners
President and Administration:
HUD directs public housing immigration status checks: On Friday (1/23), the administration directed public housing authorities to review and verify within 30 days the immigration status of all tenants receiving federal housing assistance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD said the move, carried out in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, implements an executive order aimed at preventing ineligible noncitizens from accessing taxpayer-funded…
Freeze of public health funds for states, then reversal, sows confusion: On Saturday (1/24), the administration briefly paused a roughly $5 billion federal public health grant, sending state and local health departments nationwide into confusion before rescinding the halt about a day later. Notices of the immediate pause, affecting CDC-administered Public Health Infrastructure Grants…
Congress:
Schumer calls on GOP to move funding package without DHS money to avoid shutdown: Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Sunday (1/25) urged Republicans to remove funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from a broader government funding package to avoid a partial shutdown on Friday. Schumer said Senate Democrats will block the…
Republican calls for deeper investigation into latest Minnesota shooting growing: A growing number of Republican lawmakers – including Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE), and Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) – are calling for a thorough, independent investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen…
Appropriations:
On Monday, January 19, House appropriators released a package containing the final four of the 12 regular appropriations measures for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, which began on October 1, 2025, and runs through…
Education:
House passes bill to fund education programs, rebuffing Trump proposals: The House passed a largely bipartisan FY2026 spending package funding the U.S. Department of Education at $79 billion, maintaining level funding and rejecting…
Administration drops appeal of school DEI guidance ruling: The administration withdrew its appeal of a federal court ruling that struck down U.S. Department of Education guidance pressuring schools to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs or risk losing federal funding. The August ruling vacated the department’s Feb. 14, 2025 guidance and a subsequent mandate…
Homeless youth say they need more from schools, social services: New research from Covenant House and the University of California, Berkeley finds schools and social service agencies are missing key opportunities to prevent youth homelessness by intervening earlier. Based on more than 400 interviews and surveys…
House Education advances bills to bolster charter school expansion: The House Education and Workforce Committee advanced two bills aimed at expanding charter schools on 19–15 party-line votes. The Fostering Learning and Excellence in Charter Schools Act (H.R. 7082) would allow the U.S. Department of Education to allocate up to 30% of charter…