Weekly Update 3/9/2026
Weekly Update 3/9/2026 Capitol Advocacy Partners
President and Administration:
Treasury releases new "Trump account" regulations: The Treasury Department released new guidance detailing how Republicans' "Trump Account" program will work. The initiative, included in the One Big Beautiful Bill, establishes investment accounts for millions of children to which parents, their employers, state governments, nonprofits, and others can…
Nation sheds 92,000 jobs: The U.S. economy lost 92,000 jobs in February, an unexpected decline that raised concerns about the strength of the labor market. The unemployment rate increased to 4.4%, surprising analysts who had expected hiring to remain stable. Job losses occurred across many sectors, including healthcare (affected by strikes) and federal government…
Trump's under-the-radar plan to crack down on DEI: The administration is working through the traditionally independent General Services Administration (GSA) to change requirements to receive federal grants, cooperative agreements, and financial assistance, requiring grantees to sign a certification agreement that aligns with the administration's anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. The effort is similar to the Education Department's attempt last year when it demanded school districts certify…
Congress:
Markwayne Mullin faces a straightforward path to confirmation as DHS secretary: Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) appears to have a relatively smooth path to confirmation as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Nominating a sitting senator often leads to quicker confirmations given senators often support colleagues. Several Republicans, including John Barrasso (R-WY) and John Thune (R-SD), said they expect the confirmation process to move…
No sign of Democratic surrender on DHS funding after Iran strikes: Senate Democrats say they will continue blocking funding for DHS despite Republican pressure following U.S. strikes on Iran. Republicans argue the ongoing conflict increases national security risks and makes it more urgent to end the 17-day DHS shutdown. Democrats, led by Senator Dick Durbin…
Midterm Primaries 2026: Republicans hold narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress, with 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats in the Senate, and 218 Republicans to 214 Democrats in the House, with three vacancies. Democrats would need to gain four Senate seats to take control and flip three House seats to win the majority in the 2026…
Hearings:
On Tuesday, 3/10, the Senate Committee on the Budget is anticipated to hold a hearing about “sanctuary cities, focusing on law and order.”
Education:
New Workforce Pell Grant rule proposed: The Education Department released a proposed regulation outlining implementation of a new Workforce Pell Grant program to expand Pell…
Supreme Court sides with California parents in gender identity case: The Supreme Court ruled that schools must inform parents of gender identity changes, reinstating a December 2025 district court decision that temporarily blocked schools from keeping such information private or from changing names and pronouns when parents say it violates their religious beliefs. The conservative justices also overruled the Ninth Circuit's emergency stay granted to California Attorney General…
Three Democrats reconsidering federal school choice programs: Three Democratic governors who previously rejected a new federal school choice program are now reconsidering their decisions. Josh Green (D-HI), Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM), and Tina Kotek (D-OR) said their states would not participate in…
Former Education Department staff say their firings were "politically motivated": Sixteen former Department of Education employees are challenging mass layoffs issued by Education Secretary Linda McMahon in court, saying their terminations were politically motivated and violated the law as part of a lawsuit filed last month by 142 former staffers across six…
Muslim parent sues Texas over exclusion of Islamic private schools in voucher program: A Muslim parent filed a federal lawsuit on March 1, arguing that Texas officials are engaging in religious discrimination by preventing Islamic private schools from accessing state voucher money. Mehdi Cherkaoui, a Muslim father of two and lawyer representing himself, argued…
Indiana teacher wins transgender student policy settlement: An Indiana school district will pay $650,000 to settle a lawsuit from a high school music teacher who said he was forced to resign because of its transgender student policy. John Kluge, a former teacher at Brownsburg High School, challenged the district’s decision to…
High schools are losing the struggle to block “pot”, even during class: Liberty High School in Brentwood, California, is battling marijuana use on campus as legalization in 24 states plus Washington, D.C., made cannabis culturally acceptable and easy for students to obtain, with about 26 percent of 12th-graders and 8 percent of eighth-graders saying they used cannabis…