Weekly Update 7/27/2026
Weekly Update 7/27/2026 Capitol Advocacy Partners
President and Administration:
Court filing shows political motive behind energy grant cuts: Federal officials have admitted in court filings that the administration canceled more than $7.5 billion in clean energy grants last year based solely on whether the state had voted Democratic in 2024, not on any programmatic or budgetary review. The Energy Department confirmed that all but one of the 284 terminated grants sat in states carried by Kamala Harris and represented by two Democratic senators, while similar…
Congress:
House passes stopgap as Senate, White House pushes list of funding exceptions: The House passed a government funding bill last Tuesday (7/21) that extends funding for federal operations through Dec. 4 in a 220 to 205 party line vote, months ahead of the Sept. 30 shutdown deadline, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) holding his narrow majority together on a measure Republicans say is meant to put Senate Democrats on defense ahead of the midterms. The House bill is a straight…
House adopts budget framework for a 3rd reconciliation package, but Senate GOP resistance mounts: House Republicans narrowly adopted a budget framework last Wednesday in a 216-to-214 vote, a key step toward using reconciliation to pass a $95 billion package funding the military, farm aid, and $10 billion in election security grants tied to the administration's stalled elections overhaul. Speaker Mike Johnson and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought had worked to rally holdouts beforehand, promising members a fourth reconciliation bill after the midterms, a pitch Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) called "not that compelling" and Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) rejected outright. Fiscal conservative Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) ultimately voted yes despite the framework…
House ties agenda to elections overhaul push: House Republicans last week attached pieces of the SAVE America Act, the administration's stalled elections overhaul, to four separate pieces of “must-pass” legislation in an effort to force Senate action: the annual defense policy bill, a $95 billion budget plan for the war in Iran, legislation restricting stock trading by lawmakers, and a bill funding the State Department and foreign aid programs. These are four distinct bills…
California:
Covered California insurance premiums to jump almost 10% next year: Health insurance plans through Covered California will rise by an average of 9.9% next year, the marketplace announced last Tuesday, with regulators citing rising prescription drug costs alongside federal policy changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cut some immigrants from the marketplace and added paperwork hurdles for financial assistance. Covered California Executive Director Jessica Altman said the increases…
Trump admin approves California high-speed internet plan after delays: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration approved California's $1.86 billion plan to expand high-speed internet access late last week, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced Monday, capping years of delay tied to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. In a statement, the CPUC said it will use funding to deliver the greatest value for California through a “competitive process” that “prioritizes reliable, affordable service to unserved and underserved communities,” including remote rural…
California sues Trump over emergency funding rules that pressure states on elections: 24 Democratic led states, including California, sued the administration last Thursday over new conditions attached to Department of Homeland Security emergency preparedness grants, marking the state's third such challenge and its 79th lawsuit against the administration overall. Attorney General Rob Bonta said the new rules would require states to verify voter citizenship through a federal system…
Education:
Education Department ends disparate impact enforcement: Federal civil rights enforcement in schools is narrowing after the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights rescinded disparate impact provisions from its Title VI regulations, ending investigations into policies that unintentionally disadvantage minority students, such as…
House panel advances bill defining sex under Title IX: School policy on Title IX enforcement could shift nationally after the House Education and Workforce Committee advanced the Title IX Clarification Act last Tuesday in an 18-to-15 party-line vote, defining sex under federal education law as based on biological sex at birth. The bill follows a Supreme Court ruling…
Colorado officials knew ‘public Christian school’ was religious before it opened, but didn’t stop it: Colorado’s handling of Riverstone Academy, a Christian school that received public-school status in 2025, highlights uncertainty over how states can prevent religious schools from accessing public funding. State education officials identified concerns over Riverstone’s faith-based curriculum before it was granted a public school code, internally recommending that the school be…