WASHINGTON UPDATES
Capitol Advocacy Partners provides weekly newsletter updates featuring curated news from the executive and legislative branches, along with timely information on federal funding opportunities—tailored to keep you informed and ahead.
Weekly Update-06/02/2025
Weekly Update 06/02/2025
President and Administration:
Trump sanctuary list disappears from Homeland Security website after criticism; next actions unknown: The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) list of so-called “Sanctuary Jurisdictions” disappeared from its website over the weekend…
Trump agencies send details of FY26 budget recommendations to Congress: On May 30 federal agencies released detailed documents outlining President Trump’s budget proposal…
Trump budget cuts hobble anti-smoking programs: The Raze anti-vaping program at Wyoming East High School, part of West Virginia’s effort to curb teen tobacco use…
Supreme Court limits agency environmental reviews: On Thursday (5/29), the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that federal agencies can limit environmental reviews under NEPA…
EPA budget cuts eviscerate state grants, slash watershed programs in blue states: The Trump administration detailed plans to cut the EPA’s budget by 55 percent in fiscal 2026…
California:
Trump threatens to slash federal funding from California over youth transgender sports participation: President Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from…
Gov. Newsom proposes ‘asset test’ for low-income and disabled Medi-Cal applicants: California Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed reinstating the “asset test” for Medi-Cal…
Education:
Lawmakers, judge push back on Education Department’s gutting, citing inefficiency: Lawmakers and a federal judge are pushing back against the Trump administration’s downsizing of the U.S. Department of Education…
Cuts to Medicaid, SNAP could hinder student access to free school meals: Cuts proposed in the House’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” could undercut school meal access…
Trump administration moves to slash education civil rights efforts: The Trump administration has proposed eliminating Equity Assistance Centers, which help schools address racial disparities…
Senate HELP to consider top Education Department nominations: The Senate HELP Committee will hold a June 5 hearing to consider President Trump’s nominations of Penny Schwinn…
Senate HELP GOP advances Trump’s Education Department nominees: In a 12-11 party-line vote on May 22, Senate HELP Republicans advanced three of President Trump’s Education…
McMahon sets out new priorities for federal discretionary grants: On May 20, Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced new priorities for federal education grants, emphasizing literacy…
McMahon asks for ‘partnership’ with Congress to wind down Education Department: Education Secretary Linda McMahon defended President Trump’s proposed $66.7 billion FY26…
Deadlocked Supreme Court won’t allow nation’s first public religious charter school: The U.S. Supreme Court deadlocked 4-4 on whether public charter school funding can go to religious institutions…
Public Safety and Justice Update 5/23/25
Public Safety & Justice Update-5/23/2025
Justice Dept. considers removing key check on lawmaker prosecutions: The Justice Department is considering a proposal to remove the requirement for federal prosecutors…
Justice Dept. to end oversight of local police accused of abuses: On Wednesday (5/21), The Trump administration announced it will halt or reverse federal civil rights investigations and oversight agreements—known as consent decrees…
New York funds legal costs for officials probed by the Trump administration: A controversial provision in New York’s newly approved state budget sets aside $10 million in public funds to cover legal defense costs for state officials and employees, including Attorney General Letitia James…
Police secretly monitored New Orleans with facial recognition cameras: An investigation by The Washington Post revealed that New Orleans police secretly used a network of facial recognition cameras from the private nonprofit Project NOLA to monitor city…
One dead and four injured in Palm Springs fertility clinic bombing: A bombing outside a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, on Saturday morning (5/17) killed…
What to know about the D.C. shooting of two Israeli Embassy workers: Two Israeli Embassy staff members, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, were fatally shot…
Transportation Update- May 2025
Transportation Update
Cities Are Buying EVs in Bulk for Government Fleets: City governments are adopting electric vehicles faster than individual car…
Will Electric Vehicle Mandate Be A Roadblock To Safe Commutes For California Farmworkers?: As part of its ambitious goals to slash emissions and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045…
U.S. Study Establishes the Cost Benefits of Electric School Buses: A new study found that replacing a seven year-old diesel school bus with electric would result in $84,200…
California
Oakland Becomes First District Nationwide With 100% Electric School Buses: Last month Oakland became the first school district nationwide to have a fully electric fleet of school..
Track California Wildfires: In a fast-changing natural world, there are some things California fire officials can reliably count on: the unpredictability of climate-driven wildfires..
California Gas Prices Could Spike 50 Cents Under Climate Offset Idea: California’s already high gas prices could see an additional spike of almost 50 cents…
Weekly Update- 5/19/2025
Weekly Update 05/19/2025
California:
Gavin Newsom moves housing construction: California Governor Gavin Newsom has intensified efforts to address the state's housing crisis by bypassing stalled legislation and incorporating pro-development…
Newsom doubles down on encampments: Governor Gavin Newsom is urging California cities and counties to adopt a model ordinance banning homeless encampments…
Trump moves to halt $70M for California internet, computer access programs: The U.S. Commerce Department has canceled a $70 million federal grant to expand internet access in California…
Education:
‘A true game changer:’ unprecedented school choice tax credit in GOP bill: A proposed $5 billion federal tax credit seeks to expand private school choice nationwide…
RFK Jr says HHS will ‘preserve’ Head Start: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Congress that the Trump administration will preserve funding for Head Start in fiscal year 2026…
Administration defunds a program to help launch teacher apprenticeships: Trump has defunded the Educator Registered Apprenticeship Intermediary program, which supported…
Boys outperform girls in middle school STEM, study finds: A new study finds that boys are outperforming girls in middle school math and science, reversing gains made by 2019…
Exclusive data highlights paradox: as enrollment falls, fewer schools close: Despite reports of school closures from declining enrollment, national data show fewer schools…
Weekly Update-5/12/2025
Weekly Update 5/12/25
President and Administration
Federal judge temporarily halts Trump's sweeping government overhaul: A federal judge in San Francisco has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's executive order…
Cities: Judge blocks Trump admin from pulling San Francisco housing funds over anti-DEI rules: A U.S. District Court judge issued a temporary restraining order…
Federal judge blocks Education Department from cutting off school pandemic aid in 16 states and DC: A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from halting COVID-19…
Trump team faces key legal decision that could put mental-health parity in peril: The Trump administration faces a May 12 deadline to decide whether to defend Biden-era regulation…
Even with DOGE cuts, the U.S. has spent $166 billion more than last year: Despite Trump and the U.S. DOGE Service actions to shrink government programs and the federal workforce, the U.S…
Trump administration cut more than $1.8 billion in NIH grants: In a sweeping move to cut federal spending, the administration terminated $1.81 billion in National Institutes of Health (NIH)…
California
LFCV, LHE: Newsom warns city that resisted $1 for homeless shelter: ‘Do your job’: California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized Turlock city officials for refusing to allocate $1 and a letter…
Education
Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA)
The Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) is expected to be included in the upcoming House and Ways Means tax package. It could create a 100 percent federal tax credit…
SCOTUS to rule in case that could upend enforcement of disabled students’ rights: The Supreme Court is weighing a case that could make it harder for students with disabilities to…
Senate approves repeal of E-rate Wi-Fi hotspots for schools, libraries: The Senate voted to overturn a Federal Communications Commission (FCC)…