Weekly Update 2/17/2026

Weekly Update 2/17/2026 Capitol Advocacy Partners

President and Administration:

Gallup will no longer track presidential approval ratings: The Gallup Organization will no longer track presidential approval ratings after nearly 90 years, ending a monthly poll that has been used to measure presidential performance since Franklin D. Roosevelt. The polling firm said the decision was based on a shift in corporate strategy intended…

Trump says all Democratic governors except Wes Moore and Jared Polis are invited to White House gathering: The President announced that invitations were sent to nearly all governors for a traditionally bipartisan White House gathering scheduled for February 20, amid confusion surrounding the annual meeting with the National Governors Association (NGA). The President stated that all governors were invited except Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) of Maryland and Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) of Colorado, though NGA…

Congress:

House votes to rein in Trump's Canada tariffs: The House of Representatives voted 219 to 211 to revoke tariffs that Trump imposed on Canada last year, with six Republicans crossing party lines to join Democrats, though the symbolic rebuke faces near-certain veto and override failure. The vote was made possible by a quirk in the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which Trump  invoked last year to declare a national emergency over fentanyl flows and impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian…

House passes strict voter ID bill, amplifying Trump’s claims of fraud: The House recently passed legislation requiring proof of American citizenship to vote and allowing the Department of Homeland Security to seize voter rolls in any state, as Republicans advanced a measure that amplifies the Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud despite no path…

California:

Judge blocks Trump administration from cutting $600 million in public health funds: A federal judge in Chicago has temporarily blocked the administration from proceeding with $600 million in public health funding cuts affecting four Democratic-led states, including California. The ruling pauses the reductions for 14 days while litigation moves forward, with…

Education:

ICE taps into school security cameras to aid immigration crackdown: Police departments across the United States are using school district security cameras to assist federal immigration enforcement by searching a national database of automated license plate reader data, an investigation by The 74 reveals. Hundreds of thousands of audit logs from Texas school districts that contract with Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based company manufacturing artificial intelligence-powered license plate readers..

Weekly Update- 2/9/2026

Weekly Update- 2/9/2026

President and Administration:

Local officials push back on Trump's calls to “nationalize” elections in targeted cities: Election officials in Atlanta, Detroit, and Philadelphia are pushing back after Trump suggested Republicans should “nationalize” elections and have the federal government take over voting in as many as 15 places. Under Article I…

Congress:

Education Funding in Approved FY26 Appropriations Bill: On Tuesday, February 3, a bipartisan spending package funding the Department of Education at $79 billion cleared Congress, ending a brief partial government shutdown that began after appropriations lapsed early Saturday (1/31). The House approved the measure 217 to 214, and Trump signed it on Tuesday afternoon (2/3), keeping the department funded through September. Most major programs would remain at roughly the same level of funding, including $1.3 billion for Trio and a maximum Pell Grant award of $7,395. Language in the accompanying explanatory statement says the department…

California:

Log-on limits: California lawmakers are moving to set age limits on social media and create a new state enforcement body. This bipartisan effort would significantly expand the state's role in regulating major tech platforms. The push is being led by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-CA), who said he and six other lawmakers are introducing two bills this week: Assembly Bill 1709, which would establish the Legislature's intent to age-gate social media platforms, and Assembly Bill 1700, which would create a California…

Apartment rents fall to lowest level in four years: Apartment List reported that the national median rent in January fell to $1,353, down 1.4% from a year earlier and the lowest January level since 2022, as a large wave of new supply continues to weigh on pricing. The national vacancy rate rose to 7.3%, the highest on Apartment List’s index dating to 2017, and units took an average of 41 days to lease, also a record for the index. Chris Salviati, chief economist at Apartment List, said a brief rebound in rent growth that appeared possible in early 2025 stalled and reversed after a weak summer leasing season that has carried into winter. With demand…

Supreme Court clears way for California congressional map: Last Wednesday, February 4, the Supreme Court rejected an emergency bid by the California  Republican Party to block California’s new congressional map, allowing the state to use it for the November midterms (2/4). The unsigned order did not include a vote count or reasoning, but it preserves a plan Democrats pursued after the President urged GOP-led states to redraw maps for partisan gain, including Texas. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) framed the decision as a response to a broader redistricting fight that began after Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) moved to redraw Texas districts…

Los Angeles, San Francisco teachers unions OK strikes over pay, staffing demands: Strike authorization votes in Los Angeles and San Francisco have put California’s two biggest contract fights on a short fuse after months of stalled negotiations over pay and staffing. United Educators of San Francisco, which represents about 6,500 educators, approved a walkout in a second….

Education:

Administration guidance emphasizes right to pray in public schools: CAP reminder: Guidance documents are non-binding in both law and in practice. They reflect an agency’s interpretation of law or regulations, but do not hold the same weight as law or regulation. New Education Department guidance says schools should protect constitutionally protected prayer and religious expression, including allowing teachers to pray on the same terms as students and to pray with willing students as long as it is not coercive or treated as the school's official speech. Signed by Joshua Kleinfeld, a top Education Department attorney, the document rejects what it calls the "legally unsound” idea of a “wall of separation” between religion and public schools and leans on recent Supreme Court rulings…

Education Department's shutdown effort has workers ‘doing the same job’ at a different agency: The administration's effort to shutter the Department of Education is pushing parts of its grant operation into other agencies, a move that employees and some lawmakers say is adding bureaucracy instead of reducing it, according to reporting published this past Thursday, February 5. About 60 Office of Postsecondary Education staffers have been detailed to the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration, where workers described building access and information technology as hurdles that slowed work as agencies…

Education Department doubles down on anti-DEI efforts: The U.S. Department of Education said it will continue targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, even after a federal court blocked the department’s February 14 Dear Colleague letter that framed DEI as potentially unlawful race discrimination. Julie Hartman, press secretary for legal affairs at the Education Department, said the Office for Civil Rights will “vigorously enforce”…

Educators sue over ICE activity on school grounds and nearby: Two Minnesota school districts and the state’s teachers’ union sued the federal government to stop immigration enforcement at or near schools after the administration revoked protections for “sensitive locations.” The lawsuit alleges ICE and Border Patrol agents staged operations on school grounds, bus stops…

Teaching as you’re feeling: St. Paul teachers share their classroom realities: A federal surge of immigration enforcement around Minnesota schools and bus stops has pushed Twin Cities districts to return to remote learning in uneven ways, unlike the uniform shift during the COVID-19 shutdowns. John Horton, a teacher at Barack and Michelle Obama Montessori in St. Paul, said all 28 of his first-, second-, and third-graders are still attending in person, aided by community volunteers and school precautions that help families maintain routine despite fear. At Como High School, Eric Erickson said attendance has split sharply by race…

Free speech debates resurface with student walkouts over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids: Student walkouts protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have spread nationwide, with the largest wave on January 30 as part of a  “National Shutdown” campaign urging students to leave class, stay home from work, and avoid spending money. The protests, driven in part by heightened attention to federal enforcement actions in Minneapolis following the killing of two civilians by federal officials…

Where private school choice enrollment—and spending—is surging: Private school choice enrollment has surged in recent years as Republican led states invest billions in vouchers, education savings accounts, and tax credits that families can use for private education costs. Congress added a major new layer last July by approving a federal tax credit program that 28 states have opted into ahead of a launch next calendar year, raising questions about costs, eligibility, and oversight. Participation is already concentrated in a few states, including Florida, with roughly 500,000 students using choice options, more than 15%…


Oklahoma board expected to deny bid for Jewish charter school, invite lawsuit: The Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board is expected to deny an application for the Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School today, Monday, February 9th. A move board leaders anticipate will trigger another lawsuit over whether religious charter schools are constitutional. Peter Deutsch, founder of the Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation and a former congressman, pitched the school in January of this year as a rigorous, values-driven option for Jewish families. Meanwhile, Brian Shellem, chair of the Oklahoma…

Newsom proposes tighter charter school oversight: Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is proposing expanded oversight of charter schools through a budget trailer bill after negotiations between teachers unions and charter advocates stalled last year. The plan would require annual financial audits and staff training on reviews, and it would direct school districts to verify student performance data for charter renewals. Districts would also be required to visit charter campuses, attend board meetings, and review…

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on why he's taking Trump's 'free money’: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO), a longtime school choice supporter, said he's opting into the administration's new federal scholarship tax credit, making him one of only two Democratic governors to do so alongside North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein (D-NC). The benefit, beginning next January…

California community colleges expand credit for prior learning, but tracking gaps remain: Laylah Rivers, a U.S. Army veteran and West Los Angeles College student, received seven credits after documenting military training and computer coursework, highlighting how “credit for prior learning” can help students finish faster and save money. California’s community colleges have expanded these pathways since 2017, and Gov. Gavin Newsom has backed the effort with more than $34 million…

Weekly Update- 2/2/2026

Weekly Update 2/2/2026 Capitol Advocacy Partners

President and Administration:

FBI searches Fulton County elections office seeking 2020 ballots: On Wednesday (1/28), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant at an elections office in Fulton County, Georgia. According to the warrant, they were seeking 2020 election materials including physical ballots, vote tabulator tapes, ballot images and voter rolls. A source told CBS News that this operation is linked to the 2020 presidential election. The FBI seized around 700 boxes of 2020…

Federal Reserve keeps rates steady: The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 3.5% to 3.75% at its first meeting of the year, extending a pause after three quarter-point cuts at the end of 2025, even as the administration has publicly pressed for much lower borrowing costs. In its policy statement, the Fed said economic activity is…

Congress:

Johnson says no quick House vote to end partial shutdown and blames Democrats for their ICE demands: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said a House vote on government funding will take several days, ensuring the partial federal shutdown continues as lawmakers clash over limits on immigration enforcement. He is leaning on the President’s support after the President negotiated a Senate deal to temporarily fund the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks while Congress debates new restrictions on ICE. Democrats refuse to fast-track the bill without stronger reforms, including requiring…

California:

Broadband Funding Delays: State officials and broadband industry leaders warned that California could face more delays getting access to the $42.45 billion in the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program, which is an internet subsidy created by the Biden Administration. California remains one of the 13 states and territories awaiting federal approval of final plans. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) first received sign-off in 2024 for $1.8 billion in broadband…

Fire fight: On (1/30), The President signed an executive order seeking to shift authority over rebuilding permits after the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires from state and local governments to the federal government, an unusual move that the President said was aimed at speeding approvals for residents rebuilding homes and other structures destroyed in the fires. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass (D) quickly rebuked the order, which would represent a major…

Education:

Department of Education – agency information collection activities; comment request; National Special Education Spending Study: The U.S. Department of Education, through the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), issued a Federal Register notice proposing a new information collection under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) for the National Special Education Spending Study. The study will collect data from state, local, and Tribal…

Administration finds California’s ban on ‘forced outing’ of students violates federal law: The administration announced that California’s policy allowing schools to withhold information from parents about a student’s gender identity violates the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said the policy improperly restricts parental…

San José State violated federal law with trans athlete policies, Education Department finds: The U.S. Department of Education found that San José State University violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) by allowing a transgender athlete to compete on its women’s volleyball team. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR)…

Summary of 2025 Actions: Trump disrupted or cut billions for education in 2025: During the first year of the administration, federal agencies cut, canceled, or disrupted more than $12 billion in education funding, significantly reshaping the federal grant landscape for K–12 schools and higher education institutions…

4-day school weeks and teacher retention: New research drawing on 17 years of Texas teacher job movement data found that districts switching to four-day school weeks saw teacher turnover fall by about 2.7 percent, but the change did not meaningfully improve recruitment or the overall experience and education levels of teachers working in those districts. Cade Lawson…

More states are pairing cell phone bans with media literacy: A new report from Media Literacy Now found that at least half of U.S. states have enacted laws to advance media literacy education, including 11 states, California among them, that passed new legislation since January 2024, as lawmakers respond to the spread of artificial intelligence-generated misinformation online. This law now requires the commission to consider incorporating artificial intelligence literacy content into mathematics, science…

Legal battle emerging over Long Island charter system's plans to open new schools: New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) filed lawsuits against the State University of New York (SUNY) challenging approval of three new Academy Charter School locations in Brentwood and Central Islip. The union argues SUNY…

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…

Weekly Update- 1/20/2026

Weekly Update 1/20/2026 Capitol Advocacy Partners

President and Administration:

SAMHSA grants reversal: On Tuesday, the administration cut $1.9 billion for addiction and mental health grants. In letters informing grantee organizations of the funding cuts, SAMHSA said it was canceling grants to better align its spending with agency priorities, and informed recipient organizations that the decision was final. The next day, the administration reversed the grant…

What to know about the threats on federal funds flowing to Minnesota:  The federal government is threatening to withhold billions of dollars in funding from Minnesota while also launching new legal action against the state, escalating a broader conflict between the administration and Democratic-led states. The Agriculture Department has announced a freeze on more than $129 million in grants to the state and to Minneapolis, citing past fraud in a pandemic-era food aid program, and some programs are already seeing funding pauses, including a university poultry testing lab. Separately, the Centers for….

Congress: 

Congress clinches $1.2T funding deal for DHS, Pentagon, domestic agencies: Congressional leaders have unveiled a bipartisan $1.2 trillion funding package to keep the remainder of the federal government running ahead of the Jan. 30 shutdown deadline, covering the Pentagon and major domestic agencies including Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Transportation, Education, Labor and Housing and Urban Development. The deal would boost defense spending to more than $839 billion while largely rejecting the administration’s proposed domestic cuts, with notable increases for HUD and smaller increases for HHS, Education and Labor, alongside a modest cut for Transportation. The package keeps ICE funded at $10 billion but reduces enforcement….

Health care subsidies: Senate negotiators are still struggling to find a path forward on extending the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits. Abortion appears to be a major obstacle in finding common ground to reach an agreement on any package. Democrats and Republicans have been going in circles on language regarding the Hyde…

Hearings:

• On Wednesday, 1/21, the House Committee on Homeland Security is anticipated to hold a hearing “Oversight of the Department of Homeland Security: CISA, TSA, S&T.”

• On Wednesday, 1/21, the House Committee on Financial Services is expected to hold a hearing on oversight of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Federal Housing Administration.
  

California 

California's 2026 legislative session: California lawmakers are entering the 2026 session with a projected $2.9 billion deficit, down from $12 billion last year, prompting a focus on spending priorities and oversight. Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón has highlighted housing, energy, and health care as key areas to address the cost-of-living crisis, while Governor…

Education:

Education Department probes schools and districts over transgender athletes: The Education Department announced that its Office of Civil Rights is investigating 18 K-12 school districts, colleges and state education agencies in 10 states for alleged violations of Title IX tied to allowing transgender students to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity, with most of the cases in Democratic-led states. The probes were unveiled just days after the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case concerning state…

Education Department to send higher education staff to Labor: The Department of Education announced it will detail staff from its Office of Postsecondary Education to the U.S. Department of Labor starting this week as it transitions postsecondary education programs to Labor’s grants and payments systems. The move advances Trump’s goal of eliminating the Education Department…

Senators discuss school tech limits amid youth mental health crisis: Senators warned of a growing youth mental health crisis linked to social media and technology use during a Jan. 15 hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Lawmakers and witnesses debated proposals ranging from limiting or ending 1:1 school devices (one device per student) to banning…

Increasing rates of student loneliness a challenge for schools: Rising student loneliness and isolation are increasingly seen as a challenge for schools, prompting calls for stronger social-emotional learning (SEL) support. Policy attention includes a California initiative launched under an executive order by Gavin Newsom to address higher suicide rates…

Trump signs bill allowing schools to offer whole milk: President Trump signed the bipartisan Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, allowing schools in the National School Meal Program to serve whole and 2% milk again, reversing Obama-era limits on saturated fat. The law does not require schools to change menus and continues to allow plant-based milks without…