Weekly Update 3/23/2026

Weekly Update 3/23/2026

President and Administration:

Trump says he will deploy ICE to airports as TSA shortages drive delays: The President said he is sending ICE agents to airports unless congressional Democrats agree to a GOP-backed funding deal, escalating…

Congress:

DHS pick Mullin says immigration agents will use judicial warrants and retreats from comments about Alex Pretti, Renée Good: Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), the president's pick to head the Department of Homeland Security, appeared before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs for a confirmation hearing as DHS has been partially shut down since Feb. 14 amid a congressional impasse over a funding bill. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), the panel's…

Education:

House hearing on public education for undocumented children: The House Judiciary Constitution and Limited Government Subcommittee held a hearing on the Supreme Court's landmark 1982 decision in Plyler v. Doe, which affirmed free public education for undocumented children, as the administration continues its crackdown on immigration. The hearing comes…

US ED Office of Civil Rights finds District of Columbia discriminated against students with disabilities: The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced findings from a year-long investigation showing that District of Columbia Public Schools failed to provide some students with disabilities timely evaluations, individualized placements…

Judge orders Texas to open private school choice program to Islamic schools: A federal district judge on March 17 ordered Texas officials to make sure Islamic schools have access to apply for participation in the new state private school choice program, extending the application deadline by two weeks until March 31. The decision comes after two lawsuits filed by Muslim families…

Poverty, school size can hinder improvement odds, GAO reports: The number of schools identified as low-performing and in need of support and improvement under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title I, Part A, increased to 7.3% in 2022-23, up from 6.5% in 2019-20, according to a report released last week by the U.S. Government Accountability Office…

Senate Democrats press Education Department over civil rights office gutted by layoffs: Senate Democrats are demanding answers from the Education Department on the civil rights office's ability to adequately investigate claims of discrimination amid staffing upheaval caused by the administration's mass layoffs. Sens. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)…

Education Department lays out plan to move student loan portfolio to Treasury: Education Department officials announced plans to gradually move the nearly $1.7 trillion student loan portfolio to the Treasury Department, one of the most high-stakes moves the administration has made to shut down the education agency. Shifting the portfolio will happen in three phases via…

Weekly Update 3/16/2026

Weekly Update 3/16/2026 Capitol Advocacy Partners

President and Administration:

Why Trump is cracking down on Medicaid services provided at home: The administration is increasing scrutiny of Medicaid-funded home and community-based care services following a sharp rise in spending that accelerated during the pandemic. These programs allow individuals with chronic conditions or disabilities to receive assistance with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and meal preparation in their homes rather than in institutional settings. Federal officials say the rapid expansion…

The White House is betting the Iran war ends before the economic pain sets in: The administration believes the country can withstand a short-term (about a month) rise in oil prices tied to the conflict with Iran. Oil prices surged to around $120 per barrel before dropping to about $80. Officials have sought to reassure markets and lawmakers while exploring options…

Congress:

GOP lawmaker makes formal switch to Independent: Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) is leaving the Republican Party to become an independent, making him "the sole independent member of the House of Representatives." Kiliey intends to caucus with Republicans, maintaining that the switch to independent was prompted by disgust with the gerrymandering battle raging around the country, including California's decision to redraw the House map ahead of November's midterms. He intends to  run for reelection…

House Budget chair eyes more safety-net cuts for second megabill: House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-TX) said Republicans are expecting to focus on "fraud prevention" in federal and state safety-net programs in a new reconciliation…

Senator announces Keep Your Pay Act: Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the Keep Your Pay Act, a proposal aimed at reducing taxes for working and middle-class Americans. The plan would make the first $75,000 of income tax-free for households filing jointly, with proportional relief for single filers and heads of household, effectively more than doubling the standard…

Hearings:

• The House Committee on the Budget is anticipated to hold a hearing on the Congressional Budget Office’s Budget and Economic Outlook tomorrow.

• The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is expected to hold a hearing Wednesday on  the nomination of Markwayne Mullin to be Secretary of Homeland Security.

Education:

Federal funding disruptions for schools are far from over: Public schools may see continued disruptions in federal funding availability and disbursements. In this administration’s first year at least $12 billion in previously awarded federal education funding was disrupted. Formula grants to school districts arrived weeks late, and more than $2.2 billion in competitive grants were abruptly…

San Jose State University sues to keep students from being barred from federal financial aid: San Jose State University (SJSU) has sued the U.S. Department of Education, accusing the agency of unlawfully threatening to cut federal funding over the university’s decision to allow a transgender volleyball player to compete. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Jose by the California…

Education Department sending 118 programs to other agencies: The administration is shifting more than 100 U.S. Department of Education programs to other agencies as part of its bid to shutter the agency altogether, with the moves a product of "interagency agreements" between the Education Department and other agencies. As of March 12, the Education Department has struck nine…

Head Start providers fight to claw back ICE protections: A dozen Head Start associations representing more than 100,000 children nationwide sent a March 10 letter urging Congress to bar immigration agents from entering Head Start, child care, and pre-K facilities, including parking lots. Immigration enforcement had been restricted around schools, hospitals, and places of worship for nearly three decades, but those protections were rescinded in January 2025…

Study links increased broadband access to teen suicide risk: A study from the National Bureau of Economic Research links the expansion of broadband internet in the 2010s to worsening youth mental health outcomes. Research found that as broadband coverage expanded from about 70% to 90% of U.S. communities between 2009 an…

Appeals court kills Biden-era student loan repayment plan: An appeals court last week reversed a lower court decision dismissing a challenge to a Biden-era repayment plan, putting an end to the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) program, which set borrowers' monthly payments based on their income, with some payments as little as $0 a month. A three-judge panel in the…
California Board of Education delays decision on new eligibility rules for schools serving high-risk students: The California State Board of Education last week postponed a decision on whether to approve tougher eligibility rules for a special category of schools that serve high-risk students, facing pushback from charter school advocates. The board had been slated to vote on a recommendation that high-risk students be enrolled at a school for at…

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…

Weekly Update 3/2/2026

Weekly Update 3/2/2026 Capitol Advocacy Partners

President and Administration:

Trump won't rule out ground troops in Iran as U.S. military confirms four troops killed in war: The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has entered its third day, with continued Iranian missile and drone attacks hitting Israel and several Gulf states, causing civilian casualties and infrastructure damage. At least four U.S. service members have been confirmed killed, and the U.S. military says more casualties are possible as operations continue. The President has stated that the campaign will proceed until its…

FEMA sends out billions for disasters, warning Democrats of 'dire’ shutdown impact: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sent out more than $5 billion in disaster relief in a single week, cutting by more than half the $9.6 billion balance in the nation’s disaster relief fund and warning of “dire consequences” as a funding lapse at the DHS…

Congress:

House GOP leaders poised to force vote to end DHS shutdown: Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives are preparing to force a vote Thursday (3/5) on legislation to fund DHS, aiming to pressure Democrats to reopen the agency amid heightened domestic threats following U.S. strikes on Iran. The measure is nearly identical…

Hearings:

• On Tuesday, 3/3, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary is anticipated to hold oversight hearings to examine the Department of Homeland Security.

Education:

ED’s DEI guidance is dead, but Trump's crackdown isn't: A federal court blocked the U.S. Department of Education’s Dear Colleague letter declaring race-based programming illegal, and the department dropped its appeal. Advocates call the rulings a victory and say colleges can restore paused diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. Legal experts say the…

School counselors see rising trauma linked to immigration enforcement: School counselors across the country report increases in student trauma tied to heightened immigration enforcement, including more post-traumatic stress disorder diagnoses, young children clinging to teachers, and rising absenteeism that in some cases leads to families withdrawing from school or leaving their communities. In Minnesota and other states with large immigrant populations, counselors say students fear family separation and…

The Education Department's 9 interagency agreements: what is going where: The U.S. Department of Education signed nine interagency agreements with four federal agencies between May 2025 and Feb. 23, 2026, shifting billions of dollars in responsibilities for grant management, technical assistance, and other administrative duties as part of the President's effort to shrink…

Special education enrollment rises to more than 8.2M students: The number of students ages 3 to 21 qualifying for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) increased 3.8%, or nearly 302,000 students, from 2023 to 2024, reaching about 8.2 million, according to federal data analyzed by The Advocacy Institute. Enrollment under IDEA…

Education groups push $2.5 billion plan to rebuild teacher preparation: Groups led by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education are urging Congress to invest $2.5 billion to overhaul federal support for teacher preparation, citing enrollment declines, program cuts, and growing classroom demands. In a new report, they propose reviving and expanding teacher workforce grants and scholarships within the U.S. Department of Education, creating a national educator workforce data system, and…

Weekly Update 2/23/2026

Weekly Update 2/23/2026 Capitol Advocacy Partners

President and Administration:

After court ruling, Trump says US global tariff rate will rise from 10% to 15%: Following a Supreme Court decision striking down a set of the White House’s global tariffs, the President announced he will raise a temporary universal tariff on U.S. imports from 10% to 15%, the maximum allowed under Section 122 of federal trade law, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down his earlier tariff program. The Court ruled that the administration exceeded its authority…

Congress:

Senate GOP faces pressure to force "talking filibuster" for voter ID bill: Senate Republicans are coming under intense pressure from the President and right-wing colleagues to embark on an old-fashioned filibuster fight in an effort to ram through a voter identification bill that their party regards as crucial to salvaging their dimming chances of winning the midterm elections (2/21). The move, which Sen. John Thune (R-SD) has been reluctant to undertake, involves using tactics that have not been employed for decades and could…

Hearings:

• On Tuesday, 2/24, the Senate Committee on the Budget is anticipated to hold hearings to examine sanctuary cities, focusing on law and order.

Education:

Administration to shift more programs out of the Education Department: The administration announced on February 23, 2026 that it will shift additional responsibilities out of the U.S. Department of Education as part of its broader effort to dismantle the agency and return authority to states. The latest announcement states that oversight of school safety grants…

Bad news for Pell: The Pell Grant program is expected to be short $5.4 billion by Sept. 30, when fiscal year 2026 ends, and in fiscal year 2027, the shortfall could grow by another $11.5 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Congress has expanded the Pell Grant program twice and increased the maximum award several times, but aside from a $10.5 billion one-time infusion over the summer, lawmakers have not increased the program's budget, leaving a cumulative shortfall of $16.9…

Education Department reaches deals with 31 colleges to cut ties to PhD group working to increase advanced degrees for traditionally underrepresented groups: The Department of Education announced it has secured agreements with 31 universities to end their partnerships with The PhD Project, a nonprofit organization that supports students pursuing PhDs, following agency investigations alleging the organization unlawfully limited eligibility based on race this past Thursday, February 19. The agency began investigating 45 schools last March for allegedly violating civil rights laws after the Office for Civil Rights sent a letter to colleges…