Weekly Update 4/6/2026

Weekly Update 4/6/2026 Capitol Advocacy Partners

President and Administration:

White House releases FY 2027 budget request: The White House on Friday released the president’s fiscal year 2027 “skinny” budget request. This document is merely a proposed budget outline, with details to be released in the coming weeks. Key priorities include:

• Department of Justice (DOJ) – $40.8 billion, a $4.7 billion or 13% increase from FY26 enacted level

  • The budget request emphasizes a “tough on crime” agenda, with investments in law enforcement capacity, immigration enforcement, and violent crime reduction. Funding increases support expanded immigration courts, enhanced FBI operations, and targeted enforcement initiatives….

Understanding the new Executive Order on DEI and its impact on federal contractors: The President signed an Executive Order on March 26, requiring federal agencies by April 25 to insert clauses into contracts that prohibit contractors from engaging in what the administration defines as racially discriminatory DEI activities, including race-based hiring, promotions, and program participation decisions. The order extends to subcontractors and lower-tier partners…Strong showing for the job market in the latest report: The U.S. economy added 178,000 jobs in March. The unemployment rate fell to 4.3%, exceeding economists' expectations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Health care led gains with 76,000 new positions, partly reflecting the return of roughly 32,000 nurses ending a California strike, while manufacturing added 15,000 jobs and construction grew by 26,000. The federal government…

Maine is about to become the first state to ban new data centers: Maine is set to become the first state to freeze large data center construction, following a bill passed by the Democratic-controlled Maine House of Representatives that would pause projects of at least 20 megawatts until November 2027. Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) has expressed support for the moratorium with an exception for a project already planned in the town of Jay. Supporters…

Congress:

House leadership agrees to consider Senate-passed DHS spending bill: Republicans last week struck a deal for the House to pass the previously unanimously approved Senate bill to fully fund DHS minus Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol (ICE). The legislation will likely be considered when Congress returns next week, although House Democratic Leader…

GOP’s ICE funding gambit squeezes Republican agenda: Republicans will reportedly pursue funding immigration enforcement through the budget reconciliation process, aiming to bypass Democrats and quickly restore funding for immigration enforcement. The President set a June 1 deadline for a narrow reconciliation bill focused….

Education:

Black Caucus scholarships discriminate based on race, lawsuit alleges: The American Alliance for Equal Rights filed a lawsuit April 2 in D.C. federal court alleging that the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's CBC Spouses Education Scholarship discriminates by limiting eligibility to Black students in districts represented by caucus members. The scholarship provides between $2,500 and $20,000 in assistance, with approximately 300 of 3,000 annual applicants receiving awards…

Tracker: Education Department programs are moving to new agencies: The Education Department has reached 10 interagency agreements with five Cabinet-level agencies to transfer at least 119 K-12 and higher education programs, according to an Education Week analysis. Education Secretary Linda McMahon described the agreements as…

Oklahoma charter board faces second suit over Jewish school’s rejection: A religious organization filed a lawsuit claiming the denial of its application to open a public charter school is unconstitutional. The suit follows the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board's unanimous rejection in February 2026 of the Ben Gamla…

Weekly Update 3/30/2026

Weekly Update 3/30/2026 Capitol Advocacy Partners

President and Administration:

What we know about the T.S.A. and ICE presence at airports: A partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security has significantly disrupted airport operations nationwide, with TSA officers working without pay since mid-February. The lack of pay has led to widespread absenteeism and resignations, with over 500 officers quitting and thousands calling out, causing long security lines at major airports. In response, the administration deployed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)…

Congress:

FCC launches effort to onshore call centers: The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-0 last week to open a rulemaking to examine how to bring customer service call centers back to the United States and to establish English-language proficiency requirements for call center workers. The rulemaking will explore restrictions on the volume of calls handled by overseas centers, location disclosure requirements for foreign-based workers, and potential bonding requirements…

Markwayne Mullin confirmed as Homeland Security secretary: The Senate confirmed Markwayne Mullin as Secretary of Homeland Security on March 23 in a 54-to-45 vote, with nearly all Republicans and two Democrats, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), voting in support. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) broke from his party and voted against the nomination. Mullin, a Cherokee Nation member and former Oklahoma senator, takes charge of a department partially shut down since February 14…

Another senior House Republican will retire as midterm exodus grows: Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO), the 13-term chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced last week that he will retire at the end of his current term, becoming the latest senior House Republican to exit ahead of midterm elections. Graves, 62, has chaired the panel through several high-profile oversight efforts, including investigations into Boeing's 737 Max crashes in 2019 and 2020 and a recent…

Postal Service plans to impose 8% surcharge on packages to offset rising transportation costs: The U.S. Postal Service announced on March 25 a temporary 8% surcharge on packages set to take effect April 26 and run through January 17, 2027, citing rising fuel and transportation costs tied to the ongoing war in Iran. The surcharge will not apply to mail and must first be reviewed…

California:

Here are 10 to 15 stations that could close under BART doomsday scenarios: Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) officials are warning that significant service reductions and potential station closures could occur if voters do not approve new transit funding measures on the November ballot. Under an initial “doomsday” scenario designed to address a projected $400 million annual deficit, BART could close up to 10 stations as early as January 2027 and reduce overall train service hours by roughly 63…

Education:

Education Department interagency agreements now total 10 across five federal agencies: The U.S. Department of Education has signed 10 interagency agreements with five federal agencies since May 2025, transferring management of programs covering school safety, Title I schools, career and technical education, family engagement, and the $1.7 trillion student loan portfolio to agencies including the Treasury Department. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has framed the restructuring as reducing federal bureaucracy and returning fiscal authority to the states, though the department retains statutory responsibility for the transferred…

Education Department to leave headquarters and transfer building to Energy Department: The U.S. Department of Education announced last week that it will vacate its Lyndon B. Johnson headquarters in Washington, D.C., transferring the space to the Department of Energy, in the latest step toward downsizing the agency under the President. The building, located near the National Mall, sits 70% vacant following staff reductions of roughly half through layoffs and early retirement incentives…

Trump axes student mental health grants and one California charter suffers: The administration canceled Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration grants in April 2025, originally established during the President's first term following the 2018 Parkland school shooting, blocking schools from accessing remaining funds. The Multicultural Learning Center, a dual-language charter school in Los Angeles County, lost access to $1.9 million of a nearly $4.6 million five-year grant that had expanded…

Science of reading gets nod from House panel in literacy grants bill: The House Education and Workforce Committee unanimously approved the Science of Reading Act (H.R. 7890) earlier this month. The bipartisan bill aligns federal literacy grant programs with science of reading instruction and formally discredits the three-cueing reading model. Separately, a group of House Republicans sought to overturn Plyler v. Doe, the 1982 Supreme Court ruling guaranteeing public education access to undocumented students…

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…