October 2026 The consideration of conflicts of interest in government extends back to the founding era, when Alexander Hamilton wrote in the Federalist Papers about the potential for rulers to abuse their power at the expense of the collective good. Prior to WWII, the federal government dealt with financial conflicts of interest in an ad hoc approach, dealing with issues as they arose. In the late 1950s, Congress adopted a general Code of Ethics for Government Service, followed in the 1960s by an executive order under President John F. Kennedy, outlining provisions for government employee behavior. This eventually led to…

May 2026 In response to rising global temperatures and new technologies such as solar and wind energy, grid-scale storage batteries, electric vehicles and artificial intelligence data centers, some policymakers have pursued alternative energy sources as a substitute for or supplement to fossil fuel energy sources. The increase in demand for new technologies corresponds with an increase in demand for the raw materials and resources required for their construction and maintenance. The growing demand for critical minerals and materials — especially in light of the possibility of adversarial countries in the supply chain — has been of interest to policymakers. Currently,…

The Legality of the FDA’s Drug Approval Process In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed nearly 50 years of precedent by overturning Roe v. Wade’s holding that the right to an abortion is protected in the U.S. Constitution. Now, two years later, the court is considering another major case that could greatly curtail access to one of the most common forms of abortion. The lawsuit, brought by a group of antiabortion medical groups and doctors, challenges the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) rules regulating the abortion drug mifepristone, which is used in conjunction with misoprostol to terminate a pregnancy. Read…

The 119th Congress makes major immigration changes Immigration reform continues to be a priority on Capitol Hill. In January, the first immigration bill passed by the 119th Congress became law. The Laken Riley Act passed the Senate and House of Representatives with bipartisan support, which may lead the way for other immigration measures to successfully become law.  The Laken Riley Act amended the section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that provides when detention of certain non-U.S. nationals (defined as “aliens” under federal law) is mandatory.  Specifically, the act requires the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to detain individuals unlawfully…

On March 20, President Donald J. Trump passed an executive order to close the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). The order directed the Secretary of Education to return authority over education to the states “while ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services.” Congress assigned many of the DOE’s responsibilities, so the president can’t dismantle the department without an act of Congress or legally direct the agency to refrain from actions it is required to do by law. The executive order already faces numerous legal challenges. Republican lawmakers also proposed legislation to dissolve the DOE on Nov. 21, 2024, in…

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) has proposed an act that  would ban members of Congress, the vice president,  the president and their immediate family members from  owning or trading stocks, securities, commodities, futures, options, trusts and similar assets.  

The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act (H.R. 7024), introduced by Rep. Jason Smith  (R-Mo.), passed the House with overwhelming support  Jan. 31.  

In December 2023, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) introduced the Disengaging Entirely From the United Nations Debacle (DEFUND) Act,  which proposes to withdraw the U.S. from the UN and  stop all U.S. funding to the organization.   Since then, Republicans have offered several other  proposals, both rhetorically and in 2025 budget proposals,  to defund the UN.  The U.S. was a key founder of the UN in 1945 and  has been a major financial contributor ever since. In 2022,  the most recent fiscal year with full data available, the  U.S. contributed over $18 billion to the UN, or…

On June 5, Senate Democrats forced a vote on the Right to Contraception Act, which would protect a  person’s right to access contraceptives and health care  providers’ ability to provide contraception, along with  related services and information…

On April 16, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) amended existing rules to better protect miners from health hazards associated with toxic rock dust. Silica dust or quartz dust, formally called respirable crystalline silica, is a carcinogen that causes serious diseases when inhaled, including black lung disease (also called silicosis), lung cancer, progressive massive fibrosis, chronic bronchitis and kidney disease. On June 27, House Republicans passed a budget provision prohibiting DOL from using funding to enforce the revised rule, drawing a rebuke from Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America. He called the provision “a direct attack…