Congress finally passed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government for another month.  Funding for federal agencies was extended through December 20 under a stopgap funding measure that averted a government shutdown as [...]

California & For-Profit Schools[1] The Department of Veterans Affairs is working to strip California of its contract to regulate GI Bill benefits, denying the state the ability to investigate alleged abuses by for-profit colleges and [...]

Lawmakers are set to depart Washington for the next two weeks, leaving five legislative weeks before the Nov. 21 deadline. None of the fiscal 2020 spending bills have been signed into law, and appropriators must [...]

Mandatory Arbitration Ban Bill The Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act (H.R. 1423) would prohibit mandatory arbitration agreements in employment, consumer, and other contracts. The bill would invalidate an arbitration agreement if it requires arbitration of [...]

Democratic Debate The Democratic debate Thursday evening, now with just 10 candidates, threw into sharp relief a dividing line among Democrats, as the contenders argued how far to go to insure more Americans health and [...]

North Carolina Special Elections Two special elections in the State of North Carolina will determine the newest members of the House. Voters in the 9th District are choosing between Dan Bishop, a Republican state senator, [...]

Stopgap Likely for Federal Budget As the Congressional August recess draws to a close, attention turns to the remaining bills on the legislative agenda that must pass before the end of September. A bill to [...]

Economic Strife a Potential 2020 Issue An increasing concern for an economic downtown leading up to the 2020 looms over President Trump’s hopes for a second term. With a global factory slowdown and Trump’s trade [...]

McConnell Weighs Background Checks Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that gun legislation will be at the top of the Senate's agenda once legislators return from the August recess. Presently, background checks for firearm [...]

This week, the Senate began its August recess after approving the Congressional budget-deal, President Trump abruptly escalated the trade war with China, and the second Democratic Presidential Debate saw appeals to the working class. Senate [...]