From Motor Voter to MEGA Act: 30 Years of Federal Election Law Battles
Over thirty years later, Republicans in Congress have introduced what amounts to a dramatic shift in federal election policy. A new bill doesn't reverse the philosophy of making registration convenient—it…
How CFIUS Reviews Dual-Use Technology Mergers for National Security
A small federal committee called CFIUS has the power to reshape, delay, or kill Elon Musk's $1.25 trillion merger between SpaceX and xAI based on national security concerns. CFIUS has…
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An Independent Team to Decode Government
Our articles are referenced by trusted think tanks and publications including Brookings, CNN, Forbes, Fox News, Pew Research, Snopes, The Hill, and USA Today.
Your Money & Home
How CISA Coordinates Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure Contractors
CISA doesn't make headlines the way the FBI or NSA does. It operates in the background, coordinating cybersecurity across sixteen…
When Foreign Cyberattacks Expose U.S. Company Data: FBI Jurisdiction Rules
American companies. European servers. Russian-affiliated criminals, probably. And now a question that sounds simple but opens onto a maze of…
SEC Disclosure Rules for Public Companies Hit by Supply Chain Breaches
American executives faced an immediate problem: Does our company need to file a public disclosure with the SEC within four…
Your Health & Safety
The Fourth Amendment Rules ICE Must Follow—And What Happens When They Don’t
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross shot Renée Good three times through her windshield in south Minneapolis on January…
Federal Law Enforcement Shootings Face Almost No Outside Review. Here’s Why.
When a Border Patrol agent shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, federal authorities blocked state investigators from the scene. No written…
How Medicaid Matching Funds Work—And What Happens When They’re Cut
More than a million Californians could lose Medi-Cal coverage over the next decade because of federal budget changes signed into…
Your Voice & Rights
Inside the DOJ Civil Rights Division: How Cases Get Selected for Investigation
On January 24, 2025, the Justice Department made two announcements that revealed what it prioritizes. The contrast wasn't subtle. Federal…
Can Prosecutors Choose Which Civil Rights Violations to Pursue?
On January 13, 2026, the Justice Department announced it would not investigate the killing of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother…
What Legal Standard Allows the FBI to Investigate Already-Audited Elections?
On January 28, 2026, FBI agents walked into the Fulton County, Georgia elections office with a search order and walked…
Your World
3,000 Federal Agents Just Arrived. Who Pays for the Local Impact?
Minneapolis police logged $3 million in overtime costs in twelve days. That's for one city. Factor in lost tax revenue…
Congress Funds NASA and SpaceX Differently. Here’s Why That Matters.
While both missions are scheduled for February 2026, the timing is more complex than a simple five-day gap. The two…
FAA Licenses Every Commercial Spaceflight—Even for NASA Astronauts
In February 2026, SpaceX will launch four astronauts to the International Space Station—two NASA astronauts along with crew members from…
International Space Station Operations Depend on Treaties From the 1990s
NASA will launch two crewed missions in February, but not simultaneously as once planned. The missions represent the cutting edge…
Trending Federal Guidance
USPS Package Size Limits
Whether you're shipping products nationwide as a small business owner or sending gifts to loved ones, choosing the right packaging and mailing option can save you time, money, and stress.…
Understanding Your Passport Costs: A Clear Guide to Fees
Getting a U.S. passport is your ticket to international travel, but understanding the associated costs…
Understanding the Social Security Earnings Limit
You can receive Social Security retirement or survivor benefits while still employed. However, if you…
USPS Media Mail Rules and Restrictions
Media Mail is an economy shipping service provided by the USPS specifically for sending media…
Exempt vs. Non-Exempt Employees: Understanding Your Rights Under the FLSA
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is the cornerstone of federal wage and hour law…
Other Top Federal Guidance
Step-by-Step Guide for Applying for Social Security Benefits
Navigating Social Security benefits doesn't have to be complicated. This guide breaks down the application process for Retirement, Disability, and…
How to Get a Replacement Medicare Card: A Comprehensive Guide
Losing or damaging a Medicare card can be stressful, but obtaining a replacement is straightforward. This guide provides step-by-step instructions…
Understanding IDEA Part B: Ensuring Educational Access for Children with Disabilities
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a foundational piece of federal legislation in the United States, establishing the…
Understanding Tipped Employees, Tip Credits, and Minimum Wage
What Are Tipped Employees? Working in a job where tips are a significant part of your earnings involves a unique…
What is Head Start? Comprehensive Services for Young Children
Head Start is a federal program administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), specifically the Office…
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Why Speaker Johnson Can Only Lose One Vote—And How That Broke Congress
Speaker Mike Johnson needs 218 votes to pass anything. One member with the flu, one at a funeral, one facing a tough primary—any of these kills the bill. When Johnson…
How a Government Shutdown Affects Federal Workers, Benefits, and Services
By Tuesday, February 3, 2026, House Republicans prepared for a vote with almost no margin for error. The outcome would determine whether millions of Americans would continue experiencing disruptions to…
When Congress Funds DHS for Just Two Weeks, Border Operations Face Chaos
Not two months. Two weeks. Whether immigration agents should wear body cameras. Whether they can stop people on the street without a judge's permission. Whether they need to coordinate with…
When Congress Misses a Funding Deadline, Here’s What Happens Next
At 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday, January 31, 2026, the United States government entered a partial shutdown. Congress wasn't absent or unaware. The deadline had expired. The paperwork wasn't…
Senate Fails to Advance Appropriations Bills Over Immigration Dispute
The Senate blocked its own government funding package late Thursday night, with eight Republicans joining every Democrat to reject a six-bill spending measure that would have kept most of the…
When Congress Withholds Funding: How Agencies Decide Who Works Without Pay
In January 2026, hundreds of thousands of federal employees woke up to an email they'd been dreading. Some learned they were sent home without pay—no work, no paycheck, uncertain when…
A Partial Shutdown Just Hit Six Agencies. Here’s What Stops First.
The federal government entered a partial shutdown at midnight Saturday. The Senate already passed a five-bill package funding agencies through September 2026, and the Department of Homeland Security got a…
Congress Attached Policy Demands to Funding Bills. That’s Not New—But It Is Risky.
The immediate trigger was familiar: disagreement over how much money to spend. But the fight is about something Congress has been doing since the 1870s—adding unrelated requirements to bills that…
Can the President Ignore Restrictions Written Into Funding Laws?
The Constitution gives Congress one power that trumps nearly everything else: control of the money. Not whenever the President wants to. Not based on what's convenient. Only when Congress says…
The Emoluments Clause Was Written to Prevent Exactly This Situation
Four days before Donald Trump took office in January 2025, representatives of Abu Dhabi royalty signed a contract to pump $500 million into a Trump family cryptocurrency venture. The timing…
Before AI Chips Can Be Exported, This Interagency Committee Reviews the Deal
Four days before Donald Trump took office in January 2025, an Abu Dhabi royal signed a $500 million investment agreement in a Trump family cryptocurrency venture. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed…