By
GovFacts
25 Min Read

What Happens to Your Health Insurance If You Lose Your Job

Losing your job can end your health insurance too. See how COBRA, marketplace plans, and Medicaid compare on cost, deadlines, and speed.

By
GovFacts
23 Min Read

Separation of Powers, Explained

The Constitution splits lawmaking, enforcement, and judging among Congress, the President, and courts, with built-in checks like vetoes and impeachment.

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An Independent Team to Decode Government

GovFacts is a nonpartisan site focused on making government concepts and policies easier to understand — and government programs easier to access.

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 to Cut Most of Your Junk Mail (and What You Can’t Stop)

Free tools like OptOutPrescreen and DMAchoice can clear out most credit offers, catalogs, and coupons cluttering your mailbox each week.

By
GovFacts

What Unions Do and How Collective Bargaining Works

A plain-English guide to how unions form and negotiate, covering authorization cards, NLRB elections, first contracts, dues, grievances, and strikes.

By
GovFacts

Why American Manufacturing Jobs Declined

Explores why manufacturing jobs declined, weighing trade with China, automation, corporate tax cuts, health costs, and whether tariffs or CHIPS…

By
GovFacts

Your Health & Safety

The Barriers People Face After Prison

Collateral consequences are legal barriers to jobs, housing, and voting that can outlast a prison sentence. Learn how to find…

By
GovFacts

Why Mail Fraud Is a Federal Crime

Learn why mail fraud became a federal crime, tracing the law from an 1872 statute to today's rules on intent,…

By
GovFacts

Special Education Rights Under IDEA

A plain-English guide to IDEA special education rights: requesting evaluations, what schools must provide, key deadlines, and options if services…

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GovFacts

Your Voice & Rights

Can You Win the Presidency While Losing the Popular Vote?

The Electoral College can let a candidate win the presidency while losing the national popular vote, as it did in…

By
GovFacts

What the First Amendment Actually Protects

Learn what the First Amendment protects, from workplace speech to threats, protests, and campaign spending, using three key questions.

By
GovFacts

How the Census Shapes Political Power and Funding

See how census counts shape House seats, Electoral College votes, and federal funding, and which groups get undercounted most.

By
GovFacts

Your World

Who’s Actually in Charge of the U.S. Military?

The U.S. military chain of command runs president, Secretary of Defense, then combatant commanders, and troops must refuse illegal orders.

By
GovFacts

The Fight Over America’s Public Lands

Explains who controls America's public lands, how four federal agencies split the job, and why grazing rules and monument fights…

By
GovFacts

Why Family Green-Card Waits Can Last Decades

Learn how family visa categories, priority dates, and life events like marriage or death can affect a green card case…

By
GovFacts

How to Get a Green Card: The Main Paths

Breaks down the four legal paths to a green card, family, employer, humanitarian, and the diversity lottery, with costs and…

By
GovFacts

Trending Federal Guidance

Understanding the Social Security Earnings Limit

You can receive Social Security retirement or survivor benefits while still employed. However, if you begin receiving benefits before reaching your Full Retirement Age (FRA), specific rules limit how much…

By
GovFacts
21 Min Read

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…

By
GovFacts

USPS Package Size Limits

Whether you're shipping products nationwide as a small business owner or sending gifts to loved…

By
GovFacts

Official USPS Change of Address

Moving to a new home is an exciting chapter but it also comes with a…

By
GovFacts

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…

By
GovFacts

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…

By
GovFacts

USPS Media Mail Rules and Restrictions

Media Mail is an economy shipping service provided by the USPS specifically for sending media items. Its primary purpose is…

By
GovFacts

How the Government Tracks America’s Digital Economy

The U.S. economy is undergoing a transformation. Less and less of what we produce, buy, and sell is purely physical.…

By
GovFacts

A Step-by-Step Guide to Applying for a U.S. Trademark

A trademark is a business asset that functions as your identifier in the marketplace. It can be any distinctive word,…

By
GovFacts

How NIST Builds Rules: An Inside Look at Standards Development

Every time you use GPS navigation, make an online purchase, or trust that a skyscraper won't collapse in an earthquake,…

By
GovFacts

You May Also Like

How a Case Climbs From Trial Court to the Supreme Court

Explains how a case climbs from trial court through appeals to the Supreme Court, covering deadlines, cert petitions, and the emergency docket.

By
GovFacts
20 Min Read

Why Only One-Third of the Senate Is Up Each Election

Explains why the Constitution splits the Senate into three classes, so only about a third of seats face voters each election while others keep serving.

By
GovFacts
19 Min Read

USPS vs FedEx vs UPS: Who Does What

Learn how USPS, FedEx, and UPS differ by law, network, and service so you can pick the right one for letters, parcels, freight, or remote addresses.

By
GovFacts
19 Min Read

What a Patent Actually Protects (and What It Doesn’t)

A US patent only lets you stop others from making, using, or selling your invention, it does not give you permission to sell it, and claims set the limits.

By
GovFacts
24 Min Read

Navigating the Patchwork of Federal Consumer Protections

Federal law splits consumer protection across agencies for fees, billing errors, and recalls. See which one applies and the escalation steps to fix your problem.

By
GovFacts
22 Min Read

How to Spot and Report Common Scams

Learn the warning signs in common scams, from AI voice cloning to QR code fraud, and see where to report each type and steps that may help limit losses.

By
GovFacts
23 Min Read

Why Most Bills Never Become Law: The Hidden Chokepoints in Congress

Congress introduces thousands of bills each year, but most die from Senate rules, budget reconciliation limits, or the obscure Byrd Rule test.

By
GovFacts
20 Min Read

How Presidential Succession Works

Learn what happens when a president dies, resigns, or can't serve, and how succession works if both leaders are gone at once.

By
GovFacts
23 Min Read

Why Only USPS Can Put Mail in Your Mailbox

Federal law lets only USPS put mail in your mailbox, with narrow exceptions for prepaid postage and small package deliveries, plus fines for violations.

By
GovFacts
20 Min Read

How the Federal Budget Process Is Supposed to Work

The 1974 law set a strict budget calendar, but Congress almost never meets its deadlines, relying instead on stopgap funding and last-minute deals.

By
GovFacts
21 Min Read

Your Rights as an Employee Regarding Breaks and Retaliation

Federal law doesn't require lunch or coffee breaks, but retaliation protections still apply. See how state rules differ and what's protected.

By
GovFacts
16 Min Read
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