Category: Congress

House-passed reconciliation bill includes more changes to proposed federal benefits cuts

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House lawmakers narrowly passed the GOP’s budget reconciliation bill early Thursday morning in a vote of 215-214, after making one last revision to a series of proposals cutting federal benefits and civil service protections. Four of the six provisions on federal benefits cuts that originated from Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee remain in the House-passed version of the bill, which now heads to the Senate for consideration. But notably, the proposed change to a “high-5” annuity calculation is no longer on the table. The provision was…

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Senate Democrats seek to restore, strengthen PMF program with new legislation

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Two Senate Democrats hope to reinstate the recently eliminated Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) program and permanently secure the nearly 50-year-old effort for recruiting and retaining federal talent. The Training Aspiring Leaders Emerging Now to Serve, or TALENTS Act, which Sens. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced Thursday, would reestablish the PMF program. The bill comes in response to President Donald Trump eliminating the PMF program by executive order in February. Under the TALENTS Act, the PMF program would not only be restored, but also codified in federal regulations, effectively…

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SBIR/STTR awards remain vulnerable to foreign influence

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Of the 12 agencies running the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs, only one has made significant progress to prevent or limit foreign adversaries from taking advantage of the research and development funding. New data from Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), chairwoman of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, shows that the National Institutes of Health both flagged and denied all applications that included companies or people from places like China and Russia. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is the chairwoman of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.…

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As the executive branch slashes foreign aid programs, will Congress step in?

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Interview transcript: Terry Gerton: Foreign aid has probably garnered more headlines in the last two months than it has in the two years. With DOGE’s termination of most of USAID’s grants, and even more recently, the proposed reorganization of the Department of State, we’re seeing a massive realignment of the U.S. strategy when it comes to foreign aid. So Bob, what role has U.S. foreign aid funding played in global humanitarian assistance? Can you give us an idea of the impact? Bob Powers: Yes, certainly it plays a massive role…

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Lawmakers question Noem over cuts to CISA, FEMA, TSA

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House lawmakers left with lingering questions about proposed budget cuts at the Department of Homeland Security after a Tuesday oversight hearing with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The hearing, before the House Appropriations Committee’s homeland security subcommittee, was held days after the Trump administration released its proposed fiscal 2026 “skinny budget.” The request would increase overall DHS funding — largely at Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol — it would also cut budgets at several component agencies, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Federal Emergency…

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The Latest: White House unveils Trump’s 2026 proposed budget

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The White House is unveiling President Donald Trump’s budget, a sweeping framework proposing steep reductions in non-defense domestic spending while increasing expenditures on national security. The budget plan released Friday shows a desire to crack down on diversity programs and initiatives to address climate change. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to strip temporary legal protections from 350,000 Venezuelans, potentially exposing them to being deported. Here’s the latest: Trump insists the economy will do ‘fantastically’ despite recession concerns The president in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet…

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