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After Trump v. Slaughter: The Election Commission Is Empty, the SEC and FTC Are All-Republican, and Lisa Cook Faces a For-Cause Hearing

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

On 29 June 2026 the Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 in Trump v. Slaughter that the President can remove members of the Federal Trade Commission at will. It overruled Humphrey’s Executor, the 1935 case that let Congress protect commissioners of independent agencies from removal except for cause.

Three months later, several agencies that Congress designed to be bipartisan have no members from one party, or none at all. The Election Assistance Commission has had no commissioners since 9 July, when the White House fired its two Democrats and its Republican resigned. A White House official said “the Slaughter decision gives the President precedence to do so.”

FY2027 Appropriations: The House Has Passed 3 of 12 Bills, the Senate None, With Funding Running Out December 11

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ten days into fiscal 2027, Congress has finished none of the twelve bills that fund the government. The House has passed three: Military Construction and Veterans Affairs on 15 May by 400 votes to 15, Agriculture on 4 June by 213 to 210, and National Security and State on 15 July by 217 to 209. The Senate hasn’t marked up a single one. Everything runs on a stopgap that expires on 11 December.

No New US Aid for Ukraine Since 2024: Weapons Now Flow Through NATO-Funded PURL Sales

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Congress hasn’t approved significant new money for Ukraine since April 2024, the Congressional Research Service noted in its update of 31 August 2026. The US has committed more than $68 billion in weapons and equipment since February 2022. About $4.96 billion in authority to send weapons from US stocks remained unused at the end of June.

US weapons still reach Ukraine. Since July 2025 they’ve mostly come through PURL, the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, under which European and other allies pay for US equipment. On 8 October the chair of NATO’s Military Committee said Ukraine had received $10 billion worth of US weapons that way.

Trump's Elections Order at 18 Months: Courts Block Proof of Citizenship and DOJ Loses 26 Voter Roll Suits

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Executive Order 14248, signed in March 2025, told the Election Assistance Commission to require documentary proof of citizenship on the federal voter registration form. Eighteen months later, that requirement is permanently blocked by two federal courts, and the commission that would have to carry it out has no members.

A Congressional Research Service update published on 9 October sets out where the order and its follow-ups stand before the midterms.

Interest on US Debt Hits $1.14 Trillion in FY2026, More Than Defence or Medicare, With the Debt Limit $800 Billion Away

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The federal government spent $1.143 trillion on net interest in fiscal 2026, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s monthly review of 8 October. That’s $115 billion, or 11%, more than in fiscal 2025. It’s more than the Defense Department spent on the military, $916 billion, and more than Medicare, $1.069 trillion. Only Social Security, at $1.654 trillion, cost more.

Interest now takes about 15 cents of every federal dollar spent, and about 21 cents of every dollar collected.

Pocket Rescissions Explained: How a 1974 Law Against Nixon's Impoundments Became the 2025-26 Budget Fight

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

On 25 September 2026, five days before the fiscal year ended, the White House sent Congress a special message proposing to cancel $810 million across 11 accounts in seven departments. The biggest item was $567 million for refugee and entrant assistance at HHS. The House had already said it would be out until November.

That timing is the whole point of a pocket rescission. Under the 1974 law that governs it, the President can hold back money he has proposed to cancel for 45 days while Congress considers it. If the money expires before the 45 days are up, it’s gone, whatever Congress does. On 29 September GAO ruled that the President may not force the expiry of money Congress enacted and didn’t rescind. The money appears to have expired on 30 September anyway.

US Arms Sales in 2026: Saudi F-35s Approved, Taiwan's $14 Billion Air Defence Package Frozen After the Xi Summit

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

On 17 September the State Department notified Congress of a proposed sale of 48 F-35 fighters to Saudi Arabia, worth $24.3 billion. It would make Saudi Arabia the second country in the Middle East, after Israel, to fly the jet. The same month brought a $5 billion sale of more than 10,000 bombs and $750 million in tank engines to Riyadh.

Meanwhile a record $14 billion package for Taiwan, mostly Patriot interceptors and an integrated air defence command system, has been on hold since the President’s summit with Xi Jinping in Beijing in May. Taiwan’s defence minister said on 29 September that it was still pending.

US Debt Limit of $41.1 Trillion Expected to Bind in 2027: How Denmark, Germany and the EU Handle Borrowing Limits

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The US federal debt limit stands at $41.1 trillion. The July 2025 budget reconciliation law raised it by $5 trillion. That bought about two years. The Congressional Budget Office’s February 2026 outlook says the Treasury will reach the limit sometime in 2027. The Bipartisan Policy Center expects it between late winter and mid-summer of 2027, with the Treasury’s accounting manoeuvres, known as extraordinary measures, adding another six to nine months.