Government & Policy
Legislation, executive orders, regulatory changes, and government actions that directly impact personal finances, taxes, benefits, or the economy.
Latest in Government & Policy
The OBBB just raised the employer-provided childcare tax credit from $150,000 to $500,000 — workers should ask HR if their company is expanding daycare or backup-care benefits
A working parent in Dallas spending $22,000 a year on infant daycare probably did not celebrate when the One Big Beautiful Bill Act became law...
A new federal flood-disclosure rule takes effect July 1 — sellers in 28 states will now have to tell buyers if the home has ever flooded before closing
When a home in Houston’s Meyerland neighborhood flooded for the fourth time in five years, the family that owned it made repairs, listed it, and...
A $1 million personal umbrella policy costs about $200 a year — and a single at-fault accident or teen-driver lawsuit can shred homeowners and auto limits in one stroke
A 17-year-old runs a red light, T-bones a minivan, and sends three people to the hospital. The medical bills alone clear six figures before anyone...
The U.S. effective tariff rate climbed to 17% in 2026 — the highest since the early 1930s, and the New York Fed says households pay nearly 90% of the bill
When Walmart told investors in its May 2026 earnings call that it could not absorb all incoming tariff costs and would have to raise prices...
The average U.S. household is paying $1,300 a year in tariffs — even after the Supreme Court struck down the original orders and Trump swapped to a different statute
A washing machine costs more. So does a pair of running shoes, a set of brake pads, and a bag of imported rice. The Supreme...
A new federal Equal Credit Opportunity rule takes effect July 21 — lenders that deny credit must give the exact reason in plain language, not boilerplate codes
You apply for a credit card. A few days later, a letter arrives: “Application denied. Failed to achieve a qualifying score.” No further detail. No...
Big banks must now hand your full account history to a rival bank in minutes for free — a CFPB open banking rule that just took effect April 1
Switching banks has always been a hassle, and Maria Torres knows it firsthand. The Chicago-based freelance graphic designer spent the better part of a weekend...
Many states erase part or all of a home’s property tax for seniors, veterans, and disabled owners — but the break only applies if you file for it
Every year, homeowners across the country leave real money on the table because they never filed a single form. In Texas, a homeowner who turns...
A federal program covers part of your heating and cooling bills — LIHEAP pays the average household a few hundred dollars, yet most who qualify never apply
Somewhere in Ohio right now, a retired couple is deciding whether to turn the thermostat down to 58 degrees or skip a prescription refill. Somewhere...
A federal law now bans surprise bills for out-of-network emergency care — but hospitals still send them, and you can refuse to pay the difference
According to a 2024 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report, millions of Americans have faced unexpected medical bills after emergency room visits, even when they carried...
Hotels, ticket sites, and rentals must now show the full price up front — a new federal rule banning the surprise “resort” and “service” fees that pad your bill
A $199 hotel room that actually costs $274 after a “resort fee” and an “amenity charge” get tacked on at checkout. A $95 concert ticket...
Companies must now make canceling a subscription as easy as signing up — a federal “click to cancel” rule aimed at the auto-renewals quietly draining your bank account
Last fall, a Reddit thread titled “Why does it take 47 clicks to cancel but one to subscribe?” collected more than 12,000 upvotes in a...
The U.S. Mint just made its last penny — and cash purchases now round to the nearest nickel, a quiet change that adds up at the register
The final one-cent coin rolled off the press at the Philadelphia Mint on a Monday morning in late May 2026. U.S. Treasurer Chief Marilynn Malerba...
The Supreme Court is weighing whether Trump can fire Federal Reserve governors — a ruling that could hand the White House direct control over your mortgage and savings rates
When Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook cast her vote on interest rates earlier this year, she helped set the borrowing cost on roughly $13 trillion...
Tariffs are costing the average household about $2,500 a year — even as $35 billion in refunds flows back to the corporations that paid the very same tariffs
A new washing machine at Lowe’s costs about $80 more today than it did before the current tariff regime took hold. A set of all-season...
A new federal “debanking” rule takes effect June 9 — after that, your bank can no longer close your account over your politics or your industry
A new federal “debanking” rule takes effect June 9 — after that, your bank can no longer close your account over your politics or your...
Walmart, Target, and Nike collect billions in tariff refunds this week — while 330,000 small businesses that paid the same tariffs are still waiting
When U.S. Customs and Border Protection flipped the switch on its new tariff refund portal on April 20, 2026, the largest importers in the country...
The CFPB just rolled back its fair-lending rule — banks can no longer be punished for “disparate impact” unless intent is proven, gutting a decades-old check on bias
In 2013, the CFPB and the Department of Justice ordered Ally Financial to pay $98 million after finding that its auto-loan pricing consistently charged Black,...
Trump Accounts open July 5 — every baby born 2025-2028 gets $1,000 from the federal government, and 1 million families have already claimed it
Before her daughter was 48 hours old, Maria Delgado had already filled out a birth certificate application, a Social Security request, and a hospital discharge...
A New York wine importer just got $110,000 back from Trump’s tariffs — the first concrete refund, and 329,999 other businesses are still waiting
A New York wine importer has received a $110,000 refund from U.S. Customs and Border Protection for tariff duties the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional. It...