Government & Policy
Legislation, executive orders, regulatory changes, and government actions that directly impact personal finances, taxes, benefits, or the economy.
Latest in Government & Policy
Medicaid’s new 80-hour-a-month work rule takes effect January 1, and federal estimates say up to 3.3 million could lose coverage
A new federal work requirement for Medicaid takes effect January 1, 2027, requiring millions of adults in the program’s expansion group to document 80 hours...
Married couples 65 and older can deduct up to $12,000 under the new senior bonus, but it phases out above $250,000
Married couples where both spouses are 65 or older can now deduct up to $12,000 in taxable income for the 2025 through 2028 tax years...
The White House says $2,000 tariff-rebate checks are “likely,” but no bill has passed and the IRS has approved no payment
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett has told reporters that a $2,000 tariff-rebate check for most Americans is now “likely,” citing a shrinking federal deficit...
Veterans can fill most prescriptions through the VA for a small copay or free
A veteran enrolled in VA health care does not shop for a pharmacy plan the way most retirees do. Medications prescribed by a VA provider...
PACT Act presumptive conditions can speed a veteran’s disability claim for toxic exposure
Getting a VA disability claim approved has always come down to one hurdle: proving the military caused the condition. The PACT Act, a law expanding...
A veteran’s disability pay is exempt from federal income tax and most state taxes
Disability compensation is one of the few streams of federal money that never shows up on a tax return. The Department of Veterans Affairs pays...
SNAP’s shutdown protection runs out September 30, putting food aid in doubt after October 1
The federal funding that has protected SNAP food assistance all year runs out September 30, and Congress has not yet passed a follow-up bill to...
A House bill would send tariff-rebate checks up to $2,040 a household, but it hasn’t passed
Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas has introduced a bill that would send rebate checks of up to $2,040 to American households, funded by roughly $231.35...
The VA can pay a family member to care for a disabled veteran at home
The Department of Veterans Affairs pays a monthly stipend to a family member who takes on the job of caring for a severely disabled veteran...
A surviving spouse of a veteran may qualify for a monthly tax-free VA survivor payment
A surviving spouse of a veteran who died from a service-connected condition can draw a flat $1,699.36 a month from the Department of Veterans Affairs,...
A veteran rated fully disabled draws a monthly tax-free VA payment, plus more for dependents
A veteran with a 100% VA disability rating and no dependents draws $3,938.58 a month in compensation under rates the Department of Veterans Affairs set...
VA benefit payments arrive September 1, the first business day of the month
Millions of veterans and survivors who rely on VA disability compensation or pension will see a deposit land on September 1, 2026 — but that...
The government’s own estimate says 2.3 million people will lose Medicaid in 2027 under the new work rule
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services projects that its new Medicaid work requirement will strip coverage from about 2.3 million people in fiscal year...
A restored federal rule set the overtime salary threshold back to $684 a week, so fewer salaried workers get time-and-a-half
The federal salary threshold that determines which salaried workers must be paid overtime is $684 a week, or $35,568 a year, according to the Department...
New Jersey has begun paying seniors up to $6,500 to offset property taxes under its Stay NJ program
New Jersey has started sending its latest round of Stay NJ property-tax payments to seniors, with benefits capped at $6,500 a year for the lowest-income...
Refugees and certain lawfully present immigrants lose non-emergency Medicaid on October 1 under the new law
Starting October 1, refugees, asylum recipients, certain immigrant parolees and survivors of human trafficking will lose federal funding for non-emergency Medicaid and CHIP coverage under...
A federal judge vacated SNAP soda-and-candy limits in five states, reversing purchase bans that were taking effect
A federal judge in Washington has blocked the Agriculture Department from letting five states bar SNAP recipients from buying soda and candy with food benefits,...
Families can now open a Trump Account for a young child, and the Treasury seeds each one with $1,000
Families of children born between 2025 and 2028 can now open a federally created Trump Account and receive a one-time $1,000 deposit from the U.S....
Businesses have clawed back more than $128 billion in struck-down Trump tariffs while shoppers see little
More than $128 billion in tariffs the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional is moving through a federal refund pipeline, but the money is going almost entirely...
A property-tax “circuit breaker” refunds seniors whose taxes outrun their income
A property-tax break used in roughly half the states, known as a circuit breaker, refunds or credits homeowners once their tax bill climbs past a...