Government & Policy
Legislation, executive orders, regulatory changes, and government actions that directly impact personal finances, taxes, benefits, or the economy.
Latest in Government & Policy
Social Security’s yearly raise would be based on whichever is higher, the current CPI-W or a new index of older Americans’ costs, under a Senate bill
A Senate bill would change how Social Security’s yearly raise is figured, so that it follows whichever is higher: the current index, known as the...
The VA disability pay raise still needs an act of Congress, and the House COLA bill has not passed either chamber
Veterans’ disability pay does not rise on its own each December. A law has to say so, and this year the bill that would do...
Trump signs a law changing how employee stock ownership plans value private company shares
President Trump signed the Retire through Ownership Act on Thursday, October 15, writing into federal law a new way for employee stock ownership plans to...
Following President Trump’s diesel executive order, the IRS waives dyed-diesel highway penalties retroactive to October 1
The IRS said on October 14 that it will not penalize anyone who sells dyed diesel fuel for highway use or uses it on highways,...
CMS is taking comments through November 8 on Georgia’s bid for a higher federal match for its Pathways Medicaid work program
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is accepting public comments through November 8, 2026, on Georgia’s request for a higher federal share of the...
Applicants 65 and older or disabled get up to two months of retroactive Medicaid coverage in 2027, down from three
Starting January 1, 2027, Medicaid applicants who are 65 or older, or who have a disability, can have up to two months of medical bills...
Trump’s diesel order tells Treasury to explore forgiving the diesel excise taxes it would let taxpayers defer, including through legislation
President Trump’s October 5 diesel order tells the Treasury secretary to explore ways to wipe out the federal diesel excise taxes that the same order...
Trump’s White House says 200,000 Montana seniors and 100,000 Alaska seniors benefit from the new senior tax deduction
The White House says approximately 200,000 Montana seniors and about 100,000 Alaska seniors benefit from the new senior tax deduction. The counts appear in trip...
The White House says nearly 1 million HealthCare.gov enrollees in 30 states who paid full price without subsidies are slated for $500 checks beginning in October
The White House says nearly 1 million people in 30 states who bought HealthCare.gov coverage at full price, with no premium subsidy, are slated to...
VA says disability claims took 75.6 days to decide in September, down from 141.5 days on January 20, 2025
The Department of Veterans Affairs says it decided the average disability claim in 75.6 days in September 2026, compared with 141.5 days on January 20,...
USDA’s SNAP work-requirement page still lists ages 18 to 54 and says guidance on the new law is pending
USDA’s SNAP work-requirement page still tells food stamp recipients that the three-month time limit applies to adults ages 18 to 54, even though the law...
The Trump administration says its new vehicle efficiency standards will save Americans nearly $140 billion over five years
The Trump administration says the new federal fuel economy rules will save Americans nearly $140 billion over five years, a figure the White House put...
President Trump’s Treasury proposes limiting Obamacare premium tax credits to citizens, nationals and certain lawfully present immigrants starting in 2027
Treasury and the IRS on October 14 proposed regulations that would limit the Obamacare premium tax credit to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals and certain lawfully...
Warren and Hawley ask six insurers by October 16 why claims close without payment
Two senators from opposite parties, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Josh Hawley of Missouri, wrote on October 2 to six of the country’s largest insurers...
HUD is probing Wells Fargo’s 2017 and 2022 Black homeownership programs, with no finding yet
HUD said on October 7 that it is investigating two Wells Fargo homeownership programs aimed at Black borrowers, one announced in 2017 and one in...
Ahsan Ijaz pleaded guilty October 2 to a $65 million Medicaid fraud conspiracy at his Brooklyn day care centers
Ahsan Ijaz, 29, of Brooklyn pleaded guilty on October 2 to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, admitting that his adult day care businesses helped...
Sharmaine Meadows was convicted of three counts of health care fraud over $3.6 million billed to Minnesota’s defunct housing program
Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization Services program was meant to help seniors and people with disabilities find and keep a place to live, and a federal jury...
HUD’s seven-point chassis-free manufactured home plan lists no dates for any rule
HUD published a seven-point plan on October 7 for manufactured homes built without a permanent steel chassis, and the plan sets no date for any...
Heal 360 and its owner agree to pay $20 million over COVID testing billing allegations
Heal 360 Urgent Care PLLC, Heal 360 Primary Care PLLC and their owner, Dr. Mohammed Amer Mohiuddin of Plano, Texas, agreed on October 7 to...
President Trump signed the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act on October 7, requiring a yearly list of federal projects five years late or a billion dollars over budget
A law signed October 7 requires the federal government to publish a yearly report on taxpayer-funded projects that are more than five years behind schedule...