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 work rules take effect July 1 in Montana and Arkansas, the first two states
Non-excluded adults ages 19 to 64 in Montana and Arkansas face new Medicaid work and activity requirements starting July 1, 2026, making them the first...
A new housing law aims to add supply by easing rules on factory-built homes
Virginia homeowners and prospective buyers in dozens of localities face a direct change in what can be built on residential lots after Governor Abigail Spanberger...
A drug-pricing rule could close the pharmacies that serve most nursing-home residents
Thousands of pharmacies that deliver medications directly to nursing-home residents now face a federal compliance requirement that could push many of them out of Medicare...
Some states bar utilities from cutting your power during extreme summer heat
Millions of utility customers across the Sun Belt and beyond now have a regulatory shield against losing electricity during the most dangerous days of summer....
Eighteen states can now block soda, candy and desserts from food-stamp purchases
Millions of Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to feed their families now face new rules about what they can buy. Eighteen...
A House plan would end VA disability pay for tinnitus and cut it for veterans who use a CPAP machine
Veterans who file new VA disability claims for tinnitus or sleep apnea face a direct threat to their monthly compensation under legislation advancing through Congress...
Obamacare premiums are set to jump another 14% in 2027, the second double-digit rise in a row
Millions of Americans who buy health coverage through Affordable Care Act marketplaces face a second consecutive year of double-digit premium increases, with early 2027 rate...
The government’s first $1,000 deposit into newborns’ Trump Accounts started landing July 4
Families with babies born as far back as January 2025 can now access a one-time $1,000 federal deposit after the U.S. Treasury activated Trump Accounts...
A FEMA overhaul could make federal disaster aid harder to get, shifting costs to survivors
Families recovering from hurricanes, wildfires, and floods could soon face steeper out-of-pocket costs if proposals to restructure the Federal Emergency Management Agency move forward. A...
For the first time, states must start paying a share of food-stamp costs this October
State governments across the country will begin paying 75 percent of SNAP administrative costs starting this October, a sharp jump from the 50 percent share...
New York is sending inflation-refund checks of up to $200 a person to 8.2 million residents
Governor Kathy Hochul’s office confirmed that New York State mailed 8.2 million inflation refund checks to residents, distributing more than $2 billion in direct payments...
California now requires large restaurant chains to list the nine major food allergens
Diners with food allergies who eat at large chain restaurants in California will soon see allergen information listed alongside their menu options. Governor Gavin Newsom...
A new bill would let homeowners over 65 shield up to $1 million in home-sale profit from capital gains tax
Seniors who bought homes decades ago in high-cost metro areas could keep hundreds of thousands of dollars more from a sale under a bill introduced...
The House passed the first major benefits increase for catastrophically disabled veterans and Gold Star families in decades, and now the Senate must act
Catastrophically disabled veterans and surviving families of service members killed in action stand to receive their first significant federal benefits increase in decades after the...
A congressional proposal would cut disability pay for up to 1.5 million veterans to save $57 billion over ten years
Up to 1.5 million veterans who receive disability compensation for conditions like tinnitus and sleep apnea could see their monthly payments reduced under a House...
SNAP theft victims can no longer get stolen benefits replaced with federal money after a program lapsed
Millions of Americans who rely on SNAP benefits to buy groceries lost a critical safety net on December 20, 2024, when Congress allowed the only...
Adults ages 55 to 64 must now work 80 hours a month to keep food stamps, and 4 million have already dropped off
Millions of adults between 55 and 64 years old now face a stark choice: log 80 hours a month of work, training, or volunteering, or...
The government has collected $282 million from defaulted student-loan borrowers since May
Millions of federal student-loan borrowers in default are losing portions of their tax refunds, federal salaries, and benefit payments after the Department of Education restarted...
Medicaid work-rule notices go out June 30 through August 31, and missing yours can cost your coverage
Medicaid expansion enrollees in states like Nebraska and Michigan are receiving notices this summer that could determine whether they keep their health coverage. Under the...
Babies born in 2026 get a $1,000 government-seeded investment account under a new law
Every child born in the United States in 2026 is now eligible for a $1,000 government-funded investment account, seeded automatically under a program created by...