Government & Policy
Legislation, executive orders, regulatory changes, and government actions that directly impact personal finances, taxes, benefits, or the economy.
Latest in Government & Policy
Officials widened a listeria recall of soft Mexican-style cheese after new contaminated products turned up
Consumers who bought soft Mexican-style cheese, prepared salad kits, or meal kits containing crema earlier this year now face a widening recall tied to Listeria...
Many states let older homeowners defer property taxes until the house is sold
Older homeowners on fixed incomes in states like California, Oregon, Washington, Texas, and Massachusetts can postpone paying property taxes for years, with the bill coming...
Anyone on SNAP or Medicaid can take $9.25 a month off a phone or internet bill through federal Lifeline
Millions of Americans enrolled in SNAP or Medicaid already qualify for a federal discount on their monthly phone or internet bill, yet most never claim...
A new federal tax credit will refund every dollar you donate to a school-scholarship fund, up to $1,700 — and 27 states just signed on
Families in more than half the country now have a path to recoup every dollar they give to a school-scholarship fund, up to $1,700, through...
More than 100 lawsuits accuse Gerber and other baby-food makers of selling products with unsafe levels of lead and arsenic
Parents who bought Gerber, Beech-Nut, HappyBABY, and Earth’s Best Organic baby foods now face a federal courtroom battle over whether those products contained unsafe concentrations...
Anyone on SNAP or Medicaid can get $9.25 a month off a phone or internet bill through the federal Lifeline program
Millions of households enrolled in SNAP or Medicaid are eligible for a $9.25 monthly discount on phone or internet service through the federal Lifeline program,...
Georgia’s gas tax came back last week, raising pump prices about 33 cents a gallon after a two-and-a-half-month suspension
Georgia motorists saw pump prices climb roughly 33 cents per gallon when the state’s motor fuel excise tax snapped back into effect after a suspension...
Pell Grants will cover job training as short as eight weeks starting July 1
Adults who need a fast track into the workforce will soon have a new way to pay for it. The U.S. Department of Education has...
Illinois killed its statewide grocery tax in January — and 665 cities and towns voted to keep charging their own
Grocery shoppers in 665 Illinois cities, towns, and villages saw no tax relief at the register on January 1, 2026, even though the state officially...
Only eight states still charge sales tax on groceries
Grocery shoppers in eight states started 2026 still paying sales tax on basic food items, a shrinking club that got smaller on January 1 when...
Generac’s $15 million settlement pays solar-system owners from $150 up to $20,000, with claims open until August 24
Homeowners who installed Generac-branded solar power systems and experienced equipment failures or misleading sales practices now have a narrow window to file claims in a...
Trump Accounts open for deposits July 4 — on top of the $1,000 federal seed for kids born since 2025, families can add $5,000 a year
Families with children born since January 1, 2025, are weeks away from a deadline that will determine whether their kids start life with a federally...
Grubhub owes 60,000 California drivers a piece of $24.75 million — and every valid claim filed by June 18 gets at least $25
Roughly 60,000 delivery drivers who worked for Grubhub in California could each receive at least $25 from a $24.75 million settlement fund tied to worker...
Illinois lawmakers delayed the nation’s first credit-card swipe-fee ban to 2027 — and a federal judge has now blocked it permanently
Illinois merchants who hoped to stop paying credit-card interchange fees on the tax and tip portions of customer transactions will have to keep waiting, and...
The Trump administration will appeal a ruling letting all importers claim tariff refunds
Every company that paid tariffs the courts struck down could soon get its money back, or the Trump administration will try to stop it. The...
A judge wants answers June 9 on refunding 330,000 importers for struck-down tariffs — but the $1,300 those duties added to your household isn’t coming back
Up to 330,000 importers could be owed refunds on tariffs a federal court has already struck down, and Judge Mark Eaton has scheduled a June...
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...