Weekly Roundup Archive: WR 4/12/25

4/14 - ICYMI: DHS Sets the Record Straight about Kilmar Abrego Garcia (DHS; see also, CNN article and SCOTUS opinion)

4/14 - Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism Statement Regarding Harvard University (ED; see also, Harvard letter and CNN article)

4/14 - FTC Launches Public Inquiry into Anti-Competitive Regulations (FTC)

4/14 - HHS Takes Action to Protect Whistleblowers who Defend Children and Launches First Conscience Investigation (HHS; direct to guidance and portal; see also, 4/9 H Judiciary hearing page and 4/11 NPR article)

4/14 - NIST Updates Privacy Framework, Tying It to Recent Cybersecurity Guidelines (NIST; direct to draft)

4/14 - NSF launches new sexual assault crisis helpline for research community (NSF)

4/14 - USPTO to suspend expedited examination of design applications (USPTO; direct to notice)

4/15 - CBP announces Global Entry partnership with El Salvador (CBP)

4/15 - DOE Statement on EIA Annual Energy Outlook (DOE; direct to report page; see also, E&E News article | related Reuters article on EIA staff cuts)

4/15 - Secretary of the Interior Transfers Federal Lands Along New Mexico Border to the Army to Protect Resources (DOI; see also, military.com article)

4/15 - U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Finalizes $150 Million Grant to Enhance [Otay Mesa] Border Security Infrastructure (DOT)

4/15 - ‘Autism Epidemic Runs Rampant,’ New Data Shows 1 in 31 Children Afflicted (HHS; direct to CDC report page; see also, CNN article)

4/15 - NEH Announces Celebrate America! Grant Program to Support Projects Commemorating America’s 250th Anniversary (NEH)

4/16 - Secretary Noem Terminates $2.7 Million in DHS Grants; Orders Harvard to Prove Compliance with Foreign Student Requirements (DHS; see also, CNN article)

4/16 - New FTC Data Show Top Text Message Scams of 2024; Overall Losses to Text Scams Hit $470 Million (FTC)

4/16 - GSA, OMB launch deregulation recommendations initiative (GSA; direct to form page)

4/16 - NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service propose rescission of 'harm' definition in Endangered Species Act regulations (NOAA; see also, NPR article)

4/16 - Social Security Statement on President Trump’s Memorandum, “Preventing Illegal Aliens from Obtaining Social Security Act Benefits” (SSA; see also, GovExec article)

4/16 - Protecting and Championing Free Speech at the State Department [re: GEC closure] (State; see also, MIT Technology Review article)

4/16 - U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Releases Report: Enforcing Religious Freedom in Prisons (USCCR; direct to report)

4/16 - USPTO announces new group to mitigate threats to the patent system (USPTO; direct to website)

4/17 - U.S. Department of Education Releases Statement on 2026 NAEP Schedule (ED; see also, K-12 Dive article with NCES letter to states)

4/17 - FDA Commissioner Makary Announces New Policy on Individuals Serving on FDA Advisory Committees (FDA)

4/17 - GPO Director Names New Members To The Depository Library Council (GPO)

4/17 - HUD and GSA announce collaborative effort to identify new headquarters for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (GSA)

4/17 - Nation's First Space Weather Simulation Exercise Examines U.S. Preparedness (NESDIS; direct to report)

4/18 - DHS Releases Bombshell Investigative Report on Kilmar Abrego Garcia Suspected Human Trafficking Incident (DHS; direct to report; see also, Politico article)

4/18 - Trump Administration Adds Key Mining Projects to FAST-41 (DOI; direct to FAST-41 dashboard page)

4/18 - U.S. Department of Education Initiates Records Request from Harvard University After Discovering Inaccurate Foreign Financial Disclosures (ED; see also, Daily Beast article)

4/18 - USDA Reiterates Importance of Those Who Can Work, Should Work While Receiving SNAP (FNS; see also, 4/8 H Agriculture hearing page and ranking member opening statement)

4/18 - Federal Reserve Board announces approval of application by Capital One Financial Corporation to merge with Discover Financial Services and issues a consent order with Discover (FRB; see also, CNN article)

4/18 - Statement of NSF priorities (NSF; see also, Science article)

4/18 - Director Gabbard and Secretary Kennedy Statement on Release of Previously Classified Senator Robert F. Kennedy Assassination Records (ODNI; direct to website; note – NARA has not published a press release)

Information below is from congress.gov. Date listed is date signed into law, and the description is an abbreviated version of bill summary available on that website.

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None this week

See full weekly list of Congressional hearings on congress.gov.

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None this week

White House press releases and executive actions

Regulations.gov

Trump Trackers

4/15 - Evaluation of DoD Roles and Processes Leading up to the July 2023 Basing Decision for the U.S. Space Command (DOD; see also, Defense News article)

4/15 - The PACT Act Has Complicated Determining When Veterans’ Benefits Payments Should Take Effect (VA)

4/16 - Safety and Security: Company is Taking Steps to Address its Risk of Train Strikes but Does Not Have a Comprehensive Risk Management Process (Amtrak)

4/17 - Evaluation of the U.S. Navy’s Efforts to Prevent and Respond to Incidents of Deaths by Suicide, Suicide Attempts, and Suicidal Ideation (DOD)

4/17 - Summary: Panoche Water District General Manager Conspired to Illegally Divert Federal Water (DOI; see also, Legal Planet article)

4/18 - Four reports published: A Review of Pandemic Relief Funding and How It Was Used In Six U.S. Communities - Coeur d’Alene, Idaho [7/1/24] | Sheridan County, Nebraska [9/1/24] | Marion County, Georgia [1/16/25] | White Earth Nation Reservation, Minnesota [3/1/25] (HUD)

4/18 - FNS SNAP: Disbursement of SNAP Benefits Using the EBT System (USDA)

4/14 - U.S.-Canada Relations amid Tariffs Under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (CRS)

4/14 - U.S. Egg Production and Retail Prices (CRS)

4/14 - U.S. Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement: Process and Potential Effects (CRS)

4/14 - Offshore Wind Energy: Actions Needed to Address Gaps in Interior's Oversight of Development (GAO)

4/17 - Teen Births in the United States: Overview and Recent Trends (CRS)

4/17 - Department of Defense: DEI Workforce Reductions (GAO)

4/17 - Higher Education: Students' Health Coverage Rates Have Improved, but Barriers to Coverage Remain for Some (GAO)

4/18 - Enforcement of Court Orders Against the Executive Branch (CRS)

4/15 - A whistleblower's disclosure details how DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data (NPR; see also, whistleblower.org for source documents)

4/15 - Justice Dept. restricts employees’ social media posts (via WaPo/MSN, with link to source document)

4/16 - Kilmer Abrego Garcia Documents posted to AG Select Publications page (DOJ; see also, Politico article on Van Hollen trip)

4/16 - Judge: 'Probable cause' to hold U.S. in contempt over Alien Enemies Act deportations (NPR, with source document)

4/17 - Targeting At-Risk Households to Understand and Reduce the Undercount of Young Children: A Research Agenda (Census Working Papers)

4/17 - Brain drain at Census Bureau has employees warning about the country's statistics (NPR)

4/17 - Trump Opens a Huge Marine Protected Zone to Commercial Fishing (NYT; see also, FWS and NOAA websites)

4/17 - Trump proposes massive NIH budget cut and reorganization (Science, with source document)

4/18 - An archivist’s job is to ‘keep the receipts.’ What happens when they can’t do their job? (Boston Globe)

4/18 - U.S. attorney demands scientific journal explain how it ensures 'viewpoint diversity' (NBC News)

4/18 - Trump Officials Blame Mistake for Setting Off Confrontation With Harvard (NYT, with source document)

4/18 - DOGE Is Building a Master Database to Surveil and Track Immigrants (Wired)

4/19 - The Supreme Court's Late-Night Alien Enemy Act Intervention (via Steve Vladeck)

4/10 (missed last week) - Jayapal, Hirono Introduce Resolution to Recognize Library Workers (Rep. Jayapal; see also, H. Res 328)

4/14 - ‘We are all afraid’: Speaking to Alaska nonprofit leaders, Murkowski gets candid on upheaval in federal government (ADN)

4/17 - Meeks, Castro Send Letter to Rubio Demanding Answers on El Salvador Agreement (H Foreign Affairs; direct to letter)

4/17 - Ranking Members Connolly, Morelle, Raskin Call on DOJ to Fulfill Duty to Defend Legislative Branch Authority (H Oversight; direct to letter; see also, America First Legal press release)

4/17 - Disturbing Whistleblower Information Obtained by Committee Democrats Leads Ranking Member Connolly to Demand Investigation into DOGE’s Disruption of Social Security Operations, Collection of Americans’ Sensitive Data (H Oversight; direct to letter to SSA OIG)

4/17 - Ranking Member Lofgren Urges NSF to Ignore Inflammatory Cruz Report, Releases Democratic Staff Report in Rebuttal (H Science; direct to report; see also, referenced 10/24 Cruz press release/report)

4/18 - Morelle and House Admin Dems Demand Preservation of Smithsonian’s more than 175-years of Curatorial Independence (H Admin; direct to letter)

4/18 - Ranking Member Raskin’s Statement on Concerns Regarding Possible Invocation of Insurrection Act (H Judiciary)