Justice Department Updates Federal Religious-Liberty Guidance
The Justice Department’s updated guidance directs federal agencies to consider religious-liberty protections in rules, enforcement, employment, contracts and grants.
Federal Agencies
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DOJ Issues Updated Guidance Directing Federal Agencies to Strengthen Religious-Liberty Protections
The Justice Department’s updated guidance directs federal agencies to account for constitutional religious-liberty protections in programs, employment, contracting, rulemaking and enforcement.
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Justice Department Updates Guidance to Strengthen Religious-Liberty Protections
The Justice Department’s July 23 guidance says federal agencies should recognize religious conduct in daily life and reasonably accommodate it when practicable and legally permitted.
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Supreme Court expands president’s authority to remove most agency heads
The Supreme Court ruled June 29 that presidents generally may fire federal agency heads at will, limiting statutory protections that required cause for removal while preserving a distinct exception for the Federal Reserve.
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GAO Releases Report on Recent Federal Workforce Changes at OPM
The Government Accountability Office released a report examining recent workforce changes at the Office of Personnel Management, alongside five other reports issued July 16–20, 2026.
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Justice Department Updates Religious-Liberty Guidance for Federal Agencies
The revised guidance, issued July 23, directs agencies to review religious-liberty concerns in programs, employment, contracting, rulemaking and enforcement.
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Senate leaders unveil stopgap funding deal aimed at keeping federal agencies open past midterm elections
Senate leaders unveiled a short-term spending bill on August 2 that would keep federal agencies funded past the November midterm elections and into early December, but the proposal is not yet law.
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Justice Department updates federal religious-liberty guidance for agencies and contractors
The Justice Department’s updated guidance directs federal agencies to account for constitutional, RFRA and Title VII protections in programs, employment, contracting, rulemaking and enforcement.
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GAO says many federal programs still lack clear goals and useful performance data
A Government Accountability Office report says agencies often lack the goals and data needed to judge whether taxpayer-funded programs are achieving their intended results.
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Justice Department issues first major update to federal religious-liberty guidance since 2017
The Justice Department’s updated guidance directs federal agencies to review religious-liberty implications in rulemaking, employment, enforcement, grants and contracts.
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Federal FOIA Backlog Rose 27% as Record Demand Hit Agencies
Federal agencies received a record 1.7 million FOIA requests in FY 2025, but the backlog rose 27% and nearly half of processed cases closed administratively.
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GAO: Federal Programs Still Lack Data to Show What Works
A July GAO assessment says many federal programs track spending and services but lack the goals and outcome data needed to show whether they work.
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GAO: Agencies canceled $17.8 billion in federal awards
A GAO review found four agencies approved $128 billion in awards, canceled $17.8 billion and had not decided on $33.6 billion as of varying dates.
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GAO: Regulators’ decennial banking burden reviews lack follow-through
GAO says federal banking agencies’ decennial reviews meant to cut paperwork burdens often don’t show clear, documented follow-through to rule changes.
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Trump removes all Election Assistance Commission members—what happens next?
The EAC is left without commissioners after July 9 removals, raising questions for HAVA grant support and voting-system testing & certification during the midterms.
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Trump ousts EAC commissioners—what changes before the 2026 midterms
The White House confirmed Trump dismissed the remaining EAC commissioners, raising questions for election testing, HAVA grants, and next steps.
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SCOTUS overrules FTC “for-cause” removal limits, expands presidential control
United States Evening White House and Congress Update — On June 29, 2026, the Supreme Court held that the Constitution bars Congress from limiting the President’s power to remove FTC commissioners for “for-cause” reasons, reversing a lower-court injunction and reshaping how independent-agency leadership could be replaced.
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White House sets October deadline for post-quantum cryptography plans
United States White House and Federal Power Watch – OMB’s June 24 memo gives agencies 120 days to submit PQC migration plans, while 2030, 2031 and 2035 milestones are now on the clock.
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Kansas privacy case adds DOJ to Education Department enforcement
United States Education and Civil Rights Policy – The Education Department is pairing with DOJ in a Kansas student privacy case, sharpening the federal stakes for schools nationwide.
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D.C. Circuit pauses Trump’s CFPB layoff push
United States Courts and Legal Accountability – The D.C. Circuit sent the CFPB staffing fight back to the district court while keeping the appeal alive.
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United States: Supreme Court upholds FCC fine process in AT&T privacy case
The Supreme Court said the FCC can keep issuing forfeiture orders without a jury in telecom privacy cases, preserving a key consumer-enforcement tool.
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U.S. judge leaves Trump’s mail-voting order in place for now
A federal judge declined to block Trump’s March 31 election order, saying the challenge is premature while agency action remains pending.