Supreme Court session opens with a challenge to federal regulators' powers

Oct 2, 2023
The doctrine instructs courts to defer to federal agencies on details where the law is unclear, so long as that guidance is “reasonable."
In its new term that began Monday, the Supreme Court will hear a case that could change the role federal agencies play in interpreting laws.
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Federal firefighters may soon face a pay cut

Sep 27, 2023
Funds earmarked for the force's temporary raise last year are running out, as firefighters deal with longer wildfire seasons and more severe fires caused by climate change.
Firefighters douse a blaze during a California wildfire in 2018. Federal firefighters may soon face steep pay cuts as funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law runs out.
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Could AI be used to sway federal rule-making?

Apr 17, 2023
Federal agencies often ask the public to weigh in on rules and their implementation. But how could programs like ChatGPT affect or influence that process?
George Washington University's Mark Febrizio argues that tech like ChatGPT could make it easier for more people to weigh in on policymaking.
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Biden asks federal agencies to gauge financial risk of climate change. Many businesses are already there.

May 21, 2021
The federal government is likely to start by following major businesses' lead, one analyst told us.
President Biden told federal agencies to report back on steps they’re taking to regulate the financial risk of climate change.
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Checking in on America’s “data infrastructure”

Feb 11, 2021
For everything you do, there's a statistic, and behind that number are federal statistical agencies in need of attention.
Whether it’s determining optimal highway width or the size of Social Security benefits, “there’s a stat for that,” says Robert Santos, president of the American Statistical Association.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Government workers affected by shutdown get some help from their banks

Jan 18, 2019
Some financial institutions are offering interest-free loans and waiving late fees on mortgages and credit card payments for government workers who aren’t getting paid during the shutdown. That’s smart business because many of those workers will get their paychecks as soon as the government gets back to business. Click the audio player above to hear […]

Why budgets of federal agencies are “use-it-or-lose-it”

Mar 27, 2018
Federal agencies are now trying to figure out how to spend billions of dollars in the next six months. President Donald Trump signed the $1.3 trillion spending bill Congress sent him last week, unleashing funding for fiscal year 2018, which is already half over. It’s a use-it-or-lose it situation for federal agencies. Click the audio player […]

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How the potential government shutdown could affect you

Jan 19, 2018
The Senate has until midnight tonight to pass a bill that would continue funding the government, but that's not looking likely.
A view of the U.S. Capitol building on Thursday in Washington, D.C., as Senate Republicans had worked to pass a stripped-down, or "skinny repeal" version of Obamacare reform.
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