April 9, 2026

Tracking Federal Priorities: A Section By Section Overview of President Trump’s FY 2027 Budget

The White House has released the Budget of the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2027, offering a comprehensive statement of the administration’s fiscal priorities, policy direction, and economic assumptions. While the President’s budget is not binding law (Congress ultimately determines appropriations) it remains one of the most important primary source documents for understanding the trajectory of federal policy.

This post provides an overview of Issues addressed throughout the FY 2027 budget, followed by a discussion of why it matters across several key audiences.

Full Text of the Budget

March 20, 2026

Legislation Enacted in the First Session of the 119th Congress That Affects Mandatory Spending or Revenues

by David Badertscher

A Congressional Budget Office Report, March 19, 2026.

CBO estimates that the effects on direct spending and revenues of laws enacted in the first session of the 119th Congress will reduce outlays and decrease revenues from 2025 to 2034, which will increase the deficit by $3.5 trillion

SUMMARY:

March 18, 2026

USPS at a Crossroads: Congress Convenes Urgent Hearing on Its Financial Future

by David Badertscher

The House Subcommittee on Government Operations has now concluded its March 17, 2026 hearing on “Oversight of the United States Postal Service: The Financial Future Under Postmaster General David Steiner,” and the message emerging from Capitol Hill is unmistakable: the United States Postal Service (USPS) faces mounting financial pressure, and time to act may be running short. According to the Subcommittee’s official wrap-up, the Postal Service’s “already-troubled financial situation is getting worse,” prompting renewed concern over whether the agency can remain viable without significant structural change.

A System Under Strain

Testimony before the Subcommittee underscored the scale of the challenge. Postmaster General David Steiner pointed to a dramatic collapse in traditional mail volume, from 213 billion pieces annually at its peak to approximately 109 billion today, representing a loss of over 100 billion pieces of mail and tens of billions in lost revenue. At the same time, while USPS has taken steps to increase revenue and reduce costs, those efforts have not kept pace with rising expenses. As the Government Accountability Office (GAO) emphasized, the current trajectory “is not sustainable,” with service performance declining even as costs continue to grow.

March 7, 2026

Immigration Data and Immigration Policy: Insights From a New CBO Report

by David Badertscher

Overview of the CBO Report

Congressional Budget Office — Immigrant Earnings Assimilation, 1981–2021 (Report No. 62202, March 2026)

The report analyzes how immigrants’ earnings evolve after arriving in the United States and how closely their wages eventually approach those of U.S. born workers. Using several decades of census and survey data, the CBO examines the economic process known as “earnings assimilation”, the extent to which immigrants’ wages increase with time spent in the U.S. labor market.

February 28, 2026

H.R. 2675, Protecting Our Courts from Foreign Manipulation Act

by David Badertscher

As ordered by the House Committee on the Judiciary on November 20, 2025.

Cost estimate by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) February 27, 2026:*

H.R. 2675 would make it unlawful for a foreign state or sovereign wealth fund to directly or indirectly fund a civil lawsuit in the United States in which it is not a named party. The changes would apply to both pending and future civil actions. The bill would increase disclosure and certification requirements on litigants in cases where foreign sponsors or entities have interests at stake. H.R. 2675 also would require the Attorney General to report annually to the Congress on activities involving foreign funding of third-party litigation.

February 3, 2026

Opportunities and Risks of the Chinese Communist Party on Campus

by David Badertscher

Here’s an overview of the U.S. Department of State report titled The Chinese Communist Party on Campus: Opportunities & Risks (September 2020):

Purpose & Context

The report was produced by the U.S. Department of State as part of a broader effort to assess how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) engages with American universities, both through official programs and through student-linked organizations. It examines the potential benefits of educational exchanges as well as risks associated with influence and interference on U.S. campuses.

January 14, 2026

An Introduction to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

by David Badertscher

A Congressional Budget Report, January 13, 2026.

Learn more about CBO’s work and its processes in a publication that is typically updated at the start of each Congress or a new session.

SUMMARY:

January 9, 2026

How the U.S. Captured Nicolas Maduro: A Rapid, High Stakes Operation

by David Badertscher

Condensed from **“How the US Operation to Capture Maduro Unfolded” by Ryan Morgan, The Epoch Times (Jan. 3, 2026).

Late on January 2, 2026, President Donald Trump ordered a carefully planned U.S. special operations mission to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in Caracas. Within five hours, U.S. forces had landed, overcome resistance, and exited Venezuelan airspace with Maduro and his wife in custody , all without any reported American casualties.

The mission, dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve, reflected months of preparation. Prior to the raid, the U.S. had built up military assets in the region , including warships, aircraft, and Marines , and repeatedly tightened pressure on Maduro through strikes on drug-related targets and a naval blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers.

December 11, 2025

Executive Overreach and the Eroding Balance of Powers: What Voters are Telling US

by David Badertscher

Introduction:

In his December 10, 2025 column for Justia VERDICT, legal commentator Akshai Vikram argues that growing public concern over what many view as executive overreach under Donald J. Trump’s second administration is fueling calls for a stronger, more assertive Congress. Verdict

Widespread Disquiet Among Voters

October 3, 2025

Power Plays in Washington: A Deep Dive Into the 2025 Government Shutdown

by David Badertscher

OVERVIEW:

In their opinion feature “‘The wrong hill to die on’: 3 writers discuss the government shutdown”, Benjy Sarlin (Assignment Editor), Robert Gebelhoff (Editorial Board), and James Hohmann (Deputy Opinion Editor) dissect the unfolding government shutdown standoff. The authors explore the tug of war between Democrats’ demand to extend health care subsidies and Republicans’ insistence on passing a clean continuing resolution, all while President Donald Trump threatens to fire rather than furlough federal workers. The Washington Post

Together, they engage in a frank conversation about whether Democrats have picked the wrong political battlefield, who currently holds leverage, and how the high stakes of this shutdown could reshape the broader narrative over health care and governance.