Active
TERM 2
January 2025 · 595 days ago
🌐 Foreign Policy
U.S. Central Command drastically reduced its office focused on reducing civilian deaths in military operations from 10 employees to a single staffer. The dramatic downsizing eliminates institutional capacity to investigate and prevent civilian casualties in ongoing military campaigns. The action removes a critical accountability mechanism during active military operations, particularly affecting oversight in regions where civilian harm allegations have mounted.
Active
TERM 2
January 2025 · 595 days ago
💰 Economy
Kevin Warsh was confirmed by the Senate as the 17th Chair of the Federal Reserve on a 54-45 vote, taking leadership of the central bank during a period of elevated inflation and economic uncertainty. As Fed chair, Warsh will oversee monetary policy affecting interest rates, employment, and inflation that directly impact all Americans' borrowing costs, savings returns, and job market conditions. His confirmation reflects the Trump administration's influence over the nation's monetary policy apparatus and economic direction.
Active
TERM 2
January 2025 · 595 days ago
✊ Civil Rights
The State Department announced it will revoke passports of parents owing more than $2,500 in child support, enforcing a rarely-used 1996 law. The policy restricts travel rights for millions of Americans with outstanding child support obligations. This action affects both passport eligibility and revocation of existing documents, potentially stranding parents abroad or preventing international travel.
Active
TERM 2
January 16 2025 · 595 days ago
🗳️ Democracy
The Pentagon terminated the U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes's ombudsman, Jacqueline Smith, who was responsible for monitoring the outlet's editorial independence and reporting concerns to Congress. The firing removes an independent watchdog designed to protect press freedom within the military. This action directly impacts transparency and editorial independence at a major military publication.
Active
TERM 2
January 16 2025 · 595 days ago
🌍 Environment
The Trump administration approved BP's new ultra-deep oil drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico, allowing the company to drill deeper into the ocean bed. Environmental groups filed suit against the approval, citing BP's history of failures including the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. The project increases risks of potential environmental damage and oil spills affecting Gulf ecosystems and coastal communities.
Active
TERM 2
January 2025 · 596 days ago
🗳️ Democracy
The Trump administration's Department of Justice filed an emergency petition with the US Supreme Court requesting that justices block a federal district court decision that halted Trump's executive order restricting mail-in ballot access before the November midterm elections. The action seeks to overturn voter protections and limit ballot access methods ahead of elections determining congressional control. Millions of American voters face potential loss of mail-in voting options during a critical election cycle.
Active
TERM 2
January 2025 · 596 days ago
🏥 Healthcare
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ended the CDC's FoodNet program that tracked parasitic infections including cyclospora across federal agencies. The termination suspended collaborative disease surveillance managed by the CDC, USDA, and FDA. The action removes early warning systems for foodborne parasitic outbreaks, leaving public health agencies and American consumers without coordinated infection tracking.
Active
TERM 2
January 2025 · 596 days ago
🌍 Environment
The Trump administration negotiated its fourth deal paying energy companies to forfeit offshore wind farm development leases. The administration used federal funds or lease buybacks to convince companies to abandon renewable energy projects in U.S. waters. This action reduces planned offshore wind capacity and shifts energy development away from clean energy sources.
Active
TERM 2
January 2025 · 596 days ago
🏠 Housing
The Bureau of Prisons announced closure of multiple facilities citing crumbling infrastructure, chronic staffing shortages, and budget constraints. The action directly affects thousands of incarcerated individuals who will be transferred to other facilities, as well as correctional staff and their communities. The closures reflect cost-cutting measures across federal agencies and reduce operational capacity in the prison system.
Active
TERM 2
January 2025 · 596 days ago
💰 Economy
The Trump administration implemented changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that resulted in over 770,000 children losing food assistance benefits. The reforms, framed as restoring program integrity, removed thousands of families from eligibility rolls despite Republican assurances they would not affect vulnerable populations. The policy has increased demand at food banks across the country as families seek alternative nutrition sources.