Trump taps Musk, Ramaswamy to oversee ‘drastic’ changes to U.S. government
The Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, will provide recommendations to slash regulations, cut staff and overhaul federal operations.
Federal Government
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Government, environmental groups net win in forest fight
The Hoosier National Forest has been the focus of two lawsuits since 2020 aimed at stopping a controversial federal vegetation management plan that involves the logging and burning of several thousand acres within the forest.
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The path to citizenship: Changes to exam may create more hurdles, advocates say
The process of becoming a naturalized United States citizen can be a lengthy one, with applications to submit, interviews to complete, fees to pay and the citizenship test. The test consists of three main parts that may soon see some changes.
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Finding freedom? Noncompete agreements facing stiff challenges on state, federal level
Noncompete agreements are taking center stage in the Indiana Statehouse and on the federal level this year.
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Shifting sands: Without congressional action, immigration attorneys deal with fallout from ‘political whims’
Although immigration law has not changed since Congress passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act of 1996, presidential administrations have implemented new policies that have sometimes created drastic changes.
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Articles
Trump expected to try to halt TikTok ban, allies say
The video-sharing app faces a January deadline to find a new owner not based in China or lose access to U.S. users, under a law passed in April with bipartisan support.
Minority-owned firms face ‘crisis’ as affirmative action programs fall
Minority- and women-owned businesses are bracing for the end of affirmative action in federal contracting—and the potential loss of contracts worth at least $70 billion a year.
Two of Indiana’s three U.S. Senate candidates take debate stage—not Jim Banks
A U.S. Senate debate attended Tuesday evening by two of three Indiana candidates covered inflation, health care, foreign affairs and more, but Republican frontrunner Jim Banks was notably absent.
Congress passes temporary bill to avoid shutdown as lawmakers punt spending decisions to December
Lawmakers in both chambers are anxious to return to their home states and districts to campaign, smoothing the path for passage of the temporary funding fix. But more arduous fiscal negotiations await them at the end of the year.
Back from France, the first lady attends Hunter Biden’s gun trial as prosecution wraps up
Federal prosecutors aimed to wrap up their gun case against Hunter Biden on Friday with two final witnesses in their effort to prove that the president’s son lied on a mandatory gun purchase form when he said he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs.
U.S. drug control agency moving to reclassify marijuana in historic shift, sources say
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country.
IndyBar: Indiana’s Growing Need for Attorneys in Federal Programs
IndyBar is proud to present our second of three CLEs focused all around on answering your questions on how to practice with contractors and government entities and all the spaces in-between on federal programs.
Biden will urge congressional leaders to avoid a government shutdown, send aid to Ukraine and Israel
President Joe Biden was meeting Tuesday with the top four leaders of Congress to press them to act quickly to avoid a looming government shutdown early next month and to pass emergency aid for Ukraine and Israel.
White House weighing executive actions on the border — with immigration powers used by Trump
The White House is considering using provisions of federal immigration law repeatedly tapped by former President Donald Trump to unilaterally enact a sweeping crackdown at the southern border, according to three people familiar with the deliberations.
Congress votes to avert shutdown, keep government funded into early March
Congress sent President Joe Biden a short-term spending bill on Thursday that would avert a looming partial government shutdown and fund federal agencies into March.
IU McKinney prof works on drug policy reform project
To Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law professor Nicolas Terry, there are a lot of opportunities available on the federal, state and local level to make significant changes in U.S. drug policy and improve people’s lives.
Judicial funding request lowered, but federal branch concerned about courts’ ability to function
The judicial branch is asking Congress for slightly less funding for fiscal year 2024, even as the branch has expressed concerns about the federal court system and its ability “to administer justice effectively and efficiently.”
Lawmakers can ‘vote their conscience’ on expelling Santos, House speaker says, but he has concerns
Speaker Mike Johnson expressed reservations Wednesday about expelling Rep. George Santos from the House this week, but said he and other GOP leaders will not push colleagues to oppose removing the New York Republican from office.
Averting government shutdown, Congress approves temporary funding through holidays
Ending the threat of a government shutdown until after the holidays, Congress gave final approval to a temporary government funding package that pushes a confrontation over the federal budget into the new year.
House votes to prevent government shutdown as GOP Speaker Johnson relies on Democrats for help
The House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to prevent a government shutdown after new Republican Speaker Mike Johnson was forced to reach across the aisle to Democrats when hard-right conservatives revolted against his plan.
House Republicans look to pass 2-step package to avoid partial government shutdown
House Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled his proposal on Saturday to avoid a partial government shutdown by extending government funding for some agencies and programs until Jan. 19 and continuing funding for others until Feb. 2.
Biden declares Israel, Ukraine support vital for US security, will ask Congress for billions
Declaring that U.S. leadership “holds the world together,” President Joe Biden told Americans on Thursday night the country must deepen its support of Ukraine and Israel in the middle of two vastly different, unpredictable and bloody wars.
Settlement over family separations at border limits future separations for 8 years
The federal government would be barred from immigration policies that separate parents from children for eight years under a proposed court settlement announced Monday that also provides families with temporary legal status and short-term housing aid.
Biden administration says it is using executive power to allow border wall construction in Texas
The Biden administration announced it has waived 26 federal laws in South Texas to allow border wall construction on Wednesday, marking the administration’s first use of sweeping executive power to pave the way for building more border barriers.