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Today in Washington
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A partial government shutdown has left roughly 100,000 Department of Homeland Security employees working without pay for a month, causing growing delays at airports nationwide, while U.S. military strikes on Iran continue without congressional authorization and reports claim Iran's Supreme Leader has been killed. At home, the House passed a $26 billion disaster relief bill that also pours $28 billion into border enforcement, and a new White House proposal would send one-time rebate checks to families earning under $400,000 to offset $231 billion in higher costs from trade tariffs.
Top Issues
Policy issues making the biggest impact right now
ReSCUE Oceans Act
Rep. Bonamici and Senators Schatz and Murkowski have introduced the bipartisan ReSCUE Oceans Act in both chambers to establish a federal NOAA program focused on marine carbon removal research, environmental safety standards, and Tribal consultation.
Specialty CROP Act of 2026
Sen. Wyden and Rep. Bonamici have introduced the Specialty CROP Act of 2026 in both chambers of Congress, mandating that the USDA provide annual reports on foreign trade barriers and financial losses impacting U.S. specialty crop exports.
114th Anniversary of the Girl Scouts of the USA
Congress is considering resolutions in both the Senate and House to commemorate the 114th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of the USA and honor the organization's commitment to community service and leadership.
Trending News
Bias-rated coverage from across the political spectrum
Trump urged uprising, but as bombs fall, Iranians are 'too scared to move'
Sima, 33, is from Iran and lives in Dubai. (Katarina Premfors/For The Washington Post) DUBAI -- Iranians living here wake up every morning to calls from family members whose accounts of wartime Iran reveal in fragments the terror of life under attack by the United States and Israel. Two weeks into the war that President Donald Trump initially said was intended to force regime change in Tehran, the Iranians living here say their families are mostly huddled at home, trying to avoid both the ...
Trump's War Alliance With Israel Is Reshaping the Middle East. But It Carries Risks.
In 1991, American officials flew to Israel to keep the country from retaliating against Scud missile attacks and joining the Gulf War. In 2002, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warned it would be "in Israel's overwhelming best interests not to get involved" in the looming invasion of Iraq. In 2026, the United States went to war alongside Israel. "It's the first time," said Amos Yadlin, a former head of Israeli military intelligence, "that Israel is going to war together with a ...
BBC World Service - The Documentary Podcast, Iran war: What's life like inside Iran?
What life is like for Iranians during the US-Israel war with Iran. The United States and Israel have now been at war with Iran for two weeks, since 28th February. In that time, there have been over 1200 civilian deaths in Iran, including 168, most of them children, at a girls' school in Minab, central Iran. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who had ruled Iran for over forty years, was killed on the first day of the war. There have been wider casualties throughout the region. Iran has fired missiles...
US judge revives union contract for 320,000 workers at veterans' agency
March 13 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday reinstated a union bargaining agreement covering 320,000 employees of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that the agency had canceled to carry out an order from President Donald Trump. The ruling, opens new tab by U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose in Providence, Rhode Island, is among the most significant so far in a series of lawsuits stemming from Trump's 2025 executive order stripping most of the federal workforce of the ability to ...
Trump administration invokes emergency powers to restart oil operations off California coast
"Today, more than 60 percent of the oil refined in California comes from overseas, with a significant share traveling through the Strait of Hormuz -- presenting serious national security threats," the department wrote in its announcement. Wright said in a statement that the move would "strengthen America's oil supply and restore a pipeline system vital to our national security and defense, ensuring that West Coast military installations have the reliable energy critical to military ...
President Trump says Iran is "totally defeated" as war hits 2-week mark
The statement came shortly after Trump announced that the U.S. had bombed Kharg Island, a vital oil hub that serves as Iran's main oil export terminal. U.S. Central Command said that the U.S. had struck 90 military targets on the island, but preserved its oil infrastructure.
U.S. military bombs Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export hub, Trump says
This picture, taken a position in northern Israel, shows an Israeli Air Force fighter jet flying over the border area with southern Lebanon on March 13, 2026. Jalaa Marey/AFP via Getty Images hide caption President Trump said on Friday the U.S. military had "totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran's crown jewel, Kharg Island." In a Truth Social post Friday evening, Trump added that "for reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the island." The ...
Opinion | A Senate Road to Less Housing
The Senate on Thursday whooped through the misnamed 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, 89-10, with nine courageous Republicans and one Democrat voting no. The bill is a road to less housing, and House Republicans needn't rubber stamp the Senate's shoddy work. As we reported this week, the Senate legislation is a pork-filled potpourri of 40 bills that would expand federal control over housing and reduce private investment. Kudos to Ted Cruz (Texas), Ron Johnson (Wis.), Mike Lee (Utah), Rand Paul...
Policy
Executive orders and bills with simple breakdowns
Latest Executive Orders
View all executive orders ›
Trump Orders Agencies to Cut Housing Regulations and Energy Mandates to Lower Construction Costs
Trump Signs Order to Cut Mortgage Regulations for Small Banks to Lower Homebuying Costs
Trump Orders Crackdown on Fraudulent "Made in America" Claims by Online Sellers
Bills to Watch
View all bills ›
Congress Proposes $26 Billion for Disaster Relief and New Rules for Border Security in 2026 Budget
Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026
Rep. Graves Leads Bipartisan Push for ALERT Act to Prevent Midair Collisions Near Major Airports
ALERT Act
Rep. Tlaib Introduces Bill to Raise Head Start Teacher Salaries to $60,000 and Expand Enrollment
Head Start for America’s Children Act
Latest Changes
View all policy ›Trump Orders Agencies to Cut Housing Regulations and Energy Mandates to Lower Construction Costs
2 days ago
Trump Signs Order to Cut Mortgage Regulations for Small Banks to Lower Homebuying Costs
2 days ago
ForbesTrump Orders Crackdown on Fraudulent "Made in America" Claims by Online Sellers
2 days ago
Trump Grants Energy Secretary New Powers to Use Defense Production Act for National Resources
2 days ago
Santa Barbara Independent