House Rules Changes Affecting Committee Procedure in the 119th Congress (2025-2026)
As agreed to in the House, H.Res. 5, a resolution adopting the rules of the House of Representatives, provided amendments to the rules that affect committee procedure in the 119th Congress (2025-2026)...
Monuments and Memorials Authorized Under the Commemorative Works Act in the District of Columbia: Current Development of In-Progress and Lapsed Works
Under the Commemorative Works Act (CWA) of 1986, Congress may authorize commemorative works to be placed in the District of Columbia or its environs. Once a commemorative work has been authorized, Con...
Proposals to Limit Financial Activities of Members of Congress: Background and Analysis of Legislative Proposals
In recent years, some Members of Congress have proposed reforms that would prohibit the purchase, sale, or ownership of certain financial instruments by Members of Congress and other specified congres...
Traditional, Roth, and Rollover Individual Retirement Account (IRA) Ownership in 2022
Households rely on a variety of sources for income in retirement. These include, for example, payments from Social Security, a federal social insurance program that provides monthly benefits to insure...
House Committee on Ethics: A Brief History of Its Evolution and Jurisdiction
The United States Constitution (Article 1, Section 5, clause 1) provides each House of Congress with the sole authority to establish rules, judge membership requirements, and punish and expel Members....
Introduction to Derivatives and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Derivatives are financial instruments that come in several different forms, including futures, options, and swaps. A derivative is a contract that derives its value from some underlying asset at a des...
Yemen: Terrorism Designation, U.S. Policy, and Congress
On January 22, 2025, President Donald Trump signed executive order (E.O.) 14175 initiating a process for the redesignation of the Yemeni Shia Islamist group Ansar Allah (Arabic for “the Partisans of G...
Executive Order 14210: Using Agency Shutdown Plans to Inform Reductions in Force (RIFs)
As part of his plans to downsize the federal workforce, on February 11, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14210, titled “Implementing the President’s Department of Government Efficiency’ Wo...
Deferred Resignation or “Fork in the Road”: Selected Relevant Legal Challenges and Considerations for Congress
On January 28, 2025, federal employees received an email communicating an option to resign from their positions effective September 30, 2025, by replying to the email. This new program—referred to as ...