The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced new regulatory actions designed to reduce administrative barriers and lower housing costs as part of the administration’s deregulatory agenda, the agency said Sept. 11. The actions include streamlining federal review processes for housing development on land subject to federal oversight, reducing duplicative

The Trump administration announced a major evidence-based literacy initiative targeting K-12 schools, characterizing America’s reading performance as a national educational emergency, the Department of Education said Sept. 11. The initiative prioritizes phonics-based curricula and the science of reading pedagogical approach, moving away from whole-language and balanced literacy methods that critics

President Trump signed an executive order on Sept. 8 designed to reduce by weeks the average time it takes veterans to access VA benefits and healthcare, directing administrative changes to the claims process. More than 9 million veterans are enrolled in VA healthcare, and the department’s claims backlog and extended

Federal Student Aid announced the 2027-28 Free Application for Federal Student Aid will be available beginning Oct. 1, restoring the traditional FAFSA calendar after several years of disruptive delays that caused confusion for millions of college applicants. The on-time launch gives students, families, and financial aid offices the certainty they

Federal student loan borrowers enrolled in autopay saw their interest rate reduction triple from 0.25% to 1.00% under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, effective July 1. The Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid office announced the change, which represents one of the largest expansions of federal student loan borrower

The Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Department of Housing and Urban Development signed a formal interagency agreement to expand homeownership opportunities for tribal families on trust land on Sept. 3. The agreement targets one of the most intractable housing equity challenges in federal policy. HUD Secretary Scott Turner participated

The Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Department of Housing and Urban Development signed a formal cooperation agreement to expand homeownership opportunities for tribal families on trust lands on Sept. 3, targeting one of the most persistent barriers to wealth-building in Native American communities. The agreement specifically addresses trust lands,

The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service announced regulatory action to end the tax-exempt status of private schools that engage in racially discriminatory practices on Sept. 3, reviving a legal doctrine rooted in a landmark Supreme Court ruling. The action expands enforcement of the principle established in the 1983

Federal Student Aid announced the 2027-28 Free Application for Federal Student Aid will be available to students by Oct. 1, the congressionally mandated opening date, according to a release on Sept. 4. The on-time launch of the FAFSA is critical for college-bound students, particularly those from low-income families who depend

The Department of War obtained an unmodified SOC-1 Type 2 audit opinion for its War Data Platform on Sept. 4, clearing a significant milestone in the Pentagon’s effort to pass a full clean financial audit by 2028. A SOC-1 Type 2 opinion is a third-party audit confirming that an organization’s

The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service issued proposed regulations to revoke federal tax-exempt status from private schools that engage in racial discrimination on Sept. 4, implementing President Donald Trump’s executive orders directing agencies to end discriminatory practices in education. Schools that lose tax-exempt status would face significant financial consequences,

The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced increased flexibility and reduced barriers for public housing repositioning, a policy change designed to accelerate the rehabilitation of aging public housing units that serve hundreds of thousands of low-income Americans, on Aug. 28. Repositioning allows public housing authorities to convert deteriorating buildings

The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Aug. 28 a policy change giving public housing authorities greater flexibility to reposition their housing assets, reducing procedural barriers that have historically slowed the conversion and redevelopment of aging public housing stock. The change builds on existing statutory frameworks including the Rental

The Department of Housing and Urban Development led a multiagency effort on Aug. 25 to rescind a 2022 interagency policy statement that had supported Special Purpose Credit Programs, which allow lenders to target credit products to historically underserved populations. The rescission removes the federal endorsement framework established in 2022 that

Education Secretary Linda McMahon visited North Dakota and Colorado on consecutive days in late August as part of her “Returning Education to the States Tour,” a public campaign to build political support for reducing the federal Department of Education’s policy and funding role. The tour is described as a visible