Saturday, February 15, 2025
All civic learning topics for this day
Today's Topics
Cabinet officials attend Mar-a-Lago fundraisers amid Hatch Act concerns
Multiple cabinet officials attended political fundraisers at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, raising Hatch Act violation concerns as taxpayer-funded positions mix with partisan politics.
White House overhauls press pool selection after decades of tradition
The White House changed decades-old protocols for which reporters get access to presidential events, raising concerns about press freedom and information control.
Musk's efficiency department slashes 35% from foreign aid and education budgets
In mid-February 2025, Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency cut USAID and Education Department funding by 35 percent to rein in spending.
Federal heartbeat bill bans abortion at six weeks nationwide
H.R. 682 would criminalize abortion after six weeks nationwide—before most women know they're pregnant—using scientifically misleading "heartbeat" language that medical experts say describes electrical activity, not an actual heart.
Treasury freezes ICC assets under Executive Order 13928
On Feb 15 2025, Trump froze assets and imposed visa bans on ICC staff investigating alleged U.S. or Israeli war crimes.
OMB directive requires agencies eliminate 10 regulations per new rule
President Trump's January 31, 2025 executive order titled "Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation" requires agencies to identify at least 10 existing regulations for repeal when proposing a new regulation. The total incremental cost of all new regulations must be "significantly less than zero" in fiscal year 2025.