Congress committees wield subpoenas and set schedules

20 House committees set federal agency budgets and subpoena power

Federal courts decide who holds power

94 district courts, 13 appellate circuits, one Supreme Court

Senate uses filibuster to stall legislation

41 senators can block bills indefinitely via filibuster

Trump pushes Ukraine to surrender territory to Russia at frozen lines

Trump pushes Ukraine to surrender territory after telling Putin no Tomahawks

Trump asks Supreme Court to federalize Illinois Guard for ICE. Lower courts blocked deployment

Supreme Court questions whether Title 10 covers civilian law enforcement

Trump commutes George Santos's fraud sentence after 12 weeks in prison

Former congressman released after 12 weeks following campaign pressure

Congress allocates federal funds through appropriations

35-day shutdown cost economy $11 billion

Trump freezes $11 billion in infrastructure across 12 Democratic states

OMB targets $7 billion in New York water projects during shutdown

Kristi Noem buys $200 million in Gulfstream G700 luxury jets for DHS during a government shutdown

The sole-source contract was signed while federal workers went without pay

Trump pushes ceasefire freezing Russian-occupied territory

Denies Tomahawks after 2.5-hour Putin call, demands Ukraine accept occupation