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Many residents of the Washington, D.C., area have spent some time in their careers as congressional employees, staff to a member of Congress (House or Senate), or staff members of the many committees of Congress on both sides of Capitol Hill. Put aside how many former staffers may comment on how much better the “old days” were, as Easter approaches, it is time to reflect on how much time, effectively, it has taken to enact legislation in this session of Congress. (Side note: For many, “old...

On March 4, 2026, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) held a legislative hearing to examine a discussion draft of the Toxic Substances Control Act Fee Reauthorization and Improvement Act of 2026. The hearing focused on reauthorizing Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) user fees that support the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) chemical review programs and exploring potential reforms to the Agency’s new chemicals review process. The TSCA fee provisions...

The release of a discussion draft to amend the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) offers an early window into how chemical policy may evolve in Congress, even as the legislative path forward remains uncertain. While the proposal itself has already been examined in detail elsewhere, its broader significance lies in what it reveals about congressional priorities, institutional pressures, and the ongoing effort to recalibrate chemical regulation nearly a decade after the 2016 TSCA amendments. The...

As the 2026 election cycle comes into sharper focus, Congress is entering a period of unusual transition. A growing number of Republican lawmakers as well as some Democrats have announced retirements, resignations, or decisions not to seek re-election. This reflects internal strain within the party and broader dissatisfaction with the pace and structure of congressional governance. While political realignments are not new, the current trend raises important questions about how sustained turnover...

As 2025 draws to a close, one of the most consequential, but least publicly discussed, shifts in federal environmental governance has been the quiet expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) behind the scenes across multiple federal agencies. AI tools are not new in federal science programs, but 2025 marked a turning point: agencies began integrating machine-learning models into routine workflows in exposure modeling, surveillance, enforcement targeting, and environmental monitoring. The White...

It appears increasingly likely that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies will face yet another shutdown at the end of January 2026. When Congress failed to pass appropriations legislation for the 2026 fiscal year (FY) by September 30, 2025, what ensued was a record-setting 43-day closure of the U.S. government. November 12, 2025’s, Hail Mary Senate agreement funds the government at existing spending levels -- but only until January 30, 2026. The bill that...

On November 13, 2025, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) held a webinar to discuss potential changes to its Enforcement Response Regulations set forth at 3 C.C.R. Sections 6128 and 6130. DPR also released its Discussion Document explaining the various regulatory “concepts” it is considering and posing questions for public input related to those concepts.  The proposed focus areas are designed to address areas of improvement identified in a U.S. Environmental...

The U.S. soybean industry remains a focal point in the intersection of American agriculture, global trade policy, and federal regulatory action. Ongoing trade tensions -- particularly between the United States and China -- have reshaped the global soybean value chain, while rising input costs, labor constraints, and regulatory uncertainty create additional pressures for farmers. In recent months, attention has turned toward how the reopening of the federal government -- after extended funding...

On Wednesday, November 5, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States heard arguments on executive tariff authority, a case that promises to have ripple effects far beyond the bounds of pure trade law. Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, Inc., No. 25-250. In the chemical sector -- where global chemical feedstocks, complex supply chains, and regulatory compliance are already famously complicated -- the stakes are especially high. If the Court limits or invalidates the President’s ability unilaterally...