Still Closed for Business. Washington's shutdown saga is less a ticking time bomb than a slow grind, with both political parties dug in deeper than ever. Polling shows neither side is bearing the brunt of public blame...

As Congress adjourns for the next two weeks, the Steptoe Appropriations Team will also take a brief pause.

Herb Lin of the National Research Council has launched the first, soft counterattack on those who think victims of cyberespionage should have greater leeway to respond directly to intrusions.

Interior issued in early February a new policy to ensure and maintain the integrity of scientific and scholarly activities used in the Department’s decision making.

The Conference Board interviewed almost 100 corporate executives from large U.S. and multi-national corporations to get their views on what political, legal, and regulatory issues...

The Department of Homeland Security enters its 70th day of shutdown as House Republicans refuse to support funding until reconciliation negotiations advance, while DHS Secretary warns the agency will run out of cash by early May. Political maneuvering intensifies as lawmakers debate attaching additional policy priorities to border security legislation, risking President Trump's June 1 deadline...

The pieces are still falling into place, but it looks as if Rep. David Valadao will join the elite "cardinals" as Legislative Branch chairman.

As the clock ticks down to the government funding deadline on March 14, topline discussions between Republicans and Democrats remain deadlocked.

If FY26 appropriations were a marathon, yesterday's Senate vote on the Commerce‑Justice‑Science (CJS), Energy and Water, and Interior appropriations "minibus" package was another major mile marker — one that puts Congress halfway to the finish line.

Congress made notable progress this week on fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations, with the House overwhelmingly advancing a $180 billion three-bill "minibus" covering Commerce‑Justice‑Science (CJS), Interior...

Good news for all the scheduled CODELS! The continuing resolution (CR) is all but finished. This week, all eyes have been on government funding. Typical of this kind of brinkmanship, there has been a lot of drama.

Following President Biden's signing of a minibus appropriations package containing six of the twelve FY24 appropriations bills, appropriators continue to work on finalizing the remaining six bills.

Following a weekend where the hopes of avoiding a shutdown appeared dim, our previously stated optimism was validated when congressional leadership struck a deal to kick the can down the road for (hopefully) the last time in the FY24 appropriations cycle.

Last Tuesday, the Authors Guild and 17 authors, including George R.R. Martin, Jonathan Franzen, Elin Hilderbrand, John Grisham and Jodi Picoult...

On May 4, 2011, The United States Congress’ House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet (the "Subcommittee") held its ICANN Generic Top-Level Domains ("gTLD") Oversight Hearing in order to receive testimony from various stakeholder witnesses regarding the new gTLD program.

In a stunning reversal of fortune that could have a significant impact on intellectual property assignment provisions in employment contracts, a federal jury in California sided with upstart MGA in its long-running dispute with toy giant Mattel over rights to the Bratz line of dolls.

On October 21, 2025, the US Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration (ITA) announced the launch of the American AI Exports Program ("the Program"),

Last week, the California Legislature passed two bills, together the "Climate Accountability Package," that would mandate the public disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions...

On April 17, 2012, the US Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a new General License No. 14-C to the Burmese Sanctions Regulations (BSR) authorizing US persons to export financial services in support of humanitarian, religious, and other not-for-profit activities in Burma.

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation ("OFSI") has published a new blog post highlighting a marked escalation in cross-government efforts to counter the misuse of cryptoassets for sanctions evasion.