WASHINGTON, March 22 [Category: Energy] -- The Institute for Energy Research posted the following commentary: * * * NERC Gives a Grim Assessment of Long-Term Reliability * Key Takeaways 1 The North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) released its long-term assessment and projects a grim outlook based on current utility plans that are focused on retiring firm capacity and adding weather-dependent renewable capacity. 2 Huge projected demand increases, combined with the increas more

RICHMOND, Virginia, March 21 -- The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond issued the following Regional Matters analysis by R. Andrew Bauer, Renee Haltom and Matthew Martin: * * * What Businesses Are Saying: Tentative Momentum As Renewed Uncertainty Looms After navigating 2025's challenges, firms entered 2026 with cautious optimism. They felt more confident in their own resilience and half joked that the new year could not possibly throw as many curve balls as the last one. Through mid-January, th more

WASHINGTON, March 21 [Category: Energy] -- The Institute for Energy Research posted the following commentary: * * * NERC Gives a Grim Assessment of Long-Term Reliability * Key Takeaways 1 The North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) released its long-term assessment and projects a grim outlook based on current utility plans that are focused on retiring firm capacity and adding weather-dependent renewable capacity. 2 Huge projected demand increases, combined with the increas more

WASHINGTON, March 21 -- Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release: * * * Reed: Trump's Arms Sales to Family Business Partners in UAE Must be Scrutinized * Multiple news outlets report that the Trump Administration is using emergency wartime powers to bypass Congress and force over $20 billion in weapons sales to key Gulf States, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has lucrative, direct business ties with the Trump family.  According to the New York Times more

WASHINGTON, March 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The White House issued the following 4-page report entitled "A National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence": I. Protecting Children and Empowering Parents AI services and platforms must take measures t- protect children, while empowering parents t- control their children's digital environment and upbringing. * Congress should build on actions t- date by the Trump Administration t- protect children, including the historic signing of the Take It Down  more

WASHINGTON, March 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12101) on March 20, 2026, by agricultural policy analyst Christine Whitt. Here are excerpts: * * * Farm Bill Primer: Disaster Assistance Agricultural production involves risks related to weather, yield, markets, price, and other factors. Congress has authorized several federal programs to help agricultural producers recover from the effects of natural disasters, including the more

WASHINGTON, March 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Insight white paper (No. IN12671) on March 20, 2026, by financial economics specialist Andrew P. Scott: * * * H.R. 6955: Main Street Capital Access Act On March 4, 2026, the House Financial Services Committee ordered H.R. 6955, as amended, to be reported. The bill contains a package of bank regulatory relief provisions that, among other things, aim to encourage new bank formation and update regulatory th more

WASHINGTON, March 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12033) on March 20, 2026, by American national government analyst Karen L. Shanton: * * * The Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA): An Overview The Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA; P.L. 107-252; 52 U.S.C. Sec.Sec.20901-21145) is perhaps the closest thing in federal law to a general election administration statute. It is (1) more wide-ranging in the topics it aims to addres more

WASHINGTON, March 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13187) on March 20, 2026, by financial economics specialists Karl E. Schneider and Rena S. Miller: * * * Prediction Markets: Policy Issues for Congress Prediction markets are exchange platforms that specialize in offering event contracts. Event contracts refer to contracts with a binary payoff structure tied to the occurrence or non-occurrence of a specific event. Users purcha more

WASHINGTON, March 21 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12645) on March 20, 2026, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert. Here are excerpts: * * * The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) System Background According to the Department of Defense (DOD), the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system (Figure 1) is a key element of U.S. ballistic missile defense (BMD). THAAD employs interceptor missiles,  more

WASHINGTON, March 22 -- Clifford Chance US LLP, New York, submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of the Treasury addressing the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) Known Investor Program (KIP) and opportunities to streamline the foreign investment review process. Drawing on its extensive experience advising clients on CFIUS matters, the law firm offered recommendations aimed at improving the efficiency and clarity of CFIUS operations while preserving the Committ more

WASHINGTON, March 22 -- The Law Firm for Truck Safety (TLFTS), Toledo, Ohio, submitted a public comment letter to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regarding an application from the Federation of Professional Truckers (FOPT) for exemption from the electronic logging device (ELD) requirements. TLFTS expressed strong opposition to the exemption, emphasizing the importance of the ELD mandate in reducing fatigued driving among commercial drivers. In its letter, TLFTS highlighted the l more

WASHINGTON, March 22 -- The AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD) has issued a public comment letter to the Federal Highway Administration expressing its position on the proposed modification of the Buy America requirements for electric vehicle chargers. The letter addresses a FHWA proposal to increase the domestic content threshold for components used in Federal-aid highway projects from 55 percent to potentially 100 percent. As a prominent transportation labor federation in the Unite more

WASHINGTON, March 22 [Category: Energy] -- The Institute for Energy Research posted the following commentary: * * * Asia Turns to Coal Even Before Several Energy Facilities Get Targeted in Iran Conflict * Key Takeaways 1 Asian nations are increasing coal use to replace LNG amid escalating attacks on energy infrastructure in the Iran conflict. 2 Coal prices have risen 14%, but LNG prices doubled even before Iran's recent attack on Qatar's LNG facility at Ras Laffan, the world's larges more

WASHINGTON, March 22 -- Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, issued the following news release: * * * Congressman Al Green Marks 16 Years of the Affordable Care Act, Highlights How $200 Billion Proposed for War Could Fund Healthcare and Food Assistance * (Houston, TX) -On Monday, March 23, 2026, Congressman Al Green will host a press conference at 10:00 a.m. CT to mark the 16 th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), landmark legislation passed by Democrats that expanded access to quality, afforda more

WASHINGTON, March 22 -- Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-New Mexico, issued the following news release: * * * ICYMI: Lujan Pens Op-Ed on Fighting Back Against Trump's Push to Rig the Election * Washington, D.C. - In Case You Missed It : U.S. Senator Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) published an opinion piece in the Santa Fe New Mexican highlighting how he is fighting back against President Trump and Republicans' anti-voter SAVE Act which will have harmful impact on New Mexicans and Americans across the country,  more

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Rep.) -- House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, issued the following news release: * * * LEADER JEFFRIES ON CNN: "DONALD TRUMP SHOULD KEEP HIS RECKLESS MOUTH SHUT BEFORE HE GETS SOMEBODY KILLED" * Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNN's State of the Union, where he emphasized that Republicans have repeatedly failed to lower costs for working families and Democrats will continue to push back against the Trump administration's plans  more

WASHINGTON, March 22 -- Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, issued the following news release: * * * LEADER JEFFRIES ON CNN: "DONALD TRUMP SHOULD KEEP HIS RECKLESS MOUTH SHUT BEFORE HE GETS SOMEBODY KILLED" * Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNN's State of the Union, where he emphasized that Republicans have repeatedly failed to lower costs for working families and Democrats will continue to push back against the Trump administration's plans to unleash more ICE agents more