Federal Executive Branch
Here's a look at documents from the U.S. Executive Branch
Featured Stories
Justice Department Opens Investigations Into Three Michigan School Districts for Required Instruction on Sexual Orientation and Gender Ideology in Pre-K-12 Schools
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Feb. 18, 2026:
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Justice Department Opens Investigations into Three Michigan School Districts for Required Instruction on Sexual Orientation and Gender Ideology in Pre-K-12 Schools
Today, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division launched investigations into three Michigan public school districts: the Detroit Public Schools Community District, Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, and the Lansing School District (the Michigan School Districts), to determine whether they have included sexual orientation
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WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Feb. 18, 2026:
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Justice Department Opens Investigations into Three Michigan School Districts for Required Instruction on Sexual Orientation and Gender Ideology in Pre-K-12 Schools
Today, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division launched investigations into three Michigan public school districts: the Detroit Public Schools Community District, Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, and the Lansing School District (the Michigan School Districts), to determine whether they have included sexual orientationand gender ideology (SOGI) content in any class for grades pre-K-12. If they are teaching SOGI-related content, the investigations will examine whether the schools have notified parents of their right to opt their children out of such instruction. The investigation will also assess whether the Michigan School Districts limit access to single-sex intimate spaces, such as bathrooms and locker rooms, based on biological sex.
"This Department of Justice is fiercely committed to ending the growing trend of local school authorities embedding sexuality and gender ideology in every aspect of public education," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "Supreme Court precedent is clear: parents have the right to direct the religious upbringing of their children, which includes exempting them from ideological instruction which conflicts with their families' sincerely held religious beliefs. And Title IX demands that we guard the safety, dignity, and innocence of our youngest citizens--our children--by ensuring that they have unfettered access to bathrooms and locker rooms of their biological sex."
The investigations will examine whether these Michigan School Districts, which are recipients of hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer funding are adhering to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Supreme Court's decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor, 606 U.S. 522 (2025).
The Civil Rights Division has not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigations.
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Original text here: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-opens-investigations-three-michigan-school-districts-required-instruction
Justice Department Joins Lawsuit Against Racial Discrimination in Los Angeles Public Schools
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Feb. 18, 2026:
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Justice Department Joins Lawsuit Against Racial Discrimination in Los Angeles Public Schools
Today, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division sought intervention in a lawsuit against the administrators of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) over the Predominately Hispanic, Black, Asian, and Other (PHBAO) Program. This program categorizes students by race and by the race of their neighbors in order to determine school funding and magnet school admissions. The lawsuit
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WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Feb. 18, 2026:
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Justice Department Joins Lawsuit Against Racial Discrimination in Los Angeles Public Schools
Today, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division sought intervention in a lawsuit against the administrators of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) over the Predominately Hispanic, Black, Asian, and Other (PHBAO) Program. This program categorizes students by race and by the race of their neighbors in order to determine school funding and magnet school admissions. The lawsuitwas brought by the 1776 Project Foundation, a nonprofit focused on public education.
"Treating Americans equally is not a suggestion -- it is a core constitutional guarantee that educational institutions must follow," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. "This Department of Justice will never stop fighting to make that guarantee a reality, including for public-school students in Los Angeles."
"Los Angeles County students should never be classified or treated differently because of their race. Yet this school district is doing exactly that by providing benefits that treat students -- based on their race -- as though they have learning disabilities," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "Racial discrimination is unlawful and un-American, and this Civil Rights Division will fight to ensure that every LAUSD student is treated equally under the law."
"Now in its sixth decade, LAUSD's desegregation program has outlived its usefulness to the point of being unconstitutional," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. "School districts must treat their students equally and no longer discriminate on the basis of race."
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, notes that the PHBAO Program first separates everyone in the LAUSD area by race into either the "Anglo," meaning White group, and everyone else. School neighborhoods with less than 30% Whites are treated as disadvantaged with "Predominately" non-White racial groups. Most schools are PHBAO in the majority Hispanic area served by LAUSD.
The United States' complaint notes that LAUSD provides extra funding to the PHBAO schools to lower the student/teacher ratio by 5.5 students, and increase parent-teacher conferences. It also gives students wishing to transfer to a magnet program an admissions preference equal to that for an overcrowded school. LAUSD treats attending school with non-Whites as a disadvantage equal to attending an overcrowded school.
This case is brought by the Educational Opportunities Section of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division.
You can view the motion to intervene here (https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1428111/dl) and the proposed complaint here (https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1428156/dl).
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Original text here: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-joins-lawsuit-against-racial-discrimination-los-angeles-public-schools
FCC Plans First Window for New NCE Reserved Band FM Translator Permits
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 -- The Federal Communications Commission issued the following statement by Chairman Brendan Carr:
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FCC Plans First Window for New NCE Reserved Band FM Translator Permits
STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN BRENDAN CARR
Re: FCC Seeks Comment on Proposed Application Limit for New Noncommercial Educational Reserved Band FM Translator Station Applications in Upcoming 2026 Window, MB Docket No. 26-20, Public Notice (February 18, 2026)
Today, we take steps to launch the first-ever filing window for FM translator stations in the band reserved for noncommercial radio service. The FM translator
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WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 -- The Federal Communications Commission issued the following statement by Chairman Brendan Carr:
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FCC Plans First Window for New NCE Reserved Band FM Translator Permits
STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN BRENDAN CARR
Re: FCC Seeks Comment on Proposed Application Limit for New Noncommercial Educational Reserved Band FM Translator Station Applications in Upcoming 2026 Window, MB Docket No. 26-20, Public Notice (February 18, 2026)
Today, we take steps to launch the first-ever filing window for FM translator stations in the band reserved for noncommercial radio service. The FM translatorservice was created over 50 years ago, but this window will mark the first opportunity for noncommercial FM, LPFM, and AM stations to obtain new FM translator stations. This will particularly benefit educational broadcasters, to allow them to extend the programming their stations provide to the public and reach remote, rural, and underserved communities.
Today, we seek comment on how to tailor this upcoming window. We explore eligibility requirements and application limits to prevent gamesmanship and preserve the airwaves for future local and community focused services. I look forward to seeing the positive results of this unique window and the continued growth of noncommercial service in the FM band.
For their great work on this item, I'd like to thank Jim Bradshaw, Joseph Cohen, Lisa Scanlan, Al Shuldiner, Joe Price, Erin Boone, and Amy Van de Kerckhove from the Media Bureau.
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Original text here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-418788A2.pdf
FCC Expands Broadband Spectrum Opportunity for Utilities, Critical Infrastructure, and Business Enterprise Entities
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 -- The Federal Communications Commission issued the following news release on Feb. 18, 2026:
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FCC Expands Broadband Spectrum Opportunity for Utilities, Critical Infrastructure, and Business Enterprise Entities
New Rules Maximize the Potential of 900 MHz Band by Enabling Broadband Deployment Across All Ten Megahertz of the Band
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Today, the Federal Communications Commission adopted new rules to expand access to spectrum for utilities, critical infrastructure, and enterprise businesses deploying private 900 MHz broadband networks. The new rules will unlock the full 10
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WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 -- The Federal Communications Commission issued the following news release on Feb. 18, 2026:
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FCC Expands Broadband Spectrum Opportunity for Utilities, Critical Infrastructure, and Business Enterprise Entities
New Rules Maximize the Potential of 900 MHz Band by Enabling Broadband Deployment Across All Ten Megahertz of the Band
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Today, the Federal Communications Commission adopted new rules to expand access to spectrum for utilities, critical infrastructure, and enterprise businesses deploying private 900 MHz broadband networks. The new rules will unlock the full 10megahertz of the 900 MHz band for broadband use and eliminate regulatory barriers that have made a 5/5 broadband license an impossibility until now.
This action builds on the FCC's previous work to realign the band through a market driven transition and reflects the agency's commitment to ensuring that spectrum is used efficiently and in ways that strengthen the American economy. The spectrum resources made available through today's Commission action will stimulate the American economy by driving innovation by utilities, critical infrastructure, and other sectors. These rules will help to address growing demand for private and secure wireless broadband networks across these sectors.
The Report and Order will enable broadband on all 10 megahertz of the 900 MHz band (896-901 and 935-940 MHz), providing enhanced spectrum capacity to meet a wider range of broadband needs. These new rules introduce a county-level, negotiation-based process to enable broadband deployment where private agreements are reached.
The new rules allow the 900 MHz band to be used in a given county in any of three configurations: (1) a "legacy" configuration with 20 wideband channels interleaved with 200 narrowband channels; (2) one six-megahertz broadband segment consisting of two paired three-megahertz channels and two narrowband segments with a total of 159 narrowband channels; or (3) ten megahertz of broadband consisting of two paired five-megahertz channels and no reserved narrowband channels.
Action by the Commission February 18, 2026 by Report and Order (FCC 26-9). Chairman Carr, Commissioners Gomez and Trusty approving. Chairman Carr and Commissioner Trusty issuing separate statements.
WT Docket No. 24-99
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Original text here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-418787A1.pdf
FCC Expands Broadband Spectrum Opportunities in 900 MHz Band
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 -- The Federal Communications Commission issued the following statement by Chairman Brendan Carr:
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FCC Expands Broadband Spectrum Opportunities in 900 MHz Band
STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN BRENDAN CARR
Re: Review of the Commission's Rules Governing the 896-901/935-940 MHz Band WT Docket No. 24-99, Report and Order (February 18, 2026).
Restoring America's wireless leadership is a key pillar of our Build America agenda. And when it comes to spectrum, we are executing a two-prong play to advance connectivity for all Americans.
Spectrum auctions are the first prong. Thanks
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WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 -- The Federal Communications Commission issued the following statement by Chairman Brendan Carr:
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FCC Expands Broadband Spectrum Opportunities in 900 MHz Band
STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN BRENDAN CARR
Re: Review of the Commission's Rules Governing the 896-901/935-940 MHz Band WT Docket No. 24-99, Report and Order (February 18, 2026).
Restoring America's wireless leadership is a key pillar of our Build America agenda. And when it comes to spectrum, we are executing a two-prong play to advance connectivity for all Americans.
Spectrum auctions are the first prong. Thanksto President Trump, the FCC has its auction authority back plus an 800 megahertz spectrum pipeline. And we have been making significant progress on these auctions. Last November, we advanced a proposal to auction a large swath of mid-band spectrum in the Upper C band. And workstreams on additional auctions are active across the Administration. Meanwhile, just a few months from now, we are set to auction AWS 3 spectrum that reaches hundreds of markets nationwide.
As for the second prong, the FCC has been very active over the last year in facilitating secondary market transactions that allow competitors to put spectrum to higher and more productive uses. As a result, we are already seeing previously fallow spectrum loaded up with traffic. This is increasing speeds and coverage for Americans while driving down prices.
Today's decision is another win for that second prong. Our vote today enables secondary-market transactions in the 900 MHz band, so licensees can acquire a full ten megahertz to deliver broadband services. Historically this spectrum was limited to narrowband services.
Expanding broadband capabilities in 900 MHz promises new private wireless deployments across a range of sectors. And by establishing a voluntary, negotiation driven process, we give operators the flexibility they need to drive efficient transitions through private agreement. It's exactly the type of market based approach that accelerates deployment and makes spectrum work for the American people.
For their great work on this item, I would like to thank Cameron Duncan, Alice Koethe, Morgan Mendenhall, Roger Noel, Kambiz Rahnavardy, Jess Quinley, Nina Shafran, Joshua Smith, Joel Taubenblatt, and Andrew Ware.
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Original text here: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-418787A2.pdf
BLS Southeast Region Issues Report on Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in Alabama 2025
ATLANTA, Georgia, Feb. 19 (TNSLrpt) -- Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in Alabama 2025 - A report from U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Southeast Region - Feb. 18, 2026
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In 2025, the broadest measure of labor underutilization, designated U-6 (which includes the unemployed, workers employed part-time for economic reasons, and those marginally attached to the labor force), was 5.3 percent in Alabama, compared to the 8.0-percent rate for the nation, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the measure
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ATLANTA, Georgia, Feb. 19 (TNSLrpt) -- Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization in Alabama 2025 - A report from U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Southeast Region - Feb. 18, 2026
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In 2025, the broadest measure of labor underutilization, designated U-6 (which includes the unemployed, workers employed part-time for economic reasons, and those marginally attached to the labor force), was 5.3 percent in Alabama, compared to the 8.0-percent rate for the nation, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the measurecorresponding to the official concept of unemployment, U-3 (all jobless persons who are available to take a job and have actively sought work in the past 4 weeks), was 2.7 percent for Alabama. Nationally, the U-3 rate was 4.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The Technical Note at the end of this release provides additional information on the differences between unemployment measures and the reliability of Current Population Survey (CPS) estimates.
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Chart 1. The six alternative measures of labor underutilization, Alabama and the United States, 2025 11-month averages
Table A. Alternative measures of labor underutilization for Alabama and the United States, 2025 11-month averages
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Alabama had 64,800 unemployed residents, according to the CPS. (See chart 2.) In addition, there were 41,400 workers who were employed part time for economic reasons (also known as involuntary part time). These individuals were working part time because of slack work or business conditions or because they were unable to find a full-time job.
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Chart 2. Numbers of selected underutilized workers in Alabama, 2025 11-month averages
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In Alabama, 19,900 individuals were considered marginally attached to the labor force, indicating they want to work and have looked in the past year, but have not actively looked in the last four weeks for reasons such as school attendance, family responsibilities, or because they believe no jobs are available. The U-5 measure, which incorporates marginally attached workers, was 3.5 percent in Alabama. In the United States, the U-5 measure was 5.2 percent.
Within Alabama's marginally attached population, 7,500 (38 percent) were discouraged workers who have stopped searching mainly because they believe no jobs are available to them. The U-4 measure, which includes discouraged workers and the unemployed, was 3.0 percent in Alabama; the national rate was 4.6 percent.
See table 1 for national and state estimates.
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2025 Federal Government Shutdown
This news release presents 11-month averages from the CPS for 2025 that exclude the October reference month. Data for October 2025 were not collected due to the federal government shutdown. As a result, these estimates are not strictly comparable with annual averages for other years.
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Technical Note
The estimates in this release are based upon the six measures of labor underutilization produced by the Current Population Survey (CPS). For the United States, BLS publishes these six measures monthly in the Employment Situation news release. The state-level alternative measures of labor underutilization are provided each quarter as 4-quarter moving averages.
Measures of unemployment
The U-3 rates for states presented in this release are derived directly from the CPS and are not the official unemployment rates. The official unemployment rates for states are the model-based estimates available through the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program and may differ from the CPS estimates. The LAUS estimates are developed from statistical models that incorporate CPS estimates in addition to data from other sources. The LAUS models greatly improve the reliability of the monthly top-side labor force and unemployment estimates. CPS estimates are used in this release because this is the only source of data for the various components of the other five measures.
The other CPS measures are provided to data users and analysts who want more narrowly (U-1 and U-2) or broadly (U-4 through U-6) defined measures.
Additional information on the differences between the CPS and LAUS estimates can be found in Notes on Using Current Population Survey (CPS) Subnational Data.
Reliability of estimates
The alternative measures for states are analyzed on a 4-quarter average basis in order to increase the reliability of the CPS estimates, which are based on relatively small sample sizes at the state level, and to eliminate seasonality. Due to the small state sample sizes, neither monthly nor quarterly statewide data from the CPS satisfy BLS publication standards.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
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Table 1. Alternative measures of labor underutilization by state, 2025 11-month averages (percent)
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View original text plus charts and tables here: https://www.bls.gov/regions/southeast/news-release/2026/laborunderutilization_alabama_20260218.htm
BLS Mid-Atlantic Region Issues Report on Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses in Delaware 2024
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, Feb. 19 (TNSLrpt) -- Employer-reported workplace injuries and illnesses in Delaware 2024 - A report from U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Mid-Atlantic Region - Feb. 17, 2026
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Private industry employers reported 7,500 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in Delaware in 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that this resulted in a total recordable cases (TRC) incidence rate of 2.2 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers; the national rate was 2.3. The estimates
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PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, Feb. 19 (TNSLrpt) -- Employer-reported workplace injuries and illnesses in Delaware 2024 - A report from U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Mid-Atlantic Region - Feb. 17, 2026
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Private industry employers reported 7,500 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in Delaware in 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that this resulted in a total recordable cases (TRC) incidence rate of 2.2 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers; the national rate was 2.3. The estimatesin this release are from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII).
Delaware's findings from the 2024 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses for private industry include:
* TRC incidence rates ranged from 0.3 in financial activities to 3.6 in trade, transportation, and utilities. (See table 1.)
* Two supersectors, with 42 percent of employment, accounted for 59 percent of the occupational injuries and illnesses: trade, transportation, and utilities and education and health services. (See table 2.)
* The financial activities industry TRC rate was 0.3 in both 2024 and 2023. (See table 3.)
* The TRC injury and illness incidence rate ranged from 1.4 for establishments employing fewer than 11 workers to 2.7 for establishments employing 50 to 249 workers. (See table 4.)
* Injuries accounted for 7,100 (94.7 percent) of total recordable cases; illnesses were an additional 400 cases.
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Table A. Number and rate of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in private industry, United States and Delaware, 2024
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Private industry injury and illness case types
Of the 7,500 private industry injury and illness cases reported in Delaware, 4,300 were of a more severe nature, involving days away from work, job transfer, or restriction while recuperating--commonly referred to as DART cases. These cases occurred at a rate of 1.3 cases per 100 full-time workers; nationally the rate was 1.4.
Other recordable cases (those not involving days away from work, job transfer, or restriction) accounted for the remaining 3,100 cases in Delaware, at a rate of 0.9. The national rate for other recordable cases was 1.0.
State and local government injury and illness cases
In the state and local government sector in Delaware, 1,700 injury and illness cases were reported in 2024, resulting in a rate of 3.4 cases per 100 full-time workers. Nationally, the rate was 4.4. Seventy-one percent of injuries and illnesses reported in Delaware's public sector occurred among local government workers.
State estimates
Private industry estimates are available for 42 states, the District of Columbia, and three territories. (See map 1.) Factors such as differences in the composition of industry employment may influence state incidences rates and should be considered whenever comparing rates among different states.
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Map 1. Incidence rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by state and selected industries, 2024
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Additional information
The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) is a Federal/State cooperative program that presents estimates on nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses. For more information on the SOII program, scope, and sampling methodology, see the national Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses news release and the SOII Handbook of Methods.
Incidence rates and counts by industry and case type published by the SOII are rounded. As a result, some components may not add to totals. See the effects of rounding on estimates for more information.
Data for U.S. territories are not included in the national SOII estimates. Employment data used in this release are from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
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Table 1. Incidence rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by selected industries and case type, Delaware, 2024
Table 2. Numbers of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by selected industries and case types, Delaware, 2024 (numbers in thousands)
Table 3. Incidence rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by selected industries and selected case type, Delaware, 2023-24
Table 4. Incidence rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by selected industries and employment size, Delaware, 2024
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View original text plus charts and tables here: https://www.bls.gov/regions/mid-atlantic/news-release/2026/workplaceinjuriesandillnesses_delaware_20260217.htm
