Public Policy & NGOs
Here's a look at documents from public policy and non-governmental organizations
Featured Stories
Senate Majority PAC: Dan Sullivan Put Party Lines Over Alaskans in DHS Vote
WASHINGTON, April 24 -- Senate Majority PAC, an organizations that works to elect Democratic senators who are committed to an economy that provides opportunity and security for America's working families and who stand up to protect the rights of all Americans, issued the following news release on April 23, 2026:
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Dan Sullivan Put Party Lines Over Alaskans in DHS Vote
Despite widespread concern from Alaska voters over the escalating conduct of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Sen. Dan Sullivan voted today to funnel an additional $70 billion to the Department of Homeland Security to fund
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, April 24 -- Senate Majority PAC, an organizations that works to elect Democratic senators who are committed to an economy that provides opportunity and security for America's working families and who stand up to protect the rights of all Americans, issued the following news release on April 23, 2026:
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Dan Sullivan Put Party Lines Over Alaskans in DHS Vote
Despite widespread concern from Alaska voters over the escalating conduct of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Sen. Dan Sullivan voted today to funnel an additional $70 billion to the Department of Homeland Security to fundICE and Customs and Border Patrol, with no meaningful reforms to the agencies included.
"Dan Sullivan just wrote a blank check for DHS despite none of the concerns of Congress or of the American people being addressed," said Senate Majority PAC Press Secretary Christyna Thompson. "While people in Alaska struggle to afford a basic quality of life and are fearing for their safety, Sen. Sullivan is too busy answering to one person and one person only: Trump."
A Senate Majority PAC survey conducted this year found that 59% of voters hold an unfavorable view of ICE -- including 46% who are strongly unfavorable. A majority of likely voters, 54%, say they hold President Trump and Republicans directly responsible for the DHS shutdown, as the GOP is unwilling to accept even the most basic public safety and accountability reforms for ICE.
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Original text here: https://senatemajority.com/news/dan-sullivan-put-party-lines-over-alaskans-in-dhs-vote/
[Category: Political]
Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities Issues Commentary: Building Food System Resilience Across 60 Countries
TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan, April 24 (TNSrpt) -- Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities issued the following commentary on April 23, 2026, by Food and Farming Program Director Jen Schaap:
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Building Food System Resilience Across 60 Countries
The USDA has published an interesting report on food systems. The results can be used to "inform policy, investment and action towards more stable and sustainable food systems." It outlines their research on affordability, availability, quality/safety, and climate risk responsiveness.
Strong food systems and soil health are homeland security. We need
... Show Full Article
TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan, April 24 (TNSrpt) -- Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities issued the following commentary on April 23, 2026, by Food and Farming Program Director Jen Schaap:
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Building Food System Resilience Across 60 Countries
The USDA has published an interesting report on food systems. The results can be used to "inform policy, investment and action towards more stable and sustainable food systems." It outlines their research on affordability, availability, quality/safety, and climate risk responsiveness.
Strong food systems and soil health are homeland security. We needto be able to feed our people, neighbors, communities, kids, elders, ourselves. Protecting our resources -- water, soil, people, ecosystems -- treating them with respect, making sure our practices are ones that will help us stand the test of time in growing our own food and feeding ourselves -- that's resilience.
We're looking forward to diving into this publication more, but here are a few things that popped out to me right away:
* One of the key insights is around building climate-resilient food systems. "Climate risk responsiveness is the weakest pillar in the index, leaving food systems exposed to intensifying climate shocks and growing pressure on land, water and biodiversity." While this report is a global one, we've seen this as recently as this month's flooding and last year's ice storm right here in Michigan. Farms are significantly impacted by these events. How can farms stay resilient in this changing landscape?
* The index points to ways healthy diets can be more affordable. Groundwork is tracking such opportunities. They include fiscal policy that shifts prices toward nutritious foods, dietary guidelines that align health, sustainability, and access, and broadening availability of nutrient-dense foods. Our cooking classes that emphasize using local food also take into consideration dry goods and other foods that are commonly found in food pantries, crafting recipes that are attainable for our neighbors.
* One more point of interest to us in a sea of information in the report, is that cold-chain infrastructure is a need, along with dedicated policy and investment for end-to-end cold chain capacity. This means keeping food stored properly along the journey from farm to plate. Our Building Resilient Communities program addresses this on a small scale by offering stipends to sites that need that small amount of funding to purchase a refrigerator or freezer to maintain the freshness of locally grown food. Our state is in need of this type of support, like funding for refrigerated trucks, and other storage that is necessary to get fresh or frozen food moved around the state efficiently. (Also food waste -- "Cutting food loss and waste: the fastest resilience gain hiding in plain sight")
"The challenge is less about inventing new solutions than about connecting what already works and delivering it at scale." We feel that at Groundwork. Changing the food system takes time. Sometimes lots of time. We stay the course and build upon the things that we know work.
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Jen Schaap, Groundwork Food & Farming Program Director
jen.schaap@groundworkcenter.org
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REPORT: https://assets.ctfassets.net/9crgcb5vlu43/4owmZlUX8hThA5C0CGw05O/3926a860219671c045a00b26bf752f4b/Resilient_Food_Systems_Index_Global_Report.pdf
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Original text here: https://groundworkcenter.org/building-food-system-resilience-across-60-countries/
[Category: Sociological]
Food and Water Watch: Allegheny County, PA Receives Failing Air Quality Grade, Again
WASHINGTON, April 24 -- The Food and Water Watch posted the following statement on April 23, 2026:
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Allegheny County, PA Receives Failing Air Quality Grade, Again
American Lung Association report comes day after Shapiro touts extension of polluting coal power plants
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Allegheny County, PA -- Yesterday, the American Lung Association released their State of the Air report. Among the 20 most air-polluted places in the county, three are in Pennsylvania, including Allegheny County.
The Pittsburgh region has a storied history of air pollution and had received failing air quality reports from
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WASHINGTON, April 24 -- The Food and Water Watch posted the following statement on April 23, 2026:
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Allegheny County, PA Receives Failing Air Quality Grade, Again
American Lung Association report comes day after Shapiro touts extension of polluting coal power plants
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Allegheny County, PA -- Yesterday, the American Lung Association released their State of the Air report. Among the 20 most air-polluted places in the county, three are in Pennsylvania, including Allegheny County.
The Pittsburgh region has a storied history of air pollution and had received failing air quality reports fromthe American Lung Association in the past. Last year, the Pittsburgh region ranked 16th worst in the country.
The report comes the day after Governor Josh Shapiro announced orders to keep two coal plants in Western Pennsylvania -- Keystone and Conemaugh Generating Stations -- operating four years past their retirement dates in 2028. Trump also took credit for the plants remaining operational. These coal plant extensions follow a national trend of keeping polluting coal plants operational to accommodate data center energy demands.
Food & Water Watch Northern Regional Director Alex Beauchamp issued the follow statement in response:
"As Governor Shapiro welcomes data centers, he's also keen to welcome more pollution and higher energy prices. Claiming to keep coal plants operating in the name of affordability is contradictory to the fact that coal is expensive -- not to mention extremely detrimental to public and environmental health.
"The Pittsburgh region's notorious fossil fuel linked air pollution has harmed millions of residents for generations. Instead of supporting a clean energy transition to improve public health, Shapiro is further sacrificing our health to accommodate Big Tech's wishes for a data center takeover of the state. This is exactly why Pennsylvania needs a data center moratorium."
Last month, Food & Water Watch released a first-of-its-kind report detailing the harms of the AI and data center boom infiltrating communities around the country. In October, Food & Water Watch became the first national group to call for a data center moratorium. Over 250 organizations have since joined the call -- including 17 from Pennsylvania.
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Original text here: https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2026/04/23/allegheny-county-pa-receives-failing-air-quality-grade-again/
[Category: Science]
FFRF Action Fund: 'Theocratic' Homeland Security Christian Postings Violate the Constitution
MADISON, Wisconsin, April 24 -- FFRF Action Fund, an organization that says it develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, posted the following news on April 23, 2026:
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'Theocratic' Homeland Security Christian postings violate the Constitution
FFRF Action Fund names the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as its "Theocrat of the Week" for its over-the-top social media postsdepicting bible verses and Christian crosses, fueling the Trump administration's Christian nationalism
... Show Full Article
MADISON, Wisconsin, April 24 -- FFRF Action Fund, an organization that says it develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, posted the following news on April 23, 2026:
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'Theocratic' Homeland Security Christian postings violate the Constitution
FFRF Action Fund names the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as its "Theocrat of the Week" for its over-the-top social media postsdepicting bible verses and Christian crosses, fueling the Trump administration's Christian nationalismand the myth that the United States was founded as a Christian nation.
Throughout April, the DHS has repeatedly highlighted different bible verses on its official social media profiles. On April 12, DHS proclaimed over social media "One Homeland Under God," illustrated by the image of a Christian church and a cross. Its caption read: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people who he hath chosen for his own inheritance.--Psalm 33:12" and "May God continue to shed his grace on our great nation."
On April 19, DHS posted yet another "One Homeland Under God" illustration with a church and cross, with the caption, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. --Proverbs 3:5-6." The post also professed: "One nation under God."
This pattern of DHS promoting Christianity through its official communications is longstanding. In August 2025, FFRF Action Fund's parent organization, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, called out DHS for using bible verses in its social media posts to portray its extreme immigration enforcement activities as divinely ordained. Throughout the summer, the agency released multiple promotional videos featuring bible quotes and references to "manifest destiny," the idea that colonists had a divine mandate to expand across North America by invading native lands.
On July 7, DHS posted a video showing Border Patrol activity with a voiceover quoting a portion of Isaiah 6:8: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying 'Whom shall I send and who will go for us?' I said, 'Here am I, send me.'" The biblical passage depicts Isaiah expressing his readiness to serve as god's messenger, tying Border Patrol activity to a divine purpose.
Another video post from DHS announced the U.S. Coast Guard's Force Design 2028, a plan supposedly aimed at protecting the United States from attacks by "nations and criminals that seek to sabotage infrastructure," in which then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was shown addressing Coast Guard officers while invoking scripture. In quoting a portion of Proverbs 29:18, Noem professed, "We all know that Scriptures tell us that without a vision, the people perish. You are people who are stepping into a time of consequence. You will be people of significance."
The deliberate centering of Christianity by the U.S. government, weaving a false Christian narrative into American history and society, is utterly unacceptable under our constitutional principle of separation between state and church. The explicit religious messaging in DHS' official communications demonstrates the theocratic Christian nationalism fueling the Trump administration. DHS and all governmental agencies have a constitutional duty to refrain from misusing official communications to promote their personal brand of Christianity in a secular nation where all citizens are supposed to be equal under the law.
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FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.
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Original text here: https://ffrfaction.org/theocratic-homeland-security-christian-postings-violate-the-constitution/
[Category: Sociological]
FFRF Action Fund Explains Dangers of Tennessee's 'Charlie Kirk' Law
MADISON, Wisconsin, April 24 -- FFRF Action Fund, an organization that says it develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, posted the following news on April 23, 2026:
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FFRF Action Fund explains dangers of Tennessee's 'Charlie Kirk' law
Tennessee's recently enacted "Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act," named after the slain conservative activist, is harmful legislation promoting Christian nationalist revisionist history.
The law is nearly identical to Ohio's HB 486, which the
... Show Full Article
MADISON, Wisconsin, April 24 -- FFRF Action Fund, an organization that says it develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, posted the following news on April 23, 2026:
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FFRF Action Fund explains dangers of Tennessee's 'Charlie Kirk' law
Tennessee's recently enacted "Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act," named after the slain conservative activist, is harmful legislation promoting Christian nationalist revisionist history.
The law is nearly identical to Ohio's HB 486, which theFFRF Action Fund was among the first to call out. That bill passed Ohio's House but is still pending in the Senate. Both Tennessee's law and the original bill in Ohio encourage schools and universities to promote a one-sided, fictionalized narrative of religion's "positive" influence on American history.
The Tennessee law presents an extensive list of cherry-picked or fictional "historical accounts" meant to glorify religion's role in American society. The Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act not only distorts history but violates the First Amendment by advancing a government-sponsored religious narrative inside public classrooms.
Schools and universities are encouraged by the law to promote a one-sided, fictionalized narrative of religion's "positive" influence on American history. The legislation reads more like a Turning Point USA pamphlet than a serious civics curriculum, stating that teachers may highlight the supposed Christian underpinnings of American liberty while conveniently ignoring religion's deeply harmful roles -- from justifying slavery and segregation to opposing women's suffrage, civil rights, LGBTQ+ equality and science itself.
Extolling the historical "influence of Judeo-Christian values on the freedom and liberties ingrained in our culture," the law lists 19 supposed examples of religion's positive role in U.S. history.
One of the most absurd falsehoods in Tennessee's law is its claim that Benjamin Franklin advised Thomas Paine to burn "The Age of Reason, published in 1794. Franklin died in 1790, long before Paine had even started the book. The American Historical Association called this out directly, noting that the bill's supposed "historical accounts" are riddled with errors, mischaracterizations and anachronisms taken from a discredited Christian nationalist website whose stated mission is to "restore America's biblical foundation."
That mendacious website falsely frames the Ten Commandments as the basis of American law, a myth repeatedly rejected by courts and historians -- and is refuted simply by reading the Constitution itself, which is godless, its only references to religion being exclusionary. The law treats the latter-day addition of "In God We Trust" and "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance during the Cold War as evidence that America is founded on religion. Instead, those belated tamperings with motto, money and the Pledge were the result of theopolitical messaging driven by the "Red Scare" against the Soviet Union nearly 180 years after the Declaration of Independence.
Then there's Tennessee's second Charlie Kirk bill: HB 1476 / SB 1741, the "Charlie Kirk Act." The Tennessee legislature also passed SB 1741, and Gov. Bill Lee is likely to sign it into law soon. While presented as a defense of free speech and open discourse on college campuses, the bill prohibits students from "staging walk-outs during an event or in the middle of an invited speaker's remarks" that intentionally cause "material and substantial disruption." It empowers colleges to impose disciplinary sanctions, up to and including expulsion, on students who exercise their First Amendment rights.
PEN America criticized HB 1476 / SB 1741 for elevating certain ideological viewpoints under the guise of neutrality, calling it a threat to free expression that "places demands on universities that will diminish free expression." Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones put it more bluntly: "I think it's ironic that we're honoring free speech when professors in Tennessee were kicked out of their position for exercising their free speech rights." And Tennessee is not alone. According to a recent Associated Press analysis, lawmakers in more than 20 states have introduced more than 60 Charlie Kirk-themed bills seeking to promote his ideology, establish official days of remembrance or affix his name to roads and public places.
SB 1828 rewrites history. HB 1476 / SB 1741 punishes dissent. Different mechanisms, same goal: push public institutions toward one preferred political ideology, then call the result "religious freedom."
FFRF Action Fund supplied detailed testimony to legislators in both Ohio and Tennessee, thoroughly debunking the Charlie Kirk Act and called on its Tennessee advocates to defeat it. Our legislative team is monitoring and working to defeat similar legislation rewriting U.S. history to promote the myth of a "Christian nation."
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FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. As the advocacy affiliate of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, it also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.
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Original text here: https://ffrfaction.org/ffrf-action-fund-explains-dangers-of-tennessees-charlie-kirk-law/
[Category: Sociological]
Environmental Defense Fund: Governor Shapiro's Decision to Extend Pennsylvania's Two Dirtiest Coal Plants Increases Costs and Pollution Harms
NEW YORK, April 24 -- The Environmental Defense Fund posted the following statement on April 23, 2026:
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Governor Shapiro's decision to extend Pennsylvania's two dirtiest coal plants increases costs and pollution harms
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is seeking court approval of a consent decree with the operator of the Keystone and Conemaugh coal-fired power plants to continue operations beyond their scheduled retirement dates.
"Governor Shapiro's decision to allow Pennsylvania's two dirtiest coal-fired power plants to remain open beyond their planned closings is completely unwarranted.
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, April 24 -- The Environmental Defense Fund posted the following statement on April 23, 2026:
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Governor Shapiro's decision to extend Pennsylvania's two dirtiest coal plants increases costs and pollution harms
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is seeking court approval of a consent decree with the operator of the Keystone and Conemaugh coal-fired power plants to continue operations beyond their scheduled retirement dates.
"Governor Shapiro's decision to allow Pennsylvania's two dirtiest coal-fired power plants to remain open beyond their planned closings is completely unwarranted.Aging coal plants are scheduled to retire for a reason. They're expensive, unreliable and harmful to our health. Keeping them on life support will not make electricity more affordable for families and businesses, especially when renewable sources like solar and wind, and battery storage, are a faster and cheaper way to meet the commonwealth's growing power needs. What Pennsylvanians can't afford is an energy policy stuck in the past," said Ted Kelly, Director and Lead Counsel for U.S. Clean Energy at Environmental Defense Fund.
The decision comes after the Trump administration has extended five highly polluting coal plants in Michigan, Indiana, Colorado and Washington past their retirement dates. The order mandating that the J.H. Campbell coal plant in Michigan operate beyond its retirement date already has cost ratepayers more than $135 million, or $600,000 a day, according to financial filings.
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With more than 3 million members, Environmental Defense Fund creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. To do so, EDF links science, economics, law, and innovative private-sector partnerships to turn solutions into action. edf.org
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Original text here: https://www.edf.org/media/governor-shapiros-decision-extend-pennsylvanias-two-dirtiest-coal-plants-increases-costs-and
[Category: Environment]
Americans for Tax Reform: American Broadband Deployment Act Would Bring Long-overdue Reforms
WASHINGTON, April 24 -- Americans for Tax Reform posted the following commentary on April 22, 2026, by James Erwin:
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American Broadband Deployment Act would bring long-overdue reforms
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed a package of bills to speed up permitting on federal lands for broadband infrastructure. But the package did not include the American Broadband Deployment Act, which would bring long-overdue permitting reform to building internet infrastructure.
Members of Congress have been talking about permitting reform for years. ABDA finally gives them a chance to follow
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, April 24 -- Americans for Tax Reform posted the following commentary on April 22, 2026, by James Erwin:
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American Broadband Deployment Act would bring long-overdue reforms
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed a package of bills to speed up permitting on federal lands for broadband infrastructure. But the package did not include the American Broadband Deployment Act, which would bring long-overdue permitting reform to building internet infrastructure.
Members of Congress have been talking about permitting reform for years. ABDA finally gives them a chance to followthrough on this talk. They should not miss this opportunity to save taxpayer dollars, spur investment, and make the internet fast, better, and cheaper.
Energy infrastructure, housing, and factories and data centers have all been bogged down by federal environmental reviews, long waiting periods for state and local permits, and sometimes outright extortion by various levels of government. Wherever licenses, permits, or permission is required to build, bureaucrats can create long delays that increase costs.
ABDA, introduced by Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), includes several good ideas to bring permitting reform to broadband infrastructure. The Biden-era infrastructure bill created the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. Bureaucrats and local governments are salivating to get their hands on as many of these federal tax dollars as possible, regardless of how much they slow down internet infrastructure.
ABDA will help ensure that BEAD dollars are spent as efficiently and effectively as possible while permanently streamlining all future broadband buildout. The bill makes changes to three key areas: environmental reviews, timelines for permits, and access to rights-of-way.
Environmental Review
The centerpiece of the bill is its exemption of broadband deployment projects from most traditional environmental reviews. Under the current system, ISPs and wireless providers need to ask the EPA permission every time they want to remove or replace equipment at a cell tower or base station.
If this seems patently absurd, that's because it is. Simple modifications to existing infrastructure, including upgrades to provide faster speeds or set the stage for network expansion, should not have to undergo months of study to see if the birds that hang out on the power lines will be affected. ABDA would exempt this general maintenance from National Environmental Policy Act reviews by specifying that they are not "major federal actions" under NEPA.
In addition to right-sizing the EPA, ABDA would preempt state and local environmental regulations for certain aspects of internet service. Radio waves, for example, carry most internet traffic through WiFi or 5G wireless service. The federal government has owned the airwaves since the Radio Act of 1927 and grants licenses to use it. ABDA leverages federal ownership to prohibit states and municipalities from claiming these vibrations have some sort of environmental impact they can regulate.
Shot Clocks
Too often, local and state governments have no legal reason to kill an infrastructure project they don't like, so they weaponize the process to indefinitely delay building. Whether it's local NIMBY opposition, angry labor unions that didn't get the contract, or activists who think building anything will bring on the climate apocalypse, politicians can have any number of reasons to prevent broadband deployment that have nothing to do with the project's merits. The temptation is to sit on applications and wait out the business looking to serve the local market until they get the concessions they want.
In other cases, counties and towns simply do not have the staff or IT systems to process applications in a timely manner. Whether through corruption or incompetence, too many infrastructure projects never get built due to delays in permitting.
ABDA imposes a much-needed shot clock of 90 days for local governments and their instrumentalities (such as public utilities) to grant "authorization to place, construct, or modify" facilities, as well as 150 days for all other requests. These timelines apply collectively to all requests for permits on a single project, so local authorities cannot stagger applications throughout the process to slow it down. Some applications can still be rejected under relevant local and state statutes, but they cannot be sat upon indefinitely when no legal reason to deny them exists.
This will ensure that projects can proceed irrespective of the pace of local government. Smaller, low-impact projects will likely be quickly green-lit, while time-consuming scrutiny will be reserved for more expansive projects that might actually warrant review under local regulations.
Rights-of-Way and Easements
Broadband infrastructure requires access to rights-of-way used by utility companies to reach their customers. To accelerate broadband buildout, access to easements needs to be simplified.
ABDA would allow projects to move forward if they don't receive timely approval from federal agencies. Permits are deemed granted no more than 40 days after an initial application unless they are rejected. This will be a huge boost to broadband infrastructure that ensures the federal government does not stand in the way of its own $40 billion program.
The EPA, states, counties, and towns have all played their part in increasing infrastructure costs. ABDA will go a long way towards fixing this longstanding problem by getting government out of the way of progress.
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Original text here: https://atr.org/american-broadband-deployment-act-would-bring-long-overdue-reforms/
[Category: Political]
