When you can enroll in Medicare, and what missing a deadline costs
Most people get Medicare at 65 during a seven-month initial enrollment window, and signing up late for Part B adds a permanent 10 percent penalty per year.
James Wellington
Social Security checks rise 2.8 percent in January 2026: what the COLA actually changes
The 2.8 percent cost-of-living adjustment announced in October 2025 raises the average retired-worker benefit by about $49 a month starting with January payments.
Asha VenkataswamyHow SNAP food benefits work, and who qualifies as of 2026
SNAP gives eligible households a monthly food benefit on an EBT card; most households must meet income limits set as a percentage of the federal poverty line.
Asha VenkataswamyWho qualifies for SNAP, and how to apply in 2026
SNAP eligibility runs on income and asset tests set by Washington but applied through your state; here's what the current federal rules say, what changed in 2026, and how the application actually works.
Asha VenkataswamyThe briefing
What changed, what the primary record says, and what remains uncertain.
How Social Security's cost-of-living adjustment works, and what the 2.8% increase means for 2026
Asha VenkataswamyHow Social Security's cost-of-living adjustment is calculated
Henrik LarsenWhat is Login.gov, and why do some government websites require it?
James WellingtonHow the SBA's 7(a) loan program works, and what changed in July 2026
Henrik LarsenHow federal rulemaking works, and how to comment on a proposed rule
Valentina SokolovHow federal inspectors general work, and what happens to their findings
Alexandria LucasPolicy
How Social Security's cost-of-living adjustment is calculated
The 2.8% raise for 2026 wasn't a vote or a guess. Here's the government formula behind every Social Security COLA, and what it changed this year.
Henrik LarsenPrograms
When you can enroll in Medicare, and what missing a deadline costs
James WellingtonHow SNAP food benefits work, and who qualifies as of 2026
Asha VenkataswamyWho qualifies for SNAP, and how to apply in 2026
Asha VenkataswamyCivictech
What is Login.gov, and why do some government websites require it?
August 25 · James WellingtonAffairs
How federal rulemaking works, and how to comment on a proposed rule
Most federal regulations must be proposed in public, opened to written comment from anyone, and justified in writing before they take effect. Here is the sequence, the deadlines, and what makes a comment worth reading.
Valentina SokolovAccountability
How federal inspectors general work, and what happens to their findings
Alexandria LucasPolicy News
Social Security checks rise 2.8 percent in January 2026: what the COLA actually changes
August 25 · Asha Venkataswamy
How Social Security's cost-of-living adjustment works, and what the 2.8% increase means for 2026
August 25 · Asha VenkataswamyBusiness News
How the SBA's 7(a) loan program works, and what changed in July 2026
The federal government doesn't lend small businesses money directly — it guarantees part of the loan a bank makes. Here's how that guarantee works, and how a July 2026 rule change raised how much a business can borrow.
Henrik Larsen