The Trump administration is cutting off $286 million in federal funding for Planned Parenthood. The cutting of the funds is based on a new ruling that prevents groups that give abortion referrals from receiving federal family planning funds. [Axios 2/22/19]
Title IX guidelines proposed by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos will make it more difficult for victims of sexual abuse or rape to avail themselves of Title IX protections to reclaim their safety. [ThinkProgress 2/14/19]
In the closing days of the Obama administration, a regulation was put in place that bars discrimination on the basis of religion by groups receiving money from the Department of Health and Human Services. The Trump administration has granted a South Carolina Christian ministry permission to participate in the federally funded foster-care program even though the group will work only with Christian families. [WP 1/24/19]
Semi-automatic weapons, flamethrowers and even some grenades will become easier for U.S. weapons manufacturers to export overseas under new rules being put in place by the Trump administration. [NBC News 2/7/19]
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed pulling back on rules for payday loans, car-title loans and small-dollar forms of credit. Under the Obama administration the CFPB issued a rule that would require lenders to make sure borrowers have the means to repay their loans. The rule that would have come into force in August of this year, has been delayed at least until November 19, 2020.
[CFPB 2/6/19]
For the past 20 years, the Environmental Protection Agency civil penalties for polluters averaged more than $500 million a year. The number fell to $72 million last year. [WP 1/24/19]
Over the last 35 years, as the Republican party has grown more conservative and the Democratic party has grown more liberal.
| Republican | Democrat | |||
| 1984 | 2018 | 1984 | 2018 | |
| Conserva-tive | 54% | 71% (+17) | 21% | 11% (-11) |
| Moderate | 39% | 25% (-14) | 51% | 38% (-13) |
| Liberal | 6% | 4% (-2) | 28% | 51% (+23) |
| [Winston Group 2/7/19] | ||||