U.S. Daily Policy and Governance Roundup – January 15, 2026

Labor Market and Economic Data

Unemployment insurance claims
The Labor Department’s weekly report showed:

• Seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims were 198,000 for the week ending January 10, 2026.
• The four‑week moving average fell to 205,000, the lowest level since January 20, 2024.
• Seasonally adjusted insured unemployment for the week ending January 3, 2026, was 1,884,000, for an insured unemployment rate of 1.2%.
• Total continued weeks claimed in all programs reached 2,218,506 for the week ending December 27, 2025, up about 313,000 from the prior week.
• No state was triggered onto the Extended Benefits program.

Treasury capital flows (TIC) scheduling
The Treasury Department announced that the next Treasury International Capital (TIC) data release, covering December 2025, is scheduled for February 18, 2026.

Wage-and-hour enforcement in Wisconsin health care
The Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division reported that a federal court entered a consent judgment on December 4, 2025, against North Central Health Care, a Wisconsin-based medical care partnership. The judgment requires payment of $162,486—including $81,243 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages—to 68 case managers, after investigators found that between June 17, 2021, and June 16, 2023, the employer failed to record and pay for all hours worked, including overtime, in violation of Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime and recordkeeping rules.

Employee benefits enforcement priorities
The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) updated its national enforcement projects for fiscal year 2026. Key priorities include:

• Cybersecurity for employee benefit plans.
• Barriers to mental health and substance use disorder benefits.
• Protection of benefit distributions and retirement asset management.
• Surprise medical billing issues.
• Criminal abuse of contributory benefit plans.

EBSA removed Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) from the national project list and plans to reduce emphasis on missing participants, citing the new Retirement Savings Lost and Found Database. It will continue efforts to identify abusive Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements (MEWAs) and prevent fraudulent operators from reopening in new states, even though MEWAs are no longer a national project.

Health Care Policy and ACA Coverage

ACA open enrollment deadline and subsidy uncertainty
In most states, January 15 marked the deadline to enroll in Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace coverage for 2026. Reporting indicated:

• Enhanced ACA premium tax credits expired December 31, 2025, after a prolonged congressional standoff tied to the six‑week government shutdown.
• The House passed a bill to extend the enhanced credits for three years, with some Republican support, but the measure faces resistance in the Republican‑controlled Senate. A proposed bipartisan two‑year compromise has stalled.
• The nonprofit KFF previously estimated that without renewed subsidies, premiums for many who had received the tax credits could more than double; Urban Institute analysis cited in coverage estimated average 2026 premiums for standard “silver” marketplace plans rising about 22%, compared with an estimated ≤7% increase for typical employer plans.
• As of January 12, 22.8 million people were enrolled in ACA marketplace plans, roughly 1.4 million fewer than a year earlier, as some enrollees reported dropping coverage due to higher premiums.
• Ten states and DC extended their enrollment windows into late January.

Trump administration’s “Great Healthcare Plan”
On the same day, the White House intensified promotion of President Donald Trump’s proposed “Great Healthcare Plan”, outlined in a fact sheet and a separate White House article:

• The administration highlighted prior steps by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to increase hospital and insurer price transparency, and proposed strengthening enforcement.
• The plan calls for fully funding the ACA Cost‑Sharing Reduction (CSR) program, claiming—citing Congressional Budget Office analysis—that this would cut premiums on common ACA plans by over 10%, and by 10–15% on average for the most popular plans.
• It proposes ending what the administration describes as “extra” subsidy payments to big insurers, redirecting those funds as direct support to eligible individuals to purchase coverage.
• The plan would establish a “Plain English” insurance standard, requiring insurers to:
  • Publish up‑front rate and coverage comparisons.
  • Disclose profit and claims ratios and denial rates on their websites.
• A White House article further asserted that the plan would “slash the prices of many prescription drugs by 300–500%” via a new Trumprx.gov platform starting this month, and reiterated that CSR funding would “fully” resume. These are administration claims about expected impacts; legislative enactment and implementation details remain pending.

Immigration, Enforcement, and Public Safety

Visa processing suspension for 75 countries
Coverage drawing on State Department announcements reported that the administration will suspend processing of immigrant visas—but not temporary tourist or business visas—for citizens of 75 countries starting January 21, 2026. Key points:

• The suspension targets countries whose nationals are deemed more likely to require public assistance in the United States, under expanded “public charge” rules.
• The affected countries reportedly include Russia, Iran, Somalia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Egypt, and many others across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.
• The State Department framed the move as preventing “abuse” of the immigration system by people who might rely on welfare and public benefits. Critics, not detailed in official releases, have previously argued such policies can disproportionately affect poorer applicants and those from countries with lower incomes.

DHS narratives on “criminal illegal aliens” and assaults on officers
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued several releases highlighting arrests of noncitizens described as serious offenders:

• San Antonio vehicular ramming arrest: ICE reported the January 13 arrest of Robyn Argote Brooks in San Antonio, Texas, stating he rammed two ICE vehicles, injuring an officer. ICE said that from January 21, 2025, to January 7, 2026, it recorded 66 vehicular attacks on its officers, compared with two in the prior year, characterizing this as a 3,200% increase.

  • ICE stated Brooks entered the U.S. in 2024 via the CBP One mobile app process, which the release characterizes as having allowed over one million “unvetted” arrivals; that description reflects DHS’s political framing and is not independently quantified in the release.

• “Worst of the worst” national arrests: ICE announced January 14 arrests of five named noncitizens, detailing convictions including child sexual abuse, homicide, and domestic violence. The release asserted that 70% of all ICE arrests involve noncitizens charged with or convicted of U.S. crimes, and repeated DHS’s broader claim that federal law enforcement officers face a more than 1,300% increase in assaults compared with an unspecified earlier period.

• Minnesota “Operation Metro Surge”: DHS highlighted ICE arrests of multiple noncitizens in Minnesota with charges or convictions including theft, drug offenses, DUI, fraud, impersonation, prostitution, and larceny. DHS claimed that Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey had released nearly 470 criminal noncitizens back into communities since January 2025, and that ICE has issued more than 1,360 detainer requests in Minnesota that were not honored. These figures and characterizations are DHS’s; the releases do not provide independent court or state data within the text.

• Details on prior violent ambush: DHS released additional information on three noncitizens accused of a violent January 14, 2025 ambush on a law enforcement officer. The department said a defensive shot fired by an officer struck Julio Cesar Sosa‑Celis, and that ICE has all three suspects in custody. DHS stated Sosa‑Celis illegally entered in August 2022, while Alfredo Alejandro Ajorna received a final removal order after failing to appear at an immigration hearing. DHS again cited a 1,300%+ increase in assaults on federal officers.

Collectively, these communications emphasize severe criminal conduct by a subset of noncitizens and rapidly rising assaults on federal officers. The data are presented by DHS in support of more aggressive immigration enforcement; comprehensive, independent assault statistics were not provided in the releases themselves.

Leadership changes at ICE and Coast Guard operations

• DHS Secretary Kristi Noem named Charles Wall as the new Deputy Director of ICE. DHS noted that as ICE’s Principal Legal Advisor, Wall oversaw more than 3,500 attorneys and staff.
• In a separate ceremony, Secretary Noem swore in Admiral Kevin Lunday as the 28th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. DHS reported that since January 2025:
  • Coast Guard illegal narcotics seizures increased by 200%.
  • Interdictions, deterrence events, and transportation of illegal migrants rose by 120%.
  • The service saved 4,946 lives in 2025.

Civil Unrest, Law Enforcement, and Protests

Minneapolis protests after federal shooting
National coverage reported renewed protests in Minneapolis after a federal agent shot a Venezuelan national in the leg during an arrest attempt. According to DHS, agents were conducting a “targeted traffic stop” when the man allegedly resisted arrest and “violently assaulted” an officer. The city reported the individual was hospitalized with non‑life‑threatening injuries. Demonstrators later clashed with federal agents, who deployed tear gas and crowd‑control munitions. The incident followed the earlier fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an ICE agent, which had already sparked nationwide demonstrations.

These events coincide with DHS’s stepped‑up public messaging on officer assaults and targeted operations against noncitizens.

Iran Protests, U.S. Sanctions, and Escalating Tensions

Sanctions on Iranian officials, entities, and prison
The State and Treasury Departments announced coordinated sanctions in response to Iran’s crackdown on mass protests:

• The U.S. designated Fardis Prison in Iran, citing documented cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of women.
• Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council for National Security (SCNS), describing him as a key official in coordinating the response to protests.
• OFAC also designated 18 individuals and entities linked to shadow banking networks associated with sanctioned Iranian institutions Bank Melli and Shahr Bank, accused of laundering revenue from Iranian petroleum and petrochemical sales.
• As a result, any property or interests in property of the designated parties in the U.S. or held by U.S. persons are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from transactions with them absent authorization.
• These actions were taken under Executive Orders 13553, 13876, and 13902, as well as the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, and are described as further implementation of National Security Presidential Memorandum‑2 (2025).

On‑the‑ground situation in Iran and risk of regional escalation
International reporting described a shifting but still volatile situation:

• After weeks of protests and a violent crackdown, Tehran showed some signs of returning to normal routines, but many residents reportedly remain fearful of potential U.S. military action.
• A U.S.-based rights group estimated that at least 2,400 protesters have been killed since the start of the crackdown. Due to severe information restrictions, the actual toll may be higher.
• The Iranian government has imposed an internet blackout lasting at least a week, significantly limiting communication and making independent documentation of events harder. Observers reported increased circulation of misinformation and reused or AI‑generated footage in this context.
• The United States is moving a carrier strike group—led by the USS Abraham Lincoln, according to open‑source tracking—toward the Middle East region. The group could bring dozens of fighter aircraft and cruise‑missile‑equipped destroyers into range within days.
• President Trump and the White House stated that “all options remain on the table” and warned of “grave consequences” if “killing and executions” continue. The White House said it had received a message from Tehran indicating that executions scheduled for a recent date were halted, but there is no independent confirmation of the scope or durability of such a halt.
• At the UN Security Council, senior UN officials urged maximum restraint and renewed diplomacy to avoid wider regional escalation.
• A Gulf official told CNN that Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt have been engaged in intensive shuttle diplomacy over the prior 72 hours, pressing Washington to avoid strikes and warning Tehran against attacking U.S. facilities in the Gulf.

These sanctions and deployments align with the administration’s broader maximum‑pressure approach to Iran, combining economic measures with overt military signaling.

Veterans, Education, and Social Policy

VA leadership search and benefits backlog
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced it has opened a search for a permanent head of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). The VA said the backlog of veterans awaiting benefits decisions has fallen by 60% since January 20, 2025. It also reported $800 million in additional infrastructure investments aimed at upgrading facilities and improving patient safety and care quality.

Record graduation rates in Bureau of Indian Education schools
The Interior Department reported that high schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) have seen graduation rates rise from 51% in 2015 to 79% in 2025. Since 2016, BIE students were said to have achieved a 9‑percentage‑point increase in math proficiency and a 10‑point increase in English language arts proficiency. The BIE serves more than 400,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students nationwide.

Whole milk authorized in school lunches
Coverage noted that President Trump signed legislation allowing whole milk to be served in school meals, reversing Obama‑era USDA rules that restricted school milk to fat‑free or low‑fat options aimed at combating childhood obesity. The law passed Congress by unanimous consent and coincides with new dietary guidelines from the Department of Health and Human Services that are more favorable toward whole‑fat dairy products. Some nutrition experts have raised concerns, but those debates were not extensively detailed in official statements.

Elections and Political Process

Georgia 14th District special election reporting requirements
The Federal Election Commission announced that Georgia has scheduled a Special General Election for the 14th Congressional District on March 10, 2026, with a Special Runoff on April 7, 2026, if needed. Participating candidates, certain political committees, and PACs involved in this race must file additional FEC financial reports aligned with the special election calendar.

Space, Technology, and Infrastructure

NASA medical evacuation from the ISS
NASA returned four astronauts to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, concluding what coverage described as NASA’s first medical‑driven evacuation from the International Space Station (ISS):

• The spacecraft undocked on Wednesday and splashed down off San Diego early Thursday after roughly 10 hours in transit.
• NASA had previously cancelled a planned spacewalk due to a crew member’s undisclosed medical issue and chose to bring the crew back to Earth early for evaluation.
• NASA has not publicly identified the affected astronaut or released medical details.

Nationwide Verizon network outage
Verizon reported it had resolved a major voice and data outage that disrupted service for hours on Wednesday and into Thursday, affecting customers’ ability to place calls, send texts, and use mobile data in multiple major cities, including New York City, Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, and Dallas. The company apologized, acknowledged “letting many of our customers down,” and said it will provide account credits to affected users, with more details to follow. Verizon has not publicly detailed the root cause.

Defense, Alliances, and Security Cooperation

Department of War contract announcements
The Department of War published its daily contracts announcement for January 15, 2026, listing awards of $7.5 million or more to various contractors. The notice was posted on War.gov late in the day and continues the department’s standard transparency practice around large procurement actions.

U.S.–Netherlands aeromedical training cooperation
A War.gov feature highlighted joint aeromedical training between the U.S. Air Force and Royal Netherlands counterparts. The cooperation focuses on patient movement, in‑flight medical care, and interoperability, aiming to improve joint readiness for medical evacuation and trauma care in future operations.

U.S.–Japan defense talks at the Pentagon
Another War.gov report covered a Pentagon meeting in which Secretary of War Pete Hegseth hosted his Japanese counterpart. The discussion centered on strengthening the U.S.–Japan security alliance, enhancing defense cooperation, and aligning on regional security challenges in the Indo‑Pacific.

Diplomacy and Church–State Relations

Secretary Rubio’s call with the Apostolic Nuncio
The State Department issued a readout of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s call with Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See to the United States. According to the readout, they discussed shared priorities and ways to deepen U.S.–Holy See relations, and Rubio expressed appreciation for the Vatican’s ongoing partnership and Pierre’s years of service.