Federal Actions Signal Shift in Education and Procurement

2025-03-20

The Tapestry of Change by DALL-E 3

Federal Actions Signal Shift in Education and Procurement

Bread and Circus: The Complete Record of American Governance

Today’s newsletter covers official U.S. government happenings from the executive, legislative, and judicial branches yesterday, as well as key economic indicators. Below, you’ll find concise summaries of each document, with links to the original sources for further reading.

What Happened Yesterday:

🦅 Executive Branch: 4 documents (3 Presidential Actions, 1 Rule)
🏛️ Legislative Branch: No activity
⚖️ Judicial Branch: No activity
📊 Economic Indicators: 2 documents (2 Bureau of Labor Statistics press releases)
Total words condensed: 13,416 into 970

The Big Picture

Recent actions by the U.S. government reflect a significant shift towards consolidating federal operations and enhancing domestic production capabilities. President Trump’s orders on March 20, 2025, to streamline procurement through the General Services Administration and to boost mineral production aim to reduce waste and reliance on foreign resources. This is particularly relevant as the U.S. seeks to strengthen its economic independence and national security. The closure of the Department of Education also marks a drastic change in federal education policy, transferring control back to local communities in response to persistent challenges in student performance, with 70% of 8th graders struggling with reading and 72% with math.

Internationally, the extension of flight prohibitions in Libya until March 20, 2028, underscores ongoing safety concerns in unstable regions. This decision impacts U.S. airlines and pilots, limiting their operations in areas where conflict poses risks. The connection between domestic policy changes and international safety measures highlights a broader strategy of prioritizing national security and economic stability. As the government implements these policies, the focus on job creation and economic resilience will be critical, especially in light of mixed employment trends reported in January 2025, where job openings increased in some states while separations rose in others.

Pattern to Watch

A notable trend emerging from recent developments is the government’s push for increased domestic production and reduced federal oversight, particularly in education and procurement. The consolidation of procurement processes and the closure of the Department of Education suggest a shift towards empowering local entities and minimizing federal involvement. This is reflected in the job market, where states like Arizona and Vermont are seeing job openings rise, while others face higher separations. Continued monitoring of employment statistics and the effectiveness of these policy changes will be essential to gauge their impact on economic stability and job security in the coming months.

🦅 Executive Branch

White House

On March 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an order to make buying common goods and services for the government more efficient by having one main agency, the General Services Administration (GSA), handle these purchases instead of many different agencies doing it separately. This change affects all federal agencies that spend about $490 billion a year on these goods and services. It matters because it aims to save taxpayer money by reducing waste and making sure that government agencies can focus better on their main jobs of serving the public. Read full document →
On March 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an order to boost the production of important minerals in the United States. This order affects companies and workers in the mining and manufacturing industries, as it aims to speed up the process of getting permits to mine and produce minerals like copper, gold, and uranium. This is important because it helps create jobs, supports the economy, and reduces the country’s reliance on minerals from other countries, which can be risky for national security. Read full document →
On March 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an order to close the U.S. Department of Education, which has been in charge of federal education programs since 1979. This action affects students, parents, and teachers across the country because it aims to give more control over education back to state and local communities. The order says that federal education programs have not been working well, with 70% of 8th graders not reading well and 72% not doing well in math. By closing the department, the president believes it will help improve education for children and reduce the federal government’s role in schools. Read full document →

Federal Register

The U.S. government has made a new rule that stops certain flights in Libya for three more years, until March 20, 2028. This rule affects U.S. airlines, commercial operators, and pilots who have FAA certificates, meaning they cannot fly in Libya’s airspace unless they are working for a foreign airline. This is important because it helps keep people safe by preventing flights in an area where there are ongoing dangers, like fighting and unstable conditions, which could put passengers and crews at risk. Read full document →

🏛️ Legislative Branch

No activity today.

⚖️ Judicial Branch

No activity today.

📊 Economic Indicators

Bureau of Labor Statistics

In January 2025, job openings went up in three states, like Arizona and Vermont, by 1.4 percentage points, while they went down in Delaware by 1.1 points. The number of people hired dropped in 12 states, with Nevada seeing the biggest drop of 30,000 hires. Total separations, which means people leaving jobs, increased in seven states, with Colorado having 47,000 more separations. This shows that while some states are creating more job openings, many people are also leaving their jobs, which can make it harder for people to find stable work. This matters to everyday people because it affects their job security and the chances of finding a good job in their area. Read full document →
In 2024, the unemployment rate for all veterans was 3.0 percent, which stayed the same as the previous year, while the rate for veterans who served after September 2001 was 3.2 percent, also unchanged. This means that veterans are generally finding jobs more easily than nonveterans, who had a higher unemployment rate of 3.9 percent. Among veterans, men had a lower unemployment rate of 2.9 percent compared to women at 3.5 percent. This information shows that veterans, especially men, are doing well in the job market, which is important because it helps support their families and communities. Understanding these numbers helps everyday people see how veterans are faring in the economy and highlights the need for continued support for their job opportunities. Read full document →

Sources Covered Today

White House: Eliminating Waste and Saving Taxpayer Dollars by Consolidating Procurement
White House: Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production
White House: Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities
Federal Register: Extension of the Prohibition Against Certain Flights in the Territory and Airspace of Libya
BLS: State Job Openings and Labor Turnover
BLS: Employment Situation of Veterans

All U.S. Government Activity Yesterday:

Presidential actions issued: 3
Regulations: 1
Bills presented to president: 0
Bills that became law: 0
Supreme Court opinions issued: 0
Supreme Court oral arguments: 0

This is your daily record of history unfolding — no spin, just facts. For 341,499,876 people in the United States, this was yesterday.

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