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August 2025

34 entries from August 2025.

Aug 29

EPA fired at least 8 probationary employees who signed dissent letter, overriding internal First Amendment warning

Beginning August 29, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fired at least eight probationary employees who had signed a June 2025 "declaration of dissent" criticizing Administrator Lee Zeldin's policies as reversing scientific progress and endangering public health. An EPA assistant general counsel warned in writing beforehand that the firings would "present significant legal risk" because the letter was "likely protected speech under the First Amendment," but the agency proceeded. Targeted employees were still in probationary periods, stripping them of Merit Systems Protection Board appeal rights.

Aug 28

Trump signed EO 14343 stripping collective bargaining from NASA, National Weather Service and Patent Office workers

President Trump signed Executive Order 14343 on August 28, 2025, extending his earlier March 2025 order to remove collective bargaining rights from employees at NASA, the National Weather Service, the Patent and Trademark Office, and several other agencies under a "national security" rationale. The order targeted agencies with no primary national security mission, and union leaders said it was explicit retaliation against organizations — including IFPTE and NWSEO — that had filed lawsuits challenging Trump's March executive order.

ICE agents falsely charged Francisco Longoria with assaulting officers to cover up their unlawful shooting, jailing him three months

Twelve days after ICE and CBP agents fired at his truck during an unlawful, warrantless stop, federal agents conducted a pre-dawn raid on Francisco Longoria's home on August 28, 2025 and charged him with assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, alleging he had "weaponized" his truck. Longoria, who had no prior criminal record, was held at the Adelanto ICE detention facility for approximately three months. At his bond hearing, the U.S. attorney acknowledged he could not identify any lawful basis for the original stop or any injuries to officers; the felony charge was dropped September 17, 2025, but Longoria remained in immigration detention until early December 2025.

Trump directed DOJ to investigate federal grantees for lobbying and partisan activity, targeting advocacy organizations

President Trump signed a presidential memorandum on August 28, 2025, directing the Attorney General to investigate whether federal grant funds are being used for lobbying or partisan political activity, with a report due in 180 days. The memo, titled "Use of Appropriated Funds for Illegal Lobbying and Partisan Political Activity by Federal Grantees," cited the Byrd Amendment but framed the investigation scope to include political and advocacy activity broader than what the statute covers. Legal observers noted the memo's "partisan political activity" language creates a chilling effect on civil society organizations that receive federal funding while engaging in policy advocacy.

Wyoming became the first state to hand the Justice Department its voters' driver's license and partial Social Security numbers

On August 28, 2025, Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray transmitted the state's complete voter registration list, including driver's license numbers and partial Social Security numbers, to the U.S. Department of Justice in response to a June 2025 DOJ request, making Wyoming the first state to fully comply with the department's nationwide voter-roll collection campaign. The transfer drew little public attention until Wyoming Democrats and the League of Women Voters of Wyoming criticized it after DOJ's broader voter-data campaign drew national scrutiny.

Aug 27

Pentagon authorized up to 600 military JAG lawyers to serve as temporary immigration judges

On August 27, 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo authorizing the Department of Defense to detail up to 600 Judge Advocate General lawyers to serve as temporary immigration judges under the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review on assignments of up to 179 days. The authorization followed the DOJ's removal of the prior-immigration-experience requirement for temporary judges. Military JAGs would receive approximately two weeks of training before serving; the first cohort of five was sworn in on May 20, 2026, in the largest investiture class in EOIR history.

Aug 25

Trump fired Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, citing FHFA director's pretextual mortgage fraud allegation

President Trump removed Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook on August 25, 2025, posting a termination letter to Truth Social citing his Article II authority and a "criminal referral" by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte alleging Cook committed mortgage fraud before joining the Fed. The Federal Reserve Act permits removal of Board governors only "for cause," a provision designed to protect the central bank's independence from short-term political pressure. A federal court subsequently found Cook had made a strong showing that the removal violated the statute's cause requirement.

Pentagon installed Adm. Daryl Caudle as Chief of Naval Operations after he signaled loyalty to Hegseth's anti-diversity agenda

On August 25, 2025, Admiral Daryl Caudle was sworn in as the 34th Chief of Naval Operations, filling a vacancy created when Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth fired his predecessor in February 2025. A New York Times investigation published July 26, 2026 revealed that Caudle was selected because he had signaled support for Hegseth's anti-diversity agenda, and that Tim Parlatore — Hegseth's personal attorney and Pentagon special adviser — had represented Caudle during the promotion process, a conflict Hegseth denied to Congress when asked directly.

Trump signed EO 14341 directing AG to prosecute flag burning despite Supreme Court rulings protecting it as free speech

President Trump signed Executive Order 14341 on August 25, 2025, directing the Attorney General to prioritize prosecution of flag burning under any available criminal or civil law, despite Supreme Court rulings in Texas v. Johnson (1989) and United States v. Eichman (1990) holding that flag desecration is constitutionally protected political speech. The order explicitly acknowledges the Supreme Court precedent but instructs the AG to pursue prosecution using content-neutral laws as a workaround and to litigate to narrow First Amendment protections. The order also directs immigration officials to deny or revoke visas and naturalization for foreign nationals who burn the American flag.

Aug 22

HHS de-recognized union contracts at CDC, FDA, and other agencies, stripping collective bargaining rights

The Department of Health and Human Services moved on August 22, 2025, to de-recognize all collective bargaining agreements covering workers at the CDC, FDA, and other HHS divisions, stripping thousands of federal public health employees of union rights. The action implemented a Trump labor-management executive order, making HHS the latest agency in a rolling campaign that had already reached the VA on August 6 and the EPA on August 8. The American Federation of Government Employees condemned the action as an illegal decertification of unions.

FBI searched home and office of former national security adviser Bolton; Trump privately directed investigation toward vocal critic

On August 22, 2025, FBI agents searched the Maryland home and Washington office of former national security adviser John Bolton as part of a classified-information investigation. Bolton, a vocal Trump critic since leaving the administration in 2019, was not detained and no charges were filed at the time. The Washington Post reported that Trump had privately pointed a finger at Bolton in the days immediately preceding the raids, while the Biden-era Justice Department had reviewed the same underlying materials and declined to prosecute.

Aug 21

Rubio halted all new worker visas for commercial truck drivers via social media post, citing undocumented driver accident

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on August 21, 2025, via a post on X that the State Department was immediately pausing all new worker visa issuances for commercial truck drivers across all nationalities and visa categories, including H-2B, E-2, and EB-3. Rubio cited the August 12 fatal crash on Florida's Turnpike, in which the driver accused of causing three deaths was identified as undocumented — not a visa holder — as justification for suspending the legal immigration pathway. The pause was announced with no advance notice, no rulemaking, and no defined end date, affecting an industry already experiencing a significant labor shortage.

Aug 20

Sandy Springs, Ga. reserve sergeant terminated for misusing Flock cameras to benefit private company

Sandy Springs, Georgia terminated reserve Sgt. Francis Esposito, effective August 20, 2025, after an internal affairs investigation found he used his department Flock Safety license-plate-reader login to run searches connected to Signal 8, a startup he separately worked for, and failed to cooperate with investigators. The department's termination letter cited abuse of position and authority; Signal 8 denies receiving any Flock data from Esposito, and the case has been referred to Georgia's Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.

Aug 19

USCIS added undefined 'anti-Americanism' as disqualifying factor in all immigration benefit adjudications

On August 19, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updated its Policy Manual via Policy Alert PA-2025-16, designating "anti-Americanism" and "antisemitic activity" as "overwhelmingly negative" discretionary factors in every category of immigration benefit adjudication — green cards, work visas, naturalization, and humanitarian protections. The term "anti-Americanism" was left undefined in the update, the Immigration and Nationality Act, and any accompanying officer guidance, granting adjudicators unbounded discretion to deny immigration benefits based on applicants' perceived political speech, beliefs, or associations.

Aug 16

ICE and CBP agents fired three shots at Francisco Longoria's truck during a warrantless San Bernardino stop

On August 16, 2025, ICE and CBP agents in unmarked vehicles stopped Francisco Longoria's work truck in San Bernardino without a warrant or identification, smashed both side windows, and fired three rounds at the vehicle as Longoria drove away in fear for his life. No one was struck. CBP's own use-of-force policy prohibits shooting at a vehicle merely fleeing agents absent a reasonable belief that deadly force is being used against them or others. Longoria's family later sued the government over the shooting as part of a documented pattern of ICE and CBP use-of-force incidents.

Aug 15

OPM directed federal health carriers to exclude gender-affirming care from FEHB, PSHB coverage

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management issued FEHB Program Carrier Letter 2025-01b on August 15, 2025, directing all Federal Employees Health Benefits and Postal Service Health Benefits carriers to exclude coverage for hormone treatments and surgical procedures tied to gender transition, effective Plan Year 2026. On August 3, 2026, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and federal employees filed a class-action lawsuit alleging the exclusion violates Title VII's sex-discrimination protections.

Federal grand jury indicted New Orleans Mayor Cantrell for using city bodyguard on taxpayer-funded personal trips

On August 15, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell on 18 counts including conspiracy, wire fraud, and obstruction of justice, alleging a years-long scheme in which she used her city-assigned bodyguard, former NOPD officer Jeffrey Vappie, for personal purposes while he was paid on the clock — including more than $70,000 in taxpayer-funded travel to Scotland, Martha's Vineyard, and Napa Valley — and then conspired to delete evidence and lie to federal investigators and the grand jury to conceal the relationship. Cantrell and Vappie both pleaded not guilty at an arraignment on September 10, 2025. As of this writing, trial is scheduled for March 15, 2027.

Aug 14

United States and Paraguay signed Safe Third Country Agreement at State Department

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Paraguay's Foreign Minister signed a Safe Third Country Agreement on August 14, 2025, allowing asylum seekers in the U.S. to pursue protection claims in Paraguay instead. A February 2026 addendum expanded the deal beyond asylum seekers to third-country nationals generally, and Paraguay has since rejected several proposed transferees for failing documentation checks.

AG Bondi installed DEA administrator as DC 'emergency police commissioner' with authority over MPD chief; administration retreated after lawsuit

On August 14, 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a directive naming DEA Administrator Terry Cole as Washington D.C.'s "emergency police commissioner," ordering that the Metropolitan Police Department must receive Cole's approval before issuing any operational orders—effectively placing a federal official with no local jurisdiction above the elected city government's police chief. The DC Attorney General filed suit, and within 24 hours the Trump administration backed down, revising Cole's role to Bondi's "designee" and restoring the MPD chief's operational authority. No statute authorizes the U.S. Attorney General to appoint a police commissioner for the District of Columbia.

U.S. Department of Energy adopted blanket "still interested" FOIA policy, closing pending public-records requests

On August 14, 2025, the U.S. Department of Energy published a Federal Register notice requiring requesters with pending Freedom of Information Act requests filed before October 1, 2024 to reaffirm interest within roughly 30 days or have their requests administratively closed. American Oversight sued, and on August 5, 2026 a federal judge vacated the policy as exceeding DOE's statutory authority.

U.S. Border Patrol staged politically motivated show of force at Gov. Newsom's press conference

On August 14, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol agents led by Sector Chief Gregory Bovino massed outside a Los Angeles press conference where Gov. Gavin Newsom was announcing California's response to federal redistricting efforts, deploying agents in tactical gear as the event got underway. A Homeland Security Investigations agent later testified under oath, and texted a colleague, that the operation was purely political and a stunt targeting Newsom rather than genuine immigration enforcement, contradicting DHS's contemporaneous denial that agents were focused on Newsom. Court filings unsealed in July 2026, reported by the Los Angeles Times and confirmed by Gov. Newsom's office, corroborated the political motive behind the operation.

Aug 12

Air Force stripped transgender troops' separation boards of discretion, barred recording of proceedings

On August 12, 2025, the Air Force issued a memo -- announced August 15 -- directing that transgender service members diagnosed with gender dysphoria must be recommended for separation by administrative boards, eliminating the boards' prior discretion to retain them based on fitness and performance. The memo also barred recording of the separation-board proceedings, preventing an independent transcript. A New York Times investigation published August 3, 2026 found the closed-door process has resulted in near-uniform separation recommendations, with one military lawyer who has represented 28 transgender troops saying she had lost 27 of the 28 cases.

Aug 11

Trump signed EO 14333 federalizing DC Metropolitan Police under Home Rule Act; deploys 800 National Guard to city at 30-year crime low

On August 11, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14333, invoking Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act for the first time in the law's nearly 50-year history to transfer operational control of the Metropolitan Police Department from the elected D.C. government to federal authority. Simultaneously, Trump deployed 800 D.C. National Guard troops and redirected FBI, DEA, ATF, ICE, and HSI agents to patrol under U.S. Park Police authority, despite D.C. recording its lowest crime levels in 30 years.

Aug 8

AG Bondi opened DOJ investigations into Sen. Adam Schiff and NY AG Letitia James, appointing Trump ally Ed Martin as special attorney for both probes

On August 8, 2025, Attorney General Pamela Bondi formally opened Department of Justice investigations into Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and New York Attorney General Letitia James — both prominent Trump critics — appointing conservative activist and former interim D.C. U.S. Attorney Ed Martin as special attorney to lead both probes. The referrals came exclusively from FHFA Director Bill Pulte, a Trump loyalist with no prosecutorial background, who alleged mortgage fraud by each official. Prosecutors subsequently found insufficient evidence to bring charges and the Schiff probe stalled.

Aug 7

Trump signed EO 14332, placing political appointees as sole gatekeepers over all federal discretionary grants

On August 7, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14332, requiring all federal agencies to appoint senior political appointees as sole gatekeepers with approval authority over every new discretionary grant announcement, reducing peer review panels to advisory status. The order prohibits federal funding for programs using racial preferences, rejecting binary sex classifications, supporting immigration assistance, or promoting undefined "anti-American values." A "termination for convenience" provision permits agencies to retroactively cancel any existing grant that no longer aligns with "agency priorities."

Trump ordered NCES to collect race-disaggregated admissions data from colleges, bypassing required APA notice-and-comment

On August 7, 2025, President Trump issued a presidential memorandum directing the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics to collect race- and sex-disaggregated admissions data from colleges nationwide, requiring institutions to report seven years of applicant, admissions, and enrollment records to verify they were not using race as a factor in decisions. The directive imposed a presidentially mandated 120-day deadline that caused NCES to skip the Administrative Procedure Act's required notice-and-comment rulemaking process. A coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general subsequently challenged the mandate, and a federal judge later found the rollout "rushed and chaotic."

Trump directed the Education Department to collect college race-admissions data in 120 days, bypassing notice-and-comment rulemaking

On August 7, 2025, President Trump signed a presidential memorandum directing the Department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics to expand IPEDS reporting requirements to collect data from colleges purporting to show they are not using race as a factor in admissions, imposing a 120-day deadline to initiate enhanced reporting for the 2025–2026 school year. The accelerated timeline forced NCES to skip the legally required federal notice-and-comment rulemaking process. A coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general sued, and on April 3, 2026, U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV (D. Mass.) granted a preliminary injunction blocking the mandate for public universities in the plaintiff states, finding the rollout "rushed and chaotic" and that the presidentially-imposed deadline had caused NCES to bypass required administrative procedure.

IRS disclosed 47,000 taxpayers' addresses to ICE under an April 2025 data-sharing deal, later found unlawful in 42,695 cases

On August 7, 2025, the IRS disclosed the last-known addresses of approximately 47,000 taxpayers to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, responding to a June 27, 2025 ICE request for 1.28 million records under an April 2025 data-sharing agreement signed by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Of the addresses disclosed, 90.3% were matched and released through an automated process that never independently verified the addresses ICE had supplied, as Section 6103 requires. A federal judge later found the IRS had violated the statute approximately 42,695 times.

Aug 6

VA Secretary Collins terminated collective bargaining for 80% of VA's 400,000-person workforce

On August 6, 2025, VA Secretary Doug Collins terminated the Department of Veterans Affairs' collective bargaining agreements with most of its federal unions — including AFGE, NAGE, NFFE, NNOC/NNU, and SEIU — stripping roughly 80% of the agency's 400,000-person workforce of collectively bargained workplace protections. The VA acted under a Trump executive order declaring union contracts a national security threat, and did so while appearing to disregard OPM's own guidance on implementation.

Aug 5

Trump fired six of seven Puerto Rico financial oversight board members without cause

On August 5, 2025, the Trump White House terminated five members of Puerto Rico's seven-member Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) — the body Congress created under PROMESA to oversee the territory's fiscal recovery — without stating cause, and fired a sixth member, Andrew Biggs, eight days later after he publicly defended his ousted colleagues. Three of the six sued, and on September 1, 2026, a federal judge made a preliminary injunction permanent, ruling the removals "plainly contrary to law" for lacking cause, notice, or any opportunity to respond.

Aug 3

USDA solicited donations up to $500K each from four firms with pending federal matters for Secretary Rollins's discretionary fund

A July 2, 2026 House Natural Resources Committee Democratic staff oversight report found that Chobani, Visa, John Deere, and Tractor Supply each contributed between $100,000 and $499,999 to a "Secretary's Priorities" fund controlled by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, routed through the congressionally chartered National Forest Foundation, to help stage the Great American Farmers Market held on the National Mall August 3–8, 2025. At the time of the donations each company had matters pending before the federal government: Visa was fighting a Justice Department antitrust suit, John Deere a Federal Trade Commission antitrust suit, and the market used commodities derived from SNAP and child-nutrition food-donation accounts. Planning agendas obtained by committee investigators showed Rollins's staff intended to solicit event donations from companies with business before the government.

Aug 1

Trump fired BLS Commissioner McEntarfer hours after weak jobs report, accusing her without evidence of rigging data

On August 1, 2025, President Trump fired Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer via Truth Social hours after BLS released a jobs report showing only 73,000 nonfarm jobs added in July, below market expectations. Trump publicly accused McEntarfer of manipulating the data "to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad," despite the fact that commissioners do not produce employment estimates and McEntarfer did not see the report until shortly before its public release. McEntarfer had been confirmed 86-0 by the Senate, including then-Senator JD Vance, and was serving a statutory four-year term.

New Hampshire Gov. Ayotte signed HB377 banning puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors

On August 1, 2025, New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed House Bill 377 into law, prohibiting healthcare providers from prescribing puberty blockers and hormone therapy to transgender minors under 18, with an exception for minors already receiving such treatment. The New Hampshire General Court passed the bill 202-161 in the House and 16-8 in the Senate on the conference report. The law took effect January 1, 2026, making New Hampshire the first state in New England to ban this category of gender-affirming care for minors.

New Hampshire Gov. Ayotte signed HB712 banning gender-affirming surgeries for transgender minors

On August 1, 2025, New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed House Bill 712 into law, banning gender-affirming chest surgeries for transgender minors under 18, with an exception allowing minors already receiving care to continue. The law was signed alongside companion bill HB377, a puberty-blocker and hormone-therapy ban, together making New Hampshire the first state in New England to ban gender-affirming care for minors. It took effect January 1, 2026, and authorizes board-of-medicine discipline and civil suits by affected minors against providers.