Policy Calendar

Main Policy Calendar for 2024
National Security and Foreign Policy Calendar for 2024

MAIN POLICY CALENDAR

January

January – [Expected] Bureau of Land Management (BLM) final rule regarding conservation and multiple use of public lands.
January – [Expected] Bureau of Land Management (BLM) final rule revising regulations governing the venting and flaring of natural gas from onshore federal oil and gas leases.
January – [Expected] Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) final rule establishing a PFAS/PFOA/PFOS national primary drinking water regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
January – [Expected] The United States Patent and Trademark Office is expected to issue notices of proposed rulemaking seeking to increase patent fees and trademark fees to a level sufficient to recover its aggregate cost of operations.
January – [Expected] The Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice are expected to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking seeking to modify regulations governing eligibility for asylum and withholding of removal, focusing on claims relating to membership in a particular social group.
January – [Expected] The Department of Justice is expected to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking seeking to allow access to the NICS Indices in response to ATF inquiries in connection to law enforcement activity relating to federal explosive laws, and to allow criminal justice or other authorized agencies limited access to the NICS Indices for certain checks involving the employment of a person who will carry a firearm in performance of official duties with that agency.
January – [Expected] The Department of Justice is expected to issue a final action pursuant to the SUPPORT Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-271) to expand the practitioners eligible to prescribe medication for opioid use disorder and modify provisions governing the delivery of a controlled substance by a pharmacy to a practitioner.
January – [Expected] IRS Direct File pilot program launches to a small group of taxpayers in filing season 2024. As the filing season progresses, more and more eligible taxpayers will be able to access the service to file their 2023 tax returns.
January – [Expected] The Department of Labor is expected to issue a final rule on Independent Contractors.
January 1 – Social Security 3.2 percent COLA begins
January 1 – The IRS phased-in approach for the 1099-k form reporting requirements for 2024 requires third-party settlement organizations to report transactions of $5000 or more.
January 5 – Jobs Report
January 8 – Supreme Court session begins
January 11 – CPI Report
January 16 – Comment Period on Proposed Regulatory Capital Rule closes
January 16 – Comment Period on the proposed rule on risk-based capital surcharges for global systemically important bank holding companies closes
January 17 – Latest installment of the Fed Beige Book published
January 17 – The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in Relentless, Inc. v. Dept. of Commerce and Loper Bright Enterprises Inc. v. Raimondo – to resolve whether the court should overturn the Chevron doctrine. Since its origination in the Court’s 1984 majority decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, the Chevrondoctrine has held that federal courts must defer to federal agencies’ legal interpretations of the statutes they administer.
January 19 – Appropriations expire for Agriculture (Ag); Energy and Water (E&W); Military-Construction/Veterans (MilCon-VA); Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD) and certain supplemental activities in those jurisdictions.
January 19 – Deadline for certain health extenders, including authorization for community health centers. Other expiring health extenders are included in Title II of H.R.6363 – Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024.
January 22 – Comment period on proposed rule on requiring domestic financial institutions and domestic financial agencies to implement certain recordkeeping and reporting requirements relating to transactions involving convertible virtual currency mixing closes.
January 25 – GDP Report
January 28 – Deadline in the Biden Administration’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Executive order for: the Department of Commerce to propose reporting requirements for companies developing potential dual-use foundation models and reporting requirements for foreign use of Infrastructure as a Service; the streamlining of visa applications for AI researchers; the convening of a meeting of federal officials on discrimination by automated systems; the launch of the pilot program for the National AI Research Resource; the establishment of the Department of Health and Human Services’ AI Task Force; the Department of Transportation to direct its committees to provide advice on the use of AI in the transportation sector; and for the General Services Administration’s issuance a framework for AI and other emerging technology under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program.
January 30-31 – Federal Open Market Committee Meeting

February

February – [Expected as early as] National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) final report on the February 3, 2023 derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train in East Palestine, Ohio. The final report is expected 12-18 months after the derailment.
February 2 – Appropriations expire for Defense; Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS); Financial Services and General Government (Financial Services); Homeland Security; Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS); Legislative Branch (Leg Branch); Interior, Environment (Interior); State, Foreign Operations (SFOPS); and certain supplemental activities in those jurisdictions.
February 2 – National Flood Insurance Program reauthorization expires
February 2 – Jobs Report
February 5 – President’s FY 2025 Budget due to Congress. As noted by CRS, although the timetable as described in the Budget Act reflects the actions that make up the congressional budget process, in practice the timing of events may be influenced by various logistical, political, economic, and other factors.
February 9 – Comments due for the FDIC proposed rule on guidelines establishing standards for corporate governance and risk management for covered institutions with total consolidated assets of $10 billion or more.
February 12 – Comments due for the Federal Reserve’s proposed rule on revisions to Regulation II’s interchange fee cap
February 13 – CPI Report
February 15 – CBO submits report their economic and budget outlook to Budget Committees.
February 15 – Economic Report of the President (under regular order; ten days after submission of the budget)
February 27 – Deadline in the Biden Administration’s AI Executive order for: the modification of the J-1 Visa program and the Exchange Visitor Skills List to improve the ability of non-citizen AI researchers to work in the United States; the issuance of guidance to patent examiners and applicants to address the use of AI in inventing; the National Academies of Sciences to begin to study the risks of AI to biosecurity; the launch of a Research Coordination Network on AI by the National Science Foundation; and for the establishment of programs and guidance to attract and retain AI experts in government.
February 28 – Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in Garland v. Cargill, which asks the Court to determine whether a bump stock device is a “machinegun” as defined in 26 U.S.C. §5845.
February 28 – GDP Report

March

March – [Expected] The Department of Education is expected to promulgate a final rule concerning nondiscrimination under Title IX.
March – [Expected] U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) final ruleregarding voluntary country-of-origin labeling.
March – [Expected] Bureau of Land Management (BLM) final rule imposing additional restrictions on oil and gas development in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPRA).
March – [Expected] Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) final rule on train crew staffing, including a minimum requirement of two crewmembers for all railroad operations, with certain exceptions.
March – [Expected] Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) final rule setting more stringent greenhouse gas and multi-pollutant emissions standards for passenger cars and light- and medium-duty trucks.
March – [Expected] Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) final rule setting more stringent standards for greenhouse gas emissions from heavy-duty vehicles (i.e., delivery trucks, trash trucks, buses, and semi-trucks).
March – [Expected] Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) final rule designating PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (CERCLA, or Superfund).
March – [Expected] The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security intends to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking that would seek to exempt two types of integrated circuits from export control.
March – [Expected] The Department of Homeland Security is expected to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking which would seek to amend regulations to reduce processing times and expand access to immigrant visas for those seeking an adjustment of status to lawful permanent residence in the United States and for those receiving temporary protected status.
March – [Expected] The Department of Homeland Security is expected to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking seeking to amend regulations on self-petitions and joint filing requirements for immigrant classification for certain immigrants who have been subjected to battery or extreme cruelty by a close relative who is U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
March – [Expected] The Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security are expected to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking seeking to modify regulations regarding asylum eligibility to codify standards on the burden of proof pursuant to case law and statute and to include provisions relating to duress, lack of knowledge, and general principles as part of the regulations governing the bar on asylum applications by persecutors.
March 1 – The Office of Management and Budget’s new Circular No. A-4 goes into effect for regulatory analysis in support of proposed rules, interim final rules, and direct final rules. This Circular modifies two decades of regulatory procedure.
March 1 – The President’s Trade Policy Report is due to Congress
March 6 – Latest installment of the Fed Beige Book published
March 7 – State of the Union
March 8 – Jobs Report
March 8 – Short-term Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization expires.
March 12 – CPI Report
March 15 – MedPAC Report to Congress: Medicare Payment Policy
March 19-20 – Federal Open Market Committee Meeting
March 28 – GDP Report
March 28 – Deadline for the Biden Administration’s AI Executive order for the issuance of best practices for AI usage in government and financial institutions and the establishment of at least one AI Regional Innovation Engine by the National Science Foundation.
March 29 – Thomas Workman, Financial Stability Oversight Council (Independent Member with Insurance Expertise), term expires
March 31 – [On or before] Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) testifies before Congress

April

April – [Expected] National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) final rule establishing corporate average fuel economy (CAFÉ) standards for passenger cars and light trucks for model years 2027-2032 and heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans for model years 2030-2035.
April – [Expected] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and NOAA Fisheries final rule revising regulations for listing and delisting species and designating critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
April – [Expected] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and NOAA Fisheries final rule revising regulations governing Section 7 interagency consultations under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
April – [Expected] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) final rule reinstating its “blanket” 4(d) rules, which allowed the agency to extend protections provided to species listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (Act) to species listed as threatened. These “blanket” rules were withdrawn by the Trump Administration.
April – [Expected] Bureau of Land Management (BLM) final rule raising the cost of leasing onshore federal lands for oil and gas production.
April – [Expected] USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) final rule on animal disease traceability and electronic identification (cattle and bison).
April – [Expected] The Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice are expected to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking seeking to specify that certain nonpermanent residents may be eligible to apply for cancellation of removal without first being placed in removal proceedings.
April – [Expected] The Department of Homeland Security is expected to issue a final rule amending parole procedures for immigrants subject to expedited removal and found to have a credible fear of persecution or torture.
April – [Expected] The Department of Homeland Security is expected to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking seeking to clarify that 9-11 Response Fees will be assessed on all H-1B and L-1 extension petitions.
April – [Expected] The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice are expected to issue a final rule governing procedures for protection claims and parole procedures for certain immigrants subject to expedited removal and found to have a credible fear of persecution, as well as requiring the referral of immigrants who are denied parole to the Executive Office of Immigration Review for streamlined removal proceedings.
April – [Expected] The Food and Drug Administration is expected to publish a final rule regarding laboratory developed tests (LDTs)
April 1 – Trustees Reports on the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds are due to Congress
April 1 – Last day for Senate Budget Committee to report a budget resolution.
April 1 – Final Rule on Regulation BB – Community Reinvestment Act becomes effective.
April 1 – Final Rule on special assessment to recover the loss to the Deposit Insurance Fund becomes effective
April 5 – Jobs Report
April 10 – CPI Report
April 15 – Last day for Senate Budget Committee to complete action on a budget resolution.
April 17 – Latest installment of the Fed Beige Book published
April 19 – Title VII of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) expires
April 25 – GDP Report
April 27 – Deadline in the Biden Administration’s AI Executive order for: the proposal of regulations to require American Infrastructure as a Service providers to verify the identity of foreign purchasers; the establishment of a pilot project to use AI to discover and remedy weaknesses in government software and systems; the issuance by the Department of Homeland Security of guidance for the adoption of the NIST AI Risk Management Framework by critical infrastructure providers; the clarification and modernization of immigration pathways for AI experts and the H-1B program; the development of AI-related IP risk training; the development of guidance acquisition, using, and hiring related to AI; the evaluation the threat of AI with regard to chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear threats; and reporting by various agencies on how AI affects their policy purviews.
April 30 – Under Section 102 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), if “on or after January 1, 2024 there is in effect an Act making continuing appropriations for part of fiscal year 2024 for any discretionary budget account,” the FRA’s discretionary spending caps for FY 2024 would be revised to FY 2023 levels minus one percent, and those caps would be enforced via sequestration order from the President on April 30, 2024. However, under the FRA, a sequester would not occur if Congress passes full year appropriations bills before April 29, 2024.
April 30-May 1 – Federal Open Market Committee Meeting
April-May – [Expected] 2^nd Global AI Safety Summit in South Korea

May

May – [Expected] The Department of Education is expected to issue proposed rules on a new student loan forgiveness plan.
May 3 – Jobs Report
May 15 – CPI Report
May 15 – Annual appropriations bills may be considered in the House (under regular order).
May 29 – Latest installment of the Fed Beige Book published
May 30 – GDP Report
May 31 – Office of Financial Stability and Office of Financial Research report due

June

June – [Expected] NOAA Fisheries final rule designating critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for Rice’s whales in the Gulf of Mexico.
June – [Expected] The Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice are expected to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking seeking to rescind Trump-era bars to asylum eligibility and procedures.
June – [Expected] The Department of Homeland Security is expected to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking seeking to clarify that refugee applicants aged fourteen or older must appear for an inquiry which includes, but is not limited to, an interview by an immigration officer.
June – [Expected] The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is expected to publish a final rule regarding the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program
June 7 – Jobs Report
June 10 – House Appropriations Committee reports last annual appropriation bill (under regular order).
June 11-12 – Federal Open Market Committee Meeting
June 12 – CPI Report
June 15 – Congress completes action on reconciliation legislation (under regular order).
June 15 – MedPAC Report to Congress: Medicare and the Health Delivery System
June 15 – MACPAC Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP
June 26 – Deadline in the Biden Administration’s AI Executive order for the Department of Commerce to report on existing standards, tools, methods, and practices for authenticating content and for the National Science Foundation to engage with agencies to adopt privacy enhancing technologies.
June 27 – GDP Report
June 30 – House completes action on annual appropriation bills (under regular order).

July

July 11 – CPI Report
July 15-18 – Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
July 17 – Latest installment of the Fed Beige Book published
July 20 – [On or before] Fed semi-annual report to Congress
July 25 – GDP Report
July 26 – The Summer Olympics begin in Paris, France, and continue through August 11.
July 26 – Deadline in the Biden Administration’s AI Executive order for: the release of guidance and risk management best practices by the Department of Commerce regarding generative AI; the solicitation of input by the Department of Commerce regarding regulations for open-source AI; the issuance of guidance to patent examiners regarding AI; the issuance of recommendations relating to copyright and AI; the issuance of recommendations by the Department of Justice on the use of AI by law enforcement; reporting on prior AI pilot projects on vulnerabilities of government systems to AI and the risks of AI for nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological threats; and the issuance of guidance on the examination of data misuse within the government.
July 30-31 – Federal Open Market Committee Meeting

August

August 2 – Jobs Report
August 14 – CPI Report
August 19-22 – Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois
August 29 – GDP Report
August 29 – Office of Financial Stability and Office of Financial Research report due

September

September 4 – Latest installment of the Fed Beige Book published
September 6 – Jobs Report
September 11 – CPI Report
September 17-18 – Federal Open Market Committee Meeting
September 26 – GDP Report
September 30 – Last day of fiscal year
September 30 – Most Farm Bill provisions expire. These provisions were extended in the second Fiscal Year 2024 Continuing Resolution (CR).

October

October – [Expected] The Department of Homeland Security is expected to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking seeking to modify rules for employment authorization of dependent spouses of nonimmigrants; expand flexibility for certain nonimmigrant workers, including those terminated from employment; and modernizing policies and procedures for Employment Authorization Documents.
October 4 – Jobs Report
October 7 – Beginning of Supreme Court’s new term (OT 2024).
October 10 – CPI Report
October 10 – 2025 Social Security COLA is determined
October 15 – Secretary of the Treasury written report on international economic policy to Congress
October 23 – Latest installment of the Fed Beige Book published
October 29 – Deadline in the Biden Administration’s AI Executive order for: the establishment of the Department of Commerce’s differential privacy guarantee protections guidelines; reporting by the Department of Justice on the use of AI in the criminal justice system and the ability of the Department to investigate deprivation of rights by AI; the establishment by the Department of Health and Human Services of regulations on AI clinical errors and AI-assisted drug development; the issuance of guidance by the Department of Labor on to prevent AI-based discriminatory hiring by federal contractors; the development of resources and guidance for the use of AI in education; the beginning of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ AI Tech Sprint Competition; and the Department of State’s publication of the AI in Global Development Playbook and the Global AI Research Agenda.
October 30 – GDP Report

November

November – [Expected] 3^rd Global AI Summit in France
November 1 – Jobs Report
November 5 – Election Day
November 6-7 – Federal Open Market Committee Meeting
November 11 – Final effective date of joint rule from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, regarding prescribing of controlled substances via telemedicine and providing certain exceptions to the Ryan Haight Act
November 11 - 24 – 29^th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
November 13 – CPI Report
November 27 – GDP Report
November 29 – Office of Financial Stability and Office of Financial Research report due

December

December – [Expected] The Department of Education is expected to issue proposed rules concerning antisemitism.
December 4 – Latest installment of the Fed Beige Book published
December 6 – Jobs Report
December 11 – CPI Report
December 16 – Jason Kearns, United States Trade Commission Member, term expires
December 17-18 – Federal Open Market Committee Meeting
December 19 – GDP Report
December 31 – Glen S. Fukushima, a Director of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, term expires
December 31 – Debt limit, as specified in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, suspension ends
December 31 – Certain energy tax provisions expire. See here.

Final Rules Previously Expected but Not Yet Published

December 2023 – USDA Animal and Marketing Service (AMS) final rule revising regulations under the Packers and Stockyards Act regarding actions taken by meat and poultry companies that USDA considers unfair, preferential, unjustly discriminatory, or deceptive.
December 2023 – NOAA Fisheries final rule amending the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction regulations to expand vessel speed restrictions along the Atlantic Coast.
December 2023 – U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) final rule on energy conservation standards for consumer conventional cooking products (including gas stoves).
December 2023 – Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) final rule lowering the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for annual particulate matter (PM_2.5).

Background on Reoccurring Economic Reports

The Jobs Report, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, provides a monthly account of employment in the U.S. Indicators to watch for: nonfarm payrolls (jobs), the unemployment rate, average hourly earnings (wages), and the labor force participation rate.
CPI Report, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, provides measures of inflation across geographies and goods/services. Indicators to watch for: CPI-U (overall inflation), and Core CPI-U (inflation net food and energy inflation).
GDP Report, published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, provides a measure of U.S. economic growth via gross domestic product (GDP). Indicators to watch for: GDP, personal consumption expenditures (consumer spending), gross private domestic investment (housing and business investment), and government consumption expenditures and gross investment (government spending).
Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) Meeting convenes members of the Federal Reserve System to set interest rate policy. Indicators to watch for: The Federal Funds Rate (interest rate), and Summary of Economic Projections (if provided).
Beige Book published by the Federal Reserve Board, provides anecdotal information on the current economic conditions across the twelve Federal Reserve districts.

NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOREIGN POLICY CALENDAR