The Center Square reporters discuss President Trump's first year of his second term.

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The Center Square staff discuss the developments in Trump's tariff policies throughout 2025.

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(The Center Square) -- Ohio's elected leaders have earmarked more than $16 million to commemorate the nation's 250th birthday next year – significantly more than some of the first U.S. states. And they have committed those funds over the course of five years to a commission that is outside of typical state oversight and that is spending significant amounts of money on projects that are not directly related to the country's founding, according a Center Square review.

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Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/ohio/article_e21fab01-fd15-4a99-a135-c5267aea7eef.html

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(The Center Square) – The U.S. House passed the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act in a party line, 216-211, vote Wednesday, sending the bill to its likely demise in the Senate. The bill, which will almost certainly fail to reach the Senate’s 60-vote threshold, is Republicans’ alternative to extending enhancements to the Obamacare Premium Tax Credit. Congress temporarily expanded the PTC during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its reversion to original pre-pandemic levels will partially contribute to rising premiums in 2026.

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(The Center Square) – In what is likely his final address to the nation of the year, President Donald Trump touted what he said were his accomplishments, and previewed some policies to come in the new year. The president spent a significant amount of time in his 18-minute address discussing affordability, which has taken center stage in recent weeks as he and Vice President JD Vance have been highlighting the administration’s policies trying to bring down costs, one of the central themes of his campaign.

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Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_647a5dba-1cb4-4b69-b210-2bbf9f99bd11.html

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(The Center Square) – The Trump administration has proposed $12 billion in federal aid to American farmers, with many undergoing what Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins described as an economic crisis. The Department of Agriculture will deliver the aid through one-time direct payments under its new Farmer Bridge Assistance program, meant to carry farmers from their current struggles to a “golden age for agriculture” the administration has promised. Payments will be released by Feb. 28, 2026, but farmers who qualify and apply will know what they’re getting by the end of December, according to Rollins.

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(The Center Square) – U.S. House members advanced the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, the must-pass annual Pentagon funding bill, in a 312-112 vote Wednesday. The roughly $901 billion compromise legislation, which now heads to the Senate, is $8 billion more than the White House requested, but $24 billion less than the Senate’s version of the bill.

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(The Center Square) – Amid a national housing crisis, the Biden administration’s Department of Housing and Urban Development produced guidelines encouraging property owners to forgo some fair housing practices to favor Afghan refugees, the Trump administration argues in a new directive terminating previous guidelines. The Center Square obtained a HUD directive from the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity rescinding the guidance document, “Operation Allies Welcome: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Fair Housing Issues” and withdrawing from a FHEO guidance document “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Renting to Refugees and Eligible Newcomers,” which the agency claims violates the Fair Housing Act.

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