Congress has long struggled to pass spending bills on time
If Congress passes the Oct. 1 deadline without either a new set of spending bills or a continuing resolution, nonessential operations would be forced to shut down.
Drew DeSilver
Publications
In the U.S., 180 days of school is most common, but length of school day varies by state
School has started in most of the United States. On average, K-12 public schools will be in session close to 180 days this year.
‘Back to school’ means anytime from late July to after Labor Day, depending on where in the U.S. you live
Most K-12 students at U.S. public schools have a school year of about 180 days, but when that year starts and ends varies substantially by region.
What the data says about food stamps in the U.S.
The food stamp program is one of the larger federal social welfare initiatives, and in its current form has been around for nearly six decades.
Private, selective colleges are most likely to use race, ethnicity as a factor in admissions decisions
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to limit affirmative action in higher education is likely to have the biggest impact on a relatively small group of schools.
In places where same-sex marriages are legal, how many married same-sex couples are there?
In 24 places where detailed statistics are available, same-sex marriages in recent years have ranged from less than 1% to 3.4% of all marriages.
A Biden-Trump faceoff in 2024 wouldn’t be the first presidential rematch
If a Biden-Trump rematch comes about in 2024, it would be the seventh presidential rematch in U.S. history, and the first since the 1950s.
Narrow majorities in U.S. House have become more common but haven’t always led to gridlock
House Republicans held the fifth-smallest majority in U.S. history at the start of the current congress, tied with the 107th and 83rd Congresses.
Who pays, and doesn’t pay, federal income taxes in the U.S.?
Since 2000, there has been a downward trend in average effective tax rates for all but the richest taxpayers.
Most U.S. bank failures have come in a few big waves
After two of the largest U.S. banks collapsed in March, some have started to wonder if a new widespread banking crisis is coming.
