Manufacturing and packaging businesses are calling on Congress to pass legislation that would keep consumers informed about what types of product packaging are recyclable, compostable and reusable while avoiding a harmful patchwork of state regulations.
The National Association of Manufacturers is part of an AMERIPEN-led coalition lobbying lawmakers to push through the PACK Act, a bipartisan measure that directs the Federal Trade Commission to set up a national standard for the labels.
The legislation was discussed recently at a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade hearing on solidifying consumer protections.
Advocates of the PACK Act said it’s important because state regulations are inconsistent about which packaging types and materials are “recyclable,” “compostable” and “reusable” and have confused consumers and made interstate commerce more difficult.
“Manufacturers strongly support the bipartisan Packaging and Claims Knowledge PACK Act,” said NAM Vice President of Domestic Policy Chris Phalen.
NAM said a hodgepodge of state labeling requirements, thresholds and definitions for environmental marketing claims also increases production, logistics and compliance costs for manufacturers.
“A uniform national standard for recyclable, compostable and reusable claims on consumer packaging will provide manufacturers with the certainty and clarity they need to compete across state lines, while helping consumers and businesses manage packaging materials.”
Cheers for Education Department’s rollback of Title VI reviews
A Washington-based conservative think tank applauded the Department of Education’s recent announcements addressing compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Title VI prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
“The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced the termination of the Methods of Administration program, which imposed unnecessary and burdensome compliance reviews on Career and Technical Education programs, said AFPI’s Michael Shires, vice chair of Education Opportunity.
“These reviews were never required of other postsecondary education programs, despite those programs also being subject to Title VI requirements. As such, the policy was duplicative and needlessly burdensome.”
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced last week “significant deregulatory actions to ensure equal educational opportunities and treatment for students across the country.”
In accordance with an executive order from President Trump, the department rolled back several disparate-impact regulations for Title VI.
The order said that treating people equally under the law means equal opportunity, not equal outcomes, and condemns disparate-impact liability as considering race or sex to evade legal accountability over differences in outcomes, even when there is no discriminatory intent.
Disparate-impact liability is unconstitutional and contrary to core American values, and established a policy of abolishing its use “to the maximum degree possible,” Mr. Trump wrote in the order.
AFPI said that the Department of Education is playing a lead role in the “fight to ensure equal treatment under law for all Americans.”
Taxpayer group hails GOP bill to crack down on fraud
The nation’s oldest taxpayer advocacy organization wrote to Republican lawmakers in support of legislation to prevent fraud in government programs and strengthen anti-fraud efforts.
Co-sponsored by Rep. Blake Moore of Utah and Jodey Arrington of Texas, the Anti-Fraud Fund Act of 2026 received a big thumbs-up from the National Taxpayers Union’s Alexander Ciccone.
“Scandals involving fraudulent government payments and the widespread misuse of tax dollars routinely make headlines around the country,” Mr. Ciccone wrote to the lawmakers.
“With the national debt now exceeding $39 trillion, cracking down on fraud in federal health care programs is more important than ever, and taxpayers stand to benefit significantly from this practical, good-government legislation.”
The legislation would steer $28 billion to the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program, with $7 billion allocated every year for fiscal years 2027 through FY 2030.
Established in 1996, the anti-fraud program serves as the primary federal investment to address healthcare scams and abuse by identifying and reducing improper payments, as well as the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of fraudsters.
These additional resources would fund attorneys, agents, and technology for the Department of Health and Human Services to go after and prevent fraud in Medicare and Medicaid.
The Government Accountability Office reported that the federal government loses between $233 billion and $521 billion annually to fraud.
“Strengthening program integrity isn’t just a matter of preserving scarce federal resources for beneficiaries — it’s fundamentally about restoring public trust in government,” Mr. Ciccone said.
Other Republican co-sponsors of the bill include Reps. Jay Obernolte of California, Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin, Mike Carey of Ohio, Addison McDowell of North Carolina and Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania.
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