Federal power, explained through the documents

Federal decisions reach the Grand Strand in concrete ways: highway money, disaster aid, Medicaid rules, and the federal courts that hear challenges to state laws. This section explains who in Washington has authority over what.

We read the bill in Congress, the rule in the Federal Register and the opinion from the court. We explain the difference between an executive order, a statute and an agency rule, because each can be changed in different ways and by different people.

When federal claims show up in campaign ads, we check them against the text. When a federal ruling affects South Carolina, we explain what it changes and what it leaves alone. Coming up: how a bill moves through Congress, and the best first steps for following a federal agency's rulemaking.