Continuing his Administration’s efforts to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities, President Donald Trump signed an executive order, “Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors,” on March 26, 2026 that directs all executive departments and agencies to include a new clause in all federal contracts and subcontracts prohibiting what the order defines as “racially discriminatory DEI activities.” The order represents another escalation of the Administration’s efforts to restrict DEI programs in the federal contracting space — building on Executive Order 14173 and the Department of Justice’s May 2025 Civil Rights Fraud Initiative — and carries substantial enforcement implications, including potential liability under the False Claims Act (FCA).

This alert summarizes the key provisions of the new executive order, analyzes the practical implications for federal contractors and subcontractors, and outlines recommended steps for compliance.

On March 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) submitted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) for publication in the Federal Register that would, for the first time, establish a comprehensive framework for paying monetary awards to individuals who report violations of the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”), U.S. sanctions programs administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), and several other laws critical to safeguarding the financial system and national security.  The proposed rule is the culmination of a multi-year legislative effort to create financial incentives and protections comparable to the longstanding whistleblower programs administered by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), and other agencies.  Although FinCEN has accepted tips since launching a dedicated whistleblower portal in February 2026, the NPRM, if adopted as a final rule, would allow for the payment of substantial monetary awards from a $300 million revolving fund.  This alert summarizes the proposal’s key provisions, compares the proposed program to its federal counterparts, and identifies practical implications for financial institutions, compliance professionals, and potential whistleblowers.

Colleges and universities should assess their cybersecurity compliance posture and incident response readiness and harden their networks as soon as possible in light of elevated threats.

Since June 2025, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has cautioned that Iranian government-affiliated actors routinely target U.S. networks and internet-connected devices. The war in Iran and recent Iranian…

Palladium Equity Partners has announced it will acquire a majority equity interest in DME Express from WayPoint Capital Partners.

DME Express, founded in 2006 and based in The Woodlands, Texas, is a provider of durable medical equipment (DME) serving hospice providers across the United States.

Palladium, founded in 1997 and based in New…

On March 20, 2026, the White House unveiled its National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence, providing a blueprint on legislative recommendations and urging Congress to act. It recommends that Congress create a unified federal standard to reduce the regulatory friction of competing state AI regimes, promote AI innovation, and develop an AI-ready workforce, while ensuring the protection of children, consumers, and intellectual property rights. 

The General Services Administration has proposed requiring all federal funding recipients to certify that they do not maintain diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs. Recipients also would also need to certify they are not knowingly hiring or recruiting undocumented staff.

The GSA estimates the proposal would impact approximately 222,760 entities — including colleges and universities.…