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Dems battle Education Secretary Betsy DeVos over student loan forgiveness
WASHINGTON — A long-simmering feud between U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and congressional Democrats over student loan forgiveness is heating up as several hundred thousand borrowers continue to wait for help on loans they claim were fraudulent. DeVos narrowly avoided a congressional subpoena earlier this month after a lengthy fight against the U.S. House Committee […]
Most U.S. aircraft carriers sit idle in Virginia ports
WASHINGTON — More than half of the nation’s aircraft carriers are not currently ready for deployment, as the massive ships sit off the Virginia coastline in various states of repair or testing. The U.S. Navy has 11 aircraft carriers, more than any other nation. Six of them are currently docked along the Virginia coast and […]
The Virginia Republican who defied his mom on impeachment
WASHINGTON — Virginia Republican Congressman Manley Caldwell Butler was a freshman in the U.S. House when he found himself at the center of impeachment proceedings against President Richard Nixon. The Roanoke lawyer had eked out a win in his congressional election in 1972 with just over 50 percent of the vote. He was the only […]
Critics warn Trump EPA’s coal-ash plan will let polluters off the hook
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration wants to give electric utilities a pass on proving they could finance a hazardous waste cleanup in the event of a Superfund disaster. The proposed rule from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says electric utilities should not have to make “financial assurances” to cover the risk the industry will produce […]
U.S. House votes to block offshore drilling expansion; White House threatens veto
WASHINGTON — U.S. House lawmakers approved bipartisan legislation Wednesday that would block new offshore drilling off the majority of the nation’s coast, including Virginia, despite pushback from many Republicans. The legislation would put in place far-reaching new protections, barring drilling off most of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote Thursday on […]
Va. military families are living with mold and pests. Will Congress fix it?
WASHINGTON — Virginia lawmakers are pushing legislation to protect military families from threats in their own homes, like toxic mold, pests and disrepair. Democrats who represent the state in the U.S. Congress want to put new requirements on the companies that manage privatized military housing. The scramble for new safeguards comes after reports of widespread […]
Climate change could cost Va. coastal cities billions, experts warn Congress
WASHINGTON — Climate change could cost Virginia coastal cities billions of dollars and put communities and military facilities at risk, a special assistant to the governor warned federal lawmakers this week. Ann Phillips, who is in charge of helping the state respond to climate change on Virginia’s coastline for Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration, told the […]
Researchers to quit USDA rather than leave Washington metro area
WASHINGTON — As the Trump administration prepares to move two Agriculture Department research agencies and more than 500 jobs out of the nation’s capital region, many of the agencies’ employees appear ready to quit their jobs rather than leave their homes. Democratic lawmakers in Virginia have attempted, so far unsuccessfully, to put the brakes on […]
Looming health care ruling could be ‘catastrophic,’ Democrats contend
WASHINGTON — Democrats in Congress are warning that a looming court decision could upend the Affordable Care Act and leave millions of Americans without health insurance. The case — argued Tuesday before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Louisiana — has put the fate of the Affordable Care Act on the […]
Va. lawmakers scramble to keep USDA offices in D.C. region
WASHINGTON — Key Virginia Democrats are rushing to stop President Donald Trump’s administration from moving two of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s scientific research agencies out of the Washington region. Lawmakers who oppose the relocations are working against the clock to use legislative maneuvers to put the brakes on the administration’s plan to move the […]
Former EPA bosses – 3 dating back to Reagan and Bush – raise alarm about the agency under Trump
WASHINGTON — Four former heads of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency blasted how President Donald Trump administration is managing the agency this week, saying the administration runs the risk of harming the environment and public health for years to come. The former EPA chiefs — who led the agency under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. […]