Author
State health experts ask Congress for help combating opioid crisis
WASHINGTON — States need sustained, flexible federal funding to support programs working to reduce deaths and addiction from opioids and other drugs, state health officials told Congress this week. Public health officials asked lawmakers for continued commitment to Medicaid and programs that help states address drug addiction. A panel of the U.S. House Energy and […]
Congress reaches landmark deal on paid family leave for federal employees
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers have reached a landmark agreement on paid parental leave for federal workers that could institute paid time off for civilian employees for the first time. The measure would give federal workers 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a newborn or adopted child — extending the same benefits currently given to […]
Dems in Congress battle U.S. 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 hundreds of thousands of 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 […]
U.S. House votes to ban drilling off FL Gulf Coast; “Leave my beloved Florida alone,” one lawmaker says
WASHINGTON — All but one Florida lawmaker in the U.S. House voted on Wednesday to block oil and gas leasing off of Florida’s Gulf Coast. The House voted 248-180 to pass H.R. 205, a proposal from Rep. Francis Rooney (R-Fla.) that would block oil and gas leasing in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast […]
Former EPA bosses – 3 dating back to Reagan and Bush – say the agency is deeply troubled under Trump
WASHINGTON — Four former heads of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency blasted the Trump administration’s management of 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 Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. […]