Stories by David Beasley on Federal Newswire


Legislation to block rail strike passes House

The bill passed 290-137 with broad bipartisan support, and now goes to the Senate, where lawmakers must act quickly to beat the Dec. 9 strike deadline.


Chamber of Progress: 'Before it's too late, DOJ should weigh in on Gonzalez v. Google'

The Chamber of Progress, a progressive tech industry coalition, and sexual health group Advocates for Youth are calling on the Department of Justice to support Google in the case, Gonzalez v. Google.


McHenry, Waters to hold hearing 'on the FTX debacle'

U.S. Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) announced earlier this month that they will lead a bipartisan investigation into the collapse of a multi-billion-dollar cryptocurrency firm.


Mallory: 'Awards are an opportunity to recognize the work of students and educators'

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is calling for applications for environmental student and teacher awards.


Goffman: 'Locomotives remain a significant source of emissions'

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will assess and make recommendations on how to mitigate pollution from locomotives in response to petitions from several California organizations.


Starfield: Clean Water Act non-compliance rate reaches 'historically low rate'

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state partners have announced major improvement in Clean Water Act permit compliance.


Sutton: Oklahoma woman survived shooter, 'testified against him at trial'

A federal jury found an Oklahoma man guilty of shooting his girlfriend when she tried to break up with him in 2021.


Dawson: Woman sentenced for 'operating one of the largest marriage fraud conspiracies in U.S. history'

The "mastermind" behind a marriage fraud conspiracy was sentenced to 10 years in prison following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations Houston and other federal partners.


Diaz: Seattle police 'made getting firearms and illegal narcotics off our streets a top priority'

Eleven people were arrested in Washington and California in connection with cartel-connected drug trafficking schemes from Mexico across the border and up I-5 to the Pacific Northwest.


Waterhouse: EPA National Lead Strategy aimed at 'substantially reducing childhood lead exposure'

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presented its historic National Lead Strategy at a ceremony in Omaha to renew a cooperative agreement with the Douglas County Health Department.


Mayorkas: 'New Cybersecurity Performance Goals will help organizations decide how to leverage their cybersecurity investments'

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently published the Cybersecurity Performance Goals, which are voluntary guidelines that provide the highest-priority baseline security precautions owners of critical infrastructure can adopt.


Customs and Border Patrol commissioner on recruiting more women: 'There is an incredible amount of  work still to be done'

A coalition of law enforcement leaders, researchers, and professional organizations has formed the 30x30 Initiative to "advance the representation and experiences of women in all ranks of policing across the United States."


Omar: 'I am glad the Biden Administration designated Temporary Protected Status for Ethiopia today'

After the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that Ethiopia had been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for a period of 18 months, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) released a statement of support for the decision.


Harshbarger: Biden China policy 'has had very little bark, let alone any bite'

The Biden Administration's ineffectual national security strategy has only served to embolden China and weaken American security, said U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn..


IPAA: 'Oil and natural gas will be necessary to meet America’s energy needs for the foreseeable future'

The Independent Petroleum Association of America is urging the U.S. Department of the Interior to continue offshore leasing for energy production.


Illinois county engineer on proposed railroad merger: New rail yard 'would help alleviate the significant adverse impacts on coalition communities'

The proposed merger between Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) rail lines has sent shockwaves through impacted communities across the country.


Comeaux: 'Costilla-Sanchez brought poison to our communities,' received life sentence

A federal judge sentenced a 51-year-old Mexican national to life in prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine and marijuana into the U.S. from Mexico.


Community coalition: Railroad would have 'detrimental impact on public safety and quality of life for residents and business operations'

A coalition of municipal leaders and public safety officials representing eight Illinois communities whose “public safety and quality of life” would be directly impacted by a proposed merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern railroads are traveling to Washington, D.C. to press their concerns before the Surface Transportation Board at a public hearing Wednesday.


Garcia: EPA will 'help ensure recovery is swift' from Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is collaborating with federal, state and local partners in response to Hurricane Fiona.


Banks: 'Democrats are treating hardworking taxpayers as suspected cheats and squeezing them dry to pay for their radical agenda'

U.S. Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) has introduced legislation that would repeal funding dedicated for 87,000 new IRS employees, which was included in the Inflation Reduction Act. Instead, Banks' legislation would use the funds to increase and make permanent the standard deduction in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).