U.S. Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) recently sponsored a bipartisan bill that would provide for the refinancing of certain federal student loans. “All federal student loan borrowers should be able to take advantage of the record-low interest rates set for this academic year,” Rep. Turner said on Sept. 3. “With the student debt crisis worsening, I am proud to offer a reliable option for borrowers to reduc... Read more »
The Pentagon has asked for the public’s help in renaming military installations named after Confederate Army soldiers. The request follows the passing of the Defense Authorization Bill on New Year’s Day, which set the deadline for the renaming project for October 1, 2021. The United States Defense Department began an effort to rename installations named after Confederate figures in 2020, with the ... Read more »
A provision tucked in the $3.5 trillion federal budget reconciliation package would direct Congress to chart a path for citizenship for millions of undocumented people. If passed, the House provision would provide a pathway to citizenship for those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, often referred to as Dreamers; farmworkers; those who hold a Temporary Protected Status, meaning... Read more »
In a national first, the House Armed Services Committee voted last week in favor of a bill that would grant the mayor of the District of Columbia authority over the D.C. National Guard, adding that provision to the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. Since its inception, the D.C. National Guard has been something of an anomaly, controlled by the President rather than by the territory’s leader... Read more »
WASHINGTON (7News) — Four Green and Yellow line Metro stations reopened Tuesday for the first time since closing during Memorial Day weekend in late May. All four underwent major platform reconstruction due to concrete that was deteriorating to the point where it would eventually become dangerous. The stations that reopened are Greenbelt, College Park, Prince George’s Plaza, and West Hyattsville. ... Read more »
Shady Grove and Rockville Red Line riders will soon go through three months of closures, just days after four Green Line stations reopened on Tuesday. Crews will replace the aging canopy above Rockville’s platform from September 11 to December 4 and make other improvements, including adding LED lights, new passenger info screens, and an upgraded sound system for station announcements. Shady Grove ... Read more »
Four Metrorail stations in Prince George’s County reopened Tuesday after shutting down nearly the entire summer for platform work and other safety improvements. Riders who travel those stations along the Green and Yellow lines — West Hyattsville, Prince George’s Plaza in Hyattsville, University of Maryland in College Park and Greenbelt — will see LED lights, walk on slip-resistant tiles, hear impr... Read more »
The Pentagon wants your help renaming military bases that commemorate Civil War Confederate soldiers. The Defense Department’s commission created earlier this year to look into renaming bases launched a new website Monday and is asking "interested citizens" for recommendations and suggestions as it faces an Oct. 1 deadline to brief Congress on its progress. The suggestions will be weighed by the N... Read more »
Under the Biden administration, DoD has also launched a major initiative to keep violent extremists out of the armed forces. Earlier this year, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a 60-day stand-down for military units to address the issue and established a “Countering Extremism Working Group.” On Aug. 9, Austin signed out a new memo directing several immediate actions based on the group’s work... Read more »
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) had been trying in Congress for 28 years to transfer control of the D.C. National Guard from the U.S. president to the D.C. mayor — one of the city’s most ardent pleas for local autonomy in the absence of outright statehood. Without approval from the Pentagon, the D.C. government can’t deploy its own National Guard for any task, as a state can. Not during a cat... Read more »
