WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12275) on Feb. 3, 2025, by agricultural policy specialists Renee Johnson and Lia Biondo. Here are excerpts: * * * Farm Bill Primer: USDA Support for Aquaculture Operations Aquaculture operations that grow aquatic animal and plant species under controlled conditions - in accordance with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) policy and statutory definitions - are generally eligib  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news: * * * Contracts for Feb. 6, 2025 ARMY ITC Defense Corp.,* North Charleston, South Carolina, was awarded an $82,384,032 hybrid (cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price) contract for programmatic support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2030. Army Contracting Com  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news: * * * Contracts for Feb. 6, 2025 ARMY ITC Defense Corp.,* North Charleston, South Carolina, was awarded an $82,384,032 hybrid (cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price) contract for programmatic support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2030. Army Contracting Com  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news: * * * Contracts for Feb. 7, 2025 NAVY Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Indiana, is awarded a $167,383,203 firm fixed priced contract for production of 40 MT7 turboshaft engines, ancillary parts, installation kits, and a portable test tool inspection in support of the Ship to Shore Connector Program, Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC), 100 Class craft. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would brin  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin, Schneider, Olszewski Introduce Bill To Reduce Gun Violence From Stolen Firearms February 06, 2025 The SECURE Firearm Storage Act would require more effective secure storage measures for firearms WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Representatives Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) and Johnny Olszewski (D-MD-2)   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration has released the following public communication dated Jan. 13, 2025, from the National Milk Producers Federation, Arlington, Virginia: * * * To: Dockets Management Staff Food and Drug Administration 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061 Rockville, MD 20852 RE: Voluntary Sodium Reduction Goals: Target Mean and Recommended Maximum Concentrations for Sodium in Commercially Processed, Packaged, and Prepar  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration has released the following public communication on Feb. 4, 2025, from Nestle USA Inc., Arlington, Virginia: * * * To: Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305) Food and Drug Administration 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061 Rockville, MD 20852 Re: Voluntary Sodium Reduction Goals: Target Mean and Upper Bound Concentrations for Sodium in Commercially Processed, Packaged, and Prepared Foods; Draft Guidance   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration has released the following public communication dated Jan. 13, 2025, from SNAC International, Arlington, Virginia: * * * To: Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305) U.S. Food and Drug Administration 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061 Rockville, MD 20852 Re: Docket No. FDA-2014-D-0055 - Voluntary Sodium Reduction Goals: Target Mean and Upper Bound Concentrations for Sodium in Commercially Processed, Pack  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: * * * FEBEX 25 prepares ANG for global challenges CAMP BLANDING JOINT TRAINING CENTER, Fla. (AFNS) -- Approximately 250 Air National Guard and active-duty Airmen from five U.S. states converged on Camp Blanding Joint Training Center Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, for February Exercise 2025, a rigorous three-day exercise designed to test their readiness for global contingencies. Reinforcing the Agile Combat Employment Strategy, the exer  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Rep. Brad Finstad, R-Minnesota, issued the following news release: * * * Finstad Helps Introduce Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow's Workforce Act WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) and Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) introduced the Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow's Workforce Act. This legislation will help grow and strengthen the workforce by allowing individuals to use their 529 savings accounts to cover the costs of workforce training and credentiali  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, Feb. 7 -- Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Governor Glenn Youngkin on the House and Senate Democrats' Rejection of Qualified University and State Board Members RICHMOND, VA - Governor Glenn Youngkin today released the following statement after House and Senate Democrats rejected 13 qualified university and state board members: "This is a disappointing day, and I hope Virginians remember this moment of petty partisan politics. My a  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Michigan, chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, issued the following opening statement on Feb. 5, 2025, at a hearing entitled "The State of American Education": * * * "Good morning, it is a pleasure to welcome you to the first hearing of the House Committee on Education and Workforce in the 119th Congress. "This morning, we're here to discuss the state of American education. Unfortunately, many students are failing to graduate from   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 -- Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Virginia, ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 7, 2025: House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) requested the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to immediately assess the security of information technology (IT) systems at the Department of Education (ED), the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Department of Health and Human Services  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Virginia, ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, issued the following opening remarks on Feb. 5, 2025, at a hearing entitled "The State of American Education": * * * "Thank you, Chairman Walberg. Good morning, everyone, and thank you to our witnesses for joining us today. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for convening this hearing. "I would first like to start with the elephant in the room. There is current reporting that President  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 -- Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Virginia, ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, issued the following statement on Feb. 7, 2025: * * * Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 143,000 jobs in January, and the unemployment rate slightly ticked down to 4.0 percent from 4.1 percent. Under President Biden, the economy added 16.2 million jobs. That is mo  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: * * * ICYMI: Ernst: Kelly Loeffler is the Champion Small Businesses Need WASHINGTON - In case you missed it, Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) made the case for the Honorable Kelly Loeffler, based on her success as a business leader, to lead the Small Business Administration (SBA). In the Washington Examiner, Ernst lays out how Loeffler, who advanced out of commi  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Kaine Statement on Confirmation of Russell Vought as OMB Director WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement regarding the confirmation of Russell Vought as Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): "The American people deserve a federal government they can count on--one that is staffed by people who a  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Kaine Statement on Pause on Federal Worker Buyout Offer WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) released the following statement after a federal judge paused the Trump Administration's resignation buyout offer--just hours before tonight's midnight deadline for federal employees to decide whether to accept the offer: "I'm relieved to see a federal judge temporarily block the Trump Admin  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: * * * Larson, Wittman, and Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow's Workforce Act Washington, D.C. - Today, Reps. John B. Larson (CT-01) and Rob Wittman (VA-01) introduced the bipartisan Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow's Workforce Act. This bill will help more Americans obtain good-paying jobs that do not require a traditional college education by allowing the use of 529 account f  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-New Mexico, issued the following news release: * * * Lujan, Colleagues Raise Concerns About Risks in Delays to Accessing Funding for New Mexico Community Health Centers Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M) joined U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and 19 of their colleagues in writing a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Acting Secretary Dorothy A. Fink, M.D. regarding reports that Health Re  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * McClellan Statement on Vought's Confirmation as OMB Director Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) issued the following statement after Russell Vought was confirmed as the Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB): "Our federal workforce deserves our nation's utmost respect for their tireless service to the American people. Tonight, Senate   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * McClellan, House Democrats Introduce New Bill To Stop Musk From Invading Americans' Privacy Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) joined House Democrats to introduce the Taxpayer Data Protection Act, a direct response to Elon Musk's invasion of tens of millions of Americans' privacy. The Taxpayer Data Protection Act will stop people with conflicts of interest or w  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-New York, issued the following news release: * * * Nadler, Chu Reintroduce Legislation to Make Polluters Pay for Fueling Climate Crisis Today, Representatives Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and Judy Chu (D-CA) reintroduced the Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act, legislation to require the biggest polluters to begin paying their fair share to confront the climate crisis. The Members' legislation requires the largest U.S.-based fossil fuel extractors and oil refine  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (TNSFR) -- The National Science Board (NSB) has scheduled a plenary meeting on February 11, 2025, to discuss key initiatives related to research infrastructure and merit review policies. The meeting, which will be held at the National Science Foundation headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, and via videoconference, will be conducted in a closed session. Discussions will cover reports from various committees, including the Committee on Awards and Facilities, and a vote on matt  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news: * * * Pentagon Officials Examine Damage at Walter Reed, Pledge Resources Needed to Fix Infrastructure Problems Aging infrastructure and deferred maintenance due to underfunding in recent years led to flooding last month at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. High waters and loss of steam pressure impacted the capacity of services delivered, but the ability to deliver the hospital'  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- Rep. Gerald "Gerry" Connolly, D-Virginia, issued the following news: * * * Ranking Member Connolly's Statement on Project 2025 Architect Russell Vought's Senate Confirmation to Lead the Office of Management and Budget Today, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, released a statement following the Senate's party-line vote to confirm Russell Vought--a lead architect of Project 2025--as Director of the Office of Managem  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 -- Rep. Gerald "Gerry" Connolly, D-Virginia, ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, issued the following statement on Feb. 6, 2025: * * * Today, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, released a statement following the Senate's party-line vote to confirm Russell Vought--a lead architect of Project 2025--as Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): "Despite Mr. Vought's recent   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 -- Rep. Gerald "Gerry" Connolly, D-Virginia, ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 7, 2025: Today, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs, wrote a letter (https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-oversight.house.gov/files/evo-media  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, Feb. 7 -- The U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (16th Air Force) issued the following news: * * * Registration open for 2025 Army contracting virtual outreach for industry JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas - Small businesses and other interested industry partners are now able to register for the fifth-annual Mission and Installation Contracting Command Advance Planning Briefing for Industry virtual contracting forecast event   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 -- Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Congressman Michael Cloud (TX-27) introduced the Prevent Aliens Through Rivers or Land (PATROL) Act to ensure Texas and other border states can defend themselves against illegal immigration without interference from the federal government under future administrations. Under the previous administration, states that attempted to protect their own communities from illegal border crossings were met with political  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Rep. John McGuire, D-Virginia, issued the following news release on Feb. 6, 2025: U.S. Representative John McGuire (VA-05), today voted in favor of H.R. 27, the Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) of Fentanyl Act, legislation that permanently extends President Trump's 2018 Schedule I classification of fentanyl-related substances. "Fentanyl is crushing lives and families in Virginia's Fifth Congressional District, our Commonwealth, and across our country," said Rep. John Mc  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 -- Rep. John McGuire, D-Virginia, issued the following news release on Feb. 7, 2025: U.S. Representative John McGuire (VA-05), today voted in favor of H.R. 26, the Protecting American Energy Production Act, legislation that would prohibit any moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing. "It's time to unleash American energy," said Rep. John McGuire. "I voted for Congressman August Pfluger's Protecting American Energy Production Act. We should make money on energy, not rely  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia, issued the following news on Feb. 6, 2025: Yesterday, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02) participated in a ceremony at the White House as the President signed a new Executive Order to protect safety, fairness, and dignity in women's sports. This commonsense Executive Order upholds the promise of Title IX and gives women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports. The Congresswoman celebrated this historic mom  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 -- Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia, issued the following news on Feb. 7, 2025: Today, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02), chaired the 119th Congress' first hearing for the Committee on Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, during which she examined the Biden-Harris administration's failure to hold bad Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees accountable. Today's hearing follows numerous investigations last Congress into allegations of sexual harassm  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Scott Calls on Government Watchdog to Assess DOGE Access to Americans' Private Information at ED, DOL & HHS "This is a constitutional emergency...there is now a void of oversight for a very young and inexperienced team and their leader... as they gain dangerously broad powers." As originally released by the Committee on Education and Workforce, Democrats (link is external) WASHINGTON - House E  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Scott Statement on January Jobs Report As originally released by the Committee on Education and Workforce, Democrats (link is external) WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics (link is external) announced that the economy added 143,000 jobs in January, and the unemployment rate slightly ticked down to 4.0 p  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Scott, DeLauro, Sanders, Murray, Baldwin Demand Answers on Trump's Plans to Dismantle Education Department As originally released by the Committee on Education and Workforce, Democrats (link is external) WASHINGTON - Reps. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-Va.), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Commit  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, Feb. 7 -- Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Serioplast to Open Manufacturing Site in Shenandoah County International manufacturer of plastic packaging to invest $25.7 million, creating 45 new jobs RICHMOND, VA - Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that Serioplast, a global manufacturer of rigid plastic packaging, will invest $25,725,000 to occupy a 140,000-square-foot industrial facility in Shenandoah County. The company is hea  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news: * * * Shared Challenges, AUKUS Partnership Top Topics as U.S., Australian Defense Leaders Meet for First Time Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met today with his counterpart Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles during a bilateral meeting at the Pentagon to discuss shared defense roles, security priorities, and the challenges and opportunities both nations see in the Indo-Pacific. It  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, issued the following news release: * * * U.S. Senate Passes Resolution to Remember the Victims of DCA Plane Crash WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) to honor and remember the victims of the collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and U.S. Army Aviation Brigade Priority Air Transport 25 on Janua  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service has announced a delay in the effective date of a final rule updating regulations for the Paper and Paper-Based Packaging Promotion, Research and Information Order. Originally set to take effect on February 10, 2025, the rule is now scheduled to become effective on March 21, 2025. The amendments include a new definition for partnerships, clarifications on the nomination process, voting procedures f  more

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Feb. 8 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia issued the following news release on Feb. 7, 2025: A Dumfries man pled guilty today to wire fraud in connection with his fraudulent application for and receipt of funds through a COVID-19 relief program. According to court documents, in 2021, Kingsley Apenteng, 40, was the registered owner of Pioneers Real Estate LLC (Pioneers). From at least 2017 through 2021, Pioneers had no employees, transa  more

ROANOKE, Virginia, Feb. 8 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia issued the following news release: A Martinsville, Virginia man, who distributed cocaine that was laced with fentanyl to a pair of individuals that later died from overdoses, was sentenced yesterday to 18 years in federal prison. Okoyte Devon Gaston, 31, pled guilty in September 2024 to one count of distributing fentanyl. According to court documents, in February 2023 Gaston, a known drug dealer   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Warner, Daines Introduce Legislation to Boost Job Growth, Support Virginia Communities WASHINGTON --U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Steve Daines (R-MT), both members of the Senate Finance Committee, introduced legislation that will permanently extend the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) in order to encourage redevelopment and new construction in communities across the country, including Virginia. Th  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Warner, Kaine Join Democratic Colleagues in Demanding VA Defend Veterans' Private Information from Elon Musk's DOGE WASHINGTON - U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined Ranking Member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and 23 of their Senate Democratic colleagues in a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins pushing him to take i  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news: * * * West Point Grad Seeks 3rd Super Bowl Ring Before Fulfilling Service Commitment When the Kansas City Chiefs square off against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl, Feb. 9, 2025, keep an eye out for Cole Christiansen, a U.S. Military Academy graduate and Army officer-in-waiting. After graduating from West Point in 2020, the linebacker entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Char  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 -- Rep. Robert J. Wittman, R-Virginia, issued the following news release: * * * Wittman Reintroduces Bipartisan Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow's Workforce Act WASHINGTON -- Today, Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) reintroduced the bipartisan Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow's Workforce Act, which would permit the use of 529 account funds to pay for post-secondary training programs. This will help more Americans obtain and retain well-paying jobs that don't require a traditional  more