WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 -- A coalition of 254 civil rights, social justice and consumer advocacy organizations has issued a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Education expressing strong opposition to a proposed rule that threatens the integrity of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. The letter, filed in response to a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published on August 18, critiques the proposed changes as unconstitutional and harmful to borrowers engaged in public servic  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce issued the following news release: * * * Commerce Secures $4.2 Billion Rail Commercial Deal, the Largest Locomotive Deal in History * Monday, September 22, 2025 Office of Public Affairs publicaffairs@doc.gov (link sends email) Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce celebrated a historic U.S. transportation commercial deal between Wabtec Corporation and the Government of Kazakhstan, with a signing ceremony during the 80th United Na  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, D-Pennsylvania, issued the following news release: * * * Congressman Mackenzie Takes Action on Opioids * Washington D.C. -- Congressman Ryan Mackenzie, representing the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, has introduced two amendments this month to address the opioid epidemic in the United States. The Congressman's first amendment (link is external), passed as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release: * * * EPA Finalizes Action to Strengthen Water Quality in the Delaware River, Protecting Fish and Bolstering Economic Opportunity * WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a final rule establishing federal water quality standards for 38 miles of the Delaware River between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Delaware. This final rule will improve water qualit  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania, issued the following news release on Sept. 22, 2025: * * * Fetterman, Houlahan Back Court Fight Against Trump Admin Cuts to USDA Farm and Food Programs Last week, U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) and Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06) filed an amicus brief in support of a multi-state lawsuit against the Trump administration. The lawsuit challenges the administration's decision to cut billions of dollars in funding for key U.  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 -- Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pennsylvania, issued the following news release: * * * Fitzpatrick Leads Bipartisan Initiative to Increase Recruitment and Retainment of Educators * Washington, DC - Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1), along with Congresswoman Lucy McBath (D-GA-06), have introduced the bipartisan, bicameral P reparing and Retaining All (PARA) Educators Act --legislation to strengthen the education workforce by creating career pathways, expanding professiona  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- Heartwood, a cooperative network founded in 1991 to protect national forests in the eastern United States, has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service voicing strong opposition to a proposed repeal of the Roadless Rule. The organization, along with numerous supportive individuals and entities, emphasizes that withdrawing these protections would threaten invaluable forest ecosystems and significantly impact local economies. T  more

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, Sept. 22 -- The Pennsylvania House Democrats posted the following news release: * * * House Judiciary Committee advances gun violence prevention bills * HARRISBURG, Sept. 22 - State Rep. Tim Briggs, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, today announced that the committee has advanced a package of commonsense gun safety bills aimed at reducing gun violence, closing dangerous loopholes, and giving law enforcement new tools to keep communities safe. The bills now hea  more

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, Sept. 22 -- The Pennsylvania House Democrats posted the following news release: * * * Judiciary Committee advances wide-ranging legislation * Briggs says votes reflect a commitment to fairness, accountability, and public protection HARRISBURG, Sept. 22 - State Rep. Tim Briggs, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, today announced that in addition to a package of gun violence bills, the committee also advanced a slate of bills and resolutions addressing criminal   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 -- Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pennsylvania, issued the following news release: * * * Kelly, Sanchez, Moore, Gomez introduce bipartisan bill to protect disabled veterans access to affordable housing * WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On Friday, September 19, U.S. Representatives Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), Representatives Linda T. Sanchez (D-Calif.), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), and Blake Moore (R-Utah) introduced the bipartisan Fair Housing for Disabled Veterans Act, a bill to ensure that veterans' servi  more

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, Sept. 23 -- The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission issued the following news release: * * * PUC Damage Prevention Committee Announces Actions Against Underground Facility Owners, Excavators and Project Owners Plans for Hybrid In-Person and Virtual Meeting on Wednesday, October 15 * A total of 240 disciplinary actions, including 176 education requirements, and $150,375 in administrative penalties, have been taken against 166 underground facility owners, excavato  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 -- Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pennsylvania, issued the following news release: * * * Rep. Summer Lee and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato Host Roundtable to Address Impacts of Federal Cuts * PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 22, 2025 -- Today, Congresswoman Summer L. Lee (PA-12) and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato convened a federal budget roundtable at the Allegheny County Courthouse to bring together community leaders and service providers impacted by proposed an  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, ranking member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Warren, Colleagues Press Administration to End Seven-Month Pause on Targeted Russia Sanctions as China Jump-Starts Flagship Russian Energy Project Market analysts and headlines are warning, "China Starts Buying U.S.-Sanctioned Russian Gas, Defying Trump" "We call on the Trump Administration to resume the regular ca  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, ranking member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Warren, Kim, Waters Press Treasury Secretary on Delay and Potential Rollback of Anti-Money Laundering Rules for Multi-Trillion Dollar Investment Adviser Sector "Treasury estimates that some advisers may manage billions of dollars ultimately controlled by sanctioned entities--entities that threaten our national inter  more