WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 -- Sixteen State Attorneys General submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Education expressing opposition to a proposed revision regarding the collection of significant disproportionality data under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The states argue that the revision would undermine efforts to promote equity in special education by eliminating the current requirements for states to report changes in their methodologies for calculatin  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: * * * Grassley Presses for Answers on States' Use of Taxpayer Dollars to Fund Health Care for Illegal Immigrants, Asks HHS to Launch Nationwide Investigation * WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, is urging federal health officials to investigate schemes by states to provide taxpayer-funded Medicaid coverage to illegal immigran  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Merkley, Wyden Call on Oz to Resolve Chaos as States Implement Trumpcare Despite Republican Efforts to Roll Back Improvements to Medicaid and Medicare, Democrats Used Senate Rules to Preserve More than a Dozen Policies; State Medicaid Programs Have Received Minimal Direction from the Trump Administration About How to Implement These Roll Backs or Preserve  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Rep. Salinas Urges USDA to Take Immediate Action to Fund SNAP * WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-06) was joined by 213 House Democrats in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to urge the agency to use contingency reserve dollars to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the government shutdown. With no r  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Wyden and Merkley Call on Oz to Resolve Chaos as States Implement Trumpcare Despite Republican Efforts to Roll Back Improvements to Medicaid and Medicare, Democrats Used Senate Rules to Preserve More than a Dozen Policies State Medicaid Programs Have Received Minimal Direction from the Trump Administration About How to Implement These Roll Backs or Preser  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Wyden, Colleagues: Trump's Ballroom is a Political Fundraiser for Big Corporations to Earn Backroom Favors * Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today joined colleagues in decrying the Trump administration for giving major corporate donors undue government influence in exchange for funding his White House ballroom project. Wyden and four other senators raised questions about politicized fundrais  more

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Call out Trump Administration's Dismantling of Education Offices Responsible for Supporting People with Disabilities * Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley (both D-OR) today called out the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle U.S. special education with its decision to illegally fire Department of Education workers who provide education services a  more