Federal Government

Universities in Washington will get a boost from the package of spending bills the U.S. Senate passed on Thursday.

WASHINGTON – Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday marking the birth of the civil rights leader who was slain in 1968. But Americans who want to spend the day at one of the country’s 63 national parks will have to pay for the first time in 15 years.

WASHINGTON – In remarks to reporters on Wednesday, Rep. Michael Baumgartner called the Jan. 7 killing of a Minnesota woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent “a tragedy” but said the shooting appeared to be justified.

WASHINGTON – At least half of the federal government is on a path to keep operating in the event of a lapse in funding that could take place at the end of the month.

WASHINGTON – After President Donald Trump reiterated his desire to take over Greenland, threatening to use military force against the autonomous Danish territory, Eastern Washington’s congressman said Wednesday he supports buying Greenland from Denmark but opposes a military takeover of land controlled by the U.S. ally.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s plan to “run” Venezuela after capturing the South American nation’s president Jan. 3 came into slightly clearer focus over the past week, but Northwest lawmakers still have questions about his administration’s intentions.

WASHINGTON – Five Republicans voted with Democrats as the Senate on Thursday cleared a path for a vote next week that could block President Donald Trump from using further military force against Venezuela, after he said the United States could “run” the South American country for years.

WASHINGTON – A procession of Democratic lawmakers took to the Senate floor on Tuesday in commemoration of what happened on this day five years earlier, when supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in an effort to reverse the outcome of an election Trump lost.

Baumgartner, of Spokane, praised Trump for toppling an "anti-American, communist, narco-terrorism, narco-trafficking regime." Smith, of Bellevue, said the unintended consequences of Nicolás Maduro's ouster could spark years of American military involvement, increased violence and instability.

An overnight U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife drew harsh criticism from Democrats questioning the justification and lack of notification of military action while Republicans applauded the move, referring to Maduro as a “narcoterrorist” responsible for flooding the United States with drugs.

WASHINGTON – The Capitol is quiet this week, with Congress out of town for its end-of-year recess, but lawmakers are gearing up for what promises to be a hectic few weeks of work when the Senate returns on Monday and the House a day later.

WASHINGTON – In October 2015, dozens of Republicans joined a minor revolt led by then-Rep. Denny Heck and the House’s Democratic minority to go around the GOP chairman of the Financial Services Committee and reauthorize the Export-Import Bank, a federal agency that finances foreign purchases from Boeing and other U.S. companies.

WASHINGTON – Rep. Michael Baumgartner was expected to land in Nigeria’s capital on Saturday for what he called a “Christmas week mission,” meeting with local leaders to urge the country’s government to do more to protect Christians from violence in Africa’s most populous nation.

WASHINGTON – Rep. Dan Newhouse announced Wednesday that he won’t seek re-election and will retire at the end of 2026, stepping down after a dozen years representing central Washington’s 4th Congressional District in the House.

WASHINGTON – The leaders responsible for a troubled Department of Veterans Affairs computer system told House lawmakers on Monday the program is on track to expand to more than a dozen new hospitals in 2026, following a long delay due to problems that emerged after the system was first deployed at Spokane’s VA hospital five years ago.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to stop states from regulating artificial intelligence, citing the risk of a potential patchwork of state laws holding back the United States in what AI companies describe as a race to develop technology that could surpass human intelligence.

WASHINGTON – The House voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools program, renewing funding that had lapsed since 2023 for counties that contain national forests and other public lands.

Kazim Abdullahi was recently exploring career opportunities with U.S. military forces overseas.