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As Trump pushes to end Ukraine-Russia war, Baumgartner says Russia must return kidnapped Ukrainian children

UPDATED: Tue., Nov. 25, 2025

WASHINGTON – As President Donald Trump on Tuesday touted progress in talks to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine, an Eastern Washington lawmaker said any peace deal must protect U.S. interests in the region and include the return of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia.

News > Federal Government

Republicans and Democrats agree U.S. health care costs too much. Will they do anything about it?

UPDATED: Sun., Nov. 23, 2025

WASHINGTON – When the Senate Finance Committee met Wednesday for a hearing on the rising cost of health care in the United States, Republicans and Democrats agreed the problem has become a national crisis, but it didn’t take long for the parties to demonstrate why they’ve had such a hard time working together to solve it.

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Northwest lawmakers all back release of ‘Epstein files’ in Congress after Trump relents

UPDATED: Tue., Nov. 18, 2025

WASHINGTON – Hours after the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to direct the Justice Department to release all of its investigative files on the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, senators unanimously sent the measure to the desk of President Donald Trump.

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Washington Democrats oppose deal to end government shutdown without addressing health care costs

UPDATED: Mon., Nov. 10, 2025

WASHINGTON – After eight members of the Senate Democratic Caucus broke ranks and voted with Republicans to end the government shutdown, Washington state Democrats on Monday criticized the deal for not addressing their party’s demand to extend insurance subsidies whose expiration would raise health care costs for millions of Americans.

News > Federal Government

U.S. Senate advances bill to end federal shutdown

UPDATED: Sun., Nov. 9, 2025

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate on Sunday moved forward on a measure aimed at reopening the federal government and ending a now 40-day shutdown that has sidelined federal workers, delayed food aid and snarled air travel.

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USDA tells states to undo efforts to issue full food aid benefits

UPDATED: Sun., Nov. 9, 2025

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture directed states to roll back any steps taken to issue full food aid benefits to low-income Americans or risk financial penalties.

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US government launches program to lower Medicaid drug prices

UPDATED: Thu., Nov. 6, 2025

The U.S. government on Thursday unveiled a new program to cut prescription drug costs for Medicaid patients by tying prices to those paid in other countries.

News > Federal Government

U.S. Congressional Budget Office hit by cybersecurity incident

UPDATED: Thu., Nov. 6, 2025

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Congressional Budget Office said on Thursday it had identified a security incident and acted to contain the breach at the non-partisan agency that provides key financial research data to lawmakers.

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US Senate blocks resolution that would have kept Trump from striking Venezuela

UPDATED: Thu., Nov. 6, 2025

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Republicans blocked a resolution on Thursday that would have prevented President Donald Trump from attacking Venezuela without congressional authorization, a day after administration officials told lawmakers that Washington is not currently planning strikes on Venezuelan territory.

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Moderate voters in this Washington district could help decide control of Congress in 2026

UPDATED: Wed., Jan. 21, 2026

VANCOUVER, Wash. – On a Sunday two weeks before Halloween, people flocked from across southwestern Washington to the pumpkin patch and harvest festival at Bi-Zi Farms, on the outskirts of the biggest city in this largely rural corner of the state.

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‘A sad reality’: Food banks, grocery stores, residents expect to feel the strain from impending SNAP benefit expirations

Wed., Oct. 29, 2025

Dozens of volunteers sifted through huge pallets overflowing with 40,000 pounds of pears fresh off a truck from the Wenatchee Valley on Tuesday afternoon at Second Harvest distribution center in Spokane.

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President commutes prison sentence of former lawmaker George Santos, orders him released

UPDATED: Fri., Oct. 17, 2025

President Donald Trump on Friday commuted the more than seven-year prison sentence of former U.S. Representative George Santos for fraud and identity theft, ordering his immediate release.

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Supreme Court sets Dec. 8 date for arguments over Trump FTC firing

UPDATED: Fri., Oct. 17, 2025

The U.S. Supreme Court said on Friday it will hear arguments on December 8 concerning the legality of President Donald Trump's firing of a Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission in a major case that tests the scope of presidential power over government agencies designed by Congress to be independent.

News > Federal Government

‘The silliness needs to stop’: Blame game continues across the aisle 12 days into federal government shutdown

UPDATED: Sun., Oct. 12, 2025

Congressman Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, shared no intentions of acquiescing or compromising with Democrats 12 days into a government shutdown that surrounds health care subsidies, he said in a call Sunday with reporters.

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Federal law enforcement seeks to expand in Spokane, Boise and other liberal cities to support ‘administration’s goal’

UPDATED: Tue., Oct. 7, 2025

Federal law enforcement is looking to further its reach in Spokane, Boise and other cities that lean democratic to further the Trump administration’s goals.

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Firings and resignations roil U.S. attorney’s office prosecuting Comey

UPDATED: Thu., Oct. 2, 2025

Lawyers inside the high-profile U.S. attorney’s office prosecuting former FBI director James B. Comey are unnerved by what they see as an unprecedented push by President Donald Trump to inject politics into their staffing and charging decisions, according to three people familiar with the matter, a strategy they say could jeopardize national security investigations.

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Trump and allies claim Democrats demand health care for ‘illegal aliens’ in shutdown fight. Here are the facts.

UPDATED: Thu., Oct. 2, 2025

WASHINGTON – As a government shutdown began on Wednesday, Republicans could make a straightforward argument to blame the other party: Democrats are refusing to pass a bill that would simply keep funding the government at current levels until lawmakers can finish writing bipartisan spending bills.

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Northwest Democrats and Republicans dig in for messaging battle as government shutdown begins

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 1, 2025

WASHINGTON – Congressional Democrats and Republicans from the Northwest blamed each other Tuesday for an imminent government shutdown, as the Senate failed to pass a short-term spending bill amid a fight over health care costs.

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A record number of Latinos voted for Trump. How are Washington’s Latinos feeling about federal immigration crackdowns 9 months into his presidency?

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 18, 2025

Just a couple of weeks ago, Abby Palacios went to a local Mexican restaurant with her niece for dinner when she saw a man with a “Make America Great Again” hat walk in.

News > Federal Government

Northwest lawmakers denounce political violence, urge ‘a way back’ from the brink after Charlie Kirk assassination

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 11, 2025

WASHINGTON – The mood at the U.S. Capitol was grim and tense on Thursday, as lawmakers marked the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks a day after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Utah.

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