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Anjali Shastry

Anjali Shastry

ashastry@washingtontimes.com

Anjali Shastry covers Capitol Hill politics for The Washington Times. Originally from Cupertino, California, Shastry graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara, with a bachelor's degree in English and anthropology, and from University of Maryland, College Park, with a master's degree in journalism. She has previously written for American Journalism Review, Voice of America and the University of Maryland's Capital New Service wire. She can be reached at ashastry@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Anjali Shastry

Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald talks about the state of the department while speaking at a luncheon at the National Press Club in Washington on Nov. 6, 2015. (Associated Press) **FILE**

VA slow to fix hospitals in earthquake zones

More than two dozen Veterans Affairs clinics in earthquake danger zones have structural problems the department still hasn't fixed, the VA's inspector general said in a report Thursday that says leaders have been stunningly slow to get a handle on the situation.

November 13, 2015

GAO reports veteran aid programs at VA still need improving

The GI Bill Congress passed to aid vets returning from the war on terror has helped, but the programs have too many strings attached and aren't well known enough to make a big difference, the chief federal watchdog said Thursday.

November 12, 2015
Maryland state House Minority Whip Kathy Szeliga sailed to victory with 86,942 votes, or 35 percent, in a crowded field of more than a dozen Republicans running for the U.S. Senate. (Associated Press)

Maryland Minority Whip Kathy Szeliga joins GOP race for open Senate seat

Maryland House of Delegates Minority Whip Kathy Szeliga, one of the most powerful Republicans in the state legislature, announced Tuesday she will run for the state's open U.S. Senate seat next year, giving the GOP a high-profile candidate in a very Democratic-leaning state.

November 10, 2015
Two VA executives accused of arranging moves to new jobs and wrongly collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars along the way refused to answer questions about their behavior Monday, pleading their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in testimony to Congress. (Associated Press)

VA executives accused of abusing bonus rules plead the Fifth

Two VA executives accused of arranging moves to new jobs and wrongly collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars along the way refused to answer questions about their behavior Monday, pleading their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in testimony to Congress.

November 2, 2015
The seal affixed to the front of the Department of Veterans Affairs building in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Nearly one in 10 VA registered nurses quit in 2014, GAO says

Nearly one in 10 VA registered nurses quit in 2014, denting the department just as it's trying to ramp up its efforts to treat a surge of veterans and correct the wait-list scandal that had led to some veterans being denied timely care, a government watchdog report released Friday said.

October 30, 2015
Sen. Kelly Ayotte, New Hampshire Republican, is facing a challenge from Gov. Maggie Hassan, who like Mrs. Ayotte has name recognition. Both women, however, may see their fates decided by whoever wins the state in the battle for the White House. (Associated Press)

New Hampshire Senate race to be swayed by White House battle

Sen. Kelly Ayotte has name recognition, a statewide campaign organization and incumbency -- yet she's still facing an uphill battle to keep her seat, according to campaign analysts who say the outcome of New Hampshire's Senate election will likely depend on whoever wins the state in the battle for the White House.

October 28, 2015
FILE - In this Oct. 23, 2015 file photo, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. walks from his office on Capitol Hill in Washington. The honeymoon might be over before it even begins for House Speaker-in-waiting Paul Ryan when he is elevated to the top job this week. The Wisconsin Republican, on track to prevail in secret-ballot GOP elections Wednesday and in a full House vote Thursday, would take over the speaker’s chair at a moment of chaos notable even for a Congress where crisis has become routine. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Paul Ryan nominated for speaker by Republicans

House Republicans nominated Rep. Paul Ryan Wednesday to be their next speaker, surfacing from a turbulent month of party soul-searching to rally behind the rising star from Wisconsin and place him second in line to the presidency.

October 28, 2015
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, the Iowa Republican who has emerged as a key watchdog on Obamacare, said some exchange customers could intentionally misestimate their earnings, breach the cap and then avoid having to pay it all back. (Associated Press)

Criminal justice reform bill clears Senate committee

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill Thursday to grant thousands of federal prisoners a chance at early release, as senators fought to make sure the new bipartisan criminal justice reforms sought by Republicans and Democrats apply retroactively to those already convicted.

October 22, 2015
Several members of the House Freedom Caucus had raised concerns about Rep. Paul Ryan. But after meeting behind closed doors Wednesday night the lawmakers emerged to say they would support him in his speaker bid. (Associated Press)

Paul Ryan wins House Freedom Caucus support in speaker bid

Rep. Paul Ryan won over most of the members of a key conservative caucus Wednesday night as he tried to stitch together enough support to become the next House speaker, amid ongoing concerns about his list of demands and worries that his need to be drafted into the job does not bode well for someone filling Congress' top constitutional post.

October 21, 2015