Author profile

Follow author updates

Ben Wolfgang

Ben Wolfgang is a national security correspondent at The Washington Times, a senior member of its Threat Status team, and the host and producer of the award-winning Threat Status Podcast. Ben covers national security, foreign policy, military affairs, the defense industry and the rapidly evolving landscape of military technology.
A Pennsylvania native, he joined The Washington Times in 2011 after serving as a political reporter at The Republican-Herald in Pottsville, Pa. Over the course of his career, Ben has covered the White House, Congress, and four presidential campaigns.
His reporting has earned recognition from some of journalism's most respected organizations, including the Virginia Press Association and the Society of Professional Journalists' Washington, D.C. Chapter, among other honors.
Ben has interviewed heads of state, chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, senior military commanders, cabinet secretaries, senior government officials, and the CEOs of many of the nation's largest and most influential defense companies.
Ben is a frequent guest on broadcast media, with appearances on C-SPAN, the Sirius XM POTUS channel, and other outlets.
He can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Ben Wolfgang

Jindal: Teachers unions have mounted ‘herculean’ effort to stop school reform

As a central piece of his education reform agenda heads to the state Supreme Court for review, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Tuesday unloaded on teachers unions and painted them as the biggest reason American schools continue to wallow in mediocrity.

December 11, 2012

Report: Cash for anti-smoking efforts lacking

Anti-smoking efforts nationwide remain woefully underfunded as states squander most of their tobacco tax revenue, a major report from a coalition of public health groups shows.

December 6, 2012

Obama’s re-election seen as vote for clean energy

A majority of Americans didn't just cast a vote for President Obama on Nov. 6. They also came down firmly on the side of renewable energy and the federal government's efforts to "level the playing field" with fossil fuels, argues the chairman of the solar power industry's leading trade group.

December 5, 2012

Oil industry wary of Obama’s renewable-energy fervor

Huge increases in U.S. oil and gas production have put the nation on a path to energy independence, but some industry leaders fear their relationship with the Obama administration will deteriorate during the president's second term.

December 5, 2012

Five states to boost students’ time in school

With American children continuing to lag behind their international peers, governors from both parties on Monday joined the Obama administration in embracing more classroom time for students.

December 3, 2012

Drone plans mired in ‘privacy issues’

Frustrated commercial drone companies say the Obama administration is falling further and further behind in meeting congressional demands to clear the path for full integration into American airspace by 2015. Billions of dollars of investments as well as commercial applications for drones could be caught up in the delay, they warn.

December 2, 2012

Indiana governor warns of foes to education reform

At the forefront of education reform in the U.S., Indiana faces an uncertain future after its trail-blazing schools chief was ousted three weeks ago and replaced by a teachers union official.

November 28, 2012

Jeb Bush hammers teachers unions at education summit

In the fight to reform American schools, former Florida Gov. and outspoken education advocate Jeb Bush on Tuesday took direct aim at labor groups and joined a growing chorus who believe real change must start by loosening the grip of teachers unions.

November 27, 2012

$The most notable instance in the ongoing public relations war centers on the upcoming Matt Damon movie “Promised Land,” which tells the story of small American towns ruined by fracking. (Associated Press)$

Fears over fracking spilling into popular culture

Fracking already has transformed the nation's energy landscape, but it's also begun to worm its way into American pop culture.

November 26, 2012

$Oil field workers may be having more rigs to climb in the future. Energy leaders now, more than ever, are portraying oil and gas production as a key way of generating tax revenue, spurring job creation and saving the nation from going off the looming “fiscal cliff.” States such as Pennsylvania and North Dakota continue to expand fracking, creating tens of thousands of jobs and pumping millions of dollars into local economies. Any federal action to limit fracking would pour cold water on the growth in those states and give fresh ammunition to the vocal environmental opposition in New York, California and elsewhere. (Associated Press)$

Fracking industry keeps eye on Obama

The drilling process that has brought U.S. energy independence within reach faces renewed scrutiny from the Obama administration and an uncertain future in many states.

November 22, 2012

Keystone decision will define Obama’s record on climate change

President Obama's looming decision whether to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, environmentalists argue, will define his legacy on climate change.

November 19, 2012

Pressure intensifies for GOP to raise taxes on rich

As President Obama and Capitol Hill leaders continue negotiations to avoid the looming "fiscal cliff," top Democrats on Sunday ramped up pressure on their Republican counterparts to accept tax increases on the wealthy as part of a broader agreement.

November 18, 2012

New GOP leaders begin intensive rebranding effort

The Republican party's young leaders on Sunday continued to distance themselves from defeated presidential candidate Mitt Romney and ramped up the effort to paint the GOP in a new light.

November 18, 2012

U.S. poised  to overtake  Saudi oil  production

By about 2020, the United States will overtake Saudi Arabia as the world's largest oil producer and put North America as a whole on track to become a net exporter of oil as soon as 2030, according to a report from the International Energy Agency.

November 12, 2012

Fischer returns Nebraska Senate seat to GOP fold

In an election filled with disappointments for Republicans, the closely watched U.S. Senate race in Nebraska provided a rare bright spot.

November 8, 2012

Keystone pipeline pushed to forefront

With a second term now in hand, President Obama no longer can delay a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline and must either side with environmentalists within his party or greenlight a major step toward North American energy independence.

November 7, 2012

ELECTION 2012: Some Pennsylvanians snubbed by not-in-effect I.D. law

Pennsylvania's controversial photo identification law isn't yet in effect, but voters told state officials on Election Day that they were turned away from the polls because they didn't comply with it.

November 6, 2012

Obama backers put carbon tax and other global warming efforts atop re-election agenda

While even he admits disappointment in his first-term record on the fight against climate change, President Obama continues to enjoy strong support from environmentalists who say they are confident he can deliver a carbon tax and other far-reaching measures against global warming in a second term.

November 1, 2012

Auto workers hit Romney on China jobs remark

Mitt Romney is making a late-campaign play to win over Rust Belt voters by trying to dent President Obama's credentials on his federal auto bailout — but the claims he is making about Chrysler creating jobs in China are drawing return fire from Democrats and the auto workers union.

October 30, 2012