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Ben Wolfgang

Ben Wolfgang is a National Security Correspondent for The Washington Times. His reporting is regularly featured in the daily Threat Status newsletter.
Previously, he covered energy and the environment, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016, and also spent two years as a White House correspondent during the Obama administration.
Before coming to The Times in 2011, Ben worked as political reporter at The Republican-Herald in Pottsville, Pa.
He can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Ben Wolfgang

For-profit colleges’ oversight criticized; performance also gets a bad grade

While admitting that Congress is unlikely to do much about it in the near future, Sen. Tom Harkin on Monday released a lengthy, scathing report on the perceived evils and excesses of the for-profit college industry.

July 31, 2012

Online poker fans ready to deal

The Obama administration may have called off the game more than a year ago, but the nation's poker partisans are still looking for a deal.

July 26, 2012

EPA declares water in Pa. town safe to drink despite fracking

The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday declared that drinking water in Dimock, Pa., is safe to drink, despite concerns from some residents and environmentalists that nearby natural gas fracking had contaminated supplies.

July 25, 2012

Presidential debates key, but leave out other voices

Even in the age of social media and 24-hour news cycles, presidential debates still play a key role in the election process, Frank Fahrenkopf, co-chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates, said on Tuesday.

July 24, 2012

Bill would clip wings of private drone use

Concern over the personal privacy implications of the nation's inevitable drone boom continues to grow on Capitol Hill.

July 22, 2012

EPA defers regulations for coal-fired power plants

The Environmental Protection Agency will reconsider and delay the final release of controversial regulations cracking down on power plant emissions.

July 21, 2012

Bill would clip wings of private drone use

Concern over the personal privacy implications of the nation's inevitable drone boom continues to grow on Capitol Hill.

July 20, 2012

Nebraska Senate race keeps super PAC ads

Super PAC ads will remain a part of the Nebraska Senate race.

July 19, 2012

High anxiety on the Hill about civilian drone use

When it comes to drones, the DHS is MIA, lawmakers said Thursday.

July 19, 2012

D.C. schools now clear of ‘No Child’ mandates

Schools in the nation’s capital will no longer be subject to the mandates and deadlines of the federal No Child Left Behind education law.

July 19, 2012

Obama administration stalls economic engine of new free-trade pacts

The free-trade consensus of the previous two decades has frayed under President Obama, and while he has pushed through some low-level agreements, he has fallen far short of his predecessors on this key driver of the nation's economy, and analysts say the U.S. is lagging behind many of its chief competitors.

July 18, 2012

Kerrey challenges Fischer to oppose super PACs

Super PAC spending could get the boot from the closely watched Nebraska Senate contest.

July 17, 2012

Candidates from both parties benefiting from domestic oil boom

For many candidates in energy-boom states, support for increased oil and gas drilling isn't just sound policy — it's also good for their personal business.

July 14, 2012

Joke by Kerrey’s wife not funny in Nebraska

Already down in the polls, Democrat Bob Kerrey's hopes to reclaim his old Nebraska Senate seat may have taken another hit after his wife, former Saturday Night Live writer Sarah Paley, penned a biting piece for July's Vogue magazine that some view as insulting to the Cornhusker State.

July 10, 2012

$Rep. Andy Harris says a new report has suggestions for the EPA "to improve the transparency, quality and ultimate value of its [fracking] study." (Associated Press)$

EPA study on fracking and water questioned

The oil and gas industry continues to cast doubt on the validity of an ongoing Environmental Protection Agency effort to determine potential links between fracking and water contamination.

July 10, 2012

Pensions at charter schools hot topic with IRS

Charter school supporters are continuing to pressure the Internal Revenue Service to change proposed regulations that could disqualify teachers at charter schools from public pension systems.

July 9, 2012

Romney’s record on education includes successes, failures

Mitt Romney kept academic standards high, pushed for more charter schools and took other steps during his time as Massachusetts governor to keep the state in the top tier of student performance — but he stumbled in his efforts to institute merit pay for teachers, revamp the tenure system and other aims.

July 8, 2012