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Ben Wolfgang

Ben Wolfgang

bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com

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

U.S. students’ scores go up, but racial gaps persist

U.S. students are making progress in reading and math, but the advances continue to be clouded by stubbornly high gaps between scores for white children and their black and Hispanic counterparts, according to a major new survey Tuesday from the National Center for Education Statistics.

November 1, 2011
** FILE ** Businessman Herman Cain (left), former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (center) and Texas Gov. Rick Perry are pictured before a Republican presidential debate on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)

Democrats target Romney as GOP nominee

The first Republican presidential primary may be more than two months away, but some Democrats are convinced that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will be the eventual GOP nominee — and they already are rolling out their general election attack strategy.

October 30, 2011
President Obama speaks to students and faculty at the Auraria Events Center at the University of Colorado at Denver on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

Obama unveils student debt-relief plan

Continuing his recent tack of bypassing Congress and enacting reforms "without them," President Obama on Wednesday announced a package of student loan reforms designed to lower college graduates' monthly payments, arguing his plan will redirect some of that borrowed money into the economy to promote job growth.

October 26, 2011

Bullying add-ons make No Child reform less certain

Democrats plan to introduce two anti-bullying amendments when a major education reform proposal hits the Senate floor later this year - but the measures could put bipartisan support for the bill in serious jeopardy.

October 25, 2011
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett on Monday said that his declaration of a fiscal emergency in the debt-ridden state capital, Harrisburg, “ensures that vital services will continue and public safety will be protected.” (Associated Press)

Pa. governor takes fiscal reins of debt-strapped capital

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett on Monday declared a fiscal emergency in the state capital of Harrisburg, removing much of the authority over police, firefighting, trash collection and other services from city officials and placing it in the hands of his administration.

October 24, 2011

Debt incinerates pride in Pa. capital

Harrisburg, a proud city of almost 50,000, now stands on the edge of bankruptcy and likely will turn over its troubled checkbook soon to state lawmakers, the last resort after years of poor investment and political infighting.

October 23, 2011

Paul pulls plug on education bill markup

Sen. Rand Paul put a quick end to Wednesday morning's Senate markup of a long-awaited education reform bill to overhaul the 10-year-old No Child Left Behind law.

October 19, 2011
Gerstenmaier

NASA expresses hope Russia’s rocket problems can be corrected

Despite a high-profile recent failure, NASA officials are expressing confidence that the Russian space program is capable of ferrying supplies and astronauts to the International Space Station and remain optimistic that there will be no future problems.

October 12, 2011
Sen. Tom Harkin, Iowa Democrat, is chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. (AP Photo)

Harkin comes up with bipartisan education-reform bill

Hailing it as a breakthrough of bipartisanship, Sen. Tom Harkin on Tuesday unveiled his long-awaited education reform package, a wide-ranging bill that in many ways reduces the federal government's involvement in local districts and state education systems.

October 11, 2011
Sen. Tom Harkin, Iowa Democrat, as chairman of the education panel had promised a reform bill in the spring. He is expected to present his plan Tuesday. (Associated Press)

Harkin has blueprint for education reform ready

After months of delay, Sen. Tom Harkin, Iowa Democrat, is expected to release his blueprint for education reform on Tuesday, following the White House, Senate Republicans and the House GOP, in laying his cards on the table in the debate over what should replace the decade-old No Child Left Behind law.

October 10, 2011
With the Washington Monument behind them, protesters, calling for the end of the Federal Reserve, march Oct. 9, 2011, to the Federal Reserve in Washington. (Associated Press)

Parties see protests as two sides of coin

In 2009, where Democrats saw an unruly mob, Republicans saw patriotism. In 2011, where Republicans see an unruly mob, Democrats see patriotism. That was the "tea party." This is the "Occupy" movement.

October 9, 2011
ASSOCIATED PRESS House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia (left) and House Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio (right) have written to President Obama, asking him to kill the Federal Motor Carrier Administration's new trucking guidelines that would reduce driving hours.

Truckers seek brake on new rules

Top House Republicans have thrown their support behind the trucking industry and are urging the Obama administration to hit the brakes on proposed regulations that would further limit how long each day that tractor-trailer drivers can stay behind the wheel.

October 6, 2011