Latest news with #ChrissyHoulahan
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Court restores $51 million in federal funds to Reading School District
The Reading School District will receive $51 million in federal funds following a court order, the district announced Tuesday. The order reversed an earlier decision by the U.S. Department of Education to revoke the funds, putting the future of the district's Reading High School Innovation Academy in jeopardy. The facility, underway at Ninth and Douglass streets, is designed to reduce overcrowding at Reading High and expand science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, academic opportunities for students. The funds, part of the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER, program, had been revoked in March. Completion of Reading High School Innovation Academy in jeopardy A preliminary injunction issued by the court requires the U.S. department to distribute the funding as originally approved. 'This is a major victory for our students, our families, and our entire community,' Dr. Jennifer Murray, district superintendent, said in a release. 'The RHS Innovation Academy project will continue to move forward without delay, and we are grateful to all who stood with us, including U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, who advocated for our district and made clear that these funds were promised and must be delivered.' The reimbursement follows a multistate lawsuit joined by Gov. Josh Shapiro and 15 other states that challenged the federal government's sudden withholding of more than $185 million owed to Pennsylvania schools. 'We just won in court to stop the (President Donald) Trump Administration's unlawful decision to revoke over $200 million for school districts and education entities across Pennsylvania and break their contract with our Commonwealth,' Shapiro posted on X May 6. 'These dollars are critical for things like student mental health programs, providing internet in schools, and installing new HVAC systems — and thanks to our victory today, the federal government can't renege on its commitments to our kids and leave Pennsylvania taxpayers holding the bag. I'll always take action to ensure Pennsylvania students have the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed.' The federal court ruling allows the state Department of Education to resume processing reimbursements. The Reading School District's request for the full $51 million has been approved. The district originally was awarded more than $104 million in federal relief funds and had spent or committed approximately $66 million to construction and HVAC improvements across the district when the U.S. Department of Education reversed its decision to extend the spending timeline. The initial deadline for expenditure of the funds was Sept. 30, with an additional 90 days to distribute all the funds, but the district was granted an extension for another 14 to 18 months to complete the project, Murray said last month at a school board meeting. With the restoration of the funding, district leaders say the STEM academy project remains on track for completion. 'We can now focus fully on completing the construction of a new school that will prepare students for the future,' said Wayne Gehris, district chief financial officer. 'This resolution ensures that the investments we've made in our children will not be lost.' Houlahan, who advocated for the district, issued the following statement: 'Congress lawfully appropriated the funds that Secretary of Education (Linda E.) McMahon tried to claw back from the Reading School District. I am heartened the courts have sided with school districts across the commonwealth to restore the funding. 'I am particularly pleased that the Reading School District recovered the funding needed to complete construction. The students and teachers deserve it and so does the city of Reading. STEM education is vital to our future and I'll continue to fight for resources our community and country needs.'
Forbes
28-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Learning From The Ripple Effect Of Pennsylvania's Energy Dominance
The Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant is seen on September 21, 2024 from across the river in Etters, ... More Pennsylvania. Microsoft and Constellation Energy reached a deal that would restart Unit 1 of the Three Mile Island Nuclear plant, which was previously retired in 2019. (Photo by) 'The politics of Pennsylvania are the reason why you're always looking at Pennsylvania for every election to see how did the suburbs of Philadelphia go, whether they've swung or not to the left or to the right,' Pennsylvania Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan told me in an exclusive interview. 'My district itself is 40% Democrat, 40% Republican, and 20% independent. So I'm a good kind of little Petri dish case study of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the country at large,' pointing out that 'we have urban, suburban, rural Democrats, Republicans, you know, independents.' Pennsylvania is the ultimate swing state, having voted for Donald Trump in 2016, for Joe Biden in 2020, and then back to Donald Trump in 2024 by less than 1%. Graphic on support for energy in Pennsylvania, Global Strategy Group research - 2025 Houlahan is a Democrat representing Pennsylvania's sixth district, and the first woman to do so. She's an Air Force veteran, an engineer, an entrepreneur, an educator who worked with Teach for America and taught 11th grade science in Philadelphia. Her grandparents and parents survived the Holocaust, came to the U.S. as immigrants with nothing, and built a military family (her father and grandfather served in the Navy). She earned an engineering degree from Stanford (with an ROTC scholarship) and a Master of Science degree in Technology and policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Bemoaning that 'just a couple dozen of us have STEM background or proclivity' in Congress,' at a time when every issue intersects with it, she founded and co-chairs the Women in STEM Caucus too. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA 06). ca. 14 November 2018. (Photo by: HUM Images/Universal Images Group ... More via Getty Images) Reflecting the 'petri dish' of her district in both political bent and priorities, Houlahan is Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus. With 60 members, she said it's one of the largest bipartisan caucuses in the House. What that means for the country's energy and climate policies circa 2025 remains to be seen, though. Dozens of House and Senate Republicans signed letters to their leaderships earlier this year asking that the clean energy financial incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act be preserved. But then those same GOP members voted to gut those incentives in the massive Republican bill last week. Pennsylvania provides multiple energy sources and in a big way. According to the Energy Information Agency (EIA), it's the second-largest natural gas producing state, 'the third-largest coal-producing state,' and the second-largest generator of electricity from nuclear power (in 2023). 'Pennsylvania is the second-largest net supplier, after Texas, of total energy to other states,' EIA reported. Hydrogen key to domestic energy - Clean Air Task Force screenshot - May 8-2025 Two new hydrogen hubs are being developed there too, courtesy of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), though they are on the chopping block in the new GOP bill. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has secured or will benefit from over $700 million worth of climate action and clean energy investments from the IRA, according to the City of Philadelphia in January. Pennsylvanians overwhelmingly support increasing clean energy in the state, 76% overall, including 84% of independents and 59% of Republicans. 'I just believe that we're fundamentally a very pragmatic people who really think hard, are well educated, in different ways, to understand the complexity of all problems that we have,' including energy, 'and we can find solutions that are pragmatic as well,' Houlahan insisted on Electric Ladies Podcast. 'Our planet is under attack and we do have an energy crisis and we do need to move towards renewable and sustainable energies more rapidly than we are. And I think the people of our community, my community, recognize that.' New research by the Environmental Voter Project found that 'far more women than men are listing climate and environmental issues as their top priority in voting' – by a 62% to 37% margin. They also found that gap was 'largest among young people, Black and Indigenous voters.' Environmental Voter Project study on gender & climate vote - 2025
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Your head should explode': Dem Rep. reacts to Trump saying he doesn't know if he has to uphold the Constitution
Democratic Rep. Chrissy Houlahan and CNN Political Commentators Ashley Allison, Shermichael Singleton, and Kristen Soltis Anderson discuss Trump saying he doesn't know if he has to uphold the Constitution, as well as growing concerns over his handling of the economy.
CNN
04-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
‘Your head should explode': Dem Rep. reacts to Trump saying he doesn't know if he has to uphold the Constitution
Democratic Rep. Chrissy Houlahan and CNN Political Commentators Ashley Allison, Shermichael Singleton, and Kristen Soltis Anderson discuss Trump saying he doesn't know if he has to uphold the Constitution, as well as growing concerns over his handling of the economy.
CNN
04-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
‘Your head should explode': Dem Rep. reacts to Trump saying he doesn't know if he has to uphold the Constitution
Democratic Rep. Chrissy Houlahan and CNN Political Commentators Ashley Allison, Shermichael Singleton, and Kristen Soltis Anderson discuss Trump saying he doesn't know if he has to uphold the Constitution, as well as growing concerns over his handling of the economy.
