Tag Archives : Build House

Energy & Environment — Watchdog faults VA over water contamination claims

An internal government watchdog has found that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) prematurely denied thousands of claims related to water contamination at the Camp Lejeune military base.

Meanwhile, California has approved a ban on gas-powered cars, and Utah is suing the Biden administration over restored boundaries for national monuments.  

This is Overnight Energy & Environment, your source for the latest news focused on energy, the environment and beyond. For The Hill, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk. Subscribe here.

Thousands of victims’ claims mishandled: watchdog

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) mishandled up to 1 in 3 veterans’ claims relating to water contamination at Camp Lejeune, according to a report released Thursday by the department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).

• Some 1 million people may have been exposed to contaminated water at the training facility between August 1953 and December 1987, according to the OIG report. OIG investigators found that the department prematurely denied more than 17,000 of the claims before sending the claimants’ letters asking for further documentation of exposure.
• In another 2,300 cases, the department recorded incorrect effective dates for benefit eligibility, according to the report. Not all the mishandled cases would necessarily have resulted in benefit payouts, but veterans were underpaid by at least $13.8 million over a four-year period due to failure to assign the earliest effective date, according to the watchdog.

The big problem: The contaminants in question are associated with a number of medical conditions and complications, including kidney cancer, liver cancer, Parkinson’s disease and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The VA has also expanded eligibility for disability payments to people who have a different condition than the eight listed that they can prove is connected to exposure to contaminated water.

“The OIG found that errors were less likely to occur at the Louisville Regional Office, which processes most Camp Lejeune-related claims; staff from other VA regional offices lacked experience processing these claims,” the report states.

The watchdog recommended the Veterans Benefits Administration either develop a plan to reduce the processing errors at regional offices or centralize Camp Lejeune-related claims at the Louisville office.  

Read more here.

California approves 2035 sales ban for gas cars 

The California Air Resources Board voted on Thursday to ban the sale of gas-powered cars starting in 2035. 

• The state’s Advanced Clean Cars II rule would ratchet up the proportion of electric or non-emitting cars required to be sold in the state annually, until new sales must be 100 percent electric starting in 2035.
• The rule is expected to have impacts beyond California’s borders, as other states can also adopt the standards. Officials from New York, Oregon, Washington state and Rhode Island told CNN that they plan to adopt California’s rule.  

The measure is aimed at both limiting the state’s contribution to climate change and bettering public health by exposing fewer people to pollution like smog. 

“California now has a groundbreaking, world-leading plan to achieve 100 percent zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035. It’s ambitious, it’s innovative, it’s the action we must take if we’re serious about leaving this planet better off for future generations,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said in a statement shared with The Hill. 

The Air Resources Board found that battery-electric vehicles are likely to be about even cost-wise with gas-powered vehicles by 2030, and it estimated that by 2035, consumers are likely to save $7,900 in maintenance and operational costs over the first 10 years of electric vehicle ownership. 

Read more about the rule here.  

UTAH SUES BIDEN OVER MONUMENT BOUNDARIES

The state of Utah is suing the Biden administration over its decision to restore the size of two national monuments that were shrunk by then-President Trump.

• The size of the Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears monuments, both located in Utah, were cut by nearly half and about 85 percent, respectively, during the Trump administration. 
• These monuments were initially designated under the Clinton and Obama administrations.

In deciding to restore the monuments’ original sizes, Biden invoked tribal rights, calling Bears Ears “a place of healing … a place of reverence, a sacred homeland to hundreds of generations of native peoples.” 

But, the state of Utah and two of its counties argued in court that the monuments are too big and a violation of the Antiquities Act, which gives presidents the right to protect historic landmarks and other areas of significance.   

They specifically argued that Biden’s move was not compatible with the part of the law that says parcels put aside for protections “shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected.” 

And they said that Biden’s move would “stifle local economic activity, impact local culture and tradition, lock up potentially critical minerals, destroy jobs, and impose exasperating and costly burdens on local and state governments.” 

Read more about the lawsuit here.

WHAT WE’RE READING

• The EPA Just Quietly Got Stronger (The Atlantic)
• Texas grid avoids summer blackouts with $1 billion in extra spending (Reuters) 
• Pace of Climate Change Sends Economists Back to Drawing Board (The New York Times)
• Dinosaur tracks from 113 million years ago uncovered due to severe drought conditions at Dinosaur Valley State Park (CNN)
• Appalachian, Indigenous pipeline foes say climate deal ‘left us to burn’ (The Washington Post)

ICYMI

• Deadly heat to surge by 2100, even with emissions reductions: study
• How wildfires made the ozone hole worse
• Fires burning nearly twice as much forest as 20 years ago: study 
• International nuclear agency getting wider powers to probe attacks on Ukraine power plant 

That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill’s Energy & Environment page for the latest news and coverage. We’ll see you tomorrow.  

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Hillicon Valley — Democrats demand answers from Twitter

The Twitter whistleblower continued to make waves in Washington, with two House Democrats pressing Twitter for answers about the alleged security deficiencies raised in the whistleblower’s complaint. 

In other news, the embattled Israeli spyware firm NSO Group is replacing its CEO and cutting 13 percent of its workforce as it tries to recover from being blacklisted by the U.S. government. 

This is Hillicon Valley, detailing all you need to know about tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Send tips to The Hill’s Rebecca Klar and Ines Kagubare. Someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.

Twitter pressed on alleged security faults 

House Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and
Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), chair of a cybersecurity subcommittee, are demanding that Twitter respond to allegations from a whistleblower about major security deficiencies that the Democrats said could pose national security threats.  

The Democrats sent a letter to Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal on Thursday asking for details about security flaws identified in whistleblower Peiter Zatko’s complaint, and about action Twitter took in response to warnings raised by Zatko during his time at Twitter or after his departure.  

• Thompson and Clarke underscored the need for Twitter to take proactive steps to protect users with the upcoming midterm elections around the corner, calling it an “inflection point” for American democracy.  
• “Twitter plays a unique role in our information and political ecosystems. Security flaws that put users’ sensitive personal data within easy reach of a hacker looking to take control of a high-profile account or a foreign dictator looking for information on dissidents are nothing short of a threat to national security,” they wrote. 
• “If substantiated, the whistleblower allegations demonstrate a pattern of willful disregard for the personal data of Twitter users and the integrity of the platform.” 

Read more here.  

Spyware firm restructures amid backlash  

The embattled Israeli spyware firm NSO Group is replacing its CEO and cutting
13 percent of its workforce as it tries to recover from being blacklisted by the U.S. government.  

Experts say the longtime industry leader has become a “cautionary tale,” after allowing its flagship Pegasus spyware to become a high-profile threat to global security and human rights, with media outlets worldwide detailing how governments were abusing its tools.  

The company’s restructuring is likely tied to the Department of Commerce’s decision last fall to add the company to its entities list — effectively blacklisting it — and the recent failure of its acquisition deal with U.S. defense contractor L3Harris, experts added.  

“Being put on the entities list was killing the company,” said James Lewis, a senior vice president and director with the strategic technologies program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

Read more here. 

US, ISRAEL ENTERS CYBER PARTNERSHIP  

The Department of Treasury and the Israeli Ministry of Finance announced on Thursday a bilateral agreement formalizing and enhancing the cybersecurity partnership between the countries. 

The agreement follows Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo’s visit to Israel last fall, when he established a bilateral partnership geared toward protecting the financial sector from cyberattacks. 

In the agreement, both nations pledged to share information related to cyber threats targeting the financial sector, train staff in the cybersecurity field, and conduct cross-border cybersecurity exercises. 

Read more here. 

RANSOMWARE CASES SURGED 47% IN JULY 

Ransomware attacks rose 47 percent from June to July, with the majority of attacks targeting the industrials sector, according to a report released on Thursday by cybersecurity firm NCC Group.  

Previous reports conducted by the firm indicated that ransomware cases had declined in the spring but soon picked up again, with attacks increasing from 135 in June to 198 in July. 

“This month’s [report] has revealed some major changes within the ransomware threat scene compared to June, as ransomware attacks are once again on the up,” said Matt Hull, global head of threat intelligence at NCC Group, in a statement. 

According to the report, the rise in ransomware attacks comes as several new threat actors emerge, including Lockbit 3.0, Hiveleaks and BlackBasts, which have been associated with the Conti ransomware group — a Russia-based hacker group. 

Read more here. 

Google to identify abortion clinics  

Google in a letter to lawmakers on Thursday said it would clearly identify facilities that provide abortions to ensure people seeking the procedure are not misled by anti-abortion clinics.  

Mark Isakowitz, the vice president for government affairs and public policy for the U.S. and Canada at Google, said in a letter to Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) that the company will include labels like “Provides abortions” and “Does not provide abortions” that the company has verified at the top of advertisement search results.

Read more here. 

PLATFORMS REMOVED ‘PRO-WESTERN’ NARRATIVES 

Facebook and Twitter took down two overlapping sets of accounts over the past two months for promoting “pro-Western narratives” in the Middle East and Central Asia, according to a report released Wednesday.  

The social media analytics firm Graphika reported that Twitter and Meta, the company that owns Facebook, took down the accounts over a “series of covert campaigns” over a period of five years.  

Twitter said the accounts violated its policies on “platform manipulation and spam,” and Meta said it conducted “coordinated inauthentic behavior.” The platforms provided portions of the accounts’ activity to Graphika and the Stanford Internet Observatory.  

“This activity represents the most extensive case of a covert influence operation advancing pro-Western narratives that has been publicly documented to date,” Jack Stubbs, vice president of intelligence at Graphika, told The Wall Street Journal. 

Read more here.  

DC PUSHES TO REVIVE AMAZON ANTITRUST CASE 

D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine (D) filed a notice of appeal Thursday to revive the antitrust case against Amazon that a judge dismissed earlier this year.  

The lawsuit, first filed in 2021, alleges Amazon has used its position as a giant in the e-commerce field to maximize profits at the expense of consumers, third-party sellers and wholesalers. It accuses Amazon of using anticompetitive practices by keeping third-party sellers from offering lower-cost proxies for products elsewhere. 

A judge dismissed the case in March in an oral ruling.  

“We’re appealing the lower court’s decision because District consumers deserve a fair marketplace that promotes competition, innovation, and choice,” Racine said in a statement. “And we’re filing this appeal because the antitrust laws and the facts are on our side—and on the side of District residents. We look forward to making our case before the Court of Appeals.” 

Read more here.  

BITS & PIECES

An op-ed to chew on: As governments shun ransomware payments, cyberattacks may cost taxpayers even more 

Notable links from around the web: 

Biden’s student loan plan could boost some fintech lenders (Protocol / Tomio Geron) 

Spiders Are Caught in a Global Web of Misinformation (The New York Times / Oliver Whang) 

Websites Can Identify If You’re Using iPhone’s New ‘Lockdown’ Mode (Motherboard / Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai) 

🐆 Lighter click: Purrrrfect

One more thing: Five photos from NASA

Since the first photos debuted from NASA’s new James Webb in July, a steady stream of breathtaking images have been released by the groundbreaking telescope. 

The $10 billion James Webb telescope, which replaced the aging Hubble telescope and launched into space in December 2021, has captured distant galaxies, blazing stars light years away and a new image of Jupiter. 

Read more and see five of the most stunning photos taken by James Webb to date here.  

That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill’s Technology and Cybersecurity pages for the latest news and coverage. We’ll see you tomorrow.

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NotedDC — Biden hitting the road?

After a summer vacation largely out of public view, President Biden is kicking off his Building a Better America Tour with a rally in Maryland Thursday night, followed by a fundraiser for the Democratic Party. 

“The President loves to go out there and meet with the American people,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. “He wants to be out there and travel as much as possible. He has something that he wants to say and let the American people know that we have done.” 

The messaging could prove crucial as Democrats try to maintain majorities in the House and Senate. 

Previewing his Thursday night speech and overall theme of the tour, Jean-Pierre said the president plans to tout accomplishments and lay out the priorities moving forward. 

“He’ll say that they have taken on special interest and won — that’s what Democrats have done,” she said. “This is what you’ve seen these past several weeks in particular,” she added, saying the party is “still fighting” to protect abortion access, school safety and voting rights.  

“Democrats, as we know, have a lot to talk about,” she continued. “They have delivered for the American people, and especially as we’ve seen the last the last couple of weeks.” 

We chatted with The Hill White House correspondent Morgan Chalfant for some more insight. 

NotedDC: What should we expect with the Building a Better America Tour in the coming months?  

MC: The White House’s aim with this tour is to promote the administration’s accomplishments — namely the Inflation Reduction Act, the semiconductor bill and other legislative victories — and draw a contrast with Republicans. The White House wants to brand Republicans as the party aligned with “special interests” by tying them to the pharmaceutical industry and other detractors of the newly signed climate, health care and tax package.  

NotedDC: It was previously announced: What has taken so long for the Better America tour to get rolling? Or was this the anticipated timeline?  

MC: Some Cabinet members have made trips related to the promotion of the Biden agenda — Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, for instance, recently swung through California to promote the bipartisan infrastructure law — but we haven’t seen much of President Biden since he signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law primarily because he’s been on his summer vacation.   

That will change with [the] big pre-midterm event tonight. Biden is scheduled to headline a Democratic National Committee rally in Maryland, where he’ll promote his agenda and offer a preview of his message in this last two-month stretch before the midterms.   

NotedDC: Is President Biden expected to actively campaign for many individual candidates this fall or do you get the sense that some are shying away because of his polling? [Catch up on this issue with this story from The Hill’s Brett Samuels and Alex Gangitino.] 

MC: I think the president will get out there on the trail, and the White House has made clear he wants to interact more with people throughout the country. When it comes to Democratic candidates being willing to appear with him, it’s a bit of a mixed bag.

There are plenty who have embraced the president — Florida Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist is one who praised Biden in recent days and said he would welcome the president to campaign in Florida. But others in tough races have seemed to try to create more distance. The president has racked up some significant legislative wins and his poll numbers seem to be turning around for the better, so that could change some candidates’ perspectives. 

Welcome to NotedDC: Your guide to politics, policy and people of consequence in D.C. Have some news, juicy gossip, insight or other insider info? Send us tips: Elizabeth Crisp and Kelsey Carolan. 

📨 Encourage your friends to sign up here: thehill.com/noted.

White House limited on abortion fight 

The Biden administration has vowed to keep up the fight for abortion access as more states continue to ban the procedure. 

But for some advocates, the White House hasn’t done all it could do yet. 

About two dozen demonstrators gathered outside the White House earlier this week, calling on President Biden to declare abortion access a public health emergency. 

Sadie Kuhns, facilitator for Our Rights DC, says the group will hold such demonstrations monthly until the Biden takes action. 

Such a move, she told Noted DC, “would say to me that the government isn’t giving up on this. He has the ability to do this, and he should show he cares about this issue to the people who elected him.” 

Where things stand: Seventeen states have banned or drastically restricted abortion access to date: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. 

Presidential action: Biden has signed two executive orders on abortion rights since the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision earlier this summer. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that the administration will take further action but didn’t elaborate. Biden hasn’t ruled out a public health emergency.   

“Americans across the country and of all backgrounds agree that women should have the right to make their own personal health care decisions and to receive life-saving medical care, without interference from politicians, and the President will continue to take action to protect women’s access to lifesaving health care,” Jean-Pierre said Thursday.  

Until then, the demonstrators will keep showing up. 

“We need to protect people,” Kuhns said. “Joe Biden and Congress can show they stand with us and they deserve our votes.” 

“What we want to see is action,” she added. 

Several Democratic lawmakers also have penned letters to Biden urging him to declare an emergency. 

What a health emergency declaration would mean: Declaring an emergency would provide more flexibility for the federal government. In the case of abortion access, it could be wielded to provide federal resources to make it easier for people to travel to other states to terminate pregnancies if the procedure is banned in their own state. 

TRUMP-MCCONNELL FEUD ESCALATES

Former President Trump’s rhetoric against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is escalating, putting on display the growing divide between the two GOP factions. 

Trump has been on a tear against McConnell after the Kentucky Republican criticized the quality of this year’s GOP Senate candidates — many of whom Trump endorsed or even hand-picked — now calling for McConnell to be booted from his post as minority leader. 

Between the lines: McConnell has not rushed to Trump’s side following the FBI’s search of his Florida estate, unlike House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), showcasing the splintering of the party. If Trump runs again in 2024, it’s unlikely McConnell would be a strong supporter, though he has indicated he would vote for whomever becomes the Republican nominee. 

Nearing midterms: McConnell hasn’t shown enthusiasm for many of Trump’s endorsed Senate candidates, including Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, Herschel Walker in Georgia and Blake Masters in Arizona, all of whom are lagging in the polls.  

But as our colleagues Mike Lills and Emily Brooks reported Thursday, House Republicans will land closer to Trump’s views next year since many of those poised to win in November have embraced the former president. If the GOP takes control of the House, it will make legislating much more difficult for President Biden and more moderate factions of the GOP. 

The feud, which kicked into high gear following the attack at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, is also turning personal after Trump attacked McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, who served as the secretary of Transportation in his Cabinet. 

“He should spend more time (and money!) helping them get elected, and less time helping his crazy wife and family get rich on China,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to how Chao previously used her department staff to help her family business, which does business in China. 

McConnell, not responding to the attack, seems reluctant to give more attention to Trump. 

Remember: Trump has used this playbook to attack other opponents within his party before, such as when he retweeted an unflattering photo of Heidi Cruz, the wife of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), as the two battled it out for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016.

The White House’s latest staff shakeup

As the Biden administration prepares for the last stretch before midterms, the press team got shifted around, once again.  

Our colleague Brett Samuels reports on the trio of changes: 

• Olivia Dalton will serve as principal deputy press secretary, previously serving as a spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.
• Kate Berner will be promoted to principal deputy communications director from her previous role as deputy communications director.
• Herbie Ziskend will fill Berner’s former post as deputy communications director, previously seving in Vice President Harris’s office. 

Why these changes are significant: “The new staff members cap off months of changes within the White House communications operation that started in May with the departure of former press secretary Jen Psaki. Since then, roughly a half dozen press staffers have departed the White House, most of them for other jobs in the administration,” Samuels said. 

Who is helping Dems campaign?

Former President Obama will appear at a fundraiser in September to help Democrats in their fight to keep control of Congress. 

Our colleague Caroline Vakil obtained a copy of the invite. Here are the deets: 

• He will join Sen. Gary Peters (Mich.), the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, in a conversation in New York on Sept. 8.
• General reception is $25,000 per person while a VIP reception and photo line is $50,000. 

And California Gov. Gavin Newsom threw $100,000 behind Rep. Charlie Crist (D) in his bid to oust Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). 

It’s a new level in the Newsom-DeSantis feud. In July, Newsom launched an ad targeting DeSantis and other GOP lawmakers for legislation targeting LGBTQ and voting rights, abortion and critical race theory. 

FIRST IN THE HILL — GOP GOES AFTER SEN. PATTY MURRAY

Washington Sen. Patty Murray (D) is being hit by a six-figure digital ad buy over the issue of crime, our colleague Julia Manchester scooped on Thursday. 

The Republican group Winning for Women Action Fund is boosting Murray’s Republican opponent Tiffany Smiley in the ad, casting Murray as “turning her back on law enforcement.” 

And what’s more telling of how Republicans will deflect Democrats’ abortion attacks, Smiley launched another ad Thursday painting herself as less extreme on the issue. 

“Patty Murray has spent millions to paint me as an extremist. I’m pro-life, but I oppose a federal abortion ban,” Smiley says in the ad. 

The Cook Political Report ranks the race as “solid Democrat.” 

Time to celebrate the pups!

If you don’t spoil your dogs enough already, Friday is National Dog Day, so get the treats ready! 

Here’s the top five dog breeds in the District, according to TOP Agency: 

1. Yorkshire Terrier
2. Beagle
3. Mutt
4. Labrador Retriever
5. Pit Bull 

Stay with TheHill.com for the latest and recommend NotedDC to others: thehill.com/noted. See you tomorrow.

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Mike Lee agrees to Senate debate against Evan McMullin

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said Thursday that he plans to debate independent Senate candidate Evan McMullin as the two vie for the Utah seat in November’s general election. 

“I’m glad that you finally committed to debate me, Mike. Utahns deserve a chance to hear from both of us. Our campaign met the deadline—the ball is in your court now,” McMullin wrote on Twitter, referring to a Monday deadline he said was set by the state’s Debate Commission.

Lee defeated his Republican challengers in the GOP primary for the seat earlier this year and has been leading McMullin in some polling, but the sitting senator and the independent challenger have yet to go head-to-head in debate.

As reported in local outlet KUTV, in the lead-up to the primary Lee attended a Utah GOP-sponsored debate but skipped one hosted by the non-partisan Utah Debate Commission, where an empty podium stood on the debate stage in his place. 

“I look forward to debating Evan McMullin on the important issues facing our country. My team has been working with the Debate Commission to secure a date, and I can assure you we will come up with a time that works,” Lee wrote on Twitter Thursday when McMullin confronted him about the Debate Commission’s upcoming deadline. 

Independent McMullin, who made a third-party bid for the presidency in 2016, was backed by Utah Democrats earlier this year in a rare move aimed at ousting the Republican incumbent.

Lee, endorsed by former President Trump, has held the Senate seat since 2011. The Hill has reached out to Lee’s campaign and the Utah Debate Commission for comment.

Lee is “slow-walking debate negotiations” in the face of “a neck-and-neck reelection challenge” from McMullin, a spokesperson for McMullin’s campaign told The Hill in a statement.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report last week changed its rating for the Utah Senate race from “Solid R” to “Likely R.” Sabato’s Crystal Ball, the election handicapper from the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, amended its “Safe Republican” rating to “Likely Republican” after the June primaries.

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White House calls out Greene, other GOP critics on how their own loans were forgiven

The White House on Thursday called out Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) criticism of President Biden‘s plan to forgive some student loans, noting that the congresswoman had PPP loans forgiven.

The Biden administration’s official Twitter account shared a video of Greene knocking the just-announced debt cancellation in a Newsmax interview as “completely unfair.”

“Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene had $183,504 in PPP loans forgiven,” the White House wrote, referring to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a lifeline extended to help small businesses stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data from ProPublica shows the loan and accrued interest for Greene’s company, Taylor Commercial, Inc., which reportedly would go to payroll, was forgiven.

The Hill has reached out to Greene’s office for comment.

The Biden administration is forgiving up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt for Americans earning less than $125,000 per year, and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients earning less than $125,000 per year.

Biden also announced yet another extension of a freeze on federal student loan repayments and interest accrual, just before the Aug. 31 expiration date set when the deadline was last pushed back.

“For our government just to say, you know, ‘Ok, well your debt is completely forgiven,’ … it’s completely unfair,” Greene said in the Newsmax interview, which aired Wednesday.

Taxpayers “shouldn’t have to pay off the great big student loan debt for some college student that piled up massive debt going to some Ivy league school,” Greene argued. “That’s not fair.”

Biden responded Wednesday to reporters’ questions about whether the debt forgiveness is unfair to those who have already paid off or chose not to take out loans, taking a swing at tax cuts on the rich.

“Is it fair to people who, in fact, do not own multibillion-dollar businesses, if they see one of these guys getting all the tax cuts? Is that fair? What do you think?” Biden said after his remarks announcing the plan.

The debt relief move has garnered praise from Democrats, while Republicans have criticized the economics.

The White House Twitter account has created a thread below its response to Greene’s criticism, with similar responses to other Congressional critics of the student loan debt announcement. The congressmen whose PPP loan amounts were revealed include Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).

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Saving the Universal Service Fund: Time for big tech to pay up

While polarization remains fierce, the 117^th Congress is nevertheless notching up more bipartisan cooperation than headlines might have you believe, eking out common ground on issues including gun control, infrastructure, and the strengthening of domestic supply chains for critical semiconductor chips. Upgrading digital infrastructure should be another area that nets wide bipartisan support.  

Governments across Europe, North America, and Asia have been fiercely debating how to sustainably fund costly new digital infrastructure networks to ensure their populations enjoy widespread internet access and unlock the full potential of 5G connectivity. It’s hard to overstate the importance of expanding access to digital infrastructure – without sustainable funding plans millions could become underconnected and left behind.  

Getting massive technology companies to contribute to digital infrastructure roll outs and development could provide an answer, and recently both the US and the European Union have put these firms on notice. 

The latest debate is over the fate of the FCC’s The Universal Service Fund (USF), a roughly $8 billion a year funding vehicle that ensures broadband infrastructure to underserved populations, which is facing financial untenability. Some of its programs include Connect America, which expands broadband networks to Americans living in rural geographies, Lifeline which helps subsidize phone and internet bills for low-income households, and E-Rate which provides heavily discounted internet access for deserving schools and libraries. Unfortunately, the vehicle’s funding mechanisms are outdated and unsustainable, and they hurt consumers at a time of spiraling inflation, jeopardizing the feasibility of these critical and popular programs.  

Broadly speaking, the USF is funded by a tax on telecommunication companies, a significant portion of which is typically passed on to the consumer. While the mandate of USF has expanded to address the challenges of the internet age, its funding sources have not. This antiquated system draws from telephone revenue, a revenue base that has shrunk from a peak of $80 billion in the early 2000s to less than $30 billion today. This has directly hurt consumers as the customer contribution rate to pay for this tax has risen from 11 percent in 2007 to over 23 percent today.  

Taxing horseshoes to pay for highways 

It’s ridiculous to levy a tax on phone companies (and their customers) to fund broadband programs. Further, this regressive tax acutely impacts landline phone subscribers, who are disproportionately older Americans. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said it well when he described the funding mechanism of USF akin to “taxing horseshoes to pay for highways”.  

To the government’s credit, Congress has begun to consider new sources of funding for the USF program. In May, the Funding Affordable Internet with Reliable Contributions (FAIR) Act, successfully passed through the Senate Commerce Committee with bipartisan support. The FAIR Act will require studying the feasibility of expanding funding sources, notably “edge” technology companies who account for the vast majority of the world’s web traffic.  

Congress should consider Big Tech as a primary candidate for new USF funding sources. Meta, Alphabet, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Netflix accounted for over 56 percent of all global data traffic last year. Further, and more directly related to traditional beneficiaries of USF programs, an in-depth study of rural broad brand providers spotlighted that just five video streaming entertainment providers—Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Disney+/Hulu and Microsoft Xbox, collectively the “Big Streamers”—drive 75 percent of total network traffic. With the advent of the metaverse, and its data intense applications, big technology companies’ share of traffic will only increase — and with that, their revenues.  

Ensuring tech companies contribute to broadband infrastructure development isn’t unique to the U.S. and has precedent in other countries. Europe in particular is eager to get Big Tech to contribute, perhaps in the form of direct payments to telecom operators. European investment per capita in 5G rollout is significantly lower than in the U.S. (€94.8 compared to €147.9 per year), and only 62 percent of Europeans can connect to 5G networks, compared with over 93 percent of Americans. Further, Europe’s telecoms sector is under more strain than its American counterpart and lacks the same private investment opportunities. As recession looms in Europe, this contribution could be critical to the resilience of European telecom networks and enable providers to eschew risky but lower-cost equipment providers like Huawei and deploy the infrastructure improvements necessary for unlocking widespread economic growth. Such actions will allow Europe to at least attempt to keep pace with their American counterparts. 

Echoing the U.S. debate, Europe’s internal market commissioner Thierry Breton put it best when he said that “The rules in place for twenty years are running out of steam, and operators no longer have the right return on their investments”, and that legislation to correct the imbalance will be rolled out by the end of the year. Providing ubiquitous and affordable access to future communication networks should be a priority for every government. It is a bipartisan matter that touches equity, economic prosperity, and national security. Big technology firms who benefit the most from these networks should contribute to ensure their promise of a better future comes to fruition.  

Matthew Weinberg is a Partner at Max Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm based in New York City. Matthew was a former Obama White House Appointee in the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Investment and Innovation. Follow him on Twitter @mattjweinberg 

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Defense & National Security — Pentagon unveils civilian harm mitigation plan

The Department of Defense on Thursday released a much-anticipated plan aimed at reducing civilian casualties caused by U.S. military operations. 

We’ll talk about the plan. Plus, a federal judge said he’ll release the affidavit that convinced him to approve a warrant to search former President Trump’s Florida home. 

This is Defense & National Security, your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. For The Hill, I’m Jordan Williams. A friend forward this newsletter to you? Subscribe here.

Pentagon lays out long-awaited civilian harm plan 

The Pentagon on Thursday released a long-awaited plan aimed at reducing civilian casualties caused by U.S. military operations and proposed a better way to report and respond to incidents should they occur.   

The 36-page Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan, approved by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin earlier this week, directs sweeping changes in military planning, training, doctrine and policy for all future conflicts, the Pentagon’s top spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters.  

Inside the plan: The idea is to install at all operational levels people “who are trained to have an understanding of civilian harm, the aspects of civilian harm mitigation, and operational planning,” at the start of any mission, Ryder said.  

The military’s Center of Excellence will serve as the hub “that will provide expertise at a centralized location, but then that will be dispersed throughout the Department of Defense,” to include some estimated 150-plus individuals that will have special training on the matter, he added. 

What’s not in the plan? The plan notably does not include any guidance or changes as to punishment should an individual or multiple people inaccurately or inappropriately order a strike that kills civilians.   

The Pentagon did not punish any individuals related to the Kabul strike as it found that those involved had followed the correct procedures.   

Where the issue came from: The document comes nearly a year after a botched Aug. 29, 2021 attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, killed 10 people, including seven children, causing public outcry and significant scrutiny over U.S. drone strikes.  

• That deadly blunder, coupled with a November investigation by The New York Times detailing a U.S. airstrike that killed 70 civilians, prompted Austin in January to order the Defense Department to develop a civilian harm mitigation “action plan.” 
• The New York Times reported allegations that top officers and civilian officials tried to hide the casualties in the drone strike.   

A ‘moral imperative:’ In a memo included in the plan, Austin said the protection of civilians is both a “strategic priority” and a “moral imperative.” 

“We will ensure that we are well prepared to prevent, mitigate and respond to civilian harm in current and future conflicts,” Austin wrote, calling the changes “both ambitious and necessary.” 

Read the full story here.  

Judge to release redacted FBI Mar-a-Lago affidavit 

A federal magistrate judge on Thursday said he would release a redacted version of the affidavit that convinced him to approve a warrant to search former President Trump’s Florida home. 

The Justice Department is ordered to file a public version of its redacted document by noon Friday. 

Good cause to redact: The decision from Judge Bruce Reinhart comes after he ordered the Justice Department to propose redactions to a document whose full release they argued would compromise their ongoing investigation. 

“I find that the Government has met its burden of showing a compelling reason/good cause to seal portions of the Affidavit,” Reinhart wrote, noting that it could reveal both the identities of witnesses, law enforcement agents, and uncharged parties as well as the investigation’s strategy, direction, scope. 

The ‘least onerous alternative:’ Reinhart’s Thursday ruling offers little insight into what the public may glean from the release, but he ultimately decided it was “the least onerous alternative to sealing the entire affidavit.” 

What we already know: The Justice Department previously unsealed portions of the warrant related to the search of Mar-a-Lago earlier this month, indicated that the government seized 11 different sets of classified materials, along with other information about Trump’s decision to pardon ally Roger Stone. 

The warrant also indicated that Trump was under investigation for a possible violation of the Espionage Act, as well as two other statutes: one that bars concealing, removing and mutilating government documents, and another that prohibits similar actions when done “with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence [an] investigation.” 

Read the story here.  

Biden, Zelensky discuss concerns over nuclear plant 

President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke Thursday about a new $3 billion security assistance package for Ukraine, and the two leaders also demanded Russia relinquish control of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, according to the White House.   

Who controls the plant? Russia has controlled the Zaporizhzhya plant since early on in the war. But fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces has intensified around the nuclear plant, raising concerns about the potential for a disastrous mishap.   

• The plant, which is the largest in Europe, was temporarily disconnected from the power grid on Thursday as a result of fires that broke out around lines connecting it to the grid.  
• International inspectors from the IAEA are seeking access to the plant. 

‘Return full control:’ Biden “congratulated Ukraine on its Independence Day and expressed his admiration for the people of Ukraine, who have inspired the world as they defended their country’s sovereignty over the past six months,” according to a White House readout of the phone call.   

“The two leaders also called for Russia to return full control of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant to Ukraine and for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to the plant,” the readout said.   

What else was discussed? In a tweet, Zelensky said that he thanked Biden on Thursday for the “unwavering” U.S. security and financial support for Ukraine amid the Russian war, which passed the six-month mark on Wednesday. He did not specifically mention the Zaporizhzhya plant.   

“We discussed Ukraine’s further steps on our path to the victory over the aggressor and importance of holding Russia accountable for war crimes,” Zelensky said.   

Read the story here.  

US forces strike Iran-affiliated militants   

U.S. forces struck at Iran-affiliated militants after rocket attacks on bases in northeastern Syria left three American troops injured, the military said Thursday.    

In a statement, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces struck at the militants with AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, AC-130 gunships and M777 artillery following attacks on Mission Support Site Conoco and Mission Support Site Green Village. 

Four “enemy fighters” were killed, and seven enemy rocket launchers were destroyed, the statement added. 

“We will respond appropriately and proportionally to attacks on our servicemembers,” CENTCOM commander Michael Kurilla said. 

“No group will strike at our troops with impunity. We will take all necessary measures to defend our people,” he continued. 

Read more here.  

ON TAP FOR TOMORROW

• The Brookings Institution will hold a discussion on “The US Marine Corps, the National Defense Strategy, and the future of expeditionary warfare” at 10 a.m. 
• The National Press Club will host an event on “One Year Since The Fall of Kabul: A Conversation on Press Freedom in Afghanistan” at 11 a.m. 
• The American Society of International Law will hold a discussion on “The Right to Privacy during Armed Conflict” at 12 p.m. 

WHAT WE’RE READING

• Blackburn becomes latest lawmaker to visit Taiwan 
• Watchdog: VA mishandled one-third of Camp Lejeune contaminated water claims 
• Zelensky promises response after at least 25 dead in Russian strike on Ukraine Independence Day 
• Ransomware attacks rose 47 percent in July 
• Blackburn becomes latest lawmaker to visit Taiwan 

That’s it for today! Check out The Hill’s Defense and National Security pages for the latest coverage. See you tomorrow!

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US, Israel formalize bilateral cyber partnership

The Department of Treasury and the Israeli Ministry of Finance announced on Thursday a bilateral agreement formalizing and enhancing the cybersecurity partnership between the countries.

The agreement follows Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo’s visit to Israel last fall, when he established a bilateral partnership geared towards protecting the financial sector from cyberattacks. 

On his trip, Adeyemo also launched a bilateral cyber task force with Israel to combat ransomware threats against the financial industry.

In the agreement, both nations pledged to share information related to cyber threats targeting the financial sector, train staff in the cybersecurity field, and conduct cross-border cybersecurity exercises. 

“This partnership has already resulted in the sharing of real time cyber threat data to prevent the spread of ransomware and other cyberattacks from impacting the U.S. financial sector,” Adeyemo said in a statement Thursday.

The agreement also follows President Biden’s trip to the Middle East last month, during which he pledged to expand and strengthen cyber cooperation with Israel and Saudi Arabia. Experts saw the move as a response to the rising digital threat from Iran – a common adversary of all three countries.

Though not yet at the level of Israel, Iran has proven capable of launching an array of cyberattacks, ranging from website defacement and distributed denial-of-service attacks to ransomware and cyber espionage, experts said.

Israeli officials announced in June that it plans to build a “cyber dome,” a national defense system intended to fight against Iranian digital attacks.

“Iran has become our dominant rival in cyber,” the head of Israel’s National Cyber Directorate, Gaby Portnoy, said during a conference in Tel Aviv. “We see them, we know how they work, and we are there.”

Israel, however, is also facing criticism in the cyber realm. Israeli spyware firm NSO Group has been accused of selling its spyware to governments who use the tool to spy on dissidents, political rivals, journalists and human right activists.

The backlash, which included being blacklisted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, forced the company to restructure, replacing its CEO and laying off about 13 percent of its workforce.

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Equilibrium/Sustainability — Solar panels to cover California canals

A set of solar panels will soon be afloat in two key California canals — in a bid to both reduce evaporation and provide power to the state’s electricity grid. 

The $20 million Project Nexus, funded by the state, is deploying solar panels in two canals about 100 miles inland from San Francisco, according to Reuters.  

The first of the two pilot projects is a 500-foot span of a canal in Hickman, while the second is a mile-long straightaway in nearby Ceres, Reuters reported. 

If eventually scaled up, the initiative could save billions of gallons of otherwise evaporated water while providing electricity to millions of homes, according to Reuters.  

Lining the canals with solar panels would also eliminate the need to use other land for such purposes, as well as reduce aquatic weed and algae growth, University of California Merced project scientist Brandi McKuin told Reuters. 

The project is based on a similar venture in the west Indian state of Gujarat, but is the first of its kind in the U.S., according to Reuters. 

Welcome to Equilibrium, a newsletter that tracks the growing global battle over the future of sustainability. We’re Saul Elbein and Sharon Udasin. Send us tips and feedback. A friend forward this newsletter to you? Subscribe here.

Today we’ll start with new findings on Mars by NASA’s Perseverance rover, followed by a look at why Texas’s head oil regulator is crowing about his state’s war on “woke capital.” Then we’ll see why deadly heat might be here to stay. 

Rover reveals water-altered rocks on Mars  

NASA’s Perseverance rover has spent the past year collecting Martian rock samples — an endeavor that could provide long-awaited answers about the planet’s geological history. 

And while scientists will have to wait a decade for the arrival of those samples back to Earth, they are already making some key discoveries by means of the rover.  

Surprise discovery: A surprise finding, presented in a study in Science on Thursday, was the presence of “igneous cumulate rocks,” the authors explained.  

What are those? Such rocks form by the cooling of molten magma, according to the scientists. 

• They’re the best type of rocks for precise age determination.  
• The rocks also show evidence of having been altered by water.  

Probing past life: “From a sampling perspective, this is huge,” co-lead author David Shuster, a professor of earth and planetary science at the University of California, Berkeley, said in a statement.  

• The evidence of water alteration is something that scientists “are very excited about,” added Shuster.  
• This finding, he continued, could provide insight into the environment that “could potentially have supported life at some point.” 

Where did Perseverance find the rocks? The rover explored four sites on the floor of the Jezero Crater, just north of the Martian equator, according to the study.  

• Jezero was an ideal target because it contained what appeared to be a river delta that formed inside a lake bed. 
• Such a landscape could provide insight into how long ago water flowed on the planet’s surface.  

What specifics can the rocks reveal? “One great value of the igneous rocks we collected is that they will tell us about when the lake was present in Jezero,” co-lead author Kenneth Farley, a geochemist at Caltech, said in a statement.  

This knowledge, Farley continued, will help scientists address some major questions: 

• When was the planet’s climate conducive to lakes and rivers on its surface?  
• When did Mars develop the very cold and dry conditions that exist today? 

A decade of anticipation: While some of this research can occur remotely, precise calculations as to when geological layers formed can only be revealed by lab analysis on Earth, the authors acknowledged.  

But that will involve very long-distance shipping. 

• The European Space Agency’s “Earth Return Orbiter” and NASA’s “Sample Retrieval Lander” will carry the samples back to Earth, and have respective launch dates of Fall 2027 and Summer 2028, according to NASA.  
• The samples are expected to arrive on Earth in 2033, the agency confirmed. 

Texas oil regulator joins war against ESG  

Texas’s leading oil and gas regulator on Thursday applauded a new push by the state against companies deemed environmental, social and governance (ESG) “extremists” like BlackRock and UBS.

• While these companies have continued to inject billions into fossil fuel development, the Texas Railroad Commission accused them of attempts to starve the industry of capital. 
• It’s the latest attack on an investment strategy that Republican leaders increasingly tar as financially irresponsible and politically motivated. 

Calling on reinforcements: “I’m thrilled to see my conservative colleagues join the defense against ‘woke’ Wall Street bankers,” Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Wayne Christian said in the statement. 

“Rally the troops: Here in Texas is where we will draw the line against ESG’s detrimental impact on oil and gas,” he added. 

Catching up: Christian’s statement is part of a larger state campaign against banks that the Republican leadership accuses of boycotting oil and gas.

• On Wednesday, State Comptroller Glenn Hegar banned state and local entities from doing business with 10 banks that the state accused of boycotting oil and gas, the Texas Tribune reported. 
• That’s part of a larger Republican move against ESG, which statewide party members portray in militaristic terms as a threat to fossil fuels, as The Hill reported over the weekend.

“I am leading the charge on this, but there is an army behind me,” West Virginia State Treasurer Riley Moore told The Hill.  

Falling on deaf ears: Texas’s ban is “not a fact-based judgment,” a BlackRock spokesperson told the Tribune. 

“BlackRock does not boycott fossil fuels — investing over $100 billion in Texas energy companies on behalf of our clients proves that,” the spokesperson added. 

To read the full story, please click here. 

Deadly heat to surge by 2100: study  

Much of the world will face an uptick in deadly heat waves by the end of the century, even if countries manage to meet their agreed-upon emission reduction goals, a new study has found.  

Widespread heat: Such heat events will be three to 10 times more common in 2100 than they are today in the U.S., Western Europe, China and Japan, according to the study, published in Communications Earth & Environment on Thursday.  

And that’s regardless of efforts to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius
(3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). 

Global commitments may not be enough: As part of the Paris climate agreement — signed at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference — participating countries agreed to adhere to the 2-degree Celsius limit. 

• To improve their chance of success, each nation submitted its own climate action plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions.  
• But the authors of Thursday’s study fear that these efforts will be insufficient to minimize an increase in temperatures.    

Rarities could become the norm: “The record-breaking heat events of recent summers will become much more common in places like North America and Europe,” lead author Lucas Vargas Zeppetello, a doctoral student at the University of Washington at the time of the study, said in a statement. 

“For many places close to the equator, by 2100 more than half the year will be a challenge to work outside,” added Zeppetello, who is now a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University.  

Extreme danger: Zeppetello and his colleagues evaluated projections for the future “heat index” — a combination of air temperature and humidity that measures the impact of heat on the human body.  

• A “dangerous” heat index is defined by the National Weather Service as
  103 degrees Fahrenheit.  
• An “extremely dangerous” heat index is 124 degrees Fahrenheit and is considered unsafe to humans for any amount of time. 

By 2053, conditions above 125 Fahrenheit will be at least occasionally present in over 1,000 U.S. counties, The Hill reported earlier this month. 

Tropics, equator at greatest risk: Looking toward the tropics, the authors found that even if countries met their Paris agreement commitments, these regions could see their “dangerous” days double — covering half the year. 

And in worst-case circumstances — in which emissions remain unchecked until 2100 — “extremely dangerous” conditions could become common near the equator, particularly in in sub-Saharan Africa and India, the authors determined.  

To read the full story, please click here. 

Australia’s Black Summer fires fortified ozone hole 

Australia’s massive 2020 Black Summer bushfire, prolonged a spinning hole in the ozone above Antarctica a new study has found.  

The blazes around New Years 2020 were particularly large, giving birth to what the report described as a massive smoke infused thunderstorm. 

Like an eruption: The study, published in Scientific Reports on Thursday, showed how the massive fires taking place under climate change can grow to the scale of meteorologically significant events.  

• Such growth can influence weather and atmospheric phenomenon far from the site of the fires. 
• One such storm created a vortex that maintained shape for two months, helping inject, nearly a million tons of soot and other particulate into the stratosphere 
• The last such soot-caused warming event was the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo.  

Heating air, killing ozone: But the fires also had a contradictory, cooling impact — which helped give new strength to an old environmental threat.   

BUSHFIRES BRING BACK BLAST FROM THE PAST 

The chemicals released by fire — like those emitted by volcanos — are also destructive to the ozone layer, which shields the earth from solar radiation, the scientists noted. 

• The ozone layer is a high-altitude belt marked by higher than usual presence of ozone, or triads of oxygen atoms fused together. 
• An unusual and strangely stable “hole” in the ozone above Antarctica reached near record proportions in the period before the fires — and stuck around unusually long after them.   

That Antarctic “hole” is the same one that aroused alarm in the 1980s, leading to the banning of the refrigerant chemicals chlorofluorocarbons under the 1987 Montreal Protocol, according to NASA’s Earth Observatory. 

• The hole is actually an area of lower ozone concentrations above Antarctica.
   
• The layer is not expected to fully recover until 2041. 

By 2021, the hole had grown to larger than average — reaching the size of North America, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.    

End result: The study released Thursday argues that the bushfires were responsible for that growth, as they disrupted a complex relationship between high altitude ozone layers and the polar vortex.  

The breakdown of ozone by chemicals that the bushfires released helped keep the existing ozone hole in place longer than usual.   
 
To read the full story, please click here. 

Thursday Threats

Pakistan’s “epic” flood disaster impacts tens of millions, wolf pups carry the weight of their species’ survival in the wild and how climate change cranked up the damage from Hurricane Harvey. 

Thirty million impacted by Pakistan’s record monsoon 

• Pakistan’s climate change minister said the country’s record monsoon rains have affected more than 30 million people in just a few weeks and put the country’s south “underwater,” Reuters reported. Minister Sherry Rehman called the flooding “a climate-induced humanitarian disaster of epic proportions,” according to Reuters. 

Mexican wolves survival may rest on a few tiny pups 

• Conservation groups transported Mexican wolf pups from their birthplace in the El Paso Zoo to a new home with a wild pack in the mountains — part of an attempt to keep the critically endangered population from vanishing, The Washington Post reported. “Rarely is conservation so hands-on,” a zoo veterinarian said, rubbing one of the pups with a wet cotton ball to encourage her to urinate.   

Climate change worsened Hurricane Harvey’s damage, with disproportionate effects 

• Without the impacts of climate change, 50-percent fewer homes in Houston’s Harris County would have been flooded by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, according to a study in Nature Communications. The research, from Louisiana State University and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, also found patterns of racial and economic disparities among those most affected. 

Please visit The Hill’s Sustainability section online for the web version of this newsletter and more stories. We’ll see you tomorrow.

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Former 'Boy Meets World' actor Ben Savage running for city council in West Hollywood

Actor Ben Savage is running for a seat on the city council in West Hollywood, Calif., saying he wants to “restore faith” in local government with “reasonable, innovative and compassionate” solutions to the city’s problems. 

Savage, who starred as Cory Matthews on the ABC sitcom “Boy Meets World” from 1993 to 2000, says on his campaign website that he is an 18-year resident of the city, union member and concerned citizen who wants to produce results for West Hollywood. 

“We need to increase and expand access to all the great opportunities West Hollywood affords, by ensuring that every member of the community has the tools they need to succeed,” he said. 

Savage’s website states that his priorities include enhancing community safety by providing law enforcement with the resources they need to protect community members while increasing funding for community safety partners like health services and clinical case workers. 

He said he wants to fight to support renters’ rights to keep them in their homes despite rising prices and to expand housing services that the city offers. 

“West Hollywood is known all over the world as a warm and supportive city,” the website states. “We value diversity and community above all. But as housing costs rise, we are failing to live up to those values.” 

Savage also emphasized that he is not part of “the political machine” and does not have an interest in serving interest groups. He said the city needs new leaders to tackle the issues it is facing. 

Savage reportedly has some prior experience in the political realm as he interned for former Sen. Arlen Specter (D) of Pennsylvania in 2003 while studying political science at Stanford University. 

Savage’s campaign did not immediately return a request from The Hill for further comment.

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