For consumers shopping for EVs, new rules mean fewer models qualify for tax credit
Qualifying for the credits depends on requirements related to their battery makeup and minerals that get tougher each year.
Federal Government
Articles
New rule tightens worker classification standards; Uber, Lyft say drivers won’t be affected
The Labor Department rule, which the Biden administration proposed 15 months ago, replaces a scrapped Trump-era standard that lowered the bar for classifying employees as contractors.
House GOP stare down another internal fiscal fight as deadline looms
Following weeks of negotiations, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced Sunday that they had agreed to a $1.66 trillion funding deal that would reduce overall spending by the federal government.
Inspections to begin on grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 jets
The FAA’s emergency airworthiness directive grounding the planes affects 171 aircraft. Two airlines in the United States—Alaska Airlines and United Airlines—have Boeing Max 9 aircraft in their fleets.
Congressman Larry Bucshon to retire at end of term
Buschon is the longest-serving member of Indiana’s Republican House delegation.
Congressional leaders announce agreement on spending levels, a key step to averting shutdown
The agreement largely hews to spending caps for defense and domestic programs that Congress set as part of a bill to suspend the debt limit until 2025.
Alaska Airlines again grounds all Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners as more maintenance may be needed
The airline again grounded all of its Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners on Sunday after federal officials indicated further maintenance might be required to assure that another inflight blowout like the one that occurred Friday doesn’t happen again.
U.S. national debt eclipses $34 trillion for first time
The new milestone comes as lawmakers brace for fiscal showdowns over spending levels in the new year.
Electric vehicle models eligible for $7,500 tax credit cut to 13
Narrower criteria reduced the number of qualifying models to 13 from about two dozen, according to federal data. The new rules exclude from the tax credit vehicles that use battery components made by Chinese manufacturers.
Legislative push brewing to make new weight loss drugs more accessible
Obesity drugs like Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound are showing promising results in helping people shed pounds. But a law bans Medicare from paying for weight loss drugs. Now, drugmakers and a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers are gearing up to push for that to change next year.
In reversal, U.S. to heighten efforts to collect billions in unpaid COVID loans
The Biden administration plans to more aggressively pursue thousands of small businesses with past-due pandemic loans, reversing an earlier policy that saw the U.S. government stop short of trying to collect an estimated $30 billion in delinquent debt.
More than 2.5 million Hondas, Acuras under recall due to fuel pump defect
If the fuel pump module doesn’t work, the car’s engine may not start or can stall while driving, regulators said, increasing crash and injury risks.
Carmakers fight massive air bag recall that could cost $10B
Companies like General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. said in letters to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released Wednesday that there’s no proof that the parts made by ARC Automotive Inc. are defective.
Biden administration says environmental enforcement on the upswing
The EPA opened nearly 200 criminal investigations this year, a 70% increase over 2022, the agency said in a report. It completed nearly 1,800 civil settlements, a 9% increase over 2022.
White plaintiffs attack federal programs that presume racial disadvantage
The Minority Business Development Agency is one of several federal programs under siege over a fundamental assumption ingrained in Washington policy: that certain racial and ethnic groups are inherently disadvantaged
Senate, House combine bipartisan efforts to advance paid leave
The development is substantive—it is designed to help lawmakers write legislation that can pass both chambers—but it is also symbolic, an effort to show public momentum on the issue.
House approves impeachment inquiry into President Biden
Authorizing the monthslong inquiry ensures that the impeachment investigation extends well into 2024, when President Joe Biden will be running for reelection.
Regulators take first step toward requiring new vehicles to prevent drunk or impaired driving
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced on Tuesday that it is starting the process to put a new federal safety standard in place requiring the technology in all new passenger vehicles.
INDOT to study expansion of Indy-to-Chicago train service
INDOT is expected to use a federal grant to develop a service plan for the Amtrak Cardinal line that would include increasing its frequency from three days a week to seven days.
White House threatens patents of high-priced drugs developed with taxpayer dollars
The Biden administration is putting pharmaceutical companies on notice, warning them that if the price of certain drugs is too high, the government might cancel their patent protection and allow rivals to make their own versions.