Articles

U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers (KY-05) applauds the House and Senate for working together to adopt a long-term student loan fix that lowers borrowing costs for college students and ensures rates will remain affordable in the years to come. "This bill protects college students by supplying permanent debt relief for individuals who are struggling to afford a college degree," said Rogers. "It's a market-based plan that places a cap on interest rates, providing more certainty for debt management. Som... Read more

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. health regulators announced on Tuesday that they will not approve any generic versions of the original form of the pain medication OxyContin, which was widely abused because it could be crushed and then snorted or injected to produce a quick high. At the same time, the Food and Drug Administration also approved new labeling for a reformulated OxyContin, which was introduced by privately held manufacturer Purdue Pharma L.P. in 2010. The label will indicate that the table... Read more

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has blocked generic drug manufacturers from producing versions of the old crushable form of OxyContin that was widely abused in Kentucky and across the nation — a decision applauded by local politicians and law enforcement. “The FDA will not approve any generics to the original formulation of OxyContin,” said FDA spokeswoman Morgan Liscinsky, adding that there are no FDA-approved generics of OxyContin on the market now. Manufacturer Purdue Pharma’s patent on... Read more

THE HILL'S DEFCON HILL BLOG - By Jeremy Herb House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) says the Pentagon should be more aggressive to stem the number of Chinese cyber attacks against U.S. interests. Rogers told Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Martin Dempsey that he thought the military should be doing more to stem the number of cyber attacks coming from China. “I think we have to take action with China to stop the PLA from bombarding us hourly with thes... Read more

By: Kerry Young House appropriators are proposing a final fiscal 2013 spending package that would effectively cap federal operating expenses at $982 billion, while giving military and veterans programs new flexibility to cushion the effects of the sequester’s automatic cuts. The House is expected to vote Thursday on the measure (HR 933) unveiled Monday, which combines Defense and Military Construction-VA bills with a stopgap continuing resolution covering most of the rest of the federal agencies... Read more

By Kerry Young, CQ Roll Call The top House appropriator says his panel and the Senate Appropriations Committee have reached agreement on several spending bills for the 2013 fiscal year and that they’re ready to be combined into a single package if Congress can find the time. With accord on “four or five” of the bills in hand, House Appropriations Chairman Harold Rogers, R-Ky., is persisting in efforts to get those plans passed and said work is continuing on the rest of the 12 appropriations bill... Read more

Defying expectations, House and Senate appropriations committees are making steady progress in writing an omnibus spending bill for the coming year, hammering away like shipbuilders in the desert, hoping for a winter flood to carry them out to sea. Defense clerks spent Friday reading out a final agreement of the Pentagon’s budget, estimated near $518 billion. The homeland security title could be finished early this week. Agriculture, transportation, housing, justice and science are not far behi... Read more

Congressman Hal Rogers honored the late Dewayne Bunch at Whitley County High School Wednesday morning. The Congressman read a Congressional Tribute to faculty and students that he recently gave to congress. Rogers honored Bunch's service to Kentucky as a National Guard Veteran, state representative, and high school teacher. Rogers presented Bunch's wife Regina a framed copy of the Congressional Record. http://www.wkyt.com/wymt/home/headlines/Fallen-teacher-honored-172583341.html Read more

TOUR Southern and Eastern Kentucky (TOUR SEKY) celebrated its 25th Anniversary September 26, 2012 with a celebration brunch and awards ceremony. The event was held at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset, KY. Nearly 200 tourism professionals, elected officials and tourism business representatives took part in the event. The theme was “Celebrate the Silver!” Congressman Hal Rogers (KY 5th Dist.) was the Keynote Speaker for the event. The Congressman applauded TOUR SEKY’s volunteers for t... Read more

by Erik Wasson The House Republican in charge of annual spending bills on Wednesday blasted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) for saying the full Senate will not take up any spending bills before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said the Senate is “defaulting on their most basic fiscal duty as representatives of the people of this country” and is risking a government shutdown crisis. Reid on Tuesday publicly admitted that... Read more