The health of the Chesapeake Bay took center stage at a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing Wednesday, as a Maryland senator threatened legal action to ensure Pennsylvania meets its goals under the federal-state plan to clean up the estuary.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is developing a legal defense fund in an effort to respond to a flurry of ethics investigations, he told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2017 - Senate Democrats pushed Agriculture Department officials Thursday to support increased funding to boost rural economic development and fight the opioid crisis. USDA officials also were urged to work within the administration to expand rural broadband access.