Ben Wolfgang

Ben Wolfgang is a National Security Correspondent for The Washington Times. His reporting is regularly featured in the daily Threat Status newsletter.

Previously, he covered energy and the environment, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016, and also spent two years as a White House correspondent during the Obama administration.

Before coming to The Times in 2011, Ben worked as political reporter at The Republican-Herald in Pottsville, Pa.

He can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Ben Wolfgang

Common Core opens a Republican rift over education standards

The Common Core system is meant to unify K-12 education standards in states across the nation. It's having the opposite effect within the Republican Party, as a rift grows between supporters including high-profile figures such as Jeb Bush, Mitch Daniels and other Republicans who had a hand in crafting it and those who fear it's a well-disguised federal takeover of schools. Published April 18, 2013

Drone battles over America a possibility in the future, Sen. Dianne Feinstein says

As the drone boom unfolds, one key lawmaker warns we could eventually see science-fiction style warfare over America. Published April 18, 2013

Postal Service worried by ‘unsustainable path’

As the agency teeters on the brink of insolvency, leaders of the U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday once again took their pleas for help to Capitol Hill. Published April 17, 2013

Sobering budget: Obama calls for tax hikes on vodka, golf and cigarettes

President Obama's budget doesn't just go after wealthy Americans. It's also got new taxes on vodka, cigarettes and other unexpected items, ABC News reported. Published April 12, 2013

Jay-Z, Beyonce should learn from U2’s Bono, Rep. Matt Salmon says

Calling the duo's trip "a squandered opportunity," Republican Rep. Matt Salmon on Friday again blasted Jay-Z and Beyonce for vacationing in Cuba while failing to confront the communist nation's poor treatment of its own people. Published April 12, 2013

Liberal activist used iPhone to eavesdrop on McConnell staff

What first looked to be a campaign leak or a "Watergate-style" bugging may actually have been one guy with an iPhone. Published April 12, 2013

‘War on coal’ may burn EPA nominee; GOP senators question Gina McCarthy’s record

With the Environmental Protection Agency set to play the central role in President Obama's second-term climate change agenda, would-be agency chief Gina McCarthy on Thursday tried to calm Republican fears that she would continue the perceived "war on coal" and other harsh regulations under her predecessor. Published April 11, 2013

Next step for Sens. Joe Manchin, Pat Toomey? ‘To go out and sell this’ gun deal

With a deal on gun background checks finally done, Sens. Pat Toomey and Joe Manchin have another difficult task ahead: selling the American people and their colleagues in Congress on the specifics. Published April 11, 2013

Canada campaigns for Keystone pipeline

Canada is counting on its oil sands for sustained economic growth for the next few decades, but first it needs a reliable customer — preferably the United States. Published April 10, 2013

Saturday mail delivery survives; Postal Service blames Congress

Saturday mail has been pulled off the chopping block, and the U.S. Postal Service isn't happy about it. Published April 10, 2013

Pennsylvania man charged in White House bomb threat

D.C. police have arrested a Pennsylvania man after he threatened to blow up a truck bomb near the White House on Wednesday morning, The Associated Press reported. Published April 10, 2013

Rep. Paul Ryan: President Obama ‘creaking the door open’ on entitlements

He's skeptical about whether President Obama's budget truly will tackle runaway spending, but the House Republicans' budget point man believes the White House has taken a small step forward on the sticky issue of Social Security. Published April 10, 2013

Background checks brokered: Sens. Pat Toomey, Joe Manchin reach gun deal, report says

With a Senate gun-control showdown looming, Sens. Joe Manchin and Pat Toomey have reached a deal on background checks for firearm purchases, NBC News reported Wednesday morning. Published April 10, 2013

Model aircraft owners drawn into privacy debate on drones

Steve Barnett has been flying unmanned aerial systems for more than 30 years — long before the word "drone" started making global headlines. But now, the 65-year-old Army veteran and model-airplane enthusiast finds himself answering new questions as his hobby gets dragged into a white-hot national debate. Published April 9, 2013

Communists, tyrants and rogues — and the stars who play to them

From Hanoi Jane to Havana Jay-Z, the celebrity culture's coziness with communists, tyrants and rogues has been at odds with U.S. foreign policy for a half-century. Published April 9, 2013

Ernest Moniz, Obama’s energy secretary nominee, lauds fracking ‘revolution’

President Obama's pick to head the Energy Department offered something for everyone during Senate confirmation hearings. Published April 9, 2013

McConnell camp: Our offices were bugged

Calling it "Watergate-style bugging," the re-election campaign of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is now working with the FBI to find out how a recording of private political "war room" conversations was leaked to the liberal magazine Mother Jones. Published April 9, 2013