Everett Herald: Senate should pass major health spending compromise By The Herald Editorial Board Neither is in abundant supply in Washington, D.C., but compromise and bipartisanship showed up this week as the U.S. House of Representatives passed the 21st Century Cures Act, legislation that provides funding for research and crucial public health programs, including $1 billion to help… Read more »

Bloomberg: U.S. Approves Norwegian’s Flight Expansion With Irish Unit Alan Levin and Michael Sasso Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA won approval to expand flights to the U.S. using an Irish subsidiary, paving the way for the carrier to offer discount trans-Atlantic fares over the objections of domestic carriers and unions. The Department of Transportation found Ireland-based Norwegian Air… Read more »

Seattle Times: US gives Norwegian Air OK to expand disputed low-cost flights here By Dominic Gates The U.S. Department of Transportation has finally granted European low-cost carrier Norwegian Air a permit that will allow it to expand flights to the U.S. — despite fierce opposition from large U.S. airlines and labor groups. In a decision released Friday, the U.S. Department of… Read more »

San Juan Islander: Larsen wins major victory for Washington communities in fight against opioid epidemic After urging from Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02), the House has voted 392-26 to approve $1 billion to combat the nation’s opioid epidemic as part of the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act. Larsen last week pressed leaders in the House and the Senate to fund the bipartisan Comprehensive… Read more »

Everett Herald: Give privatizing air traffic control much more thought – Editorial By The Herald Editorial Board  Those of us who traveled by air or picked up family at Sea-Tac for Thanksgiving likely didn’t give much thought to how take-offs and landings are managed at airports or how pilots are guided in flight. We leave that task to the folks in the air traffic… Read more »

Puget Sound Business Journal: U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen gets his GAO report on air traffic control privatization By Andrew McIntosh Expressing concern that a push for privatization of air traffic control would accelerate under President-elect Donald Trump, two Pacific Northwest congressmen requested a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report exploring key issues in any potential… Read more »

Editorial: Congress should't kill Boeing's sale to Iran Air By The Herald Editorial Board A bill approved last week by the U.S. House of Representatives could scuttle the sale of 80 Boeing 737s and Everett-made 777s to Iran Air and the lease of another 29 Boeing jetliners to the airline, with a potential value of $25 billion. Joined by only a handful of Democrats, Republicans in… Read more »

Puget Sound Business Journal: U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen blasts House vote to shoot down Boeing's huge Iran deal By Andrew McIntosh U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen blasted his fellow lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives who voted Thursday to block Boeing's big jetliner sale to Iran. Larsen, the Democrat who represents Washington state's 2nd Congressional District, said lawmakers… Read more »

Bellingham Herald: No white nationalism in White House: Washington state Democrats deliver verdict By Rob Hotakainen Washington state Democrats in the U.S. House delivered a unanimous verdict on Wednesday: Stephen Bannon must go. All six joined a group of 169 House Democrats that called on President-elect Donald Trump to rescind his appointment of Bannon as a chief strategic adviser due… Read more »

Sky Valley Chronicle: Congressman Rick Larsen raises concerns about moves to "privatize" America's large, complex air traffic control system Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington's 2nd congressional district and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Aviation, and Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, a Ranking Member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, on… Read more »