Deadline passes on Congressional Review Act

WASHINGTON — The time limit for Congress to use the Congressional Review Act to repeal regulations imposed in the last six months of the Obama presidency has passed.

The deadline expired Wednesday, disappointing advocates of one last rule change: an effort to repeal an Obama-era rule that limited the amount of methane allowed to leak or be vented into the atmosphere during oil and gas production. The House had passed the repeal in February, but the Senate rejected it Wednesday 51-49, with Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John McCain of Arizona joining Democrats in voting against the measure.

The vote marked the first time that the Republican-led Congress has rejected a bid to overturn a rule imposed by former President Barack Obama using the previously obscure Congressional Review Act.

With the Congressional Review Act deadline passed, the GOP will have to use the traditional legislative process to repeal regulations, something that would require bipartisan cooperation in the Senate, where Republicans hold a majority but are eight votes short of the 60 required to take up most legislation.

Graduates boo DeVos

Many of the graduating students turned their backs on Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and boos nearly drowned out her commencement speech Wednesday at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Many feel the White House’s outreach to historically black colleges is meaningless.

Flynn inconsistencies

Targeted in widening investigations of his foreign entanglements, Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, is at odds with his former Turkish client over two unusual payments totaling $80,000 that Mr. Flynn’s firm sent back lastyear to the client.

Science integrity board

The Trump administration has confirmed that it will not reappoint half the expert members of a board that advises the Environmental Protection Agency on the integrity of its science.