Ohio parents could soon see more taxpayer money in their pockets to help send their schoolchildren to private and religious schools, or fund homeschooling, under changes to a voucher program that Republican state lawmakers and the governor must hammer out by month’s end.

Ohio has had some form of vouchers since 1996, but learning setbacks prompted by pandemic-era education disruptions, cultural battles over gender and race, and a national movement for parental rights have led to a larger push in Ohio and other states to make them more widely available.

Advocates applaud it as expanding school choice, while opponents say such programs divert funding from public schools and violate Ohio’s constitution.

Here’s a look at where things stand and where they could go:

The Current System

School vouchers are state-funded and distributed through the Ohio Department of Education’s EdChoice Scholarship Program. Children are eligible if they attend certain underperforming public schools or come from low-income households — at or below 250% of the federal poverty level, or about $75,000 a year for a family of four.

The program, which parents must apply for, provides $5,500 for K-8 students and $7,500 for grades 9-12 to fund tuition.

More than 60,000 students use EdChoice as of 2023 at an annual cost of nearly $350 million, according to Ohio’s Office of Budget and Management.

Competing Proposals for Change

In January, via his version of the state budget, GOP Gov. Mike DeWine announced a proposal to increase income eligibility for vouchers to those at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, or about $111,000 for a family of four.

The Republican-dominated Ohio House cleared its version of the $88 billion budget in April, which raised the eligibility threshold to up to 450% of the federal poverty level, or $135,000 for a family of four, sending the bill to the GOP-led Senate to debate.

Hints at where negotiations could lead may be found in similar, competing voucher bills in the two chambers.

Dubbed ‘backpack bills’ because the funding follows students wherever they go, both legislative proposals seek to make vouchers available to all of Ohio’s K-12 students, regardless of income, whether their schools are considered underperforming and even if they already attend chartered private schools.

The House bill would further extend the vouchers to unregulated, non-chartered private school and homeschooled students.

The Costs of Change

How much money the state could spend on the program is not entirely clear.

The budget office estimates that DeWine’s proposal would add $50 million to the current program’s cost of nearly $700 million over the next two years.

The cost projection is based on scholarship program trend data and the estimated spaces available at participating private schools for public school students.

Meanwhile, lawmakers’ analysts at the nonpartisan Legislative Service Commission estimate extending voucher eligibility could cost up to an additional $344 million over the next two years. That’s assuming that all of the approximately 30,000 newly income-eligible students already attending private schools take vouchers.

Analysts also estimate that the Senate’s voucher proposal would cost $528 million per year if the over 90,000 newly eligible students already attending private schools use vouchers. That would not include eligible public-school children.

But the House bill could cost a whopping $1.13 billion annually, the commission estimates. That figure includes more than 185,000 students already attending private schools or being homeschooled, but not those in public schools.

No state analysis addresses the impact the additional costs could have on current public school funding.

Like DeWine’s approach, the lawmakers’ proposals could have lower costs if not all students seek vouchers. After all, many parents love their public school systems and private schools lack the capacity to accept every newly eligible child.

Advocates and Opponents

Advocates for vouchers applaud them as a way to make all schools in Ohio better by making different types of schools compete.

They also allow parents the freedom to choose, said Troy McIntosh, executive director of the Ohio Christian Education Network, rather than having their ZIP code choose for them.

Opponents, including Democrats and teachers’ unions, fear that as more state money is directed to private schools, less will be available to support the public schools that serve about 80% of Ohio’s children.

Voucher supporters say they aren’t concerned about the price and believe that high-cost estimates predict an unlikely outcome — that every eligible child will take a voucher.

But opponents point out that except for the administration’s estimate, no analysis takes into consideration the cost of public school students using vouchers to attend private schools.

There are also accountability concerns with how taxpayer dollars are used for private entities, said Scott DiMauro, president of the Ohio Education Association. Unlike public schools, private schools don’t have to tell the state how students are performing or how they’re using funds.

Lawsuits, Investigations

A lawsuit on behalf of students and over 100 school districts with the Vouchers Hurt Ohio coalition calls the governor’s existing voucher program unconstitutional.

It argues that by providing funds to private school systems, the program violates the Ohio Constitution’s call for a common school system that benefits all students, as private schools can turn away students based on intelligence, athletic ability or religious faith.

Republican Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost previously tried to have the case dismissed on grounds that it couldn’t cite any specific harm to public schools as a result of providing funds to the EdChoice program. A judge denied the dismissal request and the case remains pending.

The Ohio Senate recently asked the GOP state Auditor Keith Faber to investigate how much money those schools are using to fund the lawsuit. Faber agreed and sent out a survey asking public schools to disclose such funds.

But that move sparked immediate outcry, with voucher opponents calling the survey an act of witness intimidation by lawmakers. Republican Senate President Matt Huffman called it finding out ‘what the hell is going on.’

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Dozens of taxpayer-funded libraries and other government agencies across the country are hosting drag queen storytime for children as young as 3 as LGBTQ Pride Month kicked off the month of June.

The DC Public Library is co-hosting a Drag Storytime with performer IttyBitty in Adams Morgan, where ‘children of all ages’ are invited to learn about ‘diversity, self-love and an appreciation of others.’

At the Berkeley Public Library in California, kids are invited to gather in the children’s room for a ‘fun game of Lotería,’ similar to Bingo, with ‘drag queen and educator’ Bella Aldama.

Children of ‘all ages’ are invited to Drag Story Hour at the West Hollywood branch of the LA County Public Library, which is produced by Pickle the Drag Queen.

The Oakland Public Library is hosting a drag queen storytime with ‘local Latinx non-binary storyteller Per Sia.’

The Petaluma, Rincon Valley, Windsor and Central Santa Rosa public libraries in Sonoma County, California, are hosting drag story hours for infants through 6th grade.

‘Books, Prizes & Events!’ the event description reads. ‘Meet drag king Vera, who will read children’s books and engage in other fun learning activities.’

At the Lafayette Public Library in Colorado, children of ‘all ages’ are invited to attend a storytime with entertainer Shirley Delta Blow.

‘Come dressed in your finest!’ the event description states. ‘Drag Queen Storytime captures the imagination and gender fluidity of childhood play and shows children that people come in all shapes, sizes, and forms!’

At the Denver Public Library, kids as young as 5 have their pick of at least three different drag queen events at different branches, including a storytime, karaoke and Bingo with Delta Blow.

The Rowley, Haverhill, Amesbury and Wilmington public libraries in Massachusetts are co-hosting a virtual event called, ‘Dishing Out Drag,’ so that kids as young as 13 can ‘experience the world of drag through the eyes of popular New England Drag Queen Giganta Smalls.’

The Brookline Public Library, also in Massachusetts, is hosting a drag queen story hour to promote ‘self-love, creativity, and literacy’ for ‘kids ages 3-8.’

The New York Public Library is holding a Drag Story Hour twice this month at the Riverside branch for children ages 3 to 12.

‘Drag Story Hour is a storytelling program designed for children,’ the event description reads. ‘A local drag artist will read picture books, sing songs, and lead other age-appropriate activities.’

In Connecticut, the Chappaqua Library is hosting a drag queen storytime ‘geared to children 3-6.’

‘Come meet the fabulous Angel Elektra, Drag Queen Extraordinaire, for a fun filled storytime with books and songs!’ the event description reads.

The Tigard Public Library in Oregon is hosting a drag queen storytime for kids with Miss Poison Waters.

The Hoboken Public Library in New Jersey is hosting a drag queen story hour with Harmonica Sunbeam in Church Square Park, where Mayor Ravi Bhalla is also expected to participate.

Local governments are also holding all-ages Pride events that include public drag queen performances.

In Mansfield, Connecticut, all ages are invited to a drag queen story hour in Betsy Paterson Square as part of the town’s Pride Month celebration.

In Fairfax, Virginia, all ages are invited to its Pride event at Old Town Hall, which will include a ‘dance party featuring several drag queen performances throughout the evening.’

The Slover public library in Norfolk, Virginia, is hosting a Bingo pride event encouraging children of all ages to join for ‘an hour of fabulous BINGO fun with local drag queen legends Jennifer Warner and Sabrina Laurence.’

The parks department in Montgomery County, Maryland, is hosting a virtual drag queen story hours for kids with performer D’Manda Martini.

Drag queens are even scheduled to appear at public elementary schools this month.

‘Popular Seattle drag queen, Aleksa Manila will be stopping by Whittier to spend an evening with us to read stories and have some fun!’ reads an event description on the Whittier Elementary School PTA website in Seattle.

‘Drag Queen story time is all about love, acceptance, inclusion and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models!’ it says. ‘During story times like this one, kids will be able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where everyone can be their authentic selves!’ 

Last month, Montana became the first state to specifically ban people dressed in drag from reading books to children at public schools and libraries, part of a host of legislation aimed at the rights the LGBTQ+ community in Montana and other states.

Bills in Florida and Tennessee also appear to try to ban drag reading events, but both require the performances to be sexual in nature, which could be up for interpretation. Both bills also face legal challenges.

Montana’s law is unique because — while it defines such an event as one hosted by a drag king or drag queen who reads children’s books to minor children — it does not require a sexual element to be banned.

The bill, which was co-sponsored by more than half of the Republican-controlled legislature, took immediate effect after Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed it on Monday.

Gianforte signed the bill because he ‘believes it’s wildly inappropriate for little kids, especially preschoolers and kids in elementary school, to be exposed to sexualized content,’ spokesperson Kaitlin Price said in a statement.

Drag performers who opposed the legislation said they have separate drag performances for children compared to those intended for adults.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressional lawmakers told Fox News they’re concerned about how artificial Intelligence will impact the job market, but were unsure how to approach the issue.

‘I don’t have answers,’ Rep. Adam Smith, a Democrat, said. ‘There’s no question AI is an incredibly disruptive technology, and we should be closely looking at the implications of it and how best to handle those implications.’

Republican Rep. Ben Cline said he was less concerned.

‘New technologies have come and gone, and with them you have displacement, not necessarily jobs lost, but jobs added and jobs shifting,’ he said. ‘For AI, my concern is less with job displacement and more with national security dangers and protecting that national security infrastructure from AI.’

WATCH CONGRESSIONAL LAWMAKERS SOUND OFF ON HOW AI COULD THREATEN AMERICAN JOBS:

AI advancements could reduce or eliminate 300 million jobs globally, and could cause a ‘significant disruption’ across labor markets, according to a Goldman Sachs analysis published in March.

Most restaurant jobs could be automated in the next five to 10 years, a tech CEO whose AI has placed over a million drive-through orders, told Fox News this week. Lawmakers have repeatedly voiced concern over AI. 

‘I think AI is a danger. It does replace Americans’ jobs,’ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said. ‘This is where Congress—we have to work harder to figure out how to control this.’

‘There’s many dangers to American jobs, not just AI. It’s people coming across the border, competition from other foreign countries,’ the Georgia Republican continued. ‘We have to do everything we can to protect American jobs, including against AI.’

Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida also said AI is a concern for workers. 

‘When you’re trying to replace jobs, the American people should be concerned about that,’ the Republican said. ‘With AI, I think there’s a lot of stuff that we need to study up on and get to know it very, very fast.’

House members from both parties told Fox News the country needs better education on AI to ensure the labor market is ready for next-generation jobs.

‘Experts that were part of creating this technology say that it’s an existential threat to humanity,’ Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat, told Fox News. ‘We might want to listen.’

Republican Rep. Mike Flood said the U.S. must prepare students for the skills needed in the digital generation, including AI coding. 

‘We’re going to need a lot higher-skilled workers in the workforce, and that requires our educational system to step up,’ Flood told Fox News. 

‘Let’s work hard like we did when we decided we wanted to go to the moon and our entire nation put our strength behind it,’ he said. ‘We need to do that now with our kids, get them the skills they need and, you know, be ready for 2030.’

To watch lawmakers’ full interviews, click here.

Nevada Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed a bill Thursday that would have made the western swing state the first in the country to make it a crime to sign certificates falsely stating that a losing candidate has won a certain state.

The bill seeking to crack down on so-called fake electors would have established penalties of between four and 10 years in prison. Democratic state Attorney General Aaron Ford endorsed the legislation, while some public defenders opposed it, calling it too harsh.

The measure’s fate was uncertain before Thursday, as Lombardo had not previously said whether he would sign it.

Lombardo said in his veto message that there should be ‘strict punishments’ for people undermining confidence in elections, including those who present false slates of electors. But he added that the level of punishment in the bill was harsher than penalties that have been given to some domestic violence offenders and some of the most ‘extreme and violent actors on January 6.’

The bill ‘does nothing to ensure the security of our elections and merely provides disproportionately harsh penalties for an, admittedly, terrible crime,’ he added.

In 2020, six Nevada GOP members signed certificates falsely stating that former president Donald Trump won the state and sent them to Congress and the National Archives, where they were ultimately ignored. Republicans in six other battleground states did the same in a last-ditch attempt to keep the former president in power.

Lombardo’s veto came two days after he signed legislation making it a felony punishable by up to four years in prison to harass, intimidate or use force against election workers performing their duties.

The governor, who was endorsed by Trump last year, has pushed back against his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, saying there was a ‘modicum’ of fraud but not enough to sway the vote.

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New Mexico’s attorney general and its Environment Department filed suit Thursday against the manufacturers of so-called ‘forever chemicals,’ commonly referred to as PFAS, seeking monetary damages to defray the costs of environmental monitoring and cleanups that they say are inevitable.

Attorney General Raúl Torrez said that 21 companies named in the lawsuit have contributed to environmental contamination in New Mexico through their production and distribution of the chemicals, despite knowing for decades that the compounds pose significant risk to human health.

‘We have to step forward and try to protect our community … to hold corporations accountable who have for too long placed their bottom line and placed quarterly profits ahead of the interests of our community, over our natural environment and over public health,’ Torrez said at a news conference Thursday in Albuquerque.

PFAS, which stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been linked to cancer and other health problems in humans. They are called ‘forever chemicals’ because they don’t degrade in the environment and remain in the bloodstream.

New Mexico environmental regulators say they are concerned about forever chemicals seeping into aquifers in a state where 80% of residents rely on underground water for household consumption.

‘These companies had knowledge that these chemicals cause harm and they still chose profit over people,’ state Environment Secretary James Kenney said.

In recent months, states from Rhode Island to California have filed similar lawsuits against major chemical manufacturers including 3M and DuPont on accusations of covering up harm caused to the environment and public health by forever chemicals.

In March, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed the first federal limits on forever chemicals in drinking water, limiting them to the lowest level that tests can detect. Kenney said that New Mexico previously petitioned the EPA to treat PFAS as hazardous.

Corporate and industry representatives could not immediately be reached for a response to the new lawsuit. The industry group American Chemistry Council has voiced support for ‘strong, science-based regulation of PFAS chemistries’ while warning that overly broad restrictions could impact economic growth, employment and the resiliency of industrial supply chains.

3M announced in December that it will phase out the manufacturing of ‘forever chemicals’ and try to get them out of all their products within two years.

The toxic industrial compounds have been used extensively in firefighting foam, resulting in environmental contamination at military installations and adjoining communities. The state of New Mexico and the U.S. Department of Defense are at odds over responsibilities for mitigating PFAS contamination at installations including Cannon Air Force Base and Holloman Air Force Base.

Near Cannon, the Highland Dairy in Clovis euthanized more than 3,000 cows in 2022 after confirmation of PFAS contamination in the herd — and the milk the cows produced.

Torrez said New Mexico officials are aware of corporate maneuvers aimed at shifting liability to shell companies and are determined to recover significant financial damages nonetheless.

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Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey shared a fiery tweet with ESPN to ‘fix’ their wording of her new legislation that bans biological men from competing in women’s sports at colleges.

ESPN originally reported on Tuesday that ‘Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed legislation on Tuesday that will ban transgender women from playing on female sports teams in college.’

The Republican governor quickly hit back at the sports outlet. ‘Let me fix that, @espn,’ she wrote in a post Tuesday, changing the wording from ‘transgender women’ to ‘biological men.’

‘Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed legislation on Tuesday that will ban biological MEN from playing on FEMALE sports teams in college,’ the governor wrote in a response.

On Tuesday, Ivey signed a law prohibiting biological males from competing on female sports teams at Alabama colleges, after previously barring biological boys in K-12 schools from playing in girls sports in 2021.

‘Look, if you are a biological male, you are not going to be competing in women’s and girls’ sports in Alabama. It’s about fairness, plain and simple,’ Ivey said in a statement after signing the bill into law.

Aside from Alabama, 20 other states currently have restrictions in place on biological men competing in women’s sports.

Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.

Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers ordered the gay pride flag to be flown beneath the U.S. and state flag in front of the Capitol in Madison.Evers has hosted Pride ceremonies every June since he took office in 2019.‘You belong here. You are welcome here,’ Evers said at the ceremony. ‘It’s a signal that I will always stand with LGBTQ Wisconsinites, including our trans and gender non-conforming kids, and will fight to protect them with every tool and every power that I have.’

A gay pride flag rose over the Wisconsin Capitol on Thursday in a sign of support for the LGBTQ+ community as it weathers heightened attacks from conservatives across the country.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers ordered the flag raised during a noon ceremony as dozens of spectators looked on. The flag will fly over the Capitol throughout the month of June in recognition of Pride month below the U.S. and the Wisconsin state flag.

The Village People’s ‘YMCA’ and Abba’s ‘Dancing Queen’ played from speakers before the ceremony began. Spectators were decked in T-shirts that read ‘Be Kind’ and ‘You Are Loved.’

The governor told the crowd he was ‘jazzed as hell’ to be there. He acknowledged the LGBTQ+ community is under attack and conservative rhetoric about the community has emboldened hate. Raising the flag sends a message to everyone who wants to belong and find a home, he said.

‘You belong here. You are welcome here,’ Evers said to applause, adding a moment later: ‘It’s a signal that I will always stand with LGBTQ Wisconsinites, including our trans and gender non-conforming kids, and will fight to protect them with every tool and every power that I have.’

Evers has ordered a rainbow pride flag raised over the Capitol every June since he took office in 2019. Last year, he ordered the progress pride flag raised in lieu of the rainbow flag. The progress pride flag is a variation of the rainbow flag with additional stripes and a chevron pattern that represent LGBTQ individuals of color, transgender individuals and those living with or who have died of HIV or AIDS, according to Evers’ office. He chose to raise the progress flag again this year.

Evers’ decision to raise the flag over the Capitol has been a flashpoint of contention in Wisconsin, a battleground state where Republicans control the Legislature and a Democrat controls the governor’s office. Conservatives blasted the move in 2019, with GOP lawmakers calling it divisive and accusing Evers of advancing a political cause.

The order to raise the flag comes with even more baggage this year as Republicans across the country work to curtail LGBTQ+ community members’ rights. Almost 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures this year and at least 18 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender surgeries care for minors.

Robin Vos, the Republican leader of the Wisconsin Assembly, said in April he believes a bill banning trans athletes from competing on women’s and girls’ teams would be introduced again this session.

Anger toward the LGBTQ+ community has spread to the corporate world as well. Target announced in May that it has removed products and relocated pride displays in some stores in the South amid concerns about the displays’ effect on children.

Bud Light is grappling with fallout from its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who posted an Instagram video in April of a beer can with her face on it. A cascade of criticism and hate over the video followed, notably among conservative figures. Kid Rock posted a video of himself shooting cases of Bud Light and others calling for a boycott of the brand.

A tweet Evers posted inviting the public to Thursday’s flag-raising was met with some derision. One person responded by asking Evers when he planned to raise ‘the heterosexual flag.’

Others thanked Evers for standing up for marginalized communities in Wisconsin, promoting equal rights and calling for love and respect for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who hails from Madison and is openly gay, called the anti-LGBTQ+ bills moving around the country ‘heartbreaking attacks’ in a tweet recognizing June as gay pride month.

‘It’s going to take all of us this #PrideMonth and every month to counter these right wing attacks so everyone — even a kid like me — grows up knowing they belong, and that kindness and inclusion, not hatred and division, are American values,’ Baldwin tweeted.

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Shortly after President Biden fell during the U.S. Air Force Academy commencement ceremony on Thursday, former President Donald Trump said the incident was ‘not inspiring.’

Trump responded from Iowa, where he appeared as Republican rival Gov. Ron DeSantis is campaigning in the state. The former president seemed to find out about Biden’s tumble on the spot while fielding questions.

‘He actually fell down? Well, I hope he wasn’t hurt,’ Trump said. ‘The whole thing is crazy. You’ve got to be careful about that… even if you have to tiptoe down the ramp.’

‘That’s a bad place to fall… that’s not inspiring,’ he later added.

The White House said Biden tripped over a sandbag and was not injured. He delivered the Air Force Academy’s commencement address earlier in the day.

Biden’s fall Thursday comes almost two years after he fell on the steps while boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews. 

Biden also recently stumbled at the G7 Summit in Japan but caught himself. Following the incident, Financial Times editor Edward Luce asked Hillary Clinton if that was a concern.

‘There was that heart-stopping moment when he almost fell over coming down the stairs a day or two ago,’ Luce said at the Financial Times Weekend Festival on May 20. ‘He didn’t use a railing, and Jill wasn’t there with him.’

‘Every time that happens, your heart is in your mouth because these things could be consequential. Is that a concern?’ he asked.

Clinton responded by saying Biden’s age is a legitimate issue.

‘It’s a concern for anyone,’ Clinton said. ‘We’ve had presidents who had fallen before who were a lot younger, and people didn’t go into heart palpitations.’

‘But his age is an issue, and people have every right to consider it,’ she added. ‘But, you know, he has this great saying — and I think he’s right — don’t judge him for running against the Almighty but against the alternative. I am of the camp that I think he’s determined to run; he has a good record that, three years ago, people would not have predicted would have gotten done.’

Fox News Digital’s Thomas Catenacci and Matteo Cina contributed to this report

Republicans on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce are seeking answers from the Department of Labor (DOL) about what it is doing to crack down on the exploitation of unaccompanied child migrants in the workforce – after reports of an ‘explosive’ growth in the child labor force.

‘The Committee is disturbed by recent reports about cases of illegal child labor in the United States precipitated by the surge in unaccompanied migrant children traveling across the southern border under the Biden administration’s watch,’ Chair Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., and Workforce Protections Subcommittee Chair Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., wrote in a letter to Acting Secretary Julie Su.

‘As it is the federal agency enforcing our nation’s child labor laws, we write to understand better the steps the Department of Labor…has taken to address this issue and to inquire about its ongoing coordination with other federal agencies,’ they wrote.

The number of unaccompanied migrants arriving at the southern border increased dramatically from 33,239 in fiscal year 2020 to more than 146,000 in fiscal year 2021 and 152,000 in fiscal year 2022.

This year, the Biden administration was hit by a number of reports that outlined how officials ignored signs of an ‘explosive’ growth in the child labor force – with minors forced to work in dangerous conditions to pay back smugglers.

Child migrants who are encountered at the border are first dealt with by Border Patrol, who are part of the Department of Homeland Security, before being transferred to Health and Human Services (HHS) care.

Now lawmakers are looking at the DOL due to its connection with the enforcement of child labor laws. The lawmakers note that the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) bars minors from working in hazardous occupations but say that many secure employment by presenting false ID to evade E-Verify.

‘The Committee understands that, to date, DOL has done nothing to acknowledge or address this reality,’ Foxx and Kiley wrote. ‘Instead, it has parroted talking points and shifted the blame to Congress and employers, turning a blind eye to solutions that would prevent minors from being exploited in the first place, such as securing the border.’

They also argue that a DOL taskforce set up to tackle child exploitation ‘has been completely silent on the widespread use of fraudulent work documents and how employers are expected to comply with the FLSA amidst these challenges.’

The lawmakers asked if the department plans to issue guidance that addresses the use of false ID when verifying the age of prospective employees, a list of all criminal referrals the agency has made to the Justice Department regarding labor trafficking of children, and meetings between DHS and DOL officials on the matter.

The letter comes ahead of an appearance by Su on Wednesday before the committee, where the issue is expected to be raised. The Labor Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that it has received the letter.

A report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) is warning of widespread blackouts this summer. Two-thirds of the country has an elevated risk of potential for insufficient operations.

‘It’s really concerning because electricity is pretty critical to how we operate every minute of every day,’ National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson said. ‘You have to be able to have the lights come on when you’re counting on it. That’s an expectation we have across this country. Unfortunately, certain policies are driving us in the wrong direction.’

The NERC report lists recent efforts by the Biden administration to limit emissions as a grid vulnerability. The environmental rules could disrupt operations at coal-fired generators in 23 states. That includes locations along the Gulf Coast, including Texas, which has a recent history of blackouts from extreme weather. Other locations include desert-hot Nevada.   

‘What’s going on in this country right now is demand for electricity is growing, which is a good thing. The economy is growing, but we’re shutting down power plants, and we’re not replacing it with any capacity. So, at some point, that basic relationship starts to get in trouble,’ Matheson said. 

The report also notes that while stored supplies of natural gas and coal are at high levels, infrastructure is lacking. In the southeastern region of the U.S., coal-fired generators have reported challenges in arranging coal replenishment because of mine closures and transport delays. 

‘When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging,’ Matheson said. ‘We got to take the shovel away from the EPA.’

Matheson served as a Utah representative from 2001 until 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party but warns recent Biden administration policies are adding to a supply and demand problem for U.S. energy. 

‘It’s really hard to build something in this country these days,’ Matheson said. ‘We’re at a point where we are reducing supply, and public policy, in terms of permitting, doesn’t allow us to build new resources.’

Most of today’s power grid was built in the 1960s and 1970s. According to the White House, an estimated 70% of transmission lines are more than 25 years old. Billions of dollars from the recent Infrastructure law were set aside for updates to the grid and upgrades for transmission lines.

‘There is a lot of money for some resilience. Resilience is where you’re hardening the grid to allow it to survive more extreme weather events,’ Matheson said. ‘I hear a lot of conversation on Capitol Hill these days that we need to reform our environmental permitting process in this country. Congress passed the National Environmental Policy Act decades ago. They haven’t ever reformed it. It’s a mess today.’

Recent negotiations to raise the debt limit have included permitting reforms for some energy projects. The provisions include efforts to make it easier to build fossil fuel and clean energy projects. It fails to include infrastructure for transmission lines and pipelines to get production to consumers.

‘I’m excited that we may get some pipeline permitting reform in the debt ceiling negotiations,’ Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., said. ‘We’re at a point of criticality in this nation in that we have the resources to produce. We just have nowhere to put it. 

The debt deal also orders a study by NERC to assess how much transfer capacity is needed to strengthen grid reliability.  It’s a project that would likely take 2½ years to get to Congress. Duncan chairs the Energy, Climate and Grid Security Subcommittee. He says adding energy producers to the power grid is already a slow process.

‘These renewable energy projects are facing the same hurdles for regulation,’ Duncan said. ‘They’re realizing that they don’t have the money to pay all the fees necessary to go through this.’

To join the electric grid, generators must first go through the interconnection queue to get their projects approved. The process has created years-long wait times for wind and solar projects. Many have also faced higher costs than anticipated or the projects fail completely. Matheson says queue is a big concern for Electric Co-ops.

‘We serve 42 million people across the country, but we’re consumer owned. Every financial impact on the utility goes straight to the consumer’s electric bill,’ Matheson said. ‘When these decisions come to shut down existing resources that are reliable and replace them with lots of new resources, they’re going to cost more money. Not only are we concerned about reliability, we’re concerned about affordability as well.’

The Energy Department is also expected to publish its own long-term national transmission planning study later this year. It is expected to include potential solutions for a transition to clean energy.

‘They’re going to be a part of the electrical grid for a long time, but we shouldn’t rush to that as the sole source,’ Duncan said. ‘We need to really balance our energy matrix and make sure we have good, reliable, affordable electricity.’

Most lawmakers and experts agree that grid updates and additions are needed not just for the upcoming summer season, but well into the future.

‘I think it’s still pretty good. I think we take it for granted in this country compared to the rest of the world, that the lights come on every time you flip the switch. But we’re seeing signs that it started to fray,’ Matheson said. ‘I don’t want to sound like an alarmist that everything’s going to happen all at once, but the trend continues to move in a direction of greater risk of outages every year.’