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Sean Salai

Sean Salai is the general assignment/culture reporter for The Washington Times. A former National desk intern and Metro clerk at The Washington Times, he also has served as a City Hall reporter at the Boca Raton News and as a special contributor at America Media. He can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Sean Salai

Trump Education Department cancels $226 million in ‘divisive’ diversity grants

The Trump administration on Wednesday canceled $226 million in federal grants earmarked for meetings and reports on diversity needs in K-12 schools.

February 19, 2025

Historic black church in Northern Virginia cancels Kennedy Center concert over Trump changes

A historic Black church in Northern Virginia will no longer offer an annual Christmas concert at the Kennedy Center.

February 19, 2025

ICE pulls out of University of Maryland career fair after student backlash

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will not participate next week in a career fair at the University of Maryland's flagship school after pushback from students alarmed by the Trump administration's deportation efforts.

February 18, 2025

PragerU says injured founder/conservative pundit Dennis Prager will return ‘soon’

Conservative talk show host Dennis Prager is recovering from a nasty fall in November and hopes to be back on the air soon despite remaining paralyzed from the shoulders down, his media company announced this week.

February 18, 2025

Kennedy Center has recent history of showcasing politicized art

Proponents of President Trump's shakeup at Washington's Kennedy Center say the venue's track record of politicizing art goes beyond a single drag show.

February 17, 2025

Education Department cancels $881 million in research contracts

The Trump administration canceled $881 million in contracts for education research this week, targeting programs its Department of Government Efficiency flagged as examples of wasteful spending.

February 14, 2025

Tennessee governor signs universal K-12 voucher law

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a law Wednesday letting parents in his state spend more than $7,000 of taxpayer funds on private K-12 tuition, transportation, tutoring and other educational expenses.

February 13, 2025

Postal Service launches redesigned money order to deter thieves

The U.S. Postal Service has launched a redesigned money order this month with added security features to deter a post-pandemic uptick in mail fraud.

February 12, 2025

States embrace purging waste, boast of efforts before Trump and Musk

Eight red states from Iowa to Texas started versions of President Trump's Department of Government Efficiency to stop wasteful spending -- while politicians on each side of the aisle insist they were doing DOGE before DOGE was cool.

February 11, 2025

Gallup poll finds waning support for transgender soldiers

Support for transgender people serving in the military has plunged over the past six years, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.

February 10, 2025

Protesting congressional Democrats blocked from entering Education Department

Several dozen congressional Democrats unsuccessfully tried to enter the Education Department Friday, their latest effort to visit agencies the Trump administration has targeted for massive spending cuts.

February 7, 2025

Survey finds 51% of college presidents alarmed by Trump’s return

A little over half of college presidents responding to an annual survey fear that President Trump's second administration will hurt higher education.

February 6, 2025

Super Bowl snacks cheaper than last year

Super Bowl munchies will cost slightly less than last year, according to industry reports that show food prices cooling ahead of Sunday's game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.

February 5, 2025

Virginia lawmakers outraged over report of ‘flawed’ FBI headquarters search

Virginia lawmakers expressed outrage Tuesday over a report on flaws in the selection of Greenbelt as the site for the new headquarters of the FBI.

February 4, 2025

Trump’s directives on abortion funding raise questions about abortion pills

Trump administration policies blocking federal funding for abortion have left advocates on both sides of the issue wondering if federal restrictions on mail-order pills are next.

February 3, 2025

Gallup: Trump’s return pushes economic optimism to seven-year high

President Trump's return to the White House has pushed American optimism about the economy to a seven-year high in Gallup polling, released Monday.

February 3, 2025

Reagan National Airport has a long history of problems, challenges

The airspace around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has long been problematic due to heavy military and commercial flight activity in the nation's capital, according to industry insiders.

January 30, 2025

Nation’s report card: U.S. reading scores fall again, math shows little progress

American students have fallen further behind in reading skills since the pandemic and have made little progress in math on the standardized test known as the nation's report card.

January 29, 2025

Watchdog report finds 75 non-existent agencies in Federal Register

A new study says the Federal Register's records are so out-of-date that it lists 75 agencies that no longer exist.

January 28, 2025

State bills to expand vaccine exemptions gain traction under Trump

Bills to limit mandatory vaccines for childhood illnesses such as measles and polio have surfaced in more than 15 states, buoyed by President Trump's health secretary nominee.