Dems demand military investigation into Qatar’s plane gift to Trump
Lawmakers worry the expensive gift could create financial and legal issues for the Defense Department.
Congress
Trump requests $892.6 billion base defense budget, a real-terms cut
The administration framed the budget as a 13% increase, but that includes a spending package Congress has yet to pass.
Democrats press Pompeo over Trump’s ‘failure’ of an Iran policy
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo got an earful on the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran
Strategic Command boss warns of nuclear ‘point of no return’
The Pentagon alone plans to spend more than $87 billion on nuclear programs in the next five years.
Lawmaker asks Esper: Should the Army pay for sealift?
An influential lawmaker is wondering if the U.S. Army should be on the hook to pay for its own transportation.
Expect Congress to block Africa troop cuts, says defense panel chairman
The upcoming 2021 defense policy bill will likely restrict the Pentagon from reducing its footprint in Africa, says the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
Lawmakers oppose Trump move to cut union bargaining for DoD feds
They want to reverse a White House decision to let Pentagon leaders strip collective bargaining rights from military civilians.
Trump taps Pentagon’s acting personnel head to take over permanent job
Air Force Under Secretary Matthew Donovan has been serving in the post since early December.
Esper won’t give up 5G spectrum to telecom firms, but he will share it
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper is pushing back against telecom companies’ efforts to claim mid-band spectrum in their race with China to build 5G networks.
Defense secretary didn’t ask for new union bargaining rules, unsure if he’ll use them
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he is reviewing the recent surprise decision by the White House.
Lawmakers fight Trump’s border wall cash grab from DoD
Lawmakers are taking new action in response to the Trump administration’s move to shift $3.8 billion from military programs toward the border wall.
