ICYMI: The Senate on Wednesday failed for a fifth time to advance a measure that would have opened debate on halting the war in Iran as Republicans continued to block efforts to assert congressional war powers. (from @svetashko.bsky.social)
The House Armed Services Committee is seeking answers from the Pentagon on its plan for Stars and Stripes, sending two requests asking how the Defense Department will ensure the organization's congressionally mandated independence amid efforts to "refocus" its content. (from @svetashko.bsky.social)
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House are hoping to stymie President Donald Trump’s designs on Greenland with a new bill that prohibits the use of federal funds for the invasion of NATO allies and territories.
Several Senate Republicans broke with President Donald Trump to advance a resolution requiring the president to seek explicit congressional approval before taking any further military action in Venezuela as the U.S. seeks to exert control over the country.
Democratic senators representing states that bore the brunt of the fallout from explosive nuclear weapons testing are seeking to pass legislation that would bar President Donald Trump from unilaterally resuming such tests.
The Senate on Thursday rejected, mostly along party lines, a bipartisan resolution to block President Donald Trump from conducting strikes against Venezuela as the U.S. continued to surge troops and military assets to the region. (from @svetashko.bsky.social)
President Donald Trump speaks at a rally of 1-star Generals and Rear-Admirals at Quantico, Va. (Aiko Bongolan/DoD)
More than a dozen veterans in the House have accused President Donald Trump of undermining the apolitical nature of the military by telling senior officers that American cities should be used as “training grounds” to combat an “invasion from within.”
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ICYMI: In an overnight vote, the House approved an $831.5 billion defense spending bill that keeps a flat budget for the Pentagon, provides a 3.8% pay raise for troops and cuts about 45,000 positions from the civilian workforce. (from @svetashko.bsky.social)
The House and Senate Armed Services Committees unveiled legislation Friday supporting a 3.8% pay raise for service members and restricting any Pentagon efforts to undermine aid to Ukraine or drastically reduce American forces in Europe. (from @svetashko.bsky.social)
The sprawling bill will raise spending on defense and immigration enforcement while lowering funding for health and nutrition programs, including eliminating exemptions from work requirements for veterans who rely on food assistance.
House Republicans on Thursday, July 3, 2025, pushed through divisive legislation known as the ‘One Big, Beautiful’ bill, with a 218-214 vote over unanimous Democratic opposition. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
#BREAKING: The House has passed President Donald Trump’s signature domestic policy bill, extending tax cuts, cutting spending on social safety net programs and giving the Pentagon $150 billion on top of its annual budget.
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The Senate on Friday voted against moving forward with a resolution that would have reined in President Donald Trump’s ability to take further military action against Iran, rejecting an effort by Democrats to reaffirm congressional war powers. (from @svetashko.bsky.social)
A group of 12 military veterans serving in the House told President Donald Trump that they will support a resolution to require approval from lawmakers for further military action against Iran in a bid to claw back Congress’ power to declare war.
During congressional testimony Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at California Gov. Gavin Newsom and defended deploying National Guard troops and Marines to respond to immigration protests in Los Angeles, saying the military was "proud to do it." (from @svetashko.bsky.social)
U.S. Soldiers, assigned to 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Joint Task Force–Southern Border, travel in a CH-47 Chinook helicopter to conduct a patrol of the southern border near Nogales, Ariz., May 29, 2025. (Chase Murray/US Army)
Army officials confirmed that the service is preparing to provide 20,000 National Guard troops to crack down on immigration, raising concerns among lawmakers about the “unprecedented” nature of the deployment. #Flashes
While service leaders advise it is too soon to tell how they will be impacted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's order to pare down the military's senior ranks, the Marine Corps says it will likely be affected the most. (from @svetashko.bsky.social)
"This is going to be a challenge for us": Personnel chiefs for each of the military services told a congressional subpanel Wednesday they are bracing for the impact of civilians voluntarily resigning as part of the Defense Department's effort to trim its workforce. (from @svetashko.bsky.social)
The global supply chain that the U.S. military relies on to produce weapons and equip troops, built up over decades, could be under threat as the Trump administration seeks to lessen American reliance on imports and bring more manufacturing back to the U.S. (from @svetashko.bsky.social)
Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee warned this week that tariffs levied against Australia and other security partners in the Indo-Pacific region were harming relationships needed to deter China. (from @svetashko.bsky.social)
People lay flowers and light candles on April 1, 2025, at a memorial in Vilnius, Lithuania, for the four U.S. soldiers who died in a training accident in the country last week. (X/Lithuanian Defense Ministry)
Mourners carrying wreaths and flags filled the streets in Lithuania’s capital Wednesday to memorialize four U.S. soldiers who died last week during a military training exercise.
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Top members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday asked the Defense Department to investigate the Signal group chat in which Trump national security officials discussed plans for airstrikes in Yemen in the presence of a journalist. (from @svetashko.bsky.social)
“If House Republicans won’t hold a hearing on how this happened IMMEDIATELY, I’ll do it my damn self.”
Lawmakers demanded answers after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other top Trump administration officials discussed war plans in a text conversation that included a journalist. Read more:
John Phelan, an investor who said he would make up for his lack of military experience with his business acumen, was confirmed Monday to serve as Navy secretary. Phelan will become the first person in more than 15 years to lead the Navy without having served in any branch of the military.
A top Navy admiral told lawmakers last week that shipyard workers were exempt from a Defense Department-wide probationary employee purge.
Meanwhile at least 10 probationary workers were fired from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine:
Senior service leaders said that they will be significantly challenged by a stopgap spending bill that the Senate plans to vote on this week to fund the government through Sept. 30 and avoid a shutdown.
The resurrection of military shipbuilding in the U.S. will hinge on improving wages and benefits for workers at shipyards, Navy officials and experts said Tuesday as lawmakers raised fears of cuts to shipyard workforces. (from @svetashko.bsky.social)
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., blasted the House on Wednesday for “skipping town on a Tuesday” and forcing senators to accept either a “half-assed” funding measure that will harm the military or a “catastrophic” shutdown.
Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, responds to the Trump-Zelensky meeting:
Stephen Feinberg, the president's nominee for deputy defense secretary, declined Tuesday during his confirmation hearing to say whether Russia invaded Ukraine and deflected questions from senators about planned cuts to the Pentagon's civilian workforce. (from @svetashko.bsky.social)
1/3 of the federal workforce is made up of national security personnel, including civilians who acquire military hardware for troops, provide medical care at military treatment facilities, maintain equipment at shipyards and provide warning on threats to the U.S.
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