Senate lawmakers approved Denis McDonough as the next Veterans Affairs secretary on Monday, making him only the second non-veteran ever confirmed to lead the department. McDonough, who served as White House Chief of Staff under former President Barack Obama, was tapped by President Joe Biden to lead the massive veterans agency in a bid to […]
WASHINGTON ― The Senate’s No. 2 Democrat said Russia’s apparent hack into multiple government agencies is a “virtual invasion” that demands the U.S. show Russia and other adversaries there is “a price to pay” for breaching American systems. In a Senate floor speech Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the U.S. needs to […]
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Nov. 10 ― the Marine Corps’ birthday ― proposed a massive personnel cut for the Corps; one going beyond any other current proposal. The Marine Corps is currently composed of roughly 186,000 active-duty Marines. In February, the Marine Corps budget request proposed a cut of 2,258 enlisted Marines along with […]
WASHINGTON ― Senate appropriators are calling on the State Department to certify that a pending sale of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to the United Arab Emirates would not threaten Israel’s military edge or make U.S. military systems vulnerable to Russia and China. The bipartisan legislation, introduced Nov. 10 by the GOP-led Senate Appropriations Committee, represents […]
Federal employees would not receive an across-the-board increase in pay next year under provisions outlined in a series of fiscal year 2021 funding bills released by the Senate Appropriations Committee Nov. 10. Unlike FY2021 funding passed in the House earlier this year — which simply did not include any provision addressing federal pay — the […]
WASHINGTON ― Two Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee are calling on panel leaders to hold a hearing on the Defense Department’s response to COVID-19 and its the role in Operation Warp Speed, a White House-backed effort to create and distribute a vaccine to every American. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, […]
Lt. Gen. David Allvin was confirmed by the Senate to be the Air Force’s next vice chief of staff in a late-night vote Wednesday. Allvin’s nomination to become vice chief and receive his fourth star was approved unanimously. In a Thursday release, Chief of Staff Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown applauded Allvin’s confirmation. “I could not […]
The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs has been underperforming in its oversight duties, according to an independent grading of congressional oversight. The committee got an “F” grade from on the Lugar Center’s Congressional Oversight Hearing Index. The center is a non-profit that promotes bipartisan governance. The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs continued a seven-year streak […]
WASHINGTON — Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he’s “OK” with renaming military bases such as Fort Bragg that are named after Confederate Army officers, declining to side with President Donald Trump and other Republicans opposed to the move. The Kentucky senator said he’ll live with whatever lawmakers decide as they debate an annual […]
WASHINGTON — Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he’s “OK” with renaming military bases such as Fort Bragg that are named after Confederate Army officers, declining to side with President Donald Trump and other Republicans opposed to the move. The Kentucky senator said he’ll live with whatever lawmakers decide as they debate an annual […]