Economic sanctions “clearly were not convincing to Russia in advance,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said. “It’s not clear anything would have been convincing to Russia in advance; I’m not going to try to get into the head of Vladimir Putin."
Republican Rep. Ken Calvert is willing to meet Democratic lawmakers partway in their reported plans to trim the defense budget: cut back on civilian employees, not equipment and modernization.
The House defied a veto threat from President Donald Trump on Tuesday and approved a $740.5 billion defense policy bill that Trump opposes because it doesn’t repeal a prized liability shield for social media firms.
House Republicans are backing Rep. Mike Rogers to replace Rep. Mac Thornberry as the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee next Congress, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Despite President Trump's veto threat, Democrats moved to rename military bases named after Confederate officers in an annual defense policy measure that has passed every year since the Kennedy administration.
Upcoming sharp drawdowns of U.S. forces in Afghanistan in Iraq drew mixed reaction from lawmakers on Capitol Hill, with Republican and Democratic critics both warning that too abrupt changes could lead to instability in the regions.
U.S. House and Senate conferees are preparing to meet to wrangle over the massive 2021 defense authorization bill. Here's what could stand in the way of both chambers coming to an agreement.
Thirty-nine senators are calling for the final 2021 National Defense Authorization Act to include a requirement that bases named to honor Confederate figures be renamed. President Donald Trump has threatened a veto over the issue.