Daily Brief

Congress passes defense spending bill after months of delays

Congress has passed an $825 billion FY24 defense spending bill, but the plan to get Ukraine military assistance across the finish line remains uncertain.

Granger, Gallagher leave committee posts as House GOP majority shrinks

Kay Granger steps down as appropriations chair and China panel chair Mike Gallagher announces his resignation in April, shrinking the GOP majority.

Pacific force’s wish list seeks $11 billion more than defense proposal

Indo-Pacific Command says it faces an $11 billion funding gap for regional military construction, space programs, munitions and Guam missile defenses.

A nearly $1 trillion defense budget faces headwinds at home and abroad

There are bipartisan calls to hit the breaks as defense spending nears $1 trillion. Others say that amount is not enough to fund U.S. strategy worldwide.

Opinion

Three directions the US defense budget could go

Battles over border security, as well as aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, make the outcome for the FY25 defense budget difficult to predict.

How can the Pentagon arm Ukraine amid stalled aid package?

The department is weighing options to keep arms flowing to ammunition-starved Ukraine, but there's no replacement for the aid package stalled in Congress.

Senate passes Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan aid amid Trump-fueled opposition

The Senate passed Biden's aid request for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. But it faces strong headwinds in the House amid opposition from Trump.

Senate moves forward on Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan aid bill

The Senate cleared its first procedural vote on a giant foreign aid bill, but its fate in the House remains unclear.

Senate votes down Sanders legislation scrutinizing Israel military aid

Senators voted down legislation requiring the State Department to submit a human rights report over Israel's operations in Gaza or freeze military aid.

Defense, vets issues will factor in 2024 presidential race

Military and veterans policies will play a role in the debate over who should serve as commander-in-chief.

Here are the military services’ top leaders heading into 2024

The services have newly confirmed leaders heading into 2024.

How many vets will be in Congress after the election?

The number of lawmakers with military experience has steadily declined since the 1970s.

New year brings same government shutdown threats

Congress enters 2024 without a clear plan for federal spending, just a few weeks before another budget deadline.

The military’s federal border mission set to continue into 2024

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in June extended the mission through September 2024.

Opinion

How to evaluate AI use cases after Biden’s executive order

The potential benefits of leveraging an extensive repository or more than 700 AI use cases should not be overlooked, the author says.

What does the 2024 election mean for troops at the Mexico border?

This fall's general election may shape the future of U.S.-Mexico military policy.