Trump directs the Pentagon to use ‘all available funds’ to ensure troops are paid despite shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Saturday that he has directed the Defense Department to use “all available funds” to ensure U.S. troops are paid Wednesday despite the government shutdown, a short-term fix that will not apply to the hundreds of thousands of federal workers who have been furloughed. Trump said in a social media post that he was acting because “our Brave Troops will miss the paychecks they are rightfully due on October 15th.” The Republican president’s directive removes one of the pressure points that could have forced…

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Signal leak dominates confirmation hearing for top Pentagon nominees

As President Donald Trump’s administration continues to manage the fallout from the Signal incident, four nominees for top Pentagon positions faced questions about their own history of handling sensitive and classified information during their confirmation hearing on Thursday.  The leak of a Signal group chat where members of the Trump administration discussed operational details for upcoming strikes against the Houthis in Yemen has sent shock waves throughout Washington, overshadowing what was shaping up to be a routine confirmation hearing. While Trump administration officials maintained that no classified information was shared…

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Does the Pentagon skip too many of its congressional reporting duties?

The Defense Department is under statutory obligation to deliver a thousand reports to Congress each year. One analysis says the department consistently fails at this task and that Congress doesn’t get the information it needs for proper oversight of military affairs. For more on all of that, the Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke with Brennen Center counsel Katherine Yon Ebright. Interview Transcript:  Tom Temin And you took a look at the situation some FOIA documents will get into. But first of all, just outline the issue. A thousand. Is…

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Lloyd Austin, Pentagon chief, slams China’s drive for hypersonic weapons

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that China’s pursuit of hypersonic weapons “increases tensions in the region” and vowed the U.S. would maintain its capability to deter potential threats posed by China. Austin made the remarks in Seoul following annual security talks with his … The Washington Times stories: White House

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