The Price Tag Goes Way Up: According to CongressDaily, the Bush Administration plans to request $160 million to help Veterans Affairs pay for the free credit monitoring and other actions related to the May 3 data theft. Some of the money would come through reprogramming within VA, which already has siphoned off $25 million to support its new call center and mailing of letters to veterans.
The Pentagon’s fiscal 2026 defense budget, submitted to Congress last week, accelerates the downsizing of the U.S. Air Force. It proposes divesting 340 aircraft, while only acquiring 76. These cuts risk the Air Force’s ability prevail. “Peace through strength” has...