On Jan. 7, President Donald Trump declared in a social media post he would propose a $1.5 trillion defense budget for fiscal 2027, a record-breaking figure that called to mind the Reagan buildup of the 1980s. Nearly eight months later, experts and Congress watchers agree ...
Senate
The Senate passed Republicans’ sweeping tax-and-spending package July 1 in a 51-50 vote, the culmination of a 27-hour marathon legislative session. The package—often called the reconciliation bill—includes a $150 billion package of defense funds that accounts for a significant portion of the money the Air ...
The Senate confirmed new leaders of U.S. forces in Europe and the Middle East over the weekend. Lawmakers on June 29 also approved a reshuffling of Air Force officials that will put new faces in the service’s Pentagon headquarters as well as at its largest ...
Efforts to craft the Pentagon’s next budget has highlighted disagreement among Republicans on whether the U.S. should continue to support Ukraine in its three-year war with Russia, pitting some key GOP voices against the Trump administration on questions of military aid and larger concerns about ...
Senate lawmakers unveiled legislation June 4 that would funnel at least $26 billion to the Air Force and Space Force starting this year.
Senior U.S. lawmakers expressed frustration that they are being cut out of some of the Trump administration’s most central decisions on military policy and spending. Their concerns, which are shared on both sides of the aisle, concern the budget reconciliation process as well as Defense Secretary ...
Pete Hegseth vowed to review plans for the future of the Air Force during a contentious three-and-half-hour confirmation hearing Jan. 14 on his nomination to serve as the next Secretary of Defense. Perhaps the most significant Air Force decision Hegseth will face, if he is confirmed ...
The Senate on Sept. 24 quietly approved Air Force Lt. Gen. Steven S. Nordhaus to lead the National Guard, filling a vacancy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff that has persisted for nearly two months. Still in limbo is Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak, the Air ...
Senate and House leaders unveiled their compromise conference report for the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act on Dec. 7—and the annual defense policy bill is poised to pump the brakes on the Air Force’s plans to retire dozens of F-15E, F-16, and F-22 fighters in the ...
The Senate confirmed senior military nominations for 105 Air Force and Space Force officers late Dec. 5, a massive bloc that built up over months during the standoff between Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and the Pentagon. Some of the officers had been awaiting confirmation since January, ...
Ukraine could lose its war with Russia if it doesn't get the aid supplemental package requested by the Biden Administration, State Department officials told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Nov. 8.
The Senate confirmed Gen. David W. Allvin as the 23rd Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force on Nov. 2, elevating him from the acting role he has held since Oct. 1. Allvin has extensive operational and staff background and commanded at the squadron, ...