 Defense &
National Security |
Defense &
National Security |
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House sends megabill to Trump's desk with $150B in military spending |
The "big, beautiful bill" is heading to President Trump's desk and it includes $150 billion for the Defense Department. |
House Republicans passed the core of Trump's domestic policy agenda Thursday afternoon — including sweeping tax cuts, a crackdown on immigration, a boost for fossil fuels and huge cuts to Medicaid — overcoming months of bitter infighting on Capitol Hill to deliver what could be the defining legislation of Trump's second term. The 218-214 vote came together after more than a year of intense planning by GOP lawmakers, weeks of scrambling to reconcile the conflicting visions among House and Senate Republicans, and days of last-minute lobbying to cajole holdouts in both chambers to get on board. The bill gives $150 billion in new defense spending for priorities like shipbuilding, the "Golden Dome" missile defense project and backfilling U.S. precision missiles and munitions. Another $150 billion will go towards a border wall, immigration enforcement and deportations. Of the total dollars for defense, $113 billion is mandatory funding for the military. When combined with the Pentagon's $848 billion budget request, released last week, that pushes military spending to the highest it's been in recent history, close to $1 trillion. The vote followed a marathon, historic speech by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who commandeered the chamber for 8 hours and 44 minutes to rail against the GOP's megabill and delay the final vote — surpassing the previous record of 8 hours and 32 minutes set by then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in 2021 as a way to delay action on the Democrats' social spending and climate package. In the end, two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), joined all Democrats in voting against the legislation, which was approved by the Senate two days earlier. Read the full report at TheHill.com. |
Welcome to The Hill's Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. There will be no newsletter tomorrow due to the July 4th holiday but we will be back Monday. |
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How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future: |
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The Trump administration is sending some 200 Marines to Florida to aid Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in its deportation raids in the state, the U.S. military announced Thursday. The Marines, which will come from Marine Wing Support Squadron 272 based in New River, N.C., will support ICE in its "interior immigration enforcement mission" via "critical administrative and logistical capabilities at locations as … |
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Three Democratic senators said Thursday they were launching an investigation into the Trump administration’s more than five-month pause on new sanctions against Russia related to its war in Ukraine. "Instead of taking clearly available steps to pressure the aggressors, President Trump is doing nothing and we will be investigating this missed opportunity to push for an end to this war," Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), Elizabeth … |
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Iran will not retaliate further against the United States's strikes on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program or pursue nuclear "militarization," according to one of the country's top diplomats. "As long as there is no act of aggression being perpetrated by the United States against us, we will not respond again," Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said in an interview with NBC News that was published Thursday. |
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Upcoming things we're watching on our beat: |
- Washington, D.C. will hold its annual National Independence Day Parade at 11:45 a.m., followed in the evening with a fireworks display tomorrow for the July 4th holiday.
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
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| Noem signs waivers for 17 miles of waterborne barriers in Rio Grande |
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem signed a waiver allowing 17 miles of "waterborne barrier" to be constructed quicker in Texas as part of a broader effort to erect President Trump's border wall. "A capability gap has been identified in waterways along the Southwest border where drug smuggling, … |
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Events in and around the defense world: |
- No events on the calendar. Enjoy the weekend!
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News we've flagged from other outlets: |
- Pilots who conducted Iran strikes invited to White House on July 4, raising security concerns (Military.com)
- Amid warning of Iranian terrorism, a history of failed "C Team" plots (The New York Times)
- Kremlin gloats about US weapons pause to Ukraine (Defense One)
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Two key stories on The Hill right now: |
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With the GOP's "big, beautiful bill" headed to President Trump's desk for signature Friday, wealthy Americans are poised to receive significant tax … Read more |
| The Senate’s version of the “big, beautiful bill,” which passed Tuesday, includes a $6,000 tax deduction for Americans 65 or older. … Read more |
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Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: |
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You're all caught up. See you next week! |
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