House Armed Services Committee
Chairmen of Senate and House Armed Services Committees Back President Trump's $1.5 Trillion Defense Budget Topline Proposal
<strong id="docs-internal-guid-e5e06405-7fff-842a-f8f8-4b6093bd0074">Washington, D.C. – </strong>U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-MS, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and U.S. Representative Mike Rogers, R-AL, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement praising President Trump’s announcement of a $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027: <br />
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“We commend President Trump for committing to a $1.5 trillion defense budget. This is exactly the kind of investment it will take to rebuild our military and restore American leadership on the world stage. <br />
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America faces intensifying global threats from China, Russia, Iran, and narco-terrorists. This substantial increase in defense spending is therefore both timely and essential. We are also leading by example by bringing U.S. defense spending to approximately 5% of our GDP, which is what we expect from our NATO allies.<br />
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"Increased investment will lead to tangible hard power: accelerated shipbuilding and aircraft production, a modernized arsenal, and innovative technologies that ensure our warfighters remain unmatched. These efforts prioritize the needs of our men and women in uniform and deliver the 'Dream Military' President Trump has envisioned.<br />
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“Leaders across the political spectrum have long been proud to call the U.S. military the most powerful in the world. They have vowed never to let it fall behind. Yet too many have failed to match those words with resources and action. The previous administration resisted adequate military funding, instead settling for depleted stockpiles, aging equipment, and worsening recruitment challenges. <br />
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“President Trump’s decisive commitment reverses these years of neglect. He is replacing rhetoric with investment and sending a message to our adversaries. America can and will defend the homeland and stand with our allies. We share the president’s ultimate desire for peace, and we agree that it will only be achieved through strength, by preventing conflict before it begins. <br />
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"As we welcome this step, we are ready to continue working with President Trump and Secretary Hegseth to rebuild America’s military and get this budget passed into law.”
4 weeks ago
Axios
Republican lawmakers slam Trump's "inappropriate" posts on Rob Reiner
<p>President Trump is being condemned by both right wing and centrist Republican members of Congress for posting that director <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/12/15/rob-reiner-director-home-deaths-homicide-investigation" target="_blank">Rob Reiner and his wife Michele</a> were killed due to "Trump Derangement Syndrome."</p><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>It's a rare break between the president and his party in Congress, some members of which have grown more willing to call out his excesses in recent months.</p><hr /><ul><li>Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the Reiners died "reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding and incurable affliction ... known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME."</li><li>Trump referred to Reiner, a vocal critic of his, as a "tortured and struggling, but once very talented" director who "was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump."</li><li>Police have arrested the Reiners' son, Nick, in connection with his killing.</li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying: </strong>"It is not Presidential," said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a retiring swing-district moderate who has been one of Trump's most persistent GOP critics in Congress, said in a statement to Axios. </p><ul><li>"The couple were stabbed to death. Most Americans want more and better from our President," he added.</li><li>Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), another swing district centrist, said in a <a href="https://x.com/lawler4ny/status/2000613891869454695?s=20" target="_blank">post on X</a>: "This statement is wrong. Regardless of one's political views, no one should be subjected to violence, let alone at the hands of their own son." </li><li>"It's a horrible tragedy that should engender sympathy and compassion from everyone in our country, period," he said.</li><li>"We should be lifting the family up in prayer, not making this about politics," Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) <a href="https://x.com/stephaniebice/status/2000622539836682413?s=20" target="_blank">wrote on X</a>. </li></ul><p><strong>The intrigue: </strong>Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a right-wing Trump ally-turned-critic, posted on X, "This is a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies."</p><ul><li>At virtually the same time, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a conservative libertarian, <a href="https://x.com/RepThomasMassie/status/2000597616674193616?s=20" target="_blank">posted on X</a> that Trump's comments are "inappropriate and disrespectful discourse about a man who was just brutally murdered."</li><li>He added: "I guess my elected GOP colleagues, the VP, and White House staff will just ignore it because they're afraid? I challenge anyone to defend it."</li></ul><p>The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this story.</p>
1 month, 3 weeks ago
The Hill
Bacon calls 'total baloney' on idea report exonerates Hegseth
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said Thursday a Department of Defense (DOD) watchdog report did not exonerate Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from using an encrypted messaging app to share details about a pending strike on Houthis in Yemen. "No, that is total baloney," Bacon said during a CNN interview. "I have better words for it, but...
2 months ago