Pentagon spending in Arizona fell sharply in fiscal 2021, part of an overall decline in expenditures nationally that bumped the state from seventh place among states to 13th, according to Defense Department data released this fall. Read more»
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Members of the U.S. military would no longer be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine under a proposal Congress could pass as soon as this week. Read more»
The U.S. House’s annual funding bill for the Defense Department would require the Pentagon to provide leave to troops and civilian employees seeking abortions, though service members will continue to face challenges even if it’s included in the final package. Read more»
The United States and other countries have said they are committed to reducing military emissions - a major producer of greenhouse gases, with more emissions than many industrialized nations - but there is no consistent methodology and reporting requirement for emissions. Read more»
After hours of uncertainty and an unsuccessful bid by some Republicans to defund federal vaccine mandates, the Senate passed a short-term funding plan that staved off a government shutdown and gives lawmakers two more months to pass a long-term plan. Read more»
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, contradicted President Joe Biden’s claim last month that top military advisers didn’t recommend keeping a residual force in Afghanistan. Read more»
While much of the attention to education benefits for service members focuses on veterans, most of the military’s 1.3 million active-duty personnel are also eligible for tuition assistance, but restrictions mean many service members have to wait for college until they leave the military. Read more»
The Army Corps of Engineers has continued remediation work along two sections of the border wall near Yuma, cleaning up the remnants of construction left by contractors during the last days of the Trump administration's rush to complete the boundary barrier. Read more»
The Pentagon did not have reliable estimates for the cost of its work supporting Homeland Security efforts on the southwestern border and did not assess the impact of those efforts on military readiness, a new report says. The report by the Government Accountability Office also chided the Defense Department for failing to fully report its border costs to Congress in 2019, and said the Pentagon and Homeland Security need to come to an agreement on the level of long-term support. Read more»
The Supreme Court postponed upcoming hearings challenging the government's ability to divert Defense Department funds to border wall construction and on the administration’s so-called "remain in Mexico" policy Wednesday, after both had been reversed on the first day of President Joe Biden’s term. Read more»
Congress on Monday night approved the first major COVID-19 relief measure since the spring, a sprawling spending bill that would provide $900 billion in pandemic-related aid but still didn't go far enough for many Democrats. Read more»
Government watchdog groups say they have not been able to get a full accounting of the expenses related to the president’s use of Air Force One, despite years of trying. Read more»
The Supreme Court will hear two challenges to the Trump administration's immigration and border policies, including the siphoning of $2.5 billion from military funds for border wall construction, and a policy that requires thousands of asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while their claims for protection are processed. Read more»
The Trump administration unlawfully siphoned $3.6 billion in construction funds from the Defense Department, the 9th Circuit Court ruled, forcing a halt to 11 border wall projects, including four in Arizona.
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With President Donald Trump eager to fulfill his campaign promise to build 450 miles of border wall by the end of 2020, his administration has filed 63 eminent domain lawsuits against South Texas landowners this year. One problem: Such cases can take years to resolve. Read more»
The 9th Circuit Court ruled Friday that the Trump administration unlawfully used $2.5 billion in Defense Department funds to build the president's long-promised border wall without congressional approval.
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