Sprawling defense bill will ‘restore warrior ethos’, House speaker says – US politics live | US news
House speaker says expanded defense bill would ‘reinvigorate the warrior ethos’
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of US politics. Lawmakers unveiled the annual defense policy bill that authorizes a record $901 billion in national security spending next year.
The defense department’s budget is $8 billion more than the $892.6 billion the Trump administration requested for the department.
The sweeping 3,000-page bill includes a 4 percent raise for drafted soldiers; Donald TrumpU.S. executive orders, including those aimed at ramping up U.S. production of unmanned aerial vehicles and developing the “Golden Dome” missile defense system that the White House predicts will protect the U.S. from possible foreign attacks.
Diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives would be cut under a bill that would deploy troops to the US southwestern border to intercept undocumented immigrants and drugs.
Speaker of the Assembly mike johnsonThe Louisiana Republican said the legislation would advance Trump’s agenda by “ending woke ideology in the Pentagon, securing the border, revitalizing the defense industrial base and restoring the warrior ethos.”
European officials will be pleased to read that the bill prevents the Pentagon from reducing the number of troops permanently stationed or stationed in Europe below 76,000 for more than 45 days.
That would be the case unless the secretary of defense and the head of U.S. European Command certify to Congress that the deployment is contrary to America’s national security interests, and would have to submit assessments of the impact of the withdrawal, among other requirements.
The bill also provides $400 million in military aid to Ukraine; this reflects Kiev’s need to defend itself against Russia’s continued aggression.
On another foreign policy front, the bill repeals two decisions authorizing the use of military force in Iraq in 1991 and 2002. Stay with us as we bring you more on this story and other important political developments in the United States.
important events
Since returning to office in January, Trump has authorized a sweeping system of mass arrests, incarcerations and deportations under the guise of restricting illegal immigration.
However, human rights experts have expressed serious concerns about the detention of children with their parents and the detention of individuals without charge or due process.
The activities of ICE agents are causing fear and anxiety in American cities, where many immigrant communities and people of color born in the United States of color fear being racially profiled and caught in raids.
My colleague Lucy Campbell produced this report that sheds light on the collective trauma of immigrant communities in New Orleans. Here’s a video from a New Orleans city council meeting that shows the strength of sentiment against the ICE crackdown:
In other news, New York City’s incoming mayor Zohran Mamdani clarified people’s rights to refuse to speak to or comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
In a video posted on social media yesterday, he vowed to protect the city’s three million immigrants and the constitutional and legal rights of every New Yorker.
Mamdani, who will take office Jan. 1, said ICE agents cannot enter private spaces such as homes and schools without a judicial arrest warrant signed by a judge, and that people have the right to keep their doors closed unless such an arrest warrant is presented.
He said:
ICE is legally allowed to lie to you, but you have the right to remain silent. If you are being detained, you can always ask am I free to go over and over again until they give you an answer.
You are legally allowed to film ICE as long as you do not interfere with the arrest. It is important to remain calm during any interaction with Ice or law enforcement. Do not hinder their investigation, resist arrest, or flee.
Mamdani’s video comes about a week after federal immigration officials raided the border of Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood, blocked by about 200 protesters.
You can read the entire National Defense Authorization Act Here.
House speaker says expanded defense bill would ‘reinvigorate the warrior ethos’
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of US politics. Lawmakers unveiled the annual defense policy bill that authorizes a record $901 billion in national security spending next year.
The defense department’s budget is $8 billion more than the $892.6 billion the Trump administration requested for the department.
The sweeping 3,000-page bill includes a 4 percent raise for drafted soldiers; Donald TrumpU.S. executive orders, including those aimed at ramping up U.S. production of unmanned aerial vehicles and developing the “Golden Dome” missile defense system that the White House predicts will protect the U.S. from possible foreign attacks.
Diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives would be cut under a bill that would deploy troops to the US southwestern border to intercept undocumented immigrants and drugs.
Speaker of the Assembly mike johnsonThe Louisiana Republican said the legislation would advance Trump’s agenda by “ending woke ideology in the Pentagon, securing the border, revitalizing the defense industrial base and restoring the warrior ethos.”
European officials will be pleased to read that the bill prevents the Pentagon from reducing the number of troops permanently stationed or stationed in Europe below 76,000 for more than 45 days.
That would be the case unless the secretary of defense and the head of U.S. European Command certify to Congress that the deployment is contrary to America’s national security interests, and would have to submit assessments of the impact of the withdrawal, among other requirements.
The bill also provides $400 million in military aid to Ukraine; this reflects Kiev’s need to defend itself against Russia’s continued aggression.
On another foreign policy front, the bill repeals two decisions authorizing the use of military force in Iraq in 1991 and 2002. Stay with us as we bring you more on this story and other important political developments in the United States.
