McCain had a ‘wicked’ wit that he often aimed at himself

In this Oct. 25, 2017, file photo Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., followed at right by House Armed Services Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, makes a humorous face to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. McCain died on Aug. 25, 2018, after battling brain cancer.

Putin won’t be invited to address U.S. Congress despite Trump invite: Paul Ryan

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday. Ryan said Russian President Vladimir Putin won't be invited to speak at a joint meeting to Congress on a visit to the U.S., and what matters is the message Putin will get from Trump - to stop meddling in U.S. elections and violating sovereignty.

Congress abandons bid to reverse Trump deal with ZTE

Congress is abandoning an effort to clamp down on the Chinese telecom giant ZTE in a defense bill, essentially green-lighting the Trump administration's deal to save a company that was accused of selling sensitive information to hostile regimes, aides said Friday. Senators from both parties expressed outrage Friday that the revised defense legislation, which will be unveiled early next week, guts a provision to reinstate penalties and restrict the Chinese company's ability to buy U.S. component parts.

Lawmakers: Funding disruptions that fueled readiness crisis, deadly accidents must stop

The House on Tuesday passed several legislative measures to draw attention to defense funding disruptions that some lawmakers contend have helped fuel a crisis in military readiness. As two annual defense bills are negotiated by members of Congress, House lawmakers debated several resolutions that argued gaps in military spending, which resulted in nine temporary funding measures in recent years, have led to a rash of ship and aircraft crashes that killed dozens of servicemembers.

ANCA urges inquiry into sale of U.S.-made copters to Azerbaijan

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian National Committee of America on Friday, June 22 called upon the bipartisan leadership of key Senate and House oversight committees to investigate potential violations of U.S. arms export laws in connection with published reports that Azerbaijan will showcase U.S. -made Bell 412 helicopters at its June 26th military parade.

Route 66 gets its signs

That highway "runs the entire width of Texas, and there's not one song that talks about Interstate 10," said Quandt, who is the vice president of Amarillo's Convention and Visitor Council. "Interstate 35 thinks it's pretty important, running up the central part of the state, but there's not one club in Germany or England celebrating I-35.

Tri-Cities won’t get to improve its shorelines this year

Tri-City dreams of regaining control over 34 miles of Columbia Shoreline are on hold. The Congressional Budget Office raised questions about the proposed transfer, preventing it from being included in the National Defense Authorization Act passed Thursday in the House.

House passes defense bill authorizing pay raise for troops, new jets…

The National Defense Authorization Act, which passed 351-66, is a blueprint that merely authorizes spending on various programs and policies and doesn't actually provide any money for the military. The Senate is working on its own version of the defense authorization bill.

US lawmakers push back on Trump talk of helping China’s ZTE

U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday rejected any plan by President Donald Trump to ease restrictions on China's ZTE Corp , calling the telecommunications firm a security threat and vowing not to abandon legislation clamping down on the company. A sign of ZTE Corp is pictured at its service centre in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China May 14, 2018.

Pentagon Cloud Contract Funds May Be Held Back for Explanation

The annual defense policy bill proposed by House Republicans would bar the Pentagon from spending half the money designated for a broad-based cloud computing contract until Defense Secretary Jim Mattis offers Congress more information about the project. The report should include "a description of the characteristics and considerations for accelerating the cloud architecture and services required for a global, resilient, and secure information environment to enable warfighting," according to the draft authorization measure issued Friday by House Armed Services Chairman Mac Thornberry of Texas and obtained by Bloomberg Government.

HASC chairman Thornberry pushes for Trump’s military parade, pay raises for servicemembers

A key lawmaker on Friday unveiled his proposal for a massive defense policy plan that endorses the president's military parade in addition to boosting pay for servicemembers and increasing troops, weapons and equipment. Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, proposed $639.1 billion in a military base budget, in addition to another $69 billion for a war chest called the Overseas Contingency Fund.

State delegation all for law’s repeal

Veterans groups and their lobbyists applaud Arkansas as the only state where all congressional members in both 2015 and 2017 co-sponsored bills to repeal the "Widow's Tax." "The widows and children of our service members have sacrificed in service to our country, and they deserve the very best," Sen. Tom Cotton said through a spokesman about his support of the "Widow's Tax" repeal.

Budget plan’s $1 trillion deficit sours some Republicans

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., center, leaves the podium as he turns toward Rep. Mac Thornberry, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, left, after a news conference, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018, on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Republican-led Congress on Thursday was rounding up support for a bipartisan budget bill that would put the government on track for annual deficits topping $1 trillion, a gap last seen toward the end of Obama's first term.

Military leaders want Congress to approve budget deal

The Pentagon says it should be able to get more planes into the air, more ships on the seas and more equipment to troops in the field if Congress approves the major budget agreement struck by Senate leaders on Wednesday. Military leaders have said they're confronting a readiness crisis, punctuated by a series of deadly accidents, that they attributed to funding shortages stemming from the "sequester" budget cuts earlier this decade.

Era of trillion-dollar budget deficits is making a comeback

In this Jan. 21, 2018, file photo, lights illuminate the U.S. Capitol on second day of the federal shutdown as lawmakers negotiate behind closed doors in Washington. The era of trillion-dollar budget deficits is about make a comeback _ and a brewing budget deal hastened the arrival.

US House Speaker meets Saudi king in regional security talks

Saudi King Salman smeets with the U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Ryan is leading a Congressional delegation to the Middle East, traveling with five Republican members of congress and one Democrat.