Stopgap budget bill includes extra funds for military, VA programs
The six-month budget bill must be approved by lawmakers before Friday night to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Pentagon & Congress
Congress faces Friday budget deadline to avoid government shutdown
Defense and veterans hearings on Capitol Hill for the week of March 10, 2025.
Okinawan bone digger searches for remains from WWII battle
As a volunteer cave digger, Takamatsu Gushiken has unearthed the remains of several hundred people killed in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II.
How a ‘Dauntless’ dive bomber became a WWII ace at Coral Sea
Navy pilot John Leppla was credited with shooting down five Japanese aircraft in aerial combat before he was shot down and declared Missing in Action.
The 18-year-old World War I corporal behind Fort Benning’s renaming
Fort Benning's new namesake, Fred Benning, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his battlefield courage
Congress readies troop pay protections as federal shutdown looms again
If lawmakers do not pass a new budget bill by March 14, funding for most federal programs and serives will run out.
War heroes, military firsts among 26,000 images flagged in DEI purge
A Medal of Honor recipient, women and minorities are among the tens of thousands of photos marked for deletion as the Pentagon purges DEI content.
VA to speed up health records system rollout, with new sites this year
A previous plan to deploy the controversial health records system to more VA hospitals in mid-2026 was short-sighted and slow, the new VA secretary said.
What troops need to know about the GI Bill, tuition assistance in 2025
The military helps troops and veterans achieve their educational goals with financial assistance offered through a number of programs.
What troops and retirees need to know about the VA home loan in 2025
The Department of Veterans Affairs home loan program has been used by millions of service members and veterans since it took shape near the end of WWII.
VA secretary insists massive staff cuts needed to refocus department
Secretary Doug Collins confirmed leaders are looking at trimming 80,000 workers to slim down the growing VA bureaucracy.
Vets are speaking out on Trump administration’s plans to cut VA budget
A handful of veterans speaking to The Associated Press are divided over the Trump administration's proposed cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Trump administration plans to cut 80,000 VA employees, memo says
An internal memo instructs top-level Veterans Affairs staff to prepare for an agency-wide reorganization in August.
What troops need to know about spouse and family support in 2025
Military families have many of the same needs as civilians, but some are exacerbated by frequent moves and deployments that come with the job.
Trump to launch new White House office focused on shipbuilding
The president said the new effort will focus on ways to "resurrect the American shipbuilding industry."
Trump lawyer on fired vets: ‘Perhaps they’re not fit to have a job’
"We are going to care for them in the right way," Habba said. "But perhaps they’re not fit to have a job at this moment or not willing to come to work.”
First Black officer to earn Medal of Honor sacrificed all in Vietnam
Many of Pitts’ soldiers believed they would not have made it through the ordeal had it not been for the leadership of their CO.
