While the Senate Armed Services Committee’s markup, approved last week, adds $30 billion to the Pentagon’s top line, the HASC markup maintains the proposed $849.8 billion in discretionary top-line funding, not including funding approved in the reconciliation package.

NDAA includes acquisition reform provisions from the FORGED Act, including redefining PEOs as portfolio acquisition executives.

The rescissions bill to claw back funding approved for foreign aid, NPR and PBS is a top Trump priority, but some Senate Republicans have raised concerns about the cuts.

The Senate on Tuesday narrowly confirmed Anthony Tata, a retired Army brigadier general who has made inflammatory remarks about Islam and prominent Democrats, to serve as the Pentagon’s personnel chief.

The House Armed Services Committee voted 55-2 to pass the annual defense policy bill last night, with key provisions aimed at reforming the Pentagon’s acquisition system.

Tata is a retired Army brigadier general whose post-military career includes serving as a school district administrator in Washington, D.C., and North Carolina and as North Carolina's secretary of transportation.

Reports of a troop reduction in South Korea “are not true” and “the U.S. remains firmly committed to the defense” of South Korea, the Office of the Secretary of Defense said in an email attributed to Pentagon press secretary Sean Parnell to Stars and Stripes later that day.

Mike Waltz, Trump's former national security adviser, faced questions from Democrats on the Signal chat controversy Tuesday in confirmation hearing for U.N. ambassador.

Last week, the Senate appropriations process took an unexpected turn on another spending bill when Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joined Democrats to back an amendment from Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen regarding the future of the FBI headquarters building.