Military & Defense

(Washington D.C.) – Witnesses from the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force will testify for the first time on Wednesday, February 27 about the impact of President Trump’s national emergency declaration on military construction and readiness at a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies hearing chaired by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23). The hearing will take place at 2:00 PM est. When President Trump announced he would circumvent Cong... Read more

MIAMI HERALD Florida military bases could lose up to $177 million to Trump’s border wall By Steve Contorno and Howard Altman President Donald Trump will pay for his much coveted wall at the southern border in part by taking $3.6 billion from military projects across the country and the world. The decision means Florida bases could lose up to $177 million for planned construction, more than all but eight other states, according to a list of eligible projects compiled by the House Appropriations C... Read more

NEWSWEEK Democrat Accuses ‘Chickenhawk’ Trump of Stealing ‘Money From Our Troops’ With ‘Repulsive’ National Emergency By Alexandra Hutzler Donald Trump declared a national emergency on Friday to officially sidestep Congress over funding for his long-promised border wall—a move Democrats are calling “repulsive” and “unconstitutional.” “It’s repulsive that a chickenhawk like President Trump would steal money from our troops, damage our military readiness and undermine our national security, all in... Read more

President Trump would rather steal money from our troops and degrade America’s military readiness than own up to his campaign lie that Mexico would pay for his border wall boondoggle. As chair of the Military Construction and Veteran Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, I will fight this lawless abuse of authority. This irresponsible act will actually make us less safe, less prepared, harm the men and women who serve our country, and would recklessly waste taxpayers’ money. Our armed forces shou... Read more

AIR FORCE TIMES Problems with military housing conditions under scrutiny on Capitol Hill this week By Leo Shane III WASHINGTON — Military housing conditions will come under congressional scrutiny this week amid reports of failures by private contractors to maintain acceptable living standards at a host of sites around the country. On Tuesday, House Appropriations Committee members are expected to grill the services’ top housing officials during a budget posture hearing at the Capitol. The annual... Read more

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) and a bi-partisan coalition of South Florida lawmakers have filed legislation that would require the United States Department of State to step up monitoring and provide Congress with threat assessments and strategies to curb Russian military influence in Venezuela. “The growing military relationship between Nicolas Maduro and Vladimir Putin will severely obstruct any effort to restore real democracy in Venezuela,” Rep. Wasserman Schul... Read more

STARS & STRIPES Sexual assault remains 'tremendous problem' for military, lawmaker says By CLAUDIA GRISALES WASHINGTON — A House committee will take a closer look at the “tremendous problem” of sexual assault in the military following a damning report on the service academies, the chairwoman of a House subpanel said Thursday. The comments, which were part of a House Appropriations Committee subpanel hearing on the quality of life in the military, highlighted recent Defense Department findings th... Read more

Wasserman Schultz Lauds Critical Omnibus Act Funding and Rejection of Trump Budget (Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Rep. Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) was pleased that critical national and South Florida investments are contained in the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2018, and in voting for it, she applauded the Democratss’ effort to defeat of numerous attacks on environmental, worker and women’s health rights that Republicans sought to include in the $1.3 trillion spending plan. “This Omnibus is far from p... Read more

Questions and Answers on the Impacts of a GOP Government Shutdown Will I keep receiving my Social Security and SSI checks? During a government shutdown, recipients will continue to receive their Social Security and SSI checks. However, a shutdown suspends the issuance of Social Security cards. On a typical day, approximately 60,000 Americans apply for Social Security cards, which they may need to be able to start a job, take out a loan, open a bank account, or conduct other financial transactio... Read more

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), the Ranking Member on the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement honoring Sgt. Johnson on the day of his wake: “Sgt. La David Terrence Johnson, a son of South Florida, served our country with great honor and pride. He will be remembered as a mentor and a role model who believed deeply in the promise of America and left us far too soon. My thoughts are with his widow Myeshia... Read more