In a memo published Friday, Hegseth directed the schools to rank applicants by an aggregate score factoring in athletic ability, past military experience and other qualifications.

“It is the department’s expectation that the highest-ranking candidates within each nomination category should receive appointments,” Hegseth wrote.

The schools have until the end of the 2026 admissions cycle to comply.

The U.S. military’s service academies, including the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Air Force Academy, are among the most elite universities in the country, selecting applicants who often go on to promising careers in the armed forces.

The Supreme Court struck down affirmative action for universities nationally in 2023, ruling 6-3 against considering race in the admissions process. In the court’s decision, however, Chief Justice John Roberts permitted an exception for U.S. military schools, arguing the schools held “potentially distinct interests” in continuing the practice.

A year later, the court declined to take up a separate case related directly to affirmative action at the academies.

Since entering office, Hegseth has continually targeted areas of the military that take race and gender into account, repeatedly declaring “DEI is dead” at the Pentagon. In an earlier memo, published in January, Hegseth banned the teaching of what he called “critical race theory” across the Defense Department and included separate instruction for the service academies.

“The U.S. Service Academies and other defense academic institutions shall teach that America and its founding documents remain the most powerful force for good in human history,” he wrote.

Along with the memo published Friday, the Pentagon also directed all of the Defense Department’s libraries to pull books focusing on diversity from their shelves.

During an oversight hearing in March on service academy operations, the superintendents of the three academies fielded questions about the schools’ affirmative action admissions practices and cuts to diversity programs.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., noted the uncomfortable position academy leaders faced in the fight over inclusion programs.

“You need to teach people how to deal with diverse groups that they will command, and you want to include people from different backgrounds and races and religions,” Blumenthal said. “I hope that the Congress can help you, rather than hinder you.”

But Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s personnel panel, blasted the affirmative action practices and encouraged leaders to abandon the policies on their own before a Pentagon mandate.

“Any effort to teach our future leaders to judge or sort people by immutable characteristics like race runs counter to the Constitution and is devastating to good order and discipline,” Tuberville said.

It is the broadest and most detailed directive so far on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s campaign to rid the military of diversity and equity programs, policies and instructional materials. And it follows similar efforts to remove hundreds of books from the libraries at the military academies.

Air Force purges photos, websites on pioneering female pilots

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the memo, which was signed Friday by Timothy Dill, who is performing the duties of the defense undersecretary for personnel.

Educational materials at the libraries “promoting divisive concepts and gender ideology are incompatible with the Department’s core mission,” the memo states, adding that department leaders must “promptly identify” books that are not compatible with that mission and sequester them by May 21.

By then, the memo says, additional guidance will be provided on how to cull that initial list and determine what should be removed and “determine an appropriate ultimate disposition” for those materials. It does not say what will happen to the books or whether they will be stored away or destroyed.

According to the memo, a temporary Academic Libraries Committee set up by the department will provide information on the review and decisions about the books. That panel provided a list of search terms to use in the initial identification of the books to be pulled and reviewed.

The search terms include: affirmative action, anti-racism, critical race theory, discrimination, diversity, gender dysphoria, gender identity and transition, transgender, transsexual and white privilege.

Early last month the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, removed nearly 400 books from its library after being told by Hegseth’s office to get rid of those that promote DEI.

About two weeks later, the Army and Air Force libraries were told to go through their stacks to find books related to diversity, equity and inclusion.

The Naval Academy’s purge led to the removal of books on the Holocaust, histories of feminism, civil rights and racism, and Maya Angelou’s famous autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” based on the list of 381 books that have been taken out of its library.

In addition to Angelou’s award-winning book, the list includes “Memorializing the Holocaust,” which deals with Holocaust memorials; “Half American,” about African Americans in World War II; “A Respectable Woman,” about the public roles of African American women in 19th-century New York; and “Pursuing Trayvon Martin,” about the 2012 shooting of the Black 17-year-old boy in Florida that raised questions about racial profiling.

Department of Justice officials said Brian K. Ditch, 44, faces multiple counts of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and theft of government property. Related, he has also been charged with illegal possession of firearms after investigators looking for his uncle found weapons in the home, in violation of his parole.

Court documents said his uncle, Thomas Clubb, was a disabled veteran suffering from dementia and quadriplegia. Ditch, 44, became Clubb’s primary caregiver in 2008.

But investigators charged that Ditch kept his uncle locked in a garage and without proper care for years while stealing his veterans benefits checks, which totaled $9,559 a month. In addition, federal records showed Clubb was sent more than $235,000 in Social Security Disability Insurance benefits and Retirement Insurance benefits over the last 17 years.

“Instead of properly caring for his uncle, Ditch trapped him in the garage for over 24 hours at a time, forcing his uncle to sit in his own urine and feces without the ability to eat or drink,” Justice officials said in their indictment release.

Investigators charged that after Clubb died in 2019, Ditch continued to pretend he was alive to keep the federal benefits checks from being halted. They said he used the money to buy exotic reptiles and fund “lavish vacations” for himself.

When local police searched Ditch’s home in March, they reported finding Clubb’s partially frozen body in a trash can. Family members told investigators that Ditch claimed his uncle was being cared for by a nursing home, but would not provide details where.

In a statement, Special Agent in Charge Gregory Billingsley with the VA Inspector General’s Office said the arrest came as the result of cooperation between multiple agencies and law enforcement officials.

“VA’s programs and services are established to justly compensate deserving veterans, and the VA Inspector General will bring to justice those who would defraud these programs,” he said.

Prior to this investigation, Ditch was previously convicted for burglary and battery charges. He is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Friday.

Buoyed by Tuesday’s Supreme Court decision allowing the Trump administration to enforce a ban on transgender individuals in the military, the Defense Department will begin going through medical records to identify others who haven’t come forward.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who issued the latest memo, made his views clear after the court’s decision.

“No More Trans @ DoD,” Hegseth wrote in a post on X. Earlier in the day, before the court acted, Hegseth said that his department is leaving wokeness and weakness behind.

“No more pronouns,” he told a special operations forces conference in Tampa. “No more dudes in dresses. We’re done with that s---.”

‘Utter chaos’: Amid confusing ban rollout, trans troops fight to serve

Department officials have said it’s difficult to determine exactly how many transgender service members there are, but medical records will show those who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, who show symptoms or are being treated.

Those troops would then be involuntarily forced out of the service. And no one with that diagnosis will be allowed to enlist. Gender dysphoria occurs when a person’s biological sex does not match up with their gender identity.

Officials have said that as of Dec. 9, 2024, there were 4,240 troops diagnosed with gender dysphoria in the active duty, National Guard and Reserve. But they acknowledge the number may be higher.

There are about 2.1 million total troops serving.

The memo released Thursday mirrors one sent out in February, but any action was stalled at that point by several lawsuits.

The Supreme Court ruled that the administration could enforce the ban on transgender people in the military, while other legal challenges proceed. The court’s three liberal justices said they would have kept the policy on hold.

Neither the justices in the majority or dissent explained their votes, which is not uncommon in emergency appeals.

When the initial Pentagon directive came out earlier this year, it gave service members 30 days to self-identify. Since then, about 1,000 have done so.

In a statement, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the 1,000 troops who already self-identified “will begin the voluntary separation process” from the military.

Under the new guidelines, active duty troops will have until June 6 to voluntarily identify themselves to the department, and troops in the National Guard and Reserve will have until July 7.

While it may be difficult to see which troops have changed their gender identity in their military records, it will be easier to determine who has gotten a gender dysphoria diagnosis because that will be part of their medical record, as will any medication they are taking.

Between 2015 and 2024, the total cost for psychotherapy, gender-affirming hormone therapy, gender-affirming surgery and other treatment for service members is about $52 million, according to a defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues.

Pentagon officials in an earlier memo defended the ban, saying that “the medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria are incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service.”

The new Pentagon policy would allow for limited exemptions.

That includes transgender personnel seeking to enlist who can prove on a case-by-case basis that they directly support warfighting activities, or if an existing service member diagnosed with gender dysphoria can prove they support a specific warfighting need, never transitioned to the gender they identify with and proves over 36 months they are stable in their biological sex “without clinically significant distress.”

If a waiver is issued, the applicant would still face a situation where only their biological sex was recognized for bathroom facilities, sleeping quarters and even in official recognition, such as being called “Sir” or “Ma’am.”

The Veterans Legacy Memorial was launched in 2019 and creates websites recognizing the lives of deceased veterans, allowing relatives to update the online memorials with details for their service, post-military work and family history.

The scope of the project now includes more than 10 million names and has roughly doubled in the last two years, with the addition of millions of veterans buried in private cemeteries worldwide to existing lists of individuals interred at VA and military sites.

Trump proclaims Thursday as day for US to celebrate victory in WWII

The expansion announced this week includes names from 26 overseas cemeteries and memorials administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission.

ABMC acting Secretary Robert Dalessandro said in a statement that the Veterans Legacy Project update “adds new resources to honor our nation’s veterans from all wars and brings their stories to those who aren’t able to visit our sites overseas.”

President Donald Trump this week issued a proclamation recognizing May 8 as the 80th anniversary of the end of European hostilities in that conflict.

In addition to the approximately 93,000 WWII veterans added to the veterans project, about 94,000 other names added to the list are of Americans missing in action overseas or buried at sea. Those individuals are honored in a series of overseas memorials overseen by the monuments commission.

“The brave Americans resting in ABMC cemeteries and whose names are inscribed on memorials around the world sacrificed their lives to liberate allied countries and to protect our nation’s interests,” said acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Ronald Walters in a statement. “It’s our honor to preserve their legacies.”

Officials in recent months have also updated the legacy project to allow veterans to provide details of their life and service before they pass away. Information on the “Your Story, Your Legacy” effort is available on the project’s website.

Cities from London to Moscow are holding parades, flyovers and memorials this week as the world observes Thursday’s 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, when Nazi Germany surrendered to Allied forces, including the U.S.

Here’s what to know about Trump’s plans:

What is Trump doing and why?

The Republican president is designating specific days for the U.S. to celebrate being on the winning side in World War I and World War II. He complained in recent social media posts that Americans don’t spend enough time celebrating those achievements, which he said wouldn’t have been possible without the U.S.

Trump plans to change Veterans Day into ‘Victory Day for World War I’

“Many of our allies and friends are celebrating May 8th as Victory Day, but we did more than any other Country, by far, in producing a victorious result on World War II. I am hereby renaming May 8th as Victory Day for World War II and November 11th as Victory Day for World War I,” he said last week on social media. “We won both Wars, nobody was close to us in terms of strength, bravery, or military brilliance, but we never celebrate anything — That’s because we don’t have leaders anymore, that know how to do so! We are going to start celebrating our victories again!”

Can Trump rename an existing federal holiday?

No. Nov. 11 is already Veterans Day, a federal holiday in the U.S., and only Congress can create, rename or take it back. That could explain why Trump backed away from his “renaming” plan and said he’d instead be “declaring” national holidays instead.

“We won two World Wars, but we never took credit for it — Everyone else does! All over the World, the Allies are celebrating the Victory we had in World War II. The only Country that doesn’t celebrate is the United States of America, and the Victory was only accomplished because of us,” he wrote Monday on social media. “Without the United States, the War would have been won by other Countries, and what a different World it would be. Therefore, I am hereby declaring a National Holiday in celebration of the Victories of World War I, where the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, and World War II, where the Victory date was May 8, 1945.”

He signed a proclamation on Wednesday that designates May 8, 2025, as a “day in celebration of Victory Day for World War II.” He’s expected to issue a similar proclamation for World War I later this year.

Is Thursday a day off from work?

No, Thursday is not a federal holiday and therefore not a day off from work. Only Congress can create federal holidays, and Trump has complained that there already are too many of them.

What does he envision will happen around the U.S. on these days?

It’s unclear. Trump didn’t say what he envisions happening, and the proclamation didn’t include any details. But he said during an unrelated appearance Wednesday in the Oval Office that he noticed France and other countries were “all getting ready for Victory Day.”

“We don’t celebrate it and I think that’s a great disservice,” Trump said.

What happens in other countries?

On major anniversaries like this year’s 80th, Britain celebrates VE Day with parades, airplane flyovers and memorials. The British royal family traditionally watches the airplanes pass overhead from a balcony at Buckingham Palace.

Russia celebrates on Friday, and its Victory Day parades are a massive show of its armed forces, with thousands of troops, scores of heavy equipment rolling across Red Square and flyovers involving dozens of warplanes. Military parades, fireworks and other festivities are held in cities across the country.

What have veterans groups said about Trump’s plans?

Rob Couture, director of public affairs for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said they are encouraged by any steps that “bring attention to the service of veterans from that time.”

Just over 66,100 of the 16.4 million Americans who served in World War II were alive as of 2024.

Associated Press writer Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, argues Trump’s executive order issued on March 27 violates the First and Fifth Amendment rights of educators and their unions. The complaint contends the executive order and its implementation are an abuse of authority by Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. In addition to Trump and Hegseth, the Defense Department and Charles Ezell, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, are named as defendants.

Trump’s executive order excludes agencies and agency subdivisions from coverage under the federal labor-management statute if their primary function is in intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative or national security work, and states the law’s provisions “cannot be applied to that agency or subdivision in a manner consistent with national security requirements and considerations.”

In effect, the executive order removed collective bargaining rights from about two-thirds of the federal workforce.

“DODEA educators provide military-connected families with a world-class education, and they deserve to be respected and honored for their high levels of achievement — not have their rights taken away and their academic freedom trampled upon,” Federal Education Association Executive Director Richard Tarr said in an announcement of the complaint.

The Federal Education Association, Federal Education Association–Stateside Region and Antilles Consolidated Education Association are plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

Other unions have filed lawsuits related to the executive order. A federal judge recently temporarily blocked Trump’s executive order as it applies to the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents over 150,000 federal bargaining unit employees in 33 departments and agencies. But the Defense Department was not named as a defendant in that lawsuit, so it isn’t directly bound by the judge’s order, sources said.

FEA, an affiliate of the National Education Association, represents more than 5,400 educators and education support professionals in DODEA-operated schools. Those schools serve more than 64,000 children in pre-K through 12th grade of military and civilian personnel stationed in the U.S., U.S. territories and overseas.

The Antilles union represents educators in four DODEA schools located in Puerto Rico.

Students sue Defense Department over book bans in military schools

The plaintiffs seek preliminary and permanent injunctions to block the government from implementing the executive order and OPM guidance with respect to FEA. Or, if that relief isn’t granted, the plaintiffs ask the court to direct Hegseth to address the question of whether it’s warranted under law to suspend the executive order as it applies to DODEA. Hegseth took action to preserve collective bargaining for a subset of employees in four other DOD subdivisions, the lawsuit states.

“Trump’s executive order doesn’t just break the law; it violates the U.S. Constitution,” Tarr said. “The Trump administration is attacking the very people who serve this country by educating the children of our service members on military bases at home and around the world.”

FEA members and other educators have used collective bargaining to advocate for student learning conditions, including smaller class sizes and more learning time, and increased staffing of school nurses, counselors and mental health professionals.

Because of the executive order and OPM’s implementation, DODEA “has already effectively repudiated its obligations” under the existing collective bargaining agreement that has been in force with FEA since 2023, and was expected to be in force until August 2028, the lawsuit alleges.

DODEA has canceled union dues deductions from members’ paychecks, which are normally labor organizations’ primary source of income. DODEA also has stopped participating in any grievance proceedings that have come up or were pending before the executive order.

FEA had been prosecuting grievances on behalf of more than 800 educators who seek relief from DODEA because of “DODEA‘s chronic failure to correctly calculate their overseas employees’ pay,” the lawsuit alleges. These grievances were pending in various stages of the arbitration process. In cases involving nearly 500 employees, arbitrators had already issued decisions in favor of the employees, and ordered DODEA to make payments of back pay and interest, but DODEA has yet to make those payments, the lawsuit alleges.

New DOD rules requiring child development center personnel to notify parents within 24 hours after they learn of an allegation don‘t go far enough, the report states.

As a result, parents or guardians may not be aware of the specifics of allegations involving their children, limiting the potential actions they can take to address the allegations and help their child, according to DOD’s independent watchdog.

During the period of the Inspector General’s evaluation, which began in May 2024, defense officials updated their policy to require notification to these parents or legal guardians within 24 hours after Child and Youth Program officials learn of the allegations.

However, the updated December 2024 policy doesn’t specifically address how the child development center staff should communicate information about the allegation and follow up with parents, or what specific information should be shared.

The services also need to maintain files of all notification documentation, according to the report.

Military child development centers provide child care for children from birth to age 5, but may also offer school-age care.

This report is the first to be published from an Inspector General evaluation of DOD child development centers. An upcoming report will focus on the services’ implementation of policies to verify that child abuse allegations were appropriately addressed at certain child development centers.

In response to this report, defense personnel officials agreed that the policy will be revised by Sept. 30 to require the military services to follow a uniform procedure to identify, notify and report child abuse and neglect allegations to parents in all DOD-sanctioned activities, including child development centers.

Army, Navy and Marine Corps officials replied that they will update their policies once defense officials issue theirs. The Navy’s target completion date for their new policy is April 30, 2026, and the Marine Corps’ is April 1, 2026. Air Force officials hadn’t yet provided a response to the report’s recommendations.

Army officials told inspectors that parents are immediately notified within 24 hours of any alleged or suspected incident, and that their regulations are being revised to include parental notifications with written incident reports for child abuse or neglect allegations.

Navy officials said parents must be notified in person or verbally by telephone within 24 hours of an incident, and written parental notification is required within 48 hours. A specific form isn’t required.

Marine Corps officials require notification within 24 hours, but officials told inspectors they don’t tell installations how to provide the communication. Air Force officials are in the process of revising their regulations to require notification of parents within 24 hours.

Mason was one of four inspector general nominations submitted by the White House this week. All of those posts — and about a dozen more — have been vacant since late January, when Trump dismissed the independent investigators from their roles without explanation.

Mike Missal, who had served in the VA Inspector General role since April 2016, has joined seven other former officials in a lawsuit challenging those firings. That case is still unresolved.

Mason was part of the Board of Veterans Appeals from 2017 to 2022, becoming the first woman ever to serve as chair of the judicial panel. The board provides a second chance for veterans seeking disability benefits to challenge Department of Veterans Affairs decisions.

She is the wife and daughter of military veterans and has been a public advocate for military spouse employment opportunities in the past.

VA, DOD oversight questioned after Trump inspector general firings

Earlier this year, Trump appointed Mason as a senior advisor to the VA secretary. Her shift from administration insider to department watchdog elicited concerns about her ability to serve as an independent voice on department operations and decisions.

“A Trump political acolyte like Cheryl Mason is exactly the wrong choice to be the VA Inspector General, a role requiring nonpartisan, independent oversight,” Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee ranking member Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in a statement responding to Tuesday’s nomination.

“Veterans deserve an inspector general who will conduct investigations free of interference and collusion from [VA Secretary Doug] Collins and the Trump administration. Otherwise, we will be putting veterans at even greater risk of corruption and abuse of power.”

Critics noted that Mason has been involved in department efforts to trim the size of the VA workforce, which has prompted objections from Democratic lawmakers and veterans advocates.

Hours before the nomination, in testimony before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee on Tuesday, Collins hinted that Trump would be moving soon to fill the vacant watchdog post.

“From our perspective, we welcome the oversight to make sure that we’re meeting the metrics that we need to do to take care of veterans,” he said.

Committee Chairman Jerry Moran, R-Kan., said filling the post is “a high priority” for the panel. No timeline has been announced for a confirmation hearing for Mason.

In testimony before a Senate oversight committee, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins portrayed his department as a bureaucracy in severe disarray when he took over three months ago. But he insisted reforms from the new administration since then have set operations on the right track.

“Our shared goal needs to be making things better for veterans rather than protecting the department’s broken bureaucracy,” he told members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “To simply say that where we came in was okay, everyone knows that was just simply not true.”

In contrast, Senate Democrats accused President Donald Trump’s administration of working to dismantle the department rather than improve it, accusing Collins of exaggerating and fabricating problems to justify dramatic changes in coming months.

“You cannot slash and trash the VA without eliminating essential positions which provide access and availability of health care,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., ranking member of the committee. “It simply cannot be done. You may give us a lot of verbiage here, but you’re not giving us facts.”

‘There’s a war on vets’: Dems launch plans to counter Trump’s VA moves

Collins’ appearance on Capitol Hill was his first since his confirmation in February. It came amid increased criticism from veterans advocates and federal unions over Collins’ public plans to trim as many as 80,000 staffers from the 480,000-plus department workforce.

The hearing quickly became a contentious affair, with several shouting matches between Collins and Democratic critics of his policies.

Collins has said the staff cuts are needed to cut down on the “bloated” VA bureaucracy. Department staffing levels grew roughly 20% from the start of fiscal 2019 to the end of fiscal 2024, but Collins asserted problems like medical wait times and benefits backlogs have grown worse over that timeframe.

“Something has to change, and it’s up to us to make that change,” he said. “Under President Trump, we are working to solve problems that have persisted at VA for decades.”

But Democratic lawmakers disputed several of those points. Blumenthal noted that claims backlogs increased after a massive expansion of veterans benefits in 2022, and that wait times increased after significant changes to operations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other lawmakers urged Collins to back away from planned staff dismissals without a clear idea of how those reductions will affect programs.

On Tuesday, Collins said he sees the 15% workforce reduction as a goal — “it could be more, it could be less” — but bristled at suggestions that he would make any moves that could harm veterans care.

He insisted that no physicians or front-line workers have been fired so far and vowed that critical workers won’t be dismissed later.

Democratic lawmakers countered that losing schedulers, support staff and other key personnel will harm veterans seeking care.

“You’re claiming that these 80,000 are all [diversity employees] and interior designers,” said Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich. “There’s no way that all of them are in those job fields.”

They characterized VA as an agency in need of improvement, not a complete overhaul. President Joe Biden’s administration also pushed that message late last year, noting an approval rating of more than 80% for veterans using the system.

But Republican lawmakers echoed Collins’ view of a Veterans Affairs department in desperate need of overhaul.

“The VA is not working for veterans,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. “And if we just say, ‘Everything has to say the same and you just have to add more money and more people,’ you’re looking at this the wrong way.”

The conflict over the state of VA — and the level of changes it needs to make to prepare for the future — is expected to be on full display as lawmakers debate the department’s fiscal 2026 budget in coming months.

The White House has already proposed a 4% increase in veterans programmatic funding for next fiscal year, even with the proposed staff and contract cuts on the horizon.

But Anthony Tata — who is likely to be confirmed to the senior military post despite the concerns — offered a partial apology for past attacks on Democratic lawmakers during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, and promised to focus on issues like recruiting and retention in his next role.

“I regret making those comments,” Tata said. “I can guarantee you that if confirmed, I will be an apolitical leader that is trying to take care of the men and women in uniform, their families and the Defense Department’s civilians.”

Hegseth directs 20% cut to top military leadership positions

Tata, 65, is a retired Army brigadier general who previously served as acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy during Trump’s first administration.

Earlier this year, the president nominated him to serve as Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, overseeing a host of issues regarding force readiness, quality of life programs and military pay.

In 2020, Tata was forced to withdraw his nomination for the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy post because of inflammatory comments he made on social media and television shows.

They included labeling former President Barack Obama as a “terrorist leader” and a secret Muslim believer, as well as numerous anti-Islamic comments. He also suggested that Democratic lawmakers and federal workers were engaging in conspiracies to undermine and kill Trump, and stated that former CIA Director John Brennan deserved to be executed.

Democrats on the committee expressed surprise that Tata was renominated by Trump this year, given those past controversies.

“I respect and appreciate your military service, but your record of public statements and behavior toward individuals with whom you disagree politically is disqualifying for a position of this significance,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., ranking member of the committee.

“If confirmed, you would need to serve all members of the Department of Defense and their families, not just those whom you agree with politically. Your public record and past performance at the Pentagon do not inspire confidence in this regard.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., echoed those same concerns.

“You seem to think that if a general or admiral was promoted during a Democratic administration, that person should be automatically fired,” she said. “That’s just a political purge.”

But Republicans on the committee characterized Tata’s past comments as little more than typically political rhetoric, accusing Democrats of engaging in similar hyperbole in the past.

They praised Tata as the right person for the leadership post at a time when the Trump administration is pushing major reforms throughout the military bureaucracy.

Tata said if confirmed, a primary focus will be on recruiting and retention within the ranks. He said part of the solution will be new programs to expose high school students to the idea of serving in the military, appealing to both the job benefits and patriotic motivations.

He also promised his office will align personnel policies “with national security imperatives on increasing lethality and the warrior ethos.”

A committee vote on Tata’s nomination is expected later this month. Republicans’ majority in the Senate means that he can be confirmed into the role without any Democratic support.

Several Democratic committee members have vowed to delay or complicate the Trump administration’s senior Pentagon nominations over concerns about department staff cuts and programming reassignments, but they likely will not be able to halt the confirmations without support from their GOP colleagues.

Hegseth also told the National Guard to shed 20% of its top positions.

In a memo dated Monday, Hegseth said the cuts will remove “redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership.”

On top of the cuts to the top-tier four-star generals, Hegseth has also directed the military to shed an additional 10% of its general and flag officers across the force, which could include any one-star or above or officer of equivalent Navy rank.

SecDef wields axe to brass, HQs, formations to fashion leaner Army

There are about 800 general officers in the military, but only 44 of those are four-star generals or flag officers. Hegseth has already directed the firings of more than a half-dozen three- and four-star generals since taking office, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. CQ Brown, saying those eliminations were “a reflection of the president wanting the right people around him to execute the national security approach we want to take.”

Hegseth said the cuts aimed to free the military from “unnecessary bureaucratic layers.”

The Pentagon is under pressure to slash spending and personnel as part of the broader federal government cuts pushed by President Donald Trump’s administration and ally Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Hegseth last week ordered a sweeping transformation to the Army to “build a leaner, more lethal force,” including merging or closing headquarters, dumping outdated vehicles and aircraft, slashing as many as 1,000 headquarters staff in the Pentagon and shifting personnel to units in the field.

Also last week the Army confirmed that there will be a military parade on Trump’s birthday in June, as part of the celebration around the service’s 250th birthday. Officials say it will cost tens of millions of dollars.

The cuts were first reported by CNN.

They also promised ongoing improvements to”increase automation that will expedite survivors’ claims” in coming months as part of the effort.

In an open message to the veterans community, VA Secretary Doug Collins said the moves are designed to simplify the process and improve families’ interactions with the department.

“The last thing survivors need in their time of grief is frustrating red tape and bureaucracy,” he said in a statement. “That’s why we are creating a better system to more quickly and effectively provide survivors the services, support and compassion they’ve earned.”

White House budget plan gives 4% boost for VA amid other agency cuts

The Office of Survivors Assistance was established in 2008 as a way to consolidate benefits for deceased veterans under a single agency. The office provides information on funeral resources, bereavement counseling and estate planning, as well as clarification on which veterans benefits continue after an individual’s death.

VA officials plan to move the office from the Veterans Benefits Administration to reporting directly to the VA secretary, with five full-time staffers advising department leadership on survivors benefits issues.

Along with the change, leadership announced plans to stand up a new “white-glove” survivor outreach team in the the Philadelphia VA Regional Benefit Office to “guide and assist eligible survivors throughout every step of the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation claims process, with the goal of getting to ‘yes’ on claims decisions.”

Survivors can be eligible for nearly $2,000 in monthly payouts from VA depending on their health and their veterans’ service-connected disabilities before death. But the calculations for the benefit can be overly complicated, with additions and subtractions for length of marriage, length of service and final military ranks.

That new team is scheduled to start work later this month, after personnel complete specialized training on survivor benefits issues.

Department officials said that they currently process more than 1,000 DIC payments or adjustments a day through automated systems. But they said they hope to expand that number in coming months, pending a review of the department’s claims systems.

Collins and other senior leaders have promised a host of cost-savings and department improvements through a series of reforms, many aimed at trimming personnel and bureaucracy within the department.

The efforts so far have generally earned praise from Republicans but concern from Democrats, who worry cutback will lead to slower response times and delays in services.

In a statement Monday, House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., praised the announcement.

“We have to keep pushing VA forward to meet the needs of veterans and their families,” he said. “Today’s action by Secretary Collins is in lockstep with that mission.”

Tata was originally nominated for the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness role in 2020 but withdrew his name from consideration after numerous inflammatory comments became public.

Among them were Tata’s labeling of former President Barack Obama as a “terrorist leader” and a secret Muslim believer. He also posted anti-Islamic comments on social media, drawing condemnation from military leaders.

Trump later appointed Tata as Pentagon policy chief, getting around the Senate confirmation process. Upon his return to the Oval Office, Trump opted to nominate Tata again for the Pentagon personnel leadership role, a decision that will bring the fight again before the politically divided Senate Armed Services Committee.

Monday, May 5

Tuesday, May 6

Wednesday, May 7

Thursday, May 8

The newest area is in Texas and is attached to the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso. Like the first zone established last month in New Mexico, military personnel are authorized to take custody of migrants who illegally cross the border until they are transferred to civilian authorities in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“The establishment of a second National Defense Area increases our operational reach and effectiveness in denying illegal activity along the southern border,” said Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of the U.S. Northern Command.

In New Mexico, people who entered the U.S. illegally were charged Monday with breaching a national defense area after the Army assumed oversight of a 170-mile strip that is treated as an extension of U.S. Army Garrison Fort Huachuca, Arizona.

A press release from the military didn’t say how large the second zone in Texas was and officials were unavailable to comment on its dimensions Thursday night.

Border crossers in the military zones face potential prosecutions on two federal crimes — entering the U.S. illegally and trespassing on military property. The moves come as President Donald Trump’s administration has deployed thousands of troops to the border and arrests have plunged to the lowest levels since the mid-1960s.

The military zones have allowed the federal government to escape the reach of an 1878 law that prohibits military involvement in civilian law enforcement.

“Any illegal attempting to enter that zone is entering a military base, a federally protected area,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on a recent visit to New Mexico. “You will be interdicted by U.S. troops and Border Patrol.”

The request, released by the Office of Management and Budget without further detail Friday, did not include how much of that figure is slated for the Pentagon alone. Military spending is usually 95% of the national defense budget, which would put the Defense Department’s share around $852 billion.

The administration framed the number as a large increase in the defense budget, or $961 billion for the Pentagon. That said, a footnote in the White House’s request explains the total assumes Congress will pass a separate party-line spending package under debate right now.

“The President wants to increase defense spending to $1 trillion, a 13% increase to keep our country secure. This budget provides that level while ensuring that only Republican-votes are needed by using reconciliation to secure those increases without Democrats insisting on increasing wasteful government,” OMB Director Russell Vought posted on X Friday, referring to the party-line spending process.

That bill includes $150 billion for defense, including many of Trump’s priorities, such as shipbuilding and missile defense. The administration could spend a large share of that money up front, but the bill hasn’t passed yet and includes funding available for the next several years, not in the upcoming fiscal year alone.

The total is also not part of the Pentagon’s “base budget,” or the government equivalent of an annual salary, not year-end bonuses. Congress regularly passed extra money for the Pentagon during the Biden administration, responding to America’s support for the wars in Israel and Ukraine. Those packages didn’t factor into the overall Pentagon top line.

“OMB is not requesting a trillion-dollar budget. It is requesting a budget of $892.6 billion, which is a cut in real terms,” Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., wrote in a Friday statement highly critical of the request.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking alongside the president in April, pledged a $1 trillion defense budget, leaving some in Congress confused as to what they meant. Would that be the Pentagon budget alone or be for all national security spending? Would it be the base budget or include additional defense spending that Congress regularly passes?

“COMING SOON: the first TRILLION dollar @DeptofDefense budget,” Hegseth posted on the social platform X afterward.

Thank you Mr. President!

COMING SOON: the first TRILLION dollar @DeptofDefense budget.

President @realDonaldTrump is rebuilding our military — and FAST.

(PS: we intend to spend every taxpayer dollar wisely — on lethality and readiness) pic.twitter.com/WcZlNAHgDG

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) April 7, 2025

The total released Friday highlights a debate within Republican foreign policy camps now in power. Traditional defense hawks, like Wicker, want a surge in defense spending similar to the one President Ronald Reagan led in the 1980s. At the same time, many members of the administration, including Vought and tech mogul Elon Musk, are trying to slash government budgets overall.

The White House’s documents released Friday list the same defense budget passed for this fiscal year and requested for the next one: $892.6 billion.

In a statement, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she had “serious objections to the proposed freeze in our defense funding given the security challenges we face.”

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who chairs the appropriations subcommittee on defense, was even sharper.

“Make no mistake: a one-time influx reconciliation spending is not a substitute for full-year appropriations. It’s a supplement,” McConnell wrote in a statement.

The Biden administration had previously projected an $877 billion Pentagon budget request for fiscal 2026, though outgoing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called for a much higher one in January at around $926 billion.

The Pentagon is currently operating on its first-ever full-year continuing resolution, normally a temporary spending bill passed to give Congress extra time to negotiate its final budgets. The bill nearly caps defense spending at the fiscal year 2024 level, though it gives the Defense Department far more freedom to spend the money than usual.

Analysts are watching the upcoming budget cycle to see if that bill set a new precedent, one more deferential to the administration on military spending.

While the new top line will allow Congress to start writing its spending bills for the upcoming fiscal year, the lack of a detailed budget request will continue to limit the amount of time available for debate.

The administration’s annual request usually occurs in March but is regularly delayed in a president’s first year. A full rollout isn’t expected until after Memorial Day.

The $1.7 trillion “skinny budget” plan for next fiscal year, released by the White House on Friday, provides only broad spending outlines for federal departments and is expected to be followed by more detailed guidance in coming weeks.

White House officials said the fiscal plan “holds the line on total spending while providing unprecedented increases for defense and border security” while also reducing the size of the federal bureaucracy.

While major discretionary funding cuts are planned for agencies like the Department of Education (down 15%) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (down 44%), the White House plan calls for a $5.4 billion boost in VA program spending.

Trump plans to change Veterans Day into ‘Victory Day for World War I’

According to documents released by the Office of Budget and Management, about $2 billion of that increase would go toward accelerating the department’s electronic health records overhaul, a project that has been stalled for three years.

VA Secretary Doug Collins earlier this year announced plans to accelerate the rollout of the records system to 13 news sites in 2026, despite numerous cost overruns and system glitches.

Another $3.3 billion would be set aside for medical care improvements, although the specifics of those efforts have yet to be released.

Budget officials said the money would go toward ensuring that “the nation provides the world-class healthcare to America’s veterans that they deserve” and that “veterans who qualify for access to care with local community providers would be empowered to make the choice to see them.”

Expanding community care options — opportunities for veterans to seek private-sector care at taxpayers expense — was a major campaign promise for Trump. Collins has reiterated that focus in recent public interviews.

Planning documents also call for a $1.1 billion increase for programs aimed at ending veterans’ homelessness. Officials said the money would be earmarked for “rental assistance and augmenting VA’s existing case management.”

The spending plan estimates almost $500 million in savings from cuts to legacy information technology systems within the department, and another $37 million from diversity program cuts and planned staff reductions.

Officials also plan to shift about $50 billion in previously mandatory funding — set aside originally to pay for expenses related to toxic exposure injuries — into the discretionary budget next year.

Republican lawmakers have argued the move will make the funding more flexible and improve oversight into its use. Democratic lawmakers have countered that the move endangers long-term assurances that money will be available to care for those wounds of war.

The White House did not release its estimate for mandatory VA spending in fiscal 2026, which includes money for disability benefits, education payouts and certain medical expenses.

Veterans Affairs planners have seen regular budget increases annually for more than 20 years, even amid periodic congressional and White House efforts to reduce federal spending.

In fiscal 2001, the VA budget — both mandatory and discretionary — totaled just $45 billion. In 2011, it was about $125 billion. For the current fiscal year, the total tops $350 billion.

“We won both wars, nobody was close to us in terms of strength, bravery, or military brilliance, but we never celebrate anything,” Trump wrote in the late night statement. “That’s because we don’t have leaders anymore, that know how to do so! We are going to start celebrating our victories again!”

The move to rename Veterans Day — established to coincide with the end date of World War I — would overwrite 87 years of precedent in recognizing Nov. 11 as a national holiday celebrating all veterans.

During his last term in office, Trump issued a national proclamation for Veterans Day honoring the celebration as a chance for the country to “pause to pay tribute to all who have proudly worn our nation’s uniform.” He did not make any mention of the World War I origins of the date.

White House defends Hegseth amid new Signal accusation, staff overhaul

White House officials did not respond to clarification on whether Trump’s Victory Day name would replace or run alongside Veterans Day celebrations.

Trump also did not clarify if he expects May 8 will also become a federal holiday like Veterans Day, although a decision on that designation would fall to Congress.

In his post, Trump noted that many countries commemorate the end of World War II on May 8 “but we did more than any other country, by far, in producing a victorious result.”

May 8, 1945, was the end of major fighting in the European arena of World War II, but fighting in the Pacific for U.S. and allied troops continued for nearly four more months, until Sept. 2 of that year.

More than 400,000 U.S. troops were killed in fighting in World War II, according to the National World War II museum.

The nomination to head European Command, which is not yet final, comes at a moment of uncertainty for America’s military commitment to Europe, potentially including cuts to U.S. forces on the continent and a lesser role in the NATO alliance.

The White House still needs to review the nomination and pass it to the Senate before it becomes official, the sources said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing process.

Inside the Pentagon, Grynkewich is widely considered one of America’s most promising general officers. A former F-16 and F-22 pilot, he spent four years on the staff of Central Command helping lead the U.S. military in the Middle East, including its Air Force component there.

He entered his role on the Joint Staff in April 2024 and has since helped steer U.S. forces around the world in a year marked by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and China’s growing military power. In that role, he has also worked closely on the Pentagon’s support for Ukraine’s self-defense.

Under the Trump administration, the Defense Department has taken a much firmer tone toward its European allies. Like President Donald Trump, Hegseth has argued NATO countries need to raise military spending, up to 5% of GDP from the current 2% floor.

Hegseth has also taken a smaller role in the group of countries that have gathered for the last three years to support Ukraine’s self-defense. Britain and Germany chaired the gathering’s last meeting in April, with Hegseth attending virtually.

“Leaders of our European allies should take primary responsibility for defense of the continent,” Hegseth said in a February speech at NATO headquarters.

The head of European Command has also always served as Supreme Allied Commander Europe, a top military role within NATO held by an American dating back to Dwight D. Eisenhower.

In March, reports that Hegseth may cede that position prompted a rare public stand by the chairs of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.

“We will not accept significant changes to our warfighting structure that are made without a rigorous interagency process, coordination with combatant commanders and the Joint Staff and collaboration with Congress,” the two chairs wrote.

In an April hearing, the current head of EUCOM, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, defended America’s military commitment to Europe and argued the country should maintain its presence there.

“It’s my advice to maintain that force posture as it is now,” Cavoli said in a House Armed Services Committee hearing.

There are currently 80,000 U.S. troops in Europe after the Biden administration surged 20,000 more to the continent following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The Pentagon is reviewing its spread of forces around the world — an effort led in part by policy officials who formerly called for cuts in America’s presence in Europe.

European officials have said they expect the U.S. to withdraw troops and have heard from the Pentagon that the cuts may start with the 20,000 brought three years ago.

A Defense Department spokesperson said no decisions have yet been made during the force posture review.

Cavoli is expected to retire around early July, one of multiple top U.S. military officials to leave posts in Europe this year. Gen. James Hecker, head of the U.S. Air Force in Europe, is retiring in May and does not yet have a nominated successor. Hegseth also fired Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, who held a senior role within NATO, in April.

Separately, the Washington Post reported that Hegseth has recommended Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, to lead U.S. forces in the Middle East, passing over Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus, who had been presumed as the post’s top contender.

A Pentagon spokesperson referred questions to the White House, which didn’t respond to a separate request for comment.

Editor’s note: The original version of this story misstated the number of U.S. troops in Europe. The total has been corrected.

However, House Democrats warned that maintaining that better standard of living may hinge on how many civilian defense employees end up out of work in the coming months due to White House efforts to trim the federal workforce.

“This administration’s assault on our federal civil service threatens the essential support programs for military families and the partnership between military and civilian personnel across our military,” said Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., during the House Armed Services Committee’s military personnel hearing on quality-of-life issues Wednesday.

Last year, as part of the annual defense authorization bill, House and Senate lawmakers approved a host of military quality-of-life initiatives designed to help with recruiting, retention and readiness in the ranks.

Among them were a 10% targeted pay boost for junior enlisted personnel, improvements to child care operations and hiring policies and expanded access to military medical appointments for families.

Troops need better health care access, top enlisted tell lawmakers

Personnel officials testifying at the committee hearing said they have received positive feedback from troops about the changes already.

“I think the quality-of-life focus for the last year has been phenomenal,” Lt. Gen. Caroline Miller, Air Force deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel, told lawmakers.

“Two years ago, the narrative out in the press was that if you come into the services, you’ve got terrible living conditions, terrible schools for your children and everything. I think we’ve turned the corner on a lot of that discussion.”

Vice Adm. Richard Cheeseman Jr., deputy chief of naval operations for personnel, noted the targeted pay raise in particular has drawn attention.

“I’ve heard from plenty of sailors that they enjoy the extra money,” he said.

But the military leaders also emphasized that they see continued areas for additional improvements. At the top of each service’s list were improvements to barracks and dorms, with better options and maintenance for troops’ living quarters.

“We can’t put enough new money into barracks,” said Lt. Gen. Michael Borgschulte, Marine Corps deputy commandant for manpower and reserve affairs.

Katharine Kelley, deputy chief of space operations for human capital, said despite recent improvements in military child care, Space Force personnel still have an urgent need for overnight care options, given the service’s unique missions.

And all of the service officials promised plans to continue building up family services and base support options for troop to ensure recent quality-of-life advances continue.

But Democratic lawmakers noted operating those services will likely require continued hiring of civilian support personnel, which may not happen under workforce cuts planned by the White House.

“Civilian workers maintain an important role for us, and for our readiness,” said Lt. Gen. Brian Eifler, Army deputy chief of staff. “We are doing some reorganization because of [planned reductions]. That’s something we’re looking closely at to make sure we don’t have a gap in our coverage as far as the mission is concerned.”

About 16,000 Army civilian employees, 12,000 Air Force civilian workers and 1,600 Marine Corps civilian staff have agreed to deferred resignation plans, officials said. Navy and Space Force officials expect to lose about 10% of their civilian staff through those same plans.

Houlahan and other Democrats expressed concerns that those cuts could have a severe impact on child care staffing, medical offices and family support programs, even though some of those areas have been exempted from a department-wide hiring freeze.

“We are literally, in some cases, firing or removing people, and then we’re figuring out what to do about it,” Houlahan said. “It’s just astounding.”

Service officials said they have not yet seen negative impacts from the planned and potential civilian workforce cutbacks, but will be monitoring the issue closely in coming months.

“We’re looking at the impacts of what losing these individuals is and then restructuring as appropriate to handle that challenge,” Borgschulte said.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is nominating national security adviser Mike Waltz as United Nations ambassador while Secretary of State Marco Rubio would take over Waltz’s duties in an interim role.

He announced the major shake-up of his national security team shortly after news broke that Waltz and his deputy are leaving the administration. Waltz has been under scrutiny for weeks after reporting from The Atlantic that he had mistakenly added the magazine’s editor-in-chief to a Signal chat being used to discuss military plans.

“I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating Mike Waltz to be the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations. From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation’s Interests first,” Trump wrote on social media.

“In the interim, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as National Security Advisor, while continuing his strong leadership at the State Department. Together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN.”

There is precedent for the secretary of state to serve simultaneously as national security adviser. Henry Kissinger held both positions from 1973 to 1975.

It’s not clear how long Rubio will hold both roles.

But he’ll be doing double duty at a moment when the Trump administration is facing no shortage of foreign policy challenges — the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program and an uncertain world economy in the midst of Trump’s global tariff war.

Waltz came under searing criticism in March after revelations that he added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on an encrypted messaging app that was used to discuss planning for a sensitive military operation against Houthi militants in Yemen.

Trump’s decision to move Waltz to the U.N. comes weeks after he pulled his pick for the job, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, from consideration over fears about Republicans’ tight voting margins in the U.S. House.

“I’m deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation,” Waltz said Thursday.

His shift from national security adviser to U.N. ambassador nominee means he will now have to face a Senate confirmation hearing.

The process, which proved to be difficult for a number of Trump’s Cabinet picks, will give lawmakers, especially Democrats, the first chance to grill Waltz on his decision to share information about an imminent U.S. airstrike on Signal.

Sen. Chris Coons, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, signaled that Waltz will face difficult questions.

“I look forward to a thorough confirmation hearing,” Coons said on social media.

Trump is believed to be weighing several senior aides to eventually take on the national security adviser role, including special envoys Steve Witkoff and Richard Grenell, National Security Council senior director for counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka and senior State Department official Michael Anton, according to several people familiar with the ongoing deliberations.

Witkoff, a fellow New York City real estate maverick who has known Trump for years, has played a key role in negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict and has been the administration’s chief interlocutor in the Iran nuclear talks launched last month.

Witkoff has expressed no interest in taking the job, which requires hands-on management of numerous agencies, but could, if asked by Trump, assume temporary control of the NSC, according to one U.S. official familiar with the matter.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Witkoff would prefer to stay in his current special envoy role, which is relatively independent and not tied to any particular bureaucracy.

Grenell, in addition to his role as Trump’s envoy for special missions, is serving as the interim president at the Kennedy Center. He served as ambassador to Germany during Trump’s first administration, was special presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo peace negotiations, and did a stint as acting director of national intelligence. He’s also weighing running in next year’s California governor’s race.

Waltz had previously taken “full responsibility” for building the Signal message chain and administration officials described the episode as a “mistake” but one that caused Americans no harm. Waltz maintained that he was not sure how Goldberg ended up in the messaging chain, and insisted he did not know the journalist.

Trump and the White House — which insisted that no classified information was shared on the text chain — publicly stood by Waltz throughout the episode. But the embattled national security adviser was under siege from personalities such as Laura Loomer, who has encouraged Trump to purge aides who she believes are insufficiently loyal to the “Make America Great Again” agenda.

As reports began to circulate that Waltz could be leaving the administration, Loomer appeared to take credit in a post on the social media site X, writing: “SCALP.”

“Hopefully, the rest of the people who were set to be fired but were given promotions at the NSC under Waltz also depart,” Loomer wrote in another post.

Questions have also swirled around Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his role in the Signal chat.

While Waltz set it up, Hegseth posted times for aircraft launches and bomb drops into the unsecured app and shared the same information with dozens of people in a second chat, including his wife and brother.

The Associated Press reported that Hegseth also bypassed Pentagon security protocols to set up an unsecured line for a personal computer in his office — beside terminals where he was receiving classified information. That raises the possibility that sensitive information could have been put at risk of potential hacking or surveillance.

The Pentagon inspector general is investigating Hegseth’s use of Signal, and he has faced criticism from Democrats and even some Republicans. It has added to the turmoil at the Pentagon at a time when Hegseth has dismissed or transferred multiple close advisers. Nonetheless, Trump has maintained public confidence in Hegseth.

Associated Press writer Tara Copp and Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

But officials noted that sexual harassment reports rose slightly over the same time period, and many victims remain reluctant to file formal complains, blunting some of the optimism surrounding the issue.

According to statistics released Thursday, department officials received 8,195 sexual assault reports in 2024 involving service members, down from 8,515 in 2023.

Of the 2024 total, 6,973 reports involved troops being assaulted by fellow military members. That total is down roughly 4% from fiscal 2023 and down almost 5.5% from fiscal 2022. The Associated Press said the largest decrease was in the Army, which saw a one-year drop of about 13%.

Pentagon jobs cuts delay plans to expand assault, suicide prevention

Officials said the majority of reports come from young women, although just over 1% of all men who serve in the military have experienced sexual violence by a peer.

Dr. Nathan Galbreath, director of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, said that officials are encouraged by the continued rates of reporting even if they are working to reduce all instances of sexual assault.

“The warfighter ethos values respect for one’s comrades in arms, and sexual assault and sexual harassment are antithetical to that ethos,” he said. “Preventing these crimes is essential to maintaining a unified mission ready military.”

Sexual harassment complaints rose about 1% from fiscal 2024 to 2025, but still saw a two-year decrease of nearly 6%.

Whether officials will be able to continue that progress remains unclear. During a Pentagon briefing on the report numbers, officials acknowledged that looming staffing cuts throughout the department could impact future work on sexual assault prevention and prosecution.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has publicly pledged to trim tens of thousands of civilian jobs from the department in coming months, as part of a broader White House effort to reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy.

But Galbreath said officials are encouraged by recent improvements to the reporting and legal response processes.

He also acknowledged the extent of the problem is likely much bigger than the annual report shows.

An anonymous, military-wide survey conducted by the services last year found that more than 29,000 active-duty troops had experienced unwanted sexual contact in the previous 12 months.

Members of the House Education and Workforce Committee voted along party lines Tuesday to advance their section of the massive congressional reconciliation bill, which includes $330 billion in cuts to education spending over the next decade.

Panel Democrats objected to multiple portions of the bill and the GOP‘s overall approach to federal programming cuts.

But language in the bill repealing the “90/10 loophole” regarding GI Bill benefits drew particular concern from veterans advocates, who said the move represents an attack on oversight and accountability for post-military education benefits.

Feds close 90/10 loophole involving veterans education benefits

“The closing of this loophole was widely celebrated as a bipartisan success in 2021,” said Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., a panel member and the top Democrat on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, during debate on the reconciliation measure Tuesday.

“Congress deemed that holding predatory for-profits accountable was necessary to safeguard federal education benefits and ultimately protect both taxpayers and students.”

By law, colleges and universities must have at least 10% of their revenues derived from non-federal sources in order to qualify for federal benefits. The idea behind the regulation is to ensure that for-profit institutions aren’t funded solely by federal monies, but instead also include significant investment by students interested in furthering their education.

But for years, GI Bill benefits and Defense Department Tuition Assistance programs were not counted as federal dollars for the 90/10 calculation, despite being taxpayer-funded benefits. As a result, schools could target veterans or troops receiving federal education payouts to boost their government funding well beyond the 90% cap.

Four years ago, as part of an emergency funding bill, lawmakers closed that loophole, reclassifying the GI Bill money and other military education programs as federal funding in the 90/10 calculations. The new rule has been in place for about three years.

But the Republican-backed reconciliation bill would revert to the pre-2021 rules. GOP committee members argued the change was needed to reduce regulations and promote more affordable options for student veterans.

“Rather than using the regulatory hammer to pick winners and losers, we should encourage all colleges to focus on student success,” said Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah.

Democrats disagreed. Advocates for years have argued that the loophole incentivized schools to recruit veterans to plus-up the amount of steady, government dollars they could collect, even in cases where the programs did not provide long-term benefits to the students.

“Unscrupulous institutions were using this to exploit student veterans,” said Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore. “Now Republicans want to eliminate the rule altogether, removing a vital consumer protection and giving for-profit colleges free rein to continue to prey on students.”

VA pays out more than $8 billion in education payments annually.

A Democratic amendment to strip the repeal language from the reconciliation measure failed along party lines.

The provision could still be removed by House leadership before a full chamber vote, or by Senate lawmakers before final passage of the budgetary measure. Veterans groups who have been advocating on the issue for years promised to highlight it in coming weeks.

“The House of Representatives should be ashamed that they’re even entertaining the idea of reinstating this costly and wrongheaded policy that would threaten the future of veterans’ education,” Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America CEO Allison Jaslow said in a statement.

Republican leaders have said they hope to pass a final reconciliation bill package by mid-June.

“If any criminal or civil violations occurred, those responsible must be held accountable,” House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., wrote in a letter to Bondi Tuesday. He asked for her office to look into “the submission of false statements to Congress, obstruction of oversight, fraud, or misappropriation of federal funds.”

Top Democratic leaders decried the move as “a desperate political stunt” by Republican leaders attempting to distract from the current administration’s planned cuts to VA staff and services.

“I am appalled by his recommendation and blatant weaponization of the judicial system,” said Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., ranking member of Bost’s committee. “It is unprecedented, and the American people — especially our veterans — deserve better than sham investigations and political theater becoming the new normal.”

Watchdog blasts VA leaders for exaggerating budget shortfall last year

The conflict dates back to last summer, when then-VA Secretary Denis McDonough and other senior department leaders told lawmakers that funding for benefits and medical care could run out in October because of increased programmatic usage earlier in 2024.

Congress approved $3 billion in emergency funding in September amid pressure from veterans groups and the White House, staving off any potential fiscal shortfall. But in late October, VA officials acknowledged their budget estimates were flawed, and that more than $5 billion in funding was available for the start of the new fiscal year.

At the time, McDonough and other VA leaders said the moves were made “out of an abundance of caution” and warned that any shortfall could have disrupted veterans’ payouts.

But Bost and other Republicans disputed that assertion, and accused White House officials of manufacturing panic about veterans benefits just weeks ahead of the November presidential election.

In his letter to the attorney general’s office, Bost said that VA leaders knew of their budgetary errors even before the emergency congressional vote, but did not share that information until after the extra money was approved.

“This delayed disclosure and the omission of available resources in key budget documents call into question the accuracy and integrity of [the department’s] budget justification process,” he wrote.

“The suggestion that senior VA officials submitted materially inaccurate funding requests and failed to disclose critical budget information … warrant immediate and independent review by your office. These failures undermined the appropriations process, misled lawmakers, and - most importantly - put the benefits and services America’s veterans rely on at risk.”

Bost specifically singled out McDonough, former Under Secretary for Benefits Josh Jacobs and former Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal for potential charges.

An inspector general review of the budget issues released last month found significant problems with VA’s budgetary projections and accounting practices, but did not recommend criminal or civil actions against former department leaders.

Democratic leaders have accused President Donald Trump of abusing his executive power to attack and harass political opponents. Takano called Bost’s investigation request an extension of those same abusive practices.

“Former Secretary McDonough and his team led VA through one of its most successful eras in history,” he said in a statement. “They deserve to be honored — not smeared by partisan attacks.”

In addition to whatever actions the attorney general’s office pursues, Bost promised continued investigation from his committee into the issue.

Relationships between Republicans and Democrats on the committee — which typically has fewer partisan fights than other congressional panels — have grown increasingly tense over the last few years, with each side accusing the other of sowing division and panic among veterans.

“The fact that Secretary Hegseth is still employed is a joke,” House Armed Services Committee member Marilyn Strickland, D-Wash., said during a panel markup on the defense budget boost. “And what is more appalling to me is [Republicans’] conspicuous silence. At some point, you have to speak up for the American people.”

Tuesday’s hearing was scheduled to allow committee members to mark up the defense funding section of congressional Republicans’ massive reconciliation bill. While the measure calls for steep cuts in a number of federal agencies, the Defense Department would see a $150 billion boost in the plan.

Hegseth cancels women’s leadership program despite past Trump support

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., said the money represents “an opportunity to make a generational investment in our national security.”

Among other priorities, about $9 billion would be set aside for quality-of-life improvements, $34 billion for shipbuilding and maritime industrial base actions, and $5 billion for border security efforts.

However, committee Democrats expressed concerns with the overall reconciliation plan, and steep reductions in funding for non-defense programs. They also voiced reservations about who will be spending the new defense money in the coming years.

“We should not give Pete Hegseth a $150 billion blank check,” said Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass. “Heck, I wouldn’t trust the secretary with 20 bucks.”

Instead of attacking specifics of the defense plus-up plan, the minority party over four hours of debate offered more than 20 amendments dealing mostly with curbing Hegseth’s authority and investigating his management practices.

One measure would have blocked $112 billion in funds until the completion of an investigation into Hegseth’s sharing of sensitive military information on his personal cell phone and through the non-government app Signal. Another required new training on handling classified information for all senior defense officials.

Another amendment called for written justification for Hegseth’s firing of former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown in February. A proposal from Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., would have barred the Defense Department from using any funds to support a personal makeup studio for Hegseth, an amenity he reportedly renovated off his office earlier this year.

One amendment would have reduced Hegseth’s salary to $1. One from Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., demanded the defense secretary be forced to resign.

President Donald Trump has continued to voice support for Hegseth amid attacks from critics in recent weeks. Hegseth has labeled nearly all of the controversies as left-wing misinformation designed to distract from reforms within the Pentagon.

Rogers on Tuesday dismissed nearly all of the criticism of Hegseth as off-base and unrelated to the budgetary efforts.

None of the Democrats’ legislative proposals from the hearing were ultimately adopted by the Republican-majority committee. For most of the day, no more than a few GOP members beyond Rogers were present for the discussion, and none engaged in debate over the attacks on Hegseth.

The committee approved the defense portion of the reconciliation plan by a 35-21 final vote, sending it to the full chamber for consideration sometime next month. Five Democrats voted with all the committee Republicans for passage.

Leaders in both the House and Senate still must negotiate a final draft of the overall bill before the plan can be sent to Trump to become law.

Meanwhile, House Democrats promised to keep up the oversight — and pressure — on Hegseth in weeks to come.

“He has proven himself to be incompetent, to be reckless, to be paranoid, and he cannot be trusted with the responsibility of our precious resources or the lives of our military men and women,” Houlahan said. “He needs to go, one way or another.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct Rep. Marilyn Strickland’s quote.