Dem. Senator presses Hegseth on Qatari Air Force One deal
"It's gratifying the president's ego. That's all it is." Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) pressed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on the progress of the deal between the Trump administration and Qatar to send a luxury jet to the United States to be used as the new Air Force One. After Secretary Hegseth refused to answer specific questions surrounding the Qatari airplane saying, "Any specifics about future aircraft that could be Air Force One can't be discussed here," Sen. Reed pressed back saying, "T
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The Hill
6 minutes ago
- The Hill
Padilla denies claims he lunged at Noem during LA press conference
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) denied the Trump administration's claims that he lunged at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a Thursday presser in Los Angeles. 'I wasn't lunging at her or anybody, and yes, I identified myself,' Padilla told CNN's Erin Burnett Thursday night after being forcibly removed from the presser and placed in handcuffs. The lawmaker said he attended the press briefing to ask why the National Guard was deployed by the president to address local protests sparked by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids last week. 'I'm just trying to do my job as a senator when we ask questions in committee and don't get answers,' he added. Padilla said he used the press conference to try a different approach with the Trump administration to gain information on immigration operations after officials failed to respond to letters from lawmakers. 'I had a potential audience with the secretary, and I took it. Sadly, still not forthcoming with any sort of data or details,' the senator said, before describing his brief meeting with Noem following the incident. 'You would think, you would hope that that's how the meeting would have started, but no apology, no acknowledgment whatsoever. But it's the Trump administration, so I'm not holding my breath for decency, decorum or manners,' he told CNN. 'One of the big points I was trying to make with her is I get if the Trump administration was doing what Trump said on the campaign trail, let's focus on dangerous, violent criminals for detention and deportation. There's no disagreement there. There's no debate there. But that's not what's happening on the streets of Los Angeles and throughout the country,' he added. Padilla said instead lawful residents are being wrongfully removed and detained. 'Where is this going? It's going to keep getting worse. This is how authoritarianism happens, unless and until the people speak up and push back. So that's why you've seen so many protesters, vast majority peaceful protesters, not just in and around Los Angeles this last week, but increasingly in other cities,' he told CNN. 'So, we have to continue to exercise our First Amendment rights, keep it peaceful. Violence is not tolerated. Violence is not condoned. That will have its consequences. But people need to continue to speak up because this is not normal,' he added. Some Republican lawmakers have called for Padilla to be federally prosecuted over the outburst with Noem while Democrats defended his actions. The incident with Padilla follows the federal indictment of Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) for allegedly impeding and interfering with law enforcement officers at an immigration detention center and the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D-N.J.) for trespassing at the same site.
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
Hegseth, Democrats accuse the other of politicizing military
A Thursday congressional hearing meant to examine the Defense Department's $1 trillion budget request instead focused heavily on a metastasizing debate over politicization of the U.S. military, with members of both parties declaring one another's principles extremist and an existential threat to the institution's nonpartisan foundation. Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee accused President Donald Trump and his defense secretary, the former Fox News personality Pete Hegseth, of conducting an all-out assault on the military's independence: firing generals and admirals for insufficient loyalty, holding a political rally at an Army fort and deploying U.S. troops against American citizens protesting the administration's immigration policies.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Five-year Pappas campaign on fentanyl hits paydirt
A bill permanently classifying fentanyl as one of the most dangerous drugs has been passed by Congress, marking the culmination of a five-year campaign by Rep. Chris Pappas, who proposed the measure. Pappas celebrates success of five-year bid to properly 'brand' fentanyl U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., spoke on the House floor Wednesday night in support of the Halt Fentanyl Act that once signed by President Donald Trump will permanently classify the drug under Schedule 1 making it among the most dangerous ones regulated by the federal government. The Halt Fentanyl Act, which designates fentanyl-related substances as a so-called Schedule 1 drug, will also likely lead to longer criminal sentences handed down under federal law for those who illegally sell the deadly drug. Schedule 1 drugs are defined by the Drug Enforcement Administration as having "high abuse potential with no accepted medical use." In an interview, the New Hampshire Democrat said the change will make it easier for law enforcement in New Hampshire and across the country to go after drug dealers who alter the amount of fentanyl in street drugs sold to addicts. 'There is still a lot more work to do on this issue, but this is one important step as it would help law enforcement when (traffickers) change the recipe of what they are producing,' Pappas said. 'This will give police the latitude to make sure they are staying ahead of the cartels.' The bill would also place all copycat versions of fentanyl — alterations of the drug that are often sold by traffickers — as Schedule 1 drugs. The U.S. House of Representatives gave final approval to the measure Thursday afternoon, supporting minor changes that had been made in the U.S. Senate. President Donald Trump has already indicated that he would sign it. The bipartisan legislation, has the co-sponsorship of New Hampshire Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, was identical to a separate bill Pappas had authored. In February 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration issued a temporary order that designated fentanyl as a Schedule 1 drug for two years. Pappas authored legislation to extend that scheduling act further; without the new bill, the latest extension was to end on Sept. 30. Pappas said it took so long to get the permanent designation because some congressional leaders wanted to make it part of a comprehensive bill that would be linked to research into the manufacturing of painkilling alternatives to fentanyl, which for many years has been legally prescribed. ''There were larger discussions with law enforcement, and I think the decision was that this was too important an issue to have to wait any longer on,' Pappas said. The bill is backed by more than 40 major advocacy groups, including a coalition of more than 200 family groups and law enforcement organizations representing more than a million officers. It also has the support of at least 25 attorneys general, including New Hampshire AG John Formella. Pappas is a member of the Bipartisan Fentanyl Prevention Caucus and he spoke on the House floor Wednesday night on the matter. 'Permanent scheduling will ensure law enforcement retains important tools they need to tackle the opioid crisis and hold traffickers accountable, tools that have helped drive down drug-related deaths in New Hampshire to its lowest level in 10 years,' Pappas said. 'This is thanks to New Hampshire's all-hands-on-deck approach: pairing enforcement with treatment to bring down both the supply of opioids reaching our communities, as well as the demand for them.' klandrigan@
