Government Operations

Small Business Defense Contracts Plummet

Why it matters: The House Committee on Small Business held a hearing on June 3 examining the role of small businesses in national security, and the central...

Defense

Semiconductors Startup Parts Ways with Pillsbury Winthrop

OBSIDIA Semiconductors Inc., a defense-focused semiconductor startup, ended its lobbying relationship with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP as of May 1,...

Intelligence

Russia-China Military Cooperation Reaches Historic Peak

Russia and China conducted 11 combined military exercises and patrols in 2024 alone, the most in a single year on record, and the pace shows no sign of...

Commerce

US Struggles to Secure Critical Minerals Domestically

The Congressional Research Service released a new resource guide on June 8 designed to help lawmakers navigate one of Washington's most contested policy...

Legislation

House Approves $1.15T Defense Budget Amid Fiscal Clash

Why it matters: The House Armed Services Committee completed its markup of the FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act on June 4, authorizing $1.15...

Congress

U.S.-South Korea Alliance Faces Multiple Simultaneous Pressures

The U.S.-South Korea alliance is under simultaneous pressure from multiple directions, and a new Congressional Research Service report published June 9,...

Defense

House Rejects Lebanon Withdrawal Resolution — Again

The House voted decisively Thursday to reject H.Con.Res. 84, a resolution that would have directed President Trump to withdraw U.S. Armed Forces from...

Government Operations

U.S. Struggles to Share Airwaves Reserved For Military Use

The airwaves that carry your cell phone signal, guide a missile to its target, and keep a Navy destroyer's radar humming are all drawn from the same finite...

Congress

Army Seeks Budget Approval Amid Modernization Uncertainty

The Army is asking Congress to approve a nearly $253 billion budget for fiscal year 2027 while simultaneously managing a reported $4 billion to $6 billion...

Defense

Palantir Hires Northern Compass for Defense Lobbying

Palantir Technologies has added Northern Compass Group LLC to its lobbying roster, filing a new client registration on June 1, 2026. The lobbying...

Defense

House Defies Trump, Passes $8 Billion Ukraine Aid Package With Rare Bipartisan Rebuke

The Ukraine Support Act floor vote landed Wednesday as one of the sharpest rebukes of a sitting president by his own party in recent memory. The House...

Congress

U.S. Demands Iran Militia Dismantling From Vulnerable Iraqi Government

Iraq is once again at the center of a volatile U.S. foreign policy challenge, and a newly updated Congressional Research Service report makes clear that the...

Lobbying Activity

Defense Spending To Take Center Stage in Congress Thursday

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense is scheduled to mark up the FY2027 defense appropriations bill on June 11 in a closed session at H-405...

Energy

Congress Considers Unprecedented Saudi Arabia Nuclear Deal

A draft bilateral nuclear agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia is sitting on President Trump's desk, and the 119th Congress is preparing for...

Defense

Congress and Administration Debate Military Leadership Cuts

The Congressional Research Service has updated its foundational report on congressional management of DOD officers, arriving at a moment when the Trump...

Commerce

US-Spain Alliance Frays Under Iran Conflict Pressure

A new Congressional Research Service report on Spain US relations lands at a precarious moment: Washington and Madrid are locked in their most serious...

Government Operations

Army's JLTV Exit Strains Joint Forces

The Army's quiet exit from the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program is creating ripple effects across the joint force — and Congress is only beginning to...