WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Alabama, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following opening remarks from a June 12, 2025, hearing entitled "Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request": * * * Chairman Rogers' opening remarks as prepared for delivery: I welcome our witnesses and thank them for their service to our nation. We are here today to hear from the Department of Defense about its FY26 budget request. Unfortunately, we have still not rec  more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Alabama, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following opening remarks from a June 11, 2025, hearing entitled "Department of the Navy Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request": * * * I welcome our witnesses and thank them for their service to our nation. Today we'll hear from the Department of the Navy regarding their FY26 budget request. While I appreciate the budget documents received last week, we still lack the necessary details   more

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Alabama, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following opening remarks from a June 10, 2025, hearing entitled "U.S. Military Posture and National Security Challenges in the Greater Middle East and Africa": * * * Today, we continue our posture hearings with CENTCOM and AFRICOM. As this will be both General Kurilla and General Langley's final appearance before this committee, I want to thank them for their service to our nation  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued the following news release: * * * ICE, Homeland Security Task Force, partners investigate cockfighting operation, illegal immigration and other crimes * HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - The Gulf of America Homeland Security Task Force, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, conducted a joint operation targeting an i  more

WASHINGTON, June 16 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: * * * Venezuelan National and U.S. Citizen Arrested for Sanctions Evasion and Smuggling in Scheme to Supply Venezuela's State-Owned Steel Industry * Note: View the criminal complaint. Juan Carlos Cairo-Padron, 56, of Huntsville, Texas, and Thomas Michael Fortinberry, 51, of Decatur, Alabama, were arrested on June 13, 2025 on a federal criminal complaint charging them with violating U.S. sanctions relat  more