Free Republic

A group of Republican senators introduced a bill Thursday that would decouple funding for Israel from billions of additional dollars the White House requested for Ukraine.The Israel Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2023 was introduced by Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas.“Ukraine and Israel are distinct, important issues, and Congress should have the opportunity to consider and vote on prospective aid packages individually,” Lee said in a press release.“If the Biden administration’s case for additional Ukraine aid is not strong enough to stand on its own,...

As tensions heighten in the Middle East amid the escalating Israel-Hamas war, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced late Saturday that the U.S. will redeploy one of its strike groups to the Persian Gulf, as well as send additional air defense systems to the region. Austin also said that he has placed additional U.S. forces on "prepare to deploy orders," but did not detail how many. Austin earlier this week ordered 2,000 troops to be prepared to deploy to the Middle East. The latest decision followed "detailed discussions with President Biden on recent escalations by Iran and its proxy forces across...

The U.S. military is pursuing talks over a possible troop presence in Iraq beyond the end of 2011, a deal that if struck could cost billions annually and complicate efforts to reduce the nation's untamed deficit. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Friday that Iraqi leaders have agreed that "we negotiate on some kind of training" program. Though the comment prompted a flurry of media reports claiming Iraq had agreed to extend the U.S. non-combat troop presence into 2012, the Pentagon stressed that Panetta had merely confirmed that the Iraqis "have said yes to discussions about the strategic relationship beyond 2011,...

The U.S. and the U.K. have moved “substantially” closer to losing their AAA credit ratings as the cost of servicing their debt rose, according to Moody’s Investors Service. The governments of the two economies must balance bringing down their debt burdens without damaging growth by removing fiscal stimulus too quickly, Pierre Cailleteau, managing director of sovereign risk at Moody’s in London, said in a telephone interview.