National Security News

The Daily Signal provides reports on national and homeland security issues, including military readiness, intelligence operations, border protection, and global conflicts. Featuring news, analysis, and commentary, this section explores how security policy decisions affect America’s national defense and freedom.
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  • opinion

    Spending Bill: House Caves to Senate on Transportation Funding
    In last minute, high pressure negotiations over spending bills on Capitol Hill, the House often caves to the Senate’s higher, irresponsible levels of spending. On Tuesday, they did it again. This time, they caved with the omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2015 spending. Higher spending levels emerged on a variety of programs that merit…
    Emily Goff
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  • news

    Congressman Wants FDIC Officials to Pay for Seeking to ‘Choke’ Legal Businesses
    Senior FDIC officials must be held accountable for banking regulators' “unethical” and “illegal” actions against legitimate businesses that are out of favor with the Obama administration, a congressman with a background in banking said today. In a letter to Martin Gruenberg, chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., says he wants a…
    Kelsey Bolar
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  • opinion

    North Korea Cyber Attack on Sony—No Evidence, but Plenty of Capabilities
    The FBI declared on December 9 that there is “no attribution to North Korea at this point” of the massive cyber attack on Sony Pictures for its planned release of a parody film of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Sources close to the ongoing investigations disclosed that Pyongyang remains the principal suspect. Cyber experts concluded…
    Bruce Klingner
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  • opinion

    New Regulations Set to Backfire, Decrease Financial Stability
    New banking rules set to take effect January 1, 2015, are already starting to prove the law of unintended consequences is alive and well. The main culprit is the new liquidity coverage ratio rule, a requirement that (most) banks hold enough high-quality assets to fund their operations for 30 days during stressed economic conditions. The…
    Norbert Michel
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  • news

    These 7 Revealing Emails Show Federal Officials Scheming to Target Legal Businesses
    Senior officials at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation actively sought to crack down on legal businesses that the Obama administration – or the officials themselves – deemed morally objectionable, a new congressional report finds. Released today by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the 20-page investigative report details how the FDIC worked closely with the…
    Kelsey Bolar
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  • news

    Bush Defends CIA ‘Patriots’ on Eve of Senate’s ‘Torture Report’
    Ahead of the release of a report detailing anti-terrorism actions taken by the Central Intelligence Agency during his two terms in the White House, former President George W. Bush yesterday called the men and women who work there “patriots” and any findings that diminish their work “way off base.” The Senate Intelligence Committee is expected…
    Melissa Quinn
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  • news

    N.Y. Labor Official Defends ‘Independent’ Investigation After Union Linked to Papa John’s Case
    Two state labor officials have publicly acknowledged there are ample opportunities for “community organizers” and labor unions to partner with government agencies to enforce workplace laws and regulations against American businesses. Speaking at the Center for American Progress last week, California Labor Commissioner Julie Su and Terri Gerstein, labor bureau chief for New York’s attorney general,…
    Kevin Mooney
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  • opinion

    Few Government-Funded Social Programs Are Ever Tested for Effectiveness
    In a recent blog post, Brookings scholar Ron Haskins identifies five social programs as being highly effective and highlights the Obama administration’s “evidence based” policy efforts to fund effective federal social programs. Unfortunately, these five social programs — Career Academies, Nurse-Family Partnership, Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, Success for All, and Small Schools of Choice —…
    David B. Muhlhausen
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  • news

    Officials Can’t Say How Government-Owned Internet Will Create Jobs
    NASHVILLE — Kimball, Tenn., Mayor Rex Pesnell said broadband Internet in his town of about 1,400 will help economic development, but so far he’s short on specifics. Officials in this small Marion County town recently passed a resolution asking state legislators to reconsider a law forbidding government-owned Internet providers from expanding beyond original municipal lines….
    Chris Butler
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  • opinion

    More Regulations Undermine Chemical Facilities Security
    What does security at chemical facilities have to do with labor relations? Not much, but lawmakers are considering adding a provision to the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) that would connect them. The addition would require a union representative to be present at any meetings regarding chemical security, notes former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy…
    Ellen Prichard | David Inserra
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  • news

    Conservatives Train Fire on Government ‘Land Grab’ in Key Defense Bill
    Parkland and wilderness provisions added to a defense policy measure have outraged friends of the military, who call the move both a “land grab” and a slap at men and women serving in the armed forces. Considered must-pass legislation, the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act details Republicans’ and Democrats’ military policy priorities. It ranks high on…
    Melissa Quinn
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  • news

    Watch Homeland Security Chief Struggle to Explain How ‘Amnesty’ for Illegals Is Good for Americans
    Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., asked Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson a seemingly simple question yesterday in a House hearing: How will President Obama’s move to grant “de facto amnesty and work permits” to up to 5 million illegal immigrants affect the 20 million American citizens who are unemployed or underemployed? Johnson, author and champion of…
    Kelsey Bolar
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  • opinion

    Political Games Endanger America’s Military
    As members of the House and Senate prepare to vote on the annual National Defense Authorization Act, it appears the bill will be saddled with extraneous non-defense measures.  This threatens the integrity of both defense policy and the NDAA process. This legislative practice–tying together unrelated provisions to secure votes for bad policy–is so frequent that…
    Mike Needham | Steven Bucci
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  • opinion

    HASC Members Discuss Findings of National Defense Panel. Will Congress Listen?
    The House Armed Services Committee held a hearing today on the 2014 National Defense Panel Report,  which was released in July of this year. During the opening remarks, Reps. Buck McKeon, R- Calif., and Adam Smith, D-Wash., lauded the bipartisan nature of the committee. Both believed that the importance of defense policy demanded that members…
    Diem Salmon
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  • opinion

    This Chart Shows Why Social Security Will Be Broke in 10 Years
    Social Security’s trustees projected in 1983 that the recently enacted Social Security reforms would keep the program active for at least the next 75 years, through 2058. However, according to research by Rachel Greszler, a senior policy analyst at The Heritage Foundation, that approach date has accelerated. "If the trend since 1983 continues, the program…
    Kelsey Lucas
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  • news

    Americans Should Fear Terrorists Crossing ‘Defenseless’ Border, Warns Tom Cotton
    Arkansas Sen.-elect Tom Cotton shot back at NBC’s “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd when asked whether his campaign rhetoric about the threat of terrorism on the U.S. southern border was “fear mongering.” In defending his stance, Cotton said, “As long as our border is open and it’s defenseless, then it’s not just an immigration issue. It’s…
    Kelsey Bolar
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  • opinion

    Cybersecurity: Time for the U.S. to Stop Negotiating with China and Start Acting
    It comes as no surprise that the U.S.–China cybersecurity talks at the Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) largely failed. While Obama was in China The Washington Post reported that the Chinese were the prime suspects in hacks against both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The USPS announced that…
    David Inserra | Ellen Prichard
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  • news

    No Cover-Up, Intelligence Failure or Military Inaction in Benghazi Attacks, House Panel Finds
    Intelligence and military officials responded appropriately during the terrorist attacks on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, a House committee concluded in a report released Friday evening. The report by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence also found no cover-ups and no deliberate misconduct by Obama administration officials following the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks….
    Josh Siegel
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  • opinion

    The Pentagon Spent $46 Billion to Develop Weapon Systems It Never Bought. It’s Time to Cut Waste.
    When it comes to how the Pentagon buys new stuff, everyone’s a critic. The zeal for reform rivals that of Carrie Nation when she first took up her hatchet. Yet, despite numerous initiatives—complete with promises, new laws and regulations—the complaints continue to pile up. Perhaps it is time for a different take on acquisition reform….
    James Carafano
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  • news

    Tom Steyer, Largest 2014 Donor, Says Americans Worry Big Political Donors Get ‘Special Privileges’
    San Francisco billionaire Tom Steyer, the largest donor in the 2014 election cycle, says the way to win the debate on the environmental issues he cares about is to emphasize how money in elections and industry lobbyists are hindering a healthier environment. People may not inherently care about big-picture ideas, he said at a panel…
    Josh Kaib | Kathryn Watson
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