CNN | Hegseth rules out NATO membership for Ukraine and says Europe must be responsible for country’s security
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that the war between Ukraine and Russia “must end,” that Kyiv joining NATO is unrealistic and that the US will no longer prioritize European and Ukrainian security as the Trump administration shifts its attention to securing the US’ own borders and deterring war with China.

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The American Conservative | Fiscal and Foreign Policy Restraint Go Hand in Hand
Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) is calling for a foreign policy of restraint and a halt to runaway federal spending in its newly released 2025 policy priorities, warning that unchecked security commitments and deficit spending pose long-term risks to the United States.

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Associated Press | NATO allies insist Ukraine and Europe must be in peace talks as Trump touts Putin meeting
Several NATO allies stressed on Thursday that Ukraine and Europe must not be cut out of any peace negotiations as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied that the United States is betraying the war-ravaged country.

Reuters | Rubio to visit Middle East after Trump proposal for US to take over Gaza
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Israel and Arab states in mid-February, a State Department official said, making his first trip to the Middle East after a widely condemned proposal by President Donald Trump to displace Palestinians in Gaza.

Task & Purpose | $571 million in VA spending on suicide prevention isn’t working, vets groups say
Veteran advocates are calling on recently confirmed Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins to investigate why the millions of dollars that the agency spends each year to prevent suicides has yet to significantly curtail the number of veterans who take their own lives.

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Fox News | Department of Veterans Affairs cancels $178K in subscriptions to Politico Pro
Collins announced the move on X, saying his office had only recently become aware of the contract. The cancelation comes after President Donald Trump's administration revealed that the federal government had paid over $8 million to Politico in subscription fees in recent years.

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The Wall Street Journal | Israel Sees Opening for Strikes on Iranian Nuclear Sites, U.S. Intelligence Finds
U.S. intelligence agencies concluded during the final days of the Biden administration that Israel is considering significant strikes on Iranian nuclear sites this year, aiming to take advantage of Iran’s weakness, officials familiar with the report said.

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Stars & Stripes | Lawmakers slam VA for ‘rinse-and-repeat cycle’ of delays in fixing problems administering the GI Bill
Republican lawmakers blasted Department of Veterans Affairs officials for mistakes in administering the GI Bill that led to delays in rolling out its digital platform and delivering direct deposits to veterans to help pay for books and student housing.

The New York Times | Reimagining the American War Machine | Maximilian K. Bremer and Kelly A. Grieco
Not long after Elon Musk was tapped by Donald Trump to help lead a “Department of Government Efficiency,” he set his sights on a prime target: what the Pentagon spends its money on. In posts on his platform X in December, Mr. Musk, the chief executive of SpaceX and Tesla, declared that “America needs a large quantity of long-range drones (air, surface water and submarine) and hypersonic missiles.” He warned, “Anything manned will die very fast in a drone war.”

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The Guardian | What will Trump 2.0 mean for the global world order? | Stephen Wertheim
Many assumed that Donald Trump’s second term as president of the United States would turn out like his first. But this time looks to be different. In his opening weeks, the US president has taken a flurry of actions he never attempted before, wielding sweeping tariffs against the US’s neighbors, upending portions of the federal workforce, and attempting to change constitutionally enshrined citizenship laws through executive order.

Responsible Statecraft | $200 billion more for the Pentagon? | Mark Thompson
No one has ever accused the U.S. military of being a lean, mean, fighting machine. A call to give it $200 billion more split between this year and next won’t do anything to change that reality. But that’s what the new chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee wants to do. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) thinks the money should be pumped into President Trump’s “Iron Dome for America” missile defense shield, as well as “key investments in areas such as shipbuilding, submarines and the Air Force’s next-generation fighter,” Valerie Insinna of Breaking Defense reported.

CVA is excited to announce our 2025 policy priorities!  
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Our focus is on making America stronger and more secure by supporting a prudent foreign policy, protecting the economic foundations of our strength, and empowering those who have served our country by transforming veterans’ health care.  
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To achieve these goals, CVA is utilizing the full force of our grassroots army (YOU), partnering with principled leaders willing to engage to advance effective, nonpartisan policies, and continuing to incentivize lawmakers to put principled policy before divisive partisanship.  

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Read our 2025 policy priorities here.

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