1 RFK Jr. Gets Bipartisan Pushback During Senate Hearing
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced strong criticism from both Republican and Democratic senators during a three-hour Senate Finance Committee hearing yesterday. The hearing came after a chaotic week where Kennedy limited access to COVID vaccines and fired CDC Director Susan Monarez, causing senior officials to leave the agency. Kennedy was more vocal about his anti-vaccine views than in previous hearings, telling senators he believes mRNA vaccines like those made by Pfizer and Moderna cause serious harm and death. The firing of CDC Director Monarez became a major issue. In a “Wall Street Journal” piece published before the hearing, Monarez said she was fired after being told to preapprove vaccine recommendations from an advisory panel Kennedy had filled with vaccine skeptics. When Senator Ron Wyden asked if Kennedy did what Monarez claimed, Kennedy said no and called her a liar. Kennedy claimed he fired Monarez because when he asked if she was trustworthy, she said no, though he later clarified she just said "no" without the full phrase.
2 President Trump To Sign Executive Order Today Renaming Department Of Defense
President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order today renaming the Department of Defense back to the Department of War, according to White House officials and sources familiar with the draft order. While formally changing the department's name would require Congress to approve the change, the executive order will allow the new name to be used in official letters, ceremonies, and non-legal documents. The Secretary of Defense would also be able to use the title Secretary of War under the order. Trump has been talking about this change for months and told reporters last month that he didn't think he needed Congress to approve the name change. He said, "We're just going to do it. I'm sure Congress will go along if we need that. I don't think we even need that." The Department of Defense was originally called the Department of War from 1789 until 1947, when it was renamed as part of military reorganization after World War II. The proposed change reflects Trump's approach to military matters and government reorganization during his presidency.
3 Senator Introduces Bill To Remove Taxes On Social Security Benefits
Senator Ruben Gallego introduced the "You Earn It, You Keep it Act" yesterday to completely eliminate federal taxes on Social Security benefits. The bill would also expand Social Security payroll taxes to include earnings over $250,000, while currently only earnings up to $176,100 are taxed. This comes after Trump's recent "big beautiful bill" only provided partial relief through a temporary senior deduction of up to $6,000 for people 65 and older. Gallego's proposal would extend Social Security's trust fund until 2058. Currently, Social Security recipients pay federal taxes on up to 85% of their benefits depending on their income level.