WASHINGTON — Unless Defense Secretary Mark Esper meets a legal requirement to explain where troops are deployed around the world, he’ll lose a quarter of his personal travel budget, according to a plan passed by the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday. During the panel’s markup of the fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, the committee approved an amendment to fence off “25% of travel funds for the Office of the Secretary of Defense” until the Pentagon complies with a transparency requirement in the 2019 NDAA. Under that law, the department must make a quarterly public report on the total numbers […]
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WASHINGTON — Elaine McCusker, who has been serving as the Pentagon’s acting comptroller for 18 months, has resigned, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper announced Tuesday. “Today Elaine McCusker submitted her resignation as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) effective Friday, June 26, 2020,” Esper said in a statement. “Since joining the Department of Defense, Elaine has worked tirelessly to ensure that our budgeting and audit processes give full value to the taxpayer while meeting the enormous security needs of our nation as well as the men and women who serve it.” “I am grateful for her dedication to public service and […]
WASHINGTON — With Secretary of Defense Mark Esper facing criticisms from his boss, from former defense leaders, from inside his own department and from outside scholars, there is widespread speculation in Washington that the secretary’s job security is on shaky ground. Nothing appears to have been decided about Esper’s fate, but a tumultuous Wednesday, in which he reportedly infuriated President Donald Trump, have raised questions about how long the former Raytheon lobbyist and Army secretary can hold onto the Pentagon’s top job. Members of Congress moved to bolster Esper’s position in the last 24 hours, with Trump allies Sen. Lindsey Graham, […]