Defense Secretary Mark Esper: ‘We’ve Been Very Aggressive with Regard to Russia’

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday that the Trump administration has been “very aggressive” with Russia, contrary to critics’ assertion.

“I think we’ve been very aggressive with regard to Russia. I’ve called them out time after time in any number of fora just as I did today with regard to their bad behavior, you know their invasion of Georgia, their seizure of Crimea, their actions in Ukraine, we support our friends and allies,” he said at the Reagan Defense Forum.

When asked whether that was different from the previous administration, Esper responded, “I think we’ve upped our game.”

Esper cited the provision of lethal aid to Ukraine to fight against Russia, and getting NATO allies to increase their defense spending.

“By 2024, the increased annual spending by our NATO allies will be nearly $400 billion dollars. That’s all going into capabilities,” he said.

He said NATO has developed the “NATO Readiness Initiative,” which calls for 30 battalions, 30 squadrons, and 30 capital ships to be ready within 30 days.

“That’s a big change for NATO. We now have NATO focused on China, something that hasn’t happened in many years. So we had a very successful NATO meeting, but a NATO that’s also reinvigorated by what Russia’s doing,” he said.

The U.S. competes with Russia “all over,” including in Syria.

“I think we’re pushing back very strongly against Russian bad behavior,” he said.

He said the U.S. is considering another tranche of aid to Ukraine soon.

“We have another tranche coming up, I think it’s around $250 million,” he said.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/12/08/defense-secretary-very-aggressive-regard-russia/

Wasserman Schultz on Impeachment: Trump Will ‘Cower in a Corner’ Due to His Guilt

On Sunday, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) predicted on CNN that President Donald Trump was “going to cower in the corner” because of his guilt, referring to the so-called impeachment inquiry.

Wasserman Schultz said, “What came to my mind when I heard that he again refused to participate in his own defense is that the innocent defend themselves vigorously and vociferously, the guilty hide, obstruct, lie and obfuscate. It’s very clear that President Trump is going to cower in the corner because he is absolutely guilty of all of those— of an abuse of power, of obstructing Congress, of trying to get a foreign power to interfere in our elections for his own personal and political benefit and withheld vital foreign aid that was appropriations law.”

“And if those aren’t impeachable offenses, then as one of the constitutional scholars said last week, nothing is,” she continued. “The Founding Fathers intended for us to not allow any president to be above the law, and that’s what we’re proceeding with this week, so that we can make sure that the American people can have confidence in their elected officials that we’ll uphold our oath that we swore to defend the Constitution which the president has violated.”

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2019/12/08/wasserman-schultz-on-impeachment-trump-will-cower-in-a-corner-due-to-his-guilt/

Trump Swaps Paid Parental Leave for His Space Force in Defense Funding Bill

It appears that after decades of opposition, Republicans are going to agree to fund paid parental leave for federal workers in exchange for Democrats not opposing the Space Force requested by Donald Trump.

Republicans have opposed the idea of the federal government requiring companies to offer paid leave to new parents, believing it to be an issue best worked out by the private sector. But more and more companies are already offering the benefit, including paid leave to care for a sick child or ailing relative.

NBC News:

The agreement would give 2.1 million non-military federal workers 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a newborn or adopted child or to care for a family member, according to sources familiar with the details of the discussions. If passed, the bill would the become first time the federal government has guaranteed civilian employees access to paid parental leave.

The federal workforce is part of the 83 percent of workers in the nation who aren’t provided any paid family leave, including parental leave, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While the Family and Medical Leave Act provides 12 weeks of leave to care for a child or ailing family member, none of that is guaranteed to be paid, and the unpaid time off is often too much of a financial burden to use for many families.

The measure is part of the Defense Authorization Act, which is being worked out by congressional negotiators. Republicans have agreed to back the bill with the paid leave provision while Democrats will support the formation of a Space Force, which will be the fifth branch of service in the military.

Democrats are applauding the move. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said the deal, if enacted, would be a big win since the federal government is the nation’s largest employer.

“If this is enacted, it will mean that public servants won’t have to make the impossible choice of getting a paycheck or taking care of their children,” Schatz told NBC News.

“This means that the largest employer in the country now provides basic parental leave, a huge step, and we must work to ensure that paid leave for other family emergencies will be added in the future.” [Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)] said.

The Space Force will be funded by a separate bill and the details of exactly what its responsibilities will be have yet to be worked out. The Pentagon has been concerned that a Space Force would siphon money away from existing space defense programs. Trump's idea is to combine all of those programs into one service, as well as give the new Space Force additional warfare tasks.

America's workforce has changed dramatically in the last 20 years. With more women than ever working to support their families, it's not surprising that the federal government would give paid leave to new mothers and caregivers. For the private sector, it will eventually be necessary for companies to offer paid leave as an incentive to keep good employees.

As a political move, it won't help Republican candidates with suburban women. But it won't hurt either.

https://pjmedia.com/trending/trump-swaps-paid-parental-leave-for-his-space-force-in-defense-funding-bill/

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There are old digs on him

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