Waltz stands firm on use of Signal in Houthi operation chat
by The Hill staff
Former national security adviser Mike Waltz, testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in his bid to become U.N. ambassador, stood by the use of Signal in a chat that discussed sensitive military details earlier this year.
Waltz, under questioning from Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), said no disciplinary action was taken against him or others in the March chat. He said the use of Signal stemmed from a Biden-era recommendation for using an end-to-end encrypted chat. The two disagreed over the nature of the information that was shared in that chat and whether it was appropriate to discuss it there.
President Trump will promote his energy and technology agenda on Tuesday in Pittsburgh at a summit organized by Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.).
Trump and McCormick will announce $70 billion in investments for the state, according to reports, at the inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit, which will bring together Cabinet officials and industry leaders. “Pennsylvania is spearheading the charge for American energy and AI dominance,” the senator wrote in an op-ed Tuesday for Fox Digital.
The Senate is pushing up against a Friday deadline to approve a rescissions package from the White House. Russ Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, is expected on the Hill to speak to Republican senators on the vote.
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16 minutes ago
Waltz signals more strikes could be necessary on Houthi rebels in Yemen
Ellen Mitchell
Waltz seemed to suggest Tuesday that further U.S. strikes may be necessary against Houthi rebels in Yemen as the militant group perhaps “hasn’t fully gotten the message” to stop attacking ships in the Red Sea.
Waltz insisted that the airstrikes, which began in March and lasted until early May, have degraded the Houthis’ capabilities to the point that shipping through the Red Sea is up “20 to 30 percent,” there’s been an increase in revenues through the Suez Canal and U.S. warships are no longer “being used as target practice.”
But Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) pointed out that Houthis have restarted attacks on shipping lanes, sinking two ships last week in the Red Sea and reportedly killed several members of one crew.
“It doesn’t look like we did much to fundamentally change the battlespace there,” Murphy said. “We spent — looks like around $1 billion, depleted lots of our ammunition stocks — how do you look at that operation in retrospect?”
Waltz replied, “Do we need to work to make sure that’s enduring? Perhaps the Houthi leadership hasn’t fully gotten the message,” adding that he would defer to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Trump “on the way forward there.”
17 minutes ago
Brief White House lockdown lifted
Brett Samuels
The White House was briefly under a security lockdown, with reporters and staff told by Secret Service to remain in the building for unspecified reasons.
The lockdown lasted about 25 minutes before Secret Service gave the all clear and allowed reporters back onto the North Lawn. It’s still unclear what caused the brief episode.
17 minutes ago
Waltz not aware American citizen killed in West Bank by Israeli settlers
Laura Kelly
Waltz said he was not aware of reports that an American citizen was killed in the West Bank by violent Israeli settlers, under questioning during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday.
“To be honest with you, I did not see that report,” the former natoinal security adviser said.
Sen. Chis Van Hollen (D-Md.) brought up the death of 20-year-old American-Palestinian Sayfollah Musallet. He was reportedly beaten to death by Israeli settlers while visiting family in the West Bank. Van Hollen brought up that Musallet is one of five Americans that has been killed in the West Bank over the past year and a half and urged accountability. Trump revoked a Biden-era executive order that imposed sanctions on violent Israeli settlers.
“I think when you withdrew that executive order, you sent a very bad signal. I hope we can work together to make sure that we protect all American citizens overseas.”
25 minutes ago
Kaine asks Trump nominees about incinerating emergency food rations
Laura Kelly
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) pressed President Trump’s ambassador nominees over the administration’s reported plans to incinerate emergency food rations for starving children because they are on the verge of spoiling.
Kaine raised the issue to demonstrate how the Trump administration is throwing out already purchased food with U.S. taxpayer funds, and another example of the chaos inflicted on American aid work and distribution as a result of the administration’s humanitarian assistance cuts and staffing layoffs.
“It’s such a simple question, if the U.S. has purchased food and it’s to be used for the eradication of starvation among children, we should give it to children and not incinerate it,” Kaine said. “I mean, it is such a simple question. I just asked you to test your values.”
Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Sweden, Christine Toretti, was the only one to answer unequivocally on a panel that included nominee for ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, and nominee for ambassador to Portugal, John Arrigo.
an hour ago
Waltz said no consequences imposed after Signal scandal
Laura Kelly
Waltz said that there were no consequences on the participants of a Signal group chat that discussed sensitive military attack plans against the Houthis in Yemen and was mistakenly expanded to include a journalist.
He made his remarks during his confirmation hearing for ambassador to the United Nations. Trump dismissed Waltz as NSA for his role in the Signal scandal, for adding the journalist, and was nominated for ambassador as a concession.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) asked if there was any investigation or disciplinary action over the Signal scandal and when Waltz answered no, said he was hoping to “hear from you some sense of regret, over sharing what was very sensitive timely information about a military strike on a commercially available app that’s not, as we both know the appropriate way to share such critical information.”
an hour ago
Bessent: ‘Formal process’ underway to pick Powell successor
Alex Gangitano
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday said that the process to pick a new chairman of the Federal Reserve has started, ahead of chair Jerome Powell’s term ending in 2026 and amid growing pressure from the White House for him to step aside early.
“There’s a formal process that’s already starting,” Bessent told Bloomberg Television, referring to the steps to identify a nominee for Fed chair.
He added, “There are a lot of good candidates inside and outside the Federal Reserve.”
The secretary said that he is part of the decision-making process when asked if President Trump has asked him to serve as Fed chair.
“It’s President Trump’s decision, and it will move at his speed,” Bessent said.
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