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Defense & National Security Defense & National Security <!– The Big Story  Trump’s Department of War rebrand President Trump on Friday signed an order to formally change the Department of Defense to the Department of War, framing the rebrand as a signal of American strength. © AP Photo/Mike Pesoli Trump signed an executive order that authorizes the name change for the agency, and for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s title to shift to secretary of War. A permanent name change will require an act of Congress. In explaining the change, Trump cited America’s track record of military success under the Department of War moniker through World War II and claimed that the U.S. military underwent a change in attitude under the Department of Defense name. He suggested previous drawn out wars under the old moniker were the result of political correctness.   “Really it has to do with winning. We should have won every war. We could have won every war, but we really chose to be very politically correct or wokey and we just fight forever,” Trump said, flanked by Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine.   “We had it, and we won World War I, we won World War II, we won everything before, and as I said, we won everything in between,” Trump added. “And we were very strong. But we never fought to win. We just didn’t fight to win. We would have won every one of those wars quickly, but they went a route that I think was probably politically correct, but not correct for our nation. So I think the Department of War sends a signal.”   Asked how the name change squared with his pursuit of peace and efforts to end conflicts around the world, Trump argued U.S. military strength helps ensure there are no additional conflicts. Hegseth said the name change was “not just about renaming, it’s about restoring. Words matter. Restoring…the warrior ethos. Restoring victory and clarity as an instinct.” The Department of War was established by George Washington in 1789. It existed until 1947, when it was reorganized by then-President Harry Truman. It was renamed the Department of Defense in 1949. Read the full report at TheHill.com. Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will affect defense and national security now and in the future: Hegseth installs ‘Secretary of War’ nameplate outside office Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted a video to social media Friday showing the nameplate on his office being changed to reflect President Trump’s renaming of the Department of Defense. A video Hegseth posted to the social media platform X shows the nameplate on his office door being swapped out to one that reads “Secretary of War.” The title change reflects Trump’s Friday executive order that renamed …  Full Story Department of War triggers eye rolls, enthusiasm and cost concerns President Trump’s executive order to formally change the Department of Defense to the Department of War was met on Friday with enthusiasm from some on the right, but largely elicited skepticism on the left and concerns about the steep cost from former officials.  Trump framed the rebrand as a signal of American strength that will send a message of “victory” to America’s allies and adversaries alike. Now Secretary …  Full Story McConnell challenges Trump to beef up defense spending after ‘War Department’ change Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the chair of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, is challenging President Trump to follow up his executive order to rename the Defense Department the “War Department” with a bigger increase in the Pentagon’s budget to deter threats from China, Russia and other adversaries. “If we call it the Department of War, we’d better equip the military to actually prevent and win wars. …  Full Story Trump denies knowledge of failed Navy SEAL North Korea mission in first term President Trump on Friday denied knowing about a Navy SEAL mission in North Korea in 2018 during his first term, following The New York Times reporting on the botched operation. Trump was asked if the administration has engaged with North Korea since it happened and responded, “I don’t know anything about it, no. I’d have to — I could look, but I know nothing about that.” “I don’t know anything about it,” Trump said on the …  Full Story In Other News  Branch out with a different read from The Hill: Homeland Dems demand investigation into DHS’s potential ‘unlawful destruction’ of records House Democrats are asking the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to open an investigation into the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after it told a watchdog group that it was no longer retaining text messages when the nonprofit sought communications about immigration enforcement … Full Story On Our Radar  Upcoming things we’re watching in and around the defense world:  The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will discuss America’s propulsion advantage Monday at 10:30 a.m. The House Rules Committee will hold a meeting on the National Defense Authorization Act at 2 p.m. Monday. What We’re Reading  News we’ve flagged from other outlets: How a top secret SEAL Team 6 mission into North Korea fell apart (The New York Times) Pentagon-funded research at colleges has aided the Chinese military, a House GOP report says (The Associated Press) Trump’s veterans housing plan in West L.A. advances behind a wall of secrecy (Los Angeles Times) Opinions in The Hill  Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: How the Committee on the Foreign Investment can secure American agriculture China’s impressive military parade masked shortcomings How mRNA vaccine cuts threaten US national security You’re all caught up. See you next week!

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Marty Makary on Friday said the agency has not finalized a forthcoming report about autism after the Wall Street Journal reported Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to make an announcement linking Tylenol to the condition in children, urging mothers carrying children to forego the pain medication.

“The report is not written, so there’s nothing really to report, because we’re still in our discussions. I think the interest in Tylenol by The Wall Street Journal probably stems from the Harvard study on Tylenol and autism that came out recently,” Makary said during a Friday appearance on NewsNation’s “The Hill.”

“But our report is not yet written,” he added.

Makary said the president and Kennedy have made research about autism causes a “national priority.”

“We got to get to the bottom of it. There’s a lot of amazing research that we’re going through, and I think we’re going to have a pretty amazing report later this month,” he told host Blake Burman. 

Kenvue, the parent company for the producer of Tylenol, did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment on the matter.

However, a company spokesperson told the Journal, “Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of the people who use our products.” 

“We have continuously evaluated the science and continue to believe there is no causal link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism,” the spokesperson added.

A 2024 report from the Journal of the American Medical Association found that Acetaminophen, the medication in Tylenol used to mitigate pain, was not associated with children’s risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability in sibling control analyses when used during pregnancy. 

Researchers noted that associations observed in other models may have been attributable to confounding.

Despite their findings, hundreds of lawsuits alleging the drug created disorders in children have been filed in court, the Journal reported. Still, Makary said the FDA would wait to receive more data addressing concerns before publishing updated guidelines for medicine usage.

“You know, we are incredibly data driven, so we’re looking at the Harvard study and the other study out of Duke, and we’re trying to analyze the magnitude and the weight of that data. But that is not the primary focus of this report,” Makary told Burman on Friday.

Kennedy has pledged to release a report about the causes of autism in September.  

In recent weeks, Kennedy has faced intense scrutiny over his leadership and vaccine skepticism.

Eleven of the 12 Democrats on the Senate Committee on Finance have urged Kennedy to resign, while two of his family members made similar requests on Friday. 

Republican lawmakers, including Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), an orthopedic surgeon, also criticized Kennedy for his rhetoric surrounding vaccines, deeming some of his comments a threat to public health.

“I support vaccines. I’m a doctor. Vaccines work,” said Barrasso, the Senate’s No. 2-ranking Republican leader, said at a hearing this week.

“Secretary Kennedy, in your confirmation hearings, you promised to uphold the highest standards for vaccines,” he said. “Since then, I’ve grown deeply concerned.” 

After Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Susan Monarez was unexpectedly removed from leadership last week and four senior officials at the top public health agency resigned, lawmakers have raised questions about internal policies and practices under Kennedy. 

“Americans don’t know who to rely on,” he said. “If we’re going to make America healthy again, we can’t allow public health to be undermined.”

Republicans on Friday unveiled 14 bills intended to reduce local government autonomy and harshen punishments for youth and violent offenders in Washington, D.C amid President Trump’s crime crackdown in the nation’s capital.

“President Trump and House Republicans are committed to restoring law and order in our nation’s capital city. Under President Trump’s decisive leadership, crime in D.C. is now falling at an unprecedented rate,” House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said in a statement announcing the bills. 

GOP lawmakers are proposing all that D.C. Council legislation undergo a 60-day congressional review period prior to its passage, while preventing council members from passing bills that are similar to measures disapproved by Congress.

The legislation also seeks to enact numerous adjustments to current law in the nation’s capital, including lowering the age for juveniles to be tried as adults from 16-years to 14 years of age for certain violent offenses, establishing a public website containing statistics on juvenile crime, and granting only Congress the authority to change existing minimum sentencing laws and sentencing guidelines.

A separate measure would repeal the Incarceration Reduction Act, which allows residents convicted of certain serious crimes committed before their 18th birthday to petition the court for a sentence reduction after serving at least 15 years in addition to other expungement opportunities. 

Another effort aims to codify components of President Trump’s March executive order regarding beautification efforts in the District of Columbia to ensure federal coordination on graffiti removal and restoration of Federal public monuments.

The committee will hold a markup for the proposed legislation on Sept. 10 at 10 a.m.

Comer said it’s lawmakers’ “constitutional duty to oversee District affairs and make D.C. safe again.”

“The House Oversight Committee stands ready to back the President’s swift action by advancing comprehensive legislative reforms that empower District law enforcement and tackle the escalating juvenile crime crisis head-on,” Comer said.

Local leaders, however, have rejected the notion that federal input is needed to mitigate crime in the nation’s capital. 

“As we know, the District has seen an over 50 percent decline in crime rates over the last two years, and while public safety remains our top priority, President Trump’s claim of an emergency in DC is wholly unjustified,” Council Member Janeese Lewis George (D) said in a statement on Trump’s D.C. takeover of the local police department and National Guard deployment early last month.

Her words have been echoed by her colleagues.

“We don’t need federal police patrolling our streets, intimidating our residents, shadowing our police. And we don’t need ICE in our community at all, disappearing our people and targeting folks just because of the color of their skin,” Council Member Brianne Nadeau (D) said in a statement.

“This has never been about public safety. This is about power, and control, and intimidation,” she continued. 

This week, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) both introduced bills advocating for the District of Columbia to have full control over the D.C. National Guard and the Metropolitan Police Department.

“D.C. residents are Americans, fully capable of governing themselves, including having full control of their police force and National Guard like residents of the states,” Norton said in a statement. “President Trump’s unprecedented federalization of the D.C. Police and his activation of the D.C. National Guard without D.C.’s consent underscore the necessity of D.C. statehood.”

On Thursday, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued the Trump administration over the deployment of National Guard troops throughout the city.  

But on Tuesday D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed an order Tuesday authorizing coordination between local police and federal forces extending beyond President Trump’s declared emergency in the nation’s capital.

The order creates the Safe and Beautiful Emergency Operations Center (SBEOC) which is expected to handle requests submitted to federal partners which include promoting traditional policing practices such as not wearing masks, clearly identifying their agency and providing identification during arrests and encounters with the public, according to Bowser. 

“I’m very proud of Washington,” Trump said after Bowser signed the Tuesday order. “It can be used as a template.”

The measure signed by the mayor outlines joint operations between local officials and the U.S. Marshals Service, FBI, U.S. Park Police, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Capitol Police and the U.S. Secret Service.