By: Dr Avi Verma

Congressman pressures defense leadership after inspector general report

Illinois Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi on Friday renewed his call for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to resign following a Department of Defense Inspector General report. The investigation found that Hegseth used an unsecured Signal group chat to share operational details of a planned United States strike against Houthi militants in Yemen, including aircraft numbers and timing. Krishnamoorthi, a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee, said the conduct constituted a serious breach of protocol and warned that the disclosure risked operational security and American lives.

Foreign Affairs publishes long-term China strategy proposal

In a separate development, Foreign Affairs published Krishnamoorthi’s national security article arguing that the United States must adopt a long-horizon strategy to counter China. As Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition with China, he wrote that the country must move beyond short-term approaches and invest in manufacturing, alliances, worker training, and technological leadership. He stated that only a generational framework can ensure the United States, not the Chinese Communist Party, sets future economic rules.

Inquiry seeks clarity on veterans’ housing funding shift

Krishnamoorthi also joined Representative Delia Ramirez and a group of House Democrats in pressing the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development for clarification on a proposed budget shift. The Trump Administration plan would move the entire USD 1.1 billion allocation from the HUD-VASH veterans’ housing program to a new initiative titled BRAVE. Lawmakers warned that the relocation could disrupt housing stability for more than 112,000 veterans who rely on VASH support and called the new program undefined and structurally unclear. They requested written answers by December 12.

STEM and workforce legislation reintroduced

Krishnamoorthi concluded the week by reintroducing the HIRE Act, a bill designed to double the annual number of H-1B visas from 65,000 to 130,000 and expand federal investments in K–12 STEM education. He said the measure is intended to secure the United States’ innovation capacity and support future high-skilled labor needs. The legislation continues to receive backing from ITServe Alliance, a national information technology sector association.