Daniel Driscoll received a largely warm reception from the panel during his confirmation hearing last month and said he would serve soldiers, rather than generals or “the bureaucracy” as the top civilian official overseeing the military’s largest service.

Top Democrats overseeing national security policy are asking that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Acting Director of National Intelligence Lora Shiao take “immediate steps” to insulate their employees from White House directives that they say will erode the federal government’s merit-based civil service system.

Between 1951 and 1976, women service members were involuntarily separated from the military due to motherhood, leaving without separation benefits, counseling or assistance. New legislation seeks to establish a process to upgrade military records and provide a one-time payment of $25,000 to affected veterans.

House lawmakers introduced a bill Wednesday to exempt military spouses from a return-to-office mandate, launching a bipartisan effort to retain telework and remote work arrangements for military families.

The Specialist Joey Lenz Act of 2025 directs the defense secretary to offer service members a yearly sports physical alongside an electrocardiogram and blood work that includes a comprehensive metabolic panel and complete blood count.

Collins, 58, has pledged to protect veterans benefits from potential funding cuts and expressed support for expanding access to medical care outside the VA system.

Army veteran Dan Driscoll, 38, promised to “always follow the law” after several senators raised concerns that the Army will be forced into domestic law enforcement roles. He also vowed to dedicate time, energy and resources to ensure the service is welcoming to women, saying he wants his daughter to “join an Army where the sky’s the limit.”

The Senate on Friday night confirmed Pete Hegseth as defense secretary by the narrowest of margins, elevating an Army National Guard veteran and former Fox News host to the top Pentagon job with the help of a rare tiebreaking vote by the vice president.

The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee on Thursday almost unanimously advanced the nomination of Doug Collins to be the next secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, paving the way for a vote by the full Senate.

The Senate Armed Services Committee on Monday advanced Pete Hegseth’s bid to become President Donald Trump’s defense secretary, sending his nomination to the Senate floor over the objections of Democrats.