Attorney General Bondi Takes Action to End the Subsidization of Open Borders

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced today a decisive move to help end the subsidization of open borders by taxpayers.

As noted in the announcement by the White House yesterday, the Attorney General has rescinded a nearly 30-year-old order allowing for the provision of federal benefits to illegal aliens. In 1996, Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 (PRWORA), which limits public benefits to citizens and “qualified aliens” who have a legal right to be in the United States. 

To conform with President Trump’s Executive Order, the Attorney General has now issued an order expressly declining to exempt any programs from PRWORA, revoking overly broad exceptions put in place by Attorney General Reno nearly three decades ago.

“Previous administrations have acted for decades to undermine the principles and limitations directed by Congress through PRWORA—no longer,”  said Attorney General Bondi. “The Trump Administration’s action will preserve public benefits for American citizens, support the rule of law, and avoid the waste of taxpayer dollars.”

Defense News in Brief: This Week in DOD: Department Unleashes Drone Development; USDA, DOD Partner on Security; U.S. Hosts Israel for Bilateral Talks

Source: United States Department of Defense

This week in the Defense Department, plans to support the American drone industry are underway, the National Farm Security Action Plan will safeguard farmlands and land around military bases, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the Pentagon.

Defense News in Brief: 21st Iteration of Pacific Partnership Prepares for Indo-Pacific Mission Aboard USS Pearl Harbor

Source: United States Navy

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – Pacific Partnership 2025 (PP-25) officially kicks off with the arrival of the Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, led by Rear Admiral Todd F. Cimicata, U.S. Pacific Fleet Executive Agent for Pacific Partnership, and the mission commander, U.S. Navy Captain Mark B. Stefanik.

Defense News in Brief: Exercise Sea Breeze 25-2 Demonstrates Enhanced NATO Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Mine Countermeasures Capabilities in the UK

Source: United States Navy

Exercise Sea Breeze 25-2, hosted at Portland Port, United Kingdom, is underway, showcasing strengthened collaboration in explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and mine countermeasures (MCM) between NATO Allies and partners. The exercise focuses on mentorship and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) exchange, preparing a core group of nations for operations in the Black Sea region.

Justice Department Files Statement of Interest on Suppression of Competition in the Marketplace of Ideas Through Deplatforming of Rival Viewpoints

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Today, the Justice Department filed a statement of interest in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in the case of Children’s Health Defense et al. v. Washington Post et al. The lawsuit — led by plaintiffs allegedly deplatformed for sharing independent news and opinion related to the COVID-19 pandemic — alleges that the Washington Post, BBC, AP, and Reuters colluded with one another and with the large digital platforms to suppress competition from independent perspectives that rival mainstream media.  The statement of interest explains how the antitrust laws protect viewpoint competition in news markets.    

“When companies abuse their market power to block out and deplatform independent voices and protect legacy media, they harm competition and threaten the free flow of information on which consumers depend,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “This Antitrust Division will always defend the principle that the antitrust laws protect free markets, including the marketplace of ideas.”   

The Antitrust Division routinely files statements of interest and amicus briefs in federal court where doing so will help protect competition and consumers, including by encouraging the sound development of the antitrust laws. A collection of these statements of antitrust and amicus filings is publicly available on the Division’s website.