COLLISION COURSE: Twelve Democrats joined with 214 House Republicans to pass a nearly $14.5 billion military aid package that includes a “poison pill” provision that has drawn a veto threat from President Joe Biden — that is assuming it could ever get past the Democratic-controlled Senate.
The package lacks any humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza and, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, would add $12.5 billion to the deficit by slashing funding for the IRS.
“Let me be clear: The Senate will not take up the House GOP’s deeply flawed proposal,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) vowed on social media. “Instead we will work on our own bipartisan emergency aid package that includes funding for aid to Israel, Ukraine, humanitarian aid including for Gaza, and competition with the Chinese Government.”
In his first news conference as House speaker, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he’s planning a separate vote on Ukraine assistance and border security, and he defended the cuts to the IRS intended to offset the emergency funding measures.
“Ukraine will come in short order. It will come next. And you’ve heard me say that we want to pair border security with Ukraine because I think we’d get bipartisan agreement on both of those matters,” Johnson said, adding that the bill takes money from the IRS for Israel because there’s “a pile of money, $67 billion that’s sitting over there to refurbish, build up, and hire new IRS agents.”
“If Democrats in the Senate or the House or anyone elsewhere wants to argue that hiring more IRS agents is more important than standing with Israel in this moment, I’m ready to have that debate,” he said.
BIDEN’S VETO THREAT: The White House is adamant that everything in its $105 billion supplemental request is an emergency and that splitting the appropriations into separate bills with partisan provisions will only delay the process.
“The whole idea of an urgent supplemental is, you’re submitting what you think are urgent requests, and the president wants to see all of them honored, all of them acted on by Congress, all of them together,” NSC spokesman John Kirby said at yesterday’s White House briefing.
“The president believes that the supplemental requests that we submitted contain four really critical national security urgent needs: Israel; Ukraine; our Indo-Pacific resourcing, particularly when it comes to [the] manufacturing of submarines; and, of course, border security. All four are important,” Kirby said. “We wouldn’t have submitted it that way if we didn’t believe that they all weren’t important and should be acted on together.”
Asked point blank if Biden would veto a measure that provided money only for Israel, Kirby responded, “The president would veto an only-Israel bill. I think that we’ve made that clear.”
JOHNSON’S ‘LADDERED’ CR: With the Nov. 17 deadline to avoid a government shutdown just two weeks away, Johnson floated the possibility of a “laddered” continuing resolution, a novel idea that would break down the usual stopgap measure into smaller CRs that would extend funding for individual agencies, and which could result in a cascading partial shutdown.
“Everyone here recognizes that just because we’re running out of time, we may not get all this done by November 17th,” Johnson said. “The Senate’s a little behind, and obviously, we have the conference committee process and all of that. So, there’s a growing recognition that we’re going to need another stopgap funding measure.”
“My initial idea was to extend that to January 15th to get us beyond the sort of the Christmas rush,” he said. “But some of my colleagues have other ideas as well. One idea that was pitched this morning, to be very frank with you, is a laddered CR. I’ll unpack for you what that means here in the coming days, but potentially, you would do a CR that extends individual pieces of the appropriations process, individual bills. We’ll see how that goes.”
“Look, there’s a pretty clear path. And that path is to do a straight CR to January 15, which Speaker Johnson has implied at one time or another that he supports,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee, said on Fox. “But now the speaker’s talking about all manner of different things that would make it problematic.”
“If we do a straight CR, I think we can get past November 17,” Smith said. “Now, there’s risk in that for Democrats, in that, once you hit January 1, you get this automatic yearlong CR with a 1% cut, but at least it would get us past a shutdown.”
HOUSE PASSES ISRAEL AID PACKAGE, BUT IT IS DEAD ON ARRIVAL IN THE SENATE
Good Friday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Conrad Hoyt. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSE
NOTE TO READERS: Daily on Defense will be taking a break the week of Nov. 13 to 17. We’ll be back in your inbox and online at DailyonDefense.com on Monday, Nov. 20, before taking a long Thanksgiving weekend beginning Thursday, Nov. 23. While we’re gone, you can get your daily fix of defense and national security news here.
Subscribe today to the Washington Examiner magazine and get Washington Briefing: politics and policy stories that will keep you up to date with what’s going on in Washington. SUBSCRIBE NOW: Just $1.00 an issue!
HAPPENING TODAY: Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Tel Aviv, Israel, for more talks, where he is expected to press for more humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza, where Israeli bombing has leveled large areas, forced hospitals to close, and displaced more than 300,000 people, according to the United Nations.
The death toll in Gaza is nearing 9,000, the U.N. said, as Israel forces say they now have Gaza City completely surrounded.
“We’ve seen in recent days Palestinian civilians continuing to bear the brunt of this action, and it’s important the United States is committed to making sure everything possible is done to protect civilians,” Blinken said before leaving Washington yesterday. “We will focus as well on steps that need to be taken to protect civilians who are in a crossfire of Hamas’s making, and we want to look at concrete steps that can be taken to better protect them.”
ISRAELI FORCES CLOSE IN ON GAZA CITY WITH GRAVE WARNING: DON’T GO INTO HAMAS TUNNELS
ANOTHER END RUN AROUND TUBERVILLE: Amid rising anger from GOP senators frustrated with fellow Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), the Senate finally managed to complete the confirmation of all nominees to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, including the replacement for the ailing commandant of the Marine Corps.
Confirmed after months of delay caused by Tuberville’s effort to force the Pentagon to rescind its abortion travel policy were Adm. Lisa Franchetti to be chief of naval operations, Gen. David Allvin to be chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, and Lt. Gen. Christopher Mahoney to serve as assistant commandant for the U.S. Marine Corps.
Franchetti is the first woman to hold a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mahoney will now be able to step in for Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith, who is reportedly in stable condition and recovering after suffering an apparent heart attack while jogging Sunday night.
Wednesday night, a group of Republican senators, including Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Todd Young (R-IN), held the floor for more than four hours and called up 61 of the nominations for votes, only to have Tuberville block them by objecting.
SENATE OVERCOMES TUBERVILLE HOLD, CONFIRMS FINAL JOINT CHIEF NOMINEES
TUBERVILLE UNREPENTANT: Speaking to reporters before the votes, Tuberville insisted he would only lift his holds on almost 400 senior officers if the Pentagon caves to his demand that the department no longer reimburse travel expenses for service members who cannot obtain abortions or other reproductive services in the state in which they are based.
As he has in the past, Tuberville rejects the argument of his Republican colleagues that his blockade is weakening the U.S. military. “If I thought there was any problem with readiness, we wouldn’t be doing this. All jobs are filled. People are doing their jobs,” he said. “Things are being done. Things are going as normal.”
“I hate to have to do this,” Tuberville insisted. “But it’s the only way I can get their attention … somebody has got to listen to us. OK? I work for the people of this country, OK? I don’t work for another senator or president. I work for the taxpayers of this country.”
“We polled everybody, 60% of Democrats and Republicans do not want to pay for abortion. They don’t want their money to go to it. So, this is not just a Republican issue. This is a taxpayer issue. So, I’m standing up for the people of this country. And we’ll continue to do that. Hopefully, we get some kind of resolution.”
Republican senators plan to hold a closed-door meeting next week to discuss how to get around Tuberville’s stubborn resistance to their arguments that he’s going about his fight the wrong way, punishing apolitical officers who have nothing to do with the policy he opposes.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Senate overcomes Tuberville hold, confirms final Joint Chief nominees
Washington Examiner: White House echoes GOP dissenters on Tuberville’s Pentagon holds
Washington Examiner: House passes Israel aid package, but it is dead on arrival in the Senate
Washington Examiner: Israeli forces close in on Gaza City with grave warning: Don’t go into Hamas tunnels
Washington Examiner: Mike Johnson responds to House Democrats’ calls for ceasefire: ‘Hamas broke it’
Washington Examiner: Blinken says Israel can do more to ‘minimize civilian casualties’ in Gaza
Washington Examiner: White House echoes GOP dissenters on Tuberville’s Pentagon holds
Washington Examiner: Durbin backs Israel ceasefire: Senator becomes highest-ranking Democrat to voice support
Washington Examiner: Israel warns antisemitic violence could change ‘the entire situation in Russia’
Washington Examiner: Pro-Ukraine GOP lawmakers urge Biden to provide long-range weapons to Ukraine
Washington Examiner: Israel releases footage of ‘Arrow’ interception of long-range rocket
Washington Examiner: Biden says 74 Americans left Gaza on Thursday
Washington Examiner: Analysis: Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza seeks to thread a very thin needle
Washington Examiner: Editorial: China’s South China Sea imperialism requires stronger international action
AP: Israeli Troops Advance Toward Gaza City As The Palestinian Death Toll Rises Above 9,000
New York Times: US Drones Are Flying Over Gaza To Aid In Hostage Recovery, Officials Say
Reuters: US, Allies Try To Craft Gaza Endgame As Deaths, Destruction Mount
Politico: Top Ukrainian General’s Gloomy View of Russia War Fuels Military Aid Debate
Wall Street Journal: Russia’s Wagner Group Plans to Send Air Defenses to Hezbollah, US Says
CNN: ‘He Understood Me’: Death of China’s Former Premier Sparks Mourning—and a Way to Air Frustration With Xi Era
AP: China Supported Sanctions On North Korea’s Nuclear Program; It’s Also Behind Their Failure
Breaking Defense: Israel Uses F-35I to Shoot Down Cruise Missile, a First for Joint Strike Fighter
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Another New B-21 Photo Shows Mysterious Vertical Features
Defense News: Pentagon Debuts New Data and AI Strategy After Biden’s Executive Order
Military.com: Air Force Officer Accused of Threatening to Shoot Airline Captain Fought Military’s COVID Vaccine Mandate to Supreme Court
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Inside the Air Force’s Newest SOF Career: Special Reconnaissance
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Plans 21 National Security Launches in 2024
The Cipher Brief: The Price of Putin’s Unkept Promises
Forbes: Pentagon Plans For Networked Warfare Will Falter Without Better Access Controls
Calendar
FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 3
9 a.m. 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Alexandria, Virginia — Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association George Washington Symposium: “The Great Experiment: Democracy from the Founding to the Future,” with retired Marine Gen. Jim Mattis, former secretary of defense; retired Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs; and retired Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly, former chief of staff to former President Donald Trump, discussing “The Role of the Military in a Democracy” https://www.mountvernon.org/plan-your-visit/calendar/events
9:30 a.m. 1200 South Hayes St., Arlington, Virginia — RAND Corporation National Security Research Division discussion: “A New Approach to Power Projection: Reversing the Erosion of U.S. and Allied Military Power and Influence,” with retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Clinton Hinote, former deputy chief of staff for strategy, integration, and requirements; David Ochmanek, RAND senior international/defense researcher; Andrew Hoehn, RAND senior vice president for research and analysis; and Caitlin Lee, director of the RAND Acquisition and Technology Policy Program https://www.rand.org/events/2023/11/inflection-point.html
11 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies International Security Program virtual discussion: “Canada’s Role in Global Maritime Security,” with Vice Adm. Angus Topshee, commander of the Royal Canadian Navy and chief of the Naval Staff; and Seth Jones, senior vice president and director, CSIS International Security Program https://www.csis.org/events/canadas-role-global-maritime-security
12 p.m. — American Security Project virtual discussion: “Combating the Military Obesity Crisis,” with Courtney Manning, ASP national security research fellow https://www.americansecurityproject.org/event/combating-the-military-obesity-crisis
6 p.m. 14th and F Sts. NW — National Press Club film screening and discussion of “20 Days in Mariupol,” focusing on the Russia-Ukraine war, with director Mstyslav Chernov and producer Raney Aronson-Rath. RSVP: [email protected]
WEDNESDAY | NOVEMBER 8
10 a.m. 419 Dirksen — Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing: “U.S. National Security Interests in Ukraine,” with testimony from James O’Brien, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs; Geoffrey Pyatt, assistant secretary of state for energy resources; and Erin McKee, assistant administrator for Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Agency for International Development https://www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings
2 p.m. HVC-210 — House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing: “Friend and Ally: U.S. support for Israel after Hamas’ Barbaric Attack,” with testimony from Barbara Leaf, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, and Dana Stroul, deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
3 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave NW — Association of the U.S. Army and Center for Strategic and International Studies “Strategic Landpower Dialogue,” with Gen. James Dickinson, commanding general of U.S. Space Command https://www.csis.org/events/strategic-landpower-dialogue
THURSDAY | NOVEMBER 9
7 p.m. — Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation and the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies virtual discussion: “Mikhail Zygar’s War and Punishment: The Path to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine” https://worldmichigan.org/event/zygar
WEDNESDAY | NOVEMBER 15
10 a.m. 2118 Rayburn — House Armed Services Committee hearing: “Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States,” with testimony from Madelyn Creedon, chairwoman of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the U.S.; and former Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, vice chairman of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the U.S. https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It is really unfortunate that tonight, these men and women have been denied their promotion. We have done the best that we can to honor the request of a fellow senator that these nominations be brought to the floor and voted on individually. And I really respect men of their word. I do not respect men who do not honor their word.”
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Tuesday night, calling out Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) for failing to keep his promise to allow votes on individual military nominees.
