Freedom Caucus vows to use ‘every procedural tool’ to impose its anti-‘woke,’ anti-FBI demands on 2024 budget

Under the debt ceiling deal signed by President Joe Biden in June, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) agreed to Biden’s proposed $886 billion defense budget, which was already criticized by Republicans as failing to keep up with inflation or keep pace with China. The Freedom Caucus’s demands would scale back defense spending to $782 billion unless domestic spending was cut deeply.

“We will oppose any blank check for Ukraine in any supplemental bill,” vowed the powerful caucus, which includes some 45 House members. Their statement vowed to oppose a so-called “clean” continuing resolution that would temporarily keep spending at current levels, arguing that would be an affirmation of the “grossly increased … lame-duck” omnibus spending bill “we all vehemently opposed just seven months ago.”

FREEDOM CAUCUS OPPOSES SHORT-TERM CONTINUING RESOLUTION UNLESS CONSERVATIVE POLICIES ARE PASSED ALONGSIDE

‘WOKE MILITARY, WEAPONIZED FBI’: The Freedom Caucus’s demands go far beyond simply cutting the budget. The conservative lawmakers want to gut the Pentagon’s diversity programs and force a rescission of the policy that reimburses military members for travel to obtain abortions and other reproductive health services.

The lawmakers threatened to block any spending measures that don’t meet three criteria:

• Includes the House-passed Secure the Border Act of 2023
• Addresses the “unprecedented weaponization” of the Justice Department and the FBI to prevent “political witch hunts” and the “targeting of law-abiding citizens.”
• Ends the Pentagon’s “cancerous woke policies” that are “undermining our military’s core warfighting mission.”

“We will oppose any attempt by Washington to revert to its old playbook of using a series of short-term funding extensions designed to push Congress up against a December deadline to force the passage of yet another monstrous, budget busting, pork filled, lobbyist handout omnibus spending bill at year’s end,” the statement said. “And we will use every procedural tool necessary to prevent that outcome.”

‘WE WILL FIGHT THESE MAGA EXTREMISTS’: The hard-line stance puts McCarthy in a bind as he faces several unpalatable choices.

He could possibly pass a CR that meets the Freedom Caucus’s demands, but it would take almost every Republican vote and face almost certain defeat in the Senate.

He could work with Democrats to pass a bipartisan stopgap measure, which would alienate a large percentage of his slim Republican majority and could end his speakership. After McCarthy struck the debt ceiling deal with Biden in June, angry Republicans, including Freedom Caucus members, paralyzed legislative business in the House in protest.

Or he could let the government shut down when funding expires on Sept. 30 and blame the Democrats for not compromising.

“House Republicans are determined to shut down the government and crash our economy,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) in a social media post. “We will fight these MAGA extremists every step of the way.”

“Business as usual is not going to cut it,” posted Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO). “Time to get this government spending under control!”

DEMOCRATIC LEADERS SAY FREEDOM CAUCUS IS RISKING A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

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NOT HAPPENING TODAY: Neither President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, nor Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have any public events on their schedules. The House and Senate both meet in pro forma session at 2 p.m., with no business planned. Apparently, it’s August.

YOU DON’T SAY: An Army study conducted in 2021 but released yesterday has found that many of America’s elite special operations soldiers aren’t on board with the full integration of women into their ranks.

“The Women in Army Special Operations Study … found women were still facing discriminatory and sexist barriers to fully integrating into the special operations community,” the report said, including a variety of anonymous comments from male commandos that revealed a resentment of women in frontline positions and a paternalistic attitude of “benevolent sexism” motivated by a desire to protect women.

“Although disappointed by some of the findings and comments in the study, we are committed to addressing these issues with candor and transparency,” said Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, commander of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, in a memo accompanying the study.

Among some of the comments from men:

• “The idea that women are equally as physically, mentally and emotionally capable to perform [the] majority of jobs is quite frankly ridiculous.” 
• “I dread the day a woman arrives on a team and I hope I’m retired by the time that happens.”
• “There are opportunities for women in SOF, but not on a team or in a team house in a remote location in Third World shitholes. We have enough problems and we don’t need females to make more.”
• “I’ve decided to retire so I don’t have to lead the team containing a female.”
• “Please be honest with yourselves. They are looking for a husband, boyfriend or attention. And they get it. Because the men that choose to lay down their lives and do missions that only great men can do are warriors. Warriors do warrior shit. Women like warriors. These are the facts. Play pretend in your circus all you want, this is truth.”

There are roughly 2,200 female soldiers in Army Special Operations Command, nearly 8% of the 29,000 active duty soldiers.

POLAND BULKS UP: The State Department announced the planned sale of 96 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to Poland, a deal worth $12 billion to Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

The planned purchase is the latest in a string of arms sales to Poland as the NATO ally and Ukraine neighbor is moving to become one of the most combat-capable members of the 31-nation alliance.

In the last nine months, Poland has bought 116 M1A1 Abrams tanks, 18 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), and an assortment of combat vehicles, assault bridges, HUMVEEs, small arms, and ammunition.

This year, Poland eclipsed the U.S. as the NATO member spending the highest percentage of GDP on defense, at 3.9%. The U.S. is second, spending 3.49%, followed by Greece at 3.01%, Estonia at 2.73%, and Lithuania at 2.54%.

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The Rundown

Washington Examiner: Freedom Caucus opposes short-term continuing resolution unless conservative policies are passed alongside

Washington Examiner: Democratic leaders say Freedom Caucus is risking a government shutdown

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Washington Examiner: Wagner boss Prigozhin seen in first video address since failed coup

Washington Examiner: Pentagon denies supposed incident with Iranian navy in Strait of Hormuz

Washington Examiner: China accuses US and allies of preparing ‘a cold war or hot war’

Washington Examiner: China arrests ‘CIA spy’ after William Burns touted rebuilding of network in Beijing

Washington Examiner: Military is ‘carefully considering’ allowing use of calculators on entrance exam

Washington Examiner: Ramaswamy camp tries to clear the air after comments on 9/11 draw backlash

Washington Examiner: Ramaswamy outlines his ‘crazy’ strategy to ‘lead the nation’

Washington Times: China holds large war games in response to U.S. visit by Taiwan Vice President William Lai

Defense One: Russian Jets Playing Chicken with US Planes over Syria, Officials Say

The War Zone: China’s Constant Spying on Australian Drills from Space a Sign of Shifting Orbital Balance

Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Announces ARRW Test—But Offers Few Details on the Results

DefenseScoop: US, Japan Working to Negotiate and Finalize New Deal to Develop Hypersonic Missile Interceptor

Wall Street Journal: China, US Test Intelligent-Drone Swarms in Race for Military AI Dominance

Air & Space Forces Magazine: SDA Awards $1.5 Billion for 72 New ‘Transport’ Satellites to Lockheed and Northrop

Air & Space Forces Magazine: Edwards Dodges Major Damage from Tropical Storm, But Lakebed Runways Will Be Assessed

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Breaking Defense: National Guard Chief on Lessons from Ukraine, COVID-19 and Military Promotion Limbo

Stars and Stripes: ‘Hard Landing’ Damages F-16 Fighting Falcon at US Air Base in Japan

The Cipher Brief: Iran and the Ransom Conundrum

19fortyfive.com: Hwasong-18: The North Korean ICBM with ‘Russian DNA’?

19fortyfive.com: Failing to Learn: Why Russia’s Air Bases Keep Getting Hit by Cheap Drones from Ukraine

19fortyfive.com: Russia’s Elite Military Units Are Being Slaughtered in Ukraine

19fortyfive.com: ‘A Massacre’: A Russian Armored Column Was Completely Wiped Out in Ukraine

19fortyfive.com: Opinion: Sorry: F-16 Fighter Jets Won’t Win the Ukraine War

Forbes: Opinion: Get Ukraine the Airpower It Needs Before It’s Too Late

Calendar

TUESDAY | AUGUST 22

2 p.m. — Government Executive Media Group virtual discussion: “AI in Action,” with Michael Mendenhall, CTO of the Air Force Research Laboratory https://events.govexec.com/ai-in-action/registration

8 p.m. — Korea Society virtual discussion: “The South Korea Nuclear Debate,” with Lami Kim, professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies’s College of Security Studies; Clint Work, fellow and director of academic affairs at the Korea Economic Institute of America; Bee Yun Jo, associate research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses’s Center for Security and Strategy; Hyun-Binn Cho, assistant professor at the College of New Jersey’s Department of Political Science; Jonathan Corrado, policy director at the Korea Society; and Chelsie Alexandre, program officer at the Korea Society https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs

WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 23

10 a.m. — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs virtual discussion: “Central Asia: A Loophole for Russia’s Sanctions?” with Leila Seiitbek, chairwoman of Freedom for Eurasia; Thomas Mayne, research fellow at Oxford University; Nurul Rakhimbek, political activist and researcher; and Sebastien Peyrouse, director of the GWU Central Asia Program and research professor at the GWU Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies https://www.eventbrite.com/e/central-asia-a-loophole-for-russias-sanctions

10:30 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “The Department of Defense’s Biodefense Posture Review,” with Deborah Rosenblum, assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical, and biological defense programs; Brandi Vann, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical, and biological defense programs; Richard Johnson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and countering weapons of mass destruction policy; Asha George, executive director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense; and moderated by retired Rear Adm. Tom Cullison, CSIS senior associate https://www.csis.org/events/department-defenses-newly-released-biodefense-posture-review

THURSDAY | AUGUST 24

10 a.m. — Asia Society Policy Institute virtual discussion: “China’s Generative AI and AI Technology Landscape: Advancements, Players, and Policies,” with Karen Hao, former tech reporter, Wall Street Journal; Zeyi Yang, tech reporter at MIT Technology Review; Jenny Xiao, partner at Leonis Capital; Qiheng Chen, honorary junior fellow for Chinese economy and technology at ASPI’s Center for China Analysis and senior analyst at Compass Lexecon; and Lizzi Lee, honorary junior fellow for Chinese economy at ASPI’s Center for China Analysis https://asiasociety.zoom.us/webinar/register

1:30 p.m. — Government Executive Media Group and the Advanced Technology Academic Research Center virtual discussion: “Strengthening Federal Software Infrastructure: Importance of SBOM Compliance Standards,” with Senior Master Sgt. William Rouse, section chief of digital infrastructure at the Space Force’s Chief of Technology and Innovation Office; Luci Holemans, cybersecurity manager at the Transportation Department’s Air Traffic Organization; Elena Peterson, senior cybersecurity researcher at the Energy Department’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Gail Newcomb, information cybersecurity manager at the National Institutes of Health’s Office of the Director; Charles Livingston, program manager at the Health and Human Services Department’s Continuous Monitoring and Mitigation Program; Kashif Zaidi, director of solution architects at Aqua Security; Chris Hughes, co-founder and chief information security officer at Aquia; and Kiersten Patton, ATARC consultant https://atarc.org/event/sbomstandards

FRIDAY | AUGUST 25

8:30 a.m. 1957 E St. NW — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs conference in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-South Korea alliance and the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Korea, with Seth Bailey, director of the State Department Office of Korean and Mongolian Affairs. RSVP: [email protected] or [email protected]

TUESDAY | AUGUST 29

8 a.m. 2101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Virginia — National Defense Industrial Association conference: “Emerging Technologies For Defense,” with the theme “Delivering New Capabilities to the Warfighter at Speed and Scale,” with Maynard Holliday, performing the duties of assistant defense secretary for critical technologies; Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering; Jason Rathje, director of the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering’s Office of Strategic Capital; Brendan Owens, assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations, and environment; Oliver Fritz, director for operational energy at the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Environment and Energy Resilience; RuthAnne Darling, director for operational energy – innovation at the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering; Kim Sablon, principal director for trusted AI and autonomy at the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering; Young Bang, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for acquisitions, logistics, and technology; Amy Smith-Carroll, director for surface warfare at the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment; Brad Belzak, director of homeland defense integration at the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy; Kimberly Sablon, principal director for trusted AI and autonomy at the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering; Lt. Col. John Long, deputy to the Navy chief AI officer at the Office of Naval Research; and Army Undersecretary Gabe Camarillo. RSVP: [email protected]

9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion: “Reviewing the Camp David Trilateral Summit,” with Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. Tomita Koji; Republic of Korea Ambassador to the U.S. Cho Hyundong; and Kurt Campbell, National Security Council coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs https://www.csis.org/events/reviewing-camp-david-trilateral-summit

11 a.m. — National Defense Industrial Association National Training and Simulation Association virtual discussion: “Generative AI” https://www.ntsa.org/events/2023/8/30/ntsa-august-webinar/registration