USHERING IN THE SMITH ERA: The takeover of the House by Democrats is just three weeks away, a power shift that will dramatically change the dynamic for passing bipartisan legislation and set up a number of confrontations with President Trump. A key player will be Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash, who is set take the gavel of the House Armed Services Committee from Rep. Mac Thornberry R-Texas. The future House Armed Services chairman shared his thinking on a wide range of issues during an on-the-record breakfast with defense reporters yesterday morning. Some highlights include:

• Yemen: “I certainly do plan to do things to put pressure on the administration on Yemen. Stopping the funding of Saudi Arabia anyway you have to, cutting them up, anything that goes toward supporting the civil war there.”
• Defense Secretary Jim Mattis leaving rumors: “President Trump knows how important he is. I don’t see any evidence whatsoever that he wants to leave, or the president wants him to.”
• Space Force: “I think the general opinion is we don’t want to spend more money on bureaucracy. We just want to place greater emphasis on space, given its emerging importance.”
• Transgender service: “One of my priorities is going to be equality in the military, not discriminating against people based on sexual preference, race, gender, religion … I’m going to try to combat discrimination in the military.”

SELLING A SMALLER BUDGET: Smith signaled his biggest fight may be over the Pentagon’s budget, which he says will hinge on a strategy of convincing the American public the military can protect the country for less. Especially now that it’s reported President Trump is behind a $750 billion defense top line, after meeting with Defense Secretary Mattis and Republican leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees. “We are not going to be able to be successful in arguing that we can survive and prosper and have strong national security for less money unless we can make the argument,” he told reporters.