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Politico
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Avoiding a JCPOA revival
Presented by With help from Nahal Toosi, Giselle Ewing and Daniel Lippman Subscribe here | Email Robbie | Email Eric If there's a new Iran deal on the table, Republicans are really hoping it's not the same as the old Iran deal. President DONALD TRUMP's administration said it has handed Iran a proposal for a nuclear deal in part of its monthslong bid to negotiate on Tehran dismantling its nuclear program. Iran's foreign minister, ABBAS ARAGHCHI, said it hasn't received any written proposal yet and called the Trump administration's stances 'confusing and contradictory.' The pressure is building for Trump's team to demonstrate that its deal won't reprise the Obama-era nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, that Republicans widely panned. Publicly, top Trump officials, including his special envoy STEVE WITKOFF, say they won't sign onto any agreement that would allow Iran to enrich uranium. But privately, Trump's team is looking to make a deal and is flexible on the question of whether Tehran could enrich at low levels, according to two European officials and a former Trump administration official, all granted anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic discussions. 'Trump has been led to believe that low level enrichment isn't a threat – this is the compromise JOHN KERRY made in the JCPOA,' the former Trump administration official said, referring to Obama's former secretary of State who helped negotiate the JCPOA. Asked about the Trump team's position on enrichment, a Witkoff spokesperson pointed to his remarks last week in an interview with Breitbart, where he definitively said no. When leaving the deal in 2018, Trump criticized the accord for allowing 'Iran to continue enriching uranium and, over time, reach the brink of a nuclear breakout.' Every Republican senator except Sen. RAND PAUL (R-Ky.) sent a letter to Trump this week urging him not to back an agreement that allows any uranium enrichment. MARK DUBOWITZ, chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a fierce critic of Iran's regime, told NatSec Daily that Iran will want to preserve its enrichment capabilities in any deal, which could scuttle the negotiations or leave Trump to sell a deal to a Republicans who have indicated they oppose it. Iran, for its part, has said it will agree to something close to the JCPOA, under which Iran agreed to strict nuclear curbs that expired over time in exchange for sanctions relief. ALI SHAMKHANI, a top adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah ALI KHAMENEI, told NBC this week that Iran would commit to never making nuclear weapons, eliminating stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, enriching uranium only to lower levels needed for civilian use and allowing international inspectors to supervise it in exchange for the lifting of all sanctions on Iran. In addition to enrichment, another key Republican criticism of the Obama-era deal was that it did not cover non-nuclear issues with Iran, such as its missile program. 'It has to at least focus on the missiles too, … and I haven't heard anyone who wants to talk about that,' the former Trump official said. The Inbox FACE TO FACE: After months of impasse on peace talks, Trump is saying it's time for him to meet with Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN. 'I think it's time for us to just do it,' he told reporters as he wrapped up his trip to the Middle East today. 'We've got to get it done,' he said of talks to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, which has been raging for three years since Russia first launched its unprovoked, full-scale invasion in 2022. When asked when he would meet with Putin, Trump said: 'As soon as we can set it up.' Trump's comments came after Ukrainian and Russian officials met for talks in Turkey this week. Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY had challenged Putin to show up in Turkey for talks and said he'd meet with him if he did. Putin didn't show up, instead sending lower-level technocrats. Those talks — the first direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in three years — didn't yield any major breakthroughs. But both sides agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners, as our colleague Veronika Melkozerova reports from Kyiv. SPENDING PRESSURES: As the Trump administration pushes NATO allies to boost defense spending to 5 percent ahead of a major alliance summit this summer, Canada could find itself in the MAGA crosshairs… again. Canada, already grappling with less-than-stellar relations with Trump, is one of eight allies that lags behind on the current NATO benchmark of spending 2 percent on defense. (It's at 1.37 percent, though the Canadian government has outlined plans to hit that target by 2030.) The United States spends around 3.4 percent of its GDP on defense. Under a new proposal from NATO, allies would be asked to spend 3.5 percent of GDP on defense and 1.5 percent on other security-related priorities. In an interview with our colleague Mike Blanchfield, Trump's new Ambassador to Canada PETE HOEKSTRA said Canada could be in a 'good spot' if it can get to 2 percent before 2030. Canadian Prime Minister MARK CARNEY is 'in a better position, but he is going to have to recognize that on June 30, NATO and [Secretary of State MARCO] RUBIO and the president may come back to him and say, 'Oh, well, it'll happen before that.'' PROMOTIONS BLOWBACK: Rank-and-file diplomats are up in arms over proposed plans by the Trump administration to shake up how promotion processes work this week, according to internal documents and interviews with five current and former senior U.S. diplomats who spoke to your lead NatSec Daily author and our own Nahal Toosi. Internal promotion processes are wonky, but diplomats say they are an important institutional part of promoting career diplomats, including ambassadors who will serve at the frontlines of U.S. policies to counter China and Russia abroad. The changes include installing a 'jury duty' system for people to serve on the boards instead of asking for volunteers, according to a document obtained by POLITICO. The boards also will meet virtually instead of in-person, which department officials say will save taxpayer dollars on travel for diplomats involved. The changes take effect next month. The shake-up also underscores how far Trump appointees are going to root out any semblance of diversity, equity and inclusion policies from the diplomatic corps. Some of the diplomats say this was a driving factor for LEW OLOWSKI, the top official in the Bureau of Global Talent Management, to shake up promotion boards. (As loyal NatSec Daily readers will recall, Olowski's promotion to the top HR job in the State Department angered some officials who charged he did not meet the qualifications for the post.) Some officials sharply disputed that the promotion boards were affected by DEI policies. When approached for comment, the State Department said in a statement that it is adjusting the Foreign Service Selection Boards processes to 'reduce costs and increase the integrity of the process.' DRINKS WITH NATSEC DAILY: At the end of every long, hard week, we like to highlight how a prominent member of the national security scene prefers to unwind with a drink. Today, we're featuring BRAD BOWMAN, senior director at the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank. Teetotalers rejoice: Bowman, a U.S. Army veteran who served as a senior staffer on military and national security policy to Republican senators, is a paragon of healthy living if we're judging him by his drink choice. 'If you are looking for an exotic cocktail, you came to the wrong guy,' Brad said. (To the contrary Brad, we love hearing about drinks of choice from all natsec wonks, regardless of whether they fall on a cocktail menu or not.) Brad's pick: 'I typically go for a ginormous glass of cold 1 percent lactose-free milk,' he said. What better way to build strong bones? And if not that? 'If I am feeling really saucy, need a break from troubling headlines, or celebrating something with the family, I go for a Martinelli's Sparkling Cider on the rocks,' he said. 'Très chic, I know.' Well, Brad, chic is in the eye of the beholder. So cheers to you! IT'S FRIDAY! WELCOME TO THE WEEKEND: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily! This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at rgramer@ and ebazail@ and follow Robbie and Eric on X @RobbieGramer and @ebazaileimil. While you're at it, follow the rest of POLITICO's global security team: @dave_brown24, @HeidiVogt, @jessicameyers, @RosiePerper, @nahaltoosi, @PhelimKine, @ak_mack, @felschwartz, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @reporterjoe, @JackDetsch, @samuelskove, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130 and @delizanickel Keystrokes PULLING PUNCHES: U.S. Cyber Command paused offensive operations aimed at Russia for one day this year as a negotiating tactic, House Armed Services cyber subcommittee Chair DON BACON (R-Neb.) said today. As our own Maggie Miller reports (for Pros!), during a subcommittee hearing on the Pentagon's cyber posture, Bacon confirmed reports in late February that Defense Secretary PETE HEGSETH directed Cyber Command to stand down from planning on all matters regarding Russia, including offensive actions. This is significant because the Pentagon denied those reports at the time. The report sparked confusion and fury among Democratic lawmakers and European leaders, who viewed the move as a capitulation toward Russia during a time of tense negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. The Pentagon at the time denied that any stand-down order was made. 'I dug into this whole matter,' Bacon said. 'There was a one-day pause, which is typical for negotiations, that's about as much as I can say, a one-day pause.' Spokespeople for the Pentagon and Cyber Command did not immediately respond to Maggie's requests for comment on Bacon's claim. The Complex ABOUT THOSE TUBERVILLE HOLDS: A government watchdog report has found that Sen. TOMMY TUBERVILLE's prolonged blockade of senior military promotions affected military families, officer pay and leadership changes — but did not affect military readiness among rank-and-file troops, as our own Joe Gould reports for Morning Defense (for Pros!). Tuberville's nearly yearlong hold — a protest of the Biden administration's abortion travel policy —ensnared 447 officers up for promotions for one- to four-star ranks and drew bipartisan condemnation. The sweeping hold was a largely unprecedented move that dragged U.S. military ranks into the domestic dispute over abortion policies. Pentagon officials argued it would hurt national security; Tuberville argued it wouldn't. The GAO report released late Thursday, which doesn't name Tuberville explicitly, found no impact on unit-level readiness citing reports in 2023 and part of 2024, offering a final coda to the bitter political battle that occupied a major chapter of the Biden-era Pentagon. 'Our analysis did not find challenges to readiness — the ability to meet missions,' the report states. Broadsides BRINK SPEAKS OUT: Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine BRIDGET BRINK is speaking out for the first time on why she resigned from her post in a scathing op-ed today for the Detroit Free Press. Brink, a career diplomat who served five U.S. Republican and Democratic presidents, rebuked Trump's pressure on Ukraine amid his negotiations to end the ongoing Russian invasion. 'I cannot stand by while a country is invaded, a democracy bombarded, and children killed with impunity,' she wrote in the op-ed. 'I believe that the only way to secure U.S. interests is to stand up for democracies and to stand against autocrats. Peace at any price is not peace at all ― it is appeasement.' 'And history has taught us time and again that appeasement does not lead to safety, security or prosperity. It leads to more war and suffering,' she added. Transitions — SOFIA CHAVEZ is joining the Center for Strategic and International Studies as media relations manager for external relations. She previously was deputy press secretary for Sen. MICHAEL BENNET (D-Colo.). What to Read — Derek Own and R.M. Schneiderman, POLITICO: 'We've Got a F--king Spy in This Place': Inside America's Greatest Espionage Mystery — Mike Blanchfield, POLITICO: Mark Carney mixes faith and foreign affairs in Rome — Catherine Osborn, Foreign Policy Magazine: Latin American Economies Look to China as U.S. Slashes Aid Monday Today — Atlantic Council, 9 a.m.: U.S.-Latvia Resilience Conference — Hudson Institute, 2 p.m.: The Rt. Hon. Sir IAIN DUNCAN SMITH MP on How the West Can Overcome the Totalitarian Axis Thanks to our editors, Heidi Vogt and Emily Lussier, who should bow to our military pressure to give up their illicit nuclear program.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The remaking of Marco Rubio
Perhaps you've heard about wearing multiple hats at work, but four? It might be too many for most people, but not Marco Rubio. As the New York Times put it this month, he's become the 'secretary of everything' for the Trump administration: secretary of state, interim national security adviser, acting USAID administrator (albeit for a gutted agency), and acting archivist of the United States at the National Archives and Records Administration. Put another way, if the Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency asked Rubio what he accomplished this week, it would be a long email. And the former Republican senator from Florida is proving to have better survival instincts in Trump world than some observers expected. Nahal Toosi, a columnist and senior foreign affairs correspondent at Politico, is one of those Rubio skeptics. She predicted in January that Rubio wouldn't last long in the second Trump administration, perhaps less than a year. But she's less sure now, as Rubio emerges from the administration's first 100 days with a longer list of titles than he began with. Toosi spoke with Today, Explained co-host Sean Rameswaram about Rubio's growing portfolio, how he's juggling it all, and how he's accommodated himself to a second Trump administration, including on big issues like immigration and foreign aid. Below is an excerpt of their conversation, edited for length and clarity. There's much more in the full episode, so listen to Today, Explained wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify. How did Marco Rubio become so important at work? He abandoned everything, or much of, what he has stood for in the past, endeared himself to Trump, supported the president vocally and through policy changes, and earned the president's trust. I will also say it's hard to get into the Trump circle. There's not a lot of people who meet the loyalty tests. Rubio has proven that he can do that. The reason that it's important to point this out is because when he took the initial position of secretary of state, many people viewed him as one of the weakest in Trump's orbit. I wrote an entire column about how all these people in town were saying, He is not going to last very long. He won't last even six months as scretary of state. The fact that he has climbed the ranks and taken all these positions and earned the president's trust in such a way — that is really remarkable, but it goes to show how unrecognizable he is compared to what Marco Rubio was five, 10 years ago. Marco Rubio's been around a long time. When you hear candidate Donald Trump talking about draining the Washington swamp, it's people like Marco Rubio. There were reports that he was asking President Biden for more funding for USAID before he became one of the faces of the elimination of USAID. He's not exactly MAGA. Are you saying that there hasn't been much tension between Rubio and Trump? I wouldn't say [Rubio is] a traditional Republican. He came in on a wave of reactionary [sentiment against] the establishment. But he over time established his bona fides in the Senate as a hawkish Republican: pro-human rights, pro-democracy promotion, definitely pro-humanitarian assistance, the type of guy who supported Ukraine, wants to be tough on dictatorships around the world, including Iran. But I would say he also has proven to be a very flexible type of politician over the last several years. He has moderated his positions. My understanding is he's gone out and learned a lot about the American heartland. But now that he has joined the Trump team, he has really gone to the MAGA world, to the point where even far-right influencers like Laura Loomer are now praising Marco Rubio. And I imagine much of that acceleration has happened via his initial job, secretary of state? Yes. And part of the reason that that has happened is because he's used that perch to agree very vocally with a lot of Trump policies, right? In defending, for instance, President Trump's takedown of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy in that famous Oval Office meeting. But wasn't Rubio one of the only Cabinet members in that meeting who looked uncomfortable? He looked like he was sinking into the couch. But afterward he got on TV, he went public, he defended the president. He realized immediately, Okay, I have to speak out, or it's gonna look like I'm not supportive of President Trump, right? And I have to be subordinate to him. Look, another area where he's been astonishingly pro-Trump is the anti-immigration stuff. 'He's going to be responsible for any major crisis that happens.' This is really remarkable for Rubio because he has often touted his own family's immigrant story. They're from Cuba. And now he is seemingly gleefully stripping students of their visas and negotiating deals that are sending people to a prison in El Salvador without them getting proper hearings in court. And he's even suggesting he'll defy the judges if they request information in support of Trump. Some of these things you think, Wow, does he have to go this far? Obviously it's working for him in terms of surviving under Trump. But who knows, in a month from now Marco Rubio may be out of favor. A lot of people thought that Mike Waltz, the national security adviser who was pushed out, would last longer than he did. Now that Rubio is actually in charge of these key portfolios — national security adviser and the State Department — in a way he has a bigger target on his back too. Because he's going to be responsible for any major crisis that happens. This is the job he most recently acquired, Donald Trump's national security adviser. What exactly does that entail? The national security adviser is based at the White House, and they are like a point guard. They keep an eye on what all the agencies are thinking. They coordinate and they bring together options for the president when it comes to foreign policy and national security issues. Now, that's if they do it in the way that's considered proper, which is to be an honest broker, to be the guy that says, here's what State is thinking. Here's what DOD is thinking, here's what the CIA wants. A lot of national security advisers acquire more power than that. They very much have their own points of view. They do their own negotiations. They rival other people in the administration for power. That's always caused a bit of tension in past administrations. So we definitely could have seen Rubio at odds with a national security adviser in the future, but now it would be like being at odds with himself. Is there any conflict there? Does being Trump's national security adviser come at the expense of his other roles, especially secretary of state? One of the key mysteries right now is how is he going to do both jobs at the same time. And remember, he has two other jobs, but let's put those aside. How he splits his time is something that's going to be very important to watch. The only person who's done this in the past is Henry Kissinger. And that was in the '70s. And back then, the world was, to be honest, not as complicated. Not that it was great, but it was not what we have now. What do you think he's excited about accomplishing as our secretary of state, if not our national security adviser, our chief archivist, and the head of USAID? If he survives in the roles for several months or over a year, that is an accomplishment. Under President Trump, survival is difficult. He has had a constant turnover in the past. In terms of other accomplishments, if this administration were to strike important deals with Iran, say over its nuclear program, or bring about a peace between Russia and Ukraine, these are things that they can point to as accomplishments. I do want to point out, there is another major player in terms of foreign policy right now, and that's Steve Witkoff. He's a special envoy for the president. He's actually the lead on portfolios like Iran and Ukraine. But Rubio can very much have a major role in those as well. And ultimately the president is the one who's going to take the credit for the accomplishments and knowing how Rubio is operating, he will definitely cede the limelight to the president.
Politico
08-05-2025
- Business
- Politico
Will the real Iran policy stand up?
With help from Nahal Toosi, Joe Gould and Daniel Lippman Subscribe here | Email Robbie | Email Eric The Trump administration isn't shying away from discussing the technical details of its desired nuclear deal with Tehran. But top officials are causing some confusion about where exactly the White House stands on enrichment. On Wednesday, Vice President JD VANCE said Iran can have a civil nuclear program and implied the U.S. could allow Tehran to enrich uranium. 'You can't have the kind of enrichment program that allows you to get to a nuclear weapon, and that's where we draw the line,' Vance said. But that's a bit different from comments by Secretary of State MARCO RUBIO last week that Tehran 'has to walk away' from enrichment and must import enriched uranium for its nuclear power program. A central Republican attack on the Obama-era nuclear deal was that President BARACK OBAMA's negotiating team gave in on enrichment and allowed Tehran to enrich uranium in the final deal, though only to 3.67 percent. It seems the matter is still up for debate. President DONALD TRUMP added Wednesday, 'We haven't made that decision yet,' as to whether Iran could enrich uranium for a civil nuclear program. Meanwhile, Trump has signaled he wants to go after Iran's centrifuges. In an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt on Wednesday, he threatened to bomb Iran if a deal isn't reached, saying, 'There are only two alternatives there: Blow them up nicely or blow them up viciously.' BEHNAM BEN TALEBLU, who leads Iran work at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank in Washington, draws a distinction between the 'political end-state' Trump has outlined and the technical details about how to achieve that. Trump, he argued, has been clear in his desire to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, while leaving the technical details vague. 'The people around him now are trying to fill in the technical contours, and sometimes that looks like it could go one way. Sometimes it looks like it can go another way,' Ben Taleblu said. 'But I would say the political logic of this is the president is keeping his options open.' There are strategic advantages to that ambiguity, says JON ALTERMAN, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington. But it also 'raises the question of whether the administration has a vigorous process in place to evaluate the various proposals being put forward by an Iranian negotiating team with decades of experience,' Alterman argued. The hope in some GOP corners is that the final deal will move toward dismantling the enrichment program and pushing Iran to only import enriched uranium. On Capitol Hill today, Sens. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) and TOM COTTON (R-Ark.) argued that Iran should only be granted a '123 agreement' with the United States once its nuclear program is deterred ('123 agreements' refer to section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, which allows the U.S. to collaborate with other countries on peaceful nuclear projects). Graham in particular warned that without dismantlement, Iran could remain in a position to get a nuclear weapon. 'I'm okay with Iran having peaceful nuclear power. I'm okay with them building new nuclear power plants. As long as they don't enrich that. The nuclear fuel supply comes from outside of Iran. It will be completely controlled,' Graham said. 'Anything short of that would be a bad deal. Anything short of that, I think, would ensure over time they get a nuclear weapon.' The Inbox GAZA RUNS ON EMPTY: Gaza communal kitchens are shuttering as food supplies run out and hunger worsens in the war-torn enclave. Per Reuters' Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Mahmoud Issa, that includes kitchens run by nongovernmental organization World Central Kitchen. The disruptions will reduce the number of free meals available in Gaza by up to 500,000, and they come as Israel has restricted entry of humanitarian aid to the territory as a way to get Hamas to surrender faster. The news comes as the Israeli government faces concerted pressure from Democrats in Washington to resume aid to the territory. Ninety-six House Democrats wrote to Israeli Ambassador to the United States YECHIEL LEITER, urging the Israeli government to alleviate suffering in Gaza. 'Cutting off or severely restricting aid to Gaza harms Israel's long-term security,' wrote the Democrats in the letter led by Reps. AMI BERA (D-Calif.) and SALUD CARBAJAL (D-Calif.). 'It is a stain on Israel's international reputation, that jeopardizes efforts to normalize relations with neighboring Arab states, who have condemned this action.' Israel appears to be moving toward resuming aid. Special envoy STEVE WITKOFF briefed the U.N. Security Council on a new Israeli plan to resume the distribution of aid to Gaza, per a person familiar with the briefing, who was granted anonymity to freely discuss a sensitive topic, confirming reports from Axios. Israel's security cabinet approved the effort earlier this week. INDIA-PAK DRONE WARFARE: India and Pakistan accused each other today of deploying drones and missiles against each other, as fears mount that a full-on conflict will emerge between the two nuclear powers. Rubio spoke with both India's foreign minister and Pakistan's prime minister today, per State Department readouts of the calls. In those calls, he urged Pakistan to take 'concrete steps to end any support for terrorist groups,' while expressing 'sorrow' for civilian casualties. Rubio also 'emphasized the need for immediate de-escalation' to both countries. ABOUT ANOTHER MIDEAST NUCLEAR DEAL: Saudi Arabia has been pursuing a deal with the United States about establishing its own civilian nuclear deal, and per Reuters, the Trump administration is making the process for Riyadh much easier. Reuters' Pesha Magid reports that the U.S. is no longer demanding that Saudi Arabia recognize Israel as a condition for allowing it to have a civilian nuclear program. It's a major concession from the United States, which previously linked nuclear talks to a wider agreement between Riyadh and Washington to shore up defense ties and bolster Israel's standing in the region. It reflects the Trump administration's desire to keep warm ties with Riyadh. Saudi Arabia will be one of the countries Trump visits on his first major trip abroad next week. And Energy Secretary CHRIS WRIGHT said that the two countries were on a 'pathway' to a nuclear deal during Wright's visit to the country in April. IT'S THURSDAY: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily! This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at rgramer@ and ebazail@ and follow Robbie and Eric on X @RobbieGramer and @ebazaileimil. While you're at it, follow the rest of POLITICO's global security team: @dave_brown24, @HeidiVogt, @jessicameyers, @RosiePerper, @nahaltoosi, @PhelimKine, @ak_mack, @felschwartz, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @reporterjoe, @JackDetsch, @samuelskove, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130 and @delizanickel Keystrokes LAWMAKERS AIM TO FILL WORKFORCE HOLES: A bipartisan group of lawmakers is out with legislation aimed at tackling worker shortages in major defense-related fields — such as manufacturing, cybersecurity and logistics — by seeking out early-career military personnel who are medically disqualified from service or people unable to join up for other reasons. New bicameral legislation — introduced by Sens. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-N.H.) and MIKE ROUNDS (R-S.D.) and Reps. JEN KIGGANS (R-Va.) and JOE COURTNEY (D-Conn.) — would require the Pentagon to create a pathway for service members who are medically disqualified from service during their initial accession or training to enter civilian jobs they're qualified for in DOD and the services. It also would require DOD to provide information to people medically ineligible to join up about employment opportunities in the defense industrial base, cybersecurity, emergency and disaster preparedness and other fields in U.S. national interests. The bill, having the backing of two prominent senators, could make its way into federal law. But it's unclear how the White House stands on the issue, and opposition from Trump could hamstring congressional leadership. The Complex BUDGET BATTLE LOOMS: The Trump administration last week released the broad contours of its defense budget proposal — which suggests keeping base Pentagon spending flat while relying on Republicans' reconciliation push to reach Trump's $1 trillion goal — and lawmakers are already mulling whether that number is enough. Many GOP defense hawks were critical of the plan, arguing the one-time $150 billion increase in their party-line megabill must be paired with significant hikes in the annual Pentagon budget. But top Republican lawmakers aren't in alignment just yet as they wait for a more detailed budget. 'I can't predict what yet what will come out of approps, but we need more information from the services about how the number went from going to be a big increase to essentially being flat funded,' Senate Appropriations Chair SUSAN COLLINS (R-Maine) said. 'And that's quite a difference.' House Armed Services Chair MIKE ROGERS (R-Ala.) said this week he'd prefer a 5 percent increase above inflation, which would bring Pentagon spending to roughly $950 billion before any reconciliation efforts are factored in. There may also be bipartisan support for larger defense budgets. Senate Armed Services top Democrat JACK REED signaled he may back a push for more money. 'We have a lot of challenges. And I think there's places where we can cut at DOD, but we probably have to raise the topline,' Reed said. 'But we have to also pay for it, which we don't do a lot.' On the Hill SFRC DEMS CALL FOUL: Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee boycotted committee proceedings today, accusing Republicans of smashing through standards about nomination hearings. 'Unfortunately, today the majority did not agree to the committee's long-standing rules and traditions to keep the minority properly informed. Therefore, Democrats did not participate in today's proceedings,' said Shaheen, the top Democrat on the committee, in a statement. 'Moving forward, it is my hope this committee can adhere to its long-standing tradition of bipartisanship.' A Democratic committee staffer, granted anonymity to speak freely about committee dynamics, pointed the finger at pressure from the White House. The White House wanted the meeting to go ahead, even though the majority and minority hadn't come to an agreement on the agenda for today's business meetings, the staffer said. The staffer emphasized that a good relationship exists between Shaheen and Chair JIM RISCH (R-Idaho) but that the White House pressure was inappropriate. 'I'm disappointed that my Democratic colleagues chose not to attend our business meeting to fill sorely needed national security positions this morning,' Risch told NatSec Daily. 'Despite their attempts to disrupt this process, the nominees have passed unanimously and will next head to the Senate floor for confirmation. I am cautiously optimistic that the bipartisan work we've done this congress will continue in the coming weeks.' Broadsides SIMION'S SUPPORT: The far-right candidate who came in first in Romania's presidential election is saying he won't back further military aid to Ukraine, as fears grow that ascendant far-right parties in Europe could undermine continental support for Kyiv three years into Russia's invasion. In an interview with our colleague Max Griera, front-runner GEORGE SIMION said he personally wouldn't vote in favor of further aid to Ukraine, arguing that Kyiv hasn't treated the country's minority Romanian population well. 'They are behaving like Russians in many ways,' Simion said. 'So, the first thing I must do is solve these problems with the Ukrainian side because we as Romanians contributed a lot in the war effort.' That said, Simion said he'd defer to the United States and 'consult in defense matters with the American side.' He explained, 'I will take the same stances and will support whatever the Trump administration will do because they are the leaders of NATO and, from the security and defense point of view, the Americans didn't disappoint us.' Such a policy would be a big reversal from one of Kyiv's biggest allies. Romania hosted training camps for Ukrainian fighter pilots and was a major provider of support for its neighbor. Transitions — Trump has nominated KIRSTEN DAVIES to serve as the top tech role at the Defense Department, according to a notice sent to Congress on Tuesday. Davies held top cybersecurity roles at companies like Estée Lauder and was most recently the chief information security officer at consumer packaged goods company Unilever. She also held cyber roles at tech company Hewlett-Packard and Siemens. — ERICA LONERGAN has joined the Foundation for Defense of Democracies' Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation as an adjunct fellow. She was previously a lead writer of the 2023 U.S. Defense Department Cyber Strategy. — STEPHANIE SUTTON is joining the Center for American Progress as chief operating officer. She most recently was acting assistant secretary of the Bureau of Global Public Affairs at the State Department. — FRANCISCO BENCOSME has joined the U.S.-China Business Council as government affairs director. He was previously senior policy adviser and China policy lead for the United States Agency for International Development. —The Trump administration has nominated MATTHEW ANDERSON to serve as the next NASA deputy administrator, according to a Senate notice. Anderson currently works as an executive at government contractor CACI and serves as the chief growth officer of the Space Force Association, a nonprofit, according to his LinkedIn. He was previously an Air Force pilot. — Academy Securities added retired Lt. Gen. LEWIS CRAPAROTTA to its advisory board and geopolitical intelligence group. — AI-powered training firm C2 Technologies named former Navy Secretary CARLOS DEL TORO to its advisory board. — AeroVironment promoted CHURCH HUTTON to chief growth officer from senior vice president for government relations and communications. He is a former SAC-D staff member and executive at Mercury Systems. — KELLY MAGSAMEN, the former chief of staff to then-Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN, will lead the Asia Group's newly launched Indo-Pacific Defense Incubator initiative. — Retired Gen. MIKE MINIHAN, the former Air Mobility Command chief and head of Mavericks Advisors, joined Radia as a strategic adviser. What to Read — Maria Tsvetkova, Polina Nikolskaya, Anton Zverev and Ryan McNeill, Reuters: Russia building major new explosives facility as Ukraine war drags on — Samuel Charap and Sergey Radchenko, Foreign Affairs: Why Peace Talks Fail in Ukraine — Scott Calvert, The Wall Street Journal: Locals Fight Back After Naval Academy Removes Books in DEI Cull Tomorrow Today — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs, 10 a.m.: The Legacy of Corruption: Karim Massimov and the Nazarbayev System — The Center for Strategic and International Studies, 10 a.m.: Insights for Future Conflicts from the Russia-Ukraine War — Johns Hopkins University Gupta-Klinsky India Institute, 1 p.m.: India Conference 2025 Thanks to our editors, Heidi Vogt and Emily Lussier, who confuse us with their unclear negotiation tactics. CORRECTION: Wednesday's newsletter misstated Matt Pearl's title at Jenner & Block. He is 'of counsel' at Jenner & Block.
Politico
14-04-2025
- Business
- Politico
White House to send Congress a formal request to nix $9.3B for PBS, State Department
The White House will soon ask Congress to cancel $9.3 billion already approved for foreign aid initiatives, public broadcasting and other programs, according to a White House official granted anonymity to speak freely. Congress is expected to receive that so-called rescissions request when lawmakers return from their two-week recess later this month. To nix the funding, the House and Senate will each have to vote at a simple-majority threshold to approve the formal ask. The White House package is expected to target funding for the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, U.S. Institute of Peace and other programs. Some GOP senators in farm states have objected to cutting USAID programs that buy wheat and other products from U.S. farmers to provide food aid for hungry populations abroad. Meredith Lee Hill and Nahal Toosi contributed to this report.
