‘REALLY APPALLING’: Former President Donald Trump’s effort to convince Republicans in Congress to kill a bipartisan compromise of border security so he can use it as a wedge issue in the coming election has unleashed an angry backlash from prominent senators, including the GOP’s point man in the negotiations with the Democrats.
“I don’t doubt that he wants a perfect deal, so do I on it, but we’ve got to be able to figure out how to be able to do something right now to get as much done as we can possibly get done,” Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) told reporters. “I have a Democrat Senate that hasn’t wanted to deal with this, has refused to even have hearings on these issues for the last three years as the whole country watches the chaos.”
“I just reject the idea that we should reserve a crisis for a better time to solve it,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) said. “There a lot of angry people out there, and that’s why the border crisis is the No. 1 issue for voters. I don’t see how we have a better story to tell when we miss the one opportunity we have to fix it and we go to say, you know, I would love to fix it, but it was election season, so I thought I’d wait.”
“I don’t think making the border better changes the 2024 outcome. …I think it’s what we’re expected to do,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), while Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) said, “Anything that interrupts that negotiation, I think, would be tragic.”
Perhaps the most biting response came from longtime Trump antagonist Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT): “I think the border is a very important issue for Donald Trump,” Romney told reporters. “And the fact that he would communicate to Republican senators and congresspeople that he doesn’t want us to solve the border problem because he wants to blame Biden for it is really appalling.”
ROMNEY SLAMS TRUMP FOR NOT WANTING BORDER SOLUTION SO HE CAN BLAME BIDEN: ‘REALLY APPALLING’
TRUMP: ‘WE ARE BETTER OFF NOT MAKING A DEAL’: In a post on his Truth Social site, Trump repeated his demand that Republicans reject anything less than a “perfect” deal that makes no concessions to the Democrats.
“We need a Strong, Powerful, and essentially ‘PERFECT’ Border and, unless we get that, we are better off not making a Deal, even if that pushes our Country to temporarily ‘close up’ for a while, because it will end up closing anyway with the unsustainable Invasion that is currently taking place,” he wrote. “A DEATH WISH FOR THE U.S.A.!”
In brief comments at Thursday’s Senate GOP conference lunch, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) reassured Republican senators he remains committed to getting a border deal as a path to secure an aid package for Ukraine.
“The comments put to rest doubts over his commitment to the border talks following reports that McConnell had seemingly wavered at a conference meeting the day before,” reported the Washington Examiner’s David Sivak. “The minority leader’s Thursday clarification does not guarantee Ukraine aid will proceed. Border talks remain at an impasse on the issue of parole. It is possible no deal materializes.”
“Look, we’ve got to do Ukraine,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) said on CNN last night. “But we also know that we’ve got to do the southern border because that’s the demand of the folks back home. I think most of us are going to stick with what the folks back home want to see done, and that is fix our own border, as we’re starting to talk about providing additional foreign aid.”
“A lot of Americans understand the need to stop Putin,” Rounds said. “They understand that Ukraine is at a critical spot and that we’ve got to be able to provide them additional resources. Otherwise, Putin wins.”
MCCONNELL PUTS TO REST DOUBTS OVER COMMITMENT TO UKRAINE-BORDER PACKAGE
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HAPPENING TODAY: The International Court of Justice at the Hague is set to issue a preliminary ruling about whether Israel’s campaign to wipe out Hamas in Gaza amounts to genocide under the under the Genocide Convention, which Israel is a signatory to but Hamas is not.
The case was filed by South Africa, which is also a signatory to the treaty. Israel has vigorously disputed the charge. “If there have been acts that may be characterized as genocidal, then they have been perpetrated against Israel,” Israel argued before the tribunal last week.
The international body could order Israel to end its military offensive in Gaza but would have no way to enforce its preliminary ruling.
MCCONNELL: BIDEN PLAYING ‘WHACK-A-MOLE’: While a small bipartisan group of senators is arguing President Joe Biden exceeded his authority in ordering an open-ended war with Houthi rebels in Yemen in an effort to halt their missile and drone attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) took to the Senate floor yesterday to argue Biden is not being muscular enough.
“The administration has refused to impose meaningful costs on Tehran, itself — on the architects of this entire regional conflict,” McConnell said. “Tehran is happy to fight until the last Houthi, Hamas, or Hezbollah terrorist. That’s literally why they use proxies — they’re expendable!
“For nearly two weeks, the president has hesitantly and intermittently directed strikes against low-value Houthi terrorist targets. “He’s played whack-a-mole against warehouses and launch sites but left the terrorists’ air defenses and command-and-control facilities intact,” McConnell said. “Now, while the president hesitates to use his constitutional authority, some of our colleagues seem to argue that he shouldn’t have this authority to begin with. … They are profoundly mistaken.”
CAN THE US AND UK BOMB THE HOUTHIS INTO SUBMISSION?
US-IRAQI RELATIONSHIP EVOLVING: The Pentagon insists the working group meetings between the U.S. and Iraqi government are not the beginning of the end of the U.S. troop presence in Iraq.
“Let me be clear: The [Higher Military Commission] meeting is not a negotiation about the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq,” Sabrina Singh, deputy Pentagon press secretary, said Thursday. “The United States and the coalition are in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government to fight ISIS. Our Iraqi partners have assured us of their commitment towards working together to shape this future on U.S. military presence and the enduring defeat of ISIS.”
“The United States and Iraq have enjoyed a deep and productive partnership on security matters in the 10 years since the Iraqi government invited the United States and the Coalition to fight ISIS,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. “The start of the HMC process reflects the evolving U.S.-Iraq bilateral relationship … and underscores our commitment to deepen our security cooperation to advance stability within Iraq and the region.”
WHY DOES THE US STILL HAVE A MILITARY PRESENCE IN IRAQ AND WILL IT STAY?
RUBIO: ‘WE NEED TO RESTORE CONFIDENCE IN THE VALUE OF A MILITARY CAREER’: In an opinion essay in the Washington Examiner, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) argued a combination of failed wars, leftist ideology, and poor living conditions is largely responsible for the U.S. military’s recruiting woes.
“The U.S. armed forces missed their annual recruitment goals by 41,000 people last year,” Rubio wrote. “What can we do to correct course? On one level, the answer is simple. We need to restore Americans’ confidence in the value of a military career.”
“Kids have been taught that the U.S. military, in the past, has not been a good thing, that it’s actually done harm. The second is, imagine you’re a young person today and every day, all you’re hearing about is veterans are committing suicide, veterans are homeless, veterans are suffering from mental illness, veterans who are harmed in the service of our country now have to fight to get care from the VA. The third thing is, we’ve turned the military into a social experiment. Watch some of these social media posts under Biden’s Pentagon, and it’s all about gender and sexual orientation. What they should be focused on is protecting our country from enemies that want to harm us,” Rubio said on Fox and Friends.
“You combine these three things, and unfortunately, many of the families and parents who once viewed military service as an honorable, good, and worthwhile thing are now looking at it and saying, ‘Why do I want [my kids] to serve in that?’”
READ MORE: MARCO RUBIO: HOW TO FIX THE MILITARY RECRUITMENT CRISIS
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Can the US and UK bomb the Houthis into submission?
Washington Examiner: McConnell puts to rest doubts over commitment to Ukraine-border package
Washington Examiner: McConnell signals Ukraine aid in limbo as Trump lobbies against border deal
Washington Examiner: ‘Time will tell’ if Trump can end war in Ukraine, says Russia’s Lavrov
Washington Examiner: Romney slams Trump for not wanting border solution so he can blame Biden: ‘Really appalling’
Washington Examiner: Trump goes over Biden’s head and ‘encourages’ states to defy him over ‘invasion’ at border
Washington Examiner: Growing number of Democrats call on Biden to federalize Texas National Guard
Washington Examiner: Abbott accuses Jean-Pierre of being ‘uninformed’ on border
Washington Examiner: The 24 Republican governors backing Abbott in his fight against Biden over the border
Washington Examiner: Noem willing to send South Dakota National Guard to Texas over ‘war zone’ at border
Washington Examiner: Dan Patrick urges Biden ‘don’t mess with Texas,’ amid border spat
Washington Examiner: Israeli military strikes Hezbollah airstrip it accused Iran of building
Washington Examiner: Netanyahu under fire as CIA chief prepares ceasefire talks
Washington Examiner: Senate Democrats unite behind two-state solution following Netanyahu remarks
Washington Examiner: Pentagon’s UFO tracking is ‘uncoordinated,’ watchdog says
Washington Examiner: Why does the US still have a military presence in Iraq and will it stay?
Washington Examiner: Russian assassin turned politician says Putin expatriate critics will ‘die like dogs’
Washington Examiner: Opinion: America cannot risk pulling out of Syria right now
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Marco Rubio: How to fix the military recruitment crisis
Washington Examiner: Opinion: If only Jim Mattis ran for president
AP: US national security adviser will meet Chinese foreign minister as the rivals seek better ties
Wall Street Journal: U.S., China To Discuss Houthis
Reuters: China Presses Iran To Rein In Houthi Attacks In Red Sea, Sources Say
New York Times: U.S. Is Watching North Korea For Signs Of Lethal Military Action
Washington Post: Austin Signals Washington Is Open To Withdrawing Some Troops From Iraq
Wall Street Journal: US Secretly Alerted Iran Ahead of Islamic State Terrorist Attack
Washington Post: Kyiv, Moscow Push Conflicting Narratives About Downing Of Russian Plane
Foreign Affairs: Ukraine Is Losing the Drone War
Stars and Stripes: Tactical Nuclear Weapons Becoming Bigger Part Of Russian Planning, Report To EUCOM Finds
Air & Space Forces Magazine: 4 Ukrainian Pilots Undergoing F-16 Training in Arizona as Pentagon Reveals New Details
Defense News: Biden Urges Congress to Approve Turkey F-16 Sale
The War Zone: Flying The Block 70 F-16 ‘Ultimate’ Viper According to Its Test Pilot
Breaking Defense: Marine Corps’ Gen. Mahoney Vows to Get V-22s Flying Again amid Pentagon-Wide Grounding
Defense News: Ship Shortage Forces Marines To Consider Alternate Deployments
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Northrop Grumman Eats $1.56 Billion Loss On First B-21 Bomber Lots
Space News: Lockheed Martin, Boeing Win Contracts to Design US Military Narrowband Communications Satellites
Nikkei: US Military Eyes Japan’s Participation in Autonomous Aircraft Program
Bloomberg: China, Russia Disguise Attack Threats Posed by Their Satellites, US Says
Air & Space Forces Magazine: The 5 Firms Selected to Build the Air Force’s Fleet of Autonomous CCA
Defense One: The Pentagon’s IT Agency Is Crafting Its Very Own AI-Chatbot
Air & Space Forces Magazine: USAF General Facing Court-Martial Asks to Retire Instead. So Now What?
Military Times: Pentagon Plans to Fix ‘Chronically Understaffed’ Medical Facilities
Military.com: Humvee Use at Air Force’s Nuclear Missile Bases Changed After 2 Airmen Died in Recent Months
The Hill: Opinion: Cut funding to organizations that are empowering Hamas
Forbes: Opinion: Air Force’s Sentinel ICBM Program Is Struggling, Potentially Impacting Nuclear Deterrence
THE CALENDAR:
FRIDAY | JANUARY 26
9 a.m. — Brookings Institution virtual discussion: “South Korean foreign policy in 2024,” with Yoon Jung Choi, director of the Sejong Institute’s Center for Indo-Pacific Studies; Ramon Pacheco Pardo, professor of international relations and head of the King’s College London’s Department of European and International Studies and Korea chairman at Vrije Universiteit Brussels School of Governance; Scott Snyder, senior fellow for Korea studies and director of the Program on Council on Foreign Relations’s U.S. Korea Policy; and Andrew Yeo, senior fellow in foreign policy, Brookings Institution’s Center for East Asia Policy Studies and Korea Foundation chairman in Korea studies https://connect.brookings.edu/register-to-watch-south-korea-2024
9 a.m. 1828 L St. NW — East-West Center in Washington discussion: “Smaller South Asian Countries and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy in 2024,” with Afreen Akhter, deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs; Porimol Palma, diplomatic correspondent, Bangladesh Daily Star; Avasna Pandey, lecturer at Tribhuvan University; Ranga Jayasuriya, fellow, Hawaiian Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies; Passang Dorji, former member of the Bhutan Parliament; and Rasheeda Didi, senior fellow, South Asia Foresight Network https://www.eastwestcenter.org/events/smaller-south-asian-countries
11 a.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “Are Russia and North Korea forming a new arsenal of autocracy?” with Beth Sanner, CNN national security contributor; former U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan and Ukraine John Herbst, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center; Markus Garlauskas, director of the Atlantic Council’s Indo-Pacific Security Initiative; and Shelby Magid, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/new-arsenal-of-autocracy
11 a.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: “History Repeating? An Examination of Israel’s Intelligence and Policy Failures in the October 1973 Yom Kippur War and October 2023 Hamas Attack,” with retired Israeli Defense Forces Col. Itai Shapira, former deputy head of analysis for the Israeli Defense Intelligence Service; Uri Bar-Joseph, professor emeritus, University of Haifa; Devorah Margolin, fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy; and Jonathan Lord, senior fellow and director of the CNAS Middle East Security Program https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-event-history-repeating
12:30 p.m. — Arms Control Association and Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction virtual discussion: “The Sentinel ICBM program: Risks, Costs, and Alternatives,” with Sebastien Philippe, research scholar, Princeton University Program on Science and Global Security; Sharon Weiner, associate professor, American University School of International Service; Frank von Hippel, professor emeritus, Princeton Program on Science and Global Security; and Zia Mian, physicist and co-director, Princeton University Program on Science and Global Security https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
MONDAY | JANUARY 29
2 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute event. “A Conversation with Rep. Darrell Issa on U.S.-South Asia Relations,” with Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Aparna Pande, Hudson research fellow, India and South Asia https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-conversation-with-rep-darrell-issa
TUESDAY | JANUARY 30
9 a.m. 390 Cannon — House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party hearing: “Authoritarian Alignment: The CCP’s Support for America’s Adversaries,” with former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/
10 a.m. 2141 Rayburn — House Judiciary Constitution and Limited Government Subcommittee hearing: “The Southern Border Crisis: The Constitution and the States.” http://judiciary.house.gov
10 a.m. 310 Cannon — House Homeland Security Committee markup of H.R. 863, Impeaching Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, for high crimes and misdemeanors. http://homeland.house.gov
WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 31
2 p.m. 2200 Rayburn — House Foreign Affairs Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee hearing: “Roundtable: Taliban Reprisals,” with testimony from Amy Marden of the Moral Compass Federation; Andy Sullivan of No One Left Behind; Thomas Kasza of the 1208 Foundation; Justin Sapp of Badger Six; Michael Cizmar of Rafiq Friends of Afghanistan; Elizabeth Lynn of Operation Recovery; Joe Maida IV of TransNexus Technologies; and Sanjar Sohail of 8AM Media http://foreignaffairs.house.gov
2:30 p.m. 419 Dirksen — Senate Foreign Relations Europe and Regional Security Cooperation Subcommittee hearing: “The North Atlantic Treaty Organization at 75: Reflecting on Past Successes and Planning for the Future,” with testimony from retired Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, former U.S. permanent representative to NATO, Washington, D.C.; Luke Coffey, senior fellow of national security and defense, Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C.; and Tara Varma, foreign policy fellow, Brookings Institute Center on the United States and Europe http://foreign.senate.gov
WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 14
4 a.m. Brussels, Belgium — NATO defense ministers meet at NATO Headquarters, with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg scheduled to give a press conference https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news
TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 6
7:30 a.m. — Association of the U.S. Army “Coffee Series,” with Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George https://www.ausa.org/events/coffee-series/gen-george