With Connor OBrien
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Top House and Senate budget lawmakers plan to meet this evening to figure out the way forward for the fiscal 2020 budget.
Lawmakers say Turkeys president shouldnt meet with President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
The Pentagon chief says an Army officer who testified in the impeachment inquiry shouldnt face retaliation.
HAPPY TUESDAY AND WELCOME TO MORNING DEFENSE, where we're always on the lookout for tips, pitches and feedback. Email us at dbrown@politico.com, and follow on Twitter @dave_brown24, @morningdefense and @politicopro.
HAPPENING TONIGHT: The four top appropriators on Capitol Hill Sens. Richard Shelby and Patrick Leahy, and Reps. Nita Lowey and Kay Granger will meet tonight to breathe life into plans to pass a budget even as the clock ticks down to the end of the current continuing resolution, POLITICOs Caitlin Emma reported last week.
That includes figuring out how to deal with Trumps plans to divert funding for the border wall. Were going to talk about everything any way to move the process, Shelby said. We have to do the best we can as soon as we can.
And while everyone agrees that the impeachment proceedings are sucking the oxygen out of the quest to pass appropriations bills, The Associated Press writes that the hearings bring one benefit.
The odds for a spending deal could be helped by the apparent sidelining because of impeachment of acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and budget office chief Russell Vought, two hard-liners with whom [Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has clashed in the past.
AID WITH STRINGS ATTACHED: Aides to President Donald Trump are drafting plans to condition U.S. aid to other countries on how well they treat their religious minorities, two White House officials said, POLITICOs Nahal Toosi and Gabby Orr report.
The proposal is expected to cover U.S. humanitarian assistance, and could also be broadened to include American military aid to other countries. If the proposal becomes reality, it could have a major effect on U.S. assistance in a range of places, from Iraq to Vietnam.
Subject to change: Two White House officials ... stressed that the idea is in its early stages and an executive order is still being drafted, meaning questions about, say, whether military aid will be covered remain unanswered.
NSC SHRINKAGE: White House national security adviser Robert OBrien is moving quickly to shrink and reshape his staff rattling some nerves already frayed by the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, Toosi reports.
The changes at the National Security Council are both sweeping and minute: several dozen policy roles will be eliminated as staffers return to their home agencies or leave government in the coming two months; at least two NSC divisions are being phased out completely; a third, meanwhile, has been handed off to a separate White House-based group.
CALL THE WHOLE THING OFF: A bipartisan group of House lawmakers is urging Trump to call off a Wednesday meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, citing the countrys cross-border incursion into Syria last month, our colleague Connor OBrien reports.
The incursion has had disastrous consequences for U.S. national security, has led to deep divisions in the NATO alliance and caused a humanitarian crisis on the ground, the 17 lawmakers write. "Given this situation, we believe that now is a particularly inappropriate time for President Erdogan to visit the United States, and we urge you to rescind this invitation.
Related: Behind Trump-Erdogan 'bromance,' a White House meeting to repair U.S.-Turkey ties, via Reuters.
ABOUT THAT OTHER FREEZE: House lawmakers are demanding to know more about the administrations freeze of aid to Lebanon, Al-Monitor reports.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., and Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., have written a letter to White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney to find out why the White House put a hold on $105 million in foreign military financing to Lebanon in October.
We are confounded by the decision to hold this assistance, they wrote, asking Mulvaney to fill in the blanks by Friday.
HAPPENING TODAY: Sen. Todd Young, a Republican member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, discusses U.S. national security and geopolitical challenges at 11:30 a.m. at the Hudson Institute. And Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Jim Risch talks about China's political and economic influence in Europe at 3 p.m. at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
NO RETALIATION: Defense Secretary Mark Esper says an Army officer who testified in the impeachment inquiry shouldnt face retaliation, Reuters writes.
He shouldnt have any fear of retaliation, Esper told reporters traveling with him to New York. Thats DoDs position.
Esper added that hes spoken to Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy about the need to protect the officer, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, along with anyone else who comes forward.
Coopers take: Trumps decision to freeze military aid to Ukraine this summer sent shockwaves through the administration as different corners scrambled to figure out what was going on, according to testimony by Pentagon official Laura Cooper released Monday night, per POLITICOs Andrew Desiderio and Kyle Cheney.
She also learned through the White House that the holdup was somehow related to concerns about corruption.
The House also released the transcript of Christopher Anderson, a top aide to Kurt Volker, the administrations point man on Ukraine negotiations.
In his testimony, Anderson recounts that Trump once called then-national security adviser John Bolton at home after seeing a CNN report that a U.S. destroyer would be conducting a freedom-of-navigation operation in the Black Sea in a message to Moscow.
The operation was canceled.
THE INVISIBLE MAN: Foreign Policy is out with a new piece on Espers growing influence in the administration and his relationship with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, drawing differences between the two West Point grads leadership style.
A senior Defense Department official notes that Esper defers to Pompeo, even though the former has a larger agency.
Ive seen this now half-a-dozen times, the official noted. Whenever Pompeo calls, Esper clears the room and closes the door. People have noticed. I dont think that Pompeo runs Esper, but its a bad look.
Another official took note of how Esper handled Trumps surprise decision to pull U.S. troops from northern Syria.
Esper was more than a good soldier on this one, the official said. He was tireless. He spent that weekend on the telephone, talking to his counterparts, worked with the [Pentagons] anti-ISIS task force until all hours and then appeared on news programs to defend the president. It was an impressive performance.
Code of silence: Recently retired senior officers are struggling over whether to speak out against Trumps policies, according to a story in The Atlantic.
Following one of Trumps most controversial defense-policy decisions yetthe announcement that he would take U.S. troops out of the way of a Turkish assault on Americas Kurdish counter-ISIS partnerswe made efforts to contact more than two dozen four-star generals and admirals who retired under Trump to see whether they believed the moment warranted breaking silence.
Only three agreed to speak on the record, including former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joe Dunford, who spoke out in defense of Vindman.
Another was retired Army Gen. Vince Brooks, who said hes uneasy with how Trump treats the Pentagon.
I think what youre seeing is a growing concern that that military advice is not being sought, and if sought, is not being considered, he said. I share the concerns as well.
KEEP THE PACT: The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff called on South Korea to stay in a military information-sharing pact with Japan, part of a high-level U.S. push to hold together the agreement between two of its closest allies days before it is due to expire, The Wall Street Journal writes.
Gen. Mark Milley, who is visiting Japan and South Korea on his first overseas trip as chairman, told reporters on a military jet before landing in Japan on Monday that strong three-way military coordination was needed to face threats in the region.
UN reports increasing violations of Iran nuclear deal: The Associated Press
Afghanistan to swap Taliban militants for American, Australian captives: Reuters
US troops at Syria base say they'll keep pressure on IS: AP
USAF logs fewer severe aviation mishaps in fiscal 2019: Air Force Magazine
2 veterans serving in Congress want the Global War on Terrorism memorial built on the National Mall: Task & Purpose
Read more from the original source:
Lawmakers huddle to plot next steps on the budget - Politico
- Patriots For Economic Freedom - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- Fiscal Freedom and Financial Literacy Campaign :: City of ... - December 30th, 2016 [December 30th, 2016]
- To see how a bill becomes law, follow the money - News Sentinel - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Economy to grow more than 7 per cent next fiscal: Shaktikanta Das - The Indian Express - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Making the case for an RBI rate cut - Livemint - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Cotton Calls for a $26B Uptick in Planned Defense Supplemental - USNI News - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Making A FOIA Request Is About To Get Tougher At FBI - Daily Caller - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Guest Article: Capitulation before the First Shots Are Fired - Somewhat Reasonable - Heartland Institute (blog) - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- U.S. Air Force extended some 800 million yen in funds to 128 ... - The Mainichi - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Greece and the Folly of Trying to Solve an Overspending Problem with Tax Increases - People's Pundit Daily - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Hill Republicans quake at Trump's budget-busting wish list - Politico - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
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- Police Criticized as Violence Continues in Brazil's City of Vitria - The Rio Times - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Business divided on Malloy budget - CT Post - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- The United Kingdom and the Benefits of Spending Restraint - Cato Institute (blog) - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Trump Threatens to Cut Off Government Funds to Universities, and Why Not? - PanAm Post - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- For Philly Cops Already Awash in Overtime Pay, Another Boost -- Thanks to Trump - NBC 10 Philadelphia - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Fiscal Freedom | Prometheism.net - Part 2 - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
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- The United Kingdom and the Benefits of Spending Restraint - People's Pundit Daily - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- MEL STA. MARIA | The 1987 Freedom Constitution should not be changed - InterAksyon - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Venezuela now leads US asylum requests as crisis deepens - Philly.com - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Promoting fiscal discipline - Daily Excelsior - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- The GOP's Big Tax Dilemma: Repealing Obamacare Taxes - The Fiscal Times - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Why Liberty Advocates Should Focus on Spending Restraint over Tax Hikes - PanAm Post - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- What the papers say: Britain's soaring EU budget bill shows Brexit can't happen soon enough - Spectator.co.uk (blog) - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Meet The Venezuelan-Born Mom Who Ran For State Senate To Stop Socialism - The Federalist - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- GOP defense hawks barely squawked on Mulvaney nomination - Washington Examiner - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Floyd Bledsoe urges Kansas to compensate the wrongfully convicted: 'I lost my freedom' - The Garden City Telegram - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Are Republicans Losing Momentum on Obamacare Repeal? - The Fiscal Times - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Study: US falls to 17th place in 2017 global economic freedom index - Economic Collapse News - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Mason Fiscal give WVFD go-ahead - Ledger Independent - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Officials Continue to Dodge Attempts to Disclose Use of Stingrays - Reason (blog) - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- 10 Things to Know About Stephen Feinberg, Trump's Potential Intelligence Czar - The Fiscal Times - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Mason Fiscal gives WVFD go-ahead - Ledger Independent - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Senate Confirms Fiscal Hawk Mick Mulvaney As Trump's Budget Director - New York Magazine - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Thank You, Obama: US Steadily Lost Ground On Economic Freedom Over Past 8 Years - Investor's Business Daily - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- Scott Pruitt: 5 Fast Facts You need to Know - Heavy.com - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- Liberia Ahead Of Ukraine In Index of Economic Freedom 2017 - Global News Network - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- EDITORIAL: The United States continues to drop on the Heritage Foundation's index of economic freedom - Las Vegas Review-Journal - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- US Economic Freedom Hits Historic Low - theTrumpet.com - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Sounds of freedom rattling to far reaches of area - Jacksonville Daily News - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- State lawmakers looking at forced treatment as option to combat opioid crises - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Sri Lanka's govt. integrity, economic freedom deteriorate - Daily Mirror - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Budget 2017: Why taxes will increase - DA - Politicsweb - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- PH up by 12 notches in Economic Freedom Index 2017 ranking | SunStar - Sun.Star - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- County Commission Backs Medical Marijuana, Opposes School Vouchers - Memphis Daily News - February 21st, 2017 [February 21st, 2017]
- Kellogg column: Our culture must shift from dependent to interdependent - Glenwood Springs Post Independent - February 21st, 2017 [February 21st, 2017]
- India's economic freedom plunge | Business Standard News - Business Standard - February 21st, 2017 [February 21st, 2017]
- Ohanaeze president worried about maltreatment of pro-Biafran members worries - Guardian - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- Why is a freedom enshrined in the UN declaration of human rights ... - Stabroek News - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- Gambia: Gambian Man Living In The United States; Former Jammeh Aide Sanna Jarju Named In A Multi million dollars ... - Freedom Newspaper - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Gauging the Trump Effect on Congress and the DOJ - Freedom Leaf (press release) (blog) - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
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- Ohanaeze Ndigbo decries violence against MASSOB, IPOB - Vanguard - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
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- Read Scott Walker's Advice on How Republicans Should Handle Protests - TIME - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- JCPenney to close 13 to 14 percent of stores - Rome Sentinel - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Dj vu all over again - The Capitol Fax Blog (blog) - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
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- Economic Freedom Up Again, But Not in the US - Investor's Business Daily - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Expect the unexpected with upcoming budget, appropriations cycle, experts say - FederalNewsRadio.com - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- Pleading poverty, demanding new taxes - Washington Times - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Newspaper lobby seeks Albany allies in fight for sunlight over state finances - Lockport Union-Sun & Journal - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Philippines Improves in Economic Freedom ranking | CFO innovation - CFO innovation ASIA - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- California lawmakers press ICE for information about raids - The Mercury News - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- ExclusiveRep. Meadows: We Won't Fix Healthcare By Replacing Obamacare with Another Bad Plan - Breitbart News - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- Economic Freedom - HATICE KARAHAN - Yeni afak - Yeni afak English - February 28th, 2017 [February 28th, 2017]
- California 'Trust Women' License Plates to Help Pay for Reproductive Care in Trump Era - Rewire - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Reader Viewpoint: Recognizing our imperfections, tribulations allows us to be wise - The Herald Bulletin - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- The Staggering Costs of Operating Air Force One - The Fiscal Times - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- How a Tenet of GOP Orthodoxy Slipped Away - Roll Call - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Who is the enemy? - Emporia Gazette - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Wake Up, Republicans: This Could Be the Democrats' Tea Party - POLITICO Magazine - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Pakistan ranked ahead India in Economic Freedom Index report ... - ARY NEWS - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Excess rules stifle freedom - The Robesonian - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Law & (Executive) Order - Patriot Post - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- A Closer Look at Trump's 10% Defense Spending Increase - Morningstar.com - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]