Connor O'Brien

2025: Senator Kid Rock proposes a repeal of the 2001 AUMF to reign in the the war powers of President Dwayne Johnson.

NEW this AM: Nearly the entire New Jersey delegation is urging the Army to back off its major acquisition reform plan. In a letter organized by Mikie Sherrill, NJ lawmakers say the plan would “cripple” Picatinny Arsenal and cost it ~$1B and 1,000 jobs. More in @morningdefense

Full Metal Jersey: Lawmakers rip Army reorg, w/ @connorobrienNH in today's Morning D.

The House GOP Steering Committee picked Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) to be the next chair of the Homeland Security Committee, per sources. The conference will vote to approve him tomorrow.

"I am so tired of making phone calls at 2, 3, 4 o'clock in the morning, getting calls from our great speaker. 'Sir, we have 12 hard nos,'" Trump recounts at the GENIUS signing ceremony. "They just want a little love. Unfortunately, it's always the same. Always the same 12 people"

NEW: The House passed its $831B defense appropriations bill with a flat Pentagon funding levels and numerous conservative policy riders, 221-209. 5 Dems voted for the bill, while just 3 Republicans opposed it.

A big bipartisan majority votes down Marjorie Taylor Greene’s amendment to the defense appropriations bill that would have prohibited any $ to assist Ukraine. The vote was 76-353, with Republicans breaking nearly 2 to 1 against.

MTG’s amendment to gut funding for cooperative programs with Israel in the defense approps bill similarly gets easily voted down, 6-422.

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s amendment to cut security assistance for Taiwan from the defense appropriations bill gets absolutely crushed, 6-421. Not sure I’ve ever seen a non-procedural vote that lopsided.

Rescissions package passes 216-213, Fitzpatrick and Turner join all Dems in voting no

The House vote series coming up starts with the GOP recissions package ends with a final vote on the defense appropriations bill. Lawmakers will also vote in seven outstanding amendments to the defense bill.

Schumer now calling for Trump to fire Vought after 👇

dc really said soup season but the air is the broth and we are the ingredients

"I'm super offended. I'm not frustrated," Murkowski says. "Apparently that's the word you're supposed to use when you're talking to me. Murkowski's always frustrated about everything."

Several Dems rip Senate Appropriations for voting to approve the bill *before* debating and voting on amendments, which could sway some senators' votes. "That may be the tradition, but it's a silly one," Ossoff says.

Senate Appropriations approved its military construction and VA funding bill 25-3. (The committee votes to report the bill subject to amendment, meaning they approve the bill then debate amendment after.) The three no votes were Jeff Merkley, Chris Murphy, and Chris Van Hollen.

Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins says at today’s MilCon-VA markup that Thune told her he has “every intention” of bringing appropriations bills to the floor.

NEW: Four months after Trump announced a new White House shipbuilding office, its team has dispersed. Several staffers have left or been reassigned amid a broader upheaval at the NSC, and the office has been moved to OMB, @JackDetsch and @reporterjoe report in today's Morning D

Since lawmakers are now talking about tacking large non-defense bills onto it, the House won’t try to bring the NDAA to the floor before recessing next week. “Oh god no,” Armed Services ranking Dem Adam Smith told me yesterday. “No, it’s September.”

The House began debate on the defense appropriations bill around 11pm, after a nearly 10-hour procedural vote to allow the bill and three crypto bills finally closed.

This is now the longest vote in House history at more than 7 hours, 20-plus minutes. Congratulations to everyone for pulling together & breaking the record!!!