The minibus scramble to help Afghan allies

From the SitRoom to the E-Ring, the inside scoop on defense, national security and foreign policy.

Mar 22, 2024 View in browser   By Matt Berg and Eric Bazail-Eimil Congress agreed to add another 12,000 special immigrant visas in the spending bill on Thursday, a victory for those aiming to help Afghans who worked with the U.S. during the war. | Sanaullah Seiam/AFP via Getty Images With help from Ben Leonard and Daniel Lippman Subscribe here | Email Matt| Email Eric Advocates for helping Afghan allies relocate to the United States worked intensely with the Biden administration and top Republican lawmakers to score a major win at the last second. Congress agreed to add another 12,000 special immigrant visas in the spending bill on Thursday, a victory for those aiming to help Afghans who worked with the U.S. during the war — and the Biden administration, which has revamped the SIV program after Trump slowed processing down. But it was a battle, said SHAWN VANDIVER, president of #AfghanEvac, a nonprofit working on the SIV issue. The congressionally authorized limit of 38,500 SIVs was expected to be reached around the upcoming August anniversary of the withdrawal. The Senate originally agreed to add another 20,000 SIVs, but that didn’t make it into the House’s spending bill, causing advocates to panic. “We had to go to the speaker's office and make sure that they knew, ‘Hey, this is a problem, these are going to run out,’” VanDiver told NatSec Daily. His group and other advocates immediately raised the alarm to Sen. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-N.H.), who helped lead the push in the Senate, Rep. JASON CROW (D-Colo.), who has long advocated to expedite the SIV process, and Speaker MIKE JOHNSON among other Republicans to include the visas in the minibus. Some top Republicans pushed back on including any provisions for the visas, then agreed to include 4,000 SIVs in the bill — the normal amount that had been allocated for processing each year, VanDiver said. But they stressed that the Biden administration had improved the initiative and could process more applicants. “When we heard 4,000, we were like, ‘Absolutely not. That's a joke, right?’” he said. After more negotiating, lawmakers and the Biden administration settled on the 12,000 number. VanDiver chalked up the pushback to some Republicans simply being hardliners on immigration — but credited Johnson for ultimately pushing it through. Still, advocates express anxiety that the Biden administration’s work on the issue could be at risk if Trump wins back the presidency. Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, about 300 of those who helped the U.S. have been killed by the group, Shaheen emphasized in a call with NatSec Daily. “They and their families continue to be under threat,” Shaheen said. “It's important for us to keep this promise. We can’t say to our allies, ‘Help us in these efforts and we will reciprocate,’ if we're not willing to do this now.” A message from Lockheed Martin: Make Any Point your Center of Command Lockheed Martin, guided by our 21st Century Security vision, is driving innovation to connect data points across domains to elevate the capabilities of crucial platforms, empowering customers to stay ahead of evolving threats. Learn more.   The Inbox BLINKEN IN TEL AVIV: Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN minced few words during his visit to Israel today, according to Axios’ BARAK RAVID. Ravid reports that during a meeting, Blinken told Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU that "you need a coherent plan, or either you're going to be stuck in Gaza.” Netanyahu reportedly said “we will have our hands full for decades" after Blinken’s comments. The State Department issued a readout of the meeting today, with spokesperson MATTHEW MILLER saying Blinken “reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security and the lasting defeat of Hamas, including in Rafah” and “emphasized the need to protect civilians in Gaza and increase and sustain humanitarian assistance, including through both land and sea routes.” RUSSIA, CHINA SINK GAZA RESOLUTION: Russia and China blocked a U.S.-led resolution at the Security Council today backing an “immediate and sustained” cease-fire in the Israel-Gaza war, Eric reports. The wording of the resolution was the sharpest to date that the United States has proposed to the world body on the Israel-Hamas war. But the U.S.-led resolution stopped short of directly demanding or ordering a cease-fire, and it also did not insist upon a permanent cease-fire. Russia assailed the resolution as an “empty rhetorical exercise” designed to “play to the voters to throw them a bone in the form of some kind of a mention of a cease-fire in Gaza.” China called the U.S. proposal “ambiguous” in remarks after the vote of the U.N.’s highest body. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD slammed Russia and China as “cynical” and “hypocritical” for their opposition. “This was the deadliest single attack on Jews since the Holocaust. And a permanent member of this council can't even condemn it? I'm sorry. It's really outrageous, and it's below the dignity of this body,” Thomas-Greenfield said in remarks after the vote. The U.S. had previously vetoed three separate resolutions pertaining to the Israel-Hamas war arguing that demands set out in those for an “immediate cease-fire” would set back Qatar-backed peace talks. French President EMMANUEL MACRON said today that his country would try to break the diplomatic impasse in New York and bring forward a French-led cease-fire resolution at the Security Council, our own CLEA CAULCUTT reports. A FRIDAY GOODBYE: Retiring Rep. MIKE GALLAGHER has decided he will exit the House as soon as next month, our own ELEANOR MUELLER and OLIVIA BEAVERS scoop. Gallagher said he planned to leave April 19. The Wisconsin Republican announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection, after he received blowback for voting against impeaching Homeland Secretary ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS. His allies, however, say he was long jaded by the antics of the House following the ouster of Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY. As the head of the House select committee investigating the Chinese Communist Party, the Wisconsin Republican was instrumental in the bipartisan passage of a bill earlier this month that would force ByteDance, the company that operates TikTok, to sell the popular app or risk a ban on U.S. app stores. Gallagher has also been a key moderate voice on foreign policy and national security. He supported military aid to Ukraine, including efforts to provide Ukraine F-16 fighter jets and other advanced hardware. He also led a congressional delegation to Taiwan in February, meeting with Taiwanese President TSAI ING-WEN and President-elect LAI CHING-TE. DON’T STRIKE OIL: Washington has urged Kyiv to stop striking Russian energy infrastructure with drones, warning that they could drive up oil prices and provoking more attacks, three people familiar with the discussions told The Financial Times. Senior U.S. officials have repeatedly urged Ukraine’s intelligence and security officials to halt the attacks as Ukraine expands its high-tech drone program: “One person said that the White House had grown increasingly frustrated by brazen Ukrainian drone attacks,” the outlet wrote. A Biden administration official did not respond directly to whether it had made the request to Ukraine, our own VERONIKA MELKOZEROVA and JAMIE DETTMER report. "We have long said that we do not encourage or enable attacks inside of Russia," a Biden administration official. "What we are doing is helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression." Moscow launched a barrage of missiles and drones at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight, leaving several cities without electricity and damaging Ukraine's largest dam, Veronika reports. The attack also put the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on the verge of a blackout, Ukraine’s energy ministry said. The Zaporizhzhia facility, the largest nuclear plant in Europe, has been occupied by Russia since 2022. MOSCOW CONCERT ATTACK: Russian state media is reporting that at least three gunmen dressed in camouflage opened fire on a crowd attending a concert in a deadly attack at a well-known music venue in Moscow on Friday night, according to our own EVA HARTOG. DRINKS WITH NATSEC DAILY: At the end of every long, hard week, we like to highlight how a prominent member of Washington’s national security scene prefers to unwind with a drink. Today, we’re featuring Rep. CARLOS GIMENEZ (R-Fla.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House select committee on China. Gimenez told NatSec Daily that he’s not much of a drinker, but he does enjoy his rum. Every so often, Gimenez kicks back with a Cuba Libre — but like many in Miami, he calls it a mentirita, or little lie in Spanish. He prefers J.A.B. Extra Old Rum and Pepsi Zero in his mentirita and enjoys it most at his favorite restaurant, Island Fish Company in Marathon Key, Fla. (As a fellow Cuban, Eric respects these rum opinions). Salud, Rep. Gimenez! 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 mberg@politico.com and ebazail@politico.com, and follow us on X at @mattberg33 and @ebazaileimil. While you’re at it, follow the rest of POLITICO’s national security team: @alexbward, @nahaltoosi, @PhelimKine, @laraseligman, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @leehudson, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130, @ErinBanco, @reporterjoe, and @JGedeon1.   YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics.      Keystrokes WATCH YOUR CYBER HEALTH: Sen. MARK WARNER (D-Va.) introduced legislation today that would incentivize health care providers to meet new minimum cybersecurity standards following a massive hack by Russian cybercriminals, our own BEN LEONARD writes in. The legislation would allow Medicare providers to get advance payments from the federal government in the event of a cyberattack, if they meet standards set by the government. If intermediaries for a provider are hit by the attack, they would also have to meet the standards in order for the provider to get the payments. The move comes after the Change Healthcare cyberattack, which has caused major outages at the health IT provider that disrupted medical care and payments. “The recent hack of Change Healthcare is a reminder that the entire health care industry is vulnerable and needs to step up its game,” Warner said in a statement. The provisions would go into effect two years after the bill is signed into law. The Complex STAYING IN NIGER: American officials have said they want to see if it’s possible to keep some sort of security presence in Niger after the country’s military junta called the U.S. troops’ presence “illegal,” The Washington Post’s RACHEL CHASON, DAN LAMOTHE and MICHAEL BIRNBAUM report. Those talks have happened in closed-door meetings, as U.S. officials say the situation in Niger “dynamic” and the military junta threatens to derail Washington’s relationship with its closest ally in the region. The current American presence includes about 1,000 troops and a large drone base. U.S. officials revealed to The Wall Street Journal earlier this week that they raised concerns with the junta about negotiations between Iran and Niger over access to the country’s rich uranium reserves, prompting retaliation from the junta. A senior U.S. official told the Post that the Biden administration believes the junta’s statement last the weekend “less some sort of principled stand against U.S. assistance than it was a fit of pique over the deep concerns we expressed to them last week about the direction they’re moving on a number of fronts.” MORE MILITARY WISHLISTS: The Army submitted today a $2.2 billion list of priorities that were not included in the Pentagon’s fiscal 2025 budget request, our own CONNOR O’BRIEN and LEE HUDSON report (for Pros!). In the wishlist obtained by Lee and Connor, the Army is asking for $185 million to speed up the procurement of the Coyote counter-drone system. The Army also wants to expand its missile supplies. Central Command and Space Command also sent in their own funding requests. Central Command wants $450 million more, including funding for counter-drone systems. Most of Space Command’s $1.2 billion funding request, meanwhile, will be steered towards two classified programs. Space Command, which requested only $20 million last year, also wants more money to pay for radar and sensor programs. ICYMI — Russia doubles down on Ukraine war while EU leaders are divided on how to finance weapons by our own BARBARA MOENS and JACOPO BARIGAZZI     On the Hill SHUTDOWN CLOCK TICKS: The House narrowly passed a $1.2 trillion spending package earlier today, our own CAITLIN EMMA and JENNIFER SCHOLTES report. That gives the Senate just hours to work through amendments and pass a bundle of bills designed to avert a government shutdown and fund, among other things, the country’s diplomatic, military and national security priorities. The minibus, once approved by the Senate and signed by the president, will include funding for the State Department and Foreign Operations, the Defense Department and the Department of Homeland Security. PROGRESSIVES’ AUSSIE MEETING: About a dozen members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus met with Australian Ambassador KEVIN RUDD today and discussed how the U.S. can better tackle threats from China. Minutes after the meeting, Rep. MARK TAKANO (D-Calif.) called NatSec Daily, telling us that they spoke about issues including the fentanyl crisis, trade with Beijing, and how to counter ensure security in the Indo-Pacific amid increased Chinese aggression. It’s an effort by the Democrats to brush up on the region’s pressing security issues, but Takano disagreed with any assumption that progressives’ are softer on China than their conservative counterparts: “One-hundred percent decoupling is a Cold War, we don't want that to happen,” he said. “But we need to sort of arrive at … de-risking.” ET TU, BUCK? Outgoing Rep. KEN BUCK (R-Colo.) stuck the knife in one more time, becoming the first Republican to sign the discharge petition for Ukraine aid led by Rep. JIM McGOVERN (D-Mass.), according to Axios’ ANDREW SOLENDER. Read: House Dems could have Johnson's back on ouster threat — if Ukraine aid gets a vote by our own NICHOLAS WU and DANIELLA DIAZ Broadsides MONEY ON THEIR MINDS: Policymakers need to stop worrying about the financial and legal ramifications of redirecting frozen Russian assets to Kyiv, a top European Central Bank official told our own BEN MUNSTER. "Of course the aggressor's funds must be used," said Bank of Latvia Governor MĀRTIŅŠ KAZĀKS. "Ukrainians need money and we need to provide the money — it’s in our common interest." The question is whether "you levy taxes on your citizens or use the assets of the aggressor ... if the war is long, bloody and extremely costly, at one point you will need to go into the assets," he said. His remarks come as Ukraine’s allies, including U.S. and European leaders, increasingly call for Moscow’s assets to be seized in order to arm Ukraine and help rebuild the country. But some Western banks are lobbying against the European Union proposal to do so, fearing it could lead to costly litigation, Reuters’ SINEAD CRUISE and ALEXANDER MARROW report. Moscow said today that Western banks understand the “catastrophic consequences” of seizing assets, Reuters’ DMITRY ANTONOV and Marrow report. Read: The Arctic Flunkies: EU sanctions 33 of Putin’s people over Navalny’s death in prison by our own DENIS LEVEN   SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, the newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world, including WEF in Davos, Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to UNGA in NYC and many more. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW.     Transitions — ERIC VOLMAR is now associate director of the Stanford Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation. He most recently was chief strategy officer at the Office of Strategic Capital at the Department of Defense. — Biden-appointed former Chair of the Joint Chiefs Gen. MARK MILLEY to be a member of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council. — GINA ABERCROMBIE-WINSTANLEY, KARL EIKENBERRY, RORY BROSIUS, M. OSMAN SIDDIQUE, JEFFREY BLEICH and PATRICK MENDIS were named members of the National Security Education Board. What to Read — MICHAEL HIRSCH, POLITICO: From ‘I love you’ to ‘asshole’: how Joe gave up on Bibi — Editorial board, The New York Times: Jailed in Putin’s Russia for speaking the truth — MARC THIESSEN, The Washington Post: If Ukraine falls, it will be the GOP’s Afghanistan Monday Today — Henry L. Stimson Center, 10:30 a.m.: Fight against economic coercion: opportunities and challenges for the U.S.-Japan alliance — Hudson Institute, 10:45 a.m.: Enhancing Northern European security — Foundation for Defense of Democracies, 11:30 a.m: Exploring the potential of a U.S. cyber force — Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, 12:30 p.m.: Argentina and Milei: is this time different? — National Press Club, 2:30 p.m.: The role of Baltic and U.S. leadership in supporting Ukraine, containing Russia and strengthening NATO defense and deterrence  — Wilson Center's Latin America Program, 4 p.m.: A book discussion on  "Nicaragua Must Survive: Sandinista Revolutionary Diplomacy in the Global Cold War" — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs, 4 p.m.: The 2024 European elections: how far right? Thanks to our editor, Heidi Vogt, who has never had a coherent plan. We also thank our producer, Raymond Rapada, who is the king of coordination. Correction: Thursday's edition of NatSec Daily misstated Sen. Shelley Moore Capito's party affiliation. She is a Republican. A message from Lockheed Martin: Make Any Point your Center of Command Lockheed Martin, guided by our 21st Century Security vision, is driving innovation to connect data points across domains to elevate the capabilities of crucial platforms, empowering customers to stay ahead of evolving threats. Learn more.     Follow us on Twitter Matt Berg @mattberg33 Eric Bazail-Eimil @ebazaileimil   Follow us

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