| | | | |  | | By Matt Berg and Eric Bazail-Eimil | |  A package including rifles, ammunition and armored vehicles for Kenyan forces heading to Haiti is expected to arrive on Thursday — the same day Kenyan President William Ruto will meet with top U.S. officials in Washington. | Bennett Raglin/Getty Images | With help from Erin Banco, Connor O’Brien, Joseph Gedeon and Paul McLeary Subscribe here | Email Matt | Email Eric FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY — Top Republican lawmakers are accusing the Biden administration of going around lawmakers to send tens of millions of dollars in military equipment to Kenyan forces deploying to Haiti, which they say could otherwise be used to help Ukraine. In a letter to Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN on Friday, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair MICHAEL McCAUL (R-Texas) and Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member JIM RISCH (R-Idaho) bashed the administration for using its presidential drawdown authority (PDA) to fast-track $60 million in military assistance to help Haiti quell violent gangs wreaking havoc in the country. That package includes rifles, ammunition and armored vehicles for Kenyan forces heading to the island. They’re expected to arrive on Thursday — the same day Kenyan President WILLIAM RUTO will meet with top U.S. officials in Washington. “The president’s unprecedented use of PDA in this context is extremely questionable,” the lawmakers write in the letter. “Plainly stated, the administration is rushing to fund an undefined and indefinite engagement in Haiti without Congressional approval.” For months, McCaul and Risch have been a pain for the Biden administration on Haiti, blocking funds the White House says are necessary to bolster Kenyan forces. Republicans question whether the U.S.-backed plan for Haiti will actually lead to success — and loyal NatSec Daily readers will remember that it doesn’t outline a specific timeline for the intervention or detail how much money the U.S. might dedicate to the mission. A State Department official previously told Matt that there’s not “a concrete answer as to how long this would last.” There’s growing concern that the U.S. support for Haiti could come at a cost for Ukraine, as the White House is also sending Kyiv equipment directly from Pentagon stockpiles. And no one is sure how long it will take to defeat the gangs — which are growing stronger and more influential by the day. "Armed services are conducting internal inventory audits to see what they can spare for Haiti — which puts it in direct competition with Ukraine for materials,” said a GOP aide, granted anonymity to discuss private assessments. The State Department pushed back: The U.S. is “responding to multiple critical needs around the world, and the scenarios in Ukraine and Haiti are different,” a State official, granted anonymity to discuss internal matters, told NatSec Daily. “Supporting the people of Haiti does not limit or take away from our ability to support the people of Ukraine,” the person added. “Both are important priorities and in each case, we identify support tailored to the needs of our partners.” The Republicans have found themselves in a rare situation: Many left-leaning experts and advocates opposed to Western intervention in Haiti agree with them and don’t believe the Biden administration should play a major role in the matter, given how past interventions have devastated the country. But no group has put forward a sure-fire plan that would bring peace to Haiti in the near term, advocates say. The U.S.-backed plan is seen by numerous lawmakers on Capitol Hill as the best way forward, including those in the House Haiti Caucus. That includes Sens. CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn.), TIM KAINE (D-Va.) and BILL CASSIDY (R-La.), who told NatSec Daily that they introduced a resolution today affirming Congress’ support for the mission to Haiti ahead of Ruto’s visit. The trio hopes the mission will help strengthen the Haitian National Police in the short term and pave the way for fair elections in Haiti, which would then allow the nation to create a stable government free from gang rule. While the mission could help stabilize Haiti, Murphy said in a statement, the U.S. and international partners “must also be committed to providing the long-term support and resources needed to put Haiti back on a path toward democratic governance.” Kaine called on the Republicans to release the funding “so we can work with partners around the world to restore stability for the Haitian people and prevent another migrant crisis.”
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Lockheed Martin’s mission is to protect the ones who serve in their service to the nation. It’s why we lead the way in developing new defense tech and pushing the capabilities of what’s possible to bring security to an unsecure world. Learn more. | | | | | AID TROUBLES IN GAZA: The Pentagon doesn’t believe any of the aid that's been delivered through the floating pier set up by the U.S. off the coast of Gaza has made its way to civilians, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. PAT RYDER told reporters today. Due to unspecified “logistical issues” in distributing the aid coming in through the pier, U.S., Israeli and United Nations officials are discussing “alternative routes” for the safe movement of staff and cargo, he said. That comes as some 950,000 people have fled the southern city of Rafah in the past two weeks, according to Israel’s military, The New York Times’ ADAM RASGON and VICTORIA KIM report. Between 300,000 and 400,000 people remain there, an Israeli military spokesperson told them. A U.N. official told the Times on Monday that about 800,000 people had fled as Israel’s military threatened to expand its operations there to root out Hamas militants. “Shortages of food, clean water and bathrooms have made the experience of relocating particularly dreadful, Gazans say, and price gouging has made the trip unaffordable for those who need transportation, including older and disabled people,” the Times writes. As residents move out of the southern part of the enclave, Israeli troops simultaneously pushed deeper into the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza today, decimating districts with tank fire and airstrikes, residents told Reuters’ NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI. The troops returned to destroy Hamas, despite saying they had dismantled the group in the area months ago. Another factor complicating aid efforts in the enclave is that members of Israeli security forces are tipping off far-right activists and settlers about where aid trucks are delivering supplies to Gazans, The Guardian’s LORENZO TONDO and QUIQUE KIERSZENBAUM report. That has enabled the groups to block and vandalize the convoys, the outlet writes. Those groups claim Hamas is diverting the aid, though they haven’t provided evidence. ISRAEL SEIZES AP EQUIPMENT: Israeli officials seized a camera and broadcasting equipment that belonged to Associated Press journalists in southern Gaza today, prompting pushback from the outlet. The camera had a longstanding live feed with a view into Gaza. Israeli officials accused the AP of providing images to Al Jazeera, violating a new media law. Israel recently banned Al Jazeera from operating in the country. “The shutdown was not based on the content of the feed but rather an abusive use by the Israeli government of the country’s new foreign broadcaster law,” said LAUREN EASTON, vice president of corporate communications at the AP, in a statement. “We urge the Israeli authorities to return our equipment and enable us to reinstate our live feed immediately so we can continue to provide this important visual journalism to thousands of media outlets around the world.” Israel’s military censorship rules bar broadcasts of certain details, such as troop movements that could endanger soldiers. The AP said it complies with the rules. “Obviously, this is concerning. And so we want to look into it. But we’ve always been clear the importance of the work that you all do, the work that journalists do,” White House Press Secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE told reporters this morning, per our own LAUREN EGAN. RUSSIA’S NUCLEAR PROVOCATIONS: The Kremlin announced that it has started conducting tactical nuclear weapons exercises near Ukraine, our own ALI WALKER and LAURA KAYALI report. The tests of the Iskander operational-tactical missile system are the latest escalation in a string of nuclear threats toward Ukraine. PUSHBACK ON GUANTANAMO: The Biden administration has for more than six months held off on transferring 11 Yemeni prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to Oman, NBC reported Monday. But a senior administration official said it is not because Oman hesitated on the transfer, our own ERIN BANCO writes in. Several prominent Democratic lawmakers, including Virginia Sen. MARK WARNER, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, pushed back on the move. The lawmakers said the transfer would likely further complicate conflicts in the Middle East. Despite Senate Majority Whip DICK DURBIN’s (D-Ill.) attempts to sway Warner and others to support the transfer, the prisoners remain at Guantanamo. Durbin is a longtime advocate of closing the prison. IT’S TUESDAY: 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.
| | | | THE GOLD STANDARD OF DEFENSE POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries, like defense, equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists.
Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other. Our defense reporting team—including Lara Seligman, Joe Gould, Paul McCleary, Connor O’Brien and Lee Hudson—is embedded with the market-moving legislative committees and agencies in Washington and across states, delivering unparalleled coverage of defense policy and the defense industry. We bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY. | | | | | | | | STARLINK ASTRAY: Russia using SpaceX Starlink terminals will be a “continuous problem” on the battlefield in the war against Ukraine, a top Pentagon space policy leader said today, our own LEE HUDSON reports (for Pros!). SpaceX is sharing information with the U.S. military on what the company is seeing, and the broader U.S. government is using that information to identify which terminals used by Russia should be shut off, JOHN HILL, DOD’s deputy assistant secretary for space and missile defense, said during a Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee hearing. “We can continue to identify them and turn them off, but I think Russia will not stop,” Hill said. Sen. ANGUS KING (I-Maine), the panel’s chair, asked whether SpaceX is “willingly or knowingly” allowing Russia to use Starlink terminals. “To the contrary, there’s every evidence that when SpaceX becomes aware of things, they try to work with the U.S. government to come up with the best solution for how to turn them off,” Hill said.
| | | LET THEM STRIKE RUSSIA: A group of lawmakers in both parties is demanding the Biden administration lift its restrictions and allow Ukraine to use U.S.-provided munitions to strike inside Russia, which could be viewed as a major escalation in the war. As our own PAUL McLEARY reports (for Pros!), 13 House members, led by House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-OH) and ranking member Jim Himes (D-CT), wrote to the White House that “the Biden administration’s current policy is handcuffing Ukraine’s ability to push back on Russian forces near Kharkiv with U.S.-origin weapons” demanding a policy change. The letter also calls on the U.S. to train more than the current class of 12 Ukrainian F-16 pilots and supports Kyiv’s request for up to seven more Patriot air defense systems. The letter coincides with German Foreign Minister ANNALENA BAERBOCK’s trip to Kyiv, where she re-upped her call to provide Ukraine with greater air defenses, our own PIERRE EMMANUEL NGENDAKUMANA reports. “To protect Ukraine from the Russian hail of missiles and drones, it urgently needs more air defense,” she said in a statement. The calls on both sides of the Atlantic for greater air defenses and fewer restrictions on aid come as Ukraine faces heavy Russian attacks, as Moscow seeks to take more territory in the East, including the city of Kharkiv. Germany has moved to increase its aid to Ukraine by $4 billion this year, according to Reuters’ SABINE SIEBOLD. Read: Supplemental cash would be ‘helpful’ in covering Army border costs, Wormuth says (for Pros!) by our own CONNOR O’BRIEN
| | | | JOIN 5/22 FOR A TALK ON THE FUTURE OF TAXATION: With Trump-era tax breaks set to expire in 2025, whoever wins control of Congress, and the White House will have the ability to revamp the tax code and with it reshape the landscape for business and social policy. Join POLITICO on May 22 for an exploration of what is at stake in the November elections with our panel dissecting the ways presidential candidates and congressional leaders are proposing to reshape our tax rates and incentives. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | NDAA MARKUP CHALLENGE: Wednesday will be the longest day of the year on Capitol Hill, as the House Armed Services Committee debates its version of the National Defense Authorization Act well into the evening. Last year, HASC was done by 12:15 a.m. — will the marathon markup end even sooner this year, or are lawmakers in for a long night? Our colleagues at Morning Defense want to hear from you. Email your best guess on when the markup will finish to cobrien@politico.com before 1 p.m. Wednesday. Whoever comes closest gets a shoutout in Thursday’s newsletter and a customary, if dubious, year of bragging rights. BLINKEN MET WITH PROTESTS: Protestors interrupted SecState Blinken’s testimony to two different Senate committees today, decrying U.S. support for Israel. At the outset of a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing today, protesters with activist groups CODEPINK and American Muslims for Palestine twice interrupted Blinken’s opening statement to the committee, shouting “You will be remembered” and “You are war criminals.” Capitol Police removed the protestors and committee chair Sen. BEN CARDIN (D-Md.) admonished protestors to allow Blinken to speak. Later the same day at a Senate Appropriations State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee hearing, protesters lifted red-colored hands and decried Blinken as a “war criminal.” They also called the situation in Gaza “another Holocaust.” The hearings, which focused on the State Department’s budget request for the coming fiscal year, saw Blinken pledge that his department would work with Congress on actions targeting the International Criminal Court in the wake of yesterday’s announcement of arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Chief YOAV GALLANT.
| | BEIJING SWIPES BACK: China said it will sanction former Rep. MIKE GALLAGHER (R-Wisc.), accusing the past chair of the House China Select Committee of interfering in China’s internal affairs, according to Reuters. Chinese companies and organizations are now prohibited from trading or cooperating with the Wisconsin Republican, who left Congress last month for the private sector. He previously led the House’s China Select Committee, which regularly targeted Beijing. The reprisal against Gallagher, a long-time supporter of Taiwan, comes amid escalating tensions across the Taiwan Straits following the inauguration of the self-governing island’s new president, LAI CHING-TE. Chinese officials have not minced words about the island’s new pro-independence leader, with Foreign Minister WANG YI today calling Lai “disgraceful” and emphasizing they would return Taiwan "back to the motherland." RUSSIA’S D-DAY SNUB: Russia hasn’t yet received an official invitation to this year’s commemoration of the eightieth anniversary of the D-Day landing, and Moscow is blasting Paris for the delay, according to our own CLEA CAULCUTT. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson MARIA ZAKHAROVA said “Literally every other day I double-check this information with our French ambassador. For now, there is no change.” Zakharova went on to accuse Western countries of using World War II as “manipulation” and making the conflict a “subject of political games.” Last month, the French government announced that Russia would be invited to join its celebration of the D-Day anniversary, despite its war in Ukraine. That decision sparked some grumbling from the White House and lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who noted the irony that Russia has accused Ukraine of being a “Nazi” state. Read: Georgia’s ruling party blasts US and EU ‘blackmail,’ vows to pass Russia-style law by our own GABRIEL GAVIN
| | | |   | | | | | — The Assembly of Experts, the body that picks Iran’s supreme leader, elected MOHAMMAD ALI MOVAHEDI KERMANI as its chairman. The 93-year-old cleric replaces 97-year-old AHMAD JANNATI, who has led the group since 2016. — KLAUS SCHWAB, founder of the World Economic Forum, is stepping down as executive chairman of Davos, Semafor scooped today. — TIM BERTOCCI has joined the Pentagon as director of external affairs for the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict. He was most recently chief of staff for Rep. DEAN PHILLIPS (D-Minn.).
| | — ISAAC KARDON and JENNIFER KAVANAGH, Foreign Affairs: How China will squeeze, not seize, Taiwan — FRANCES VINALL and MOHAMAD EL CHAMAA, The Washington Post: Mapping the damage to Gaza’s hospitals: Battered, abandoned and raided — LISA CURTIS and ANNIE PFORZHEIMER, Center for a New American Security: Addressing a human rights and looming terrorism crisis in Afghanistan
| | — Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee, 10 a.m.: A review of the President's FY2025 budget request for the U.S. Department of Energy, including the National Nuclear Security Administration — Permanent Council of the Organization of American States, 10 a.m.: Implementation of all aspects of the Inter-American Democratic Charter and its challenges — Brookings Institution, 10 a.m.: Can China offer a real alternative to liberal democracy? — Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, 10 a.m.: Conflict and hunger in Sudan — Center for Strategic and International Studies, 10 a.m.: A book discussion on "If Confirmed: An Insider's View of the National Security Confirmation Process” — Atlantic Council, 10 a.m.: How U.S. forces are readying for new global threats with Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. C.Q. BROWN — Henry L. Stimson Center, 1:30 p.m.: The world's hotspots and implications for the future of the international order — Wilson Center's Global Europe Program, 1:30 p.m.: Virtual Winston Churchill Lecture to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Winston Churchill — House Foreign Affairs Committee, 2 p.m.: The state of American diplomacy in 2024: global instability, budget challenges, and great power competition — United States Institute of Peace, 2 p.m.: Haiti and development: learning from successes — Center for Strategic and International Studies, 3 p.m.: Combating transnational drug flow — Hudson Institute, 4 p.m.: The dangers of national security weakness with former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations NIKKI HALEY — Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, 4:45 p.m.: The Department of Energy's atomic energy defense activities and Department of Defense nuclear weapons programs in review of the defense authorization request for FY2025 and the future years defense program Thanks to our editor, Rosie Perper, who devastates this newsletter every week. We also thank our producer, Gregory Svirnovskiy, who builds us back up.
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