MIDTERMS: GOP Hawks Poised To Take Leadership Of Armed Services Committees

Key members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees are facing tight midterm races today.

• Vice Chair of the HASC, Rep Elaine Luria (D-VI), and HASC members Rep Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and Rep Jared Golden (D-ME) all vulnerable.
• Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) of the SASC also facing a tight contest in Arizona.
• If Republicans flip the House, defence hawk Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) is expected to take over as HASC chair.
• If Republicans flip the Senate, Roger Wicker (R-MI), another hawk, likely to succeed ranking member Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) as chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee chair.
• A shakeup of Congressional Armed Services panels could push Biden to commit substantially more to the must-pass Defence Authorization Act, or rush it through the lame-duck session of Congress.
• Republican control of armed services committees could also drive a more hawkish US position on China and affect Senator Joe Machin’s (D-WV) energy permitting reform bill which Republicans and progressive Democrats blocked from riding on the stop-gap funding bill in September.
• Manchin said last month: “I’ve tried to put it in the continuing resolution, and I’m working now on getting it in the National Defense Authorization.”