Overnight Defense: Mike Rogers Should Be Top House Armed Services Republican | Defense bill faces another problem | Pentagon requested $ 700 million loan from trucking company using COVID funds

Happy Tuesday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I’m Rebecca Kheel, and here’s your evening guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, Capitol Hill and beyond. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the newsletter.

THE TOP LINE: The Republicans have found their new head of the House Armed Services Committee.

representative Mike rogersMichael (Mike) Dennis RogersUnderstanding Russia and Ourselves Before the Summit To Tackle China’s Economic Extortion Take a Cold War Defense Page: Pentagon Introduces $ 5 Billion | Kamala Harris speaks to graduates of the US Naval Academy (Ala.) Was elected on Tuesday by the House GOP steering committee be the first republican on the powerful committee of the 117th Congress.

Rogers, who is currently the most senior member of the House Homeland Security Committee, edged out the representative. Mike TurnerMichael Ray Turner J.D. Vance Appears As Wildcard In Ohio GOP Main Senate Armed Services Chairman Supports Changing Roles Of Military Commanders In Gillibrand Sexual Assault Prosecutions: “I really want to run again to the presidency “MORE (R-Ohio), senior member of the Armed Services Committee Strategic Forces Subcommittee, and Representative. Rob wittmanRobert (Rob) Joseph WittmanOvernight Defense: Iran talks strike a balance for Biden | The Pentagon on alert amid the clicking of the Russian saber | Lawmakers urge Pentagon to be more picky about commanders’ demands for more troops Battle intensifies over Pentagon spending plans Marine Corps commander says China and Russia will pose greatest challenges in decades years (R-Va.) In the race.

The House GOP plenary conference is expected to ratify the steering committee’s decision in the coming days.

Alabama Republican set to succeed current leader Mac brambleWilliam (Mac) McClellan Thornberry Nameless law enforcement banned by New Global Senate from NDAA lobbying on the verge of overriding Trump’s veto on defense bill MORE (R-Texas), who announced his retirement in September of last year.

Why is this important: With the very slim majority of House Democrats in the next Congress, Republicans can expect to have more influence over key policy-making in the committee’s annual signing bill, the National Defense Authorization Act ( NDAA).

The committee has maintained a reputation for being strongly bipartisan, even in times of strong political divide. And with a number of political strategists predicting that Republicans stand a good chance of regaining control of the lower house in 2022, Rogers may soon hold the coveted hammer.

Hammer of Foreign Affairs: Meanwhile, Rep. Gregory MeeksGregory Weldon MeeksFresh pushes back timeline to get China bill to Biden White House pushes evacuation of Afghan allies as time is running out Meeks introduces legislation to boost US diplomacy to counter China MORE (DN.A.) won the recommendation of the House Democratic Steering Committee in the hotly contested race to chair the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Meeks, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, won 29 votes to beat Reps. Brad shermanBradley (Brad) James Sherman Omar feuds with Jewish Democrats Lawmakers tout bipartisan support for resolution criticizing Iranian government Biden funding move ignites debate over textbooks for Palestinian refugees MORE (D-Calif.), Who won 10 votes, and Joaquin castroJoaquin CastroTexas walkout sparks epic battle over voting rights Democrats call on Blinken to establish new policies of sexual misconduct at State Department USAID “redirects” Salvadoran government funds to civil society MORE (D-Texas), the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus who won 13 votes.

Assuming Meeks’ recommendation is ratified by the entire Democratic caucus, he would be the first black to chair the foreign affairs committee.

THE WAITING GAME: The scuttlebut on Monday night was that an agreement on this year’s NDAA, and in particular the requirement to rename Confederate military bases, was drawing closer.

A day later, an agreement is not reached. A Democratic House aide told The Hill that talks on Pentagon-related items were “essentially” over and that negotiators were working out non-Pentagon issues with the White House.

Many reports indicated the pending question is the White House’s request to change a legal shield for tech companies known as Section 230. As The Hill previously reported, the White House pitched the idea of ​​using the NDAA to repeal the shield. legal in exchange for abandoning opposition to the change of Confederate base names, but discussions would now focus on reforms rather than repeal.

Complications related to COVID: The sprint to complete the NDAA and other year-end bills is taking place amid continued COVID-19 diagnoses for lawmakers.

The Hill’s Cristina Marcos looked at how lawmakers are trying to finish their job for the year trying to avoid transmitting the coronavirus to one another.

Nearly a dozen members of the House and Senate have tested positive for COVID-19 in the two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, highlighting the risks of hundreds of lawmakers traveling back and forth from across the country and congregating on Capitol Hill as cases of the virus increase nationally.

House Democrats have delayed returning to session until Wednesday and urge members to stay in Washington over the weekend to complete their December to-do list next week. Senate Republicans, meanwhile, are temporarily suspending in-person caucus lunches after having held them with social distancing guidelines since May.

THE MONITORING PANEL SLAMS THE DOD FOR A $ 700M LOAN: The Pentagon is taking a new heat for its use of the latest round of COVID-19 relief funding.

The Congressional Oversight Commission overseeing COVID-19 relief funds flayed the Defense and Treasury departments Tuesday on a $ 700 million loan to a struggling shipping company.

The Treasury Department and the Defense Department offered the loan in July when the company, YRC Worldwide, was worth just $ 70 million and was sued by the Pentagon for overstated shipping costs.

The bipartisan commission overseeing the $ 2.2 trillion CARES Act funds said the two agencies had failed to provide adequate answers to the question and, in some cases, had raised other concerns about their responses to the surveys. earlier.

“The Defense Ministry has yet to provide the Commission with a satisfactory explanation as to how YRC is essential to national security,” the committee said in its latest monitoring report, noting that there were three larger transport providers offering similar services.

“The Defense Ministry has not even considered whether the services it gets from YRC could be obtained elsewhere,” the report continued, raising further concerns about favorable loan terms and the likelihood that Treasury involvement in the company is compromised. in the event of a fault.

“The Commission is concerned that the Treasury has put taxpayers in a precarious position,” the report said.

Background: CARES laws allocated $ 500 billion to the Federal Reserve and the Treasury for emergency loans and grants, including a pool of more than $ 30 billion earmarked for the aviation industry, airlines and other businesses essential to national defense.

The Treasury and YRC finalized a $ 700 million national security tranche loan on July 8 after the Defense Department certified YRC as essential to national security. YRC specializes in “less than truck” shipping, where small loads from multiple customers are combined into a single trailer.

The Treasury called YRC “the leading provider of critical military transport and other transport services,” in a July 1 press release, comprising 68% of LTL services for the Defense Ministry. The company also has contracts with the Ministries of Energy and Homeland Security.

IN THE PRESS FOR TOMORROW

Secretary of the Navy Kenneth Braithwaite, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday and Marine Command General David Berger to testify before a Senate Armed Services subcommittee on Navy and Marine Corps readiness at 9:15 a.m. https://bit.ly/39Fgfhg

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Marc MilleyMark MilleyOvernight Defense: Austin and Milley discuss budget, Afghanistan, sexual assault and more at large Senate hearing Pentagon chief: military has already started operations “on the horizon” in Afghanistan Trump rejects climate change, calls on Biden to fire bosses MORE to speak at a Brookings Institution virtual event at 11 a.m. https://brook.gs/33x7mCG

A House foreign affairs subcommittee will hold a hearing on the rights of women and girls in the Middle East with expert testimony at 2 p.m. https://bit.ly/3ofm1dC

ICYMI

– La Colline: the government announces arms sales with six nations combined $ 1.55 billion

– The Hill: Schumer meets Biden National Security selections

– The Hill: director of the ISIS working group resigns from his post at the Pentagon in the continuing post-election purge

– The Hill: Pentagon reports 12th COVID-19 military death

– The war horse: Order of the gag: how Marine Corps culture silenced a victim sexual assault

– Associated Press: Iran parliament approves bill to stop nuclear inspections