A coming clash between Trump and Congress

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Defense & National Security Newsletter A coming clash between Trump and Congress by Ellen Mitchell - 10/28/26 8:31 PM ET Link copied by Ellen Mitchell - 10/28/26 8:31 PM ET Link copied NOW PLAYING Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Defense and National Security newsletter Subscribe Presented by Palantir {beacon} Defense & National Security Defense & National Security The Big Story A coming clash between Trump and Congress President Trump is headed to a showdown with Democrats and members of his party after Election Day over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s future leadership of the Pentagon, the Iran war and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. © Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press Democrats are stepping up their demands that Trump fire Hegseth after the midterm elections and warning they won’t support funding increases for the Defense Department while the military conflict with Iran is ongoing. Republicans are warning that Trump will have to push back on Russian President Vladimir Putin and make a stronger commitment to Ukraine if he is to get the Defense funding increases the Pentagon needs after eight months of conflict with Iran. This sets the stage for a political battle over the Department of Defense (DOD) after Election Day, and some Senate aides warn that if Trump doesn’t give significant ground after Democrats pick up seats in Congress, it could trigger another government shutdown. “There’s no world in which Democrats are funding the Iran war,” said a senior Senate Democratic aide. “I think Republicans are going to have to do some version of reconciliation if they want to fund the DOD.” “I don’t know how it plays out if it’s not through reconciliation because I think you’d be hard-pressed to find many, if any, Democrats who are willing to fund it,” the aide added. Democrats are ramping up pressure on Trump to fire Hegseth after the Nov. 3 election and threatening to impeach him in the next Congress if Trump doesn’t shake up the Pentagon’s leadership. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) is threatening that Democrats will push hard to oust Hegseth if they win control of the House in next week’s elections, as many political handicappers project. Read the full report at TheHill.com. Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads How policy will affect defense and national security now and in the future: Hegseth seeks to assuage Southeast Asian partners on trip to Philippines Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attempted to assuage Southeast Asian partners this week that the U.S. is dedicated to its allies in the Asia-Pacific region and pitched a defense framework to guide cooperation in the next few years during his trip to the Philippines. Hegseth said the Trump administration’s “strong, quiet and clear” approach to the Indo-Pacific means Washington is willing to defend its interests and the interests … Full Story ‘Back away from this podium’: UN ambassador posts video of confrontation with Cuban reps in General Assembly Hall U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz on Tuesday posted a video depicting a confrontation between U.S. and Cuban officials while he spoke at the podium of the U.N. General Assembly chamber. The video shows Cuban officials standing and speaking to Waltz, who can be heard saying one of them needs “to back away from this podium.” “He’s not going to intimidate me in the United States of America … Full Story Iran war cost increases to $47 billion The cost of the U.S.’s war against Iran has gone up to $47 billion, an increase of more than $3 billion since last month, as President Trump mulls launching strikes against the Islamic Republic after the U.S. midterm elections. The biggest chunk of the cost is munition replacement at $29 billion, according to an Oct. 16 U.S. Central Command (Centcom) estimate, which was shared with Congress and obtained by The Hill on Tuesday. … Full Story In Other News Branch out with a different read from The Hill: House Democrat: Paper ballots protect against Musk’s potential election hacking Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, said Wednesday that the use of paper ballots prevents hacking from tech mogul Elon Musk, who is supporting Republicans this election cycle. “Forty-nine of the 50 states have paper records of the ballots, right?” Himes … Full Story On Tap Tomorrow Events in and around the defense world: The Foreign Policy Research Institute will hear from former Haitian Ambassador to the U.S. Herve Denis on Kenya’s failed peacekeeping mission in Haiti at 10:30 a.m. The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft will discuss “War in Ethiopia Begins Anew: Stakes for Africa and Beyond,” at 11 a.m. What We’re Reading News we’ve flagged from other outlets: Vance makes Tehran outreach as Middle East braces for resumption of Iran war, The Washington Post reports GOP defense hawks break with Trump ahead of the midterms, Politico reports US Navy reports highest number of Class A aviation, afloat mishaps in 10 years, Military Times reports Trending Today Two key stories on The Hill right now: Why the Peltola ‘spoiler’ controversy may be too late to shake up Alaska Allegations that Mary Peltola’s (D) campaign was involved in recruiting “spoiler” candidates to siphon votes from incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) shook … Read more Right-wing activist James O’Keefe charged with unlawful voting, identity theft Conservative influencer James O’Keefe was charged Wednesday in Minnesota after he and fellow right-leaning commentator Cam Higby misrepresented themselves … Read more Opinions in The Hill Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: A bipartisan watchdog on China may go dark — that would be a mistake. Drone warfare could save NATO The House is sitting on the evidence about pulsed microwave attacks You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow! Add as preferred source on Google Tags Pete Hegseth Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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