Trump, Pentagon hit turbulence in Taiwan, Poland policy

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Happy Friday! In an alternate reality, the Senate is just finishing a marathon vote-a-rama and Cate Martel hasn’t started her Memorial Day weekend early. Instead, Senate Republicans headed home after defying President Trump and you’ve got us steering this newsletter. We’ll do our best.

Acting Navy secretary ties Taiwan to Iran

Trump, Pentagon discord over Poland

Senate Republicans reject ‘anti-weaponization’ fund

DNC chair faces calls to resign over autopsy

Stephen Colbert bids farewell

Programming note: 12:30 Report will not publish on Monday for Memorial Day. Enjoy your holiday weekend, friends! 🍦😎

Acting Navy secretary drops a new explanation of Taiwan policy:

@ Roll Call via Getty Images

Hung Cao, the recently promoted acting Navy secretary, told senators yesterday that the U.S. paused weapons sales to Taiwan to make sure it has sufficient firepower for the Iran war.

That was not the message we’ve been hearing since the war started. Trump officials have played down reports that U.S. stockpiles are running low due to Operation Epic Fury.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was in a mood: He pressed Cao and other Navy officials on why the U.S. appeared to be dragging its feet on a $14 billion arms deal to Taiwan.

“Right now we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury — which we have plenty,” Cao said. “We’re just making sure we have everything, but then the foreign military sales will continue when the administration deems necessary.”

Cao said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio could ultimately make that decision.

“Yeah, that’s what’s really distressing,” McConnell replied.

Trump overrules Pentagon on Poland troop levels:

The president announced on Truth Social that an additional 5,000 troops would be heading to Poland — days after the Pentagon suspended a planned rotation of a 4,000-member Army battalion to the NATO ally.

But why? Trump said it was because of conservative President Karol Nawrocki’s election…last year.

GOP defense hawks were not happy about the move: Chairs of the House and Senate Armed Services committees pressed military officials during hearings over the past two weeks, arguing the shift only helped Russia.

Trump’s message to Hegseth: The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump called his defense secretary to ask why the troop deployment was canceled and to tell him the U.S. should not treat Poland poorly.

Where are the troops coming from? Germany, according to Punchbowl’s Briana Reilly, who talked to House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.). The Pentagon scaled back the U.S. military’s footprint in Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz repeatedly criticized the Iran war.

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