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Nunes departure prompts GOP reshuffling on Armed Services

Turner is replacing Nunes at House Intelligence, causing a cascade of leadership moves

Rep. Doug Lamborn is now ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee's Strategic Forces panel, having vacated the top GOP spot on the Readiness Subcommittee.
Rep. Doug Lamborn is now ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee's Strategic Forces panel, having vacated the top GOP spot on the Readiness Subcommittee. (Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Devin Nunes‘ resignation to become CEO of Trump Media, the former president’s new business undertaking, has prompted a shake-up in Republican leadership on the House Armed Services Committee.

Though the California Republican didn’t serve on the panel, his replacement as ranking Republican on the Intelligence Committee, Michael R. Turner of Ohio, does. Turner has left his post as ranking member of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee to take the Intelligence panel position.

That’s set off a cascade of moves at Armed Services.

Colorado’s Doug Lamborn now becomes the ranking member of Strategic Forces. But to do so, he vacated the top GOP spot on the Readiness Subcommittee. Michael Waltz of Florida, a former Green Beret who served in Afghanistan, is now in that job. Full committee ranking member Mike D. Rogers of Alabama announced the moves on Monday.

In a statement, Lamborn said he is grateful for the opportunity to serve as the top Republican on the subcommittee that oversees the nation’s nuclear forces and military operations in space.

“It is no secret that China is undergoing a rapid, unprecedented nuclear build-up including testing new hypersonic missiles. Russia’s nuclear program has undergone significant modernization of all three legs of its triad, including the development of anti-satellite weapons that significantly threaten the space domain,” he said. “It is vital that our military has the resources and capabilities necessary to keep our country safe, particularly in light of these new and growing threats.”

Waltz said in a statement that as the ranking member of the Readiness subcommittee he would work to ensure that U.S. troops are trained and equipped at superior facilities.

“It’s imperative that the Department of Defense has the best resources to defend against the Chinese Communist Party’s march towards global dominance, Russia’s increased malign behavior, new terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan, the Iran Regime’s march towards a nuclear weapon, North Korea’s nuclear arsenal proliferation and missile development, and threats to freedom in the Western Hemisphere from Venezuela and Cuba,” he said.

Second leadership shuffle in two years

GOP leadership on the House Armed Services subcommittees underwent a similar reshuffling last year after Republicans removed Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., as conference chair over her outspoken criticism of former president Donald Trump.

Subsequently, New York’s Elise Stefanik stepped down as ranking member of the Cyber, Innovative Technologies, and Information Systems Subcommittee to become conference chair. Indiana’s Jim Banks stepped into that role, creating a vacancy atop the Military Personnel subcommittee. Wisconsin’s Mike Gallagher assumed that role.

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