A critic of the Trump Administration’s lavish spending on defense is expected to take over leadership of the House committee responsible for funding the U.S. armed forces, Defense News reported Wednesday.
Rep. Adam Smith, who currently serves as the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, will likely become its next chairman following the Democrats’ retaking of the chamber during the 2018 midterm elections.
Smith, who is projected to win his reelection bid as representative of Washington’s 9th district, has said that the Defense Department’s $716B budget for fiscal year 2019 is too high and has advocated for the U.S. military to have a smaller role in the world.
Smith has also called out the White House for giving the DoD “a lot of free rein,†and vowed that, as HASC chairman, he would insist on greater Congressional oversight over U.S. military affairs.