Ellen Milhiser

Synopsis newsletter by Gray & Associates provides in-depth coverage of Defense and Veterans health care and personnel issues on Capitol Hill.

[Nancy Vu @Vu_Reports]

NEWS on this late Friday night: Trump's pick to lead the nation's response to the next pandemic & other public health emergencies opposed mask and vaccine mandates while running for a local school board seat in Georgia back in 2022.

Sean Kaufman, the nominee to lead ASPR, went as far as to claim the Covid vaccine caused "excessive death and injury in the United States and globally."

If confirmed, he would be in charge of the Strategic National Stockpile, which provides emergency supplies like vaccines and PPE to states overwhelmed by emergencies.

His hearing in Senate HELP is scheduled for next Wednesday. He could face opposition from Sen. Bill Cassidy, who recently lost reelection and has frequently criticized Kennedy for his anti-vax views.

More on our look into the nominee: https://t.co/v2KdZu5EFo

[AMVETS @AMVETSHQ]

..."lawmakers combined dozens of bipartisan measures that had already advanced independently through Congress...Congress is attempting to retain projected federal savings associated with a rule VA had already proposed & testified it expected to complete."
https://t.co/dCA1mQsiEQ

[Meredith Lee Hill @meredithllee]

NEW - House GOP leaders are putting a bill on the floor next week that would make daylight saving time permanent in hopes of softening a rebellion led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), per 4 ppl

They don't know if it will work. Nothing else has so far.

w/ @kelseybrugger

https://t.co/PBHSufvqHh via @politico

[Ellen Milhiser @CongSynopsis]

@RaymondSultan @TimmyODanaos @petersuderman I agree. We had more dinner discussions about the books the kids were reading than about school.

[Jake Sherman @JakeSherman]

🚨CAN THE HOUSE PASS A RULE NEXT WEEK?

@realannapaulina to @PunchbowlNews in the Midday edition:

“Nothing right now has changed for me,” Luna told us Friday morning. “It’s time to smoke out some rats in the Senate.”

https://t.co/QTEvV0Z8JK

[Leo Shane III @LeoShane]

Take Care of America's Veterans Act is on the House schedule for next week too.

[EHRM : 2026 Go-Lives 4 Plus-9 @EhrmWhatsUp]

Meaty interview with former VA USH (VHA) John Bartrum, who was spearheading massive “RISE” reorg.
Resignation eff. 7/06/26

https://t.co/z8ypr7BPRN

[Craig Caplan @CraigCaplan]

Senate plans to vote by mid-next week to begin work on the Senate Armed Services Commmittee-approved 2027 NDAA defense programs & policy bill, after Thune filed cloture on proceeding to the legislation before the July 4th holiday recess. 60 votes will be needed. Nothing else has been announced.

[Samantha Handler @sn_handler]

House Republicans will try again to pass the FY2027 National Security-State Department funding bill next week.

We'll see if they can get a rule.... House R's need to pass more funding bills this month to keep on pace compared to prev years

[Craig Caplan @CraigCaplan]

House next week plans to consider legislation to make Daylight Savings Time permanent, pending approval of a rule. House Rules Committee will prep the Sunshine Protection Act on Monday at 4pm for floor debate and votes later in the week. The Senate passed a similar bill in 2022 by unanimous consent, but it was never taken up by the House. https://t.co/e2b2nAZbVo

[Connor O'Brien @connorobrienNH]

House Republicans will try again to advance a State Dept funding bill when they return next week, which has been blocked on two different rules.

No sign yet of NDAA on the schedule after hardliners voted down the rule last week.

[Ellen Milhiser @CongSynopsis]

@Grampa1950

[EHRM : 2026 Go-Lives 4 Plus-9 @EhrmWhatsUp]

#EHRM $17M award to Mitre for EHRM-IO Strategic Support

https://t.co/92VplJFMvx

[Nancy Vu @Vu_Reports]

Inbox: Senate HELP just noticed the nomination hearings for CDC Director (Erica Schwartz) and ASPR (Sean Kaufman)

Hearings are expected to be next Wednesday at 10 AM.

[Ellen Milhiser @CongSynopsis]

@JoshSeefried Did it 30 years ago when I had just graduated from college. Been around forever.

[Connor O'Brien @connorobrienNH]

NEW: Mitch McConnell’s hospitalization is threatening to upend the defense budget process at a key moment.

McConnell is a critic Trump's reconciliation push. Trump this week pressed for a third GOP-only bill with $350B for DoD.

w/@LeoShane @jordainc https://t.co/Iw2zBuT6tz

[Sue Sutter @PinkSheetSutter]

HHS Considering US FDA Reorganization With Medical Products Chief Overseeing Centers https://t.co/8nGxvX8Ow4

[Craig Caplan @CraigCaplan]

Retired Major General John Bartrum, who was confirmed by the Senate as Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Health together with 96 other of President Trump's nominations 53-43 along party lines last December, resigned effective Monday. He was the first under secretary of health without a physician background. Dr. Lee Payne, currently serving as deputy under secretary for health, will serve as acting under secretary.

[POLITICO Press @POLITICOPress]

🌐 DAY 1 OF THE NATO SUMMIT

@LeoShane joined @CBSNews to discuss the latest developments among allies, the Trump administration’s objectives, and what to expect as the summit unfolds.

Watch: https://t.co/y8XfySPgdd

[Punchbowl News @PunchbowlNews]

Senators will hear from a key senior Pentagon official next week on the cost of the Trump administration’s Middle East war as Congress enters crunch time on a request for $87.6 billion in supplemental funding for the Iran conflict and a host of other priorities.
https://t.co/6ZnbGpBxtS