Defense

Players to watch: Defense

by Martin Matishak, Kristina Wong - 09/09/14 10:55 AM ET

Welcome to The Hill’s Players to Watch special report for fall 2014.

The lawmakers, administration officials and power brokers listed here will play enormous roles in the policies and politics that take place over the next several months.

There are many big questions facing the White House and the divided Congress: Will lawmakers agree on a government funding bill that averts another shutdown? Will the controversial Export-Import Bank be reauthorized? Which party will control the Senate in 2015? How will the White House exert its administrative power? Will the administration scrap the ObamaCare employer mandate? What steps will be taken to counter the rise of the Islamic
State in Iraq and Syria, and what will Congress’s role be?

Our reporters and editors have selected the most important people among the thousands who are working on this autumn’s hot issues. The decisions made by these newsmakers will affect the U.S. in many ways, both domestically and abroad.

The list of players includes leadership lawmakers, committee chairmen, Cabinet officials, regulators, foreign leaders and campaign operatives.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)

The Senate Intelligence Committee chairwoman will be in the spotlight as her panel prepares to release its report on the “enhanced interrogation” programs under President George W. Bush.

The release of the report will reignite the debate over whether the program amounted to torture. Critics are lining up against it, arguing the release of the findings could damage the CIA’s reputation and jeopardize national security.

Feinstein has fought for the investigation’s release, calling it “one of the most significant oversight efforts” in U.S. history.

The chairwoman is also a major player in the debate over reforms to the National Security Agency Look for her to wield major influence as the Senate Judiciary Committee drafts a legislative overhaul of the agency.

— Kristina Wong

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)

Sen. John McCain will be making his presence felt on defense issues as he prepares for a possible Republican takeover of the Senate in November.

McCain was an early advocate of the U.S. arming moderate Syrian rebels against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). He says his views have been vindicated now that the group is on the warpath in the Middle East.

The 2008 presidential candidate and former Vietnam prisoner of war is a fixture on the news show circuit. He will be keeping up the pressure on President Obama for a more aggressive U.S. military stance overseas.

With McCain in line to take the gavel of the powerful Armed Services Committee if Republicans win the Senate, his statements will attract more scrutiny than before.

— Kristina Wong

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)

This fall, the new House majority leader could face a tough decision on whether to hold a politically divisive vote on U.S. military intervention in Iraq.

Before leaving for the August recess, the House approved a resolution requiring Congressional authorization for a sustained presence of combat troops in Iraq. The measure passed 370-40, with 180 Republicans voting aye.

McCarthy has backed President Obama’s airstrike campaign, but warned the terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) must be countered with a more “fulsome” response.

But if Obama decides to expand military operations to combat ISIS, any response from Congress will fall on McCarthy’s shoulders.

— Martin Matishak

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Minority Leader

President Obama’s military campaign in Iraq could pose a difficult test for the House Democratic leader.

Pelosi’s members are likely to want President Obama to seek their approval before escalating U.S. military involvement in Iraq, creating the possibility for a mutiny from the left if the White House acts alone.

The Democratic leader has been a staunch supporter of Obama on Iraq, praising his role in ending the war there.

Pelosi does not believe there should be a vote on the use of U.S. military force in Iraq “as things currently stand,” an aide told The Hill last week.

She has also suggested that Republicans who are slamming the president’s policies would not want a vote on the issue before the midterm elections.

— Martin Matishak

Susan Rice, White House National Security Adviser

Susan Rice is one of President Obama’s most trusted advisers, and he’ll need her counsel more than ever as he seeks to deal with the conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Russia.

Rice will play a key role as the U.S. seeks to expand its military role in Iraq or intervene in Syria. Former military officials say the administration would be wise to seek a Security Council resolution against ISIS to legitimize its efforts in Iraq and build a coalition of nations.

— Kristina Wong

Tags Dianne Feinstein John McCain