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Lauren Toms

lmeier@washingtontimes.com

Lauren Toms is a national security reporter for The Washington Times, covering national security committees on Capitol Hill, foreign affairs, defense, and diplomacy. She began covering politics at CNN during the 2016 presidential election, working closely with the national security and justice teams, and later joined Axios as an editor specializing in international and military coverage.
Lauren holds a master's degree in U.S. law from Washington University in St. Louis school of law, and a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communications from the George Washington University school of media and public affairs. She can be reached at ltoms@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Lauren Toms

In this photo taken Monday, April 16, 2018, a U.S. and Niger flag are raised side by side at the base camp for air forces and other personnel supporting the construction of Niger Air Base 201 in Agadez, Niger. (AP Photo/Carley Petesch, File)

GOP lawmakers step up concerns of troop drawdown in Africa

The Republican leaders of the House and Senate Foreign Relations Committees are urging the Pentagon to continue "robust" counterterrorism support in Africa amid reports of a significant troop drawdown in the region that would mark a significant pivot in U.S. security policy.

January 28, 2020
Defense Secretary Mark Esper speaks during a joint news conference with Japan's Defense Minister Taro Kono at the Pentagon in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Capitol Hill wary of Pentagon’s plan for African pullout

The Pentagon is facing a bipartisan rebellion on Capitol Hill over plans to shift troops out of Africa to counter China, just the latest obstacle the Defense Department has faced as it tries to carry out a major pivot in U.S. security policy.

January 19, 2020
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, Monday, Jan. 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

House weighs subpoena for Pompeo testimony on Iran

The House Foreign Affairs Committee is making a renewed push for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to publicly testify before the panel just days after the secretary failed to appear at a scheduled hearing on tensions with Iran.

January 17, 2020
President Donald Trump tours a section of the southern border wall, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, in Otay Mesa, Calif. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Hill Democrats vow to fight future budget raids for Trump border wall

House Democrats have their eyes set on including language in the next defense bill drastically limiting President Trump's option on funding his prized border wall, and are gearing up to make an even bigger push to block funding after failing to prevent the White House from tapping Pentagon accounts for the wall this week for the second straight year.

January 17, 2020
In this June 3, 2011, file photo, the Pentagon is seen from air from Air Force One. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File) ** FILE **

IG says U.S. officials pressured to hide Afghan problems

U.S. officials have been encouraged to conceal the severity of the problems with the military and reconstruction mission in Afghanistan virtually from the start two decades ago, the Pentagon's inspector general for Afghanistan told lawmakers Wednesday.

January 15, 2020