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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

Gen. Mark Milley is the nominee for the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. At a hearing, Gen. Milley urged caution in withdrawing troops from Afghanistan and said that international order is facing its biggest challenge since the fall of the Soviet Union. speaks at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, July 11, 2019, for reappointment to the grade of general and to be Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Mark Milley urges caution on Afghan pullout in confirmation hearing

Army Gen. Mark Milley, making a pitch to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers at a confirmation hearing Thursday that it would be a "strategic mistake" to prematurely pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan and that the international order is facing its greatest challenges since the fall of the Soviet Union.

July 11, 2019
Division among House conservatives has hobbled the passage of a critical Pentagon policy bill. (Associated Press/File)

Lawmakers unload on waivers on Saudi, Middle East arms deals

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee's hearing room on Wednesday got heated as members pressed a top State Department official on the justification for the Trump administration's declaration of "emergencies" to push through multibillion dollar weapons sales to Persian Gulf countries.

July 10, 2019
In this July 25, 2012, file photo, Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, speaks during a water project protest at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

House Democrats face tricky path to pass big defense bill

Less than two weeks after the Senate passed its $750 billion version of a massive defense policy bill with overwhelming bipartisan backing, House Democrats are staring down a rockier road to passing their $733 billion version of the bill, with some Democrats rallying for a smaller budget and Republicans demanding a higher topline figure.

July 9, 2019
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news conference at U.S. Embassy Kabul, Tuesday, June 25, 2019, during an unannounced visit to Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool) ** FILE **

State Department to establish new human rights commission

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday announced a new commission on "unalienable" rights that will include philosophers, experts and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who will offer a new take on the role of human rights in U.S. foreign policy.

July 8, 2019
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (right) says Iran considers the 2015 nuclear deal to be a "valid document." He's pictured here with atomic agency spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi (left) and government spokesman Ali Rabiei. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

U.S. condemns new Iranian breach of 2015 nuclear deal

Iran on Sunday announced it has broken through the limits of the 2015 multinational nuclear deal, in a calculated challenge to the Trump administration and to European nations who have desperately sought to protect the deal that President Trump repudiated last year.

July 7, 2019
In this Nov. 6, 2017, photo, Nicki Minaj attends the 14th Annual CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund Gala in New York. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) **FILE**

Nicki Minaj pressed to nix concert in Saudi Arabia

A leading human rights watchdog group is calling on American hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj to cancel her performance at the upcoming Jeddah World Fest in Saudi Arabia, citing the kingdom's poor record on human rights and civil liberties.

July 5, 2019
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump, right, shake hands during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, Saturday, June 29, 2019. (Presidential Press Service/Pool Photo via AP)

House Foreign Affairs panel chief Engel hits Trump over Turkey concessions

The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee is criticizing President Trump for reportedly promising Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the U.S. would not impose sanctions on Ankara for purchasing a Russian missile defense system on the sidelines of the G-20 in Japan last week.

July 1, 2019
Mark T. Esper, who became acting defense secretary two weeks ago, will have to step down while he goes through the Senate confirmation process for a permanent position, meaning the Pentagon will have a fourth leader since the end of December. (Associated Press/File)

Mark Esper, acting defense secretary, to make way for Pentagon’s fourth leader in six months

President Trump's decision to slow-walk the installation of a permanent defense secretary, coupled with an obscure federal staffing law, has left the Pentagon poised to get its fourth leader in just the past six months -- all while military tensions between the U.S. and Iran remain at a boiling point and a massive defense policy bill is making its way through Congress.

June 30, 2019
In this Monday, June 24, 2019, photo, President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order to increase sanctions on Iran, accompanied by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, left, and Vice President Mike Pence, in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington. A year after President Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 deal, the U.S. and Iran are already locked in a volatile standoff. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Senate rejects Iran measure restricting Trump

A bipartisan Senate move to block any Pentagon money for military action against Iran -- and prohibit President Trump from starting a war with Tehran unless Congress gave the green light -- fell 10 votes short of the 60 needed to pass Friday.

June 28, 2019