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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

Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., speaks with the media after a closed-door briefing for the members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tuesday, March 5, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) **FILE**

Lawmakers seek to block $8 billion in weapons sales to Arab powers

The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has formally started the process for the Senate to block the Trump administration from closing on $8 billion in weapons deals with Gulf Arab powers -- deals that would include the sale of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia.

June 18, 2019
In this Feb. 13, 2019, photo, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Eliot Engel D-N.Y., left, speaks with Ranking Member Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, during the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) ** FILE **

Engel, McCaul announce bill to assist NATO allies modernize armed forces

The leading members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday unveiled legislation that would allow the U.S. to provide loans for members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to upgrade their weapons stockpile and reduce their dependency on Russia and China for acquiring arms.

June 17, 2019
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo closes his remarks as he departs after a media availability, at the State Department, Thursday, June 13, 2019, in Washington. Pompeo says Iran is believed to be responsible for attacks on 2 tankers near Persian Gulf. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Mike Pompeo: U.S. has ‘full range of options’ on Iran

The U.S. is considering a "full range of options" to respond to attacks by Iran earlier this week on two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, including military action, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday.

June 16, 2019
Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, then-chairman of the Armed Services Committee, attends a news conference on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) ** FILE **

More fights loom ahead as weary House panel approves defense bill

The House Armed Services Committee wrapped up a marathon mark-up in the wee hours of Thursday morning, approving a $733 billion defense authorization bill that comes up short of President Trump's budget request and challenges a number of Mr. Trump's policy priorities.

June 13, 2019
Ranking Member Mac Thornberry, D-Texas, speaks as Secretary of the Army Mark Esper, U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson, and U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, appear before a House Armed Services Committee budget hearing for the Departments of the Army and Air Force on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 2, 2019. Also pictured is Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., left. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) ** FILE **

House Democrats put their stamp on major defense bill

The House Armed Services Committee worked into the evening in a push to approve a massive defense authorization bill Wednesday, with the new Democratic majority hoping to puts its stamp on such hot-button issues as modernizing the U.S. nuclear arsenal, funding for President Trump's border wall, and just how much the Pentagon should get.

June 12, 2019
President Donald Trump walks from Air Force One with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds at Des Moines International Airport in Des Moines, Iowa, Tuesday, June 11, 2019, to attend a fundraiser in West Des Moines. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) **FILE**

House wants veto power over paint scheme on Air Force One

The House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday passed a measure that would effectively block President Trump from unilaterally altering the current light blue and white color design on his presidential plane -- a design which has been in place since the Kennedy administration.

June 12, 2019
Rep. Mac Thornberry, Texas Republican and then-chairman of the Armed Services Committee, attends a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) ** FILE **

Lawmakers clash as Democrats push leaner funding bill for Pentagon

Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee said the panel's new Democratic majority was short-changing the military as lawmakers Wednesday marked up a proposed $733 billion defense authorization bill for FY2020 that challenges a number of President Trump's top priorities.

June 12, 2019