Top Pentagon officials are already pitching reconciliation 4.0 to Senate Republicans behind closed doors, underscoring the need for a massive boost in military funds, we've learned.

Why it matters: Thune hasn't embraced reconciliation 3.0. The White House is already looking beyond it.

• ✏️ Trump officials are quietly sketching out a lame-duck package that could pair significant Pentagon funding with other priorities, including a debt ceiling increase that will be necessary sometime in 2027.
• The administration's case goes beyond replenishing weapons depleted by the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine. Officials are also sounding alarms about the need to invest in artificial intelligence now as China advances.

Driving the news: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and several undersecretaries gave Republican members of key Senate committees a detailed, closed-door briefing this morning, according to two sources familiar with the meeting.

• 🌎 The officials gave an around-the-world threat analysis, laying out for senators how the U.S. stacks up against key adversaries — with an emphasis on China, the sources said.
• Emil Michael, undersecretary for research and engineering, laid out the importance of significant spending on AI to maintain the U.S.' edge over China.
• Officials showed "candor" on U.S. munitions stockpiles amid the conflict with Iran, and provided "a level of detail that the committees have been seeking," as one source described it.

The meeting was held in a secure setting, with some classified material covered.

🤔 The intrigue: Multiple senators urged the officials to expand their outreach beyond Republicans already sold on a massive increase in defense budgets to try to start winning over senators on the fence.

• Democrats were not invited to the briefing.
• 🛑 They also have been excluded from other recent briefings on Iran, another source familiar with the matter told us.

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— Stef W. Kight

Some members of the Congressional Black Caucus want a condition for incoming Democrats seeking to join their ranks: You have to support House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for speaker.

🔥 Why it matters: Things could get dicey fast, as several Black Democrats who are all but guaranteed to be elected in November have declined to commit to voting for Jeffries.

• But Darializa Avila Chevalier wants in: The Afro-Latino nominee in New York's 13th District told Semafor she will seek to join both the CBC and the Hispanic Caucus if elected.
• Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb, the nominee for a Philadelphia-based House seat, told us he is "definitely planning to join" the CBC.
• "I absolutely plan on joining the Black Caucus," said Melat Kiros of Colorado — another Black Democrat running in a safely blue district.

All three DSA-aligned candidates have declined to commit to voting for Jeffries as speaker.

🎧 What we're hearing: Several members of the Black Caucus, speaking on the condition of anonymity to offer frank remarks about likely incoming colleagues, said criticism of Democratic leadership could be an issue.

• One senior CBC member, when asked if Avila Chevalier would be allowed to join, told us: "Not if she doesn't support Hakeem along with other issues."
• Asked if that would apply to all incoming members, the lawmaker replied, "Yes."
• Avila Chevalier "absolutely will not be welcomed if she doesn't support Hakeem," said a second CBC member. "Under no circumstances would anyone be welcomed with a warm embrace if they are going to undermine the brotha! Just no path."

🥊 A Democratic leadership source strongly pushed back against the notion that any incoming Black Democrats would be denied entry to the CBC based on their vote for speaker.

• "I don't believe the CBC decides its membership based on one's pledge to support leadership," the source said, adding that Avila Chevalier "will get the same review process as everyone else."
• "I don't think it's a thing at the end of the day," the source said.

The bottom line: "As with every new Congress, matters related to membership for the 120th Congress will be addressed following the 2026 election cycle through the Congressional Black Caucus' established processes," a CBC spokesperson told us.

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— Andrew Solender