Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter{beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security   The Big Story  Congress fails to advance Camp Lejeune billProposed legislation would have tweaked a previous law to fix technical issues that are preventing veterans from receiving claims in court related to toxic water exposure. © AP Many veterans exposed to toxic water between Aug. 1, 1953, to Dec. 31, 1987, at North Carolina's Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune will have to wait a little longer for relief after Congress failed to act.  "If we don't pick this up immediately in January and push this through in 25, I think there will be many more veterans who go to their graves without seeing closure, without seeing justice," said David Cook, executive director of the military and veterans group Special Operations Association of America. A problem with the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, which allowed certain veterans from the base to sue the U.S. government for damages, was that it did not include language explicitly giving veterans the right to a jury trial.  To fix that, bills were introduced in the Senate and House judiciary committees this year clarifying the language, while also ensuring cases can be sped up by expanding eligibility to all district courts in the 4th Circuit Court jurisdiction instead of just the one federal court in North Carolina. But the legislation failed to advance out of committee. A major roadblock to passage in Congress were two Republicans: Sen. Dan Sullivan (Ala.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, according to a person familiar. It's unclear exactly why the bill did not advance through Jordan's committee.  Sullivan was concerned about the attorney fee caps in the legislation, at 20 percent for settlements and 25 percent for trials, the person familiar with the matter said.  The source noted that the legislation in the Congress was already a compromise reduction on the attorney fees, and it had wide support from veterans organizations.  The Hill reached out to the offices of Sullivan and Jordan for comment on this story. The Hill also requested comment from two of the main co-sponsors of the legislation, Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.).  A spokesperson for Tillis said the senator is "disappointed Congress could not come together" to pass the bill and that he will continue working with other members next year, but also disputed the account that Sullivan was the obstacle.  "I wouldn’t say that characterization is correct and I don’t think there is a story here," the spokesperson said.  "Senator Tillis has been working with members, including Senator Sullivan, to find consensus and get this bill across the finish line. The bill needed more deliberation and we just ran out of time this Congress."  Around 200 veterans from Camp Lejeune have been compensated under a quick payment program, but more than 500,000 are awaiting relief. Cook said the trouble on the Hill "really comes down to a couple things." "Number one is that there are a bunch of policymakers up on the Hill who are making decisions for veterans service members," he said.  "And to me, the reason why we raised our right hand taking oath and go to far flung places for not that much money is basically to protect our freedom to choose," he said. "And I thought the lawyer caps, unlike fee caps, was taking away, preemptively taking away, a choice a veteran should be making."   Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Brad Dress — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.  Programming note: This newsletter will not publish next week. We'll be back in your inboxes with the latest defense and national security news on Dec. 30. Happy Holidays!  Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads How policy will affect defense and national security now and inthe future:   ISIS leader killed in US airstrikeThe U.S. military killed an ISIS leader and another member in an airstrike in Syria on Thursday, the Pentagon revealed Friday. U.S. Central Command (Centcom) Forces targeted Abu Yousef, also known as Mahmud, in the Dayr az Zawr Province, an area formerly controlled by the toppled regime of Bashar Assad and Russian fighters, it said in a statement. Another unidentified ISIS member was also killed in the strike, according to …  Full Story  US officials travel to Syria in search of missing Americans, meet with rebel leaders Top U.S. officials are in Syria making the first face-to-face contact with rebel groups that took over the country in a lightning offensive earlier this month, their mission aimed at searching for kidnapped American journalist Austin Tice and other missing Americans.  Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, Near East senior adviser Daniel Rubinstein, and U.S. special envoy for hostage affairs …  Full Story  Military service members could go without pay during shutdownU.S. service members could miss their paychecks over the holidays if the U.S. government shuts down this weekend, according to the Pentagon. Unless lawmakers reach some agreement before the end of Friday to fund the federal government, active-duty troops will not receive their end-of-month paychecks, reservists who report to drills will not be paid, and federal civilians will not be compensated if they are required to work …  Full Story   On Our Radar  Upcoming things we're watching on our beat:  A government shutdown will take effect Friday at midnight if Congress fails to pass temporary funding, which will have big implications for the military, including restricting pay for troops. President Biden will travel to Rome, Italy and Vatican City from Jan. 9-12, where he will meet with Pope Francis and Italian leaders President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. U.S. diplomats landed Friday in Syria Friday to meet with the new transitional government and other officials. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), incoming chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released a detailed proposal to reform the Pentagon, focused on budgeting and acquisition.   In Other News  Branch out with a different read from The Hill: GOP seeks ‘maximum pressure’ on Iran with nuclear clock ticking Republican lawmakers want a return to “maximum pressure” on Iran in the second Trump administration and are widely open to the idea of strikes on Iranian nuclear sites if it’s the only way to prevent Tehran from wielding nuclear weapons.  Full Story   On Tap for Monday  Events in and around the defense world:  Washington will observe the Christmas break.  What We're Reading  News we've flagged from other outlets: Army will trim 5% of general-officer jobs in coming years, chief’s spokesman says (Defense One) Trump rethinks firing Joint Chiefs chairman after one-on-one meeting, sources say (NBC News) New Air Force review supports manned 6th-gen NGAD fighter concept (Breaking Defense) Trump wants 5% Nato defence spending target, Europe told (Financial Times)  Trending Today  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Live coverage: House voting on new effort to prevent shutdown House Republicans are scrambling to find a way to avoid a government shutdown after their second funding proposal was rejected, and are now planning … Read more Watch live: House to vote on plan C to avert looming government shutdown The House is set to vote on the third version of a spending bill to keep the government open at 5 p.m. Friday, with the shutdown deadline just hours … Read more  Opinions in The Hill Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: Think that veterans’ benefits are too generous? Here’s one solution.No, AI will not win the next war Send Putin a message using our defense agreements with Sweden, Finland  You're all caught up. See you after the holidays!  Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Defense and National Security newsletter Subscribe