Democrats take House, setting up potential defense budget shake-up

House Democrats surged to victory Tuesday night, according to major media projections, reclaiming a majority for the first time since 2010 and positioning the defense budget for a potential shake-up.

Most significant for defense will be a change in key chairmanships at the House Armed Services and Appropriations committees.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) is expected to be the next chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. He has said he thinks the current $716 billion defense budget is too high and plans to oppose new spending on nuclear weapons.

Losing the House also means an uphill battle for GOP defense hawks, who must also work against a White House that has directed a $33 billion cut to planned defense spending in fiscal year 2020.

Watch Inside Defense for news and analysis as this story unfolds.