| THE TOPLINE: President Trump is replacing national security adviser H.R. McMaster with former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton. The Hill's Jordan Fabian has the story: The president wrote in a tweet Thursday evening that Bolton, the hawkish former Bush administration official, will take over for McMaster on April 9. "I am pleased to announce that, effective 4/9/18, @AmbJohnBolton will be my new National Security Advisor. I am very thankful for the service of General H.R. McMaster who has done an outstanding job & will always remain my friend," Trump tweeted. McMaster, an Army lieutenant general, will retire from the military, a White House official said. The general has been discussing his departure with Trump for some time, and both both men decided to make his exit official now because the constant speculation about his job status was interfering with his duties, according to the White House. Tough timing... McMaster's exit comes amid a period of upheaval on Trump's national security team. Just last week, Trump axed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and named CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him. Trump is also dealing with a number of high-stakes decisions, including planned talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and an upcoming deadline for the Iran nuclear deal. McMaster's statement: "After thirty-four years of service to our nation, I am requesting retirement from the U.S. Army effective this summer after which I will leave public service. Throughout my career it has been my greatest privilege to serve alongside extraordinary servicemembers and dedicated civilians," McMaster said Thursday in a statement. "I am thankful to President Donald J. Trump for the opportunity to serve him and our nation as national security advisor. I am grateful for the friendship and support of the members of the National Security Council who worked together to provide the President with the best options to protect and advance our national interests." Click here to read more. LATEST ON THE OMNIBUS: The House passed the massive $1.3 trillion government spending bill that includes $700 billion for defense on Thursday. Now attention turns to the Senate, where it's still unclear whether Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) will force a brief government shutdown after midnight Friday by delaying the vote. The Hill's Juliegrace Brufke reports on the House passage: The House easily passed a $1.3 trillion spending package on Thursday, sending legislation to the Senate that would prevent a shutdown and deliver the largest federal spending increase in years. Lawmakers approved the bill in a 256-167 vote on Thursday, with majorities in each caucus backing the measure. Ninety Republicans and 77 Democrats voted against the bill. A large number of conservative Republicans were among those voting no over the measure's massive price tag and the lack of transparency in the bill-writing process. Conservative unrest came close to knocking the bill out during a procedural vote on Thursday on the rule governing debate. An unusually high number of Republicans -- 25 -- voted against their own party's rule and in defiance of President Trump, who had publicly backed the package. Read the rest here. And The Hill's Jordain Carney reports on Paul: As the Senate barrels toward the third government funding deadline of the year, Republicans appear in the dark about one key question: What will Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) do? The libertarian-minded senator caused an hours-long shutdown in February. He's yet to say if he'll give a repeat performance going into the midnight Friday deadline to avoid a partial closure. "Shame, shame. A pox on both Houses -- and parties. $1.3 trillion. Busts budget caps. 2200 pages, with just hours to try to read it," he tweeted on Thursday. Read more here. PENTAGON GETS SOME FLEXIBILITY: The spending package included some, but not all, of the spending flexibility that the Pentagon asked for to more smartly spend the cash windfall it is getting. The bill breaks the so-called 80:20 rule by allowing the Pentagon to spend up to 25 percent of its operations and maintenance budget in the last two months of the fiscal year, instead of the typical 20 percent. It also raises the threshold of how much readiness money the Pentagon can reprogram without asking for Congress' permission. Read more here. $1B WEAPONS SALE TO SAUDI ARABIA: The State Department has approved nearly $1 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia. The Hill's Ellen Mitchell has the story: The deal's announcement comes as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits Washington. The proposed deals to the country include a $670 million sale for more than 6,600 TOW 2B missiles, and a $300 million sale for spare vehicle parts for the Royal Saudi Land Forces Ordnance Corps. This possible missile sale will "support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives by improving the security of a friendly country which has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic growth in the Middle East," according to a Thursday announcement from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which oversees foreign military sales. The notice adds that the missile would "assist Saudi Arabia to sustain itself in its efforts to maintain stability." Saudi Arabia is the largest buyer of American-made weapons, and the United States sees the country as an ally in the fight against al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. There have been controversies over the past year, however, in providing the country with weapons. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) vowed in June to stop arms sales to Persian Gulf states after Saudi Arabia led a group of nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council in cutting diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar. Read more here. MATTIS SAYS SAUDIS 'PART OF SOLUTION' IN YEMEN: Defense Secretary James Mattis met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Thursday. The Hill's Ellen Mitchell reports on his remarks at the top of the meeting: Defense Secretary James Mattis on Thursday said Saudi Arabia was "part of the solution" in Yemen, in the midst of a civil war that critics say has killed thousands of civilians due in part to airstrikes led by Riyadh. Mattis's comment came after he was asked by a reporter if he would raise concerns about the civilian casualties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The former U.S. Central Command head replied that the United States has "been working very hard with the new [United Nations] U.N. envoy" to Yemen to end the fighting. "We believe that Saudi Arabia is part of the solution. They have stood by the United Nations-recognized government and we are going to end this war, that is the bottom line," Mattis said. Read more here. AND PERRY DEFENDS SAUDI NUKE TALKS: Over on the Capitol Hill, Energy Secretary Rick Perry was asked about the Trump administration's negotiations with the Saudis on a nuclear energy deal. Lawmakers have raised alarm over the talks after comments by Salman that Saudi Arabia would seek its own nuclear weapons if Iran acquires them. Perry told the Senate Armed Services Committee that while a deal needs to have nonproliferation standards, the United States also needs to be able to compete with Russia and China. "I like to remind people that our choices at this particular point in time, it appears to me, either Russia or China is going to be a partner in building civil nuclear capability in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, or the United States," Perry said. Perry was responding to a question from the committee's top Democrat, Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.), who warned that he and others would oppose a deal without bans on enriching uranium and reprocessing spent fuel to produce plutonium. "If such a deal was proposed where the Saudis would not be liable to and required to adhere to the standard, I would oppose it and I think many others would too," Reed said. Read more here. ON TAP FOR TOMORROW: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for the nominees to be ambassador to South Sudan and assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs at 10 a.m. at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, room 419. https://bit.ly/2DNXzIG ICYMI: -- The Hill: Tillerson urges 'kindness' in a 'mean-spirited town' during farewell remarks -- Military Times: Budget omnibus includes new mental health care for other-than-honorable vets -- Associated Press: Defeated rebels begin leaving enclave near Syrian capital -- The Washington Post: Spending bill targets U.S. troops using government charge cards in strip clubs and casinos | 
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