Now that the House has passed its drafts of the annual defense authorization and appropriations bills, military watchers are waiting to see what the Senate will do on the budget measures this week.
The annual authorization bill debate already has been underway for a week in the Senate, and leaders are hopeful the measure will pass by the end of this one. The defense appropriations bill is due up immediately after that, but Democrats already have vowed to block it over Republicans’ use of overseas contingency funds to get around broader spending caps.
In the House on Wednesday, Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Joint Chiefs Chairman Army Gen. Martin Dempsey will testify before the armed services committee about U.S. strategy and presence in Iraq.
The hearing comes less than a week after the White House announced another round of U.S. deployments to the besieged country, upping the American force there to over 3,500 service members.
Monday
Senate Foreign Relations — 5 p.m. — Capitol 116
Closed briefing
Members of the committee will receive a closed briefing on lifting sanctions on Iran and the state of nuclear negotiations.
Tuesday
House Oversight — 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2154
Data security
The committee will review reports of hacking of federal workers, including employees of the Defense Department, in the recent Office of Personnel Management data breach.
House Homeland Security — 10 a.m. — 311 Cannon
Terrorist threats
The subcommittee on transportation security will review the threat posed by overseas terrorist groups to domestic transportation networks.
House Foreign Affairs — 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2172
United Nations
U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power will testify before the committee on American interests and allies in the global organization.
House Foreign Affairs — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2172
2016 budget
The subcommittee on Europe will review the White House fiscal 2016 budget request for State Department activities in Europe and Eurasia.
Senate Foreign Relations — 2:30 p.m. — Dirksen 419
Asia trade
The subcommittee on east Asia and the Pacific will review strategic implications of trade promotion in that region.
Wednesday
House Foreign Affairs — 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2172
Syria
The committee will review reports of chemical weapons use by Syrian government fighters and international efforts to curb their use.
House Armed Services — 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2118
Iraq/Syria
Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey will testify before the committee on U.S. policy in the Middle East and plans for new troop deployments there.
House Foreign Affairs — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2172
State Department
The subcommittee on the Middle East will review State Department failure to deliver reports related to the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act.
House Foreign Affairs — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2200
China
The subcommittee on Asia will review the economic and military growth of China and its potential impact on the United States.
Senate Foreign Relations — 2 p.m. — Dirksen 419
Nominations
The committee will consider the nomination of Gayle Smith to be administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
House Armed Services — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2212
Navy force posture
The subcommittee on seapower will review the Navy’s ability to project power with large surface combatants and long-term shipbuilding plans for the force.
Thursday House Foreign Affairs — 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2172
Cuba
The subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere will review property rights issues stemming from changes in U.S. policies toward Cuba.
