{"id":16554,"date":"2017-01-30T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-30T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2017\/01\/30\/this-week-in-congress-senators-hear-from-va-secretary-nominee-david-shulkin\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:23:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:23:04","slug":"this-week-in-congress-senators-hear-from-va-secretary-nominee-david-shulkin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2017\/01\/30\/this-week-in-congress-senators-hear-from-va-secretary-nominee-david-shulkin\/","title":{"rendered":"This week in Congress: Senators hear from VA secretary nominee David Shulkin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most of the Cabinet-level confirmation hearings are already finished, but the nominee to take over the Department of Veterans Affairs hasn\u2019t had his chance yet to face Senate scrutiny. That changes this week, as VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. David Shulkin goes before the Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee on Wednesday to answer questions about how he plans to manage the bureaucracy and implement the reforms outlined by President Trump. Expect lots of questions on privatizing VA health care and employee accountability from the senators, but not much controversy. Few lawmakers have voiced concerns about Shulkin\u2019s nomination, and he is expected to be confirmed in the next few weeks. Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, several committees are still working through set-up procedures, while others are beginning to dig back into national security issues. The House Armed Services Committee will host former Army Gen. David Petraeus and former CIA Deputy Director John McLaughlin on Wednesday to discuss potential threats, while the respective chambers\u2019 foreign affairs panels will discuss\u00a0with outside experts\u00a0regional threats. Monday<\/b>Senate Foreign Relations<\/a> — 5 p.m. — Capitol 116Organizational meeting<\/i>Members will vote on committee rules and procedures for the upcoming congressional session.Tuesday<\/b>House Veterans\u2019 Affairs<\/a> — 10 a.m. — Cannon 334Organizational meeting<\/i>Members will vote on committee rules and procedures for the upcoming congressional session.Senate Foreign Relations<\/a> — 10 a.m. — Dirksen 419North Korea<\/i>Outside experts will testify before the committee on the continued threat posed by North Korea and options for national security strategy to counter it.Wednesday<\/b>Senate Homeland Security<\/a> — 9:40 a.m. — Dirksen 342Organizational meeting<\/i>Members will vote on committee rules and procedures for the upcoming congressional session, to be followed at 10 a.m. by a meeting on Trump\u2019s proposed southwest border wall. \u00a0House Armed Services<\/a> \u00a0— 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2118National Security Threats<\/i>Former Army Gen. David Petraeus and former CIA Deputy Director John McLaughlin will testify before the committee on worldwide national security threats and the challenges they pose to military leaders.House Foreign Affairs<\/a> — 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2172United Kingdom<\/i>The subcommittee on trade will discuss how the United Kingdom\u2019s exit from the European Union could impact trade agreements with the United States.Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs<\/a> — 2:30 p.m. — Dirksen 106VA secretary confirmation<\/i>The committee will meet to consider the nomination of Dr. David Shulkin, current VA Under Secretary for Health, to take over as the department secretary.Thursday<\/b>House Armed Services<\/a> \u00a0— 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2118Committee oversight plan<\/i>The full committee will meet to discuss the committee’s oversight plan for the 115th session and to take related actions.House Foreign Affairs<\/a> — 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2172Israel<\/i>The subcommittee on the Middle East will hear from outside experts on the security challenges in the conflict between the Israeli government and Palestinian militants.<\/span>