Congress prepares for a two-week legislative break starting Friday with another flurry of budget hearings on the defense and veterans affairs spending plans for fiscal 2020, with an eye towards advancing those issues next month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., told Politico last week that he is expecting to mark up his panel\u2019s version of the annual defense authorization act in late May. House Armed Services Committee officials have said they expect to hold their annual marathon markup in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
House lawmakers are set to vote on a Democratic-backed plan this week that would add about $17 billion to the defense budget cap for fiscal 2020 (and more than $30 billion to the non-defense cap) that Republicans are already decrying as insufficient for military needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Veterans Affairs officials are watching their own June 6 deadline for implementation of the Mission Act, which includes a dramatic expansion of department community care programs. They\u2019ll appear again before senators on Wednesday to explain and justify the work on the issue so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTuesday, April 9<\/strong> Defense and veterans hearings on Capitol Hill for the week of April 8, 2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":51272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[8,160,36,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3424,3446],"class_list":["post-45981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-congress","category-daily-news-roundup","category-newsletters","category-pentagon"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"E2WP4I6WMNB27N362XS4L5W2G4","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/04\/08\/this-week-in-congress-the-rush-before-spring-break\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n
\r\n
\r\nSenate Homeland Security \u2014 10 a.m. \u2014 342 Dirksen
\r\nU.S. southern border<\/i>
\r\nFrontline administration officials testify on migration at the southern border.
\r\n
\r\nHouse Homeland Security \u2014 10 a.m. \u2014 310 Cannon
\r\nTSA\/Coast Guard FY20 budget requests<\/i>
\r\nCoast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl L. Schultz and Transportation Security Administration chief David P. Pekoske testify.
\r\n
\r\nHouse Veterans’ Affairs \u2014 10 a.m. \u2014 1334 Longworth
\r\nMarkup<\/i>
\r\nThe subcommittee marks up the “Homeless Veteran Families Act” and other legislation.
\r\n
\r\nHouse Armed Services \u2014 2 p.m. \u2014 2212 Rayburn
\r\nSpecial Operations FY20 budget request<\/i>
\r\nTestimony from Mark Mitchell, principal deputy assistant Defense secretary for special operations and low intensity conflict, and Gen. Richard D. Clarke, commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command.
\r\n
\r\nHouse Foreign Affairs \u2014 2 p.m. \u2014 2172 Rayburn
\r\nFull Committee Markup <\/i>
\r\nThe committee marks up the \u201cTaiwan Reassurance Act\u201d, “Prohibiting Unauthorized Military Action in Venezuela Act\u201d and other proposed legislation.
\r\n
\r\nHouse Appropriations \u2014 2 p.m. \u2014 Capitol H-140
\r\nArmy FY20 budget request<\/i>
\r\nArmy Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley testifies on the in the Army\u2019s budget request.
\r\n
\r\nHouse Homeland Security \u2014 2 p.m. \u2014 310 Cannon
\r\nClimate Change<\/i>
\r\nOutside experts testify on homeland security impacts of a changing climate.
\r\n
\r\nHouse Appropriations \u2014 2 p.m. \u2014 2008 Rayburn
\r\nMember Day<\/i>
\r\nMembers of Congress testify on their priorities for the FY20 homeland security appropriations bill.
\r\n
\r\nHouse Armed Services \u2014 2:30 p.m. \u2014 2118 Rayburn
\r\nFY20 defense authorization<\/i>
\r\nDefense and energy officials testify on priorities for atomic energy defense, nonproliferation, safety and environmental management.
\r\n
\r\nSenate Appropriations \u2014 2:30 p.m. \u2014 138 Dirksen
\r\nState and Foreign Operations FY20 appropriations<\/i>
\r\nOfficials will testify on the fiscal 2020 budget request.
\r\n
\r\nSenate Appropriations \u2014 2:30 p.m. \u2014 124 Dirksen
\r\nMilitary Construction\/Veterans Affairs FY20 appropriations<\/i>
\r\nOfficials will testify on the fiscal 2020 budget request.
\r\n
\r\nSenate Budget \u2014 2:30 p.m. \u2014 608 Dirksen
\r\nDefense Department FY20 budget request<\/i>
\r\nActing deputy defense secretary David L. Norquist testifies.
\r\n
\r\nSenate Armed Services \u2014 3 p.m. \u2014 232A Russell
\r\nAir Force Modernization<\/i>
\r\nTestimony from William B. Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics; Lt. Gen. Mark D. Kelly, deputy chief of staff for operations, and Lt. Gen. Timothy G. Fay, deputy chief of staff for strategy, integration and requirements.
\r\n
\r\n Wednesday, April 10 <\/strong>
\r\n
\r\nHouse Appropriations \u2014 9 a.m.\u2014 Capitol H-140
\r\nMember Day<\/i>
\r\nMembers of Congress testify on their priorities for FY20 defense appropriations.
\r\n
\r\nSenate Foreign Relations \u2014 9:15 a.m. \u2014 419 Dirksen
\r\nState Department FY20 budget request<\/i>
\r\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo testifies.
\r\n
\r\nSenate Appropriations \u2014 10 a.m. \u2014 138 Dirksen
\r\nNational Guard\/Reserve FY20 budget<\/i>
\r\nService officials will testify on the fiscal 2020 budget proposal.
\r\n
\r\nSenate Armed Services \u2014 10 a.m.\u2014 232A-Russell
\r\nMarine Corps Modernization<\/i>
\r\nTestimony from Navy and Marine Corps acquisitions officials.
\r\n
\r\nHouse Armed Services \u2014 10 a.m.\u2014 2118 Rayburn
\r\nNavy FY20 budget request<\/i>
\r\nTestimony from Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson, and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller.
\r\n
\r\nSenate Veterans’ Affairs \u2014 2:30 p.m. \u2014 418 Russell
\r\nVA MISSION Act implementation<\/i>
\r\nOfficials from the department will testify on the June 6 deadline for the expansion of veterans community care programs.
\r\n
\r\nThursday, April 11 <\/strong>
\r\n
\r\nSenate Armed Services \u2014 9:30 \u2014 G50 Dirksen
\r\nSpace Force<\/i>
\r\nTestimony on the administration\u2019s Space Force proposal from Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan, Air Force Secretary Heather A. Wilson, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford and United States Strategic Command\u2019s chief, Gen. John E. Hyten.
\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"