{"id":52640,"date":"2018-09-24T03:00:31","date_gmt":"2018-09-24T03:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/09\/24\/this-week-in-congress-the-defense-scramble-before-mid-term-elections\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:01:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:01:34","slug":"this-week-in-congress-the-defense-scramble-before-mid-term-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/09\/24\/this-week-in-congress-the-defense-scramble-before-mid-term-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"This week in Congress: The defense scramble before mid term elections"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 In what is expected to be Congress\u2019 final full week of hearings before the November election, lawmakers will tackle a host of defense<\/a> and veterans<\/a> issues as the ongoing battle over Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh drags on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Senate Armed Services and Senate Foreign Relations Committees will try and advance their own nominees this week, with the former panel\u2019s list including the new head of U.S. Southern Command<\/a> and a new commander for U.S. Forces Korea<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VA Secretary Robert Wilkie will make his first appearance testifying on Capitol Hill since his confirmation in July, discussing recent reform efforts with the Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And all of that work will come as House leaders push to finalize the fiscal 2019 defense appropriations bill before the end of the week. The Senate has already approved the measure, and if House members are similarly successful, the vote will mark the first time in 10 years that lawmakers have completed the military budget before the start of the new fiscal calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\t