With the Senate already on spring break and House members looking ahead to theirs, Congress only has one full day of hearings this week.
But that day is packed with military topics, including Defense Secretary Ash Carter's second visit to Capitol Hill in a week to justify the Pentagon's fiscal 2017 budget request.
Active-duty and veterans health care programs both get scrutiny from lawmakers Tuesday morning. The National Guard budget gets its review from appropriators in the afternoon, who also plan on releasing their veterans and military construction budget proposal sometime next week.
On Wednesday, before lawmakers catch their flights home, House Foreign Affairs Committee officials will review White House plans for the detention facilities at Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. That could be as contentious as the nearby House Armed Services hearing on the costly F-35 program.
House Veterans' Affairs — 10 a.m. — Cannon 334
Choice consolidation
The subcommittee on health will consider requests from VA officials to consolidate outside care programs to simplify access for veterans.
House Appropriations — 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2359
Defense health programs
The subcommittee on defense will hear from service officials about reform proposals for the military health services and the department's fiscal 2017 budget request.
House Armed Services — 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2118
Defense budget
Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr. will testify before the committee on the fiscal 2017 budget request.
House Foreign Affairs — 10:45 a.m. — Rayburn 2172
Women advocates
Officials from humanitarian and advocacy groups will testify before the committee on the role of women in overseas conflicts.
House Appropriations — 1:30 p.m. — Capitol H140
National Guard
The subcommittee on defense will hear from National Guard and reserve officials on the fiscal 2017 budget request.
House Foreign Affairs — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2172
Hezbollah
The subcommittee on the Middle East will discuss the organization's growing influence in the Middle East and possible threats it poses to U.S. interests.
House Veterans' Affairs — 2 p.m. — Cannon 334
Hiring veterans
The subcommittee on economic opportunity will examine veterans preference in federal hiring practices and possible changes to those rules.
House Foreign Affairs — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2200
Latin America
The subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere will review border security issues, with specific focus on Latin American countries.
House Armed Services — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2212
Logistics
The subcommittee on seapower will discuss logistics and sealift force requirements with respect to the fiscal 2017 budget request.
House Foreign Affairs — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2255
South Asia
The subcommittee on Asia will look at regional issues and potential implications for U.S. national security interests.
House Foreign Affairs — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2167
Human trafficking
The subcommittee on human rights will review how human trafficking cases are tracked and improvements for the future.
House Armed Services — 3:30 p.m. — Rayburn 2118
Cyber programs
The subcommittee on emerging threats will discuss information technology and cyber program priorities in the fiscal 2017 defense budget request.
House Foreign Affairs — 9:30 a.m. — Rayburn 2172
Guantanamo detention facility
State and Defense Department officials will testify about the impact of the president's plan to close the detention facilities at Naval Base Guantanamo Bay.
House Armed Services — 10:30 a.m. — Rayburn 2118
F-35
The subcommittee on tactical air forces will receive an update on the F-35 joint strike fighter program and the fiscal 2017 budget request.
Leo Shane III covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He can be reached at lshane@militarytimes.com.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
