Most of the Cabinet-level confirmation hearings are already finished, but the nominee to take over the Department of Veterans Affairs hasn’t 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’ 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’s 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’ foreign affairs panels will discuss with outside experts regional threats.
Monday
Senate Foreign Relations -- 5 p.m. -- Capitol 116
Organizational meeting
Members will vote on committee rules and procedures for the upcoming congressional session.
Tuesday
House Veterans’ Affairs -- 10 a.m. -- Cannon 334
Organizational meeting
Members will vote on committee rules and procedures for the upcoming congressional session.
Senate Foreign Relations -- 10 a.m. -- Dirksen 419
North Korea
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
Senate Homeland Security -- 9:40 a.m. -- Dirksen 342
Organizational meeting
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’s proposed southwest border wall.
House Armed Services -- 10 a.m. -- Rayburn 2118
National Security Threats
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 -- 10 a.m. -- Rayburn 2172
United Kingdom
The subcommittee on trade will discuss how the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union could impact trade agreements with the United States.
Senate Veterans’ Affairs -- 2:30 p.m. -- Dirksen 106
VA secretary confirmation
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
House Armed Services -- 10 a.m. -- Rayburn 2118
Committee oversight plan
The full committee will meet to discuss the committee's oversight plan for the 115th session and to take related actions.
House Foreign Affairs -- 10 a.m. -- Rayburn 2172
Israel
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.
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.
