WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump delivers his first official State of the Union address on Tuesday night, but he still has unfinished business from his speech to Congress last year.

In that event (a “joint address to Congress,” not officially a State of the Union speech), Trump vowed to send lawmakers “a budget that rebuilds the military, eliminates the defense sequester and calls for one of the largest increases in national defense spending in American history.” He did send over that request, but nearly four months into the new fiscal year, Congress has yet to approve it.

The House is working to take up a new vote on a stand-alone defense appropriations measure this week, one that would provide more money that even Trump requested for the military. But the plan still faces a difficult path in the Senate, where Democrats hold enough power to filibuster the measure.

Much of the speech this week is expected to focus on economic issues, given the tax reform measure passed by Congress at the end of last year.

But the State of the Union speech also regularly features some discussion on national security and foreign policy, and is likely to include discussion of U.S. troops’ work in the Middle East, a frequent talking point of Trump in recent months.

Tuesday, Jan. 30

Senate Armed Services — 10 a.m. — Hart 216
Pacific strategy
Outside experts will testify before the committee on instability on the Korean Peninsula and broader U.S. strategy region.

House Armed Services — 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2118
Military readiness
Outside experts will testify before the committee on the U.S. military’s preparation for future warfare threats.

House Veterans' Affairs — 10 a.m. — Cannon 334
Appeals Reform
VA officials will testify before the committee on appeals reform implementation.

House Transportation — 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2167
Coast Guard health records
The subcommittee on Coast Guard will hear from service officials about progress with modernization of service medical record systems.

House Small Business — 11 a.m. — Rayburn 2360
Cyber Threats
Committee members will hear from FBI officials on the threat posed by foreign cyber attacks and possible ways to counter them.

Senate Foreign Relations — 2:30 p.m. — Dirksen 419
North America
Former Canadian Prime Minster Brian Mulroney will testify before the committee on the economic relationship between the United States, Canada and Mexico.

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.

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