WASHINGTON — This week could be the last one where lawmakers are working on the fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2019 budgets simultaneously. Or it could be the third partial government shutdown of the year.

After setting topline spending figures for the current and next year federal budget last month, Congress has until Friday to pass a detailed full-year budget plan before temporary budget authorities expire.

The final plan, which still hadn’t been unveiled when lawmakers left for the weekend, should stave off any more shutdown threats until this fall, and give federal agencies their full year’s funding with six months left to spend it.

Meanwhile, discussions of the fiscal 2019 budget are well underway on Capitol Hill, with markup hearings on the annual defense authorization bill expected early next month. Service officials will be before committees all this week to discuss their priorities and hopefully move along next year’s budget process faster than this year’s.

Tuesday, March 20

Senate Armed Services — 9:30 a.m. — Hart 216
U.S. Strategic Command
Gen. John Hyten, head of U.S. Strategic Command, will testify before the committee on the fiscal 2019 budget request and current challenges.

House Appropriations — 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2362-B
National Nuclear Security Administration
NNSA officials will testify before the committee on the fiscal 2019 budget request.

House Veterans' Affairs — 10:30 a.m. — Cannon 334
Pending legislation
The subcommittee on disability assistance will consider a series of pending bills.

House Oversight — 2 p.m. — Visitors Center H210
Government cyber security
The committee will hear from outside experts on cyber threats to U.S. systems and possible solutions.

House Veterans' Affairs — 2 p.m. — Cannon 334
Pending legislation
The subcommittee on economic opportunity will consider a series of pending bills.

House Armed Services — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2212
Submarines
Navy officials will testify before the committee on construction options for the service’s submarine industrial base and the fiscal 2019 budget.

House Financial Services — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2128
Terrorism finances
Outside experts will testify before the committee on financial links between terroism, drug trafficking and other organized crime.

Senate Armed Services — 2:30 p.m. — Russell 232-A
Marine Corps ground modernization
Service officials will testify before the committee on Corps ground modernization efforts and the fiscal 2019 budget request.

House Armed Services — 3:30 p.m. — Rayburn 2118
Navy readiness
Naval operations officials will testify before the committee on the current force readiness posture and the fiscal 2019 budget request.

Wednesday, March 21

House Science — 1:30 p.m. — Rayburn 2318
Veterans and technology
Outside experts will testify before the committee on empowering veterans through technology.

Senate Veterans' Affairs — 2 p.m. — Russell 418
VA budget
VA Secretary David Shulkin will testify before the committee on the fiscal 2019 budget request.

House Armed Services — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2118
Ground force modernization
Army and Marine Corps officials will testify before the committee on ground force modernization budget requests for fiscal 2019.

House Foreign Affairs — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2167
China
Outside experts will testify before the committee on Chinese foreign influence and its impact on U.S. foreign policy.

House Foreign Affairs — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2167
Saudi Arabia
Outside experts will testify before the committee on U.S. nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia.

Senate Foreign Relations — 2 p.m. — Dirksen 419
Lebanon
Outside experts will testify before the committee on stability and security challenges in Lebanon.

Senate Armed Services — 2:30 p.m. — Russell 232A
Navy shipbuilding programs
Naval officials will testify before the committee on the fiscal 2019 budget request and future plans for Navy shipbuilding.

Senate Armed Services — 2:30 p.m. — Russell 222
Missile defense
John Rood, under secretary of defense for policy, and Gen. Lori Robinson, head of U.S. Northern Command, will testify before the committee on ballistic missile defense programs.

House Armed Services — 3:30 p.m. — Rayburn 2118
Military personnel
Service personnel officials will testify before the committee on policy priorities and the fiscal 2019 budget request.

Thursday, March 22

House Armed Services — 9 a.m. — Rayburn 2118
Nuclear forces
Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, and other military nuclear officials will testify before the committee on the fiscal 2019 budget.

Senate Armed Services — 10 a.m. — Hart 216
Atomic energy defense programs
Secretary Of Energy Rick Perry will testify before the committee on his department’s atomic energy defense programs and the fiscal 2019 budget request.

House Armed Services — 10:30 a.m. — Rayburn 2212
Weapons of mass destruction
Lt. Gen. Joseph Osterman, deputy commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, and other military planners will testify before the committee on future years defense strategy and the fiscal 2019 budget request.

Friday, March 23

House Veterans’ Affairs — 10 a.m. — Fayetteville, N.C.
Field hearing
The committee will hold a field hearing in North Carolina on provider access and payment issues, featuring testimony from local advocates.

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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