With the long-awaited national security supplemental bill finalized by lawmakers last week, Congress returns to Capitol Hill this week hoping for a quicker path to passing the defense and Veterans Affairs budgets for fiscal 2025.
Both Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and VA Secretary Denis McDonough will testify before congressional committees again on their respective department budget requests. Service officials will also make multiple appearances before committees this week to talk about their operations and upcoming funding needs.
Neither the House nor Senate appropriations committees have announced when they will finalize their first drafts of the annual funding bills. But the House Armed Services Committee is expected to unveil its annual authorization bill in the next two weeks, and the Senate Armed Service Committee to follow suit in early June.
Lawmakers are hopeful to have most of that work done in early fall, ahead of the end of the current fiscal year and the November congressional and presidential elections.
Tuesday, April 30
House Armed Services — 10 a.m. — 2118 Rayburn
Defense Budget
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown will testify on the fiscal 2025 budget request.
House Appropriations — 10 a.m. — Capitol H-140
National Guard/Reserves
Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, and Reserve officials will testify on current operations and the fiscal 2025 budget request.
House Oversight — 10 a.m. — 2154 Rayburn
OMB policies
Jason Miller, deputy director for management, will testify on operations of the Office of Management and Budget.
House Science — 10 a.m. — 2318 Rayburn
NASA Budget
Bill Nelson, head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, will testify on the fiscal 2025 budget request.
House Foreign Affairs — 10 a.m. — 2172 Rayburn
Americans Detained Abroad
Families of Americans detained abroad will testify before the committee.
House Natural Resources — 10:15 a.m. — 1324 Longworth
Environmental Activists
Committee members will discuss the influence of environmental activist groups on Department of the Interior policies.
House Appropriations — 2 p.m. — Capitol H-140
Air Force/Space Force Budget
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin, and Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman will testify on the fiscal 2025 budget request.
Senate Armed Services — 2:30 p.m. — 232-A Russell
Military Access to Pharmaceuticals
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Lester Martínez-López will testify on military families’ access to prescription medications.
Senate Foreign Relations — 2:30 p.m. — 419 Dirksen
Taiwan
State Department officials will testify on current U.S. relations with Taiwan.
House Armed Services — 3 p.m. — 2212 Rayburn
Readiness
Service officials will testify on the current state of military readiness.
House Armed Services — 3:30 p.m. — 2118 Rayburn
Nuclear Forces
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Bill LaPlante and other service officials will testify on nuclear forces issues and atomic energy defense activities.
Wednesday, May 1
Senate Finance — 9 a.m. — 215 Dirksen
Cybersecurity
Outside experts will discuss the challenges of securing the health care industry against cyber attacks.
House Armed Services — 10 a.m. — 2118 Rayburn
Navy/Marine Corps Budget
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith will testify on the fiscal 2025 budget request.
House Appropriations — 10 a.m. — 2362-A Rayburn
Coast Guard Budget
Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan will testify on current operations and the fiscal 2025 budget request.
Senate Foreign Relations — 10 a.m. — 419 Dirksen
Sudan
State Department officials will testify on current challenges and instability in Sudan.
House Veterans' Affairs — 10:15 a.m. — 360 Cannon
Pending Legislation
The committee will consider several pieces of pending legislation.
House Education — 10:15 a.m. — 2175 Dirksen
Labor Department
Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su will testify on department operations and the fiscal 2025 budget request.
House Appropriations — 10:30 a.m. — 2359 Rayburn
Member Ideas
House members will offer their suggestions for the fiscal 2025 defense budget.
Senate Appropriations — 10:30 a.m. — 124 Dirksen
Military Family Housing
Service officials will testify on military construction and family housing plans for fiscal 2025.
House Appropriations — 2 p.m. — 2362-A Rayburn
Army Construction
Army installation officials will testify on the fiscal 2025 military construction budget.
House Foreign Affairs — 2 p.m. — 2172 Rayburn
Taiwan
State Department officials will testify on current U.S. relations with Taiwan.
Senate Armed Services — 2 p.m. — 232-A Russell
Joint Force Readiness
Service officials will testify on joint operations and the fiscal 2025 budget request.
Senate Veterans' Affairs — 3:30 p.m. — 418 Russell
VA Budget
VA Secretary Denis McDonough will testify on the fiscal 2025 budget request.
House Armed Services — 3:30 p.m. — 2118 Rayburn
Space Programs
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb and service officials will testify on the fiscal 2025 budget request.
Senate Armed Services — 4:30 p.m. — 222 Russell
Navy/Marine Corps Investment
Service officials will testify on ongoing investment programs and the fiscal 2024 budget request.
Thursday, May 2
Senate Armed Services — 9:30 a.m. — 216 Hart
Worldwide Threats
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse will testify on current worldwide threats.
Senate Appropriations — 10:30 a.m. — 124 Dirksen
VA Budget
VA Secretary Denis McDonough will testify on the fiscal 2025 budget request.
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.
