Most of the major military policy changes to be passed by Congress this year will be unveiled over the next two weeks, as House and Senate lawmakers offer up their first drafts of the annual defense authorization bill.
The House Armed Services Committee will release their draft first, starting with seven subcommittee markups on Tuesday and Wednesday. Next week, the committee and its counterpart in the Senate are scheduled to finalize those proposals, sending them to the full chamber membership for votes later this summer.
The work typically takes place in May, but was delayed by a month because of the debt limit fight among lawmakers. The negotiated deal to raise the country’s borrowing powers included plans for $886 billion in defense spending next year, a figure that should serve as the baseline for the policy debates in the next few days.
The authorization bill is a massive defense policy measure, dictating outlines for military spending and service policy changes. This year’s versions are expected to focus heavily on recruiting and retention issues, given the struggles that military officials have reported in meeting personnel levels over the last two years.
The measure is one of the few pieces of legislation to pass annually, even amid the partisan strife on Capitol Hill. Congress has advanced the defense authorization bill to the president’s desk for 62 consecutive years, making it a reliable and attractive vehicle for a host of veteran and military policy changes over the years.
Along with the military annual pay raise and targets for service end strength, the legislation in recent years has also included mandates to drop the names of Confederate fighters from military bases, a repeal of military COVID-19 vaccine requirements, and numerous reforms to military and veterans benefits.
Tuesday, June 13
Senate Armed Services — 9:30 a.m. — G-50 DirksenNominations
The committee will consider the nomination of Gen. Eric Smith to be commandant of the Marine Corps.
House Foreign Affairs — 10 a.m. — Capitol H210
State Department Diversity
Department officials will testify on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in their agency.
House Armed Services — 10 a.m. — 2118 Rayburn
NDAA Strategic Forces markup
The subcommittee on strategic forces issues will mark up its portion of the annual defense authorization bill.
House Armed Services — 11 a.m. — 2212 Rayburn
NDAA Cyber markup
The subcommittee on cyber issues will mark up its portion of the annual defense authorization bill.
House Armed Services — 12 p.m. — 2118 Rayburn
NDAA Seapower markup
The subcommittee on seapower issues will mark up its portion of the annual defense authorization bill.
House Armed Services — 1 p.m. — 2212 Rayburn
NDAA Personnel markup
The subcommittee on personnel issues will mark up its portion of the annual defense authorization bill.
House Veterans' Affairs — 1 p.m. — 360 Cannon
Veterans Care
Veterans Affairs officials will testify on efforts to better coordinate health care provided to veterans.
House Foreign Affairs — 2 p.m. — Capitol H210
Near Eastern Affairs
State Department officials will testify on U.S. strategy in the Middle East and North Africa.
Senate Foreign Relations — 2:15 p.m. — 419 Dirksen
Nominations
The committee will consider several pending nominations.
House Armed Services — 2:30 p.m. — 2118 Rayburn
NDAA Tactical Air markup
The subcommittee on tactical air issues will mark up its portion of the annual defense authorization bill.
House Armed Services — 3:30 p.m. — 2212 Rayburn
NDAA Intelligence markup
The subcommittee on intelligence issues will mark up its portion of the annual defense authorization bill.
Wednesday, June 14
House Armed Services — 10 a.m. — 2118 Rayburn
NDAA readiness markup
The subcommittee on readiness issues will mark up its portion of the annual defense authorization bill.
House Foreign Affairs — 10 a.m. — 2172 Rayburn
Indo-Pacific Priorities
State Department officials will testify on budget priorities in the Indo-Pacific region.
Senate Homeland Security — 10:30 a.m. — 562 Dirksen
Pending Legislation
The committee will consider a series of pending bills.
House Foreign Affairs — 2 p.m. — Capitol H210
China
State Department officials will testify on U.S. response to China’s international outreach efforts.
Senate Veterans' Affairs — 3 p.m. — 418 Russell
Rural Veterans
Veterans Affairs officials will testify on efforts to deal with substance abuse problems among rural veterans.
House Veterans' Affairs — 3 p.m. — 360 Cannon
Pending Legislation
The committee will consider several pending bills related to veterans financial issues.
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.
