Defense hearings: Budget talk starts on Capitol Hill

President Obama's final federal budget plan will be released in full on Tuesday, and lawmakers will start dissecting those plans almost immediately in hearings on Capitol Hill.

Pentagon leadership is expected to testify on the funding proposals later this month, but officials from the Air Force and Veterans Affairs Department will be before Congress this week to talk about how much money they want and how they'll spend those tax dollars.

The House Armed Services Committee alone has seven hearings scheduled for the week, with most of them expected to touch on budget issues in some way.

Meanwhile, issues of security threats in the Middle East and Afghanistan continue to stay on the congressional hearing schedule, and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper will discuss other emerging global threats with members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Worldwide threats

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart will brief the committee on emerging threats around the globe.

Nuclear doctrine

Defense officials will discuss nuclear acquisition programs and the fiscal 2017 budget proposal.

Closed briefing

Committee members will receive a closed briefing on the security situation in Iraq and Syria.

VA budget request

VA leaders will brief the committee on their fiscal 2017 budget request and reform plans within the department.

Russia

Outside experts, including former European Command head retired Adm. James Stavridis, will brief the committee on Russian aggression and U.S. policies toward the country.

Islamic State group

State department officials will discuss the evolving threat of the Islamic State group in Iraq, Syria, Libya and the rest of the Middle East.

Pending legislation

The committee will consider pending bills concerning Iran and Central Africa.

Air Force budget

Committee members will hear from Air Force officials about their fiscal 2017 budget request.

Zika epidemic

The subcommittee on global health will hear from outside experts about the spread of the Zika virus and the potential impact on U.S. national security.

Housing programs

The subcommittee on economic opportunity will discuss issues with VA's Loan Guaranty programs and Specially Adaptive Housing grants.

Army reform

Members of the National Commission on the Future of the Army will brief the committee on their recent findings and the path ahead for service reform efforts.

WMDs

Defense officials will brief the subcommittee on emerging threats on department efforts to counter weapons of mass destruction and their budget priorities for fiscal 2017.

Army commission

Members of the National Commission on the Future of the Army will brief the committee on their recent findings and the path ahead for service reform efforts.

Outside care

The subcommittee on health will continue its review of VA requests to consolidate community care billing and reimbursement programs.

Iran

Officials from the State and Treasury departments will discuss ongoing implementation of the Iran nuclear deal and potential problems in the future.

Taiwan

The subcommittee on the Pacific will discuss U.S. relations with Taiwan and security issues in the future.

NNSA

The subcommittee on strategic forces will hear from officials at the National Nuclear Security Administration about their fiscal 2017 budget request.

Naval aviation

The subcommittee on seapower will discuss naval aviation planning and policy with outside experts.

Air Force budget

Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein and other service officials will brief the subcommittee on readiness on their fiscal 2017 budget request.

Afghanistan

Defense officials will offer an assessment of the development of Afghan security forces and the work of U.S. trainers in that country.

Leo Shane III covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He can be reached at lshane@militarytimes.com.

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