Just a handful of defense hearings this week for what most staffers expect to be the final days of Congress' 2014 legislative session. Most of lawmakers' focus will be trained on finalizing plans for a budget resolution to keep the government open past Thursday and shepherding the annual defense authorization bill through the Senate.
Several committees will continue their oversight of military operations against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria. The House Veterans' Affairs Committee plans several last-minute looks at Veterans Affairs Department issues that haven't been pressing crises in recent months. And Senate Armed Services Committee lawmakers will likely wrap up their year's work with a list of non-controversial nominations.
Monday
Senate Armed Services — 2:30 p.m. — Dirksen 106
Nominations
Among the nominees under consideration are Robert Scher (to be assistant defense secretary for strategy), Elissa Slotkin (to be assistant defense secretary for international security) and David Berteau (to be assistant secretary for logistics).
Tuesday
Senate Foreign Relations — 10 a.m. — Dirksen 419
Humanitarian crisis in Iraq and Syria
The subcommittee on human rights will look at impact of Islamic State group movements in the countries and the growing humanitarian crisis in the region.
Senate Foreign Relations -- 2 p.m. -- Hart 216
ISIS Force Authorization
The committee will discuss the White House's request for a new authorization for the use of military force for the fight in Iraq and Syria.
House Veterans' Affairs — 1 p.m. — Cannon 334
Operations at National Cemeteries
The subcommittee on memorial affairs will look at delays in burials of veterans and concerns related to operations of VA cemeteries.
Wednesday
House Foreign Affairs — 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2172
Countering Islamic State group
The State Department's envoy on the Islamic State group fight will brief lawmakers on progress thus far.
House Veterans' Affairs — 10 a.m. — Cannon 334
Transition Assistance Program
The subcommittee on economic opportunity will review military to civilian transition programs and possible improvements to those offerings.
Senate Foreign Relations — 10:30 a.m. — Dirksen 419
The Ebola epidemic
The subcommittee on African affairs will look at the international response so far and lessons learned for future outbreaks.
House Foreign Affairs — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2167
Afghanistan and Pakistan
The subcommittee on the Middle East will look at the future of the Afghanistan region following U.S. forces' departure.
House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2172
Russian Arms Control
Subcommittees from the two panels will hold a joint hearing looking at Russian attempts to skirt arms control rules and the White House response thus far.
Thursday
House Veterans' Affairs — 10 a.m. — Cannon 334
Veteran Homelessness
Lawmakers will look at progress on the administration's stated effort to end the veterans' homeless problem by the end of next year.
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.
