President Joe Biden will deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday evening on Capitol Hill as congressional committees gear up to begin their work for the new session.
House Armed Services Committee members will have their first non-organizational meeting just a few hours before the presidential address. The hearing, on national security threats posed by China, is expected to gain even more attention in the wake of reports of a Chinese surveillance balloon spotted above Montana late last week.
China and Russia (in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine) are expected to be prominent topics in Biden’s address, but other major military topics are not likely to gain significant attention.
Last year in his speech, Biden spoke about the ongoing health effects of burn pit smoke on young veterans, and the need for Congress to pass legislation to help them. Five months later, Biden signed into law the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act (better known as the PACT Act), one of the largest expansions of veterans benefits ever related to military toxic exposure issues.
House Oversight — 10 a.m. — 2154 Rayburn
Border security
Committee members will discuss recent efforts to secure the U.S. southern border.
House Armed Services — 10 a.m. — 2118 Rayburn
China
Outside experts will testify on threats posed to national security by Chinese military and strategic policies.
Wednesday, Feb. 8
House Armed Services — 11 a.m. — 2118 Rayburn
Defense industrial base
Outside experts will testify on the state of the American defense industrial base.
House Veterans' Affairs — 1 p.m. — 390 Cannon
Organizational meeting
The committee will meet to sort out rules for the current session.
House Foreign Affairs — 1:30 p.m. — Visitors Center H210
Organizational meeting
The committee will meet to sort out rules for the current session.
House Armed Services — 3 p.m. — 2118 Rayburn
Special operations forces
Outside experts will testify on the role of special operations forces in great power competition.
Thursday, Feb. 9
House Armed Services — 8:30 a.m. — 2118 Rayburn
Future threats
Outside experts will testify on current threats to American national security and the military’s ability to respond to them.
Senate Foreign Relations — 10:30 a.m. — 419 Dirksen
China
Outside experts will testify on threats posed to national security by Chinese military and strategic policies.
Senate Homeland Security — 11 a.m. — 342 Dirksen
Organizational meeting
The committee will meet to sort out rules for the current session.
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.
