Congressional appropriations and authorization work collide this week.

Congressional appropriations and authorization work collide this week.

As two significant House committees prepared their spending plans for military operations in 2019, Wednesday will be a crucial day for the Pentagon's fiscal 2023 budget.

At the same time that the House Armed Services Committee is debating the annual defense authorization bill, the House Appropriations Committee will mark up its defense appropriations plan.

The most controversial subject at both events is likely to be top-line expenditure. Democrats in the House have stuck to President Joe Biden's plan for a 4% rise in defense spending next year. Still, a coalition of moderate Democrats and Republicans has argued that expenditure should be boosted to keep up with inflation expenses.

The appropriations committee's work should just take a few hours, but the armed services committee's work will certainly last until Thursday morning. Working on the authorization bill (which deals with a wide range of policy and budget issues) has been completed only twice in the past ten years, and never earlier than 11:40 p.m.

Tuesday, June 22nd

House Armed Services Committee — 10 a.m. — 2118 Rayburn House Office Building

Bill authorizing the Department of Defense

Members of the committee will discuss their version of the yearly defense authorization bill.

10 a.m., 1100 Longworth, House Appropriations

Amounts appropriated for defense

The whole committee will vote on its proposed defense spending bill for the fiscal year 2023.

Veterans' Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives — 10 a.m. — Visitors Center H210

Legislation in the works

The health subcommittee will consider several pending measures.

2 p.m. — House Foreign Affairs — 2172 Rayburn

Cooperation in regional security

Officials from the State Department will testify about US goals in the Middle East and North Africa.

Senate Foreign Relations — 419 Dirksen — 2:45 p.m.

NATO expansion

State Department officials will discuss the potential NATO membership of Sweden and Finland.

House Appropriations — 5 p.m. — 2359 Rayburn House Office Building

Appropriations for the State Department

The foreign operations subcommittee will discuss its draught budget for the State Department for the fiscal year 2023.

Wednesday, June 23rd

9:30 a.m. — Senate Foreign Relations — 419 Dirksen

Nominations are still pending.

The committee will consider several pending nominations.

10 a.m., 1100 Longworth, House Appropriations

Appropriations for Veterans Affairs

The committee will vote on its draught of the Department of Veterans Affairs appropriations bill for the fiscal year 2023.