Week ahead: Trump to detail $716B defense request

President Trump is expected to unveil details of his fiscal 2019 defense budget proposal early in the coming week, even as lawmakers are still working through the fiscal 2018 appropriations budget.

Defense Secretary James Mattis has confirmed the administration will request $716 billion in national security funding for fiscal 2019, to include the Pentagon and Energy Department nuclear programs.

The bipartisan spending deal, approved by Congress early Friday morning and signed by Trump shortly after, raised the caps on discretionary spending, setting it at $700 billion for fiscal year 2018 and $716 billion for fiscal year 2019.

{mosads}

“Just signed Bill,” Trump tweeted Friday. “Our Military will now be stronger than ever before. We love and need our Military and gave them everything — and more. First time this has happened in a long time. Also means JOBS, JOBS, JOBS!”

Mattis spent the week on Capitol Hill pushing support for the increased defense budget and helping win over defense hawks. The budget deal sparked opposition form fiscal conservatives, forcing Mattis to make last minute phone calls to lawmakers Thursday night before a midnight deadline to fund the government.

The Defense Department boost equates to $165 billion more for the Pentagon over the next two years: $80 billion for fiscal year 2018 and $85 billion in fiscal year 2019.  

The jump is sizable when compared to the $634 billion allocated to the department last year.  

Chief Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White told reporters Thursday that the $716 billion topline was influenced by the department’s recently released national defense strategy document.

“This is a strategy-driven budget,” White said during a media briefing at the Pentagon. “So a great deal of care was taken to ensure that we’re rebuilding readiness, and that we are — we are remedying some of the shortfalls that we’ve had in the past.”

Even with the next budget looming, lawmakers plan to spend the next six weeks working out the specifics to the fiscal 2018 appropriations bill. Lawmakers will then look to work quickly on the fiscal 2019 plans before the Oct. 1 start of the next fiscal year.

In addition to the budget rollout, several hearings and events are on tap for the coming week.

Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for policy David Trachtenberg will speak about the Nuclear Posture Review at 10 a.m. Monday at the Brookings Institution. http://brook.gs/2BOcHcO

House Armed Services Committee ranking member Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) will be among the speakers on “Oversight and Accountability in U.S. Security Sector Assistance: Seeking Return on Investment” at 2 p.m. Monday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. http://bit.ly/2nOKb1S

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will receive a closed briefing from State Department officials on the implementation of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act at 5 p.m. Monday at the Senate Visitor Center, room 217. http://bit.ly/2H0hLtF

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, National Security Agency Director Adm. Mike Rogers, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley and National Geospatial Intelligence Agency Director Robert Cardillo will testify at the Senate Intelligence Committee’s annual “Worldwide Threats” hearing at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Hart Senate Office Building, room 216. http://bit.ly/2nVkJHm

Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney will testify about the president’s 2019 budget request before the Senate Budget Committee at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, room 608. http://bit.ly/2Erpcvt

A Senate Armed Services Committee subpanel will have a hearing on the Pentagon’s role in protecting democratic elections with testimony from outside experts at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Russell Senate Office Building, room 222. http://bit.ly/2BiyaJu

Pacific Command commander Adm. Harry Harris will testify before the House Armed Services Committee at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Rayburn House Office Building, room 2118. http://bit.ly/2ERW5iS

The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on modernizing food aid with testimony from former officials and outside experts at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Rayburn 2172. http://bit.ly/2ER5dEk

A House Foreign Affairs subcommittee will hold a hearing on the administration’s Israeli-Palestinian peace plan with testimony from outside experts at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Rayburn 2172. http://bit.ly/2nWNuDh

Another Foreign Affairs subpanel will hold a hearing on how to advance U.S. interests through the Organization of American States at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Rayburn 2200. http://bit.ly/2ExY7XS

The vice chiefs of the military services will testify about readiness before a Senate Armed Services Committee subcommittee at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at Russell 222. http://bit.ly/2DB8xSB

Another Senate Armed Services subcommittee will hold a hearing on military family readiness with testimony from Pentagon officials and outside experts at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Russell 232A. http://bit.ly/2EPLmFz

A House Armed Services subpanel will hold a hearing on Air Force readiness with testimony from Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve officers at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at Rayburn 2212. http://bit.ly/2nWRpzZ

Northern Command commander Gen. Lori Robinson and Southern Command commander Gen. Kurt Tidd will testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at Dirksen G-50. http://bit.ly/2GYFKcJ

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for the nominees to be under secretary of State for arms control and international security, assistant secretary of State of East Asian and Pacific affairs, and assistant secretary of State for energy resources at 10 a.m. Thursday at Dirksen 419. http://bit.ly/2Cfepzs

The House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on strategic competition with China with testimony from outside experts at 10 a.m. Thursday at Rayburn 2118. http://bit.ly/2EbwiF5

A House Armed Services subcommittee will hear from Special Operations commander Gen. Raymond Thomas and assistant secretary of Defense for special operations Owen West at 2 p.m. Thursday at Rayburn 2212. http://bit.ly/2BifXMb

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, will speak about the Russia investigation and U.S. national security at 8:30 a.m. Friday at the Council on Foreign Relations. http://on.cfr.org/2C8JAwc

 

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