The House-passed bill provided the Pentagon with a 2013 appropriations bill, which military leaders say is essential to help them move money around before the sequester cuts. The House bill moved $10.4 billion into the Defense Department’s operations and maintenance accounts.
{mosads}In addition to the Pentagon bill, the legislation also included military construction and Veterans Affairs.
The Senate plans to include the Defense appropriations bills, but it is also adding more federal agencies not in the House plan: funding for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, Agriculture, Homeland Security and science agencies.
There are other key differences between the House and Senate bills. The Senate’s plan would give the Obama administration greater flexibility over how it implements this year’s $85 billion spending cut due to sequestration.
Rather than give federal agencies blanket authority to pick and choose where to spend money, the bill from Senate Democrats would enhance the “reprogramming authority” of the agencies.
But the Senate bill will avoid what could have been a roadblock by keeping the same $1.043 trillion topline number that the House passed, which is then reduced by sequestration to $984 billion.
That won’t be the only budget news next week. Both the House and Senate Budget Committees plan to unveil their 2014 budget plans, which are coming out ahead of the Obama administration’s budget request.
If the Senate passes the budget resolution from Senate Budget Chairman Patty Murray (D-Wash.), it would be the first time for the Senate since 2009.
The Senate Intelligence Committee is holding its annual worldwide threats hearing, where intelligence leaders testify in an open setting.
Newly minted CIA chief John Brennan, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, FBI Director Robert Mueller, Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, National Counterterrorism Center Director Matthew Olsen and Assistance Secretary of State for Intelligence Philip Goldberg are all testifying.
In the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Cyber Command chief Gen. Keith Alexander and Strategic Command chief Gen. Robert Kehler will appear Tuesday to talk about the budget and policy issues.
On the House side, the Armed Services Committee is holding four hearings next week, including a look at cyber issues Tuesday and a hearing on whether restarting the ever-popular base closing committee is appropriate at this time.
Numerous top Pentagon officials and defense-minded lawmakers will be speaking on Tuesday at the Newseum for the annual McAleese-Credit Suisse conference.
The speakers include Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter, Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).