Week ahead: Senate renews sea treaty push

The
treaty is supported by the U.S. Navy and the oil-and-gas industries, who say
it’s in the U.S. interest to be able to craft international maritime law and to
help govern disputes at sea.

Opponents
of the treaty warn that it could force the United States to abide by
international restrictions on carbon emissions and make U.S. companies pay
royalties to a United Nations body, arguing it is inconsistent with U.S.
sovereignty.

{mosads}Sen.
Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) has led the fight in the Senate against the treaty, and he
has gathered 27 senators to sign a letter signaling their opposition. The
treaty would need a two-thirds majority to pass, meaning 34 senators could
block it.

This
year’s first Law of the Sea hearing featured two Cabinet secretaries and the top
U.S. military general, as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary
Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey made a rare joint
appearance on Capitol Hill to argue for its passage.

The
Foreign Relations panel then held a doubleheader earlier this month, with more
military officials — Kerry repeatedly touted their “24 stars” of support — in
the morning, with former Bush administration Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
headlining the witness panel in the afternoon. Rumsfeld testified against the
treaty.

There’s
been a lobbying effort on both sides surrounding the potential vote, and
several former top military officials have signed onto an effort against it.
With Kerry signaling that a vote won’t occur until after the November election,
there’s plenty of time for both sides to continue to try and whip up support. 

Kerry
has touted support of business groups like the Chamber of Commerce, a more
frequent Republican ally, in his push to get the Senate to ratify the treaty.

Coming
off the heels of a Senate vote to require the administration to explain the
impact of sequestration cuts, Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) is giving two talks on
Tuesday about sequestration.

In
the morning, Ayotte will be speaking at TechAmerica about how the automatic
cuts could harm the defense base, and in the afternoon she’ll be at the
Brookings Institution to talk about implications and potential alternatives to
sequestration.

The
Defense hearing schedule has noticeably slowed now that the budget hearings
have passed, and that’s fully evident with a light schedule this week despite
both the House and Senate being in session.

The
House Armed Services Committee is holding a hearing on the National Nuclear
Security Administration Wednesday, where a former administrator and Government
Accountability Office official will testify, and the panel will have a Friday
morning hearing to assess the Afghan National Security Forces and their
transition to the lead on security.

Also
on Wednesday, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee is holding a hearing on
health and benefits legislation.