By Leo Shane III via militarytimes.com
WASHINGTON — State Department officials will make their first pitches for their fiscal 2019 agency budgets this week, even as lawmakers are still working out the details of the current fiscal year.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will make two appearances before Congress on Tuesday and Wednesday to talk about reorganization of the department, the president’s plans for future funding and criticism of the downsizing of some State Department missions.
Similar military budget hearings were also expected to begin this week, but several were postponed due to scheduling issues. Pentagon officials will be on Capitol Hill in force in weeks to come to lobby for a sizable increase in spending authority in the months ahead.
Also this week, the major veterans groups begin their legislative presentations to the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees. The American Legion and Disabled American Veterans will be the first to make their presentations on Capitol Hill, with about 20 more expected in coming weeks.
