President Obama Submits His FY 2015 Budget Proposal To Congress

LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY

Appropriations Work Begins

Following last week’s submission by President Obama of his FY 2015 Budget Proposal to Congress, appropriators are set to begin work in earnest on the FY 2015 spending bills. Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) previously stated that her committee would not take up a budget resolution for FY 2015, deeming it unnecessary because the budget deal (P.L. 113-67) approved by Congress in December established a $1.014 trillion discretionary spending limit for the fiscal year. It remains unclear whether House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) will propose an FY 2015 budget resolution. While he would like to set conservative fiscal parameters for the next decade, securing votes for the measure may be difficult. Conservative Republicans, many of which did not vote for the budget deal, will not approve of a budget resolution that adheres to the $1.014 trillion spending cap. Likewise, Democrats will not approve of the entitlement reforms the Chairman is likely to include in his proposal.

This Week’s Hearings

• Wednesday, March 12: The House Budget Committee will hold a hearing on the President’s FY 2015 Revenue and Economic Policy Proposals. Witness: Secretary of the Treasury Jacob J. Lew.

Senate Appropriations Committee FY 2015 Budget Hearings

• Tuesday, March 11: The Legislative Branch Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Congressional Budget Office and the Government Accountability Office. Witnesses: Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General, Government Accountability Office and Dr. Douglas Elmendorf, Director, Congressional Budget Office.
• Wednesday, March 12: The Defense Subcommittee will hold a hearing on Defense Health Programs. Witnesses: Dr. Jonathan Woodson, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs and Chris Miller, Program Executive Officer for Defense Healthcare Management System.
• Wednesday, March 12: The Homeland Security Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of Homeland Security. Witness: Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson.
• Thursday, March 13: The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of Transportation. Witness: Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx.
• Thursday, March 13: The State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of State and Foreign Operations. Witness: Secretary of State John F. Kerry.

House Appropriations Committee FY 2015 Budget Hearings

• Tuesday, March 11: The Homeland Security Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of Homeland Security. Witness: Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson.
• Wednesday, March 12: The Homeland Security Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the United States Coast Guard. Witness: Admiral Robert J. Papp, Jr., Commandant, United States Coast Guard
• Wednesday, March 12: The State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of State. Witness: Secretary of State John F. Kerry.
• Wednesday, March 12: The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for Installations, Environment, Energy and BRAC. Witnesses: John Conger, Acting Deputy Under Secretary, Defense for Installations and Environment; Dennis V. McGinn, Assistant Secretary, Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment; Katherine Hammack, Assistant Secretary, Army for Installations, Energy and Environment; Kathleen I. Ferguson, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, performing duties as Assistant Secretary, Air Force for Installations, Environment, and Logistics.
• Wednesday, March 12: The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of Transportation. Witness: Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx.
• Thursday, March 13: The Defense Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of Defense. Witnesses: Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel; General Martin Dempsey, USA Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff;  and Robert Hale, Undersecretary of Defense, Comptroller.
• Thursday, March 13: The Homeland Security Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Witnesses: Daniel Ragsdale, Deputy Director, Immigration and Customs Enforcement; James Dinkins, Executive Associate Director, Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Thomas Homan, Executive Associate Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
• Thursday, March 13: The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of Health and Human Services. Witness: Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.
• Thursday, March 13: The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Witness: Secretary of Housing Shaun Donovan.
• Friday, March 14: The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of Agriculture. Witness: Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack; Dr. Joseph Glauber, Chief Economist, Department of Agriculture; and Michael Young, Budget Officer, Department of Agriculture.