Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday morning to share more details about the President’s $750 billion defense budget request.
“What’s going to be as interesting as hearing DOD’s details will be hearing from members of Congress and their concerns and their positions on things in the budget,” said Todd Harrison, director of defense budget analysis at CSIS.
Harrison told On Base that it will be important to watch Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.).
“A lot of other senators are going to look to him – Republican senators, I should say – for guidance on where it’s safe to move against the administration and other areas where they might fall in line.”
The committee will also question Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joe Dunford and Principal Deputy Under Secretary Elaine McCusker, the Pentagon comptroller.
Sen. Jim Inhofe and Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan at the Munich Security Conference in February. DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando
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