WASHINGTON — Senate Armed Services Committee officials continue their confirmation blitz this week with five more nominees under consideration this week.

Last week, the committee hosted eight administration nominees for defense posts, and will by the end of the week will have considered 17 new names in November. Members had only considered 12 others since the start of the summer.

But, since Defense Secretary James Mattis met with committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., in October, the pace of nominations has picked up dramatically. McCain said that meeting had calmed some concerns he had about Pentagon communication with Congress, which had been behind some of the nominee stalling.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly blasted Democrats for stalling his nominees in the Senate, but those tactics are only partially to cause for the delays. Pentagon officials have grumbled about the Republican-controlled Senate Armed Services Committee’s slow progress, saying it has hurt budgeting and strategic planning.

Tuesday, Nov. 14

Senate Energy — 9:30 a.m. — Dirksen 366
Puerto Rico
Committee members will heard from federal officials, including the Army Corps of Engineers, on Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands hurricane recovery efforts.

Senate Homeland Security — 9:30 a.m. — Dirksen 342
Nomination
The committee will consider the nomination of Kirstjen Nielsen to be Homeland Security Secretary.

House Science — 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2318
Cybersecurity
Federal officials, including Deputy Defense Chief Information Officer for Cybersecurity Essye Miller, will testify before the committee on improving government cybersecurity.

Senate Foreign Relations — 10 a.m. — Dirksen 419
Nominations/Nuclear review
The committee will consider the nomination of Eric Ueland to be Under Secretary of State for management. Then, members will hear from outside experts, including former U.S. Strategic Command chief retired Air Force Gen. C. Robert Kehler, will talk about presidential nuclear authorities.

Senate Armed Services — 10 a.m. — Dirksen G-50
Nominations
The committee will consider three nominations, including Anthony Kurta to be a principal deputy defense undersecretary.

Senate Foreign Relations — 2 p.m. — Dirksen 419
Asia/Pacific
Outside experts will testify before the committee on U.S. strategy in East Asia and the Pacific.

Wednesday, Nov. 15

House Appropriations — 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2362A
VA medical records
VA Secretary David Shulkin will testify before the committee on plans for veterans electronic medical records.

Senate Foreign Relations — 2 p.m. — Dirksen 419
Cuba
State Department officials will testify before the committee on attacks on U.S. diplomats in Cuba.

House Homeland Security — 2 p.m. — Visitors Center H210
Cybersecurity
Committee members will hear from outside experts on cyber threat information sharing challenges.

Senate Appropriations — 2:30 p.m. — Dirksen 124
VA opioids
VA officials will testify before the committee on department efforts to combat opioid over-medication.

Thursday, Nov. 16

Senate Foreign Relations — 10 a.m. — Visitors Center S217
Counter-terrorism strategy
Senators will receive a closed briefing from State Department officials on the White House’s new counter-terrorism guidance.

Senate Armed Services — 10 a.m. — Dirksen G50
Nominations
The committee will consider the nominations of John Rood to be defense undersecretary for policy and Randall Schriver to be assistant defense secretary for Asian and Pacific affairs.

Senate Commerce — 10 a.m. — Russell 253
Coast Guard
Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft will testify before the committee on Coast Guard readiness.

Friday, Nov. 17

House Veterans’ Affairs — 3 p.m. — Lubbock, Texas
Veterans transition
The committee will hold a field hearing in Texas to examine veterans education and transition challenges.

Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.

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