WASHINGTON – A leadership round of musical chairs has put an Iraq War veteran in charge of the House Armed Services Committee's personnel panel for the first time, and South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson in charge of the intelligence subcommittee.
The moves announced Thursday put in place key figures for the fiscal 2016 defense budget debates as Congress finishes the fiscal 2015 budget this week.
Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., a brigadier general in the Army Reserve who deployed to Iraq in 2008, will head the military personnel subcommittee next year.
The move puts a lawmaker with recent, firsthand military experience in the lead oversight role of military compensation and benefits at a time when Pentagon leaders have pushed for tighter control over the costs of those programs, including a smaller-than-expected pay raise in 2015.
An independent congressional panel charged with reviewing compensation and retirement issues is expected to issue its recommendations in February, putting Heck in charge of what could be one of the dominant military budget storylines next year.
Heck had been serving as chairman of the committee's oversight panel, which will now be led by Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo.
Heck replaces Wilson, the previous personnel subcommittee chairman. Wilson is replacing incoming committee chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, on the intelligence subcommittee.
Earlier this month, Republican leaders announced that Iraq War veterans Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz. — whose election win is still under recount — and Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., will be assigned to the House Armed Services Committee next year. That brings the total number of Republican Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans on the panel to eight.
Democratic committee assignments have not been finalized yet.
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.
