Week ahead in defense: House chairman to unveil Pentagon buying reforms

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http://thehill.com/policy/defense/333163-week-ahead-in-defense-house-chairman-to-unveil-pentagon-buying-reforms

Week ahead in defense: House chairman to unveil Pentagon buying reforms

By Rebecca Kheel and Ellen Mitchell - 05/15/17 06:00 AM EDT

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is ready to kick off his annual effort to reform Pentagon acquisition. All eyes will be on Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) as he unveils his legislation, with House lawmakers returning to Washington after a week-long recess.

For the last two years, Thornberry has pushed bills to reform how the Pentagon buys major weapons systems. The bills were later were folded into the annual defense policy bill, and he'll aim for the same outcome this year. A committee spokesman confirmed Friday that Thornberry still plans to introduce the acquisition bill in the coming week, but would not specify a day.

So far, Thornberry and his staff have been tight-lipped about what's in this year's bill, but he did provide a few details to reporters earlier this month. At the time, Thornberry said he hopes to beef up the Pentagon's ability to engage in intellectual property rights negotiations, a long disputed issue between the Pentagon and its industrial base. The bill will also address "streamlining some of the legislative requirements that have built up over the years that tie the department's hands," he said then.

Since the bill will eventually be part of the defense policy bill, its introduction also marks a step forward on a process that has been delayed this year. The committee is getting off to a later start than usual on the National Defense Authorization Act since the administration has not yet released its full budget request for fiscal 2018.

With the budget expected to be released the week of May 22, Thornberry said the subcommittees should hold their markups in mid-to-late June. The full committee markup should come before July 4, and the full House should vote before the August recess.
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