This week in Congress: Getting back to budget basics March 14 Gen. Glen VanHerck, (center) head of U.S. Northern Command, meets with command leadership of Carrier Strike Group Two aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on Feb. 6, 2021. VanHerck is scheduled to testify before Congress this week. (Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Orion K. Shotton/Navy) The leaders of U.S. Southern and Northern Commands will visit Capitol Hill this week as lawmakers step up their annual defense budget work even as they wait for the White House’s official spending proposal. Typically by mid-March, lawmakers in the House and Senate are in full budget hearing mode, with multiple service officials testifying on future needs and program changes for the upcoming fiscal year.