Who conducts hearings and drafts and submits the National Defense Authorization Bills that authorize programs to exist?

• A. House and Senate Armed Services Committee (HASC/SASC)
• B. House and Senate Appropriations Committees
• C. House and Senate Budget Committees
• D. Joint Committee on Taxation

Answer: (A)

Defense program authorization is handled by the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. These committees have jurisdiction over defense policy, programs, and oversight of the Department of Defense, so they conduct hearings, review program needs, and draft the National Defense Authorization Act that authorizes specific programs to exist and sets policy for the department. The NDAA is an authorization bill, not a funding measure, so its passage is followed by separate appropriations to provide the money for those programs. The Appropriations Committees handle funding levels, Budget Committees set overall spending frameworks, and the Joint Committee on Taxation deals with tax policy.