Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced the following upcoming Committee events:

Tuesday, December 3

Subcommittee Hearing: The United States’ Post-Typhoon Response in the Philippines

3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 3 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Panel I

The Honorable Nancy Lindborg
Assistant Administrator
Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance
U.S. Agency for International Development

Panel II

Mr. Sean Callahan
Chief Operating Officer
Catholic Relief Services

Mr. Chris Palusky
Senior Director
Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs
World Vision

Chairman Smith on the hearing: “We will report on our visit to Tacloban City–the epicenter of destruction by typhoon Haiyan–which to me resembled photos taken after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, and hear from representatives of governmental and faith-based organizations involved in the emergency relief efforts. We will take note of the great efforts of our own military and USAID in acting as first responders and in delivering aid to the victims of the disaster.  We will also salute the faith-filled resiliency of the Filipino people, with whom Americans share a unique bond of closeness that was cemented in the dark days of World War II, when American and Filipino soldiers fought and died together in the cause of liberty.”

Wednesday, December 4

Subcommittee Hearing: Oversight of U.S. Policy Toward Burma

2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 4 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific

Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Ms. Judith Cefkin
Senior Advisor for Burma
Bureau of East Asia and the Pacific
U.S. Department of State

Mr. Vikram J. Singh
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs
U.S. Department of Defense

Mr. Gregory Beck
Deputy Assistant Administrator
Bureau for Asia
U.S. Agency for International Development

Chairman Chabot on the hearing: “America’s policy in Burma has long been guided by policymakers on both sides of the aisle. Over the last year, however, the Obama Administration abandoned its “action-for-action” strategy for a forward leaning engagement policy that sacrifices broad support. This new strategy includes direct military engagement with the Burmese military despite lingering concerns that this act is hasty, ignores a long list of human rights abuses, and lacks conditions to ensure future reforms continue. It is time the Administration justifies this significant policy development and explains how its new approach will help foster reforms in an increasingly volatile on-the-ground situation. With a FY2014 budget request of $75 million for Burma, Congress must ensure proper measures are in place to assess the effectiveness of this growing U.S. assistance program.”

 

Wednesday, December 4

Subcommittee Hearing: Transition at a Crossroads: Tunisia Three Years After the Revolution

2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 4 in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Mr. Scott Mastic
Regional Director
Middle East and North Africa
International Republican Institute

Mr. Leslie Campbell
Senior Associate and Regional Director
Middle East and North Africa
National Democratic Institute

Mr. Bill Sweeney
President and Chief Executive Officer
International Foundation for Electoral Systems

Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “Three years since the Arab Spring began, Tunisia is at a crucial crossroads in its democratic transition. The country has been enmeshed in a political stalemate, and growing internal and external security challenges further complicate the tenuous political process. A democratic Tunisia would not only be a model for other countries in this volatile region, but a failure to make this transition would have grave consequences for the security interests of the U.S. and other nations in the region. This hearing will examine the status of the transition and what the U.S. and other organizations are doing to promote democracy and civil society at this critical juncture in Tunisia’s history.”

Thursday, December 5

Subcommittee Hearing: Their Daughters Appeal to Beijing: ‘Let Our Fathers Go!’

11:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 5 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Panel I

Ms. Lisa Peng
Daughter of Peng Ming

Ms. Grace Ge Geng
Daughter of Gao Zhisheng

Ms. Ti-Anna Wang
Daughter of Wang Bingzhang

Ms. Bridgette Liu
Daughter of Wan Xianming

Ms. Danielle Wang
Daughter of Wang Zhiwen

Panel II

Pastor Bob Fu
Founder and President
ChinaAid Association

Mr. Chen Guangfu
Brother of Chen Guangcheng and father of Chen Kegui

Devra Marcus, M.D.
Physician and Activist

Chairman Smith on the hearing: “This hearing will focus on the thousands of men and women in China, including Tibetan Buddhists, Muslim Uyghurs, Falun Gong practitioners, Christians, secular human rights leaders, and human rights lawyers, who courageously challenge the status quo at great cost and peril to themselves and their families,”  said Congressman Chris Smith, chairman of the House human rights subcommittee.  “In fact, the daughters of five Chinese prisoners of conscience, as well as the brother of Chen Guangcheng whose son was unjustly imprisoned, will testify. They will tell their stories and appeal to the leadership in Beijing to change its unjust policies and to promote human rights and the rule of law. On the 3rd anniversary of the awarding of the Nobel Peace prize to imprisoned Chinese activist Liu Xiaobo, this hearing will send a message to the Chinese authorities that the international community will continue to raise these cases and press for their immediate and unconditional release.”

***See foreignaffairs.house.gov for updates. 

***Coverage note:  All Foreign Affairs Committee proceedings are webcast live at foreignaffairs.house.gov/live-video-feed.

###