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

Wednesday, March 2:

Markup: H. Res. 269 and H. Con. Res. 75

9:15 a.m. on Wednesday, March 2 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Committee on Foreign Affairs
Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman

Bills to be marked up include:

H. Res. 269, Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the need for investigation and prosecution of war crimes and crimes against humanity, whether committed by officials of the Government of Syria or other parties to the civil war in Syria, and calling on the President to direct the United States representative to the United Nations to use the voice and vote of the United States to immediately promote the establishment of a Syrian war crimes tribunal, and for other purposes

H. Con. Res. 75, Expressing the sense of Congress that those who commit or support atrocities against Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities, including Yezidis, Turkmen, Sabea-Mandeans, Kaka'e, and Kurds, and who target them specifically for ethnic or religious reasons, are committing, and are hereby declared to be committing, "war crimes", "crimes against humanity", and "genocide."

Wednesday, March 2:

Subcommittee Hearing: The Growing Threat of Cholera and Other Diseases in the Middle East

2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations
Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Chairman

Invited Witnesses Include:

Peter J. Hotez, M.D.

President
Sabin Vaccine Institute

Issam I. Raad, M.D.
President
Health Outreach to the Middle East

J. Stephen Morrison, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President
Director of Global Health Policy Center
Center for Strategic and International Studies

Chairman Smith on the hearing: “The conflicts in the Middle East are having a hugely negative impact on health in the region, especially in light of the targeting of health workers and health facilities by terrorists. A year-long cholera outbreak in 2015 may have abated, but ongoing fighting and rebel control of large, unaccountable areas prevent us from being certain.  This hearing will examine the status of cholera and other disease outbreaks in the region to determine the most effective U.S. policy options to meet this threat.”

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

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

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