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

Wednesday, June 10

Subcommittee Hearing: Iran's Enduring Ballistic Missile Threat

10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 10 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman

Invited Witnesses Include:

Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn, USA, Retired
(Former Director, Defense Intelligence Agency)

The Honorable Robert Joseph, Ph.D.
Senior Scholar
National Institute for Public Policy
(Former Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security)

David A. Cooper, Ph.D.
James V. Forrestal Professor and Chair of the Department of National Security Affairs
U.S. Naval War College

Anthony H. Cordesman, Ph.D.
Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy
Center for Strategic and International Studies

Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “There are many glaring omissions from the Obama administration and P5+1’s nuclear negotiations with Iran that cause many to worry and rightly call the possible deal weak and dangerous. Perhaps the biggest failure of the negotiations was to limit it to just the nuclear profile and not include Iran’s other illicit activity, most notably its ballistic missile program. Earlier this week, the Pentagon reported that Iran is continuing to develop technology that will allow the regime to deliver nuclear weapons, including ballistic missiles. Iran’s continued work on its ballistic missile program, and reports that Iran’s nuclear material stockpile have actually grown during the nuclear negotiations, demonstrate the regime’s clear and undeniable intent to develop a nuclear weapon. This hearing will allow our Members to discuss the threat Iran’s ballistic missile program presents to regional security as well as U.S. national security, and to hear from experts recommendations on what steps need to be taken to mitigate these threats.”

 

Thursday, June 11

Subcommittee Hearing: Retreat or Revival: A Status Report on Democracy in Asia

2 p.m. on Thursday, June 11 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific
Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ), Chairman

Invited Witnesses Include:

Panel I
The Honorable Tom Malinowski
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
U.S. Department of State

The Honorable Jonathan Stivers
Assistant Administrator
Bureau for Asia
U.S. Agency for International Development

The Honorable Scot Marciel
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
U.S. Department of State

Panel II
Sophie Richardson, Ph.D.
China Director
Human Rights Watch

Ms. Kelley Currie
Senior Fellow
Project 2049 Institute

Mr. Murray Hiebert
Deputy Director and Senior Fellow
Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies

Chairman Salmon on the Hearing: “Supporting democracy has long been a central component to U.S. foreign policy. The promotion of democratic values facilitates security, stability, and economic prosperity throughout Asia and the world. This year, the Asia-Pacific region is entering a critical period for democracy, with a number of elections, government transitions, and internal developments planned in numerous countries. The United States should continually refine its efforts to ensure peaceful, transparent transitions of power and adherence to international law and norms. Our hearing will provide oversight on our government’s activities to support democracy abroad, and serve as a status report on democracy in the region, while paying particular attention to hotspots such as Hong Kong, Burma, Thailand, and Cambodia.”

Thursday, June 11

Subcommittee Hearing: The Goldman Act to Return Abducted American Children: Assessing the Compliance Report and Required Action

2 p.m. on Thursday, June 11 in 2200 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:

Panel I
Mr. Preston Findlay
Counsel
Missing Children’s Division
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Panel II
Mr. Ravi Parmar
(Father of Abducted Child to India)

Ms. Edeanna Barbirou
(Mother of Abducted Child to Tunisia)

Chris Savoie, Ph.D.
(Father of Abducted Child to Japan)

Chairman Smith on the Hearing: “The Sean and David Goldman Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act (P.L. 113-150), signed into law nearly eight months ago, requires the Secretary of State to take action against countries refusing to cooperate in resolving the nearly 1,000 cases of American children victimized by international parental child abduction each year. The Goldman Act requires the Secretary first to report to Congress on which countries fail to cooperate on the resolution of U.S. abduction cases, and then to take action based on that report. This hearing will assess whether the Secretary’s first report to Congress meets the requirements of the Goldman Act as well as scrutinize the records of Japan, India, Tunisia and other countries with long-standing child abductions.  Broken-hearted parents across America waited four years for the Goldman Act to become law and need greater U.S. government advocacy for the return of their children.  The report is a roadmap for action, and the State Department must get it right.”

 

***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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