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, May 13

Hearing: Ancient Communities Under Attack: ISIS’s War on Religious Minorities

10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

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

Invited Witnesses Include:

Sister Diana Momeka, OP
Dominican Sisters of Saint Catherine of Siena
Mosul, Iraq

Ms. Vian Dakhil
Member
Council of Representatives
Republic of Iraq

Ms. Jacqueline Isaac
Vice President
Roads of Success

Katharyn Hanson, Ph.D.
Fellow
Penn Cultural Heritage Center
University of Pennsylvania Museum

Chairman Royce on the hearing: “ISIS has unleashed a campaign of sickening violence, not only against Shi’a Muslims and fellow Sunnis who do not hold their radical beliefs, but against vulnerable religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria.  Many communities are under mortal threat in their ancestral homeland: Armenian, Assyrian, Chaldean, and Syriac Christians, as well as Kaka’i, Shabak, Turkmen, Yezidis, and others.  The mass execution of men, the enslavement of women and children, and the destruction of religious sites is part of the ISIS effort to exterminate these ancient communities.  At this hearing, the Committee will hear directly from those who have faced this threat and examine a positive path forward, including immediate humanitarian and security needs.”

Thursday, May 14

Hearing: Advancing U.S. Economic Interests in Asia

10 a.m. on Thursday, May 14 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

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

Invited Witnesses Include:

The Honorable Daniel R. Russel
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
U.S. Department of State

The Honorable Charles H. Rivkin
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs
U.S. Department of State

Chairman Royce on the hearing: “The United States-led system of open global markets has dramatically increased our nation’s prosperity.  It has also lifted more than a billion people out of extreme poverty in the past 20 years alone, greatly serving our economic, political and humanitarian interests.  The benefits of liberalized trade can’t be taken for granted, though.   We’ve reached a decision point.  A strong Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, now being negotiated, would keep us from handing over the steering wheel of world trade.  The U.S. is pushing an agreement with Pacific Rim countries with high standards for intellectual property and the rule of law to protect U.S. businesses.  Beijing is pushing a different model.”

Thursday, May 14

Subcommittee Markup: H.R. 2140 and H. Res. 213

2 p.m. on Thursday, May 14 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

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

Bills to Be Marked Up Include:

H.R. 2140, To promote freedom, human rights, and the rule of law as part of United States-Vietnam relations

H. Res. 213, Condemning the April 2015 terrorist attack at the Garissa University College in Garissa, Kenya, and reaffirming the United States support for the people and Government of Kenya, and for other purposes

Thursday, May 14:

Subcommittee Hearing: Energy Revolution in the Western Hemisphere: Opportunities and Challenges for the U.S.

2 p.m. on Thursday, May 14 in 2200 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Chairman

Invited Witnesses Include:

James H. Knapp, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences
University of South Carolina

Mr. Kevin Book
Managing Director
Clearview Energy Partners

Chairman Duncan on the hearing: “The Western Hemisphere is home to an abundance of natural resources, including nearly a third of the world’s oil reserves. With our own U.S. reserves of oil, natural gas, and shale gas resources, the capacity to export liquefied and compressed natural gas, and the option of offshore drilling in the Atlantic, we have many reasons to deepen our energy engagement in the region. Such action would spur economic growth and energy security while reducing energy costs, which would go a long way towards building a more stable and prosperous hemisphere. Currently, our top crude oil imports come from Canada and Mexico. Yet, the Obama Administration’s policies, while seeking to appease dictators in Cuba, have refused to take common-sense approaches with Canada and Mexico. The Keystone Pipeline decision remains mired in White House delaying tactics and State Department bureaucracy, while the U.S. continues to unfairly prohibit crude oil exports to Mexico, unlike our treatment towards Canada. Today, the Western Hemisphere has some amazing opportunities for deeper U.S. engagement with Mexico’s energy sector reforms, energy revolutions in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, offshore exploration activities by Caribbean countries, and potential new reserves in the Arctic. Yet, challenges for U.S. business investment also remain in the region. This hearing will examine these issues closely to determine how the U.S. can better engage on energy issues with our neighbors in the hemisphere.”

Thursday, May 14

Subcommittee Hearing: A Pathway to Freedom: Rescue and Refuge for Sex Trafficking Victims

2:30pm on Thursday, May 14 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:

The Honorable Sean Reyes
Attorney General
State of Utah

Mr. Tim Ballard
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Operation Underground Railroad

Chairman Smith on the hearing: “Our government runs highly-effective sting operations abroad to catch U.S. pedophile sex tourists and rescue victims where there is a nexus to the United States, but often can’t conduct rescue operations or run investigations that fall outside U.S. government jurisdiction. Sometimes stepping into this gap are non-governmental rescue operations staffed by former Navy Seals, ex-CIA agents and the occasional sitting member of state government. This hearing will explore the ways the U.S. government and specialized non-governmental actors can coordinate and learn from each to accomplish the goals of rescuing trafficking victims and helping them recover and restore their lives.”

***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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