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

Tuesday, May 8
Hearing: Confronting the Iranian Challenge

10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 8, in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

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

Invited witnesses include:

The Honorable Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr.
Chairman Emeritus and Distinguished Fellow
The Stimson Center
(Former Assistant Secretary for Political Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State)

The Honorable Stephen Rademaker
Senior of Counsel
Covington and Burling, LLP
(Former Assistant Secretary for Arms Control and Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation, U.S. Department of State)

The Honorable Jane Harman
Director, President, and Chief Executive Officer
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
(Former Member of Congress) 

Chairman Royce on the hearing: “Last October, the president outlined a path to address the Iran nuclear agreement’s serious flaws. Today, U.S. diplomats are working closely with our European allies on an agreement to increase sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile program, strengthen nuclear inspections and fix the deal’s sunset problem. This hearing will examine the administration’s diplomatic push – as well as Iran’s very threatening behavior in the region and beyond – ahead of the May 12 certification deadline.”

Wednesday, May 9
Markup: H.R. 5105, H.R. 5141, H.R. 5433, and H.R. 5535, H.R. 5677, and H.R. ____

10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 9, in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

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

Measures to be marked up include:

H.R. 5105, To establish the United States International Development Finance Corporation

H.R. 5141, To make improvements to certain defense and security assistance provisions and to authorize assistance for Israel

H.R. 5433, To require the Secretary of State to design and establish a Vulnerability Disclosure Program (VDP) to improve Department of State cybersecurity and a bug bounty program to identify and report vulnerabilities of internet-facing information technology of the Department of State

H.R. 5535, To amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 regarding energy diplomacy and security within the Department of State

H.R. 5677, To revise and improve authorities relating to international security assistance

H.R. ____, To amend the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 to clarify certain responsibilities of the Global Engagement Center of the Department of State

Wednesday, May 9
Subcommittee Hearing: Protecting Civil Society, Faith-Based Actors, and Political Speech in Sub-Saharan Africa

1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 9, 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:

Panel I
Mr. Negussie Mengesha
Director
Africa Division
Voice of America

Panell II
Mr. John Prendergast
Co-Founder
The Sentry

Ms. Nanythe Talani
Representative
The Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition

Mr. Steven Harris
Policy Director
The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission
Southern Baptist Convention

Mr. Emerson Sykes
Legal Advisor – Africa
The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law

Chairman Smith on the hearing: “Protecting the space for civil society is critical to preserve civil and political rights. As we learned in the U.S civil rights movement, groups like churches are the vanguard of the battle to protect civil liberties. Through sanctions and other tools, the international community can protect the space for civil society actors to operate in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

 

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

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