A Look Ahead—November 30-December 4
Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced the following upcoming Committee events:
Tuesday, December 1
3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 1 in 2118 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade
Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), Chairman
Subcommittee on Strategic Forces of the Committee on Armed Services
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman
Invited Witnesses Include:
The Honorable Brian P. McKeon
Principle Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Policy
U.S. Department of Defense
The Honorable Rose Gottemoeller
Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security
U.S. Department of State
Chairman Poe on the Hearing: “The Administration officially charged Russia with violating the INF Treaty in 2014 and repeated its concerns regarding Russian compliance this year. Although the Russians deny any such violations, that would not be the first time they have not been completely honest with us. Press reports indicate that missile tests in western Russia in violation of the treaty began as early as 2008. Meanwhile, the Administration doesn’t seem to have taken any meaningful steps to return Moscow to compliance other than raising concerns with Russian officials. This hearing will allow members to hear more about these Russian violations from officials from the Departments of State and Defense and what they mean for U.S. arms control policy moving forward.”
Chairman Rogers on the hearing: “Almost one year since the Administration testified that it was considering military options to respond to Russia’s violation of the INF treaty, we have seen little action. The recently enacted National Defense Authorization Act will compel such responses, which the White House has been holding up. It is imperative that Putin understands his aggression will be met with a strong American response, even in the face of the President’s reluctance.”
Wednesday, December 2
Hearing: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps: Fueling Middle East Turmoil
10 a.m. on Wednesday, December 2 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman
Invited Witnesses Include:
Mr. Ali Alfoneh
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Mr. Scott Modell
Managing Director
The Rapidan Group
Mr. Daniel Benjamin
Norman E. McCulloch Jr. Director
The John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding
Dartmouth College
(Former Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State)
Chairman Royce on the hearing: “The Obama administration gambled that a nuclear deal would lead to a responsible Iran. Instead, the regime is working harder than ever to export violence and terror to Syria, Yemen and beyond. Iran’s backing of Syria’s Assad regime has fed the rise of ISIS. Soon, sanctions will be lifted and the Iranian regime will hit a jackpot in the tens of billions. This money isn’t going to ordinary Iranians; it will be used to strengthen Iran’s murderous Revolutionary Guard Corps. This hearing will examine the threats a well-funded Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pose to the already volatile Middle East.”
Wednesday, December 2
Subcommittee Hearing: The Paris Attacks: A Strategic Shift by ISIS?
1 p.m. on Wednesday, December 2 in 2200 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade
Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), Chairman
Invited Witnesses Include:
Mr. Max Boot
Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow for National Security Studies
Council on Foreign Relations
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Ph.D.
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Mr. Michael Weiss
Co-Author
ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror
Mr. Thomas M. Sanderson
Director and Senior Fellow
Transnational Threats Project
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Chairman Poe on the hearing: “ISIS’s terrorist rampage in Paris this month left at least 130 people dead and hundreds more wounded. The bloody attacks came on the same day that President Obama declared that ISIS was ‘contained’ in Iraq and Syria and more than a year since the White House rolled out a plan to ‘degrade and ultimately destroy’ the terrorist group. However, ISIS appears to only be increasing its international operations, claiming credit for the downing of a Russian airliner over the Sinai Peninsula and a twin suicide bombing in Beirut in the weeks before the Paris attacks. Members will have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of ISIS’ apparent shifting strategy and hear some new policy recommendations to ensure that the U.S. can effectively defeat ISIS and protect the U.S. homeland.”
Wednesday, December 2
Subcommittee Hearing: Assessing the President’s Strategy in Afghanistan
2 p.m. on Wednesday, December 2 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman
Invited Witnesses Include:
Frederick W. Kagan, Ph.D.
Christopher DeMuth Chair and Director, Critical Threats Project
American Enterprise Institute
Mr. David S. Sedney
Senior Associate
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Andrew Wilder, Ph.D.
Vice President, Asia Programs
United States Institute of Peace
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “This hearing presents a good opportunity for members of the subcommittee to examine the Administration’s foreign policy toward Afghanistan nearly a year since the conclusion of the U.S. combat mission. In light of recent events, such as the takeover of Kunduz by the Taliban, as well as the emergence of ISIL, it is appropriate to analyze the effectiveness of the Administration’s policies. Since the President recently announced a halt to the scheduled withdrawal, it is of vital importance to reevaluate the President’s strategy and ensure that we are helping build the Afghan government’s capacity to combat the Taliban, corruption, and narco-trafficking in order to secure Afghanistan’s future as well as protect U.S. national security interests.”
Wednesday, December 2
Subcommittee Hearing: U.S. Strategic Interests and the APEC and East Asia Summits
2 p.m. on Wednesday, December 2 in 2255 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific
Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ), Chairman
Invited Witnesses Include:
Mr. Michael H. Fuchs
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Strategy and Multilateral Affairs
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
U.S. Department of State
Mr. Bruce Hirsh
Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Japan, Korea, and APEC
Office of the United States Trade Representative
Chairman Salmon on the hearing: "President Obama recently attended two high-level summits in Asia: the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and the East Asia Summit (EAS). Enhanced U.S. participation in these institutions is a heartening reinforcement of our commitment to the Asia-Pacific. Critical issues of serious concern to our Subcommittee have been raised at both events, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, South China Sea disputes, non-traditional security threats, and the expansion of multilateral economic and security cooperation. This hearing will give Members an opportunity to engage with the Administration about the outcomes of both summits, lingering challenges, and U.S. strategic objectives in Asia moving forward."
***See foreignaffairs.house.gov for updates.
***All Committee proceedings are webcast live HERE.
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