A Look Ahead — Week of April 28 – May 2
Today, Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced the following upcoming Committee events:
Tuesday, April 29
10.00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29 in Rayburn 2172 House Office Building
This hearing will be held jointly with the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ), Chairman
Invited witnesses include:
General John F. Kelly, USMC
Commander
Southern Command
U.S. Department of Defense
Admiral Robert J. Papp Jr., USCG
Commandant
Coast Guard
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
The Honorable Luis E. Arreaga
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
U.S. Department of State
Chairman Salmon on the hearing: “As Mexico has successfully increased their counter drug trafficking efforts, violence and trafficking has increased significantly throughout Central America and the Caribbean. The U.S. has been spearheading the response through multi-agency cooperation and partnerships in the region. My colleague, Chairman Duncan Hunter of the Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation and I are holding this timely and important hearing to examine the ongoing challenges of trying to interdict the drugs flowing into the U.S. from South and Central America and the Caribbean, and combating the transnational gangs and criminal enterprises in the Hemisphere that are profiting from their sale. Our witnesses representing DOD, the State Department, and the Coast Guard will be able to provide a comprehensive view of the U.S.’s response to this national security threat, and offer recommendations on how we can increase our interdiction rate and the law enforcement capacity of our Western Hemisphere partners, particularly given the fiscal challenges we are facing.”
Tuesday, April 29
10.00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29 in Rayburn 2200 House Office Building
Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman
Invited witnesses include:
The Honorable Anne W. Patterson
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
U.S. Department of State
Ms. Alina L. Romanowski
Deputy Assistant Administrator
Bureau for the Middle East
U.S. Agency for International Development
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: "Despite the Administration's 'pivot to Asia,' it's clear that there are very real and immediate threats to U.S. national security interests that need to be addressed in the Middle East and North Africa region. This hearing is necessary in order for Congress to perform its proper oversight role and press the Administration for more clarity on its policies in the region. As the Syrian conflict continues to wage on, the Israel/PA peace process is undermined, Egypt must improve its democracy, Iran continues to take advantage of a disastrous nuclear agreement, and many other countries in the region continue to struggle to find stability, it's necessary to examine the Administration's performance and reassess our foreign policy."
Tuesday, April 29
Joint Subcommittee Hearing: U.S.-Russia Nuclear Arms Negotiations: Ukraine and Beyond
1.30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29 in Rayburn 2172 House Office Building
Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Chairman
Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade
Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), Chairman
Invited witnesses include:
Ms. Anita E. Friedt
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear and Strategic Policy
Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance
U.S. Department of State
Mr. Brent Hartley
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
U.S. Department of State
Chairman Rohrabacher on the hearing: “The United States and Russia field the world’s largest collection of nuclear weapons. Other countries, such as Communist China, have growing inventories of warheads, but the total number of those weapons is not clear. It is imperative that our government has an open line of communication with these nations about their nuclear weapons. President Reagan knew the importance of keeping an open dialogue and he achieved major gains in arms control that reduced Cold War tensions. I hope that Congress will learn from his example and continue to pursue international agreements that carefully limit strategic weapons and increase American security. It is also important that the President and the State Department work to include addition countries, such as Communist China, in any future arms control agreements to ensure that they are truly effective."
Chairman Poe on the hearing: “Putin’s aggression in Crimea and Ukraine demonstrate that he is an irresponsible actor who can’t be trusted. The Russians have hit their own “reset” button and it is time that the U.S. realizes who we’re really dealing with. Of course, this means the U.S. needs to take a hard look at our arms control agreements, particularly New START and the INF Treaty. Can we trust the Russians to hold up their end of the bargain? Are they already cheating on their commitments? Is it still official U.S. policy to pursue further nuclear reductions with the Russians in light of their irresponsible behavior? This hearing will examine these issues and more at a critical time in the U.S.-Russia relationship.”
Tuesday, April 29
Subcommittee Hearing: Effective Accountability: Tier Rankings in the Fight Against Human Trafficking
2.00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29 in 2200 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman
Invited witnesses include:
The Honorable Mark Lagon
Global Politics and Security Chair
Master of Science in Foreign Service Program
Georgetown University
(Former Ambassador-at-Large for Trafficking in Persons, U.S. Department of State)
Mr. Brian Campbell
Director of Policy and Legal Programs
International Labor Rights Forum
Chairman Smith on the hearing: “The State Department’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report is an effective diplomatic tool—the gold standard used by parliamentarians, law enforcement, and anti-trafficking advocates the world over. The continued credibility of the Report rests on accurate assessment of governments, and the steps they have taken to prevent trafficking, protect victims, and hold traffickers accountable. This hearing will evaluate respective government efforts to fight human trafficking in countries like China and Uzbekistan, which were automatically downgraded to Tier 3 in 2013, as well as Thailand, Malaysia, and Chad, which are facing automatic downgrade this year. We will also hear testimony on the practical effect of the annual TIP Report and tier ranking system from NGOs actively working with governments to improve their records. Getting the designations right matters–it puts governments on notice that human trafficking is unacceptable and sends the message that its eradication is a top U.S. priority. Maybe most importantly, it tells the victims that they are not forgotten.”
Wednesday, April 30
Markup: H.R , H.R. 4028, H. Res. 520, H. Con. Res. 51
10.00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 30 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman
Wednesday, April 30
Subcommittee Hearing: Assessing U.S. Foreign Assistance Priorities in South Asia
2.00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific
Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), Chairman
Invited witnesses include:
The Honorable Nisha Biswal
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
U.S. Department of State
Ms. Denise Rollins
Acting Assistant Secretary
Bureau for Asia
U.S. Agency for International Development
Chairman Chabot on the hearing: “South Asia holds significant strategic importance for the U.S. The region faces considerable challenges as countries try to lift their populations out of extreme poverty and foster greater economic development, while fighting transnational terrorist threats. As a result, the U.S. must anticipate the unexpected in this region of the world and focus its limited resources on enhancing economic openness, political freedoms and democratic governance. This hearing will examine the Obama Administration’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget request for South Asia, and consider how this request reflects U.S. objectives and priorities in the region.”
Thursday, May 1
Subcommittee Hearing: The Central African Republic: From “Pre-genocide” to Genocide?
10.00 a.m. on Thursday, May 1 in 2172 Rayburn Office Building
Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman
Invited witnesses include:
Panel I
The Honorable Robert P. Jackson
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of African Affairs
U.S. Department of State
Panel II
Mr. Sean Callahan
Chief Operating Officer
Catholic Relief Services
Ms. Madeline Rose
Policy & Advocacy Advisor
Mercy Corps
Chairman Smith on the hearing: “The crisis in the Central African Republic is worsening, with deepening sectarian divisions threatening to mushroom into an all-out civil war, as defenseless civilians are targeted by rival factions on a daily basis. “If, according to the State Department, the CAR was at the pre-genocide stage late last year, where do things stand today?,” asked Africa subcommittee chairman Chris Smith. “As we approach the twentieth anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda, do we simply pay lip service to the phrase ‘never again,’ or are we going to act to prevent a repeat of such mass atrocities from occurring in the Central African Republic?”
***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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