Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced that on Wednesday, June 26, he will convene a hearing on reforming the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an agency that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton referred to as “defunct” and was harshly critiqued by the Governmental Accountability Office (GAO).  The BBG oversees the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Radio and TV Marti, and the Middle East Broadcast Networks.  The hearing, entitled “The Broadcasting Board of Governors: An Agency ‘Defunct’” will begin at 10 a.m.

Chairman Royce on the hearing:  “International broadcasting is a key tool of U.S. diplomacy.  Unfortunately, it’s broken.   As Secretary Clinton rightly pointed out earlier this year, ‘the BBG is practically defunct in terms of its capacity to be able to tell a message around the world.’  It is time to take a hard look at the BBG and ask if our resources, nearly $750 million annually, are being spent wisely – are we getting what we need from these broadcasting efforts?  We aren’t, and it is time for broad  reforms;  ‘tinkering’ and ‘band-aid’ solutions are not an option, because the stakes are too great.” 

What:
Hearing:  The Broadcasting Board of Governors: An Agency ‘Defunct’

When:
10 a.m., Wednesday, June 26

Where:
2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Witness List: 

The Honorable James K. Glassman
Founding Executive Director
George W. Bush Institute
(Former Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, and Former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs)

The Honorable S. Enders Wimbush
Executive Director for Strategy & Development
National Bureau of Asian Research
(Former Governor of the Broadcasting Board of Governors)

The Honorable D. Jeff Hirschberg
Chairman
The Northeast Maglev, LLC
(Former Governor of the Broadcasting Board of Governors)

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