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

Tuesday, July 25
Hearing: Authorization for the Use of Military Force and Current Terrorist Threats

10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 25 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

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

Invited witnesses include:

The Honorable Michael B. Mukasey
(Former Attorney General of the United States)

Brigadier General Richard C. Gross, USA, Retired
Partner
Fluet Huber + Hoang, PLLC
(Former Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff)

The Honorable Matthew G. Olsen
Lecturer on Law
Harvard Law School
(Former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center)

Chairman Royce on the hearing: “While important progress has been made, terrorist groups like Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and ISIS remain dangerous security threats to the United States and our allies.  As part of the committee’s ongoing oversight related to these conflicts, we will discuss these grave threats and authorities that empower our men and women in uniform to carry out important missions that help keep us safe.”

Tuesday, July 25
Subcommittee Hearing: Examining the President’s FY 2018 Budget Proposal for Europe and Eurasia

2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 25 in 2200 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

The Honorable John A. Heffern
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
U.S. Department of State

Mr. Daniel N. Rosenblum
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central Asia
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
U.S. Department of State

Ms. Margot Ellis
Acting Assistant to the Administrator
Bureau for Europe and Eurasia
U.S. Agency for International Development

Ms. Ann Marie Yastishock
Acting Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator
Bureau for Asia
U.S. Agency for International Development

Chairman Rohrabacher on the hearing: “During this hearing Members of the Subcommittee will review the State Department’s 2018 Fiscal Year budget submission for the Europe and Eurasia region. This document, and the priorities it outlines, is a valuable statement about the new direction of the State Department and US foreign policy under the Trump Administration. I look forward to hearing more from the Administration about how and where our assistance abroad can be improved and made more efficient so that it better serves our national interest.”

Tuesday, July 25
Subcommittee Hearing: Held for Ransom: The Families of Iran’s Hostages Speak Out

3 p.m. on Tuesday, July 25 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Mr. Douglas Levinson
(Son of Robert Levinson)

Mr. Babak Namazi
(Son of Baquer Namazi, brother of Siamak Namazi)

Mr. Omar Zakka
(Son of Nizar Zakka)

Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “Iran has made it a practice to take American citizens and legal permanent residents as hostages in an effort to exact political and financial concessions. Since the Obama administration paid Iran a $1.7 billion settlement, the Iranian regime has arrested and tried under trumped up charges Siamak and Baquer Namazi, Nizar Zakka, and others. This tactic has caused a great amount of fear and pain for the families and loved ones of these Americans and U.S. legal permanent residents. This hearing is an opportunity for our subcommittee to hear from some of the families themselves the circumstances surrounding their loved ones’ cases. It is also an opportunity to hear from the family of Robert Levinson – the longest held civilian hostage in America’s history – who went missing in Iran in 2007 and has yet to be reunited with his family, despite repeated pledges by the regime to assist in his case.”

Wednesday, July 26
Hearing: U.S. Cyber Diplomacy

10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 26 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

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

Invited witnesses include:

Mr. Christopher Painter
Coordinator for Cyber Issues
U.S. Department of State

Chairman Royce on the hearing: “Recent attacks affecting computers in more than 150 countries show that cyber threats know no borders.  The United States must be a leader on cybersecurity in this increasingly digital world.  We must ensure that our cyber strategies defend U.S. interests from cyberattacks and that we cooperate with like-minded countries to keep the internet open and secure.”

Wednesday, July 26
Subcommittee Hearing: Assessing the U.S.-Qatar Relationship

2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 26 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Jonathan Schanzer, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President
Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Matthew Levitt, Ph.D.
Director and Fromer-Wexler Fellow
Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Mr. Ilan Goldenberg
Senior Fellow and Director
Middle East Security Program
Center for a New American Security

Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “The Qatar dispute is spurring a long needed conversation about the Gulf nation’s permissive terrorist financing environment and ties to Islamic extremist groups. This hearing will explore the relative merits of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain’s demands, the role of the United States throughout the dispute’s development, and potential options for its resolution. Members will have an opportunity to hear about how the current U.S.-Qatar relationship is impacting our interests in the region and determine what changes are necessary to our policy toward Qatar.”

Thursday, July 27
Markup: H. Res. 259, H. Res. 311, H.R. 2061, and H.R. 2408

10 a.m. on Thursday, July 27 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

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

Measures to be marked up include:

H. Res. 259, Expressing concern and condemnation over the political, economic, social, and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela;

H. Res. 311, Recognizing that for 50 years the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has worked toward stability, prosperity, and peace in Southeast Asia;

H.R. 2061, North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2017; and

H.R. 2408, Protecting Girls’ Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act

Thursday, July 27
Subcommittee Markup: H. Res. 422, H. Res. 445, H.R. 2732, and H.R. 3320

2:15 p.m. on Thursday, July 27 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific
Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL), Chairman

Measures to be marked up include:

H. Res. 422, Urging adherence to the “one country, two systems” policy as prescribed in the Joint Declaration between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the Question of the Hong Kong;

H. Res. 445, Honoring the life and legacy of Liu Xiaobo for his steadfast commitment to the protection of human rights, political freedoms, free markets, democratic elections, government accountability, and peaceful change in the People’s Republic of China;

H.R. 2732, North Korea Travel Control Act; and

H.R. 3320, To direct the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to regain observer status for Taiwan in the World Health Organization, and for other purposes.

Thursday, July 27
Subcommittee Hearing: U.S. Interests in the Asia-Pacific: FY 2018 Budget Hearing

2:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 27 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific

Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Ms. Susan Thornton
Acting Assistant Secretary
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
U.S. Department of State

Ms. Gloria Steele
Acting Assistant Administrator
Bureau for Asia
U.S. Agency for International Development

Chairman Yoho on the hearing: “In this hearing, the Subcommittee will hear from representatives from the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development on their Fiscal Year 2018 budget requests for East Asia and the Pacific. As Secretary of Defense General Mattis famously said, when our diplomatic engagement is underfunded, he needs ‘to buy more ammunition,’ but State Department and USAID activities should also be conducted in a cost effective manner with a mind to a return on our investments. This hearing will help Members to strike the correct balance as we conduct our budget oversight responsibilities.”

 

***See foreignaffairs.house.gov for updates.

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

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