(Note RSVP requirement for media covering Tillerson hearing on June 14)

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

Tuesday, June 13

Subcommittee Hearing: Challenges and Opportunities for the U.S.-Saudi Relationship

10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 13 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

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

Invited Witnesses Include:

The Honorable Joseph W. Westphal
Senior Global Fellow
The Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies
University of Pennsylvania
(Former United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)                                  

The Honorable Gerald M. Feierstein
Director for Gulf Affairs
Middle East Institute
(Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, U.S. Department of State)

Ms. Karen Elliott House
Senior Fellow
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University

The Honorable Tom Malinowski
(Former Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State)

Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “Given the President’s recent trip to the Middle East and current developments in the Gulf region, it is extremely timely to analyze U.S. foreign policy towards Saudi Arabia. Our relationship with Saudi Arabia is complicated because we want reforms and improvements to Saudi’s abysmal human rights record, yet we must acknowledge that Saudi Arabia is an important security partner in the fight against ISIS and in combating Iranian influence in the region. This hearing will allow our members to discuss the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia and assess the U.S. role in supporting the Gulf’s efforts in countering ISIS and other terrorist groups, and determine what changes need to be made to our foreign policy objectives moving forward.”

Wednesday, June 14

Hearing: The FY 2018 Foreign Affairs Budget

**Media RSVP requirement by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 13. Details HERE.

9 a.m. on Wednesday, June 14 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

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

Invited Witness Includes:

The Honorable Rex W. Tillerson
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State

Chairman Royce on the hearing: “As we continue our work to make U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance more effective and efficient, this hearing will provide members an opportunity to hear from Secretary Tillerson about the administration’s foreign affairs budget and reform proposals.”

Wednesday, June 14

Subcommittee Markup: H.R. 1415, End Neglected Tropical Diseases Act

2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations
Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Chairman

Measures to be Marked Up Include:

H.R. 1415, End Neglected Tropical Diseases Act.

Wednesday, June 14

Subcommittee Hearing: Africa’s Current and Potential Famines

2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14 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:

The Honorable Tony P. Hall
Executive Director Emeritus
Alliance to End Hunger

Mr. Roger Thurow
Senior Fellow
Global Food and Agriculture
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs

Mr. Julien Schopp
Director for Humanitarian Practice
InterAction

Chairman Smith on the hearing: “Global famines in 2017 have been labelled the worst since World War II, with 28 million people needing humanitarian assistance in East Africa alone. Of the 10 worst global famines, seven are the result of conflict, such as in South Sudan and Nigeria. This hearing will examine the need for accelerated food and other assistance in famine situations and discuss the need to end conclusively the conflicts that cause or exacerbate famines.”

Thursday, June 15

Subcommittee Hearing: Foreign Military Sales: Process and Policy

10 a.m. on Thursday, June 15 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade
Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), Chairman

Invited Witnesses Include:

The Honorable Tina S. Kaidanow
Acting Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Political-Military Affairs
U.S. Department of State

Vice Admiral Joseph Rixey
Director
U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency

Chairman Poe on the hearing: “Foreign military sales (FMS) represent a key tool in the American foreign policy toolbox. They enable our allies to defend themselves and help forge strong bilateral bonds with the U.S. In 2016 alone, the U.S. sold $33.6 billion in military equipment and training packages and will likely surpass that amount this year. The FMS process, however, can be slow and complex, leaving partner nations and American industry frustrated. This hearing will provide Members and the American public with a better understanding of how the process works, why the FMS process is necessary, and what can be improved.”

Thursday, June 15

Subcommittee Hearing: Russia’s Strategic Objectives in the Middle East and North Africa

2 p.m. on Thursday, June 15 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. Vladimir Kara-Murza
Vice Chairman
Open Russia

Ms. Anna Borshchevskaya
Ira Weiner Fellow
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Mr. Brian Katulis
Senior Fellow
Center for American Progress

Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “In recent years, Russia has moved to fill the void left by the lack of U.S. leadership in the Middle East and North Africa, working against U.S. interests most notably in Syria but also throughout the region. In this hearing, Members will hear from experts familiar with Putin’s goals, exploring Russia’s strategic objectives in Syria and Libya, its alliance with Iran, and its military cooperation with the region as a whole. The United States must counter Moscow’s growing presence and destabilizing influence in the Middle East and North Africa and that starts by rebuilding our traditional alliances and reasserting leadership that has been missing for too long.”

Thursday, June 15

Subcommittee Markup: H.R. 535, H.R. 2061, H.R. 2397

2:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 15 in 2200 Rayburn House Office Building

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

Measures to be Marked Up Include:

H.R. 535, Taiwan Travel Act;

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

H.R. 2397, Distribution and Promotion of Rights and Knowledge Act of 2017.

Thursday, June 15

Subcommittee Hearing: Renewing Assurances: Strengthening U.S.-Taiwan Ties

2:45 p.m. on Thursday, June 15 in 2200 Rayburn House Office Building

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

Invited Witnesses Include:

Mr. Rupert J. Hammond-Chambers
President
U.S.-Taiwan Business Council

Mr. Dan Blumenthal
Director of Asian Studies and Resident Fellow
American Enterprise Institute          

Mr. Russell Hsiao
Executive Director
Global Taiwan Institute

Chairman Yoho on the hearing: “The United States and Taiwan share a unique and close bond which is experiencing a period of uncertainty. Both polities have recently completed momentous Presidential elections with significant implications for international affairs, while the security environment of East Asia has been unsettled by North Korean belligerence and China’s rising assertiveness. The new U.S. administration has inadvertently added to the confusion with mixed messages in the complex area of Taiwan policy. In uncertain times like these, assurances of U.S. resolve are especially important to our Taiwanese counterparts.  In this hearing, the Subcommittee will discuss with an expert panel the status of U.S.-Taiwan relations and policy options for strengthening our ties.”

 

***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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