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

Wednesday, May 17

Subcommittee Hearing: Energy Opportunities in South America

10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 17 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Chairman

Invited Witnesses Include:

Mr. Jorge R. Pinon
Director
Latin America and Caribbean Program
Jackson School of Geosciences
The University of Texas at Austin

Ms. Lisa Viscidi
Director
Energy, Climate Change, and Extractive Industries Program
Inter-American Dialogue

Mr. Jason Bordoff
Professor and Director
Center on Global Energy Policy
School of International and Public Affairs
Columbia University

Chairman Duncan on the hearing: “The issue of energy in the region is a huge opportunity for advancing U.S. interests, creating jobs, and realizing economic growth. Stronger energy security would give the U.S. and our neighbors greater freedom and lessen our dependency on countries in the Middle East for natural resources. Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru all have significant oil or natural gas production. Chile also hosts the world’s second-largest lithium reserves. These abundant resources coupled with recent regulatory reforms have created an opening for greater U.S. energy collaboration with countries in South America. This hearing will focus on ways our country can increase our energy engagement to benefit U.S. and regional interests.”

Wednesday, May 17

Subcommittee Hearing: The Balkans: Threats to Peace and Stability

2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17 in 2200 Rayburn House Office Building

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

Invited Witnesses Include:

Panel I

Mr. Hoyt Brian Yee
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
U.S. Department of State

Panel II

Gordon N. Bardos, Ph.D.
President
South East European Research and Consulting

The Honorable Joseph J. DioGuardi
Founding President
Albanian American Civic League
(Former Member of Congress)

Daniel Serwer, Ph.D.
Academic Director of Conflict Management
School of Advanced International Studies
Johns Hopkins University

Chairman Rohrabacher on the hearing: “As the new Administration begins to put in place the pieces of their foreign policy, now is an appropriate time for Congress to reevaluate and consider our approach to the Western Balkans. I, like many observers of the region, have been frustrated by the lack of political reconciliation, economic development and stability. I fear that the status quo cannot continue indefinitely and that political backsliding is possible. This hearing will give the Subcommittee the chance to hear from both Administration officials and private experts on that current state of the region and what further actions or policy changes may be needed to ensure the Western Balkans continue to move in a direction of good governance and ethnic tolerance.”

Wednesday, May 17

Subcommittee Hearing: Revitalizing U.S.-ASEAN Relations

2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

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

Invited Witnesses Include:

Amy Searight, Ph.D.
Senior Adviser and Director
Southeast Asia Program
Center for Strategic and International Studies

Mr. Walter Lohman
Director
Asian Studies Center
The Heritage Foundation

Zachary M. Abuza, Ph.D.
Professor
National War College

Chairman Yoho on the hearing: “2017 is a momentous year for U.S.-ASEAN relations, the 50th anniversary of ASEAN’s founding and the 40th Anniversary of U.S.-ASEAN engagement. The nations of ASEAN – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam – include critical U.S. treaty allies as well as important emerging partners. This year’s milestone marks decades of intensifying cooperation with these nations, and the U.S.-ASEAN relationship will continue to grow stronger. However, uncertainties about President Trump’s ASEAN engagement linger over this anniversary, as the new administration is still shaping its policies and tensions in the region have monopolized the U.S. focus on Asia. In this hearing, the Subcommittee will question an expert panel on their advice for U.S. policy towards ASEAN, and work towards recommendations for the administration to consider as their policies are formed.”

Thursday, May 18

Hearing: U.S. Interests in Africa

10 a.m. on Thursday, May 18 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

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

Invited Witnesses Include:

General William E. Ward, USA, Retired
President and Chief Operating Officer
SENTEL Corporation
(Former Commander, U.S. Africa Command)

Mr. Bryan Christy
Explorer and Investigative Reporter
National Geographic Society

Mr. Anthony Carroll
Adjunct Professor
School of Advanced International Studies
Johns Hopkins University

The Honorable Reuben E. Brigety II
Dean
Elliott School of International Affairs
The George Washington University
(Former U.S. Representative to the African Union, U.S. Department of State)

Chairman Royce on the hearing: “As a former chairman of the Africa subcommittee, I know a stable and prosperous Africa benefits us all.  That is why I have long worked to strengthen U.S. ties with African countries – advancing policies that promote good governance and help lift people out of poverty.  From security threats to economic opportunities, the United States has a number of strategic interests throughout Africa.  This hearing will allow members to discuss policies that have been successful and what more can be done to strengthen important relationships all through the continent.”

Thursday, May 18

Subcommittee Hearing: Disappeared, Jailed, and Tortured in China: Wives Petition for Their Husbands’ Freedom

2 p.m. on Thursday, May 18 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:

Ms. Lee Chin-yu
Spouse of Lee Min-che

Ms. Wang Yanfeng
Spouse of Tang Jingling

Ms. Jin Bianling
Spouse of Jiang Tianyong

Ms. Chen Guiqiu
Spouse of Xie Yang

Chairman Smith on the hearing: “The Chinese government is facing an unexpected phenomenon – effective advocacy campaigns waged by the wives of tortured and detained rights advocates. Through the testimony of these courageous women, this hearing will look at the almost two year effort by President Xi Jinping’s government to eviscerate China’s network of human rights lawyers and consider how the continued detention of Lee Ming-che has negatively impacted cross-strait relations between Beijing and Taipei.”

 

***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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