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

Tuesday, October 3
Subcommittee Hearing: Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability

12 p.m. on Tuesday, October 3, 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 Frank Wolf
Distinguished Senior Fellow
21st Century Wilberforce Initiative
(Former U.S. Representative)

Shireen
Yazidi Survivor of ISIS Enslavement

Mr. Stephen Rasche
Legal Counsel
Director of Internationally Displaced Persons Assistance
Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil

Chairman Smith on the hearing: “Some career staff at the State Department and USAID are thwarting the commitment of the President, Vice President and Congress to give aid to Christian and Yazidi survivors of the ISIS genocide. These religious and ethnic minorities are at risk of soon becoming extinct in Iraq, unless we help them. This hearing will focus on the current crisis and what the Administration can and should do now to help ensure these communities survive.”

Wednesday, October 4
Subcommittee Hearing: State Department’s Antiterrorism Assistance Program: The GAO Review

10 a.m. on Wednesday, October 4, 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. Jason Bair
Acting Director
International Affairs and Trade
U.S. Government Accountability Office

Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “As previous State Department Inspector General reports have highlighted, and what the latest GAO report reaffirms, weaknesses continue to exist in State’s management and oversight of the Antiterrorism Assistance program. The ATA program is meant to train, advise, mentor and equip partner nations with the intent to enhance their counterterrorism capabilities. The United States has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on this program and has trained tens of thousands of individuals. If properly managed and fully implemented, the ATA program can be a valuable tool in our counterterror efforts around the world. This hearing will be an opportunity for Members to review GAO’s report and hear what recommendations it has to ensure the ATA program is being properly managed so as to best advance U.S. national security interests at home and abroad.”

Wednesday, October 4
Subcommittee Hearing: Iranian Backed Militias: Destabilizing the Middle East

3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 4, in 2200 Rayburn House Office Building

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

Invited witnesses include:

Michael Knights, Ph.D.
Lafer Fellow
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Mr. Aram Nerguizian
Senior Associate
Burke Chair in Strategy
Center for Strategic and International Studies

Kenneth Pollack, Ph.D.
Resident Scholar
American Enterprise Institute

Chairman Poe on the hearing: “Iran’s support for terrorist and militia groups across the Middle East has been a major source of instability for decades. With the rise of ISIS, the chaos of the Arab Spring, and disengagement by the United States over the past eight years, Iran has seized new opportunities to significantly expand its influence in key strategic areas. The surge of Iranian proxies directly threatens U.S. interests and imperils our allies across the region as the mullahs in Tehran seek to remake the Middle East in Hezbollah’s image. This hearing will provide Members with the opportunity to examine the extent of Iran’s control over local militias, as well as the role of Hezbollah in advising these groups, and explore new strategies to counter Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East.”

Thursday, October 5
Hearing: The Rohingya Crisis: U.S. Response to the Tragedy in Burma

9 a.m. on Thursday, October 5, in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

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

Invited witnesses include:

Mr. W. Patrick Murphy
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Southeast Asia
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
U.S. Department of State

The Honorable Mark C. Storella
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
U.S. Department of State

Ms. V. Kate Somvongsiri
Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator
Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance
U.S. Agency for International Development

Chairman Royce on the hearing: “Burma’s violence against the Rohingya is horrific and one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Hundreds have been killed, at least 420,000 Rohingyas have been driven from their homes, and at least 200 villages have been burned to the ground. Burma can’t be allowed to continue cruelly mistreating the Rohingya and other minority groups. And the United States should use the tools at its disposal to help stop this violence. This hearing will give members an opportunity to press the administration on the steps they are taking to ensure civilian and military authorities are working to end to the violence and aid those in desperate need.”

 

***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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