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

Wednesday, September 7

Subcommittee Hearing: The Growing Crisis in South Sudan

2 p.m. on Wednesday, September 7 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:

Panel I
The Honorable Donald Booth
Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan
U.S. Department of State

Panel II
Mr. Brian Adeba
Associate Director of Policy
Enough Project

“Ms. Jane Doe”
Terrain Compound Survivor

Chairman Smith on the hearing: “Accountability for the violence across South Sudan must be established. All victims of violence deserve protection and assistance. This hearing will reexamine the U.S.-South Sudan relationship and consider steps to more effectively end the conflict that has cost so many lives and created so many refugees.”

Thursday, September 8

Hearing: Reforming the National Security Council: Efficiency and Accountability

10 a.m. on Thursday, September 8 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

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

Invited Witnesses Include:

The Honorable David C. Miller, Jr.
Non-Resident Senior Fellow
The Atlantic Council
(Former Special Assistant to the President, National Security Council)

The Honorable Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr.
Chairman of the Board
The Stimson Center
(Former Assistant Secretary for Political Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State)

The Honorable Derek Chollet
Counselor and Senior Advisor for Security and Defense Policy
The German Marshall Fund of the United States
(Former Assistant Secretary for International Security Affairs, U.S. Department of State)

Chairman Royce on the hearing: “There has been increasing bipartisan concern over the size and role of the President’s National Security Council staff.  In too many cases, its role of ‘honest broker’ has been lost to policy making – and even secret diplomatic negotiations – all out of view of Congress. This hearing is an opportunity to hear from witnesses who have direct experience with the growth of the NSC firsthand.”

Thursday, September 8

Joint Subcommittee Hearing: Eastern Mediterranean Energy: Challenges and Opportunities for U.S. Regional Priorities

2 p.m. on Thursday, September 8 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

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

Subcommittee on Energy of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX), Chairman

Invited Witnesses Include:

Mr. Amos J. Hochstein
Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs
Bureau of Energy Resources
U.S. Department of State

The Honorable Jonathan Elkind
Assistant Secretary for International Affairs
U.S. Department of Energy

Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “In recent years, vast energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean have been discovered that have the potential to be an economic boon and realign the geopolitical landscape in the region. Israel and Cyprus have been at the center of these discoveries and have worked together in an effort to take advantage of these resources, but there are still some hurdles slowing down progress. This hearing will be an opportunity for the Members to hear from the administration about the role it is playing in facilitating progress in the Eastern Mediterranean, the steps it is taking to promote greater cooperation in the region, and how these latest developments will impact U.S. policy and interests.”

Thursday, September 8

Subcommittee Hearing: Asia’s Growing Hunger for Energy: U.S. Policy and Supply Opportunities

3 p.m. on Thursday, September 8 in 2255 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific
Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ), Chairman

Invited Witnesses Include:

Mr. Mikkal E. Herberg
Senior Advisor
Director
Energy Security Program
The National Bureau of Asian Research

David W. Kreutzer, Ph.D.
Senior Research Fellow for Energy Economics and Climate Change
Center for Data Analysis
Institute for Economic Freedom and Opportunity
The Heritage Foundation

Mr. Jake Schmidt
Director
International Program
Natural Resources Defense Council

Chairman Salmon on the hearing: “The enormous growth and opportunity of the Asia Pacific region is directly reflected in its growing hunger for energy; Asia Pacific nations are predicted to consume more than half of the world’s energy by 2035. While demand in the region continues to be led by coal, the market is changing. The world’s strongest growth in natural gas consumption is happening in Asia, and the United States is projected to become the world’s third largest supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) within the next five years.  Buyers in the Asia Pacific have already contracted to purchase more than half of the U.S. supply of LNG, and their influence over global energy policy will only continue to mount. In this hearing, the Subcommittee will examine the changing market and the economic and security effects it causes, and will discuss opportunities to advance U.S. energy policy in Asia.”

 

***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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