Look Ahead — Week of April 7 – April 11
Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced the following upcoming Committee events:
Tuesday, April 8
Subcommittee Hearing: Lebanon’s Security Challenges and U.S. Interests
10.00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 8 in Rayburn 2172 House Office Building
Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman
Invited witnesses include:
Mr. Lawrence Silverman
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
U.S. Department of State
Matthew Spence, Ph.D.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Policy
U.S. Department of Defense
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “Still struggling to recover from its bloody and protracted civil war that ended nearly 25 years ago, Lebanon is once again teetering on the edge with the prospects of an all out sectarian conflict seemingly ready to erupt at any moment. The massive influx of now over one million Syrian refugees into this country of only four and a half million people has stretched Lebanon to the limits and this stress is manifesting itself across every aspect of Lebanese society. Lebanon is now the battleground between competing factions, with the deep division between the country’s Sunni and Shi’a populations over their views on the Assad regime manifesting themselves into violent acts of aggression. The Syrian spillover effect in Lebanon threatens to be a destabilizing force in the region, and this has grave implications for our own national security as well as for our friend and ally, Israel. This hearing will offer Members the opportunity to question the Administration on its policy toward Lebanon and how it plans to counter the rising tide of another sectarian conflict in Lebanon.”
Tuesday, April 8
Subcommittee Hearing: Is al-Qaeda Winning? Grading the Administration’s Counterterrorism Policy
2.00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8 in Rayburn 2172 House Office Building
Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade
Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), Chairman
Invited witnesses include:
Panel I
The Honorable Joseph Lieberman
(Former United States Senator)
Panel II
Seth Jones, Ph.D.
Associate Director
International Security and Defense Policy Center
RAND Corporation
Frederick W. Kagan, Ph.D.
Christopher DeMuth Chair and Director
Critical Threats Project
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
Mr. Benjamin Wittes
Senior Fellow
Governance Studies
The Brookings Institution
Chairman Poe on the hearing: “Al-Qaeda is not on the path to defeat. Despite the death of bin Laden, this deadly organization controls and operates in more territory than any point since its creation. Whether its foreign fighters flowing to Syria, their resurgence in Iraq, or their designs on a post-2014 Afghanistan and Pakistan, the threat from al-Qaeda is a serious as it ever was. Affiliates of al-Qaeda are not simply wannabe jihadists, they are ideologically committed and growing in capability and reach. We need to re-examine our understanding of al-Qaeda and start thinking seriously about a whole-of-government strategy to deal with this pressing threat.”
Wednesday, April 9
Hearing: U.S. Foreign Assistance in FY 2015: What Are the Priorities, How Effective?
10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 9 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman
Invited witnesses include:
The Honorable Rajiv Shah
Administrator
U.S. Agency for International Development
Chairman Royce on the hearing: “Under the current fiscal crunch, U.S. resources are tight, which makes this Committee’s responsibility for overseeing foreign aid all the more important. While maintaining America’s leadership role, we must focus in areas that advance our interests, promote private sector-led growth, help nations tap into their own resources so they can meet their own development needs, and eliminate spending on programs that are wasteful and inefficient. This hearing will provide Committee Members an opportunity to press the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a key agency implementing U.S. foreign assistance programs, on how limited resources will be effectively and efficiently used.”
Wednesday, April 9
2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ), Chairman
Invited witnesses include:
The Honorable Roberta S. Jacobson
Assistant Secretary
Bureau for Western Hemisphere Affairs
U.S. Department of State
Ms. Elizabeth Hogan
Acting Assistant Administrator
Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean
U.S. Agency for International Development
Chairman Salmon on the hearing: “The Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere will convene a hearing to uncover what the administration’s strategic priorities are for the Western Hemisphere. Through the testimony of Assistant Secretary Roberta Jacobson and USAID’s Acting Administration for Western Hemisphere affairs, our committee hopes to gain clarity on the administration’s guiding principles, strategy and budget priorities for the region. We will discuss how the administration’s budget request seeks to address undemocratic power grabs in Ecuador and Bolivia, and how best to exert pressure and leadership in the crisis in Venezuela . While much is happening around the globe, I fear that our neighborhood, the Western Hemisphere, is being overlooked by the administration while external strategic competitors are seeking stronger ties and more influence in the region. Now is not the time to be timid in the Western Hemisphere.”
Wednesday, April 9
Subcommittee Hearing: U.S. Policy Toward Morocco
3.00 p.m. on Wednesday, April in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman
Invited witnesses include:
Mr. William Roebuck
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Egypt and Maghreb Affairs
Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
U.S. Department of State
Ms. Alina Romanowski
Deputy Assistant Administrator
Bureau for the Middle East
U.S. Agency for International Development
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “Since becoming the first nation to formally recognize the newly independent United States of America, Morocco and the U.S. have shared a strategic and dynamic bilateral relationship. In a region that has seen much turbulence, instability and uncertainty, Morocco has stood up as a model of moderation and the hope for a democratic future in the Middle East and North Africa. While its neighbors continue to struggle to find a way forward from the Arab Spring, Morocco was already well underway in its political and socioeconomic transformation that has allowed it to remain stable throughout this turmoil and continue its transition to a more inclusive and open society. A key to keeping Morocco stable will be its ability to counter the rising threat of extremism that has taken root in much of its surrounding areas. It’s important that the U.S. continue to assist Morocco in countering these threats, and this hearing will give Members the opportunity to hear more about what the Administration is doing to assist the Kingdom and what our strategic goals and objectives are in Morocco.”
***See foreignaffairs.house.gov for updates.
***Coverage note: All Foreign Affairs Committee proceedings are webcast live at foreignaffairs.house.gov/live-video-feed.
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