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*Markup date and room number changed*
**Hearing date and room number changed**
***Measure added to markup***

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

*Wednesday, June 14 Thursday, June 15

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

*2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 15 in 2172 2255 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 Thursday, June 15

Subcommittee Hearing: Africa’s Current and Potential Famines

**2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, June 15 in 2172 2255 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. Res. 311, 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. Res. 311, Recognizing that for 50 years the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has worked toward stability, prosperity, and peace in Southeast Asia;

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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