Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced the following upcoming Committee events.
Tuesday, March 17
Hearing: The FY 2016 Budget Request: Assessing U.S. Foreign Assistance Effectiveness
10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 17 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman
Invited Witnesses Include.
The Honorable Alfonso E. Lenhardt
Acting Administrator
U.S. Agency for International Development
The Honorable Dana J. Hyde
Chief Executive Officer
Millennium Challenge Corporation
Chairman Royce on the hearing: “We are facing increasing radicalism in the Middle East and North Africa, grave humanitarian crises in Syria, Iraq, South Sudan and the Central African Republic, Russian aggression in Europe, and growing repression of democratic voices across Africa and Latin America. There are also opportunities to increase our prosperity that we can bolster. Of course, in today’s environment, resources are limited. The bar for justifying U.S. foreign assistance must be high. It is more important than ever that U.S. foreign assistance is efficient, effective, and supports our national security. This hearing will give Members an opportunity to examine the President’s budget request for the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Millennium Challenge Corporation - the agencies charged with promoting democratic values and reducing poverty through economic growth."
Tuesday, March 17
Subcommittee Hearing: National Security Benefits of Trade Agreements with Asia and Europe
2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade
Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), Chairman
Invited Witnesses Include.
The Honorable Carla A. Hills
Co-Chairman
Council on Foreign Relations
(Former U.S. Trade Representative)
Michael J. Green, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Mr. Neil Brown
Non-Resident Fellow
Lugar Diplomacy Institute
The German Marshall Fund of the United States
Daniel S. Hamilton, Ph.D.
Director
Center for Transatlantic Relations
The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
Johns Hopkins University
Chairman Poe on the hearing: “Free trade agreements are not just about tariff rates and market access. They are an integral part of our foreign policy and national security. This hearing will draw out the geopolitical ramifications of both TPP and TTIP. If done the right way, these agreements will increase U.S. influence around the world and make Americans safer."
Wednesday, March 18
Joint Subcommittee Hearing: Iran and Hezbollah in the Western Hemisphere
10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, March 18 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Chairman
Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman
Invited Witnesses Include.
Mr. Joseph Humire
Author
Mr. Dardo López-Dolz
(Former Vice Minister of Interior of Peru)
Chairman Duncan on the hearing: “Given the impending deadline for nuclear negotiations over Iran’s illicit nuclear weapons program, I believe it is critical for the U.S. to re-examine Iran and Hezbollah’s activities in our own neighborhood. Congress has conducted sustained, rigorous oversight on this issue with multiple Committee hearings, classified briefings, and the passage of legislation I authored, the Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act, into law in 2012. Unfortunately, the Obama Administration continues to ignore this threat even while Iran and Hezbollah expand their reach. Following a September 2014 Government Accountability Office report that found the State Department failed to follow this law, the Administration has taken no concrete action to address these problems. This hearing will consider the implications of continued inaction by the U.S. and regional governments even while Iran has been implicated in recent attempted terrorist attacks in Peru (2014) and Uruguay (2015) and embroiled in a controversy with Argentina concerning allegations of a political cover-up and the mysterious death of Alberto Nisman. I look forward to hearing the regional perspectives the witnesses will share."
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “Iran and Hezbollah’s history of involvement in the Western Hemisphere has long been a source of concern for the United States. Given the nature of transnational criminal networks existing in Latin America and the rise of terrorism ideology being exported worldwide from Middle East, it is disturbing that the State Department has failed to fully allocate necessary resources and attention to properly address this potential threat to our nation. It is well known that Iran poses a security threat to regional affairs and has expanded its ties in countries such as Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Ecuador. The United States needs a comprehensive understanding of Tehran’s efforts in Latin America in order to thwart any potential risk to our allies and U.S. national security."
Wednesday, March 18
Subcommittee Hearing: U.S. Election Support in Africa
10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, March 18 in 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.
Panel I
The Honorable Eric G. Postel
Assistant to the Administrator
Bureau for Africa
U.S. Agency for International Development
Panel II
Mr. William Sweeney
President and Chief Executive Officer
International Foundation for Electoral Systems
Ms. Gretchen Birkle
Regional Director for Africa
International Republican Institute
Mr. Eric Robinson
Senior Program Officer for East and Horn of Africa
National Endowment for Democracy
Mr. Patrick Merloe
Director of Electoral Programs and Senior Associate
National Democratic Institute
Chairman Smith on the hearing: “The United States has provided significant assistance for elections in a number of African nations since the early 1990s, but there is some question as to how effective that assistance has been, especially in subsequent run-off or follow-up elections, and in meeting the long-term needs of electoral and political systems in African countries. This hearing will examine how funding decisions are made and implemented, with an eye toward making the overall effort as successful as possible."
Wednesday, March 18
Subcommittee Hearing: Does the President’s FY 2016 Budget Request Address the Crises in the Middle East and North Africa?
2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman
Invited Witnesses Include.
The Honorable Anne W. Patterson
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
U.S. Department of State
The Honorable Paige Alexander
Assistant Administrator
Bureau for the Middle East
U.S. Agency for International Development
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “This hearing will be an opportunity for our Members to ask the administration pertinent questions regarding U.S. policies and objectives in the Middle East and North Africa and gauge whether or not we are leveraging our foreign assistance in the most efficient and effective manner, or whether the administration needs to reassess the manner in which we promote our values in the region in the region. In his FY2016 budget, the President has requested billions of dollars for the region, but the administration still lacks clear and decisive policy objectives that focus on solving the underlying problems rather than just continuing to throw billions of taxpayer dollars at the problem. I look forward to hearing how the administration justifies its Middle East and North Africa budget request and its explanation of how its budget will advance our foreign policy objectives in the region."
Thursday, March 19
Hearing: Negotiations with Iran: Blocking or Paving Tehran’s Path to Nuclear Weapons?
8:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 19 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman
Invited Witnesses Include.
The Honorable Antony J. Blinken
Deputy Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
Mr. Adam J. Szubin
Acting Under Secretary
Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Chairman Royce on the hearing: “The Obama Administration is racing to meet a March deadline for an agreement with Iran to constrain its nuclear program. Through a series of hearings, the Committee has raised many concerns over the outline of this proposed agreement. Chiefly, will a final agreement accept an Iran that is permanently on the brink of nuclear weapons? This hearing will review the status of negotiations with the Iranian regime, the Administration’s plans for sanctions relief for Tehran, and the challenges of reaching an effective and implementable agreement with a state sponsor of terrorism that is destabilizing countries throughout its region.".
