Washington, D.C. - Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) announced the following upcoming Committee events.
Wednesday, April 13
Subcommittee Hearing: Assessing President Obama’s Middle East and North Africa FY 2017 Budget Request
11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 13 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: “Once again, President Obama has submitted a budget request for the Middle East and North Africa that raises more questions than it answers about the administration’s priorities and objectives for the region. From the fight against ISIS, the Syrian conflict and humanitarian crisis, to the still fragile governmental transitions in Tunisia and Egypt and the instability and uncertainty in Yemen and Libya, the Obama administration has failed to show concrete and viable plans to address these issues of great concern to regional stability and U.S. national security. This hearing will be an opportunity for Members to ask the administration what its policies and objectives are for the region and for us to continue our oversight role by calling on the administration to justify the President’s budget request for this fiscal year."
Wednesday, April 13
Subcommittee Hearing: Countering Extremism and the Threat of ISIS in Southeast Asia
2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 13 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific
Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ), Chairman
Invited Witnesses Include.
Mr. W. Patrick Murphy
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of East Asia and the Pacific
U.S. Department of State
Marie Richards, Ph.D.
Deputy Counterterrorism Coordinator for Regional and Multilateral Affairs
Bureau of Counterterrorism
U.S. Department of State
Ms. Gloria Steele
Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator
Bureau for Asia
U.S. Agency for International Development
Chairman Salmon on the hearing: “In concert with U.S. efforts, our partners in Southeast Asia continue to make progress in addressing extremist threats that have plagued the region for decades. However, persistent violent extremism and emerging terrorist dangers, such as the Islamic State, threaten our interests and jeopardize positive momentum. In this hearing, we’ll discuss the counterterror outlook for the U.S. and our partners in Southeast Asia, the Administration’s strategy to counter terrorism and violent extremism in the region, and investigate possibilities for Congressional involvement."
Wednesday, April 13
Subcommittee Hearing: Peacekeepers: Allegations of Abuse and Absence of Accountability at the United Nations
2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 13 in 2200 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.
Mr. Brett Schaefer
Jay Kingham Fellow in International Regulatory Affairs
Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom
The Heritage Foundation
Aicha Elbasri, Ph.D.
Author
(Former Spokesperson, United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur, United Nations)
Mr. Peter Gallo
(Former Investigator, Office of Internal Oversight Services, United Nations)
Mr. Jordie Hannum
Senior Director
Better World Campaign
Chairman Smith on the hearing: “With the latest shocking allegations about sexual exploitation committed by United Nations peacekeepers-the victimizing of the vulnerable by those who are supposed to be protectors, this time in the Central African Republic-Congress needs to ask the question ‘Why the breakdown in accountability at the UN?’ We will hear testimony from experts and whistleblowers-including a former investigator for the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight-who will tell us about why things have gone so wrong, and what might be done to fix it. Peacekeeping is essential to healing a broken world, but we must ensure that peacekeepers are protectors, not predators, and that the U.N. understands that neither disfunctionality nor impunity is acceptable."
***See foreignaffairs.house.gov for updates.
***Coverage note: All Foreign Affairs Committee proceedings are webcast live at foreignaffairs.house.gov/live-video-feed.
