Washington, D.C. - Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) announced the following upcoming committee events.
Tuesday, December 12
Subcommittee Hearing: The Future of the North American Free Trade Agreement
2 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 12, in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade
Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), Chairman
Invited witnesses include.
Mr. Eric Farnsworth
Vice President
Council of the Americas
Mr. Daniel Allford
President
ARC Specialties
The Honorable John D. Negroponte
Vice Chairman
McLarty Associates
(Former Deputy Secretary of State and Former Director of National Intelligence)
Ms. Celeste Drake
Trade and Globalization Policy Specialist
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations
Chairman Poe on the hearing: “The North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has fundamentally changed trade and investment between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Thanks in large part to NAFTA, North American economies are stronger and our region is more competitive and secure. However, advancements over the past 23 years have left many provisions in NAFTA outdated. The renegotiation initiated by President Trump offers an opportunity to update and strengthen the agreement to reflect the modernization of the past two decades. This hearing will provide members the opportunity to hear an update on the renegotiation, examine how NAFTA could be improved, and explore the importance of the deal to all three nations’ economies and regional cooperation."
Tuesday, December 12
Subcommittee Hearing: Protecting North Korean Refugees
2 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 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.
Panel I
Ms. Hyeona Ji
North Korean Defector
Co-chairperson
Worldwide Coalition to Stop Genocide in North Korea
Ms. Han Ga Hee (alias)
North Korean Defector
Announcer and Sound Engineer
Free North Korea Radio
Panel II
Mr. Greg Scarlatoiu
Executive Director
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
The Honorable Robert King
Senior Adviser
Korea Chair
Center for Strategic and International Studies
(Former U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues)
Ms. Suzanne Scholte
President
Defense Forum Foundation
Chairwoman
North Korea Freedom Coalition
Chairman Smith on the hearing: “This hearing will explore the current situation facing North Korean asylum seekers and assess both China’s obligation to protect refugees and global efforts to stop what the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea called crimes against humanity experienced by refugees. As the Congress continues to look at ways to best apply maximum diplomatic and financial press on the regime of Kim Jong-un, this hearing will explore the strategic relevance of further pressing the Chinese government to protect North Korean refugees and evaluate the impact of surging outside information into North Korea."
Tuesday, December 12
Subcommittee Hearing: Cambodia’s Descent: Policies to Support Democracy and Human Rights
2 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 12, in 2255 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific
Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL), Chairman
Invited witnesses include.
Ms. Olivia Enos
Policy Analyst
Asian Studies Center
Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy
The Heritage Foundation
Ms. Monovithya Kem
Deputy Director-General of Public Affairs
Cambodia National Rescue Party (Daughter of Kem Sohka, President, Cambodia National Rescue Party)
Mr. Kenneth Wollack
President
National Democratic Institute
Chairman Yoho on the hearing: “Ahead of potentially historic elections in Cambodia in July 2018, human rights and democracy are under attack. Longtime authoritarian leader Hun Sen has disbanded Cambodia’s opposition party to head off a groundswell of opposition at the polls. The opposition leader, Kem Sokha, has been detained and charged with treason, amongst a series of politically motivated charges and detentions. In Phnom Penh, Hun Sen’s regime has expelled or closed media organizations, charities and NGOs seen as threats to his continued rule, including the National Democratic Institute, the Voice of America and Radio Free Asia. The situation in Cambodia is at risk of devolving further in the months ahead, and it is important for Congress to present a meaningful response. In this hearing, the subcommittee will question expert witnesses with intimate knowledge of the deteriorating situation in Cambodia, develop policy options to support democracy and human rights in Cambodia and pressure Hun Sen to cease his authoritarian consolidation of power."
Thursday, December 14
Markup: H.R. 2219 and H.R. 2646
9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 14, in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman
Measures to be marked up include.
H.R. 2219, End Banking for Human Traffickers Act of 2017
H.R. 2646, United States-Jordan Defense Cooperation Extension Act
***See foreignaffairs.house.gov for updates.
***Coverage note: All Foreign Affairs Committee proceedings are webcast live at foreignaffairs.house.gov/live-feed.
