Washington, D.C. - House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) announced the following upcoming committee events.
Wednesday, March 21
Subcommittee Hearing: Implications of a U.S.-Saudi Arabia Nuclear Cooperation Agreement for the Middle East
2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21, 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. Henry Sokolski
Executive Director
The Nonproliferation Policy Education Center
Mr. William Tobey
Senior Fellow
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
The John F. Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University
Ms. Sharon Squassoni
Research Professor of the Practice of International Affairs
Institute for International Science and Technology
Elliott School of International Affairs
George Washington University
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the hearing: “The Administration has been moving full speed ahead on its negotiations with Saudi Arabia regarding a potential 123 nuclear cooperation agreement, and unfortunately, Congress has been left mostly in the dark. The potential ramifications, including proliferation and the easing of enrichment and reprocessing restrictions, highlight the need for long-needed reforms to the outdated Congressional review process. This hearing will provide subcommittee members with an opportunity to assess the status of Saudi Arabia’s nuclear plans, the implications if the U.S. agrees to a deal below the so-called gold standard, and legislative options to increase Congressional oversight so that the U.S. can ensure national security interests always take precedence over political or commercial considerations in any future nuclear agreement."
Wednesday, March 21
Subcommittee Hearing: U.S. Responses to China’s Foreign Influence Operations
2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21, in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific
Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL), Chairman
Invited witnesses include.
Mr. Peter Mattis
Fellow
China Program
The Jamestown Foundation
Ms. Shanthi Kalathil
Director
International Forum for Democratic Studies
National Endowment for Democracy
Aynne Kokas, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Media Studies
University of Virginia
Chairman Yoho on the hearing: “As China’s power grows, so too does its influence. An outgrowth of its totalitarian control at home, China’s foreign influence operations have been called ‘sharp power,’ differing from the traditional model of ‘soft power’ because they are covert and coercive. They are based not on China’s inherent attractiveness and persuasiveness, but on the Chinese Communist Party’s ability to control information and suppress criticism and competing ideas. Here in the United States and around the world, these operations threaten the independence of media, the freedom of academic institutions, and the very primacy of democracy in the post-Cold War era. Indeed, China’s Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping has begun explicitly promoting China’s authoritarian system of government as a ‘new model’ for the developing world. In this hearing, the Subcommittee will consult with an expert panel on the nature of China’s foreign influence operations and work towards a policy response. We will give special attention to existing U.S. laws and authorities that play a role in countering these threats, and seek to ensure they are fully leveraged."
***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.
