This week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold two subcommittee hearings in Washington.
The first hearing is organized by the Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism. It is chaired by Senator Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania. The session, titled "Countering Terrorism in North Africa: Opportunities and Challenges," will take place on Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 at 2:30pm in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, room SD-419. Witnesses scheduled to testify include Robert Palladino, a senior official for Near Eastern affairs at the State Department, and Lieutenant Colonel Joel Borkert, deputy coordinator for the Bureau of Counterterrorism at the State Department. A livestream of this event will be available online. Members of the press who wish to attend should RSVP to the Senate Press Gallery.
The second hearing is convened by the Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, chaired by Senator Steve Daines of Montana. The hearing is titled "A Pathway to European Energy Security" and will be held on Wednesday, February 4th, 2026 at 2:30pm in the same location. Testifying witnesses are Geoffrey Pyatt, senior managing director for energy and critical minerals at McLarty Associates, and Dan Byers, vice president for policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute. This session will also be livestreamed for public viewing. Members of the press interested in attending must RSVP through the Senate Press Gallery.
