Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced the following upcoming Committee events:

Tuesday, April 16

Subcommittee Hearing: Kenya’s 2013 Elections: An Effective Assistance Model?

2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Mr. Paul Fagan
Regional Director for Africa
International Republican Institute

Keith Jennings, Ph.D.
Senior Associate and Regional Director for Southern and East Africa
National Democratic Institute

Mr. Bill Sweeney
President and Chief Executive Officer
International Foundation for Electoral Systems

Chairman Smith on the hearing: “Kenya made important changes in its government and electoral process since its last elections and, with significant U.S. assistance, successfully carried out an election that avoided the level of violence that followed the 2007 elections. However, in the constrained budget environment we face, our government will need to be realistic and selective about lessons from the Kenya experience that can be applied to future election assistance.”

Tuesday, April 16

Subcommittee Hearing: China’s Rapid Political and Economic Advances in Central Asia and Russia

2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16 in 2200 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Mr. John Tkacik, Jr.
Director and Senior Fellow
Future Asia Project
International Assessment and Strategy Center

Rensselaer Lee, Ph.D.
Senior Fellow
Foreign Policy Research Institute

Dmitry Shlapentokh, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Indiana University South Bend

Chairman Rohrabacher on the hearing: “The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is aggressively expanding its influence in Russia and Eurasia. There are patterns of economic, political and demographic influence which China’s rulers follow when targeting a country. Very large numbers of Chinese go abroad to live and work there while remaining staunch supporters of Beijing. Chinese trade and investment is directed by the Chinese Communist Party through state-owned banks, enterprises and sovereign wealth funds to advance CCP goals and support Chinese living abroad. This poses a particular threat to Russia and nearby countries. As the Chinese population along with perception management grows, those nation states will be far less able to stand up to the dictates of the Chinese Communist Party. The United States and its allies need to provide alternative opportunities to Russia for the development of its Far East territories in order to lessen the threat of Chinese hegemonic ambitions.”

 

Wednesday, April 17

Hearing: Securing U.S. Interests Abroad: The FY 2014 Foreign Affairs Budget

9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 17 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Committee on Foreign Affairs

Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

The Honorable John F. Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State

Chairman Royce on the hearing: “President Obama’s FY 2014 budget proposal is yet another plan to raise taxes without adequately addressing out nation’s out of control spending.  In light of our serious fiscal situation, it is critical that our limited resources be prioritized in a manner that most effectively meets our many vital foreign policy challenges.  This hearing will provide an opportunity for Committee Members to press for an explanation of the Administration’s proposed prioritization of U.S. taxpayer dollars.” 

Thursday, April 18

Subcommittee Hearing: Tier Rankings in the Fight Against Human Trafficking

1:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 18 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

The Honorable Mark Lagon
International Relations and Security Chair
Master of Science in Foreign Service Program
Georgetown University
(Former Ambassador-at-Large for Trafficking in Persons, U.S. Department of State)

Nguyen Dinh Thang, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Boat People SOS

Ms. Suzanne Schulte
President
North Korea Freedom Coalition

Mr. Brian Campbell
Director of Policy and Legal Programs
International Labor Rights Forum

Chairman Smith on the hearing: “This hearing will take a hard look at respective government efforts to fight human trafficking in China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Republic of Congo, and whether these governments should be promoted to Tier 2, or demoted to Tier 3 in the State Department’s 2013 Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP),” said Subcommittee Chairman Chris Smith. “They must, by law, be moved off the Tier 2 Watch List this year. From the halls of parliaments to small police stations in remote corners of the world, the TIP Report has become the gold standard of anti-trafficking accountability and our most effective diplomatic tool.  However, the continued credibility of the TIP Report—and its impact to help the victims—rests on accurate rankings of a government’s actions to combat human trafficking.”

 

***See foreignaffairs.house.gov for updates.

***Coverage note:  All Foreign Affairs Committee proceedings are webcast live atforeignaffairs.house.gov/live-video-feed.

###