Congress plans a busy week of hearings before leaving town again for its Thanksgiving break. Four hearings on Ebola are scheduled, three on the fight in Iraq and Syria, and two on the nuclear talks with Iran.
The House Armed Services and Veterans’ Affairs committees have several hearings on the schedule that were originally slated for September, but postponed due to other legislative work. And the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee will hold only its second hearing in Washington, D.C., since July, this time on veterans mental health issues.
Hearing times and locations are subject to change.
Tuesday, Nov. 18
- Senate Foreign Relations — 10 a.m. — Hart 216
ISIL in Iraq and Syria
This hearing will focus on continuing oversight on U.S. operations in the Middle East and the growing threat of extremists in the region. - House Foreign Affairs — 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2172
Fighting Ebola: A Ground-Level View
The subcommittee on Africa and global health will look at progress made by government and aid organizations in stopping the Ebola outbreak in Africa. - House Energy and Commerce — 1 p.m. — Rayburn 2123
Public Health Response to the Ebola Outbreak
This hearing will look at U.S. officials’ response to the recent Ebola cases in Texas and New York, and the general response efforts in place for potential future outbreaks. - House Veterans Affairs — 1:30 p.m. — Cannon 334
Security Weaknesses and Patient Wait Times
The hearing will focus on ongoing data manipulation and digital records concerns in the VA’s systems, which may be leading to increased health care wait times for some veterans. - House Foreign Affairs — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2255
Water-sharing conflicts
This hearing will feature think tank experts discussing how regional water-sharing conflicts in Africa and Asia could lead to international conflicts. - House Foreign Affairs — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2200
Iranian Nuclear Talks: Negotiating a Bad Deal?
The subcommittee on terrorism and nonproliferation will hear from think tank experts on current negotiations with Iran over their nuclear programs. - Senate Intelligence — 2:30 p.m. — Hart 219
Briefings on Intelligence Matters
This is a closed hearing. Committee staffers have not released any other additional public information.
Wednesday, Nov. 19
- Senate Homeland Security — 10 a.m. — Dirksen 342
Response to public health threats
This hearing will focus on local and federal response effort to public health threats, such as the recent Ebola cases. - House Veterans’ Affairs — 10 a.m. — Cannon 334
Veterans education programs
This hearing will focus on state approving agencies and the role they play in veterans education programs. - House Energy and Commerce — 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2123
Medical product development and Ebola
This hearing will look at the status of developing vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments for the Ebola virus. - House Judiciary — 10 a.m. — Rayburn 2141|
Oversight of the Secret Service
This hearing will look at the recent security breaches at the White House and concerns about operations within the U.S. Secret Service. - Senate Veterans’ Affairs — 10 a.m. — Russell 418
Veterans mental health issues
This hearing will feature discussion about veterans suicide and the availability of mental health care within the VA system. - House Armed Services — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2118
Religious accommodations in the Armed Services
This hearing will feature testimony from religious liberty advocates discussing restrictions on proselytizing in the ranks. - House Foreign Affairs — 2 p.m. — Rayburn 2172
Legislative markup
The subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa will consider H.R. 5648, the United States-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act of 2014. - House Veterans’ Affairs — 2 p.m. — Cannon 334
Legislative markup
The subcommittee on health will consider a series of bills related to veterans medical care access and operations. - House Foreign Affairs — 2:30 p.m. — Rayburn 2172
Next Steps for U.S. Foreign Policy on Syria and Iraq
The subcommittee on the Middle East and north Africa hears from think tank experts on their best ways to confront terrorist extremists in the region.
Thursday, Nov. 20
- House Veterans’ Affairs — 10 a.m. — Cannon 334
Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund
The subcommittee on disability assistance will examine the process of verifying eligibility for the fund. - House Foreign Affairs — 1 p.m. — Rayburn 2172
Iran Nuclear Deal
The subcommittee on the Middle East and north Africa hears from think tank experts on the negotiations with Iraq over nuclear security.
