House Foreign Affairs Committee adopts rules, staff list and oversight plan; sets reauthorization agenda

The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Oct. 12 adopted its committee rules, professional staff list and oversight plan by unanimous consent and opened the 119th Congress with a stated priority of conducting the first comprehensive State Department reauthorization since 2002.

The action came on a motion from the committee chair (mover not separately recorded) to adopt three organizational documents that had been circulated to member offices in advance. “Without objection, so ordered,” the chair said after the motion; the committee then adopted the rules, staff list and oversight plan and authorized staff to make technical and conforming changes.

The plan reorganizes oversight responsibilities so each regional subcommittee is paired with specific State Department branches and bureaus for reauthorization. The chair said the reauthorization will require bureaus to “defend, repent, or in some cases, make the case for the continuation of their programs,” and described the work as necessary to ensure taxpayer dollars “are not being wasted on programs like transgender operas,” language he used during his remarks. Chairman Emeritus Michael McCall told the committee he welcomed the new chair to what he called “a very historic committee,” recalling its long history and the importance of its issues.

Ranking Member Meeks said he supported the three documents and thanked the chair for consulting the minority and maintaining a 48-hour consultation commitment on subpoenas. “We did this in a bipartisan way,” Meeks said, adding that the committee must ensure the State Department and USAID are funded and staffed to sustain U.S. diplomatic influence.

The chair outlined subcommittee leadership and portfolios: Representative Chris Smith will chair the Subcommittee on Africa; Representative Young Kim, the Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific; Representative Keith Self, the Subcommittee on Europe; Representative Mike Lawler, the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa; Representative Bill Huizenga, the Subcommittee on South and Central Asia; Representative Maria Valera Salazar, the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere; and Representative Corey Mills, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Intelligence. Representative Ryan Zinke will chair a Foreign Military Sales and Export Controls Task Force. The chair said, for example, that members on the Western Hemisphere subcommittee will be paired with the undersecretary office for civilian security, democracy and human rights, and that the Africa subcommittee will oversee the Office of Foreign Assistance and Global Health Security for reauthorization purposes.

Committee action included a direction authorizing staff to make technical and conforming changes to the adopted documents. The committee adjourned following adoption of the organizational items.

Votes at a glance: The committee adopted three organizational documents (committee rules; professional staff list; committee oversight plan) by unanimous consent; no roll-call vote was recorded.

Notes and clarifications drawn from committee remarks: The chair stated that “only 15% of the State Department is strictly authorized by Congress” and said that the reauthorization will be the first comprehensive reauthorization since 2002; those statements reflect the chair’s remarks and are reported here as such.

Audience and next steps: With the oversight plan adopted and subcommittee chairs named, committee members said they will begin the reauthorization process by examining State Department programs assigned to each subcommittee. The chair also committed to consult the ranking member at least 48 hours before issuing subpoenas, per his statement to the committee.