Foreign Affairs to be briefed on North Korea next week

The House Foreign Affairs Committee will meet Tuesday for a public briefing about potential nuclear, missile and cybersecurity threats from North Korea.

Invited briefers include State, Treasury and Homeland Security Department officials a month after the cyberattack on Sony Pictures in what U.S. officials say is retribution for producing the controversial satirical film “The Interview.” The movie depicts the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

{mosads}”There can be no doubt that the Kim regime means America harm, and as we saw last month, Pyongyang can deliver on its threats. After years of complacency and failed policies by successive administrations, this briefing will examine the administration’s efforts to curtail the cyber threat emanating from North Korea and secure our homeland,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) said in a statement.

Also Tuesday, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will hold the first hearing of his first term with the gavel. The hearing will focus on the state of the economy.

Few committee hearings are scheduled for next week since the new Congress has only just started.

Details on the scheduled hearings follow:

House Foreign Affairs Committee
Jan. 13, “The North Korean Threat: Nuclear, Missiles and Cyber”
10 a.m., 2172 Rayburn

House Ways and Means Committee
Jan. 13, “Moving America Forward”
10 a.m., HVC-210 Capitol

House Rules Committee
Jan. 12, “On H.R. 185 – Regulatory Accountability Act of 2015, and H.R. 37 – Promoting Job Creation and Reducing Small Business Burdens Act”
5 p.m., H-313 Capitol