Congress gets first-hand account of war against IS
A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Feb. 8.
US lawmakers will get a firsthand account of the war in Syria this week as President Barack Obama's envoy to the anti-Islamic State coalition briefs them on his recent trip there.
Brett McGurk will discuss "the way forward in Syria and Iraq" in a closed session of the Senate Foreign Relations panel on Feb. 9, his first visit to Congress since returning from a short visit to Kobani and other areas in northern Syria. He is scheduled to talk to the House Foreign Affairs Committee in an open hearing Feb. 10, with an added focus on IS expansion to Libya and beyond.
IS is also expected to be a key focus when CIA Director James Clapper and Defense Intelligence Agency chief Vincent Stewart testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on "worldwide threats" Feb. 9. And the House Foreign Affairs panel on terrorism holds a hearing Feb. 10 on "the future of IS-inspired attacks."
Meanwhile, the Senate Judiciary panel on Feb. 11 marks up legislation from presidential candidate Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to strip US terrorists of their nationality. And the Senate Homeland panel has its own terror bills on the docket Feb. 10, including bills from Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, to combat terrorist use of social media and the "Countering Online Recruitment of Violent Extremists Act" from Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.
