Middle East and North Africa

The Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee is a specialized panel within the House Committee on Foreign Affairs that focuses on a critical region of U.S. foreign policy. As a subcommittee, it conducts initial hearings and reviews legislation before matters move to the full committee, which retains the power to report bills to the House floor. The subcommittee's jurisdiction aligns with the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and covers U.S. relations with countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa region. Beyond regional diplomacy, the subcommittee also has functional oversight of State Department management bureaus and the Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism, reflecting the region's significance to American national security strategy.

Chaired by Representative Michael Lawler of New York, with Ranking Member Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida, the 13-member subcommittee has held several substantive hearings in recent months. Recent hearings have examined U.S. policy toward Lebanon and Hezbollah, the future of Syria following the fall of the Assad regime, the State Department's counterterrorism efforts and budget priorities, and historical and strategic dimensions of U.S.-Israel relations. The subcommittee also reviewed State Department administrative consolidation efforts. These hearings demonstrate the panel's focus on both immediate regional crises and the institutional capacity of the State Department to execute American foreign policy in this strategically vital area.