How to watch the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa

Twenty-Five Years After 9/11: The Evolving Terrorism Landscape and State's Counterterrorism Response

Technology, terrorism finance, and ideological balance

Reps. Sherman, Moskowitz, and Crane examine crypto and terror finance, drones and AI‑enabled threats, Saudi influence, the CT strategy’s treatment of right‑ and left‑wing extremism, U.S. contacts with the Houthis, protection of strategic waterways, interagency work on emerging technologies, and how Congress can support future‑oriented CT planning and resourcing.

In this chapter

1. Rep. Sherman: drones, AI, Saudi Arabia, and omission of right‑wing violence
2. Rep. Moskowitz: ideological balance, Houthis contacts, and maritime security
3. Rep. Crane: AI, Emerging Threats Bureau, and congressional support

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Twenty-Five Years After 9/11: The Evolving Terrorism Landscape and State's Counterterrorism Response

Bureau mission, reorganization, and Iran‑linked threats

Bradley Schneider Democratic

The Chair and Rep. Schneider question how CT’s mission and structure have evolved, probing the move under the State Department ‘T family,’ the ‘precision over permanence’ doctrine, Syria’s coalition role, terrorist designations including the Houthis, and coordinated efforts with allies to counter Iran, the IRGC, and regional proxies at key maritime chokepoints.

In this chapter

1. Chairman Q&A: bureau mission, reorganization, Syria and designations
2. Rep. Schneider: precision vs permanence, Houthis, and burden‑sharing on Iran proxiesBradley Schneider

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Twenty-Five Years After 9/11: The Evolving Terrorism Landscape and State's Counterterrorism Response

Opening statements: 9/11 legacy and CT mandate

The Chair, Ranking Member, and Deputy Coordinator Borkert frame the post‑9/11 threat landscape, assess lessons from two decades of counterterrorism, and outline the State Department Counterterrorism Bureau’s current mandate, priorities, and organizational approach under the Trump administration.

In this chapter

1. Chairman: evolving threat landscape and hearing objectives
2. Ranking Member: 9/11 legacy and critique of current CT strategy
3. Witness opening statement: lessons from 9/11 and current CT priorities

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Countering Houthi Terrorism: Protecting U.S. Interests and Security in the Red Sea

Humanitarian, economic, and sanctions dimensions: food security and smuggling

Members examine troop balances, southern factions, global food price impacts, and the effectiveness of embargoes and interdiction along Yemen’s coastline, highlighting how Red Sea disruptions and aid cuts worsen hunger in Yemen and beyond. Witnesses describe Houthi detention of aid staff, persistent Iranian weapons flows via sea and land routes, evolving Houthi command structures and intelligence capabilities, and growing Houthi–Al-Shabaab cooperation in the Horn of Africa, stressing the need to tighten sanctions implementation while bolstering partner governments and coastal enforcement.

In this chapter

1. Rep. Sherman Q&A: forces, food insecurity, and sanctions evasion
2. Rep. Zinke Q&A: Houthi command structure and interdiction limits
3. Rep. Mfume Q&A: food insecurity, soft power, and balance of power
4. Rep. Jackson Q&A: Houthis–Al-Shabaab nexus in Horn of Africa

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Countering Houthi Terrorism: Protecting U.S. Interests and Security in the Red Sea

Diplomacy and U.S. institutional capacity: envoys, allies, and aid leverage

Bradley Schneider Democratic

Questions center on avoiding open-ended war while maintaining pressure, European and regional ally participation, unfilled ambassadorships, and the dismantling of USAID and Yemen-focused diplomatic roles, with witnesses calling for a renewed special envoy and restored civilian tools to complement military action. This segment underscores how cuts to aid and diplomatic infrastructure have reduced U.S. leverage, ceded space to other powers, and complicated efforts to reach a durable political settlement.

In this chapter

1. Rep. Schneider Q&A: avoiding open-ended war and need for envoyBradley Schneider
2. Rep. Keating Q&A: Strait of Hormuz, allies, and diplomatic gaps
3. Rep. Wasserman Schultz Q&A: USAID dismantling and domestic economic fallout

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Countering Houthi Terrorism: Protecting U.S. Interests and Security in the Red Sea

U.S. strategy: Iran linkages, Red Sea security, and backing Yemeni forces

Members probe how Iran leverages the Houthis, the limits of airstrikes and sanctions, and options to restore commercial confidence in the Red Sea, with witnesses urging deeper support to Yemeni government and coast guard forces, better targeting of smuggling networks, and closer coordination with Saudi Arabia and regional partners. This block focuses on aligning military tools, burden-sharing, and congressional priorities to constrain Houthi expansion, protect freedom of navigation, and avoid repeating past operational errors such as halting the 2018 Hodeidah offensive.

In this chapter

1. Chairman Q&A: Iran’s leverage and restoring Red Sea confidence
2. Ranking Member Q&A: limits of strikes and U.S. support to Yemeni government
3. Rep. Wilson Q&A: Russia/China support and Saudi role

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Countering Houthi Terrorism: Protecting U.S. Interests and Security in the Red Sea

Expert testimony: Houthi capabilities, Yemen war dynamics, and U.S. end-state

Witnesses Al-Dawsari and Miner detail Houthi ideological, military, and territorial evolution, how coalition missteps and Yemeni government weakness have empowered the group, and argue that U.S. policy must pair military pressure with a clear political strategy, restored aid, and support for Yemeni forces to reach a negotiated, enforceable settlement. They stress that airstrikes and sanctions alone are insufficient without territorial leverage and institutional rebuilding in Yemen.

In this chapter

1. Witness Al-Dawsari: Houthi evolution and territory-based strategy
2. Witness Miner: conflict lessons and negotiated end-state

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Countering Houthi Terrorism: Protecting U.S. Interests and Security in the Red Sea

Opening: Houthi threat, Yemen context, and hearing procedure

The chair and ranking member frame the hearing around the Iran-backed Houthi threat to U.S. forces and Red Sea commerce, Yemen’s war and humanitarian crisis, and policy questions on deterrence, sanctions, and support for the Yemeni government, before introducing the expert panel and procedural rules. This segment establishes the strategic, legal, and humanitarian context for subsequent testimony and Q&A.

In this chapter

1. Chairman: framing Houthi threat and questions
2. Ranking Member: Houthi attacks and Yemen humanitarian crisis
3. Panel introduced and procedural instructions

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Building a New Regional Security Architecture: The Next Phase of the Abraham Accords

Post–October 7 reassessment: Gulf confidence, economic integration, and US diplomatic capacity

Questioning turns to how October 7, the Gaza war, West Bank trends, and the Iran conflict have eroded Gulf confidence in US and Israeli reliability, the risk of neglecting existing Accords partners, and the need to deliver tangible economic projects via IMEC and related initiatives while rebuilding US diplomatic staffing, envoy roles, and grassroots normalization efforts.

In this chapter

1. Rep. Wasserman Schultz: post–Oct. 7 setbacks and grassroots gap
2. Rep. Kiley: economic integration and IMEC implementation
3. Rep. Meeks: Israel’s credibility, two‑state horizon, diplomatic capacity

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Building a New Regional Security Architecture: The Next Phase of the Abraham Accords

Mid‑hearing Q&A: Saudi accession, two‑state requirements, and congressional tools

Bradley Schneider Democratic

Members probe Saudi security priorities and reluctance over Palestinian statehood risks, argue that far‑right Israeli policies and settler violence obstruct new partners, emphasize that Arab leaders require at least a credible two‑state trajectory, and explore how Congress can use defense integration, IMEC, people‑to‑people programs, and visible bipartisan support to sustain and expand the Accords.

In this chapter

1. Rep. from Tennessee: Saudi accession, lessons from first five years
2. Rep. Sherman: extremists, two‑state solution, annexation risks
3. Rep. Schneider: bipartisan caucus and congressional support toolsBradley Schneider

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Building a New Regional Security Architecture: The Next Phase of the Abraham Accords

Early Q&A: IMEC routing, Jordan stability, and leverage in Saudi nuclear talks

Initial questioning focuses on keeping Israel central to IMEC rather than Syria, supporting economically fragile Jordan while warning against a Palestinian state between Israel and Jordan, testing Democratic backing for the Accords, and examining how decoupling a Saudi civil nuclear deal from normalization and a Palestinian pathway weakens US leverage.

In this chapter

1. Chair Lawler Q&A: IMEC routing and Israel–Jordan ties
2. Chair Lawler Q&A: Democratic support for Israel and Accords
3. Rep. Keating: lost leverage in Saudi nuclear deal

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Building a New Regional Security Architecture: The Next Phase of the Abraham Accords

Witness introductions: strategic framing of the Abraham Accords

The panel is sworn in and outlines competing strategic narratives on the Accords, including Trump-era policy predicates, Biden-era follow‑on mechanisms, Iran pressure and war, UNRWA funding, regional integration tools such as IMEC and CENTCOM, and the centrality of a Palestinian state pathway for further normalization.

In this chapter

1. Panel introduced: procedural instructions
2. Ambassador Friedman: predicate for Abraham Accords
3. Fredman: five pillars for a new regional architecture
4. Ambassador Shapiro: integration gains, Iran war as impediment

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Building a New Regional Security Architecture: The Next Phase of the Abraham Accords

Opening statements: hearing mandate and Saudi–Palestinian linkage

Chair and ranking member set the hearing’s mandate on the Abraham Accords, contrast Trump/Biden regional approaches, and stress that any Saudi normalization and nuclear cooperation must be tied to robust nonproliferation standards and meaningful progress toward a Palestinian state.

In this chapter

1. Hearing opens: mandate on Abraham Accords
2. Ranking Member: Iran war, sanctions, Saudi nuclear risks
3. Ranking Member: Saudi normalization, Palestinian state precondition

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