{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://lynch.house.gov/2019/12/chairman-lynch-hold-hearing-examine-us-counterterrorism-priorities-and-challenges", "Chairman Lynch To Hold Hearing To Examine U.S. Counterterrorism Priorities And Challenges In Africa", "2019-12-16", "2019", "2019-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Stephen F. Lynch", "L000562", "lynch.house.gov", "lynch", "https://lynch.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 On Tuesday, December 17, 2019, Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, will hold a hearing on the growing threat of violent extremism to U.S. national security interests in Africa. The hearing will examine the current terrorism landscape across the African continent and evaluate the threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Al-Qaeda, and affiliated terrorist organizations. The hearing will also assess whether existing counterterrorism and assistance resources are being used effectively to achieve U.S. strategic objectives and promote stability and security in Africa.\n\nWHERE: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building\n\nWHEN: Tuesday, December 17, 2019\n\nTIME: 2:00 p.m.\n\nThe hearing will be broadcast here.\n\nBACKGROUND\n\nAcross the African continent, extremist activity increased from 288 attacks in 2009 to 3,050 in 2018. Organizations, including Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), and various regional affiliates of ISIS, continue to destabilize already fragile African states, with significant implications for U.S. national security interests.\n\nDrivers of terrorist recruitment and violence in Africa are systemic, including but not limited to factors such as widespread poverty, the expansion of illicit trade in vast border areas, ethnic divisions, and weak or abusive governance.\n\nUnder the Trump Administration\u2019s National Security Strategy, in November 2018, the Department of Defense announced that it would reduce its overall footprint in Africa from approximately 7,200 personnel to about 6,480 and that in certain regions such as West Africa, emphasis would shift \u201cfrom tactical assistance to advising, assisting, liaising, and sharing intelligence.\u201d\n\nWITNESSES\n\nJudd Devermont, Director, Africa Program - Center for Strategic & International Studies\n\nAdotei Akwei, Deputy Director for Advocacy and Government Relations - Amnesty International\n\nAlexis Arieff, Specialist in African Affairs - Congressional Research Service", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-27T23:45:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://lynch.house.gov/2019/12/chairman-lynch-hold-hearing-examine-us-counterterrorism-priorities-and-challenges"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2455398682504892, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}