lawmakers will be hearing from deputy secretary joey hood. just a bit of a delay in the start of the hearing due to votes on the house floor. >> we'll wait for the start of this hearing here on c-span3 and show you in the meanwhile, a news conference from this morning with house speaker pelosi and the chairman of the ways and means committee announcing a deal with the white house on the u.s. mexico canada agreement, the usmca. we'll show you what we can until the start of the hearing. >> good morning, everyone. this is a day we've all been working to and working for on the path to yes. we were in range for a while, but until we could cross a certain threshold of enforcement for our workers' rights, for environment and for the prescription drug issue, as you know, they were three of the areas that we had put out there. i want to thank our chairman, richie neil, chair of the ways and means committee, the eight members of the task force. i will acknowledge momentarily by thanking them for their leadership in negotiating on different segments of

joey hood is the principal deputy secretary of state for near eastern affairs. he has spent much of his career in the middle east and deputy chief of the missions in iraq and kuwait as well as consul general and principal officer in saudi arabia. prior to the assignments, mr. hood was acting director in the process of iranian affairs in the department of state. in the foreign service mr. hood served in riyadh, yemen and qatar. thank you for being with us today. please limit your testimony to five minutes. your whitten -- your written statement will be made part of the hearing record. we are grateful for your participation today, and you are recognized. you.ood: thank let me also recognize and thank you for the service of those on the committee, as well as allen and addison wilson for their service to our country in iraq. i know from first-hand experience, it is not easy there. but i am honored to be with you today to discuss u.s. policy in iraq, and where we go from here. seen, demonstrations have swept baghdad and southern promises in what began as a wave thera

>> joey hood testified before house foreign affairs subcommittee regarding the current security situation in iraq where protests continue. also talked about the vetting process for the u.s. international military education and training program following the pensacola, florida shooting were a saudi air force trainee killed three sailors. >> all right. the hearing will come to order. welcome, everybody. the subcommittee is meeting today to hear testimony on u.s. policy in iraq. i thank our witness for appearing today. before recognizing myself for the purpose of making an opening statement, i would like to take the opportunity to recognize and thank the members of our committee who served in iraq.

thank you to our witnesses, principle assistant department joey hood for your service to our country and for being here today. the situation in iraq and across the region is complex. and we trust you know that you have your work cut out for you. i look forward to hearing how congress can play an effective role in demanding human rights for the people of >> iraq and holding those that are violating them in account. thank you again chairman deutch for leadership. i yield back. >> thank you ranking member wilson. and please extend to your sons our thanks for in re service. >> i will. >> i will now recognize members of the subcommittee for one minute opening statements should they choose to make one. >> seeing none, without objection, all members may have five days to submit statements, questions and extraneous materials for the record subject to the length limitations in the rules. and it's noy pleasure to introduce our witness. mr. joey hood is the principle department assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs spent much much his career working in the meeftd and served as d

lawmakers will hear from deputy secretary for near eastern affairs, joey hood. they are delayed a little bit here. there's a series of votes on the house floor.