The House Foreign Affairs Committee is planning a hearing next week on the "role diplomacy plays" in combating foreign threats to the Internet — after the State Department shuttered an office tasked with that job.
Panel chairman Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., said Wednesday the hearing will be held Feb. 6, and he will invite Chris Painter, who headed the Office of Cybersecurity Coordinator until last July, as well as other nongovernment experts.
The hearing comes in the wake of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's decision to close the office last summer, and shift its responsibilities to a bureau focused on economic and business affairs, The Hill reported.
"Authoritarian regimes and foreign actors are working overtime to impose more control online, including through censorship," Royce said in a statement.
"These destructive efforts to weaponize the Internet undermine America's foreign policy and security, as well as our economy."
"As Americans become more and more connected with digital technology, the United States must ensure the Internet remains open, reliable, and secure," Royce said.
According to The Hill, House lawmakers have already passed legislation sponsored by Royce that would restore an office at the State Department to handle cyber diplomacy efforts, and be led by an official with the rank of ambassador.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.