US lawmakers to question Pompeo on China, Russia & troops in Germany as he testifies in Senate

Lawmakers expect to question US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on dealings with China, Russia and the decision to move troops out of Germany when he offers rare public testimony in the Senate on Thursday.

Pompeo will testify at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing for the first time in 15 months, discussing the State Department’s annual budget request.

Foreign Relations Committee Democrats released a report this week criticizing Pompeo’s tenure at State. They said he had harmed the department’s ability to conduct diplomacy by leaving jobs open for months and treating career diplomats poorly, Reuters reported.

Deteriorating relations with China will be on the agenda, after Washington and Beijing each closed one of the other country’s consulates and Pompeo recently announced an end to Hong Kong’s special trading status.