ICYMI: Ranking Member Shaheen Successfully Calls for the Confirmation of 10 Career Ambassadorial Nominees

WASHINGTON - On Wednesday night, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, successfully called for ten career nominees for key ambassadorial posts to be discharged and confirmed on the Senate floor by unanimous consent.

In the rare procedural move, Ranking Member Shaheen stressed the urgent need to fill ambassadorial vacancies to ensure Americans are represented in foreign capitals and at international institutions, as ongoing instability around the world threatens American national security and as China seeks to expand its influence through diplomatic posts around the globe. The Senator underscored the importance of having career ambassadors on the ground to protect American citizens and advance U.S. interests and urged the Administration to continue to nominate qualified career diplomats.

You can watch her remarks HERE.

Key Quotes:

• "In the 21 months the Trump Administration has been charged with U.S. national security, Americans have seen a complete hollowing out of our diplomatic service. Even with wars in the Middle East, in Sudan, Ethiopia, Ukraine, and a growing Ebola crisis and strikes against U.S. bases and diplomatic facilities, over 100 diplomatic posts remain empty."
  
  
• "Not only has the President failed to nominate career experts to represent Americans, but he has gone a step further and arbitrarily recalled more than 30 career Ambassadors from countries across Africa, the Middle East, the Pacific and the Western Hemisphere - all regions where the PRC is engaging our partners as we retreat."
  
  
• "This is not a partisan issue. When our allies and adversaries alike see the United States represented abroad, we need to speak with one voice. Career ambassadors are non-partisan public servants, often with decades of experience in the regions where they serve. So, today, I am asking for unanimous consent to discharge from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the nominations of 10 career ambassadorial nominees. And I am here to urge the Trump Administration to take seriously our national security agenda."

The Ranking Member's remarks, as delivered, are below:

Mr. President, I come to the floor this evening to try and discharge 10 career ambassadorial nominees from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

In the 21 months the Trump Administration has been charged with America's national security, we have seen a complete hollowing out of our diplomatic service.

Even with wars in the Middle East, in Sudan, Ethiopia, Ukraine, and a growing Ebola crisis and strikes against U.S. bases and diplomatic facilities, over 100 diplomatic posts remain empty.

Meanwhile, China-who I think almost everybody in this chamber would acknowledge is the United States' biggest competitors-they have 170 ambassadors in posts around the world. And despite continued commitments from Secretary Rubio to send more career ambassadors to the Senate for consideration, only 13 career ambassadors have been confirmed under this Administration. We need Ambassadors on the ground to keep Americans safe, to be held accountable by the Senate when things go wrong.

Mr. President, we have a crisis of U.S. leadership across the world. And not only has the President failed to nominate career experts to represent Americans, but he has gone a step further. He's arbitrarily recalled more than 30 career Ambassadors from countries across Africa, from the Middle East, from the Pacific and from the Western Hemisphere-these are all regions where the PRC is engaging our partners as we retreat.

We need American leadership overseas because competition with China doesn't just happen in the Indo-Pacific and it doesn't just happen here at home and it doesn't just happen in Africa and it doesn't just happen in Latin America, it happens in every corner of the globe. Ensuring American businesses can compete for market access; offering alternatives to China's debt-trap diplomacy tactics; shoring up our alliances; and attracting international talent is why we need Ambassadors to represent the United States on the ground across the globe.

Now further, we know that China and Iran are working together to target American citizens and American infrastructure in the Middle East. And if the Trump Administration is serious about confronting China, we cannot let the Chinese write the future of foreign policy. This would be a dereliction of duty.

We do not know where the next crisis point may be-and without American leadership on the ground, we risk being caught flat-footed.

Across presidential administrations, I have advocated for the swift consideration and confirmation of career ambassadors.

This is not a partisan issue. When our allies and adversaries alike see the United States represented abroad, we need to speak with one voice. Career ambassadors are non-partisan public servants, often with decades of experience in the regions where they serve.

So, today, I am asking for unanimous consent to discharge from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the nominations of 10 career ambassadorial nominees. And I am here to urge the Trump Administration to take seriously our national security agenda.

So, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent-that notwithstanding Rule 22-the Senate Foreign Relations Committee be discharged from further consideration of Peter Lord, Ambassador to Benin, Keith Heffern, Ambassador to Gabon, Daniel Travis, Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Henry Wooster, Ambassador to Kenya, Joshua Harris, Ambassador to Malaysia, Nutan Patel, Ambassador to Cabo Verde, Steven Gillen, Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic, Charles Goodman, Ambassador to Togo, John McIntyre, Ambassador to Malawi and Natasha Franceschi, Ambassador to Nicaragua. And that the Senate proceed to their en bloc consideration and vote without intervening action or debate. That if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered be made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate, and the President be immediately notified of the Senate action.

Thank you, Mr. President, now I ask for unanimous consent to confirm these 10 nominees.

Thank you very much, Mr. President, I just want to point out how important it is to get our career ambassadors on the ground and hopefully the administration will offer more career ambassadors as nominees to the Senate. Thank you, I yield the floor.

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