Chairman Risch Opening Statement at Nominations Hearing for Five of President Trump’s Nominees

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today gave the following opening remarks at a full committee nomination hearing. Witnesses included John Breslow to be ambassador to Cyprus, Fleet White III to be assistant secretary of State for political and military affairs, Todd Steggerda to be U.S. representative to the office of the UN and other international organizations, Preston Wells Griffith III to be U.S. representative to the Vienna office of the UN and U.S. representative to the IAEA, and Adam Cassady to be ambassador for cyberspace and digital policy.

Chairman Risch gave the following remarks:

"Thank you all for being here today and particularly to your families.

"We'll start with Mr. Breslow. If confirmed, you will be the first political appointee, non-career appointment, to serve as ambassador to Cyprus, which demonstrates a historic advancement in our relationship.

"Cyprus is a key partner in the Eastern Mediterranean and a critical crossroads between Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Today, I hope to hear how you will work with the government of Cyprus on our shared interests in security, trade, energy, and more.

"Mr. White, your nomination comes at a time when the United States faces threats across multiple regions.

"In this environment, the U.S. needs to quickly provide weapons and supplies to allies and partners, scale up production, and make sure that our Foreign Military Sales system can work quickly and at scale.

"The U.S must remain the partner of choice in an era of intense competition for arms sales and security partnerships.

"I hope to hear how you plan to work with this committee to vigorously implement President Trump's executive orders to make the items I've identified a reality.

"Arms sales are often a cornerstone of our strategic alliances and partnerships, and we cannot let this bureaucratic process drive our partners toward Russia and China.

"Mr. Steggerda, President Trump has made clear that he believes the UN can be reformed and return "back to basics." I, too, want to see reform but it must be done in good faith, and it must be system-wide with individuals held accountable for its failures.

"Today we are considering you, for the seat at our mission in Geneva, one of the global UN hubs. This position also previously represented the U.S. at the UN Human Rights Council- but now that President Trump has rightly withdrawn us from this broken institution, it is my hope that you will be able to spend all of your effort reforming the agencies you will work with in Geneva.

"Mr. Griffith, you have been nominated to serve as both the United States Representative to the Vienna Office of the United Nations and as the United States Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency. If confirmed, you will lead an important portfolio with significant national security considerations for the United States.

"Anyone who has not visited that office should do so. It's really important to the United States and it's important that it's well lead.

"Following President Trump's call for reform across the UN system, Ambassador Waltz and his team in New York have made real progress and I'm looking forward to see the same in your post, if confirmed.

"I look forward to hearing how you will capitalize on the Administration's efforts to ensure the United Nations in Vienna and also in Geneva are worthy of continued American investment.

"Mr. Cassady, as ambassador for Cyberspace and Digital Policy, you will lead the Cyber and Digital Policy bureau's efforts to promote policies that advance American cyber innovation and leadership, work with allies to align technology standards to advance shared interests and counter competitors like China and bolster allied capacity to respond to cyber threats.

"You will now also be responsible for CDP's expanded science and tech mission as a result of the recent State Department reorganization. You will play a major role in advancing key Trump Administration policies like the AI Action Plan, Tech Prosperity Deals, security of undersea infrastructure, and many others. I look forward to hearing how you will work with your counterparts in the Administration to address these threats.

"Again, thank you again to all of our nominees."

These remarks have been lightly edited for clarity. Witness testimony is available on foreign.senate.gov.

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