[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 155 (Thursday, October 22, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7428-S7430]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          BLOCKING NOMINATIONS

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, Congressional Republicans continue to govern 
destructively during this 114th Congress. After nearly a year in 
control of the Senate, what do Republicans have to show for it? 
Shutdown threats, lapsed laws, vital programs expired, and an abiding 
sense of uncertainty. Instead of looking for opportunities to govern 
constructively, Republicans appear to be bent on mayhem. They are doing 
everything they can to appeal to their extreme rightwing without regard 
to the consequences.
  It seems that every day that is a bad day for government, we have a 
large segment of the Republican caucus cheering that it is great. 
Anything that is bad for government is a good day for us, is what they 
are saying. Instead of looking for opportunities to govern 
constructively, they are doing everything they can to not do things 
constructively. They are doing everything they can to appeal to, I 
guess, the extreme rightwing, to phrase it, without regard to the 
consequences, but consequences are very significant.
  This afternoon we are finally confirming Ambassadors for several 
African nations, but to view the confirmation of four individuals a 
success would be a mistake, when we consider that Senate Republicans 
are doing everything they can to stop these nominees.
  Just 2 weeks ago, the junior Senator from Arkansas announced his 
intention to hold up our Ambassadors to Sweden, Norway, and the 
Bahamas. At a time when American leadership is needed abroad, these 
posts sit empty because the junior Senator from Arkansas is blocking 
them. Why is Senator Cotton blocking these nominees? He has admitted 
his hold has nothing to do with the nominees' qualifications--nothing. 
Indeed, all were reported out of the Foreign Relations Committee with 
bipartisan support months ago. Instead, the junior Senator from 
Arkansas is holding these nominees hostage until he gets information 
from the Department of Homeland Security. That is right. He is holding 
up State Department nominations to get a response from Homeland 
Security. Blocking important Ambassadors to get information from a 
completely different agency makes zero sense. That is akin to having 
two fighters in a ring and one fighter is going for the referee instead 
of the other boxer. That is about what we have here. The sad part about 
this is that the junior Senator from Arkansas is not alone in blocking 
qualified nominees. The Republican caucus is obviously supporting him. 
Why?
  I have spoken before about the crucial need to confirm Gayle Smith as 
Ambassador to the U.S. Agency for International Development. She would 
be a good Administrator. I talked to one of my staff yesterday who has 
a relative who works for this Agency. It is terrible. There is nobody 
leading the Agency. It has affected the whole department. That is 
wrong.
  Why is this nomination important? The Agency for International 
Development, better known as USAID, plays a central role in our 
Nation's foreign policy. How? By administering humanitarian and 
development aid to nations of people in need. A person only needs to 
watch the nightly news to see that help is needed across the globe--the 
pictures of the huddled masses of men, women, and children now with the 
weather turning in Europe. There are millions of people trying to get 
out of Syria, trying to get out of the Middle East because of what is 
going on there, with blankets--wet blankets--over their bodies. Little 
kids are being protected by their mothers, as much as they can be, and 
by their dads. Victims of civil wars, disease outbreaks, and natural 
disasters depend on the aid and compassion of the American people. To 
our credit, we try our best to help as much as possible.
  Let's take one example: the Syrian refugee crisis. It is the worst 
humanitarian crisis since World War II. That says a lot. Millions--not 
thousands, millions--of Syrians have been displaced because of the 
country's civil war. Thousands are fleeing to Europe to escape the 
violence. Because of that civil war, it is estimated that there are 4 
million displaced people in Syria alone. Millions have been displaced 
in Iraq. The whole Middle East is in turmoil. The United States has an 
obligation to assist--a humanitarian obligation to assist. We are the 
single largest donor of humanitarian aid for the Syrian crisis. But how 
can we help if Senate Republicans are hamstringing this Agency? They 
are doing that.
  Gayle Smith, an experienced public servant, has been nominated to 
lead this Agency. This good woman can't even get a vote in the Senate. 
Senator Cruz has been blocking her nomination for months. Why? Is there 
anything that is wrong about her? Of course not. The word is it is 
because he doesn't like the Iran nuclear agreement. Remember what the 
Iran nuclear agreement was? It was an effort by the international 
community, including Russia and China, to stop Iran from getting a 
nuclear weapon. That is what it was all about. I guess Mr. Cruz, in his 
attempt to become President--1 of 15 Republicans running for 
President--thinks this would be a good issue for him, blocking the 
person this government has chosen to lead this Agency.
  Gayle Smith has extensive experience in African affairs. She worked 
at this Agency during the Clinton administration. She is exactly the 
type of leader our country needs to confront this crisis in Europe. 
Even the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, the junior 
Senator from Tennessee, said he was ``glad the executive branch has 
nominated someone who has the kind of experience [Smith] has.'' Her 
nomination has won support from prominent Republicans, including Bill 
Frist who was one of my predecessors as the majority leader in the 
Senate, and from Richard Lugar, the distinguished Republican, former 
chair of the Foreign Relations Committee in

[[Page S7429]]

the Senate, a man who has expertise in foreign relations. They both see 
her as the person to do the job. But that does not affect the junior 
Senator from Texas.
  We know how others feel about him. Former President Bush gave his 
opinion of the junior Senator from Texas 2 days ago. There is 
widespread support for her nomination--if only the Republican leader 
would bring it to the floor. Yet Republicans continue to hold Ms. Smith 
and other important foreign policy nominations as ransom to exact 
political prices from the White House while our diplomacy suffers.
  I am disappointed that the junior Senators from Arkansas and Texas 
would hold up these proud Americans who only want to serve their 
country. But I am far more disheartened by the actions of Republicans 
who should know better. Why do other Republicans support these callous 
actions? Republicans have blocked nominees to other ambassadorships for 
years. Now they are even blocking career Foreign Service officers. 
These are people who simply receive a promotion they have earned and 
serve our Nation regardless of the President. Foreign Service officers 
are not Democrats. They are not Republicans. They do our country so 
much good.
  I have had the good fortune to travel the world. When I travel I 
always meet with the Foreign Service officers, not just the 
Ambassadors. I get everybody together. I tell them what a wonderful job 
they do for our country. They go to the most remote outposts in the 
world, representing the interests of America. They are career people. I 
also try to visit with the Peace Corps volunteers.
  But I am so disappointed--and I have talked to him--in the senior 
Senator from Iowa for holding up a list of 20 career Foreign Service 
officers. He has held them up for months until he gets answers from 
Secretary Hillary Clinton's aide Huma Abedin. What does this have to do 
with these Foreign Service career officers? Nothing. He sent nine 
letters to the State Department demanding things regarding this woman 
and some emails from Hillary Clinton. Haven't we heard enough about 
emails for Hillary Clinton?
  As we talk, she is over there before this great committee of the 
House that even the majority leader of the House said is nothing more 
than--I am paraphrasing--a political witch hunt. The Republican 
Congressman from New York said basically the same thing. A person who 
works over there in that committee was fired because he thought it was 
wrong that they were going after Hillary Clinton when the purpose of 
the whole hearing was supposed to be to find out what happened in 
Libya.
  There has been a concerted effort for more than 2 years to try to 
embarrass Hillary Clinton. Huge amounts of money have been spent on 
outside groups, and the House of Representatives, which is supposedly 
so frugal--the Republican House of Representatives--doesn't want to 
spend any money that shouldn't be spent--$5 million on this worthless 
committee wasting time.
  Listen to these people who are being held up, being denied a well-
deserved promotion and rank by the senior Senator from Iowa. This is 
important. These people serve for decades. They work hard, and they get 
a promotion once in a while--not with the help of the senior Senator 
from Iowa. He will hold them up because he wants to try to embarrass 
Hillary Clinton, who is running for President of the United States. 
Here is who he is holding up: the Deputy Director for East Africa 
Operations in Kenya, an education officer in Honduras, a deputy 
controller in El Salvador, a regional Food for Peace officer in 
Ethiopia, the Director of the Food for Peace Program in South Sudan, 
the Democracy and Governance Director in El Salvador. There are others.
  What could the senior Senator from Iowa possibly have against the 
Deputy Director for East Africa Operations in Kenya? Or an education 
officer in Honduras? Or the regional Food for Peace officer in 
Ethiopia? They have absolutely nothing to do with Senator Grassley's 
concerns, and these individuals have no ability to respond to any of 
his requests. I have spoken with him. I told him I think it is a 
mistake to target these career people. Career diplomats are some of the 
finest people who work for our government. They are not partisans. They 
have committed their lives to public service under Democratic and 
Republican administrations. The Foreign Relations Committee reported 
these nominations unanimously. They hail from Texas, Florida, Michigan, 
Arizona, Virginia, New Mexico, and a few other States. Like other 
Foreign Service officers across this great world, these fine 
individuals wake up tomorrow ready to serve on the frontlines of 
American diplomacy in hotspots throughout the world--places such as 
Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya, where we lost four.
  Denying them a promotion they have earned will affect their career 
advancement and retirement, and it has real consequences for the 
families. This is not anything that is going to hurt President Obama. 
It affects our country. These are people who have families. They have 
children. They are being held up, stopped for this little promotion 
they get once in a while. We shouldn't be singling out these 
nonpartisan officers and putting their careers on hold because the 
senior Senator from Iowa is not getting the answer to nine of his 
letters that have nothing to do with these people.
  Promotions for military officers and our Foreign Service Officer 
Corps have traditionally moved through the Senate without political 
interference. They shouldn't now be subjected to political gamesmanship 
because people are concerned that Hillary Clinton may be elected 
President. Senators Grassley and Cotton have also placed holds on a man 
named Brian Egan to serve as the State Department's Legal Adviser, a 
lawyer--a position that has been vacant for 2\1/2\ years. The senior 
Senator from Iowa stated that his hold is not intended to question the 
credentials of Brian Egan in any way, but is instead related to Clinton 
aide Huma Abedin. That says it all.
  He continues to hound the State Department. He sent nine different 
letters, including requesting Ms. Abedin's sensitive private employment 
information. Not only does Senator Grassley want emails and timesheets, 
but he wants access to any and all information related to her maternity 
leave. She had a baby. I wonder if he thinks she faked that. This is 
nothing more than a transparent attempt to drag this good woman through 
the mud. For what? Let's be clear. This isn't about her. This is about 
Hillary Clinton's Presidential campaign. Congressional Republicans are 
desperate to find something--anything--to embarrass this good woman--a 
woman who served as First Lady of this country, served as a Senator 
from the State of New York, and served with distinction as our 
Secretary of State. They will do anything they can to embarrass her.
  They are in the process of doing it across the Capitol Complex now. 
They have told her to be ready: We have 8 hours of questioning. 
Remember, their questions are dealing with issues that have nothing to 
do with what happened in Libya.
  This is their frantic attempt to damage her politically. I say to my 
friend from Iowa: Stop this nonsense. Have some dignity. Stop this 
obstruction for politics' sake. For whatever sake, it is wrong. She is 
no longer Secretary of State. She hasn't been for a long time. John 
Kerry is. Secretary Kerry has been there a long time now. Stop trying 
to undermine the State Department, and instead give it the resources 
and people it needs to work for the American people.
  I suggest to my Republican colleagues, if they seek expedited 
responses to their inquiries, it would make more sense to confirm the 
Legal Adviser, who can advise on these issues and respond to their 
questions--they don't have a lawyer down there--rather than to block 
these nominations so that he can't assist anyone.
  Senate Republicans are holding Ambassadors captive over an issue that 
has absolutely nothing to do with the State Department. They are 
holding up career Foreign Service officers. The Senate Republicans are 
blocking promotions for a group of career people over an issue that has 
nothing to do with them, that they possibly can't resolve. They can't 
do anything about it. They are blocking the person who would be running 
our Agency for International Aid because they don't like the Iran 
agreement--an issue that the nominee does not handle.

[[Page S7430]]

  Finally, Senate Republicans are blocking the nomination of the Legal 
Adviser of the State Department, the person who would be best able to 
answer their legal questions if he were confirmed. Thanks to the 
Republicans' failure to govern--now I am not making this up. It has 
been determined by political scientists in our country that this 
Congress is the most unproductive Congress in the history of the 
country. Thanks to the Republicans' failure to govern, we are still far 
behind recent historic norms in confirming nominees, and innocent 
public servants are caught in the middle of this do-nothing Congress 
led by the Republicans. It is not right, and it is not fair. I hope 
adult voices in the Republican caucus will say enough is enough. 
Sometimes enough is enough. People have to rise up against these people 
who are giving Republicans such a name. The brand is not so good. I 
hope the Presiding Officer understands that. Partisanship should not 
extend beyond the borders of our Nation. It is time for Republicans to 
start acting like a governing party and stop playing these games with 
our national security based on the fact that they don't like the person 
who is President of the United States and the one who is going to 
become President of the United States.

  Will the Chair announce what our business is today?

                          ____________________