[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 182 (Tuesday, December 15, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8656-S8657]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     NOMINATION OF ROBERTA JACOBSON

  Mr. UDALL. Mr. President, I rise to urge consideration of the 
President's nominee for Ambassador to Mexico. I do so for two simple 
reasons: One, this is a critical position, vacant since

[[Page S8657]]

July, and, two, Roberta Jacobson is highly qualified for this position. 
Her nomination deserves our attention. I do so as a Senator from a 
border State and as a Senator who believes we have a constitutional 
duty to advise and consent.
  We have a distinguished candidate ready to serve. We have strong 
support for her on both sides of the aisle. What we need is an up-or-
down vote. The L.A. Times has called Roberta Jacobson ``among the most 
qualified people ever to be tapped to represent the U.S. in Mexico.''
  She has impressive experience, including important work on the Merida 
Initiative, fighting drug trafficking and organized crime in Mexico. 
She has served ably as State Department Assistant Secretary for the 
Western Hemisphere, working to improve relations in our hemisphere and 
to engage Cuba--opening opportunities for Americans after over 50 years 
of a failed U.S. policy.
  She was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with 
bipartisan support. Yet the weeks go by and still we wait.
  Our relations with Mexico are critical--affecting our economy, 
affecting our security. Mexico is working with us to stop those who 
cross our southern border illegally. Mexico is our third largest 
trading partner. One million American citizens live in Mexico. It is 
our top tourist destination, with millions of U.S. visitors every year. 
My State shares a border with our neighbor to the south. We also share 
a cultural heritage. The trade that grows every year--hundreds of 
millions of dollars in goods and services--move between our Nations. 
Over 36,000 jobs in my State depend on United States-Mexico trade. This 
increased trade is an engine of economic growth. Exports from New 
Mexico to Mexico have soared from over $70 million a year to now $1.5 
billion 15 years later.
  In New Mexico we know how important this partnership is. We need a 
strong ambassador in Mexico City--working on trade, on border security, 
and on cultural ties between our Nations. We need an ambassador to work 
with Mexico and other Central American countries to address immigration 
issues, to help resolve the migrant crisis, to crack down on border 
violence and drug trafficking. This is clear to both sides of the 
aisle, especially to those of us from border States. As someone who has 
worked with Roberta on multiple issues, I know she is the right person 
for this job.

  I especially want to thank my Republican colleague, Senator Jeff 
Flake, for his efforts. He is concerned, as I am, that this cannot 
wait. As Senator Flake said recently:

       It's crunch time now. Once you get into next year, it's 
     easier to just put them on hold until the next president 
     assumes office in 2017.

  I hope that will not happen. I hope we will listen to Senator Flake 
because it is crunch time and because we do need to get this done.
  What is holding up her nomination? It isn't her qualifications. It 
isn't concerns about how she would be able to carry out her duties as 
Ambassador. The problem is rooted in something else--something that 
should have no bearing on whether she is confirmed: Presidential 
politics and policy differences with the administration over her work 
on Cuba.
  This year, the world celebrated the reopening of diplomatic relations 
between the United States and Cuba. As the Assistant Secretary for the 
Western Hemisphere, Roberta helped negotiate this shift. We have begun 
a 21st century relationship with Cuba--one I am convinced will bring 
freedom and openness. I congratulate the President for leading this 
historic change.
  A few Senators disagree with his Cuba policy, and so they are 
blocking Roberta Jacobson's confirmation to serve as Ambassador to 
Mexico.
  Unfortunately, this is just one example of how the rules are being 
twisted and misused. She is one of the many qualified nominees whose 
confirmations are on hold. Many of them wait because one or two 
Senators want to make a political point or extract political pain. Not 
happy with the President? Block his nominee. Not OK with a policy? Keep 
the seat vacant.
  The real aim is the administration. No matter how qualified, the 
nominee is just an easy target.
  Meanwhile, the backlog grows: 19 judges, half a dozen ambassadors, 
even a top official at the Treasury Department whose job is to go after 
the finances of terrorists. That position is vacant as well.
  We are on track for the lowest number of confirmations in three 
decades. We now have 30 judicial districts with emergency levels of 
backlogs. At the beginning of the year, we had 12. Thousands of people 
are waiting for their day in court because there is no judge to hear 
the case. Important work for the American people is left undone.
  When we fail to do our job, when we fail to give these nominees a 
vote up or down, our government fails too.
  This is not just the President's team. It is our team. It is 
America's team--working on trade and security, moving our economy 
forward, seeing that justice is done.
  These vital posts should not go unfilled.
  I urge my colleagues to allow us to move these nominations forward 
now.
  I do not believe the Constitution gives me the right to block a 
qualified nominee, no matter who is in the White House. I say that 
today, and I have said it many times before.
  A Republican President may have nominees I disagree with. That is 
most likely so. But the people elect a President. They give him or her 
the right to select a team to govern.
  Today--right now--the majority leader can call a vote to confirm 
these nominees, yet he chooses not to. We changed the Senate rules to 
allow a majority vote, but that does no good if they remain blocked. 
That is what is happening in this Congress. The line gets longer and 
longer of perfectly qualified nominees who are denied a vote and are 
unable to serve.
  So I am not sure who wins here, but I know who loses. The losers are 
the American people. The losers are the men and women who cannot get a 
day in court, because there is no judge to hear their case.
  The losers are American citizens, businesses, and workers who rely on 
our embassies and other public servants. The room is empty, and the 
work is not done--all because one Senator says no, and the majority 
leader says OK.
  Nominees should be judged on their merits, not on feelings about a 
President someone may not like or a policy someone may not approve. 
They are public servants in the executive branch, on our courts. They 
serve the people of this country.
  Too often now that service goes begging because one Senator wants to 
make a point and will gum up the works to do it. That is not governing; 
it is a temper tantrum.
  So I say to my colleagues: Let's get serious. Let's stop these games. 
Give nominees the consideration they deserve. Give the American people 
a government that works.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. UDALL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________