[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 69 (Wednesday, April 21, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2133-S2134]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                NOTICE OF INTENT TO OBJECT TO PROCEEDING

  I, Senator Charles E. Grassley, intend to object to proceeding to the 
nomination of Samantha Power, of Massachusetts, to be Administrator of 
the United States Agency for International Development, dated April 21, 
2021.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I intend to object to any unanimous 
consent request relating to the nomination of Samantha Power to be 
director of the United States Agency for International Development 
(USAID) (PN 114).
  Throughout the 116th Congress, I conducted an investigation that 
found that a non-profit organization transferred funds to an entity 
known as the Islamic Relief Agency (ISRA). This entity had been 
sanctioned by the Treasury Department for helping funnel funds to 
terrorists and terrorist organizations including Osama Bin Laden. 
During this investigation we came across redacted State Department 
emails that imply that, while she was

[[Page S2134]]

Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power worked through back 
channels to trigger a Treasury review of ISRA's sanctioned status in an 
effort to have them delisted.
  In an effort to have these emails un-redacted and better understand 
Ms. Power's involvement in what could be an alarming abuse of power, I 
sent a letter to Ms. Power and USAID requesting information on February 
18, 2021. Ms. Power responded to my letter on March 23, 2021, the date 
of her committee hearing, but failed to answer the questions or provide 
the un-redacted versions of these emails. On March 31, 2021, I sent a 
second letter to Ms. Power urging her to fully respond to my initial 
letter. I have yet to receive a response.
  Unfortunately, due to Ms. Power's lack of transparency, I must object 
to any consideration of this nomination. I cannot in good conscience 
vote for Ms. Power until I have received a full response to the 
questions posed in my letter, reviewed the un-redacted versions of 
these emails, and confirmed that she did not attempt to utilize her 
office to delist ISRA through back channels.

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