[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 157 (Monday, September 13, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6448-S6449]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Nominations

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Madam President, prior to the August recess, I, along 
with Senator Murphy, asked unanimous consent to confirm almost 30--30--
highly qualified Foreign Affairs and Development nominees who were 
languishing on the Senate floor. I noted then the danger of leaving 
these posts unfilled at a time that we were facing such a confluence of 
global challenges. Two Republican Senators blocked each one of our 
requests. Days later, Haiti was hit with a devastating earthquake, and 
Afghanistan imploded.
  While I continue to believe it is essential that this body swiftly 
confirm every single foreign affairs and development professional whose 
nomination is pending on the Senate floor, I rise again today to seek 
unanimous consent to confirm four nominees who are critical to 
addressing the crisis in Afghanistan and Haiti.
  Ambassador Donald Lu, a career Foreign Service Officer, is the 
President's nominee to serve as Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of 
South and Central Asian Affairs.
  The last Assistant Secretary for this Bureau was confirmed during the 
Obama administration. To say that this nomination is long overdue is an 
understatement, particularly now, given the incredibly dangerous 
situation in Afghanistan.
  Post-withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, the State Department 
is the main implementer of U.S. policy in the country. And given the 
regional implications of Afghanistan policy, it is essential that this 
role be filled with a seasoned and experienced diplomat like Ambassador 
Lu.
  The region is also home to several other countries critical to U.S. 
interests. From Pakistan to India, to the countries of central Asia, 
the United States must be present in order to advance those interests 
and counter the malign influence of both Russia and China.

[[Page S6449]]

  So I hope that my colleagues will not continue to play games and will 
support Ambassador Lu's confirmation this evening.
  Similarly, it is unthinkable that the State Department's intelligence 
office, the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, or as we know it as 
INR, remains without senior leadership.
  INR is an invaluable resource for the Secretary of State's senior 
officials and, indeed, all of the dedicated foreign policy 
professionals who serve our Nation so well and so tirelessly. It needs 
a confirmed leader in place that can help the Department understand the 
intelligence information that is out there that helps us instruct, in 
terms of foreign policy choices. So I am asking my Republican 
colleagues to permit confirming Brett Holmgren today.
  Shifting to Haiti, last month I came to the floor to highlight the 
challenges that we face in our own hemisphere and the impact of 
regional instability on U.S. national security and our citizens' 
safety.
  Already, the situation is more urgent than when I raised it. In 
August, a massive earthquake in Haiti killed more than 2,200 people, 
injured 12,000 more, destroyed tens of thousands of buildings. A 
coordinated international response is urgently needed.
  This new emergency follows the assassination of Haiti's President and 
mounting crises in the region, unprecedented protests, and widespread 
repression in Cuba, a brutal regime crackdown in Nicaragua, and an 
expansive political and humanitarian refugee crisis in Venezuela.
  COVID-19 continues to inflict severe social and economic consequences 
on countries across the region, and there are the enduring security and 
governance challenges in Central America that fuel irregular migration.
  We need urgently qualified nominees in leadership positions to 
address these crises.
  With an extensive experience in the Americas, Ambassador Brian 
Nichols, a career Foreign Service Officer, will skillfully advance U.S. 
national interests as the Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere 
Affairs.
  Similarly, Marcela Escobari, who served as Assistant Administrator 
for Latin America's USAID in the Obama administration, will bring 
unique expertise to the position if confirmed again today. In 2016, the 
Senate confirmed her by voice vote--voice vote. We need her in place 
and should move her again today.
  It is scandalous that these nominees and many others are being held 
up for reasons completely unrelated to them and the positions they will 
hold. Such irresponsible behavior jeopardizes our national security, 
and we must act today.
  So let me start by asking, first, unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration--Madam President, I will reserve the 
opportunities to ask for these consents and wait for one of our 
colleagues to appear on the floor.
  At this time, 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. MENENDEZ. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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