[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 190 (Thursday, October 28, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H6029-H6031]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
WHERE IS THE SENATE?
(Mr. CICILLINE asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute.)
Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, as the United States reasserts itself on
the world's stage, it is time for robust engagement. We must reengage
with our allies and regain our footing as a global leader. But we are
standing in our own way.
Mr. Speaker, 100 ambassadorial positions are currently unfilled, with
60 awaiting Senate action. Where is the Senate?
Mr. Speaker, more than 300 national security professionals asked this
same question this morning in a letter to Senate leadership.
We do not have representatives to NATO, the European Union, ASEAN, or
the Organization of American States. Despite our significant interests
in the Middle East, we lack an Assistant Secretary of State for Near
East Affairs and an ambassador to Israel.
Mr. Speaker, we are sending a dangerous message of neglect and
indifference to our allies and adversaries. The Senate must act.
I join the hundreds of esteemed former ambassadors and Pentagon
officials in urging the Senate to begin hearings and to schedule votes
for all pending State Department and USAID nominees.
I include in the Record a letter from Foreign Policy for America.
Foreign Policy for America,
Washington, DC, October 28, 2021.
Hon. Charles Schumer,
Majority Leader, U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
Senator Bob Menendez,
Chairman, U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Mitch McConnell,
Minority Leader, U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
Senator James E. Risch,
Ranking Member, U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations,
Washington, DC.
We write as senior national security professionals to
express our alarm over the dangerously slow pace of Senate
confirmations of State Department and USAID officials over
the past ten months. The resulting vacancies have damaged
U.S. national security and our ability to address
international threats. We ask for your urgent attention to
resolving this situation.
The United States cannot afford to be absent at this time
of strategic competition with China. Yet, at this moment, 100
Ambassadorial positions are unfilled with 60 awaiting Senate
action. As President Biden prepares to meet with world
leaders at the G20 summit, the Senate has confirmed just two
of the president's Ambassadorial nominations to G20 member
states. As the world works to fight the COVID-19 pandemic,
the United States lacks both an Assistant Secretary for
International Organization Affairs and a USAID Assistant
Administrator for Global Health. Of the 17 world leaders
known to be attending the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in
November, only one has had the opportunity to coordinate in
advance with a confirmed U.S. Ambassador. Nearly half of
Ambassadorial posts on the African continent have nominees
stalled in the Senate. The sum total of missed opportunities
is staggering.
In addition to placing the United States at a strategic
disadvantage, Washington has sent an unfortunate message of
neglect and indifference. We currently lack Representatives
to both NATO and the European Union, to ASEAN, and to the
Organization of American States. In Canada, France, Germany,
and the United Kingdom, the lack of confirmed U.S.
Ambassadors neglects historic allies. Despite our significant
interests in the Middle East and the threats posed by Iran,
the United States currently has neither an Assistant
Secretary of State for Near East Affairs nor an Ambassador to
Israel. As we call for a free and open Indo-Pacific, the
United States lacks an Ambassador not only to China, but to
Australia, Bangladesh, India, Japan, New Zealand, the
Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and
Vietnam.
In Washington, widespread leadership vacancies and stopgap
appointments have resulted in an overstretched workforce and
unacceptable risks. As conflicts and natural disasters spur
population displacement unseen since World War II, the United
States has neither an Assistant Secretary of State for
Population, Refugees, and Migration nor an Assistant
Secretary of State for Conflict and Stability Operations.
President Biden's nominee for Assistant Secretary of State
for South and Central Asian Affairs, whose nomination was
announced on April 23rd, was not confirmed until September
13th, well after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The
State Department is planning to host a global Summit for
Democracy in December, but does so without an Assistant
Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Countless
other vacancies have resulted in unsustainable workloads,
undermining morale and retention.
As you are aware, the Senate has thus far confirmed only
two of President Biden's ambassadorial nominees, and just
eleven Assistant Secretaries of State. At USAID, only two
appointees requiring Senate confirmation have been approved.
Of the 235 Senate-confirmed State Department positions, only
24 have confirmed occupants, while 83 are at the Senate
awaiting confirmation. This is well below the number of
nominees confirmed at similar points in the first terms of
Presidents Trump, Obama, and George W. Bush.
We note with particular regret that individual Senators
have blocked the confirmations of exceptionally qualified
nominees for reasons completely unrelated to their
credentials. There is no question that this practice, which
has been employed by members of both parties, has eroded
America's global leadership and contributed to a perception
among our friends as well as our adversaries that the United
States is in decline.
The steady atrophying of our diplomatic capacity poses an
unacceptable risk to U.S. national security. We urge you to
exercise decisive leadership to swiftly facilitate committee
hearings and votes for all pending State Department and USAID
nominees. If unanimous consent agreements cannot be obtained
to expedite votes, we ask that you once again dedicate the
floor time necessary to approve these nominations by regular
order.
Sincerely,
Ambassador (Ret.) Bernadette M. Allen,
Ambassador (Ret.) Frank Almaguer),
Major General (Ret.) Joseph T. Anderson,
Brigadier General (Ret.) Steven M. Anderson,
Ms. Wendy R. Anderson,
Major General (Ret.) Marcia M. Anderson,
Brigadier General (Ret.) Ricardo Aponte,
Honorable Bernard Aronson,
Ambassador (Ret.) Liliana Ayalde,
Ambassador (Ret.) Daniel Baer,
Ambassador (Ret.) Robert Cushman Barber,
Ambassador (Ret.) Adrian A. Basora,
Ambassador (Ret.) Leslie Bassett,
Ambassador (Ret.) Robert M. Beecroft,
Honorable Rand B. Beers,
Ambassador (Ret.) Colleen Bell,
Mr. John B. Bellinger III,
Ms. Jenna H. Ben-Yehuda,
Mr. Robert J. Berg,
Honorable Stuart Bernstein,
Ambassador (Ret.) Bruce G. Berton,
Ambassador (Ret.) John R. Beyrle,
Dr. Hans Binnendijk,
Ambassador (Ret.) Clyde Bishop,
Ambassador (Ret.) James Bishop,
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Robert R. Blank,
Ambassador (Ret.) Jeff Bleich,
Ambassador (Ret.) Peter W. Bodde,
Ambassador (Ret.) Barbara Bodine,
Ambassador (Ret.) Michele Thoren Bond,
Ambassador (Ret.) Amy L. Bondurant,
Rear Admiral (Ret.) David M. Boone,
Ambassador (Ret.) Eric Boswell,
Ambassador (Ret.) Richard Boucher,
Vice Admiral (Ret.) William Bowes,
Ambassador (Ret.) Robert Bradtke,
Ambassador (Ret.) Aurelia Brazeal,
Ambassador (Ret.) James Brewster,
Ambassador (Ret.) Pamela E. Bridgewater,
Ambassador (Ret.) Kenneth C. Brill,
Ambassador (Ret.) Timothy M. Broas,
Ambassador (Ret.) Sue Brown,
Ambassador (Ret.) Kenneth Brown,
Ambassador (Ret.) Steven Browning,
Ambassador (Ret.) George Bruno,
Ambassador (Ret.) Susan Flood Burk,
Ambassador (Ret.) A. Peter Burleigh,
Ambassador (Ret.) Prudence Bushnell,
Rear Admiral (Ret.) John D. Butler,
Honorable Louis E. Caldera,
Honorable Carlos Cardozo Campbell,
Ambassador (Ret.) Piper Campbell,
Brigadier General (Ret.) George J. Cannelos,
Ambassador (Ret.) David L. Carden,
Dr. Patrick Carrick,
Mr. Steven A. Cash,
Ambassador (Ret.) Judith Beth Cefkin,
Mr. Christopher M. Centner,
Ambassador (Ret.) Wendy Chamberlin,
Ambassador (Ret.) Daniel A. Clune,
Mr. Harry Coker Jr.,
Honorable Erin C. Conaton,
Ambassador (Ret.) Elinor G. Constable,
Mr. Patrick C. Costello,
Ambassador (Ret.) William Courtney,
Mr. Allen B. Craft,
Mr. Daniel T. Crocker,
Ms. Marilee Cunningham,
Ambassador (Ret.) James B. Cunningham,
Ambassador (Ret.) Walter Cutler,
Honorable Janine Davidson,
Ambassador (Ret.) Glyn T. Davies,
Ambassador (Ret.) Ruth A. Davis,
Rear Admiral (Ret.) Scott Deitchman, MD, MPH,
Ambassador (Ret.) Greg Delawie,
Major General (Ret.) Richard T. Devereaux,
Ambassador (Ret.) Miguel H. Diaz,
Ms. Suzanne DiMaggio,
Ambassador (Ret.) Kathleen Ann Doherty,
Ambassador (Ret.) Shaun Donnelly,
Ambassador (Ret.) Thomas Dougherty,
Honorable John Wade Douglass,
Ambassador (Ret.) David J. Dunford,
Major General (Ret.) Paul D. Eaton,
Ambassador (Ret.) Luigi R. Einaudi,
Ambassador (Ret.) Susan M. Elliott,
Ambassador (Ret.) Gregory W. Engle,
Honorable William Enyart,
Major General (Ret.) John L. Estrada,
Ms. Elisa Catalano Ewers,
Ambassador (Ret.) Kenneth J. Fairfax,
Dr. Evelyn N. Farkas, Ph.D.,
Brigadier General (Ret.) Robert Felderman,
[[Page H6030]]
Ambassador (Ret.) Gerald Feierstein,
Brigadier General Robert Felderman (Ret.),
Ms. Ilsa Ferro,
Ambassador (Ret.) Kathleen M. Fitzpatrick,
Honorable Michele A. Flournoy,
Ambassador (Ret.) Robert S. Ford,
Ms. Stephanie Foster,
Major General (Ret.) Eugene Fox,
Vice Admiral (ret.) Michael Franken,
Ms. Anita E. Friedt,
Ambassador (Ret.) Julie Furuta-Toy,
Mr. Melvin Gamble,
Lieutenant General Robert G. Gard Jr.,
Master Gunnery Sergeant (Ret.) Joseph H. Geeter,
Ambassador (Ret.) Robert S. Gelbard,
Honorable Rose Gottemoeller,
Ambassador (Ret.) Gordon Gray,
Vice Admiral (Ret.) Kevin P. Green,
Ms. Naima Green-Riley,
Vice Admiral (Ret.) Lee Gunn,
Rear Admiral (Ret.) Donald J. Guter,
Ambassador (Ret.) Lino Gutierrez,
Ambassador (Ret.) Sheila Gwaltney,
Ambassador (Ret.) Ken Hackett,
Ambassador (Ret.) Pamela K. Hamamoto,
Rear Admiral (Ret.) Janice M. Hamby,
Ambassador (Ret.) S. Fitzgerald Haney,
Lieutenant (Ret.) Kenneth E. Harbaugh,
Rear Admiral (Ret.) Charles Dulaney Harr,
Ambassador (Ret.) Anthony Stephen Harrington,
Ambassador (Ret.) Douglas Hartwick,
Dr. and Major General (Ret.) Ralph L. Haynes,
Mr. Leif Hall Hendrickson,
Rear Admiral (Ret.) Leendert ``Len'' Hering,
Ms. Margaret H. Henoch,
Ambassador (Ret.) Bruce Alan Heyman,
Ambassador (Ret.) William H. Hill,
Honorable Eric L. Hirschhorn,
Ambassador (Ret.) Heather Hodges,
Ms. Sally K. Horn,
Ms. Sharon A. Houy,
Ambassador (Ret.) Thomas C. Hubbard,
Ambassador (Ret.) Vicki J. Huddleston,
Ambassador (Ret.) Cameron Hume,
Honorable Robert Hutchings,
Rear Admiral (Ret.) John D. Hutson,
Admiral (Ret.) Bobby R. Inman,
Rear Admiral (Ret.) Lawrence B. Jackson,
Ambassador (Ret.) Janice Jacobs,
Ambassador (Ret.) Susan Jacobs,
Ambassador (Ret.) David Jacobson,
Ambassador (Ret.) Roberta Jacobson,
Ambassador (Ret.) Dennis C. Jett,
Ambassador (Ret.) Brenda Johnson,
Ambassador (Ret.) David T. Johnson,
Representative (Ret.) Donald Johnson,
Brigadier General (Ret.) James D. Johnson,
Mr. Lionel C. Johnson,
Ms. Susan R. Johnson,
Ambassador (Ret.) Deborah Jones,
Ambassador (Ret.) John Melvin Jones,
Ambassador (Ret.) Richard H. Jones,
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Jan-Marc Jouas,
Mr. Philip Karsting,
Ambassador (Ret.) Richard D. Kauzlarich,
Ambassador (Ret.) Craig Kelly,
Honorable Raymond D. Kemp Sr.,
Ambassador (Ret.) Laura Kennedy,
Ambassador (Ret.) David T. Killion,
Ambassador (Ret.) Michael Klosson,
Dr. Susan J. Koch,
Ambassador (Ret.) Eleni Kounalakis,
Ambassador (Ret.) Lisa Kubiske,
Ambassador (Ret.) Daniel Kurtzer,
Ambassador (Ret.) Mark P. Lagon,
Mr. Brett B. Lambert,
Ambassador (Ret.) Joyce E. Leader,
Ambassador (Ret.) Richard LeBaron,
Vice Admiral (Ret.) Michael A. LeFever,
Ambassador (Ret.) Alfonso E. Lenhardt,
Major General (Ret.) Michael Lehnert,
Ambassador (Ret.) Michael C. Lemmon,
Major General (Ret.) Steven J. Lepper,
Ambassador (Ret.) Melvyn Levitsky,
Ambassador (Ret.) Dawn Liberi,
Dr. David M. Litchman,
Ambassador (Ret.) David C. Litt,
Ambassador (Ret.) Hugo Llorens,
Ambassador (Ret.) Carmen Lomellin,
Ms. Kerry Lowry,
Mr. Frank E. Loy,
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Charles D. Luckey,
Ambassador (Ret.) Douglas Lute,
Rear Admiral (Ret.) Ron J. Maclaren,
Rear Admiral (Ret.) Archer M. Macy,
Major General (Ret.) Albert J. Madara,
Ambassador (Ret.) Deborah R. Malac,
Ambassador (Ret.) Eileen A. Malloy,
Ambassador (Ret.) Steven R. Mann,
Major General (Ret.) Randy Manner,
Major General (Ret.) Frederick H. Martin,
Ambassador (Ret.) Vilma S. Martinez,
Ambassador (Ret.) Gail Dennise Mathieu,
Ambassador (Ret.) Jack F. Matlock Jr.,
Ms. Barbara Estock Mays,
Ambassador (Ret.) Deborah Ann McCarthy,
Mr. Michael V. Mcclary,
Ambassador (Ret.) Donald McConnell,
Rear Admiral (Ret.) William J. McDaniel,
Ambassador (Ret.) Michael McFaul,
Ambassador (Ret.) Steven McGann,
Mr. David L. McGinnis,
Mr. James McIlmail,
Brigadier General (Ret.) Joseph V. Medina,
Ms. Subhi Mehdi,
Ambassador (Ret.) Thomas J. Miller,
Rear Admiral (Ret.) Michael H. Mittelman,
Ambassador (Ret.) Patricia N. Moller,
Brigadier General (Ret.) Mark A. Montjar,
Ms. Regina T. Montoya,
Vice Admiral Edward Moore,
Ambassador (Ret.) Roderick W. Moore,
Mr. Edward T. (Tom) Morehouse,
Ambassador (Ret.) Luis G. Moreno,
Ambassador (Ret.) Allan Mustard,
Ambassador (Ret.) Larry C. Napper,
Ambassador (Ret.) David D. Nelson,
Ms. Barbara Estock Mays,
Ambassador (Ret.) Deborah Ann McCarthy,
Mr. Michael V. McClary,
Ambassador (Ret.) Donald McConnell,
Rear Admiral (Ret.) William J. McDaniel,
Ambassador (Ret.) Michael McFaul,
Ambassador (Ret.) Steven McGann,
Mr. David L. McGinnis,
Mr. James McIlmail,
Brigadier General (Ret.) Joseph V. Medina,
Ms. Subhi Mehd,
Ambassador (Ret.) Wanda Nesbitt,
Mr. Brian H. Nilsson,
Ambassador (Ret.) Crystal Nix-Hines,
Ms. Suzanne Nossel,
Honorable Sean O'Keefe,
Ambassador (Ret.) Kevin F. O'Malley,
Rear Admiral (Ret.) David Rogers Oliver, Jr.
Ambassador (Ret.) Richard G. Olson,
Mr. Stanley A. Otto,
Ambassador (Ret.) Maurice S Parker,
Ambassador (Ret.) William Robert Pearson,
Ambassador (Ret.) Tom Perriello,
Ambassador (Ret.) June Carter Perry,
Ambassador (Ret.) Robert C. Perry,
Honorable F. Whitten Peters,
Ambassador (Ret.) James D. Pettit,
Ms. Annie Pforzheimer,
Major General (Ret.) Jeffrey E. Phillips,
Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering,
Mr. William Richard Piekney,
Ambassador (Ret.) Steven Pifer,
Ambassador (Ret.) Joan Plaisted,
Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Joseph M. Plenzler,
Ambassador (Ret.) Michael C. Polt,
Ambassador (Ret.) Jo Ellen Powell,
Mr. Jeffrey Pryce,
Ambassador (Ret.) Jon R. Purnell,
Ms. Karen Puschel Segal,
Rear Admiral (Ret.) William Putnam,
Honorable Marilyn A. Quagliotti,
Ambassador (Ret.) Jack R. Binns,
Major General (Ret.) William M. Rajczak,
Ambassador (Ret.) Robin Raphel,
Ambassador (Ret.) Charles Ray,
Ambassador (Ret.) Frankie Reed,
Ambassador (Ret.) Helen Patricia Reed-Rowe,
Mr. Ben Rhodes,
Honorable Clyde E. Robbins,
Ambassador (Ret.) Thomas Robertson,
Ambassador (Ret.) Peter Romero,
Ambassador (Ret.) Selwa Roosevelt,
Ambassador (Ret.) Jim Rosapepe,
Ambassador (Ret.) Leslie V. Rowe,
Mr. Joel Rubin,
Brigadier General (Ret.) Murray G. Sagsveen,
Ms. Heather Samuelson,
Ambassador (Ret.) Janet Sanderson,
Ambassador (Ret.) Miriam Sapiro,
Ambassador (Ret.) Teresita C. Schaffer,
Ambassador (Ret.) Andrew H. Schapiro,
Ambassador (Ret.) Arthur Schechter,
Mr. James Schumaker,
Mr. Jack Segal,
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Norman Seip,
Congressman Joe Ambrose Sestak,
Honorable Andrew J. Shapiro,
Ambassador (Ret.) Mattie Sharpless,
Honorable David B. Shear,
Ambassador (Ret.) Robert A. Sherman,
Dr. Russell Shilling,
Ambassador (Ret.) Douglas A. Silliman,
Ambassador (Ret.) Lawrence Silverman,
Mr. John Sipher,
Ambassador (Ret.) Emil M. Skodon,
Rear Admiral (Ret.) Michael E. Smith,
Brigadier General (Ret.) Paul Gregory Smith,
Ambassador (Ret.) Alan Solomont,
Ambassador (Ret.) Pamela L. Spratlen,
Ambassador (Ret.) Sylvia Stanfield,
Honorable Gregory Starr,
Honorable Clifford L. Stanley,
Major General (Ret.) Howard D. Standahl,
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Mitchell Herman Stevenson,
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Vincent Stewart,
Ambassador (Ret.) Timothy Towell,
Dr. Gregory F. Treverton,
Major General (Ret.) F. Andrew Turley,
Rear Admiral William S. Stokes,
Ambassador (Ret.) Cynthia Stroum,
Dr. Gordon Sumner, PhD,
Ambassador (Ret.) Teddy Taylor,
Ambassador (Ret.) Harry Thomas,
Mr. Jack Thomas Tomarchio,
Dr. Michael H. Van Dusen,
Ambassador (Ret.) Alexander Vershbow,
Ambassador (Ret.) Melanne Verveer,
Ambassador (Ret.) Marcelle M. Wahba,
Ambassador (Ret.) Jake Walles,
Brigadier General (Ret.) George H. Walls, Jr.,
Brigadier General (Ret.) Steve Warnstadt,
Ambassador (Ret.) Alexander Watson,
Brigadier General (Ret.) Marianne Watson,
Ambassador (Ret.) Linda E. Watt,
Ambassador (Ret.) Earl Anthony Wayne,
Honorable Andy Weber,
Honorable William H. Webster,
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Jack Weinstein,
Ambassador (Ret.) Allan Wendt,
Mr. Louis M. Werdebach,
Ambassador (Ret.) Alexa Wesner,
Ambassador (Ret.) David Bruce Wharton,
Ambassador (Ret.) Kevin Whitaker,
Ambassador (Ret.) Barry B. White,
Ambassador (Ret.) Pamela White,
Mr. Jon A. Wiant,
Ambassador (Ret.) Bisa Williams,
Major General (Ret.) Michael Wilson,
Ambassador (Ret.) Frank G. Wisner,
Brigadier General (Ret.) Kevin B. Wooton,
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Captain Pamela Jean Wynfield,
Ambassador (Ret.) Kenneth Spencer Yalowitz,
Ambassador (Ret.) John M. Yates,
Ambassador (Ret.) Stephen M. Young,
Ambassador (Ret.) Marie L. Yovanovitch,
Honorable Joseph Zengerle,
Honorable Jane B. Zimmerman.
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