[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 29, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S1826]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     NOMINATION OF C.S. ELIOT KANG

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, I rise today to express my support for 
the nomination of Dr. Eliot Kang to be Assistant Secretary of State for 
International Security and Non-Proliferation, ISN.
  At a time of increasing concern about the potential use of chemical 
or biological weapons in Ukraine by Russia, it is vital the United 
States have a Senate-confirmed official in place to counter these 
dangers, as well as other nuclear threats. ISN leads the State 
Department's efforts to halt the spread of weapons of mass 
destruction--nuclear, chemical, and biological--as well as the means to 
deliver them. We need a Senate-confirmed expert at the helm to 
coordinate prevention and response with the Ukrainian Government, our 
allies, and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
  Dr. Kang is eminently qualified to do just that. He has the 
substantive expertise to lead ISN and advance U.S. national security 
interests. During his 18-year career at the State Department, Dr. Kang 
has worked on a wide variety of nonproliferation issues. This includes 
the denuclearization of North Korea, international efforts to halt the 
spread of chemical weapons, and nuclear safety. He has held senior 
positions in ISN, where he currently serves as Acting Assistant 
Secretary, and served as the Department's most senior official for Arms 
Control and International Security.
  But because of Republican delays he has not yet been confirmed, 
despite the fact that he was first nominated 341 days ago. Think about 
that--that was nearly a year ago--and he has not yet been confirmed.
  The delays and obstacles facing nominees on the Senate floor and in 
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee are hampering our national 
security. Each day that goes by without critical national security 
posts being filled does a disserving to our country and our national 
security interests. Dr. Kang could have and should have been confirmed 
long ago.
  I strongly support confirming Dr. Kang, and I respectfully urge my 
colleagues to join me in advancing his nomination, along with all of 
the foreign affairs nominations pending before this body.