[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 194 (Wednesday, December 14, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7177-S7179]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



             Unanimous Consent Request--Executive Calendar

  Now, Mr. President, if I may continue, I want to rise, together with 
my colleague from New Hampshire, Senator Shaheen, to seek consent to 
advance the nomination of a friend, Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta for Ambassador 
at Large for Global Women's Issues. And I would like to ask if I might 
yield time now to my colleague from New Hampshire, Senator Shaheen.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Hampshire.
  Mrs. SHAHEEN. Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you to my colleague 
from Virginia, Senator Kaine. I am really pleased to join you on the 
floor in support of Dr. Gupta to be Ambassador at Large for Global 
Women's Issues at the Department of State.
  Sadly, this isn't the first time that I have come to the floor to 
raise Dr. Gupta's nomination here with our colleagues in the Senate but 
also with our colleagues on the Foreign Relations Committee.
  I have to admit that it is disappointing to still be standing here 
trying to convince my colleagues that women's rights matter. They 
matter whether they are in the United States, in Afghanistan, in Iran, 
in China, or in Venezuela.
  Partisan obstruction should not prevent a qualified nominee from 
undertaking the necessary work of the Ambassador at Large for Global 
Women's Issues. I have to be honest, it feels to me like what is at 
issue here is more than just the Office of Global Women's Issues. It 
feels like the Members of this body don't understand the role of that 
office and think that anytime there is something that has ``women'' in 
the title, that we must be talking about reproductive rights. Well, 
that is not what the Office of Global Women's Issues does. Reproductive 
rights are not part of that office, and it is disappointing that we are 
here still debating whether we are going to put in an Ambassador into 
that office, when since the beginning of the Trump administration, 
we have only had about a year when we have had an Ambassador at the 
Office of Global Women's Issues.

  I would say to my colleagues across the aisle who are worried about 
Dr. Gupta's record to meet with her. Sit down and talk about what she 
would prioritize as Ambassador for Global Women's Issues. They should 
request a briefing with USAID's Office of Global Health because that is 
where their work is done to address women's healthcare.
  What USAID's Office of Global Health has done is to reduce maternal 
deaths by 30 percent annually. It saves the lives of 1.4 million 
children under 5 each year, and it decreases--let me repeat that--it 
decreases the number of abortions, particularly unsafe abortions, that 
happen around the world. But that is not what the Office of Global 
Women's Issues does.
  I hope they won't continue to hold up Dr. Gupta's nomination because 
they

[[Page S7178]]

don't understand how women's health is supported by the U.S. Government 
or which offices do the work that they object to.
  The Office of Global Women's Issues is charged with advancing the 
rights and liberation of women and girls around the world through our 
U.S. foreign policy. It endeavors to empower women and eliminate 
barriers that prevent them from achieving equity and equality, 
particularly economic equity and equality.
  Not only does the Office of Global Women's Issues prioritize policies 
and programs to advance the status of women around the world, it 
ensures that U.S. policies incorporate a gender lens at all levels of 
policy and decision making.
  And now more than ever, we need an office that is charged with 
leading U.S. policy on women, because around the world, what we have 
seen as the result of the last few years of this pandemic is that the 
gender gap has grown. Girls are dropping out and staying out of school 
at a higher rate than boys; the female labor-force participation rate 
has declined, with women holding less secure jobs and taking on even 
more unpaid child and housing labor than before the pandemic; and 
gender-based violence has increased to such an extent that U.N. Women--
the U.N. body charged with advancing the rights of women globally--now 
warns of what they are calling a shadow pandemic of violence.
  These are issues of consequence to half--more than half--of the 
world's population. They need a champion in our U.S. foreign policy. 
They need Dr. Gupta.
  Gender equity, equality, and the empowerment of women and girls must 
be a focal point of U.S. policy, and that is exactly what the 
Ambassador at Large is intended to facilitate.
  The reason it matters to our foreign policy is because what we know 
is that when women are empowered, their families are empowered; they 
give back more to their families and their communities than men do; and 
societies that empower women are more stable societies.
  These are issues that we need to pay attention to. We need someone in 
that role who is going to pay attention to those issues. And that is 
what Dr. Gupta would do if she is approved.
  (Ms. SMITH assumed the Chair.)
  So, Madam President, Senator Kaine, that is why we are here again on 
the floor in support of Dr. Gupta's nomination in hopes that our 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle--but particularly our Republican 
colleagues--will recognize what the Office of Global Women's Issues 
does and understand that it is not the office that is working on 
reproductive rights for women.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.
  Mr. KAINE. Madam President, in just a second, I will make a motion 
for unanimous consent. Before I do, I just want to say, this Nation has 
a bipartisan track record of fielding fantastic women diplomats: 
Secretary Clinton, Secretary Rice, Secretary Albright. So this is 
something that we do well and we have done well in a bipartisan way.
  My colleague from New Hampshire talked about what this important 
position does and what it doesn't do. I just want to say a few words 
about Dr. Gupta.
  She is a nationally recognized leader and expert on women's 
contributions to economic prosperity and stability. She has over three 
decades of experience in research, policy formulation, advocacy, and 
the implementations of policies and programs to empower women and 
girls; that includes 5 years at UNICEF and a decade as the president 
and CEO of a U.S.-based research institute.
  She has taken, throughout her career, an evidence-based approach to 
demonstrate again and again one irrefutable fact: Investing in women is 
one of the best tools to promote economic development and stability.
  Because of her strong reputation, because of the importance of the 
role, because of the fact that this is not a position that deals with 
some of the issues that often cause controversy on the floor--
reproductive rights--I now move to the following:
  I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee 
be discharged, and the Senate proceed to the following nomination: 
PN1578, Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta, to be U.S. Ambassador at Large For Global 
Women's Issues; that the Senate vote on the nomination with no 
intervening action or debate; that the motion to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table; that no further motions be 
made in order to the nomination; and that any related statements be 
printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. LANKFORD. Reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.
  Mr. LANKFORD. Madam President, let me clarify what this motion is. 
This motion today is to ask for a unanimous consent of all 100 Senators 
to be able to move a nominee through the process, a nominee that, when 
she came through the Foreign Relations Committee, every single 
Republican opposed--every one of them.
  It seems the frustration here doesn't seem to be with Republicans; it 
seems to be with the Democratic leader, quite frankly. This nominee was 
brought to the committee last year and then was voted out of the 
committee in July of this year but has never been brought to the floor 
for a vote--never. Instead, it has been to try to do a unanimous 
consent when my colleagues full well know that every single Republican 
on the Foreign Relations Committee opposes this nominee. And now the 
request is: Now that you opposed her in committee, now consent on the 
floor to be able to support her. That is not going to happen, 
obviously.
  Now, we have not blocked a vote. If the Democratic leader wants to be 
able to bring this nominee to a vote, he has had plenty of opportunity 
to be able to do that and still has plenty of opportunity to be able to 
do that. No one is inhibiting a vote on the floor.
  What we oppose is what is being pushed onto us to say: Now 
unanimously consent to someone you know you don't agree to in the first 
place. It has often been interesting in this conversation to say this 
nominee has nothing to do with reproductive rights, has nothing to do 
with that. I have heard that from my colleagues.
  It is fascinating to me that Planned Parenthood put out a statement 
in strong support of this nominee and specifically stated in their 
release: because she will speak out on reproductive rights for women 
globally.
  So either Planned Parenthood is not telling the truth or something 
else. So it is interesting, when we get into this dialogue, to say: OK, 
let's just have the vote on it and allow everyone to be able to speak 
out.
  We have a disagreement on this nominee, but it is the right of the 
Democratic leader to be able to bring who he chooses to the floor for a 
vote at any time. But I would say, as one Republican of many, please 
don't ask me to unanimously consent to someone that we have a 
philosophical difference with.
  So, with that, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The Senator from Virginia.
  Mr. KAINE. Madam President, in response to my colleague, might I 
modify my request because, certainly, someone should have the right to 
vote no if they want to vote no. So let me modify my request.
  I would ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on Foreign 
Relations be discharged and that the Senate proceed to the following 
nomination: PN1578, Geeta Rao Gupta, of Virginia, to be Ambassador at 
Large for Global Women's Issues; and that the Senate vote on the 
nomination at a time to be determined by the Senate leadership.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. LANKFORD. Reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.
  Mr. LANKFORD. Madam President, I would say to my colleague that, 
obviously, I am not in the position to be able to make a decision for 
all of my colleagues at this moment whether that is acceptable. That is 
something we should discuss with the ranking member of the Foreign 
Relations Committee and with the Republican leader and allow our 
conference to be able to have that dialogue if that is an acceptable 
thing.

[[Page S7179]]

  So at this point, I would object just saying I am not in a position 
because I am not going to speak for the ranking member of the Foreign 
Relations Committee, who voted unanimously in opposition to this 
nomination.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The Senator from New Hampshire.
  Mrs. SHAHEEN. Will my colleague yield for a question?
  Mr. LANKFORD. Absolutely.
  Mrs. SHAHEEN. I think, perhaps, I wasn't clear. I didn't talk about 
Dr. Gupta's position on reproductive rights for women. I talked about 
the role of the Office of Global Women's Issues.
  When I supported Kelley Currie, who was nominated by President Trump 
to be the head of the Office of Global Women's Issues, I didn't ask 
what her position was on choice; I asked her what she was going to do 
if she took that role. And she had an excellent history of working on 
issues that matter to women and foreign policy, and because that is not 
the Agency that is charged with women's reproductive health in our 
government, I didn't think that should be the basis on which I judged 
whether she was the appropriate person to take over that role.
  And, sadly, what seems to have happened is that because Dr. Gupta 
personally says she is pro-choice, all of the anti-choice organizations 
have made her nomination an issue.
  So I would ask my colleague: Have you sat down with Dr. Gupta? Have 
you asked her what she would do in her role if she is approved to be 
the head of Global Women's Issues and whether that was something that 
she was going to talk about or work on?
  Mr. LANKFORD. If I may respond to my colleague as well.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.
  Mr. LANKFORD. Have I engaged in a colloquy, in a conversation? 
Actually, I have not. The members of the Senate Foreign Relations 
Committee, as you serve faithfully in that role--that is not a 
committee I serve on, but I do know that all the Republican members of 
the committee have had the opportunity to be able to sit down with her 
personally and to be able to go through all of those notes.

  I know how she came through the committee without any Republican 
support at all, and I know the different statements that have been put 
up--one by Planned Parenthood, a very strong statement in support of 
her specifically on the issue of women's reproductive rights.
  That seems to say, at least somebody is saying this role is going to 
take on that issue. But that is not a committee that I currently serve 
on, but I do know those well who do.
  Mrs. SHAHEEN. I would just say to my colleague, having sat through 
those hearings, which my recollection is only one or two Republicans on 
the committee showed up and that most of the people who I talked to had 
not actually talked to Dr. Gupta, didn't actually know what the Office 
of Global Women's Issues does. And it is very disappointing that they 
are going to make a decision based on a press release from Planned 
Parenthood as opposed to looking at what she would actually do in that 
role and the responsibilities of that office.
  So I am--you know, you guys think that every time you see ``women'' 
in a title, as I said, we are talking about reproductive rights. That 
is not the case. There is a lot that women do besides having babies.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.
  Mr. LANKFORD. Madam President, I would affirm, again, as a husband 
and as a dad of two daughters and as someone who is very passionate 
about global women's issues as well, I am fully aware that women do a 
lot more than have babies--regardless of Health and Human Services 
currently using the term ``birthing people'' and ``menstruating 
persons,'' which, again, I find offensive in the process as well--that 
this is a group of people, half the population of the Earth, that has 
made tremendous contributions, including my own wife and my own family.
  I would just simply ask the question: This is not a nominee that we 
are going to give unanimous support to, but I am unsure why the 
Democratic leader has not scheduled this vote now for months on the 
floor when there have been months that we have been in session but it 
has yet to be scheduled for a vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.
  Mr. KAINE. Madam President, I said I was rising for multiple 
purposes. It is now my third purpose, but I would seek consent to 
speak--I know we have a vote call at 5--for about 5 minutes on 
legislation being contemplated tomorrow.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.