[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 14, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3677-S3678]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                Nomination of Courtney Diesel O'Donnell

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I come to the floor today in strong 
support of the nomination of Courtney O'Donnell to be the U.S. 
Representative to UNESCO, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural 
Organization.
  From threats to historic world heritage sites, to the dangers women 
and girls face across the globe, to the recent surge of anti-Semitism 
and intolerance around the world, it is critical

[[Page S3678]]

that the United States advance our interest at UNESCO and that we have 
a confirmed Ambassador.
  I am going to underscore the point of the need for a U.S. Ambassador 
confirmed presence at UNESCO. Because of the current major escalation 
of anti-Semitism here in America and around the world, one of UNESCO's 
specific mandates is to combat anti-Semitism and promote Holocaust 
education, to ensure that other countries teach future generations 
about the Holocaust, and combat Holocaust denial.
  Today, that mission is more important than ever before in recent 
times. That is why we need a confirmed U.S. Representative who has the 
experience to advance U.S. priorities, from championing Holocaust 
educational programs, to advancing girls' education in STEM, to 
developing responsible international standards on science and 
technology, including for AI.
  Courtney O'Donnell is the right person for this job, and I am very 
proud to support her nomination, and I am very pleased that she is 
willing to serve in this capacity. She currently serves in the Office 
of the Vice President as a Senior Advisor and the Acting Chief of Staff 
for Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, where she focuses on countering 
anti-Semitism, among other issues. She has played an integral role in 
developing and implementing the administration's anti-Semitism 
policies. She understands the need for strong U.S. leadership. She 
understands the urgency of advancing efforts to combat anti-Semitism. 
She has a proven track record of working to counter anti-Semitism and 
Holocaust denialism through her work on the U.S. national strategy to 
combat anti-Semitism.
  Don't just take my word for it; let me quote from the president of 
the World Jewish Congress, who says that Ms. O'Donnell's efforts to 
combat anti-Semitism ``demonstrate a profound commitment to eradicating 
hate and promoting Holocaust education'' and that her confirmation 
would be a ``necessary step'' to ensure that ``UNESCO continues to 
uphold its ongoing commitment to partner with Israel, preserve Jewish 
heritage, combat disinformation, and expand Holocaust education 
efforts.''
  The American Jewish Committee said that Ms. O'Donnell's confirmation 
will ``bring U.S. leadership to UNESCO on issues of global concern to 
the Jewish community and advance American values of pluralism and 
freedom of expression.''
  The National Council of Jewish Women and Better World Campaign have 
echoed these points, writing in strong support of her confirmation.
  She committed to do that at the hearing we had before the Senate 
Foreign Relations Committee, where she said she would work 
``aggressively to combat antisemitism and counter anti-Israel bias.''
  We know that we have challenges in our international organizations on 
anti-Israel bias. We know that. We need a champion, a confirmed 
Ambassador who will be a champion to represent America to fight that 
type of anti-Semitic activities and anti-Israel activities and to speak 
out in favor of Holocaust education and implement strategies to combat 
anti-Semitism.
  This should be a clear vote by my colleagues to want to have 
America's presence at UNESCO to fight anti-Semitism, when we know how 
prevalent it is today and how it is growing today.
  So I urge my colleagues to support cloture and confirm Ms. O'Donnell 
to be the U.S. Representative to the U.N. Educational, Scientific and 
Cultural Organization without any further delay. I know we will have a 
chance to vote on that shortly.
  I yield the floor.