[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 149 (Tuesday, September 24, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6348-S6350]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



             Unanimous Consent Request--Executive Calendar

  Mrs. SHAHEEN. I come to the floor today, Mr. President, to support 
the nomination of David Kostelancik to be U.S. Ambassador to Albania.
  For over 35 years, Mr. Kostelancik has served as a career member of 
the Foreign Service and a qualified and exemplary candidate to 
represent the United States in an allied capital. He also served in 
Congress as the senior State Department adviser to the Helsinki 
Commission.
  Like so many of our career Foreign Service officers, Mr. Kostelancik 
has dedicated his career to serving the United States at home and 
abroad. He served in Albania before, as well as overseas assignments in 
Turkiye, Russia, and Hungary, where he led our Embassy as Charge 
d'Affaires for nearly 2 years. Most recently, he served as Foreign 
Policy Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
  It is clear that we have a highly qualified candidate to serve as 
Ambassador to Albania. But I also want to talk about why it is so 
critical that we confirm an ambassador to Albania and that we do it 
without delay.
  Albania is a real success story for American foreign policy. Just 30 
years ago, Albania was waking up from more than four decades of 
communist rule.

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Today, Albania is a flourishing democracy, a fully engaged member of 
NATO, and an aspiring member of the European Union.
  It was Albania in 2016 that answered our calls to take in vulnerable 
Iranian dissidents from Camp Ashraf. It was Albania back in 2021 that 
didn't think twice when they answered the call to accommodate Afghan 
refugees and SIV applicants. So what message does it send to Albania--a 
critical partner, a stalwart ally of the United States--that we can't 
confirm an ambassador for over a year?
  Albania is currently the only NATO capital in which we do not have a 
confirmed Ambassador. As the United States confronts challenges around 
the world, we need our allies. We need Albania. That starts with 
ensuring that we have the stewards of our bilateral relationships in 
place. I can tell you, China and Russia have Ambassadors in Albania's 
capital right now. It is up to the U.S. Senate to determine whether we 
cede ground to our adversaries.
  Mr. Kostelancik has the necessary experience. He speaks Albanian. He 
is eminently qualified to fill the post for which he was nominated.
  For these reasons, I urge no further delays in confirming Mr. 
Kostelancik's nomination.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following 
nomination and that the Senate vote on the nomination of David 
Kostelancik to be Ambassador of the United States of America to the 
Republic of Albania; that the Senate vote on the nomination without 
intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motion to 
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President 
be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from the Utah.
  Mr. LEE. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, U.S. diplomats 
serve a singular purpose: to advocate for and protect U.S. interests 
all over the world.
  The Constitution makes abundantly clear that the security of the 
American homeland and commerce with friendly nations are fundamental 
core interests of the United States of America. The promotion of woke 
cultural imperialism is never in the core interest of the United 
States.
  The constant crusade of career diplomats to evangelize woke ideology 
on behalf of the United States often works decidedly against our 
interests and actively undermines the reputation and leverage of our 
Nation.
  Like many Biden-Harris nominees, Mr. Kostelancik has proven unable to 
set aside his personal partisanship while representing U.S. interests 
abroad.
  His past performance as Charge d'Affaires in Hungary should 
disqualify him from being trusted with a diplomatic mantle again. Mr. 
Kostelancik openly meddled in Hungarian politics. He attacked press 
freedom and engaged in blatant social activism, which the Hungarian 
Government viewed as undue interference in Hungary's internal politics.
  Mr. Kostelancik damaged our relationship with a reliable and 
important ally for the sake of partisan ideological advocacy abroad, 
all when he was essentially a placeholder until the Trump 
administration could nominate an ambassador.
  Now the Biden-Harris administration wants to make him the permanent 
man in charge of the U.S. Government's interests in Albania. The Biden-
Harris administration had every opportunity to submit a new nominee for 
this position when Mr. Kostelancik's nomination was returned to the 
President at the end of last year, but rather than submit a nominee 
with a more favorable reputation, a less controversial background, and 
a demonstrated track record of focus on core U.S. interests, President 
Biden is doubling down and promoting Mr. Kostelancik.
  Cultural imperialism continues to dominate, to distract, and destroy 
the reputation and effectiveness of our diplomatic corps. I will not be 
complacent in such efforts, and on that basis, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
  The Senator from New Hampshire.
  Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I don't understand what my colleague is 
talking about in terms of woke ideology and cultural imperialism. That 
is not my understanding of how the State Department works.
  The State Department and our Ambassadors are there to carry out 
America's foreign policy no matter who the President is, and that is 
what David Kostelancik did when he was in Hungary.
  So I am perplexed by the arguments that are raised by my colleague 
from Utah. His objections are grounded in baseless rumors that are 
being spread by Victor Orban. They are not grounded in facts.
  Here are the facts: Mr. Kostelancik received overwhelming support, 
bipartisan support, when he was voted out, on two occasions, of the 
Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
  In the 35 years--35 years--of Mr. Kostelancik's service to the U.S. 
Government, he had never been accused of any political bias until 
Victor Orban decided that he didn't think he was executing America's 
foreign policy properly.
  Mr. Kostelancik has served the American public faithfully across 
administrations of both parties. He has represented elected leaders' 
positions.
  I have spoken with a number of my Republican colleagues. I wish my 
colleague from Utah were going to stay so I could talk to him about 
this, because he has gotten support from those Republicans precisely 
for the reasons I outlined above.
  It is up to my colleagues whether they will listen to the 
recommendation of former administration officials and their own 
Republican colleagues or take heed of the baseless allegations of a 
foreign leader, who is ostensibly an ``ally,'' who is making false, 
unproven claims of impartiality. I have looked for evidence. There is 
zero evidence to that effect. In fact, I have letters here from a 
former Governor, a Republican Governor, of New York, George Pataki. I 
have letters from the Albanian American Council in support of Mr. 
Kostelancik. What is more, a number of senior Republican officials, 
including the U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, who served under the Trump 
administration, have repudiated this claim.
  So I don't know why my Republican colleague today is willing to 
believe a government that has shown more loyalty to Vladimir Putin and 
President Xi than he has to the United States, or is my colleague from 
Utah prepared to trust the repeated commitments made by the nominee--
and senior-level Republicans--that he served in Budapest with the 
utmost professionalism? That is the question. Is he willing to trust 
that, to trust all of the people who have weighed in on behalf of Mr. 
Kostelancik, who, by all accounts in reading his public remarks as 
Charge d'Affaires, defended the Trump administration policy ably while 
in Budapest? That is what Ambassadors do when they are serving 
overseas--they defend the policies of the United States of America and 
whoever the President is and whoever the Secretary of State is.
  Those charged with the conduct of U.S. foreign policy are proud civil 
servants. They believe in our institutions, and they represent the 
American people no matter which party is in office.
  I am disappointed that what we have today is a number of people--a 
number of our colleagues who would rather denounce the United States 
and our foreign policy, who would rather oppose career Ambassadors who 
have been in the job for years, because they support Victor Orban, 
because they are spreading rumors about what people have done that have 
no basis in fact.
  I intend to come back to the floor on a number of occasions--whenever 
I can--to ask for unanimous consent again because what is happening now 
is not in the best interest of the United States. When we refuse to 
confirm Ambassadors, we are hamstringing our foreign policy and we are 
harming U.S. national security. Right now, there are over 30 State 
Department nominees who are waiting for Senate confirmation, and by 
grinding to a halt our State Department nominees, my Republican 
colleagues have allowed partisan brinksmanship to pervade a critical 
aspect of our national security.
  It is one I don't understand because I know we are in agreement that 
the United States is threatened by adversaries like Iran, China, 
Russia, and North Korea--all threats to the United

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States. Yet they are willing to allow President Xi's diplomats to get 
placed in countries all around the world, and they are not willing to 
let our own diplomats get placed.
  So I hope they will reconsider because what they are doing at its 
core is putting at risk America's national security.
  With that, I yield the floor.
  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. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.