[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 18969-18970]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             LATIN AMERICA

  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I wanted to share with the 
Senate today what should be a collective outrage because an American 
citizen has now been held behind bars in Cuba for exactly 2 years.
  Alan Gross was working in Cuba under a contract with the U.S. Agency 
for International Development. He has devoted his career to helping 
thousands of people around the world, working in development for over 
25 years in more than 50 countries.
  In Cuba, Alan Gross was trying to make a difference in the lives of 
people who share his Jewish faith by bringing them modern communication 
tools. For that simple act, he has now languished in a Cuban prison for 
2 years. His health worsens each day and his family, of course, misses 
him. His wife Judy spoke to him just days ago and said that Alan 
sounded ``more hopeless and more depressed,'' as one would expect.
  The release of Alan Gross must remain front and center in any 
discussion with or about the Cuban regime. That is why many of us in 
this Chamber have joined in writing to the Ambassador of Cuba here--and 
since we don't have diplomatic relations, that individual is called the 
Chief of the Cuban Interests Section--and asking the Castro regime to 
immediately and unconditionally release Alan Gross as a humanitarian 
gesture and a sign of compassion for his family. We have been met, 
however, with stonewalling silence.
  While we remember Mr. Gross and we keep pressure on the Castro 
regime, the Senate must also fulfill its duties toward the rest of the 
Western Hemisphere. A case in point: Four countries in Latin America--
Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Ecuador--are currently without a 
U.S. Ambassador. That is the job of the Senate--to confirm appointments 
of the President. In the case of Venezuela, it is not because we don't 
have a nominee, it is because, in fact, we are having some trouble with 
the Chavez government. We have been without an Assistant Secretary of 
State for Western Hemisphere Affairs since July. It isn't in the 
interest of the United States not to have these people in place.
  The Senate has basically 2 weeks to go if we get out a week before 
the Christmas holiday--and that is an ``if,'' by the way. During this 
time, while we go through all of what we have to do in the next 10 
legislative days--such as solving the doctors problem, extending this 
payroll tax cut, appropriations bills, extending unemployment 
compensation for people who desperately need it, and extending a lot of 
the tax extenders--we must also fulfill our constitutional duty to 
consider these important Presidential appointments.
  There is one in front of the Senate right now; that is, the 
Ambassador to El Salvador. Mari Carmen Aponte is the U.S. Ambassador to 
El Salvador. She is well known all over the United States in Hispanic 
circles because she has held, as a Foreign Service officer, a number of 
posts. During the August 2010 congressional recess, the President named 
her Ambassador to El Salvador. That recess appointment is going to 
expire at the end of this year.
  Before joining the State Department, Ms. Aponte served as Executive 
Director of the Puerto Rican Federal Affairs Administration and 
president of the very respected Hispanic National Bar Association.
  Typical of the sentiment in Florida, an editorial in a recent Miami 
Herald editorial expressed support for her confirmation, saying that 
``her diplomatic success has earned her the unprecedented support of 
the private sector and of the most prominent political leaders in El 
Salvador.'' It was unprecedented that three former Presidents of El 
Salvador came all the way to Washington to show their support during 
her nomination hearing.
  My wife Grace and I were recently visited by the First Lady of El 
Salvador. She pointed out all of the terrible events that have taken 
place in her country: struggling to recover from the tropical 
depression that made landfall this past fall, the heavy rains that have 
caused major damage throughout Central America, and the 70,000 
Salvadorans still living in shelters. That little country faces many 
challenges. So if for no other reason than those I mentioned, we do not 
want to continue into next year without our having an ambassador there. 
We need to confirm Ms. Aponte as soon as possible so that she can 
continue exercising the necessary U.S. leadership.
  Latin American countries continue to be America's fastest growing 
trade partners. We need to continue to promote that trade. It helps our 
economy.

[[Page 18970]]

It deepens the economic linkages. We can explore clean energy 
initiatives, and we can help them as they continue to strengthen 
transparency in government and the rule of law. We need to pay more 
attention to Latin America, not less. Disengagement is not the answer. 
This is just another reason we need to confirm this nomination as 
quickly as possible for Ambassador to El Salvador.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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