[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2905-2907]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           EXECUTIVE SESSION

                                 ______
                                 

NOMINATION OF TINA S. KAIDANOW TO BE COORDINATOR FOR COUNTERTERRORISM, 
            WITH THE RANK AND STATUS OF AMBASSADOR AT LARGE

                                 ______
                                 

  NOMINATION OF DANIEL BENNETT SMITH TO BE AN ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF 
                   STATE (INTELLIGENCE AND RESEARCH)

                                 ______
                                 

   NOMINATION OF CATHERINE ANN NOVELLI TO BE UNITED STATES ALTERNATE 
GOVERNOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT; 
UNITED STATES ALTERNATE GOVERNOR OF THE INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

                                 ______
                                 

 NOMINATION OF CATHERINE ANN NOVELLI TO BE AN UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE 
             (ECONOMIC GROWTH, ENERGY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT)

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will 
proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations, 
which the clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read the nominations of Tina S. 
Kaidanow, of the District of Columbia, to be Coordinator for 
Counterterrorism, with the rank and status of Ambassador at Large; 
Daniel Bennett Smith, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of 
State (Intelligence and Research); Catherine Ann Novelli, of Virginia, 
to be United States Alternate Governor of the International Bank for 
Reconstruction and Development; United States Alternate Governor of the 
Inter-American Development Bank; and Catherine Ann Novelli, of 
Virginia, to be an Under Secretary of State (Economic Growth, Energy, 
and the Environment).
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 30 
minutes for debate equally divided and controlled in the usual form.
  The Senator from New Jersey.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Madam President, it is my hope that we do not have to 
use 30 minutes. But let me start off by saying I am very pleased we 
have three highly qualified nominees for posts at the State Department 
that are critical to America's national security and economic 
diplomacy. These nominees were voted out favorably by the Foreign 
Relations Committee.
  Ambassador Tina Kaidanow is well qualified to serve as Coordinator 
for Counterterrorism at the Department of State. In a long career, most 
recently she served as the Deputy Ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in 
Kabul. In Kabul she worked on some of the most difficult and pressing 
terrorism issues the United States faces. She previously served as 
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.
  Ambassador Kaidanow has shown the ability to forge the types of 
partnerships necessary to advance the counterterrorism objectives and 
national security of the United States. I hope all of my colleagues 
will join me in supporting her nomination.
  Next is Daniel Bennett Smith, the President's nominee for Assistant 
Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research. This is an incredibly 
important position as the State Department thinks about our advocacy 
abroad in terms of foreign policy. Having the best information on 
intelligence and research is critically important, and certainly 
playing a role as it relates to embassy security across the globe is 
very important.
  Ambassador Smith served as the U.S. Ambassador to Greece from 2010 to 
2013. He has been a career officer in the Senior Foreign Service, with 
the rank of Career Minister. He has served as Executive Secretary of 
the State Department and as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for 
Consular Affairs and Deputy Executive Secretary.
  If confirmed, he will advise State Department officials on the many 
intelligence issues the Department faces--issues that are critical to 
policymakers' decisions as they relate to U.S. foreign policy efforts. 
I urge my colleagues to support his nomination.
  Finally, Catherine Ann Novelli is in a unique opportunity to help us, 
particularly with our economic diplomacy abroad. With over three 
decades of experience in the public and private sectors, including at 
senior levels at Apple and in the Office of the U.S. Trade 
Representative, Ms. Novelli has shown a deep personal commitment to 
public service. She will bring tremendous private sector skills, 
understanding of the interagency process, and knowledge of 
international economic issues to her role as the most senior economic 
official at the State Department and as an Alternate Governor to the 
important multilateral development banks that are a big part of our 
efforts abroad.
  Ms. Novelli's experience at the USTR coordinating trade and 
investment policy for Europe, the Middle East, and northern Africa and 
the leading role she played in many of the most important U.S. trade 
negotiations of the last 25 years make her an ideal candidate to lead 
the State Department's engagement in our country's most ambitious trade 
agenda in generations.
  One thing I find particularly important--as I always advocate 
questions on international intellectual property rights and other 
elements that are important to the United States, which

[[Page 2906]]

leads the world in innovation--our private sector is facing tougher 
international competition. The world's serious environmental threats 
and a changing energy landscape are also elements of those challenges.
  We are fortunate to have someone with Ms. Novelli's expertise in 
promoting trade and investment and her intimate knowledge of the 
support needed to ensure our private sector remains globally 
competitive. She is the right person to oversee the State Department's 
efforts to increase commerce, open markets, and support the rights of 
workers. I urge my colleagues to support her nomination.
  These are three very important, critical positions, and I look 
forward to the Senate confirming these individuals.
  With that, Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to yield back all 
time on both sides, including the 2 minutes prior to the vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.


                      Vote on Kaidanow Nomination

  The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the nomination 
of Tina S. Kaidanow, of the District of Columbia, to be Coordinator for 
Counterterrorism, with the rank and status of Ambassador at Large?
  Mr. MENENDEZ. I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. 
Rockefeller) is necessarily absent.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator 
from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn).
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Baldwin). Are there any other Senators in 
the Chamber desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 98, nays 0, as follows:

                       [Rollcall Vote No. 30 Ex.]

                                YEAS--98

     Alexander
     Ayotte
     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Begich
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Blunt
     Booker
     Boozman
     Boxer
     Brown
     Burr
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Chambliss
     Coats
     Cochran
     Collins
     Coons
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Donnelly
     Durbin
     Enzi
     Feinstein
     Fischer
     Flake
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Heinrich
     Heitkamp
     Heller
     Hirono
     Hoeven
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Johnson (SD)
     Johnson (WI)
     Kaine
     King
     Kirk
     Klobuchar
     Landrieu
     Leahy
     Lee
     Levin
     Manchin
     Markey
     McCain
     McCaskill
     McConnell
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Paul
     Portman
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rubio
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Scott
     Sessions
     Shaheen
     Shelby
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Thune
     Toomey
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Vitter
     Walsh
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--2

     Coburn
     Rockefeller
      
  The nomination was confirmed.


                        Vote on Smith Nomination

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 2 
minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form prior to a vote on 
the Smith nomination.
  The Senator from California
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Madam President, I rise to support the nomination of 
Ambassador Daniel Bennett Smith to be the Assistant Secretary of State 
for Intelligence and Research.
  I am not aware of any opposition to this nominee and so look forward 
to a strong vote of confirmation by my colleagues. I am also pleased 
that the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, known 
as INR, will continue to have strong leadership by a respected senior 
member of the foreign service.
  The INR Bureau is a small, but effective entity within the U.S. 
intelligence community. In fact, it only has approximately 200 
analysts, but it has a very strong reputation for independent and 
unbiased analysis. Its intelligence professionals include those from 
the foreign service and the civil service, including many who have 
decades of experience in the topics they cover.
  These analysts are prized for the intelligence value they provide to 
senior State Department officials, to include the Secretary and his 
team, ambassadors, and the men and women who work the country desks.
  INR also brings the State Department's knowledge and viewpoint to 
discussions and debates within the intelligence community, helping to 
ensure that intelligence decisions are informed by diplomatic 
requirements and information gained by our embassies around the world.
  In the past several years, INR has perhaps become best known for its 
dissents from some of the main points in the flawed intelligence 
reports that led to the war in Iraq. Unfortunately, those dissents were 
marginalized in key intelligence products and not provided adequate 
scrutiny. As a result, I can tell my colleagues that members of the 
intelligence committee pay special attention to dissenting voices in 
the intelligence community, and always to the views of INR.
  The primary mission of this Bureau is to provide intelligence to 
policymakers at the State Department. INR is one of the three all-
source analytic agencies within the intelligence community, along with 
the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency.
  INR also ensures that intelligence operations and sensitive 
intelligence-related law enforcement activities are consistent with 
U.S. foreign policy. The Assistant Secretary for INR is therefore the 
conduit between the intelligence community and the State Department to 
ensure that our intelligence activities and the conduct of our foreign 
policy are coordinated and aligned.
  In sum, the Assistant Secretary for INR is both an independent leader 
of an intelligence community agency and the Secretary of State's point 
person on intelligence matters.
  Ambassador Smith is well-qualified to be the Assistant Secretary of 
State for Intelligence and Research. He has served for 30 years as a 
Foreign Service officer and in a variety of positions at the State 
Department. Most recently he was Ambassador to Greece (from 2010 to 
2013).
  Ambassador Smith has also served as Executive Secretary of the State 
Department, Principal Deputy Secretary for Consular Affairs, and in 
overseas posts in Bern, Istanbul, Ottawa, and Stockholm. He is a career 
officer in the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Career Minister.
  The Intelligence Committee approved Ambassador Smith by voice vote on 
January 16, with unanimous support. A month earlier, on December 17, 
2013, the committee held an open hearing on his nomination. After 
Ambassador Smith was voted out of our committee, the Foreign Relations 
Committee held a hearing on his nomination on January 28.
  Ambassador Smith has had a long and distinguished career at the State 
Department that will serve him well in this position. I urge my 
colleagues to support the nomination of Ambassador Daniel Bennett Smith 
to be Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time?
  Mr. COATS. We yield back.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. All time is yielded back.
  Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The question is, Shall the Senate advise and consent to the 
nomination of Daniel Bennett Smith, of Virginia, to be an Assistant 
Secretary of State (Intelligence and Research)?
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk called the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. 
Rockefeller) is necessarily absent.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator 
from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn).
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?

[[Page 2907]]

  The result was announced--yeas 98, nays 0, as follows:

                       [Rollcall Vote No. 31 Ex.]

                                YEAS--98

     Alexander
     Ayotte
     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Begich
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Blunt
     Booker
     Boozman
     Boxer
     Brown
     Burr
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Chambliss
     Coats
     Cochran
     Collins
     Coons
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Donnelly
     Durbin
     Enzi
     Feinstein
     Fischer
     Flake
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Heinrich
     Heitkamp
     Heller
     Hirono
     Hoeven
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Johnson (SD)
     Johnson (WI)
     Kaine
     King
     Kirk
     Klobuchar
     Landrieu
     Leahy
     Lee
     Levin
     Manchin
     Markey
     McCain
     McCaskill
     McConnell
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Paul
     Portman
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rubio
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Scott
     Sessions
     Shaheen
     Shelby
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Thune
     Toomey
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Vitter
     Walsh
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--2

     Coburn
     Rockefeller
       
  The nomination was confirmed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. REID. The next vote will be the last in this series of votes. The 
next one we will do by voice vote, and then we will start a series of 
votes at 1:45. There could be as many as 11 votes, so everybody cinch 
up their vests, and we will see what happens.


                       Vote on Novelli Nomination

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 2 
minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form prior to a vote on 
the first Novelli nomination.
  Who yields time? Who yields time?
  Mr. VITTER. I yield back all time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. All time is yielded back.
  Mr. CRAPO. I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There is a sufficient second.
  The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the nomination 
of Catherine Ann Novelli, of Virginia, to be United States Alternate 
Governor of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development 
for a term of five years; United States Alternate Governor of the 
Inter-American Development Bank for a term of five years?
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk called the roll.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. 
Rockefeller) is necessarily absent.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the 
Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn) and the Senator from Florida (Mr. 
Rubio).
  The result was announced--yeas 97, nays 0, as follows:

                       [Rollcall Vote No. 32 Ex.]

                                YEAS--97

     Alexander
     Ayotte
     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Begich
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Blunt
     Booker
     Boozman
     Boxer
     Brown
     Burr
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Chambliss
     Coats
     Cochran
     Collins
     Coons
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Donnelly
     Durbin
     Enzi
     Feinstein
     Fischer
     Flake
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Heinrich
     Heitkamp
     Heller
     Hirono
     Hoeven
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Johnson (SD)
     Johnson (WI)
     Kaine
     King
     Kirk
     Klobuchar
     Landrieu
     Leahy
     Lee
     Levin
     Manchin
     Markey
     McCain
     McCaskill
     McConnell
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Paul
     Portman
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Risch
     Roberts
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Scott
     Sessions
     Shaheen
     Shelby
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Thune
     Toomey
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Vitter
     Walsh
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--3

     Coburn
     Rockefeller
     Rubio
  The nomination was confirmed.


                       Vote on Novelli Nomination

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 2 
minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form prior to a vote on 
the second Novelli nomination.
  Mr. PRYOR. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that all time be 
yielded back.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the nomination 
of Catherine Ann Novelli, of Virginia, to be an Under Secretary of 
State (Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment)?
  The nomination was confirmed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motions to 
reconsider are considered made and laid upon the table.
  The President will immediately be notified of the Senate's action.

                          ____________________