[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5460-5461]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           EXECUTIVE SESSION

                                 ______
                                 

 NOMINATION OF TOMASZ P. MALINOWSKI TO BE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE 
                 FOR DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND LABOR

                                 ______
                                 

    NOMINATION OF PORTIA Y. WU TO BE AN ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF LABOR

                                 ______
                                 

NOMINATION OF DEBORAH L. BIRX TO BE AMBASSADOR AT LARGE AND COORDINATOR 
   OF UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES TO COMBAT HIV/AIDS GLOBALLY

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, pursuant to an order that is now in effect 
in the Senate, I move to proceed to executive session to consider the 
Malinowski, Wu, and Birx nominations, and ask that all time for debate 
be yielded back on all of these nominations.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.

[[Page 5461]]

  The clerk will report the nominations.
  The assistant bill clerk read the nominations of Tomasz P. 
Malinowski, of the District of Columbia, to be Assistant Secretary of 
State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; Portia Y. Wu, of the 
District of Columbia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor; and 
Deborah L. Birx, of Maryland, to be Ambassador at Large and Coordinator 
of United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally.
  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, today I rise to express my support for 
the nomination of Dr. Deborah Birx to serve as the next Global Aids 
Coordinator at the Department of State. Dr. Birx's extensive 
leadership, experience, and research in the field of HIV/AIDS make her 
an ideal candidate to lead our Nation's response to HIV/AIDS around the 
world.
  The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, has been a 
resounding success. Our investments in fighting HIV/AIDS throughout the 
world have resulted in access to treatment for millions of people and 
dramatic reductions in new infections. It has also garnered 
unprecedented respect for the United States in communities around the 
world. This is why it is important that we have a strong coordinator 
who will continue to lead on this important issue. Dr. Birx has a 
unique combination of scientific, technical, and leadership experience 
that makes her the best candidate for this position.
  Dr. Birx began her career serving in the Walter Reed Army Medical 
Center and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, where she led 
the Department of Defense in its work on HIV/AIDS throughout the 1980s. 
In that role, she lead one of the most influential HIV vaccine trials 
in history, which resulted in the first supporting evidence of any 
vaccine being effective in lowering the risk of contracting HIV.
  For more than a decade, Dr. Birx served as the Director of the U.S. 
Military HIV Research Program at the Department of Defense. During her 
time there she brought together the Army, Navy, and Air Force in a new 
model of cooperation and greatly improved the U.S. military's HIV/AIDS 
efforts through innovative collaboration.
  Since 2005, she has served as the Director of the Global AIDS Program 
at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC. Through her 
leadership, CDC now has an infrastructure that supports HIV/AIDS 
programs in over 75 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin 
America which are funded by PEPFAR.
  Dr. Birx has dedicated her career to advancing and improving the 
field of HIV/AIDS. After three decades in the fight against HIV/AIDS, 
her passion and dedication to her work has not wavered, and she remains 
stalwart in her belief that we can put an end to this epidemic. Her 
leadership and expertise in this field is unprecedented, which is why I 
urge my colleagues to support the nomination of Dr. Deborah Birx to 
serve as the next U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.


                     Vote On Malinowski Nomination

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is, Will the Senate advise and 
consent to the nomination of Tomasz P. Malinowski, of the District of 
Columbia, to be Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human 
Rights, and Labor?
  The nomination was confirmed.


                         Vote On Wu Nomination

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is, Will the Senate advise and 
consent to the nomination of Portia Y. Wu, of the District of Columbia, 
to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor?
  The nomination was confirmed.


                        Vote On Birx Nomination

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is, Will the Senate advise and 
consent to the nomination of Deborah L. Birx, of Maryland, to be 
Ambassador at Large and Coordinator of United States Government 
Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally?
  The nomination was confirmed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motions to 
reconsider are considered made and laid upon the table and the 
President will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

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