[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 20298]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   CONFIRMATION OF JENNIFER NEWSTEAD

  Mr. YOUNG. Madam President, I want to offer a few brief comments on 
the confirmation of Ms. Jennifer Newstead and the situation in Yemen. 
Ms. Newstead was nominated to serve as the legal adviser of the 
Department of State.
  This is an incredibly important position. The legal adviser is the 
principal adviser to the Department of State on all legal matters, 
domestic and international. The legal adviser is also the principal 
adviser to other Federal agencies on legal matters involved in foreign 
relations. Through the Secretary of State, the legal advisor advises 
the President and the National Security Council. For an individual to 
serve well in this position, they must understand the law and be 
willing to provide objective and reliable legal advice.
  I believe Ms. Newstead is well qualified to serve in this position. 
She has an impressive educational background, and she has served in 
senior positions at OMB, the Department of Justice, and in the White 
House. That is why I supported her nomination in committee.
  With that said, before she received a floor vote, I wanted to confirm 
that she had a full and accurate appreciation for U.S. law as it 
relates to impediments to humanitarian assistance, and the clear 
application of those statutes to Saudi Arabia and Yemen. That is why, 
over several weeks, I engaged in three rounds of specific written 
questions and answers with Ms. Newstead related to the law.
  After those detailed exchanges, I am confident that Ms. Newstead 
understands the proper application of laws like 22 U.S. Code 2378-1 to 
Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
  I appreciate her written statements to me regarding that and other 
statutes, and I appreciate her commitments to be as transparent and 
responsive to my office as possible.
  Before I conclude, allow me to offer a few words on the situation in 
Yemen. Yemen is experiencing the world's largest food insecurity 
crisis. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 
published a report earlier this month. The report found that almost 18 
million people in Yemen are food insecure with more than 8 million 
facing starvation.
  The war and Saudi Arabia's impediments to the delivery of food, fuel, 
and medicine are the primary causes for this crisis. Saudi Arabia's 
impediments to humanitarian assistance in Yemen violate international 
law, humanitarian principles, and U.S. law. They also undermine U.S. 
national security interests.
  Since March, I have taken a number of steps to demand an end to the 
Saudi impediments to humanitarian assistance and to encourage the 
administration to use its significant leverage with Riyadh.
  On December 6, the President said, ``I have directed officials in my 
Administration to call the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to 
request that they completely allow food, fuel, water, and medicine to 
reach the Yemeni people who desperately need it. This must be done for 
humanitarian reasons immediately.''
  In my view, we now need to see action from the Saudis, not just 
assurances.
  The Saudis must finally and completely end all impediments to the 
delivery and transport of humanitarian aid in Yemen. Each day costs 
many lives and patience is running out in Washington.
  If Saudi Arabia continues to be unresponsive to the President's 
demands and demands from Congress, failing to permit the delivery of 
the U.S. taxpayer funded cranes to Yemen's most important humanitarian 
port and continuing to block the delivery of commercial fuel shipments, 
I stand ready to take legislative action.
  I was proud to support Ms. Newstead's confirmation today, and I look 
forward to working closely with her.
  Thank you.

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