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“WORK BEFORE THE SENATE” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S4697-S4698 on Aug. 2, 2017.
The State Department is responsibly for international relations with a budget of more than $50 billion. Tenure at the State Dept. is increasingly tenuous and it's seen as an extension of the President's will, ambitions and flaws.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
WORK BEFORE THE SENATE
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, as I said yesterday, the Senate has more work ahead this legislative period, including passing the FDA user fees legislation and confirming a number of nominees.
We have made important progress already, and just last night we passed the critical Veterans Choice legislation. That bill, which is now on its way to the President's desk, will allow many veterans to bypass long wait and travel times at VA facilities by accessing private care.
We also confirmed several nominees. We confirmed eight officials who will be critical to advancing administration policy in the Defense Department. It is a good start, but we have other nominees to confirm for many other positions, both security- and nonsecurity-related, across many different agencies and departments. In the national security realm, for instance, we must confirm nominees for the Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, and the intelligence community.
The Senate also came together to confirm a well-qualified judicial nominee for the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, as well as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Christopher A. Wray. The position of FBI Director is one of great importance when it comes to protecting the American people, especially at a time when we face a range of threats both at home and abroad. Wray's impressive credentials, demeanor, and commitment to the rule of law make clear that he is the right person to lead the Bureau in its efforts to keep our communities safe. The work of an FBI Director is difficult, but I am confident that Wray is capable of shouldering this important responsibility and that he will lead the FBI with the strength and professionalism that the position demands.
Our work on nominees continues today. We will, for instance, take a procedural vote on the nomination for the National Labor Relations Board later this morning. But there is more to do. I was pleased to hear the Democratic leader reaffirm his interest in working with us now to clear more nominees before the conclusion of this work period. Many of these nominees have been held up far too long, leaving the administration without a number of key officials at various agencies.
I look forward to our Democratic colleagues working with us to finish up the FDA user fees legislation that I mentioned earlier, as well. Members will continue to work on other issues in the meantime, such as tax reform, which is one of the things the Senate--led by the Finance Committee--will turn its collective attention toward after the State work period.
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