The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“NOMINATIONS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S298-S299 on Jan. 28, 2016.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
NOMINATIONS
Mr. REID. Mr. President, the President of the United States deserves the right to choose a team to carry out the work that is being done here, and the leader of that work to be done here is the President. It was the same way with President Bush, President Reagan, and President Clinton. They deserved a team--a team they chose--to help effectuate policies they saw as necessary for this country. The President of the United States deserves the right to choose a team to carry out his vision here at home and around the world--his vision. I am not alone in that belief. My friend, the senior Senator from Arizona, Mr. McCain, said: ``The President, in my view, has a clear right to put into place the team he believes will serve him best.''
Sadly, since President Obama was elected, Republicans have stopped at nothing to undermine the President's team--seeking to prevent progress by denying him the personnel he wants to carry out his agenda. Despite record obstruction, President Obama has achieved remarkable progress. I talked about some of that just a minute ago. Imagine what President Obama could have accomplished if Republicans took their constitutional duties seriously.
Regrettably, during the Obama Presidency, Republicans have done everything within their power to block, obstruct, stonewall, hinder qualified public servants from serving. In the first year of Republican control, the Senate confirmed the fewest nominations of any first session in memory. This blatant strategy of obstruction is shameful and dangerous to our economy and the national security of our country.
Headlines around the world remind us each day of the turmoil that exists in the global financial market and terrorism that threatens the world. Today we learned of multiple bombings yesterday and last night in Nigeria--lots of people killed. We can only wait and see where else that turmoil will arise.
Most Americans agree that we need a full complement of appointees to address the challenges we face. Republicans are preventing our government from doing its job at home and around the world.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the Senate banking committee has reported out at least one nomination every year for the past 50 years, but not last year--last year, not a single nominee. Currently, nominees to the Federal Reserve Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and other important financial assignments are stalled in the banking committee. The committee has been operating under Republican leadership for the past 13 months, and they have yet to report a single nomination out of that committee. That is the definition of historic obstruction.
If there is any nominee who deserves to be confirmed immediately, it is a man by the name of Adam Szubin, whom the President nominated to combat terrorism financing--think about that--terrorism financing. He is desperately needed at the Treasury Department. Jack Lew has called me on many occasions talking about how this man needs to fill this assignment. He has expressed to me the importance of his job in trying to slow ISIS and their financial network and other terrorism activities around the country. As Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes, Szubin would lead a team that disrupts terrorist financing networks, cutting off money for terrorists so they can't finance their evil deeds. He has served as a career civil servant under both Republican and Democratic Presidents.
Despite the importance of his work, Republicans are preventing a vote in the banking committee and thus preventing Adam Szubin from having a vote here on the Senate floor. He is currently acting--he is certainly acting in a role that is not permanent, which is why they call him an acting member of the Treasury Department. He lacks the stature that his counterparts have around the world. So he is not able to do all that should be done to disrupt terrorist financial networks throughout the world.
In a September hearing on his nomination, the chairman of the banking committee, the senior Senator from Alabama said: ``Mr. Szubin is eminently qualified for this [position].''
Eminently qualified, not reported out of the banking committee, no vote here on the Senate floor--why are we holding up this critical nomination? We all know why. Powerful rightwing groups have announced that they are scoring votes on Presidential nominations. In fact, Heritage Action, which is a front group for the tea party and the Koch brothers, said the Senate should only confirm nominees they deem worthwhile--they deem, not Senators but this rightwing cabal. This comes at the expense of the American people and our national security.
If the Republican leadership follows this weird plan, scores of Ambassadors charged with representing our interests around the world could be prevented from service. They have been prevented from service.
We have several credible nominees currently awaiting floor votes. Ms. Azita Raji, who has been nominated to represent America in Sweden, is an accomplished businesswoman who has lived and worked in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. There has been more than 300 Swedish citizens who have left Sweden to fight with ISIS in either Syria or Iraq, making this nation the second largest country of origin per capita for foreign fighters coming from Europe to the Middle East. We need to get this done. It is not right for America to not be able to deal, on a daily basis, with the authority to help Sweden with their issues. The Swedish Government is on heightened alert for an attack. Yet we don't have a Senate-confirmed ambassador to represent us in Stockholm. She was first nominated to be Ambassador in October 2014. We are now in 2016. We don't have an ambassador to Sweden.
We don't have an ambassador to Norway, and it has been that way for more than 2 years. President Obama nominated a person by the name of Samuel Heins, an accomplished lawyer and humanitarian from Minnesota. His nomination is not controversial. It is only controversial, I guess, to the Koch brothers, the tea party, and Heritage Action. He should be confirmed without delay, but it has been 2 years.
Other State Department nominations have been blocked for partisan reasons by the junior Senator from Texas. Tom Shannon has been nominated to be Under Secretary of State. We don't have an ambassador to Mexico. Tom Shannon has been nominated to the fourth highest ranking position in the State Department. He would like to be serving. He would serve as the day-to-day manager of overall regional and bilateral policy issues and oversee State Department bureaus around the world. He is a career Foreign Service officer, having served under Presidents of both parties. If he is confirmed, he would be the highest ranking career diplomat in the State Department.
John Kerry called me saying: How can I continue this job I have? I don't have people to do the work. He doesn't even have a lawyer. The State Department doesn't have a lawyer. We have tried to confirm Brian Egan starting back in September 2014, but he has been held up for months and months.
Do you know what this is about? Clinton's emails--Secretary Clinton's emails. If the senior Senator from Iowa is interested in getting answers to his countless letters to the State Department, wouldn't a Senate-confirmed legal advisor be of some help?
Eric Fanning, the President's nominee to be the next Secretary of the Army, is being blocked by the senior Senator from Kansas, even though the senior Senator from Kansas, Mr. Roberts, said: ``I think
[Fanning's] a pretty good nominee.'' In spite of that, there is no vote on his nomination. The Army needs Mr. Fanning's leadership and responsibility for over a $200 billion budget for more than 1 million servicemembers. Right now they are making due at the Pentagon, but we should have a Secretary of the Army.
Unless Republicans change course, these important vacancies will go unfilled for the rest of the Obama administration, and our diplomacy and relationships around the world will continue to suffer because of what is going on here. I do not understand what my Republican colleagues are doing. If Republicans had their way, they would stop confirming officials at just about every key agency.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the Senate has confirmed an average of 351 nominations during the first session of the Congress. Last year the Senate didn't even get to half of what it normally does. The Republicans should get to work and schedule votes on the President's nominees.
Valid concerns about the qualifications of these nominees should be brought forth. We haven't heard any, but denying a vote for partisan gain does nothing to strengthen America at home or around the world. The American people deserve better.
This Senator says America is less safe because of what is going on with the Republicans in the Senate. We are not as secure as we should be. We have vacancies for Ambassadors all over the world that are not being filled. People within the State Department, the Treasury Department whose job is to deal with terrorism are being blocked. For the first time in 50 years we don't have anyone reported out of the banking committee. America is less safe because of what Republicans are doing to our country.
I yield the floor, Mr. President.
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