Dear Mr. President.
We are deeply concerned by your failure, more than two years into your term, to name and have confirmed an Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs at the Department of State. The absence of a confirmed official to lead the Department’s efforts at advancing some of American’s most important relationships, including with India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, has had a demonstrably negative impact on U.S. interests and regional stability in South Asia.
The State Department’s lack of senior-level involvement on a variety of matters related to South Asia has been deeply disturbing. From the failure of the Department’s senior officials to engage directly with Sri Lankan government officials during the country’s October-December 2018 constitutional crisis, to the Department’s failure to form a coherent India policy, to the mishandling of the U.S.-Afghanistan relationship in the midst of seeking a peace deal with the Taliban, it is clear that American leadership -- when it is needed most -- is missing in action. We believe that these failures are at least in part the result of not having a confirmed Assistant Secretary.
We laud the performance of acting officials and career personnel at the State Department who have covered South Asia while there has been no Senate-approved leadership of the Bureau. However, while acceptable for relatively brief periods of time, having no Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian more than two years into your term is not acceptable.
We understand that candidates with deep South Asia experience in and outside of the State Department have been considered for the Assistant Secretary position, so it is difficult to understand why it remains unfilled. We strongly urge you to nominate a qualified individual to fill this critical Assistant Secretary position as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
ELIOT L. ENGEL
Chairman
House Foreign Affairs Committee
BRAD SHERMAN
Chairman
House Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation
DINA TITUS
Member
House Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation
CHRISSY HOULAHAN
Member
House Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation
GERALD E. CONNOLLY
Member
House Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation
AMI BERA
Member
House Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation
ANDY LEVIN
Member
House Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation
ABIGAIL SPANBERGER
Member
House Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation.
