WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement Monday after the Senate confirmed Gayle Smith as Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development:

“I am pleased the Senate finally confirmed Gayle Smith to lead the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).  Gayle is a champion of sustainable development who has served on the National Security Council, led non-governmental organizations, and reported on crises around the world as a journalist.  At a time when the world is experiencing the worst humanitarian crisis since the Second World War, Gayle should have been confirmed months ago.  I look forward to working with her and USAID as she coordinates the U.S. response to the refugee crisis and other hotspots around the world.

“Despite the confirmation of Gayle Smith, the Senate has much more work to do when it comes to national security nominations.  We should act now to confirm the other foreign policy and national security nominees whose confirmations have been held by my colleagues for petty political reasons.   When a President of either political party submits a highly qualified candidate who is of good character and sound mind, absent exceptional circumstances, that nominee should be entitled to an up or down vote.

“Candidates like Tom Shannon, nominee to serve as Under Secretary for Political Affairs at the State Department, and Adam Szubin, nominee for Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes at the Treasury Department, are proven,  talented policymakers who should be confirmed and whose leadership would help advance our national interests, build peace and stability, and protect our homeland.

“The current global environment is complex, interconnected, and unstable.  If the United States is to continue to lead the international response to terrorism  and the many other national security challenges facing us today, we should confirm well qualified nominees promptly.  Preventing our country from having the highest quality representatives serving overseas does not make sense, and these confirmation processes are not the place to wage political battles or settle scores.  Many of these nominees are apolitical, career Senior Foreign Service officers or civil servants who have served exceptionally and largely anonymously.  We should honor their service by confirming them without further delay.”

Foreign Policy and National Security Nominees Waiting for Senate Confirmation 

  • Cassandra Butts, U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas, U.S. Department of State
  • Brad R. Carson, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, U.S. Department of Defense
  • Lisa S. Disbrow, Under Secretary, U.S. Air Force
  • Brian Egan, Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State
  • John Estrada, U.S. Ambassador to Trinidad & Tobago, U.S. Department of State
  • Linda I. Etim, Assistant Administrator, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
  • Eric K. Fanning, Secretary, U.S. Army
  • Todd Fisher, Board of Directors, Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)
  • Samuel Hein, U.S. Ambassador to Norway, U.S. Department of State
  • Roberta Jacobson, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, U.S. Department of State
  • Marcel Lettre, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, U.S. Department of Defense
  • Tom Melia, Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
  • John Morton, Executive Vice President, Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)
  • Patrick J. Murphy, Under Secretary, U.S. Army
  • Deven Parekh, Board of Directors, Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)
  • Azita Raji, U.S. Ambassador to Sweden, U.S. Department of State
  • David Robinson, Assistant Secretary for Crisis and Stabilization Operations, U.S. Department of State
  • Sunil Sabaharwal, Alternative Executive Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
  • Tom Shannon, Under Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State
  • Elissa Slotkin, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, U.S. Department of Defense
  • Adam Szubin, Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes, U.S. Department of the Treasury
  • Kenneth Ward, U.S. Representative, Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons 

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