Madam President, this week, our Senate will consider the nomination of Samantha Power to serve as our next Ambassador to the United Nations. In fact, I hope we will be taking it up later today. This is a critical position on our President’s national security and foreign policy team, and I believe Ms. Power’s experience, values, and wise approach to foreign policy will make her a terrific Ambassador.
Throughout her career, she’s displayed a passion for human rights and worked tirelessly to prevent atrocities abroad. From her early days as a journalist to her work in the White House, she’s shown a pragmatic idealism and deep and nuanced understanding of the foreign policy and security challenges we face in this country and around the globe.
Ours is a complex time and a complex world. And the fabric of global stability is woven of many threads—of democracy, good governance, economic development, health, education, national security, and of course diplomacy. The global challenges of our generation require leaders, leaders capable of seeing each of these threads and appreciating how they connect and how we can weave them together to make a stronger, more vibrant world.
As the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, I’m excited to work with an Ambassador Power to strengthen our friendships and strategic partnerships on that vital continent
And on Israel, it’s clear she believes in our nation’s unbreakable bond with the Jewish state. She’s shown this in her words and actions—especially when she played an under-reported and underappreciated role defending Israel at the U.N. during the Palestinian statehood vote.
Madam President, in closing, it’s clear that in Samantha Power we have a nominee with a keen intellect and a grasp of the complex foreign policy challenges that we face in the world today. She combines a dedication to American values and principles with a pragmatism that will serve us well at the U.N.
I’m proud to vote for her confirmation and urge my colleagues to do the same.