Senate Rail Strike Debate and Ambassador Nomination, September 14, 2022 — Congressional Record
Summary
Page S4605 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for September 14, 2022, in interleaved columns, from a debate over a possible railroad strike. One senator says that if a bill is brought to the floor he will produce 48 Republican votes, so Democrats need only 12, to keep the American people from a $2 billion-a-day economic impact. He also says railroad workers average 3 weeks of paid leave plus 11 paid vacation days and that PEB recommended 1 additional paid leave day. Another passage recalls an April Armed Services hearing at which the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff described an incredibly dangerous time.
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“Senate Rail Strike Debate and Ambassador Nomination, September 14, 2022 — Congressional Record.”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2022-09-14-crec-2022-09-14-pt1-pgs4605-cd29e77819/
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September 14, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4605
news, the stuff you didn’t hear. Let me But here is the promise I will make So let us be clear. I don’t think any-
do Paul Harvey on Senator SANDERS. to Senator SCHUMER. If he will bring it body wants a strike or wants a lockout.
The railroad workers today get 3 to the floor, I will produce 48 Repub- We hope that a settlement will be
weeks paid leave on average, plus 11 lican votes for it. That means Demo- reached in the next day. But, in my
paid vacation days. PEB made a rec- crats only need to produce 12 people to view, if we are going to reach a settle-
ommendation that they get 1 addi- support it to keep the American people ment, I would hope that the railroads,
tional paid leave day. We will add that from having a $2 billion-a-day eco- which are making huge profits, start
in. That is almost a month of paid nomic impact negatively impacting treating their workers with the respect
leave. Regardless of what you call it, them. It will keep the flow of goods that they deserve.
there is a month there. from the east coast to the west coast, I yield the floor.
You now mentioned this wasn’t as lu- and Amtrak will open up again. Christ- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
crative as Germany and UK. I was mas that comes in from overseas will ator from Mississippi.
home all of August. Nobody was ask- hit L.A., Seattle, everywhere, and it Mr. WICKER. Madam President, I ap-
ing: Geez, can you pass legislation that will make it to its retail location preciate the debate on this. Here is
makes us look more like the UK or where my wife can buy it. You could where we are on this issue. We are
Germany or the rest of Europe? And I probably squeeze 12 Democratic votes going to have a nationwide strike with-
would be willing to bet that 27 paid just out of coastal communities that in a day and a half from now, midnight,
leave days probably is more than some have ports that are going to be the real 12:01 a.m., Friday.
of the European countries. There are two things that could stop
loser in this.
Mr. SANDERS. Would you like to bet Remember, not long ago we had a this. The distinguished majority leader
on that? can bring this PEB recommendation to
port problem. We had ships that were
Mr. BURR. I will turn to you when I the floor, and we will produce the Re-
sitting off L.A. that couldn’t unload,
finish, how about that? I gave you a publican votes to get President Biden’s
and we felt the impact of it. Well, if
gracious amount of time. administration’s recommendation en-
The PEB board determined this was a you thought that was bad, wait until
acted. Send it to the House. The other
good solution. And Senator SANDERS there are no trains because then they
thing that can happen is for President
says he is here looking out for the mid- will be unloading no ships. They are all
Biden to do as I have called on him to
dle class because nobody does that. going to sit off the shore. When they
do just a few moments ago—to make it
Tell me this: How are you looking out back up like that, that backs up fur-
clear that this is, in fact, his rec-
for the middle class when you are risk- ther and further when these goods are
ommendation, his endorsement of the
ing losing $2 billion a day in economic going to come in because once they un- plan that has been put forward by the
activity? Some of those people that load here, they are going to go back Board he appointed; make that clear
you are talking about standing up for, and get more. and exercise the Presidential leader-
if this rail strike continues, they are It also means that what we export in
ship that is needed at this point to per-
going to lose their job because of you. this country, there are no containers
suade his friends and the four holdout
They are going to lose their job be- and no ships coming in to export those
unions that this is what needs to be
cause the President took a position and goods. If you are in agricultural terri-
done.
you didn’t support him. tory at harvest time, this is going to be But that is where we are. If we don’t
I have been amazed with this admin- devastating to you. There are 160 mil- have one of those two actions, then we
istration. I find it pretty difficult sit- lion freight cars of agriculture trans- will have done nothing, and we will see
ting up here taking the President’s po- ported every year, and it happens in a strike and the economic devastation
sition because the CDC today, 78 per- this period. that the distinguished Senator from
cent of the CDC workforce does not So I say to my colleagues, let’s all North Carolina has described. It is real-
show up at the office more than 2 days hope that Senator SCHUMER will bring ly up to the Democratic leader and the
a month. We are in the middle of this up, that he will take Republicans President of the United States.
COVID. We have a monkeypox national up on their position of supporting the I yield the floor.
medical emergency, and 78 percent of President and a solution to this prob- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
CDC employees—Centers for Disease lem, and that all he needs to do is ator from New Hampshire.
Control—do not go to the office in At- produce 12 folks, and at any point, we UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST—EXECUTIVE
lanta. As a matter of fact, by, I think, can pass this legislation. CALENDAR
the New York Times report, even the I yield the floor. Mrs. SHAHEEN. Madam President, I
Secretary doesn’t go into the office. At The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- am very pleased to be on the floor
a time where you ought to have leader- ator from Vermont. today with my colleague Senator
ship, the leadership is gone. Mr. SANDERS. I was not aware Sen- HIRONO to express our strong support
Let’s give the President a little bit of ator BURR was a railroad worker, so let for the nomination of Dr. Geeta Rao
credit. He is showing some leadership. me, just to set the record straight, tell Gupta to be Ambassador at Large for
He realizes this is not good for every you what the railroad workers them- Global Women’s Issues at the Depart-
American. It doesn’t matter whether selves understand the situation is. We ment of State.
you are rich or poor or in the middle. might want to listen to those who live The position that Dr. Gupta has been
Having $2 billion a day of negative eco- the experience. So let me very briefly nominated for leads the Office of Glob-
nomic impact is not good. It will ruin quote you a statement from Jeremy al Women’s Issues, which is charged
people’s lives, just like COVID, just Ferguson, president of SMART Trans- with advancing the rights and em-
like monkeypox has done to some portation Division, and Dennis Pierce, powerment of women and girls around
Americans. president, Brotherhood of Locomotive the world through U.S. foreign policy,
I am not sure how in good conscience Engineers and Trainmen, Teamsters so looking at our foreign policy
you can roll the dice and say: Boy, 24- Rail Conference. through a gender lens that recognizes
percent increase in pay retroactive to This is what they say about their that women are half of the world’s pop-
2020—not 2022, 2020—$1,000 bonus, and 27 working conditions: ulation.
paid leave days per year, somehow we Penalizing engineers and conductors for Not only does the Office of Global
are cheating them. It is beyond me. getting sick or going to a doctor’s visit with Women’s Issues prioritize policies and
But an objection has been heard, and termination must be stopped as part of this programs to advance the status of
now it means this is in Senator SCHU- contract settlement. Let us repeat that, our
members are being terminated for getting
women around the world, it ensures
MER’s hands. He is the majority leader. that U.S. policies incorporate a gender
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sick or for attending routine medical visits
He can bring this legislation up on the as we crawl our way out of a worldwide pan- lens at all levels of policy and decision
floor. All he needs is 60 votes because I demic. No working-class American should be making.
am convinced, after hearing Senator treated with this level of harassment in the The last 21⁄2 years of the COVID–19
SANDERS, he is not going to have an workplace for simply becoming ill or going pandemic have demonstrated why this
epiphany tonight and wake up tomor- to a routine medical visit. office is more important than ever be-
row and say: I was wrong, I am for this. That is from the unions themselves. fore. Around the world over those last
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S4606 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 14, 2022
2 ⁄ years, the gender gap has grown as
12 This is a policy that is important not The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
a result of the pandemic. Girls are only to our foreign policy writ large ator from Hawaii.
dropping out and staying out of school but to our national security. That is Ms. HIRONO. I rise today in support
at a higher rate than boys. The female why we need to fill this position and of Dr. Gita Rao Gupta’s nomination to
labor force participation rate has de- why we urgently need to confirm Dr. serve as Ambassador at Large for Glob-
clined, with women not only holding Gupta. al Women’s Issues, and I am glad to be
less secure jobs but also taking on Dr. Gupta has spent her career in here with my friend from New Hamp-
more unpaid work at home with service to gender equality and women’s shire to argue for her confirmation.
childcare and housing. empowerment. She knows better than As head of the State Department’s
Gender-based violence has increased most the impact that unfair gender Office of Global Women’s Issues, the
to such an extent that UN Women, the norms and inequalities have on women Ambassador at Large leads our diplo-
U.N. body charged with advancing the and the importance of prioritizing matic efforts to promote the rights and
rights of women globally, now warns of women’s leadership. empowerment of women and girls
what they call a ‘‘shadow pandemic’’ of What is so unfortunate is that Dr. around the world. Who can argue with
violence. Gupta is being punished for her per- that kind of a mission?
These are issues of great consequence sonal views on women’s reproductive From supporting women’s economic
to half of the world’s population. They choices. As the result of those personal participation to combating domestic
cannot be an afterthought. Gender eq- views, those groups who oppose wom- and gender-based violence, this work is
uity, equality, and the empowerment en’s reproductive choices are spreading critically important, and Dr. Gupta is
of women and girls must be a focal falsehoods instead of facts. They are well-suited to take on this important
point of U.S. foreign policy, and that is doing that, and unfortunately, too task. Dr. Gupta has spent her life
exactly what the Ambassador at Large many of our colleagues on the other working to empower women across the
is intended to facilitate. side of the aisle have been willing to globe. She has led several nonprofit or-
Unfortunately, this position has been listen to those falsehoods without real- ganizations focused on advancing gen-
unfilled for too long. Over the past 5 ly looking at the facts. This sets a very der equity and has served as cochair of
years, beginning in the Trump adminis- dangerous precedent for all future the World Bank’s Gender-Based Vio-
tration, the position of the Ambassador nominees. lence Task Force.
at Large for Global Women’s Issues has Let me be clear. The Office of Global But for months now, Republicans
been filled for only 1 year, so 20 percent Women’s Issues does not lead on sexual have blocked consideration of her nom-
of the time over the last 5 years. and reproductive health and rights, nor ination. Why? Not because she is un-
During that time, we have endured does it provide information about abor- qualified. Dr. Gupta’s record is impec-
an unprecedented global pandemic. We tion services. cable, and her qualifications are clear.
have ended a 20-year war in Afghani- When former President Trump nomi-
No, Republicans are blocking her nomi-
stan. We have watched as Vladimir nated someone to lead the Office of
nation simply because she supports the
Putin launched an unprovoked attack Global Women’s Issues, I and my pro-
fundamental right of all women to
on Ukraine. We have experienced a sup- choice colleagues in this body didn’t
make decisions about their bodies and
ply chain crisis and suffered a global ask her what her position was on
their futures, including the decision to
food shortage. And in every single one choice because we knew that was not
get an abortion.
of these crises, women have been more the mission of the Office of Global
Apparently, it is no longer enough
acutely affected than men and affected Women’s Issues, and she was con-
for my Republican colleagues to push
in a different way than men. firmed. And I think by all accounts,
During the pandemic, women, who their extreme anti-abortion agenda.
people thought she did a good job in
make up almost 70 percent of the Now that they have overturned Roe v.
the short time that she was there.
healthcare workforce, have been those So why are my Republican colleagues Wade, they are opposing anyone who
who have been on the frontlines of pro- spreading these falsehoods? They have expresses support for abortion access
viding care for the sick and vulnerable. said that Dr. Gupta has advised the even if it is their personal view and not
With the Taliban takeover of Afghan- World Health Organization to support one they are going to be pushing for-
istan, women’s rights have been rolled abortion as a human right. They have ward in the position that we are being
back at an unprecedented rate, and we alleged that Dr. Gupta gave a speech asked to confirm them for.
have seen—90 percent of the households saying that abortion should be an es- Last year, the Republicans did the
in Afghanistan have food insecurity, sential service. They have alleged that same thing to President Biden’s nomi-
and women are experiencing the great- the administration has plans to include nee to be Deputy Administrator of the
est part of that. abortion in the mandate of the Office Small Business Administration, SBA,
Displacement from the war in of Global Women’s Issues. Let me be opposing his nomination because of
Ukraine has left millions of women clear. There is no truth behind those their opposition to SBA’s totally law-
vulnerable to human trafficking, even allegations. ful PPP loans to Planned Parenthood
as Russia continues to shell their If you missed it, let me say it again. clinics providing critical healthcare to
homes and communities. There is no truth behind those allega- communities across the country.
The food insecurity from the supply tions. The Republicans, I have to say, have
chain crisis and global food shortage We cannot let this idea that because been on a tear about ‘‘How dare SBA
has reinforced our understanding of somebody has a personal position on an provide these lawful PPP loans to
what we have seen for too long: that in issue that affects them, that that Planned Parenthood?’’ Apparently, it
times of hunger, it is women who eat means they cannot be considered for a escapes their notice that these are law-
last and who eat the least. position within the government. You ful loans.
Through all of these crises, the Office know, based on that criteria, I So Republicans’ opposition to Dr.
of Global Women’s Issues has been wouldn’t be able to be considered for Gupta’s confirmation is a dangerous
without a leader to spearhead its work any position. position and one that threatens the
to ensure that women’s needs are in- So for the sake of Dr. Gupta’s nomi- health, safety, and prosperity of
corporated in every aspect of the U.S. nation today and for the sake of all of women here in the United States and
response to these crises. Now, why does those qualified women candidates who around the world.
that matter? Well, not only do women are going to come before the Senate in For example, my Republican col-
make up 50 percent of the world’s popu- the future, we can’t let this divisive leagues raised concerns about the state
lation, but what we know is that where move become the status quo. We have of women and girls in Afghanistan, and
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women are empowered, they con- to correct the record. We need to ap- yet in another example of their hypoc-
tribute, give back more to their fami- prove Dr. Gupta, and we need to get the risy, they are opposing a nominee who
lies. They give back more to their com- Office of Global Women’s Issues back would be in a position to actually help
munities. The countries that empower operating at full capacity. support these women.
women are more stable; they are more With that, let me yield to my col- As Ambassador at Large for Global
economically secure. league from Hawaii, Senator HIRONO. Women’s Issues, Dr. Gupta will bring
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September 14, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4607
decades of experience to empower So I think that there is a goal we the line on anti-Russian sanctions. ‘‘It’s the
women, improve their economic secu- share, but there are valid concerns on only G7 country with no U.S. ambassador,’’
rity, and end violence against women our side that the current administra- one American diplomatic insider told me. ‘‘I
know the Italians are unhappy and they
and girls. tion is tainting this worthy goal and should be, given the situation politically and
There is no legitimate reason for dismantling the bipartisan achieve- what’s going on with Russia.’’ Given that
anyone to not support her nomination ments of the previous administration. Russia is rumored to have had a hand in the
to this important role. The chaos and We deserve to have a better under- collapse of Mario Draghi’s sanctions-friendly
fear across the country generated by standing of what this administration is coalition government this summer, the fact
the Supreme Court’s Roe decision is doing before we rush ahead and totally that Washington doesn’t have a representa-
spilling over to block this nomination. bypass the Senate Foreign Relations tive on the ground is more than embar-
I thank Senator SHAHEEN for her rassing. It’s downright negligent.
Committee to confirm the person who Currently, the United States is represented
focus on Dr. Gupta’s nomination and will be the chief implementer of this in Italy by Shawn Crowley, who is the chargé
her dedication to women and girls at administration’s policies. d’affaires. That’s fine, but a chargé doesn’t
home and abroad, and I urge my Re- I am not comfortable giving consent have the same rank and status as an ambas-
publican colleagues to do the right to expedite consideration of this nomi- sador, and receiving countries have all kinds
thing for a change and end their bad nee. of protocols and rules about who can meet
faith obstruction of Dr. Gupta’s nomi- Therefore, I object. with whom. Usually, a chargé has a much
nation. lower ceiling for whom they can meet than
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objec-
I yield back to my colleague from an ambassador; the rank itself can be quite
tion is heard. limiting. ‘‘The Italians,’’ noted the diplo-
New Hampshire. The Senator from New Hampshire.
Mrs. SHAHEEN. Thank you, Senator matic insider, ‘‘are very protocol conscious.’’
Mrs. SHAHEEN. Madam President, I As are the Ukrainians—so much so that, de-
HIRONO, and thank you for your elo- can buy that answer. Senator HAGERTY spite all the aid the U.S. has poured into his
quent remarks about Dr. Gupta’s quali- and I have worked together on the For- country, President Volodymyr Zelensky re-
fications and the importance of having eign Relations Committee. I voted for fused to meet with the American chargé d’af-
someone who has those kinds of quali- faires until a real American ambassador,
you to be an Ambassador. I thought
fications at the Office of Global Wom- Bridget Brink, arrived in Kyiv this May.
you did a good job in that role, and I Why has Biden left the post in Rome un-
en’s Issues.
At this time, I ask unanimous con- think you are doing a good job now. filled for so long? It’s been an open secret in
But the fact is that taking up floor Washington that the president is holding the
sent that notwithstanding rule XXII,
the Senate Foreign Relations Com- time to deal with qualified nominees at spot for Nancy Pelosi, the first Italian-Amer-
mittee be discharged and the Senate a time when we have limited floor ican Speaker of the House and a minor celeb-
time, when we have a position that rity in Italy. The idea, apparently, was to
proceed to the following nomination: give her a nice, cushy retirement gig after
PN1578, Geeta Rao Gupta, to be Ambas- needs to be filled, when we have a mi-
nority position on the Foreign Rela- Republicans take over the House. But why
sador at Large for Global Women’s not nominate someone, like a career foreign
Issues; that the Senate vote on the tions Committee in opposition to au- service officer, to serve in the post, and then
nomination with no intervening action thorizing permanently the Office of shoo them out once Pelosi ripens to the idea?
or debate; that the motion to recon- Global Women’s Issues tells me it is All ambassadors, after all, serve at the pleas-
sider be considered made and laid upon something more than that, and I think ure of the president. I asked spokespeople at
the table; that no further motions be in Dr. Gupta’s stalled nomination is em- both the State Department and the White
blematic of the intransigence on con- House about this, but they wouldn’t—and
order to the nomination; and that any couldn’t—explain to me, even off the record,
related statements be printed in the firming President Biden’s nominees for
the Department of State. what the hell is going on there, not even
RECORD. after Fox News published its own story about
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there That obstructionism is undermining
the Pelosi rumors on Tuesday.
objection? our diplomatic efforts. It is demor- Pelosi’s people, meanwhile, offered a famil-
Mr. HAGERTY. Reserving the right alizing to employees at the Depart- iar line: Why would Pelosi go get another job
to object. ment of State who have dedicated their when she could just retire to Napa, and play
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- lives to U.S. foreign policy, and I know with her grandkids? ‘‘Fox is just trying to
ator from Tennessee. you understand that because you head- start shit,’’ one source close to the speaker
ed an Embassy. You know how critical told me. ‘‘There are no conversations with
Mr. HAGERTY. Dr. Gupta received a
the White House. And I’ve just heard [Pelosi]
tie vote in the Senate Foreign Rela- our employees are who manage our for-
say ‘S.F. is heaven on earth’ one too many
tions Committee. There is a Senate eign policy. times to believe that she would realistically
process that has been agreed to by both Eric Rubin, a former Ambassador to want to spend her post-Speaker life any-
parties by which the leader can dis- Bulgaria, recently spelled out what where but home with family.’’ Which is also
charge a nomination with a tie vote this means for U.S. diplomacy and na- the exact kind of thing you might say before
from this committee to bring it before tional security, and this is the concern you take a job like that.
the full Senate, if he so chooses. that we all ought to have. The Italian imbroglio is just the tip of the
Madam President, I ask unanimous diplomatic iceberg. Over a year and a half
I am saying this as a person who has
into Biden’s administration, more than 20
been put through 30 hours of cloture consent to have printed in the RECORD percent of American ambassadorships re-
himself when I served in the executive this article from Puck News. main unfilled. Nearly 40 of them have a
branch and went through this very There being no objection, the mate- nominee that is pending confirmation, in-
process. rial was ordered to be printed in the cluding for strategically vital posts, like the
We should not break from Senate RECORD, as follows: Czech Republic, Latvia, and the Nether-
process and procedure with regard to [Sept. 6, 2022] lands—all crucial allies in holding the line
Dr. Gupta’s nomination. Members against Russia on Ukraine. There is no
WASHINGTON’S NEW CRISIS OF DIPLOMACY
should have the opportunity to vote, American ambassador in Saudi Arabia, a
(By Julia Ioffe) fraught but important ally, and there hasn’t
and the majority leader can schedule As of this writing, it has been 593 days been one since Biden’s inauguration. India,
it. since an American ambassador has inhabited the world’s largest democracy, hasn’t had an
Additionally, I think the vast major- the Villa Taverna, their official residence in American ambassador since then either. The
ity of Senators from both sides value Rome. Ever since the financier and Repub- current nominee, L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti,
the economic empowerment of women lican donor Lewis Eisenberg moved out at has been in confirmation purgatory for more
everywhere around the globe. The pre- the end of Donald Trump’s administration on than a year, held up over allegations that he
vious administration made economic January 21, 2021, no one has replaced him. knew about his chief of staff’s alleged sexual
empowerment for women worldwide President Joe Biden never nominated any- predations. In limbo, too, is the nomination
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
one, which raised eyebrows both in American for the ambassador to the U.N.’s Conference
one of its signature initiatives.
foreign policy circles and in Italy. The Ro- on Disarmament. Apparently, the U.S. Sen-
I served as a diplomat at that time in
mans I’ve spoken to are furious and see it as ate does not consider nuclear disarmament a
the previous administration, and the a sign of unprecedented disrespect, espe- pressing matter.
senior Senator from New Hampshire cially at a time when Washington is asking Fifteen more posts are completely vacant,
was a valuable partner in many of our its European allies—including countries de- with no nominee anywhere in sight. The
efforts, which I very much appreciate. pendent on Russian gas, like Italy—to hold abandonment of some places, like Cuba and
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S4608 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 14, 2022
Afghanistan, make some sense. Other places, fact, that they regularly inhibit the func- be advanced as a block of nominees and
like Ethiopia, or Estonia, which is a crucial tioning of the Committee. Said one Senate voted through as a block, and people would
NATO ally, do not. ‘‘There is no reasonable staffer familiar with the workings of the only get singled out if they had truly bun-
explanation for why more than 20 percent of Committee, ‘‘It’s an open secret that the gled their meetings with senators. The feel-
our ambassadorships overseas remain un- challenges in their working relationship ing at the time was that the President of the
filled,’’ said Eric Rubin, president of the often impedes us from working together con- United States deserved to pick his ambas-
American Foreign Service Association, structively on foreign policy and national se- sadors just as he deserved to pick his cabinet
which tracks such things. ‘‘This is not a curity issues.’’ secretaries and the Senate was there only to
world in which we can coast and assume that But there are other issues for ambassa- weed out the truly rotten apples.
the rest of the world will wait for us to sort dorial nominees to navigate inside the Com- No more. If a nominee even makes it out of
out our parochial difficulties. No other coun- mittee, especially if they’re female. There is committee for a floor vote, they are voted on
try leaves key diplomatic posts vacant so only one woman senator on the committee, individually, it takes several hours, and any
frequently and for so long.’’ New Hampshire’s Jeanne Shaheen, and so senator can use the opportunity of their
The problem, though, is that there is an ex- the women Biden has nominated often run nomination to extract something from the
planation. In fact, there are several. It began up against the proclivities of the old men of administration. Some, like Hawley, have
with Trump gutting the State Department the Senate, especially of the Republican per- asked for the resignation of cabinet secre-
and the career foreign service. The people he suasion. ‘‘There is certainly a layer of un- taries. Others have asked for small, stupid
had nominated to represent the United conscious bias that is holding back a number things like, for example, a visa for a friend in
States were comically unqualified if not out- of women, that isn’t there for the male exchange for waving a nomination through.
right problematic. Once Biden came in, nominees,’’ said the Senate staffer. This in- That is to be expected of Republicans who
Washington expected him to right the ship. cludes ‘‘spouses saying things about Trump’’ will do whatever they can to impede Biden’s
He had been, after all, an old member of the or ‘‘the way in which women talk and rep- agenda, but even some Democrats have
Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a resent themselves, where Republicans have caught on to the game. They have also
vice president that had handled some of the been viscerally opposed to just how the learned that they can use any nomination to
most complex foreign policy matters under women communicate.’’ According to two extract some choice morsel from the admin-
President Barack Obama. He boasted about sources, Sarah Margon, who had run the istration, whether it’s a pet issue or some-
his foreign policy chops as well as the coterie Washington office of Human Rights Watch thing they can flaunt to constituents back
of smart, experienced advisors he was bring- and was nominated to lead the State Depart- home.
ing in with him: the best and the brightest. ment’s Office of Democracy, Human Rights, As a result, every single State Department
And yet, here we are, more than a year and and Labor, ran into trouble when she met confirmation hearing, ambassadorial or oth-
a half later, and one-fifth of the president’s with Senator Risch, who pressed her repeat- erwise, now resembles a hostage negotiation.
ambassadors remain unconfirmed or even edly on her position on the BDS movement. ‘‘This is not how the system is supposed to
unnominated. The first problem for Biden She opposed it, she said repeatedly. After- work,’’ said one insider the process. ‘‘You’re
was the Presidential Personnel Office, which, wards, Risch told colleagues he didn’t like not supposed to negotiate for individual un-
in true Democratic fashion, decided that if Margon’s tone. (A committee spokesperson related reasons. But people have started
the previous administration was going to contended that, ‘‘The issue was not and has treating this as normal. I think nominations
nominate people with criminal records or on- never been her ‘tone,’ it was her answers to will look like this forever from now on.’’
going lawsuits for ambassadorships, they the questions themselves.’’ The spokesperson Because of this, and because there are only
were going to do things with extra diligence. did not, however, explain what was wrong four working weeks left on the Senate cal-
Chief of staff Ron Klain also decided he had with the answers.) endar before the midterms, Majority Leader
to vet every single nominee, too, slowing the Other women have been pressed by Com- Chuck Schumer has made it crystal clear to
process even further. Meanwhile, over in mittee Republicans on their stances on abor- his conference that ambassadorial nominees
Foggy Bottom, the State Department de- tion, even if the position they are nominated are now at the very back of the line. Why
cided that its people also had to be extra vet- for has nothing to do with women’s health, spend hours on the ambassador to Azerbaijan
ted by diplomatic security, because everyone let alone abortion. This happened, for exam- when you can ram through another lifetime
now had a digital footprint and social media ple, with Dr. Geeta Gupta, who was nomi- judicial appointment to balance out the
presence. nated to be the Ambassador to the Office of work done by Mitch McConnell when he had
Then, last July, Texas Senator Ted Cruz Global Women’s Issues. The post, and the of- the majority? ‘‘You only have a certain num-
took it upon himself to wage a one-man cam- fice, deals with women’s security and eco- ber of hours a week,’’ one Senate aide famil-
paign to kill the Nord Stream II project by nomic empowerment, and has nothing to do iar with the process told me. ‘‘The more
putting a blanket hold on all the Biden ad- with women’s health, let alone reproductive we’re spending it on ambassadorial nomina-
ministration’s State Department nominees rights. Yet Gupta was held up by Repub- tions, the less we’re spending it on judges.’’
unless the White House got the German gov- licans on the Foreign Relations Committee Added a Senate Democratic staffer, ‘‘It has
ernment to kill its pipeline. Since the Biden over her alleged support of abortion, sending been made clear that, through the midterms,
administration was not about to do so, this Shaheen into a righteous fury. ‘‘Republican the floor will be tied up with judicial nomi-
created a massive backlog—and that was be- grandstanding that held Geeta Gupta’s nomi- nees.’’
fore Missouri’s Josh Hawley instituted his nation from advancing in the Senate Foreign After the midterms, whether the Demo-
own blanket hold, in September 2021, on Relations Committee in July is a pivotal ex- crats hold the Senate or not, it will be a new,
State and Defense Department nominees un- ample of this gross display of partisan poli- 118th Congress and that means all the am-
less Secretary of State Antony Blinken, De- tics,’’ Shaheen said in an email. ‘‘Repub- bassadorial nominations now floundering in
fense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and National licans prevented her nomination from pro- senatorial purgatory will have to be resub-
Security Advisor Jake Sullivan resigned for, ceeding to fill the urgently needed role as mitted, and the process will begin again,
in his view, bungling the withdrawal from Ambassador at Large for Global Women’s from scratch.
Afghanistan. Issues because of their obsession over wom- Both the White House and State, in their
Needless to say that never happened. By en’s health and access to abortion—neither official statements to me, emphasized the
the time these holds were lifted early this of which are under the jurisdiction of this number of ambassadors they were able to
year, the backlog had grown massive. And role. Senate Republicans are putting our se- confirm, despite the unprecedented obstruc-
time on the floor of the Senate of the 117th curity in danger and our credibility on the tion they’re facing in the Senate. Things are
Congress, which will gavel out on January 3, world stage at risk—it needs to end now.’’ actually going pretty well, they say, all
2023, had grown ever more precious. The guiding assumption seems to be that if things considered. But privately, the tone is
But before that, let’s pause to talk about they are women and Democrats, then they very different. People worry about recruiting
how ambassadorial nominees get to the floor are automatically rabid abortionists and will and retention. Who in their right mind would
of the Senate for a vote. use whatever diplomatic role to advocate for want to go through a process like this? Oth-
First, they have to be approved by the Sen- it, from Kyiv to Kinshasa. ‘‘Women nominees ers worry about the irreparable harm this is
ate Foreign Relations Committee, which is tend to face more rigor from Senate Repub- doing to our relationships with allies and ad-
currently headed by New Jersey’s Bob licans and are frequently questioned about versaries abroad, especially after the calam-
Menendez, a Democrat, and Idaho’s Jim extraneous issues like their views on abor- ity that was the Trump presidency.
Risch, a Republican. Both men are steeped in tion,’’ another Senate Democratic aide told ‘‘It’s baffling to our foreign interlocutors
foreign affairs and appear to all outside ob- me. ‘‘Some of this happens in public during because they don’t have these confirmation
servers as serious thinkers about world hearings, but the majority of times it takes processes, and our inability to field ambas-
events. But according to people who have place behind closed doors when there are no sadors when there are so many crises around
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
regular dealings with the Foreign Relations cameras around to catch a senator and his the world is unbelievable to them,’’ one
Committee, they have a relationship that is staff go after women over issues well beyond former State Department official told me.
closer to something out of Mean Girls. They the scope of the position for which they were ‘‘It’s also having a huge impact at State on
are, as one source familiar with the com- nominated.’’ morale and retention. I think because there’s
mittee described them to me, ‘‘like oil and Once upon a time, ambassadorial nominees so much uncertainty over how long it takes
water.’’ They have been known to be so could count on cruising through the Senate to get confirmed, the currency of an ambas-
laser-focused on messing with each other, in on a vote of unanimous consent. They would sadorship is being devalued. You have people
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September 14, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4609
waiting for a year or more to get confirmed. NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT General Milley, said that the invasion
People have quit jobs for these posts. Others Mr. SULLIVAN. Madam President, was ‘‘the greatest threat to the peace
are waiting inside State, stuck in limbo for- my colleague from Tennessee was just and security of Europe and perhaps the
ever. I heard of someone who considered re-
talking about priorities of this admin- world in any of my time of 42 years in
tiring while waiting to be confirmed.’’
Eric Rubin, himself a former ambassador istration and this Senate, and I want to uniform.’’
to Bulgaria and deputy chief of mission in continue on that area of focus, relating So this is the Chairman of the Joint
Russia, is worried about what message this to what many of us believe is probably Chiefs of Staff saying we are likely see-
is sending to the two countries most eager to the most important priority we have in ing one of the most dangerous periods
weaken and replace America on the world the U.S. Senate, and that is defending anywhere in the world in terms of na-
stage: Russia and China. ‘‘The U.S. no longer our Nation. tional security in the last four decades.
has the largest diplomatic service, China That was testimony from the Presi-
Budgets are a reflection of an admin-
does,’’ Rubin told me. ‘‘The U.S. no longer
istration’s values and an administra- dent’s own Chairman of the Joint
has the most embassies and consulates
abroad, China does. We have to stop tying tion’s priorities. And as I mentioned, Chiefs of Staff.
one hand behind our backs in our efforts to many of us—and I believe on both sides That is Russia. And, of course, their
represent our country and advance its secu- of the aisle—see that the No. 1 priority ally China is also taking incredibly ag-
rity and prosperity.’’ we should have in the U.S. Senate is gressive actions all around the world.
Or, in the words of the diplomatic insider, making sure we are a strong nation, to They are beginning to outcompete our
‘‘It’s malpractice.’’ defend this great country of ours and country on many fronts—critical min-
Mrs. SHAHEEN. Ambassador Rubin to make sure we have the most lethal, erals, energy, technology.
put it very starkly. He said: well-trained military anywhere in the Certainly, Xi Jinping, the dictator of
The U.S. no longer has the largest diplo- world, and that we take care of our Beijing, has increased China’s aggres-
matic service. China does. troops and their families. sion all around the world—in India,
He concluded by saying: But this is not what this administra- threatening to invade Taiwan, eco-
We have to stop tying one hand behind our tion—the Biden administration—be- nomic aggression toward Australia,
backs in our efforts to represent our country lieves at all. In fact, President Biden’s snuffing out liberty in Hong Kong.
and advance its security and prosperity. budgets clearly not only do not What else has China done? It is dra-
It’s malpractice. matically increasing its defense spend-
prioritize our military; they put them
It is malpractice. consistently last. And that is not a ing—more than 7 percent this year—in-
The fact that too many people in this creasing a navy that is almost becom-
one-time thing. This is a pattern with
Chamber are dragging their feet on al- ing larger than ours.
this administration.
lowing Ambassadors to be confirmed, This is how General Milley, again,
Here was the President’s proposed
on allowing diplomats with the Depart- put it in a hearing last April:
budget last year. Take a look at it. We
ment of State to be confirmed, on al- We are now facing two global powers,
all know it was trillions and trillions.
lowing other high level people through- China and Russia, each with significant mili-
Department of Commerce, 28 percent
out government to be confirmed be- tary capabilities, both of whom intend to
increase. EPA, 21 percent. Interior, 16
cause, only, of their opposition to the fundamentally change the current rules-
percent—on and on. There are double- based global order. We are entering a world
Biden administration is just untenable,
digit increases everywhere except—ex- that is becoming more unstable and the po-
and it is against our national security.
So I think it is time now for the Sen- cept—in the two Agencies that actu- tential for significant international conflict
ate to do its job to confirm Dr. Gupta. ally protect the Nation: the Depart- between great powers is increasing, not de-
ment of Defense and the Department of creasing.
So let’s move forward. Let’s get our
foreign policy with respect to gender Homeland Security. So that is the Chairman of the Joint
Last year, the Biden budget put for- Chiefs of Staff, again.
throughout the world back on track.
I yield the floor. ward a budget that, if it was adjusted Now, what do you think the Presi-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- for inflation, was almost a 3-percent dent did, seeing we had this incredibly
ator from Tennessee. cut to the Department of Defense. dangerous period internationally, with
Mr. HAGERTY. Madam President, I Priorities matter. This administra- his next budget? Last year, as I men-
have great respect for my colleague tion has not prioritized our military at tioned, he cut the Pentagon defense
from New Hampshire. I worked very all. budget by almost 3 percent and dead
hard on the WGDP initiative that was Guess who was really pleased by that last with Homeland Security in terms
put in place by the previous adminis- budget, by the way? The dictator in of Agencies.
tration. It has the potential to do so Beijing and the dictator in Moscow. No So did he listen to his Chairman?
much good. doubt when they saw that, they loved Does he really think it is that dan-
I am very concerned about elements it. gerous? Let’s see.
of that being dismantled right now, Thankfully, the Armed Services This is this year’s defense budget and
and I would like to remind my col- Committee, on which I sit, said: Do you other priorities from this administra-
leagues on the other side of the aisle know what, Mr. President? With all tion’s multitrillion dollar budget, and,
that this is a matter of priorities. due respect, this is nuts. We are not once again, you see the EPA coming in
Again, I will reiterate that I was put going to stand for this. at a 24-percent increase. Commerce,
through 30 hours of cloture. The rules We put forward in the National De- HHS, and Labor are all double-digit—
have been improved since then to re- fense Authorization Act last year a 3- Interior, DOJ.
duce that amount of time. I think it percent real increase to the Depart- What about the Department of De-
would be a total of 4 hours in this case, ment of Defense budget. It was very bi- fense? It is a 4-percent increase with al-
yet the priorities set by the leadership partisan in the committee, a complete most 9-percent inflation. We are talk-
of the other side indicate that they rebuke to the President of the United ing close to a 5-percent real cut to the
don’t care as much about these posi- States, saying: We don’t believe in Department of Defense. This is out-
tions because they won’t even schedule cuts. We are going to increase. The ap- rageous.
it. propriators, thankfully, did the same. Last year, the President put forward
It is certainly within the Senate ma- So that was the Biden administra- almost a 4-percent cut to defense
jority leader’s power to do that. Rath- tion’s prioritization of our military spending. In the interim period, we had
er, the Senate majority leader would last year. one of the most dangerous wars that
rather prioritize seating the Postal Now, what happened between last has happened—certainly in Europe and
Board of Governors than putting Am- year and this year, when the most re- maybe in the world—in a generation.
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
bassadors into place. cent budget came out? Well, I think a The President’s own Secretary of De-
So I have difficulty with this argu- lot of us know, but I am going to talk fense and the Chairman of the Joint
ment, and, with all due respect, my ob- a little bit about it. Chiefs of Staff come before the Senate
jection stands. Russia invaded Ukraine, and at an Armed Services Committee and say it
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- April Armed Services hearing, the is an incredibly dangerous time—a pe-
ator from Alaska. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, riod, maybe, in almost 50 years in
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