I would appreciate your reflections on this and what the evidence so far shows because we, of course, in this country have a strong stake in human rights and in supporting democratic governments worldwide.

If you don't tell me how to answer the question, I promise you I won't tell you how to ask it.

I appreciate your service and certainly your appearance before us today.

The Biden administration has announced its determination to not only take the U.S.' seat at the table...

I hope you are right that the diplomatic presence can continue and will be effective and will offer substantial incentives for the maintenance of the gains that the Afghan people have made.

We on this subcommittee learned the hard way in the last Congress how hard it was and how limited our tools were to deal with a summarily--and we thought unconstitutional--cutoff of aid to the West Bank and Gaza and also to the Triangle…

I wonder what lessons we have learned by virtue of these freezes and now the attempt to unfreeze some of these programs.

That is very soon. All right. Well, thank you. So that work did continue.

So that third piece, the one on the Secretary's use of those funds, what is the likely timeframe on that?

Thank you, Madam Chair. And thank you for convening this hearing. Thanks to our witnesses for pretty convincing testimony, I must say, about the challenge we face, and the urgency of that challenge in terms of diversifying our diplomatic…

You plan to start this assistance up again, both restoring some of what was withdrawn earlier, as I take it, and also responding to the needs from the latest conflict.

I welcome your indication of diplomatic vigilance with respect to provocations on either side and, certainly, violence, incitement from the Palestinian side, but also settlement expansion and evictions and demolitions from the Israeli…

Certainly, yes, but we do commend your involvement. And there is a need to stay the course here and figure out ways to tighten the screws, if we possibly can.

I support the sanctions the Biden administration has already imposed on Burmese military officials and businesses.

There is just so much at stake in the faltering and struggling Afghan democracy surviving this period.

I am encouraged by your assurance that the aid that the previous administration stopped is now starting up again, and I encourage you to do that with respect to projects that had been approved and were receiving approval.

Of course, in many ways, governance is basic, basic to everything else.

With respect to Gaza and the West Bank and the deeply destructive policies of the last administration, halting duly appropriated assistance funds to the West Bank and Gaza, closing the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, closing the PLO office in…