Young Oak Kim: “I am proud to stand in support of H.R. 1157, the Department of State Authorization Act of 2021. I want to thank Chair…”

“I am proud to stand in support of H.R. 1157, the Department of State Authorization Act of 2021. I want to thank Chair Meeks and Ranking Member McCaul for their efforts to reform the State Department, including offering improved job and skills training opportunities for foreign service officers. I am honored to have two amendments included in this bill, the first of which I introduced separately as H.R. 1244. Today many foreign service officers and State Department staff spend an outsized amount of their time complying with duplicative and outdated reporting requirements mandated by Congress. H.R. 1244 repeals those requirements to streamline the flow of information from State Department to Congress and allow our foreign service officers to spend more time working toward accomplishing America's foreign affairs objectives. I want to thank Mr. Connolly for also working with me on this initiative, and I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1157.”