My entire professional life has been dedicated to public service, often in direct promotion of human rights and democracy.

I share the concerns and the objection by the United States to any attempt by the ICC to investigate U.S. personnel.

I agree that the Saudi Government must be held accountable for the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

I would seek to not only continue the great work that the U.S. Government has done.

I am concerned about the shrinking environment for the exercise of freedoms of expression and association online.

I share the administration's serious concerns about the ICC's attempts to exercise jurisdiction over Israeli personnel.

We know that we need to maintain America's leadership in regards to that relationship because Israel has been marginalized in so many places and so many organizations around the world.

We firmly oppose the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel.

Mr. Putin does what he does because he gets a lot of money. Oligarchs support his operations, his corruption.

It is absolutely essential that, as we talk about arms sales that human rights be a component of those discussions.

There is legislation that Senator Wicker and I have put in to make the Global Magnitsky statute a permanent statute.

We have also, with Senator Young, introduced legislation that would provide a clearer direction on dealing with anti-corruption around the globe.

I want to thank both of our distinguished nominees for their service to our country.

I share your concerns about the ongoing violence in Cameroon and the conflict in the Anglophone region.

This committee has for many years been concerned about the opportunities within the State Department for all people, diversity.

I plan to introduce legislation shortly in regards to Magnitsky to deal with the sunset that is provided in the statute currently, to remove that, but also to strengthen some of the areas.

If we do not help these countries address those causes, it is going to be very hard to get at the--at the root of the problem.

I would also urge you to be as aggressive as you can with the budget director as to resources being devoted to democracy.

Will you work with us so that we can have a very strong position in making it clear that every country can do better with fighting corruption, that there are certain standards that need to be met?

With Congress working with the administration we should be able to advance the process.

Corruption exists in every country, but unless you have a plan to deal with corruption, it becomes very corrosive to the underlying fabric of any democratic society.

We have a decline in the number of democratic states in the world.

Human Rights Watch says that the--in its 2021 report that the Trump administration was a disaster for the protection of human rights.

President-elect Biden observed that democracy is under more pressure than any time since the 1930s.

I strongly support our involvement in Central America.