"Turkey's abrupt withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, enshrining commitments to improve the status of women, is deeply concerning."
"I think it really is time for us to take a look at the Foreign Service Act working with the stakeholders to see whether we cannot update those laws."
"we have a responsibility in Congress to figure out a way forward to deal with how we can get our input into having the most efficient effective diplomatic agency as we possibly can."
"It is very interesting that the diplomacy is there to try to prevent conflict as one of its major responsibilities."
"we need... a broader pool that we could utilize to meet our diplomatic missions when we have vacancies for whatever reason."
"We should be bold in re-imagining the State Department, and this should be guided by some very basic foundational questions."
"I agree that when the National Security Council is too big, then they think they have the capacity to actually drive things rather than to coordinate, and that is a problem."
"I want to add one additional point to this diversity of assignments that we have in the State Department."
"I think that a system that puts a priority on personnel category, on tenure rather than merit, is something that seriously needs to be reexamined."
"I think we should be very, very judicious. I do not want to take a blanket rule to it, but I think the special representatives should be the exception."
"Congress should form a bipartisan commission to examine every aspect of American diplomacy."