Political Quotes

“I am going to be honest here. This isn't really about Mr. Martinez, his experience, his views. It is just another thinly veiled attempt to block another of the President's nominees and to do so at a time in which China is eating our lunch. So the next time one of my colleagues gets up and talks about China, I am going to remind them of the position that they have taken to block one of the critical nominees who could help us meet that challenge in the Western Hemisphere. Mr. President, let me turn to another nominee who has been pending before the Senate, who did pass the committee, by the way, favorably-- not on a tie vote but favorably. I am going to, in a moment, ask unanimous consent to confirm Dr. Monde Muyangwa to serve as Assistant Administrator for USAID's Africa Bureau. This body should confirm her without delay. The promotion of democracy, a key goal for USAID, is threatened throughout Africa. In just the past 2 years, there have been coups in Sudan, Chad, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and two in Mali. Authoritarians across Africa have new tactics to subvert democratic movements. They have modern tools to silence dissenting voices. They deploy disinformation campaigns and sophisticated surveillance technology coming from China to stay in power. And from Mali to the Central African Republic, dictators are turning to Russian mercenaries for support.…”