Political Quotes

“I come to the floor in favor of the confirmation of Tony Blinken, who is no stranger to this institution and no stranger to the most significant national security issues this Nation has faced in a generation. As the former staff director of the Foreign Relations Committee and a close confidant of then-Chairman Biden and now a member of the President's national security team, he has earned a reputation as hard- working, studious, and keenly analytical. He comes from a family of diplomats and has lived his life in and around the Foreign Service. His nomination as Deputy Secretary of State comes at a time when the United States is facing a range of critical challenges, from Ebola in west Africa, to Russian aggression in Ukraine, to the challenge of countering ISIL in Syria and Iraq, to Iran's continued request for a nuclear weapons program. At the same time, we are forging new global alliances and partnerships with India, in the Middle East and Asia, and looking for opportunities to expand American exports and business opportunities. There will be no shortage of critical issues he will face. Foremost on our national security agenda is countering the barbarity of ISIL, whose terrorist ambitions threaten our national security as well as the stability of an entire region. We also face a continued crisis in Ukraine, where the cease-fire has collapsed and Russian tanks, troops, and weapons continue cross-border incursions into eastern Ukraine.…”