Political Quotes

“I rise to express my support for a number of foreign affairs nominations that should receive not just cloture votes today but should receive votes on their nomination. It is a long list, including Dr. Atul Gawande to be the Assistant Administrator for the Bureau of Global Health at the U.S. Agency for International Development; Mark Gitenstein to be the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union; Julissa Reynoso Pantaleon to be the Ambassador to Spain; Rahm Emanuel to be the Ambassador to Japan; Governor Jack Markell to be the U.S. Representative to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; Marcela Escobari to be Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean at USAID; and Marc Knapper to be the Ambassador to Vietnam. Just think about it. Think about these assignments. Think about these assignments and what they mean to the United States. These are quality nominees, people who will represent the United States at home and abroad with skill and dignity. I appreciate that the majority leader has made it a priority to confirm them prior to the end of the session, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support their nominations. But let's face it--there is little to celebrate when it comes to nominations in the Senate.…”