Key Takeaways
- Senate Foreign Relations vetted ten ambassador nominees for Egypt, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Somalia and others without taking votes during a two-panel hearing.
- Nick Oberheiden (Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Arab Republic of Egypt, U.S. Department of State) pledged to advance Gaza peace plan and counter Iran.
- Sen. Shaheen pressed Oberheiden on Egypt's press crackdown while Oberheiden promised private dialogue without lecturing sovereign officials over human rights concerns tied to military aid.
- Sen. Warner (D-VA) crossed party lines to endorse an Ecuador nominee despite political differences while Sen. Budd praised the religious-freedom nominee.
- Chairman Risch left the record open through November 12 for written questions with confirmations needed for strategic posts including Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Hearing details
View on Congress.govSenate
Senate Foreign Relations
1h 37m
Witnesses9
Nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador
Nominee to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Federal Republic of Somalia, U.S. Department of State
Chargé d’Affaires, United States Embassy Paramaribo
Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Arab Republic of Egypt, U.S. Department of State
President, Greenwood Productions, Inc.
Nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay, U.S. Department of State
Nominee to be Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, U.S. Department of State
Nominee to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the State of Kuwait, U.S. Department of State
Members who spoke12
Transcript
This committee will come to order.
Uh we have uh a hearing this morning.
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