Blinken Urges Senate to Confirm Diplomatic Nominees Despite Rand Paul’s Opposition

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is urging the Senate to quickly confirm over 60 nominees for key foreign policy positions. In a letter sent to all senators on Monday, Blinken stated that leaving these roles unfilled was detrimental to America’s global standing and national security interests. However, a few Republican senators, including Sen. Rand Paul, are blocking the nominees for reasons unrelated to their qualifications.

Blinken emphasized the long-term negative impact of vacant posts on U.S. national security, including the ability to reassure allies, counter diplomatic efforts by adversaries, and promote democratic values worldwide. Currently, there are 62 nominees awaiting confirmation in the Senate, with 38 of them being for ambassadorial roles across various continents. Several of these nominees have been pending for over 18 months.

During a press conference at the State Department, Blinken revealed that there would be no confirmed U.S. ambassadors to Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon by the end of the summer due to the completion of current ambassadors’ tours. This lack of representation is seen as a sign of dysfunction and negatively affects the perception of the United States abroad.

Blinken identified a “handful” of senators who are preventing qualified candidates from assuming their positions, specifically mentioning Senator Rand Paul’s blanket hold on nominees. He clarified that the majority of these candidates are career officers. Blinken criticized this obstruction, stating that it is irresponsible and harms national security.

In June, Senator Paul announced his decision to block all State Department nominees until the Biden administration released documents related to the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the Department has been working to reach a compromise with Paul’s office, no agreement has been reached thus far. The State Department emphasized that they cannot provide certain documents because they are not in their possession.

Regarding the situation, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed objections to Senator Paul’s actions and emphasized that legitimate requests can be made without holding career Foreign Service officers hostage. However, Senator Paul’s office has yet to respond to these comments.

Senator Paul is not the only Republican senator blocking confirmations in the Senate. Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama has also placed a blanket hold on all U.S. military nominations due to objections to the Pentagon’s abortion policy. With more than 260 nominees currently stalled, there is a potential backlog of hundreds more by the end of the year.