Press release issued 4/ 25/ 18
https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=EF3361DE-B5C3-48E1-A32C-AA178D60F654
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) spoke on the Senate floor to outline the reasons why she would oppose CIA Director Mike Pompeo’s nomination to be Secretary of State, the country’s top diplomat. The full Senate is expected to vote on Director Pompeo’s nomination as soon as this week.
Senator Murray’s floor speech as prepared for delivery:
Thank you. I come to the floor today to voice my strong opposition to Director Pompeo’s nomination to be our next Secretary of State.
This position is too important and the stakes are too high to let this nominee slide by without a full consideration of what it would mean for Director Pompeo to be our nation’s top diplomat—the person whose every word and action broadcasts America’s values to the rest of the world.
Some of my opposition concerns Director Pompeo’s harsh views on matters of war and peace and his blatantly false accusations regarding members of the Muslim community. Some of my opposition surrounds my deep concern about Director Pompeo’s ability to stand strong against President Trump’s erratic and uninformed foreign policy positions.
But I want to take a few minutes to express my serious concern about what Director Pompeo’s ideological, extreme positions on women’s rights and reproductive freedom would mean for women across the world.
Our nation has an important role to uphold as a global champion of women’s rights. We need a Secretary of State who will be a strong advocate and continue our legacy of leadership fighting for women’s health, reproductive freedom, and the rights of women and girls across the world.
Instead, I’m afraid Director Pompeo would undo much of that legacy, and undermine much of the global progress we have made. An advocate for women doesn’t repeatedly support the Global Gag Rule which keeps funding from clinics and programs that provide women important medical care–Director Pompeo did.
An advocate for women doesn’t vote to defund the United Nations Population Fund which provides family planning services for women around the world living in poverty—Director Pompeo did.
And when it comes to fighting for the survivors of rape and against those who would use rape as a tool of war, it is clear we should stand by survivors, fight for them, and work to make sure they have access to the medical care they need. However, Director Pompeo has said he would prevent women who have been raped from accessing abortions. That is an unacceptably cruel response to women and war survivors. And it is one of many clear indicators that Director Pompeo is an unacceptable choice to serve as Secretary of State.
The Secretary of State position is always a critically important position. But it takes on even more meaning in 2018. The president not only needs good counsel navigating our complex global relationships, he also desperately needs someone who can tell him when he’s wrong. Who can stand up to him and be a check on this president’s worst impulses.
Throughout his nomination process, Director Pompeo failed to convince me that he is that person. So I will vote no on his nomination to be Secretary of State, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.
Thank you, I yield the floor.
Related White House Press release: Statement from the Press Secretary on Committee Approval of Secretary of State-designate Mike Pompeo
release dated 4/ 23/ 18
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-committee-approval-secretary-state-designate-mike-pompeo/
With Secretary of State-designate Mike Pompeo’s favorable report from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the American people are one step closer to having their top diplomat in place at a critical time in our history. Under President Donald J. Trump’s leadership, the United States is on a path toward a safer, more prosperous future. Secretary-designate Pompeo is an integral part of the President’s vision going forward. We look forward to the full Senate confirming him in the coming days.
Related headlines:
THE HILL: Senate confirms Pompeo to be new secretary of State
The Senate narrowly confirmed CIA Director Mike Pompeo to be secretary of State on Thursday, overcoming steep opposition to his nomination.
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/385014-senate-confirms-pompeo-to-be-new-secretary-of-state
NYT: Senate Confirms C.I.A. Chief Mike Pompeo to Be Secretary of State
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday easily confirmed Mike Pompeo as the nation’s 70th secretary of state, elevating the current C.I.A. director and an outspoken foreign policy hawk to be the nation’s top diplomat.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/26/us/politics/mike-pompeo-secretary-of-state.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
WP: Senate confirms Mike Pompeo as Trump’s next secretary of state
The Senate confirmed Mike Pompeo as secretary of state on Thursday despite lingering objections from Democrats who’ve questioned his record of hawkish policy positions and past controversial statements about minority groups.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/senate-confirms-mike-pompeo-as-trumps-next-secretary-of-state/2018/04/26/e2355ca4-4954-11e8-9072-f6d4bc32f223_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.54080d43972b
Senator Murray’s Statement on Dr. Jackson’s Withdrawal from Consideration to be Next VA Secretary
Press release issued 4/ 26/ 18
https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=F53E0A20-1035-46E5-803A-F4E45E982E5F
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, released the following statement following the announcement that Dr. Ronny Jackson no longer wishes to be considered for Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
“The lack of scrutiny that President Trump gave his most recent VA Secretary nominee is an insult to the millions of veterans who deserve a serious and strong leader who is ready on day one to bring this agency up to what is expected by all Americans. The position of VA Secretary has never been, nor should ever be, an afterthought. I can only hope that President Trump takes the lessons of this most recent failed nominee to heart, and gets serious about recommending someone with the integrity, leadership, management experience, and dedication to serving veterans that our military families deserve. And this should be a lesson to Republican leaders and those trying to cut corners and jam nominees through the Senate—there is a reason that we want to take the time to scrutinize nominees and make sure they are ready and able to do the job.”
Related news headlines...
WP: Ronny Jackson withdraws as Trump’s nominee to lead Veterans Affairs
Ronny L. Jackson, President Trump’s embattled nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, withdrew from consideration Thursday amid mushrooming allegations of professional misconduct that raised questions about the White House vetting process.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ronny-jackson-withdraws-as-trumps-nominee-to-lead-veterans-affairs/2018/04/26/5a343806-48f6-11e8-9072-f6d4bc32f223_story.html?utm_term=.1a827be14b97
Boston Globe: Ronny Jackson, Trump’s VA pick, withdraws nomination
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Veterans Affairs, Ronny Jackson, withdrew Thursday in the wake of late-surfacing allegations about overprescribing drugs and poor leadership while serving as a top White House doctor, saying the ‘‘false allegations’’ against him have become a distraction.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2018/04/26/ronny-jackson-trump-pick-withdraws-from-consideration/lzEbVBjZTutPXddN68WR0H/story.html
American Spectator: Dr. Ronny Jackson and the Curious Case of Sudden Journalism
There were any number of news stories that one could have been paying attention to on April 25, 2018. The most entertaining was Kanye West’s brilliant trolling of every liberal breathing.
https://spectator.org/dr-ronny-jackson-and-the-curious-case-of-sudden-journalism/
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WORLD NEWS HEADLINES FROM THE UN NEWS CENTER & Other sources
UN PRESS RELEASE: Speakers Call for Addressing Causes of Conflict, Rather Than Investing in ‘Bullets and Tanks’, as General Assembly Continues High-Level Debate on Sustaining Peace
The General Assembly continued its high‑level debate on peacebuilding and sustaining peace today with speakers underscoring the value of the Peacebuilding Fund, a people‑centred approach to human security and the need to tackle poverty and other causes of violence by way of the Sustainable Development Goals.
https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/ga12013.doc.htm
Human, Financial Cost of Responding to Crises ‘Unsustainable’, Secretary-General Underlines at Security Council Meeting on Building, Sustaining Peace----UN Press release dated 4/ 25/ 18
https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/sgsm19009.doc.htm
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Security Council meeting on peacebuilding and sustaining peace, in New York today:
Thank you for organizing this briefing on peacebuilding and sustaining peace — key aspects of the work of this Council and the entire United Nations system.
Peacebuilding and sustaining peace are first and foremost about enhancing our strategic coherence to support efforts by national Governments and their people to prevent the outbreak, escalation, continuation and recurrence of conflict. This Council can contribute in several ways.
Women’s innovation, creativity take center stage on World Intellectual Property Day
The United Nations agency behind World Intellectual Property Day is calling for greater participation of women in the field of innovation and creativity to reap maximum benefits for society.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/04/1008332
Visiting Ethiopia, UN human rights chief urges new Government to ‘keep positive momentum going’
The United Nations human rights chief on Thursday expressed hope that Ethiopia continues its economic development in which human rights are respected and people can freely speak their minds about public policies.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/04/1008312
One in four thyroid cancer cases registered near Chernobyl site likely caused by radiation exposure – new UN study
A quarter of all thyroid cancer cases among patients who were children at the time of the Chernobyl accident 32 years ago, are “probably” due to high doses of radiation received during and after the event, the United Nations body reviewing the effects of atomic radiation on human health and the environment has said.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/04/1008292
From the US MISSION to the UN:
Remarks at a UN Security Council Open Debate on the Middle East
" ISIS routinely used human shields in Iraq. ISIS fighters took advantage of the presence of civilians in their homes, their hospitals, their schools, and their mosques. When they were forced out of their positions, ISIS went from door to door, rounding up families and forcing them to accompany their fighters as they evacuated their locations."---Ambassador Nikki Haley
https://usun.state.gov/remarks/8409
Statement on Violence against Civilians in Nicaragua
The violence and repression we have seen in Nicaragua go against the right to free speech and human dignity of the Nicaraguan people. Police and bad actors associated with the government must immediately curb violent acts against students and other civilians and ensure the news media are able to operate freely. We support the people of Nicaragua as they use their voices peacefully to call for change in their country and participate in an inclusive national dialogue that will address their concerns, including respect for democracy and human rights.---Ambassador Nikki Haley
https://usun.state.gov/remarks/8408
Explanation of Position on the 2018 Financing for Development Outcome Document
" The United States strongly supports UN efforts in financing for development, especially work to mobilize domestic and private sector resources for development, which we will discuss further in our national statement. We would like to take this opportunity, however, to make important points of clarification on the FfD outcome document itself, and underscore that this non-binding document does not create rights or obligations under international law." ----Stefanie Amadeo, U.S. Deputy Representative to ECOSOC
https://usun.state.gov/remarks/8407
US STATE DEPT: Taliban Announcement of Spring Offensive
Acting Secretary Sullivan (Apr. 25): "We have seen the Taliban’s announcement of their spring offensive. The announcement affirms the Taliban’s responsibility for the insecurity that destroys the lives of thousands of Afghans each year."
https://www.state.gov/s/d/2018/281213.htm
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