Blinken says Biden foreign policy ‘hampered’ by senate stalling ambassadorial nominations

Washington, Dec 14 (FN Agency) US foreign policy has been hampered by the Senate stalling Biden’s nomination of ambassadors, with their confirmation rate falling far behind that of previous administrations, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday. Blinken was speaking at a press conference in Jakarta after meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. Blinken noted that in Indonesia, it is great to have a confirmed ambassador on the job. But in many countries the US is still waiting.

“This is a huge problem. On virtually every challenge we face, including dealing with Russia, with China, with non-state actors, we’re hampered by the fact that we don’t have our full national security and foreign policy team in the field. I spoke to Senator [Chuck] Schumer about this last night. I’ll keep raising the issue publicly and privately. For the sake of our national security, the Senate must act,” he said. Blinken noted that as of last week, only 16% of the ambassadors have been confirmed.

“At this point in the last three administrations, the number was between 70 and 90 per cent. Crucial posts, including Beijing, are still vacant,” he noted. Blinken’s words came hours before the US ambassadorial nominees to Germany, Pakistan and India were due to appear for a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and University Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann are among the nominees for envoys to India and Germany, respectively.