Boxer Statement at Foreign Relations Committee Nomination Hearing

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today chaired the Foreign Relations Committee hearing considering President Obama’s nominees for important posts at the Department of State.

Senator Boxer is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy, and Global Women’s Issues. The subcommittee is the first of its kind with a specific focus on women's issues.

The following is Senator Boxer’s opening statement:

Today, the full Senate Foreign Relations Committee meets to consider six nominees for important posts at the Department of State—Michael Posner to be the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, or DRL; the Honorable Kerri-Ann Jones to be Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs; and Ertharin Cousin to be the U.S. Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture with the rank of Ambassador.

We are also considering David Killion to be the United States Representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, with the rank of Ambassador; Karen Kornbluh, to be the U.S. Representative to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and Glyn Davies to be the U.S. Permanent Representative to the Vienna Office of the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), with the rank of Ambassador.

Congratulations to all of you.

I am also pleased to welcome Senator Durbin, who has come today to say a few words about Ms. Cousin, and Congressman McGovern, who has come to say a few words about Mr. Posner. Thank you for joining us today.

I also understand that Congressman Berman and Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen will be here shortly to make brief remarks about Mr. Killian.

The first nominee we will consider is Michael Posner, a Bernstein fellow at Yale Law School and the current President of Human Rights First, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to “building respect for human rights and the rule of law” as a means of “stemming tyranny, extremism, intolerance, and violence.” Mr. Posner is also a visiting lecturer at Columbia University Law School in New York City, a position he has held for more than two decades.

If confirmed as the Assistant Secretary for DRL, Mr. Posner will be responsible for promoting democracy, protecting human rights, including religious freedom, and advancing labor rights around the globe. This is no small task, and one that I find particularly important as the Chair of the Subcommittee that oversees human rights, democracy, and global women’s issues.

Our second nominee—the Honorable Kerri-Ann Jones—is being considered for Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.

Dr. Jones currently works as an independent consultant and has previously served in leadership roles at the National Science Foundation, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

These experiences have prepared her well for her future responsibilities at the Department of State, where if confirmed, she will coordinate U.S. foreign policy and negotiations on a broad range of issues, including oceans and fisheries, health, science, and technology.

Our third nominee, Ms. Ertharin Cousin, is the President and founder of the Polk Street Group in Chicago, a public affairs boutique specializing in strategic communications and government relations. Prior to founding the Polk Group, Ms. Cousin served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Feeding America. Ms. Cousin also served as a Senior Advisor to the Obama for America campaign.

If confirmed as the U.S. Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, Ms. Cousin will represent the United States at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Program, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. These agencies are responsible for increasing agricultural productivity, providing emergency food aid, and working to lift millions out of poverty.

Our fourth nominee, Mr. Glyn Davies, has been nominated to serve simultaneously as the U.S. Representative to the Vienna Office of the United Nations and the U.S. Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), with the rank of Ambassador. In that position, he will deal principally with two issues of pressing concern for the United States: nuclear proliferation and nuclear energy matters at the IAEA; and drug trafficking in Afghanistan, which is a major focus of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

The IAEA is also an important forum for discussions on Iran’s illicit nuclear activities, and could again be a key part of the work to deal with North Korea’s nuclear program.

As an experienced Foreign Service Officer, Mr. Davies will bring with him a strong background in Asian and European Affairs, and a focus on collaborating with our friends in order to find common paths forward. I would also note that, as a second-generation diplomat, he was actually born in Kabul, Afghanistan, so he truly has spent a lifetime abroad representing the United States.

Our fifth nominee, Ms. Karen Kornbluh, is being considered for U.S. Representative to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, with the Rank of Ambassador. The OECD is comprised of 30 countries in Europe, North America, and the Pacific Rim, and works on issues including promoting sustainable growth and raising employment levels and living standards.

Ms. Kornbluh has a lengthy history of government service, most recently serving as the policy director in the Senate office of now-President Barack Obama. Ms. Kornbluh also served as the Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Our final nominee is Mr. David Killion, to be the U.S Permanent Representative to UNESCO, whose purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting collaboration among nations in education, science, and culture. Mr. Killion is currently serving as a Senior Professional Staff Member on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, where he is responsible for issues involving oversight of U.S. involvement in the United Nations, among other matters.

Mr. Killion’s broad range of experience on international affairs, including teaching at both Scripps College and Claremont Graduate School in my home state of California, will serve him well if confirmed for the UNESCO post.

So with that said, I will now turn to Sen. Lugar for any comments he may have. When he is done, we will turn to Senator Durbin who is going to briefly introduce Ms. Cousin. We will then turn to Congressman McGovern to introduce Mr. Posner.