In a Republican primary campaign in which candidates routinely condemn the Obama administration’s foreign policy, it might not be surprising to learn that two of the leading candidates, Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, are blocking nominees to key positions at the State Department from being confirmed.
After all, if they don’t trust the Obama administration to conduct foreign policy, hamstringing the agency meant to implement that policy might look like a good idea.
Related: Trump Goes ‘Birther’ on Cruz – and the White House Loves It
On Thursday, though, Secretary of State John Kerry, a three-decade veteran of the Senate and a former chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, blasted his former colleagues for “hurting the country” by depriving his department of people appointed to key leadership roles.
Citing the various trouble spots around the globe with which the U.S. is engaged, Kerry said, “It is vital that we undertake all of these efforts with the fullest possible strength, for our country. Patriotism demands it.”
.@JohnKerry comments on importance of voting on ambassadorial nominations to strengthen U.S. security, interests. https://t.co/PnyYpQMmX9
— Department of State (@StateDept) January 7, 2016
Kerry, who represented Massachusetts in the Senate for 29 years, expressed his respect for the “foreign policy prerogatives” of Congress and for the Senate’s advise-and-consent role in confirming high-level appointees.
However, he said, “I think most Americans would agree that in managing world affairs, the United States of America should always strive to put our most capable team on the field. It just doesn’t make sense – it hurts our country – to do what the Senate has allowed to happen over the course of these last couple of years, and that is to leave open for sometimes more than a year vacant important positions for our nation.”
Related: New IRS Customer Service Motto: ‘Don’t Call Us, We Won’t Call You’
Kerry did not mention any lawmakers by name, but it is widely known that Cruz has blocked multiple Obama appointees over the past several years over disagreements with the administration’s positions on various issues. Rubio is currently blocking the administration’s choice for ambassador to Mexico because he is angry about the administration’s effort to mend ties with Cuba.
The holds that seemed most galling to Kerry, though, were placed by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley. He is blocking Tom Shannon, who has been nominated to serve as the Under Secretary for Political Affairs – the third-ranking position in the Department and one that Kerry called “the very hub of our day-to-day diplomacy with every region.”
Grassley is also blocking Brian J. Egan, who was nominated last January to be the chief legal adviser to the department.
“For almost the full three years I have been secretary of state, I have never had the benefit of the permanent legal advisor to the State Department,” Kerry said Thursday.
He called for an end to the holds, which he said “put the United States not just in an embarrassing situation, but in a negative situation – it hurts our security.”
