![]() ![]() With twin crises in the US’ backyard destabilizing Cuba and Haiti, as the administration wrestles with an increasingly aggressive China – accusing it of devastating ransomware attacks – and as the White House confronts a recalcitrant Iran, all the bureaus that handle those regions are also staffed by interim leaders. With violence in Afghanistan escalating and the risk of a Taliban takeover looming, the Bureau of Central and South Asian affairs is led by an acting assistant secretary. Now Cruz has effectively stopped the Senate from voting on senior department nominees unless Democrats take the time-consuming steps needed to overcome a filibuster for each nomination, leaving around a dozen offices without confirmed leadership. Some 60 nominees have been awaiting confirmation for months. Six months after Biden’s inauguration, just six State Department candidates have been confirmed on the Senate floor. “I look forward to lifting the holds just as soon as they impose the sanctions on Nord Stream 2 that are required by federal law,” he told CNN.Ī toxic brew of personality politics, hyperpartisanship and political grandstanding has transformed the often-dull approval process for nominees into a politicized battle, one that is squeezing Democratic leadership in the Senate as it juggles priorities, including President Joe Biden’s push for infrastructure legislation, and the tight deadline of a looming summer recess. ![]() Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat who’s the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.Ĭruz does not appear willing to budge. ![]() Cruz is trying to pressure the administration on a specific point of Russia policy, a campaign that other Republicans say is fruitless and that triggered a fiery shouting match with Sen. The junior senator from Texas has become the public face of the State Department’s difficulties, proudly claiming responsibility for blocks on a slew of senior officials. But sources from all three groups say the bulk of the blame should be placed on Cruz. Administration officials and Democrats point to Republicans, who admit they’re playing a role. The Biden administration – with about 60 State Department nominees waiting to be confirmed – is encountering greater roadblocks in securing Senate confirmations at State than at any other agency. Ted Cruz of Texas to block nominees from being confirmed to vital jobs in the State Department is creating hurdles for the Biden administration and hindering US diplomacy, according to Democrats and Republicans who spoke to CNN. An extraordinary effort by Republican Sen. ![]()
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