Cornhusker State News

This week, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) chaired a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing where he addressed the importance of Americans serving in government and the challenges posed by foreign adversaries. Ricketts noted that the committee has moved 43 of President Trump’s nominees forward to the Senate floor at a record pace.

“It’s vital for our foreign policy that we have confirmed ambassadors in positions of importance,” said Ricketts. “This is something I’ve heard consistently as I visit with partners and allies around the world… Disappointingly, though, many of these nominees aren’t yet confirmed. This hurts our ability to advance our interests at a time when we are competing for influence with adversaries like Communist China. We cannot afford to let partisanship get in the way of what’s best for our country.”

During the hearing, Ricketts also spoke about agriculture's significance in both domestic and international policy.

“Nebraska is the nation’s fifth largest agricultural exporter, with nearly $8 billion in ag exports last year, the third highest total on record,” said Ricketts. “Simply put, when Nebraska agriculture thrives, so does my state. Nebraska’s impact just isn’t domestic, though it’s global. In western Nebraska, cooperatives package and ship dry edible beans used in the World Food Program humanitarian operations, delivering American grown products to save lives in some of the world’s hardest hit regions.”

Ricketts highlighted partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region as well.

“Singapore is one of our more vital partners in the Indo-Pacific,” said Ricketts. “On the security front, it supports rotational US military deployments that enable our patrols throughout the region and hosts thousands of American sailors, airman, and their families. Singapore is a significant buyer and user of US defense technologies. It’s also a hub for maritime trade and financial services, a gateway for over 6,000 American businesses operating in Asia, and a leader in emerging technologies. Oftentimes, an American company’s first step into the Indo-Pacific is in Singapore. I recently had the pleasure of meeting with Singapore’s Prime Minister Wong, Foreign Minister Balakrishnan, and Defense Minister Chan at the Shangri-La dialogue, and I can confirm Singapore’s desire to not only maintain our strong partnership, but to build upon it.”

The committee reviewed several nominations during this session: Anjani Sinha was nominated to be Ambassador to Singapore; Jeffrey Bartos was nominated as Representative to the United Nations for U.N. Management and Reform; Lynda Blanchard was nominated as U.S. Representative to UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture; Kimberly Guilfoyle was nominated as Ambassador to Greece; Jennifer Locetta was nominated as Alternate Representative for Special Political Affairs at the United Nations General Assembly.