Departing chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee Ben Cardin has sent a letter to his Republican successor emphasising the need for the new Republican majority to “resist pressure” and fully vet president-elect Donald Trump's foreign policy nominations.
In the letter, first obtained by The National, Mr Cardin told Senator Jim Risch that allowing the full vetting process of the president's nominees “was in the best interest of the committee, the Senate and the American people, even when it required resisting pressure to take a different, unilateral approach".
The Senate committee has oversight authority on the US State Department, and plays a key role in approving Washington's diplomatic corps, including ambassadors.
Mr Trump has included some controversial foreign policy appointments as his team transitions back into the White House, including Mike Huckabee as Washington's ambassador to Israel.
He has also nominated billionaire businessman and longtime friend Tom Barrack, a Lebanese-American, to be Washington's ambassador to Turkey.
Mr Cardin told reporters on Thursday at his last briefing that “when the Democrats have had the gavel, we have allowed for the full vetting process and the rights of every member of the committee and the ranking member to be able to work with us".
“We are expecting that type of courtesy to be extended in the next Congress, as the Republicans have the gavel.”
The committee will switch from Democratic to Republican control when the new government comes to power in January. Foreign policy committees are typically among Washington's most co-operative and bipartisan, but that legacy has faced recent hurdles amid the chaos in the Middle East from Israel's Gaza war.
Mr Risch has held up committee activities over disputes he says have to do with Mr Cardin not bringing a House-passed bill that would impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court over its warrants against Israeli officials.
In October, a US ambassador nominee withdrew after waiting nearly two and half years for any movement on her nomination. Mr Cardin addressed this backlog, saying that although Democrats are “not giving up hope yet", he has “not got the consent from Republican leadership” to move forward with about 29 nominations for vacant diplomatic posts.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Canada
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
SHOW COURTS ORDER OF PLAY
Wimbledon order of play on Tuesday, July 11
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Centre Court
Adrian Mannarino v Novak Djokovic (2)
Venus Williams (10) v Jelena Ostapenko (13)
Johanna Konta (6) v Simona Halep (2)
Court 1
Garbine Muguruza (14) v
Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)
Magdalena Rybarikova v Coco Vandeweghe (24)
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
