Senate Democrats seem like warming as much as Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), President-elect Trump’s combative and confrontational nominee for envoy to the United Nations, inspired by commitments she’ll interact with the worldwide physique reasonably than search to burn it down.
Stefanik, who served because the third-ranking Republican chief within the Home, has carved out a fame as a bullish fighter, significantly on confronting situations of antisemitism, and is predicted to make calling out anti-Israel bias on the UN a serious focus of her posting.
“She made it very clear that she was accessible and she wasn’t walking away from the United Nations,” mentioned Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ailing.), who will query Stefanik throughout her affirmation listening to on Tuesday earlier than the Senate International Relations Committee.
“I thought it was good she said she would engage with the U.N. and really take on the role,” the senator instructed The Hill following a gathering with Stefanik on Thursday morning. Duckworth mentioned the congresswoman “did very well today with me.”
Stefanik has frequented Senate workplaces in latest weeks to debate how she’ll method the worldwide diplomatic physique, which Democrats view as an imperfect however necessary venue for engagement.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), one other member of the overseas relations panel, mentioned he had a “good, substantive meeting” with Stefanik final week, however mentioned whether or not Democrats get on board with greenlighting a fast path to affirmation depends upon her listening to.
“I’m nervous a little bit about how [President-elect Trump] would approach some of these international organizations. Can they be frustrating? Yes. But when the U.S. disengages, it gets worse, not better for us. So I’m nervous about that,” Kaine mentioned.
Trump took purpose on the United Nations throughout his first time period, withdrawing america from the UN Human Rights Council; chopping funding for UNRWA, the Palestinian Refugee group; withholding funding for the World Well being Group and limiting help to UN entities the administration considered as offering info or entry on abortions.
Republicans are largely united on lots of these points and overwhelming vital of the physique as bias towards Israel, a view shared by some Democrats.
“The U.N. has proven again and again that it is a cesspool of antisemitism that has completely turned against Israel in its darkest hour,” Stefanik wrote in an op-ed for the Washington Examiner printed in September.
Stefanik took purpose at U.N. entities she mentioned failed to carry enemies of Israel accountable – Hamas, the U.S.-designated terrorist group within the Gaza Strip; and its foremost backer, Iran — following Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist assault towards the nation. She lambasted the WHO, U.N. girls, U.N. workplace for humanitarian affairs, the Human Rights Council, and UNRWA as failing to adequately condemn Hamas.
“As the largest financial contributor to the U.N., the U.S. must present the U.N. with a choice: reform this broken system and return it to the beacon of peace and freedom the world needs it to be, or continue down this antisemitic path without the support of American taxpayers,” Stefanik wrote.
Stefanik shouldn’t be more likely to face any Republican opposition on her option to affirmation, however receiving backing from Senate Democrats may also help the method transfer sooner. Trump is more likely to have just one Cupboard nominee confirmed by the point he takes workplace on Jan. 20 – Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.), his nominee for secretary of State, who has garnered key Democrat backing.
Stefanik’s Tuesday listening to isn’t more likely to be as clean crusing as Rubio’s, which happened on Jan 15, given his collegial relations all through the committee he as soon as served on.
“He came so prepared it was really quite impressive,” Duckworth mentioned.
Stefanik, a member of the Home since 2015, is a lesser identified amount amongst Democratic senators, who’re involved over whether or not Trump’s “America First” agenda will outcome within the U.S. abdicating its seat within the worldwide enviornment, and permitting Russia and China to fill the void.
“I had a frank discussion today with Rep. Elise Stefanik about my concerns with President-elect Trump’s disdain for participating in important — albeit imperfect — international institutions,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) mentioned following a gathering with the congresswoman final week.
“If we want to compete with countries like China, we have to be engaged, because when the United States voluntarily gives up our seat at the table, it’s Beijing who writes the rules.”
Stefanik additionally met with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the rating member of the Senate International Relations Committee, in mid-December, and the 2 girls smiled in pictures marking the assembly.
Shaheen will more likely to be a figuring out think about clearing the way in which for a swift affirmation. The chair and rating member of the committee historically adhere to comity when scheduling enterprise conferences to advance nominees or laws, in a present of bipartisan cooperation.
“In our meeting today, Congresswoman Stefanik and I spoke about the importance of bringing allies and like-minded countries together through the United Nations to address global crises and achieve outcomes that are beneficial to America’s national security,” Shaheen mentioned in an announcement.
“I expressed my deeply held belief that, when the U.S. has a meaningful seat at the table, we can accomplish shared priorities like promoting democratic values, countering Russia and China’s malign influence and combatting anti-Semitism. I look forward to discussing these topics further in the Congresswoman’s confirmation hearing.”
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