WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today submitted the following opening remarks at a full committee nominations hearing. Witnesses included Mr. Thomas DiNanno to be under secretary for arms control and international security, Ms. Sarah Rogers to be under secretary for public diplomacy, and Ms. Allison Hooker to be under secretary for political affairs.
Chairman Risch gave the following remarks:
“Today, we’ll consider nominees for three very important State Department Under Secretaries.
“Mr. DiNanno, the timing of your nomination to be Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security coincides with unprecedented nuclear threats to the United States. For the first time in our history, we are facing two peer nuclear powers in Russia and China.
“Russia’s nuclear program is nearing full modernization, it has upended its New START obligations, and it continues to test and develop novel nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, China is in the midst of a dramatic nuclear buildup and shows no interest in arms control talks.
“And the nuclear environment only grows more precarious with the addition of rogue actors like Iran and North Korea, whose pursuit of nuclear weapons fuels global instability. In the face of these threats, our arms control architecture is stuck in the Cold War era and constrains our nuclear arsenal. Sadly, many policymakers in Washington don’t want to acknowledge this changed landscape and the changes it requires. We need to modernize our arms control architecture to our advantage.
“With New START set to expire next year, I hope that you will use this opportunity to move us beyond blind faith in outdated arms control measures that only benefit Russia and China. Additionally, the previous administration allowed Russia and China to exploit nuclear treaties and use them to their strategic advantage with little to no consequences. I have every confidence that this pattern will change in the Trump Administration under your leadership, Mr. DiNanno.
“We also face serious problems with regard to conventional weapons. Our allies and partners depend on us for weapons, but our foreign military sales process suffers from chronic Defense Department delays and onerous State Department regulations that leave our partners waiting for years to receive their equipment.
“Mr. DiNanno, I hope that you will work with our allies and partners to fix these problems and deepen defense cooperation. Ms. Rogers, as Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy, you will work closely with Secretary Rubio to strengthen relationships between Americans and people around the world. President Trump and America have a very strong message to share of freedom and democracy, economic opportunity, and innovation. This message has resonated with people around the world, and I look forward to hearing how you will work to spread it to the reaches of the globe that need it most.
“And finally, Ms. Hooker, as the Under Secretary for Political Affairs you’ll have the demanding job of managing all of the State Department regional bureaus. You might consider picking up a hobby in your spare time. The Trump Administration inherited a world in chaos from the previous administration, but already President Trump and Secretary Rubio are making great strides to bring peace to Israel and Ukraine, to push back on China’s malign influence, and to balance our trade relationships. Confronting China will require working with our allies to be successful. I look forward to hearing how you will advance President Trump’s America First foreign policy in this role.
“I’d like to thank you all again for being here and for your dedication to service as you take on these challenging roles in challenging times. Thank you, and I’ll turn it over to our ranking member, Jeanne Shaheen.”
These remarks have been lightly edited for clarity. Witness testimony is available on foreign.senate.gov.
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