Read Out: Committee Business Meeting

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today held a committee business meeting during which members approved two nominations, five bills, and four resolutions. This business meeting marks the first substantive legislative business meeting the committee has had in a year.

Chairman Risch on Senate Foreign Relations Committee members vote to approve the nomination of Mr. Pete Hoekstra to be Ambassador to Canada and Mr. George Glass to be Ambassador to Japan.

“I am pleased that my colleagues and I have voted to send two more of President Trump’s national security nominees to the Senate floor. I know Secretary Rubio is eager for Mr. Hoekstra and Mr. Glass to take up their posts in these incredibly important countries. I believe they will do well in these positions, and I urge my colleagues to quickly confirm these nominees for their ambassadorships when they come up for consideration on the Senate floor. I am also glad to get the committee back to legislating. The committee had gone too long without passing legislation on the important issues facing the United States.”

Today, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed:

Two Nominations:

• Mr. Peter Hoekstra to be Ambassador to Canada
• Mr. George Glass to be Ambassador to Japan

Five bills:

• S. 860- BUST FENTANLY ACT (Risch-Shaheen)
• S. 868- MEGOBARI Act (Shaheen-Risch):
• S. 821- Tawain Assurance Implementation Act (Cornyn-Coons)
• S. 555- Korean American Divided Families National Registry Act (Kaine-Cruz)
• S. 842- No Hezbollah in Our Hemisphere Act (Curtis-Rosen)

 Four Resolutions:

• S. Res. 98- Condemning Beijing’s destruction of Hong Kong’s democracy and rule of law (Risch -Shaheen)
• S. Res. 86-  Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding UNGA Resolution 2758 and the harmful conflation of China’s “One China Principle” and the United States' “One China Policy” (Risch-Shaheen)
• S. Res. 106- Supporting the goals of International Women’s Day (Shaheen-Collins)
• S. Res. 52- Recognizing religious freedom as a fundamental right, expressing support for international religious freedom as a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy, and expressing concern over increased threats to and attacks on religious freedom around the world. (Coons-Lankford)

###