Hearings to examine the nominations of Tilman Fertitta, of Texas, to be Ambassador to the Italian Republic, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador to the Republic of San Marino, Warren Stephens, of Arkansas, to be Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Thomas Barrack, of Colorado, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, all of the Department of State.

Committee on Foreign Relations

2025-04-01

Source: Congress.gov

Summary

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on the nominations of Tom Barrack to U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Tillman Fertitta to Ambassador to Italy, and Warren Stevens to Ambassador to the United Kingdom. The nominees, all former business leaders, emphasized their qualifications through decades of experience in finance, commerce, and community service. The hearing focused on the U.S. strategic interests in each nation, including trade agreements, defense cooperation, and NATO commitments. Witnesses addressed pressing issues such as Turkey's human rights record, its S-400 missile system, and its role in Syria and the Black Sea; Italy's below-target defense spending and its partnership with the U.S. in the Mediterranean; and the U.S.-UK alliance's importance in global security and economic collaboration. The panel highlighted the need for robust defense spending, stronger intelligence sharing, and consistent policy support for allies despite political tensions. The hearing underscored the critical role of diplomacy in maintaining a strong transatlantic alliance amid global security challenges.

Participants

Transcript

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Unknown (SPEAKER_12)
When you come to order, thank you all for being here today.  As usual, I want to welcome everyone in the audience, our guests.  For those of you, this may sound a little strange, but we have guests that interrupt us sometimes.  So any of those that may show up, doesn't look like there's any here today.  We have a zero tolerance.  Any type of communication, attempt to communicate with the committee or witnesses will be dealt with severely.  You'll be arrested and banned from the committee for a year.
So with that, on a happier note, we're glad to see all of you here today who have agreed to be with us and to take on these difficult positions that you've been nominated for.  And we're going to consider the nominations of Mr. Warren Stevens to be United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Mr. Tom McBarrack to be Ambassador to Turkey, and Mr. Tilden Fertitta to be Ambassador to Italy.   Before we ordinarily make opening statements, however, we have Senate members who would like to introduce some of our nominees.  So let's start.  Senator Hagerty, you have the floor.  Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.  And I want to congratulate all of our nominees today.  It's an incredible honor.
to represent the greatest nation in the world, and it is a credible honor for me to introduce one of my good friends, someone I've known for more than a decade, and that's Tom Barrack, who's our nominee to be U.S.  Ambassador to Turkey.  Tom's an international business leader, and he's a true patriot, whose nomination comes at a very important time for relations between the United States and Turkey.  When you consider Tom's background and his qualifications,   You can see why President Trump wants him as our nation's chief diplomat in Ankara.  Over a century ago, Tom's grandparents immigrated to the United States from a place that we now call Lebanon.  But back then, it was part of the Ottoman Empire.  While his family settled here, they didn't forget their ties to a region where Tom is now being called to serve.  Tom himself had humble beginnings growing up working in the grocery store that his parents owned in Southern California.   By the time Tom went to college, he had a deep appreciation from his family for the significance of culture, service, and commerce.  So after graduating from law school, it's no surprise that Tom began his professional career helping to promote business ties between the United States and the Middle East.  Tom's built on this foundation in the decades since, showing he's an incredible leader,   with an exceptional ability to work across differences in culture and politics to both solve problems and to create value.  In fact, French President Nicolas Sarkozy recognized Tom with the rare Legion d'Honneur Award in 2010 for Tom's contributions.   Tom's proven success in bridging interests across the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East make him uniquely qualified to serve as U.S.  Ambassador to Turkey, a country that has long been at the crossroads of international relations.  But Tom's qualities don't stop there.   He also served as Under Secretary of Interior for President Reagan, and he's an avid philanthropist.
In other words, Tom has the heart of a public servant, intent on making our nation and our world a better place.  As a former ambassador myself, I believe strongly that America needs diplomatic leaders abroad who know how to make deals   and how to stand firm in support of American interests.  If confirmed, Tom will make exactly that type of ambassador.  Mr. Chairman, thank you for the chance to introduce Tom Barrack.  I look forward to our hearing this morning, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support his nomination.
Thank you, Senator.  We will now hear from Senator Cornyn.  You have the floor.   Thank you, Mr. Chairman.  Ranking Member Shaheen, thank you for holding this hearing on the nomination of my friend and fellow Texan, Tillman Fertitta, to be the next ambassador to Italy and San Marino.  And Tillman, I learned something this morning.  San Marino's population, 33,000   So, congratulations on your nomination.

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