Hearings to examine the nominations of Tammy Bruce, of California, to be the Deputy Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador; the Deputy Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations; and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations, during her tenure of service as Deputy Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, Darryl Nirenberg, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to Romania, Melissa Argyros, of California, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Latvia, Christopher Yeaw, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary (Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and Stability), Bernardo Navarro, of Puerto Rico, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Peru, and Yehuda Kaploun, of Florida, to be Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, with the rank of Ambassador, all of the Department of State.
Committee on Foreign Relations
2025-11-19
Source: Congress.gov
Summary
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a public hearing to consider the nomination of six key foreign service officials. The nominees include Ambassador to Latvia, Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Special Envoy on Antisemitism, Ambassador to Peru, Ambassador to Romania, and Assistant Secretary for Arms Control and Nonproliferation. The hearing focused on pressing global security matters, including Russian military aggression in Europe, the need to reform the UN, rising antisemitism worldwide, U.S.-Peru relations, and nuclear arms control challenges. Witnesses addressed topics from NATO's deteriorating posture to the importance of bipartisan efforts in combating hate, the risks of misinformation in education, and the urgent need to hold global actors accountable for human rights abuses. The session emphasized the importance of maintaining strong alliances and promoting a foreign policy rooted in American values, sovereignty, and decisive leadership.
Participants
Transcript
United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee will come to order. Thank you all for coming today. This is a public hearing, and I will state again for the record, we are glad to have you, but this is an official government hearing, and as such interruptions, we have a zero, zero, zero tolerance policy on interruptions or attempts to communicate with either the witnesses or members of the committee. So other than that, we love your appearance here and we sincerely appreciate you coming and watching. So we have six nominees this morning, important nominees. And we have a lot of things going on in the Senate this morning. We have a short week and a lot of work to get done. And so we do have three senators who are going to introduce some of the nominees. But since I can't be here, the introduction will go into the record. But we want you to know that Senator Rick Scott was here for Mr. Kaploon and for Bernardo Navarro. Senator Budd was here for Darrell Nuremberg and Senator Tim Scott for Melissa Argyros. I'm sorry, I can't tell. Argyros. Close, huh? All right. All right. In any event, those introductions, which I can assure you are very nice, will be put into the record, and they've said good things about you. With that, the way this is going to go this morning, I'm going to make a few opening remarks. The ranking member will make some opening remarks. Then we're going to open it up for you to make a couple minutes of introduction for yourself and tell us about the great and glorious things you're going to do. And then we'll open it up for questions. So with that, I'm going to start with you, Ms. Argyros, even though it's the toughest one to pronounce.
That's why I'm starting here. I've confirmed you'll come to your post as ambassador to Latvia at a critical time. Russian provocations against NATO are on the rise, as we all know, both by testing our military defenses and spreading propaganda to undermine our military defenses and undermining our free societies. Fortunately, Latvia has set a strong example for our European allies in shoring up their defenses and adapting to new security challenges. And the U.S. remains an important and committed partner in helping them face these threats on the front line of NATO. I look forward to hearing how you will work with our friends in Latvia to advance our security cooperation and further bolster NATO. Ms. Bruce, by now you've probably heard that I'm no fan of the United Nations. I think we both understand that the UN has taken advantage of the American taxpayer for far too long. I hope we will hear from you today on how, as Deputy Ambassador to the UN, you'll work with Ambassador Walz, who's doing a great job, to reform the organization. In particular, I hope you can help course-correct the UN from the horrible anti-Semitic path it is on and return the Security Council to its core mandate of maintaining international peace and security. Ms. Kaplan, since October 7th, we've seen a historic rise in antisemitic incidents in the U.S. and the globe, but like you, I believe that everyone, no matter their religious beliefs, deserves to live a life free from discrimination and fear. If confirmed as special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism, this will be one of your greatest tasks. I look forward to hearing more about your goals for this position and how we can support you in the fight against anti-Semitism. Mr. Navarro, in 2026, the United States and Peru will celebrate 200 years of diplomatic relations. If confirmed as ambassador, you'll be charged with furthering this strong relationship and managing the challenges.
I'm particularly concerned about Chinese malign influence and Purdue's production of cocaine. I'm glad Secretary Rubio has spoken with the president of Peru to reaffirm the need to dismantle transnational criminal organizations that spearhead the production of drugs. Mr. Navarro, I look forward to hearing your plans to strengthen relations with Peru while pushing back on the issues that plague that country. Mr. Nirenberg, as you know, Romania plays a critical role in deterring Russia and will be essential to countering Russian aggression against NATO allies. Romania is a steadfast partner of the United States and Europe, and time and again has played a crucial role in advancing our interests abroad. To keep Romania and our allies closely aligned with the U.S., it is important we use positive reinforcement to incentivize their cooperation. If you are confirmed to be Ambassador, you will be responsible for maintaining this strong and beneficial bilateral relationship as broader U.S. policy toward Europe continues to evolve. I am confident your Romanian counterparts will be eager to deepen our cooperation. Mr. Yaw, your nomination to Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation arrives not a moment too soon.
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