WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered opening remarks at the hearing on the nominations of Joel Rayburn to be Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Chris Pratt to be Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs and Michael DeSombre to be Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. In her remarks, Ranking Member Shaheen highlighted the strategic opportunity following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and urged the Administration to follow through on its commitment to lift sanctions and engage in meaningful diplomacy.
You can watch her opening remarks here.
“Of all the recent events in the Middle East, one of the most consequential is the fall of the Assad regime in Syria,” said Ranking Member Shaheen. “Assad not only killed and tortured countless Syrians and forced millions more into exile, but the regime precipitated the rise of ISIS and allowed Putin and Iran to project military influence across the Middle East. The collapse of the Assad regime created a once-in-a-generation opportunity: a chance to deny our adversaries—Iran, Russia and China, not to mention ISIS—a base for operations and a chance for the Syrian people to retake their country and chart their own future.”
Ranking Member Shaheen also expressed concern about the Administration's foreign assistance cuts and warned that reductions risk pushing key partners in the Indo-Pacific—including Vietnam and Indonesia—toward China.
“Too many Syrians have lost their lives fighting oppression to let this window of opportunity pass,” said Ranking Member Shaheen. “What’s happening in Syria is not an isolated event—it’s part of a global competition for influence with our adversaries. Unfortunately, cuts to foreign aid by the administration and other programs that counter China are leaving our allies and partners isolated and vulnerable. This puts additional pressure on countries like Vietnam or Indonesia to hedge their bets against the United States. Many nations in the Indo-Pacific region are long-standing American allies and yet, right now, we risk pushing them into China’s hands.”
The Ranking Member’s remarks, as delivered, are below.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and welcome to the nominees and to your families and supporters who are here today. Of all the recent events in the Middle East, one of the most consequential is the fall of the Assad regime in Syria. Assad not only killed and tortured countless Syrians and forced millions more into exile, but the regime precipitated the rise of ISIS and allowed Putin and Iran to project military influence across the Middle East. The collapse of the Assad regime created a once-in-a-generation opportunity: a chance to deny our adversaries—Iran, Russia and China, not to mention ISIS—a base for operations and a chance for the Syrian people to retake their country and chart their own future.
The Syrian government has done a lot of what we have asked—the new Syrian government that is, working to eliminate chemical weapons, clamping down on the Captagon drug trade, helping in the search for missing Americans. So, I was very pleased, and Senator Risch and I did a statement in support of President Trump’s announcement earlier this week that he would lift U.S. sanctions on Syria.
Mr. Rayburn—if confirmed you will be charged with overseeing U.S. policy on Syria, among other things. So, I’d like to hear how you will ensure we make the most of this moment. It’s imperative that the Administration ensures all sanctions and restrictions on Syria are lifted, assuming Syria continues to move in the positive direction. I think it’s also important to facilitate a sustained dialogue with Syrian officials to ensure that they stay the right path. And we need to move quickly because we’re seeing efforts by Russia and Iran to move in. Too many Syrians have lost their lives fighting oppression to let this window of opportunity pass. What’s happening in Syria is not an isolated event—it’s part of a global competition for influence with our adversaries. Unfortunately, cuts to foreign aid by the administration and other programs that counter China are leaving our allies and partners isolated and vulnerable. This puts additional pressure on countries like Vietnam or Indonesia to hedge their bets against the United States. Many nations in the Indo-Pacific region are long-standing American allies and yet, right now, we risk pushing them into China’s hands. So, Mr. DeSombre, I hope you'll talk about how you would work to bolster our ties across East Asia and the Pacific, to counter PRC influence.
And finally, Mr. Pratt, you have been nominated to serve as the Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs. In this role you would be charged with overseeing arms sales and the process of notifying Congress on arms sales. As you’re aware, this Committee takes very seriously its role in reviewing arms sales and we expect the State Department to uphold its obligation to closely consult with both the Chair and Ranking Member of this Committee on all military sales. I would just point out there was a really interesting hearing in the Armed Services Committee earlier this morning on this very issue that, I’m sure you would find instructive if confirmed. Mr. Pratt, I’d like to add that I understand that today you have been particularly transparent and expressed a willingness to build a relationship with this Committee. And I want you and all the nominees to know that those efforts are noticed, so thank you very much for that.
I look forward to hearing from each of our nominees today. Thank you all.
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