APPOINTMENT OF U.S. AMBASSADORS

Recital

• November 9, 2016: President Donald J. Trump wins the U.S. Presidential election
• December 2016: U.S. Ambassadors appointed by President Obama say farewell and celebrate last Xmas in post.
• January 20, 2017: President Donald J. Trump Inauguration
• January 20, 2017: All U.S. Ambassadors appointed by President Obama are back in the United States
• January 26, 2017: The entire senior level of management officials at the U.S. Department resigned (Under Secretary of State for Management, Assistant Secretary for Administration, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, Director of the Office of Foreign Missions, Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security, Director of the Bureau of Overseas Building Operations)
• February 2, 2017: Mr. Tillerson takes helm at the State Department
• February 10, 2017: President Trump overruled Rex Tillerson’s choice for his deputy at the State Department
• Mars 20, 2017 (2 months after Inauguration): Situation in EU countries

Head of Mission Vacancy in EU Countries

1. Austria
2. Belgium
3. Czech Republic
4. Denmark
5. European Union
6. Finland
7. France & Monaco
8. Germany
9. Hungary
10. Ireland
11. Italy & San Marino
12. Luxembourg
13. Netherlands
14. Portugal
15. Spain & Andorra
16. Sweden
17. United Kingdom

Careers (11 EU countries)

1. Bulgaria (Eric Seth Rubin, confirmed 12/9/15)
2. Croatia (Julieta Valls Noyes, confirmed 6/24/15)
3. Cyprus (Kathleen Ann Doherty, confirmed 8/5/15)
4. Estonia (James Desmond Melville, Jr., confirmed 8/5/15)
5. Greece: (Geoffey R. Pyatt, confirmed 7/14/16)
6. Latvia: (Nancy Bikoff Pettit, confirmed 6/24/15)
7. Lithuania: (Ann Hall, confirmed 7/14/16)
8. Malta (G. Kathleen Hill, confirmed 12/9/15)
9. Poland (Paul W. Jones, confirmed 8/5/15)
10. Slovakia (Adam Sterling, confirmed 5/17/16)
11. Slovenia (Brent Robert Hartley, confirmed 11/19/15)

Delays in appointing U.S. Ambassadors tarnish the US’s international standing. Delaying critical positions such as ambassadorships is damaging to the reputation and work of the U.S. No bilateral relationship is more important to U.S. vital interests than the US relationship with the EU and EU Member States. The absence of permanent Ambassadors send the wrong message about America’s engagement and this perception makes it much more difficult to defend the security of the US, promote its values and help its businesses compete to create American jobs at home.

Ambassadors are too important to be treated as pawns in Washington politics. To break the diplomatic logjam and restore a modicum of civility to the nomination process, the administration and Senate leaders should agree on ambassadorial nominations built around the following key compromises:

1. Senate agrees to fast-track consideration
2. When selecting future political appointees, the administration ensures they possess a fundamental understanding of the country they are assigned to represent. Political appointees should demonstrate that they have completed the required homework to be an Ambassador.
3. Set a goal that no country should be without a U.S. ambassador for more than 120 days. This goal may prove aspirational at times, but the administration and Senate can agree to recognize the value of full U.S. diplomatic representation.
4. Promise rapid Foreign Relations Committee and full chamber confirmation votes for future nominees sent to the Senate, barring credible, reasonable opposition. There is a major difference between opposing a patently unqualified nominee and holding a nominee hostage to politics.