[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 453 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 453
Honoring the Employees of the Department of State and the United States
Agency for International Development, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 12, 2019
Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Cardin, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Coons, Mr.
Udall, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Markey, Mr. Merkley, and Mr. Booker)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Honoring the Employees of the Department of State and the United States
Agency for International Development, and for other purposes.
Whereas more than 81,000 people serve as employees of the Department of State
and the United States Agency for International Development, including
locally employed staff, protecting and advancing national security,
freedom, democracy, development, and free markets, for the benefit of
the people of the United States and the international community;
Whereas employees of the Department of State and the United States Agency for
International Development together represent the United States in
maintaining diplomatic relations in over 250 posts in 180 countries
around the world, including in many inhospitable and dangerous regions;
Whereas employees of the Department of State and the United States Agency for
International Development promote American values and interests at home
and abroad through their work and actions, promoting the safety and
freedom of all Americans;
Whereas employees of the Department of State and the United States Agency for
International Development are a central component of our defense against
international terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction;
Whereas employees of the Department of State and the United States Agency for
International Development work to preserve peace and freedom and promote
economic prosperity and mutual understanding around the world;
Whereas employees of the Department of State and the United States Agency for
International Development daily work to reduce poverty, end hunger and
malnutrition, fight disease, combat international crime and illegal
drugs, and address environmental degradation;
Whereas employees of the Department of State and the United States Agency for
International Development daily work to promote economic development,
commercial enterprises, economic prosperity, and United States job and
trade promotion;
Whereas employees of the Department of State and the United States Agency for
International Development daily work to promote American ideals and
values, human rights, freedom, gender equality, and democracy;
Whereas employees of the Department of State and the United States Agency for
International Development daily work to provide emergency and
humanitarian assistance aid to respond to crises around the globe;
Whereas there are almost 50,000 local employees at posts that aid and support
the work of the United States and the Department of State around the
world;
Whereas at least 250 United States citizen employees, as well as family members,
and many more locally employed staff, of the Department of State and the
United States Agency for International Development have made the
ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their Nation;
Whereas employees of the Department of State and the United States Agency for
International Development personify the virtues of patriotism,
sacrifice, service, and duty;
Whereas the families of employees of the Department of State and the United
States Agency for International Development make important and
significant sacrifices for the United States;
Whereas multiple career Foreign Service and civil service employees of the
Department of State upheld their oaths to defend the Constitution,
uphold the law, and provide testimony in response to lawful subpoenas
from congressional oversight hearings, risking their careers and
personal safety for service to their nation;
Whereas these courageous employees of the Department of State, individuals who
have served the Nation with distinction and represent our Nation's
finest, include Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, a distinguished career
public servant who dedicated 33 years of her life as a Foreign Service
Officer; Ambassador William Taylor, a diplomat who started his 50-year
public service as a West Point cadet and served in every Administration
since 1985; George Kent a career foreign service officer with multiple
postings throughout the Department since 1992; Jennifer Williams, a 13-
year veteran of the Foreign Service who has served overseas in Beirut
and Jamaica, managed the United States Government's humanitarian
assistance program for Syrian refugees from 2011 to 2014, and, most
recently, has served as the Vice President's assistant on European and
Russian affairs since April 2019; Ambassador David Hale, who has served
around the world for more than three decades with the Department,
including as Ambassador to Pakistan, Lebanon and Jordan, and in his
current role as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs; David
Holmes, who joined the foreign service in 2002 and was awarded the
William Rivkin award for Constructive Dissent in 2014; Peter Michael
McKinley, whose career in the foreign service spanned more than 35 years
and included service as ambassador to Peru, Colombia, Afghanistan, and
Brazil, and Senior Adviser to Secretary Mike Pompeo; Philip Reeker, a
27-year veteran of the foreign service, including as acting assistant
secretary of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs; Catherine M.
Croft, who has served as a special advisor for Ukraine in the State
Department and on the National Security Council staff; and Christopher
Anderson, a foreign service officer since 2005, who served at the United
States Embassy in Kyiv from 2014 to 2017 and as the special adviser for
Ukraine negotiations from August 2017 to July 2019; and
Whereas the Department of State has represented to Congress that ``no employee
has faced any adverse action by the Department for testimony before
Congress'' and committed that ``the Department will not discipline any
Department employee for appearing before Congress in response to a
subpoena'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) honors the employees of the Department of State and the
United States Agency for International Development;
(2) calls on the people of the United States to reflect on
the service and sacrifice of employees of the Department of
State and the United States Agency for International
Development, wherever they serve, past, present, and future;
(3) thanks the local employees for their aid and support in
the mission of the Department of State and the United States
Agency for International Development;
(4) expresses the deep appreciation of a grateful Nation to
the employees of the Department of State and the United States
Agency for International Development who each and every day
courageously and publicly stand up for their country and defend
the Constitution, including those who have provided testimony
to Congress in response to lawful subpoenas;
(5) urges the Department to fully and faithfully implement
all its stated commitment to assist employees called to testify
before Congress with the cost of legal fees; and
(6) calls on the Department to ensure that no personnel
will face any retaliatory action, adverse personnel action, or
other negative consequence for testifying or providing
requested information to Congress, and emphasizes that any
reprisal for testifying before Congress would be a violation of
law.
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