Incoming Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) Urges Swift Confirmation for Blinken

Robert Menendez is an American politician serving as the senior United States Senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2006. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first appointed to the U.S. Senate by Governor Jon Corzine, and now serves as Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

WASHINGTON, DC – January 19, 2021 — U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), incoming Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, issued the following statement:

“Secretary Antony Blinken’s testimony today demonstrated he has the qualifications, temperament and commitment to public service that is required to repair the damage from the last four years and to reinvigorate American diplomacy. He is the right person to rebuild and restore our alliances and institutions, and needs to be confirmed as quickly as possible.

“As the incoming Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I am committed to ensuring our committee’s role of ‘advice and consent’ of State Department nominees is taken seriously. As part of that commitment, I look forward to moving Secretary Blinken’s nomination through the full Senate as expeditiously as possible.”