Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Today’s Senate Action To Confirm Jack Lew As Ambassador To Israel

Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on the upcoming Senate votes on cloture and confirmation of Jack Lew to serve as the United States Ambassador to Israel. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

It is going to be a busy day here in the Senate.

Before the end of the day, the U.S. Senate will confirm Jack Lew as the next Ambassador to Israel. For the information of Senators, we will have a cloture vote on Mr. Lew’s nomination this morning, with a final vote on confirmation in the early afternoon. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of sending an American Ambassador to Israel today.

With everything happening in Israel right now, confirming Jack Lew at this moment will be one of the most important and consequential nomination votes the Senate has taken in a long time.

The need to confirm Mr. Lew is plain and irrefutable: Israel is in crisis, America needs to stand with her, and a most urgent and obvious step would be to ensure that we have an ambassador in place.

As the Senate takes this important vote later today, I want to applaud the remarkable team at the U.S. Embassy in Israel, all of whom have done exceptional work under the most difficult circumstances. When I went to Israel with my Senate colleagues, I got to see the Embassy’s incredible work up close, especially the outstanding chargé d'affaires. So, I thank them all for their dedication in these hard times.

But it was clear when we went there that Israel needs an ambassador from the U.S., especially at this time. So, I hope we will get as large a vote for Mr. Lew as possible.

I want to thank my colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who approved Mr. Lew on a 12-9 basis.

Mr. Lew has a strong, long, proven record as a strong public servant and ferocious ally of Israel, and it will help send a powerful message of support to Israel to have this appointment filled ASAP.

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