Senator James Risch (02:02):
Good morning. [inaudible 00:02:00]. Thank you all. Come in this morning and first of all, let me say a couple things. I just got back from the White House. Our colleague, Marco Rubio, is fully sworn in and installed, and he was sworn in by Vice President Vance and things are good.
(02:17)
We're going to start this hearing again and we welcome the public here. This is a public hearing of the Foreign Relations Committee. We're doing America's work here. And over the years, there's been interruptions and as I said when I started this meeting last time, the new chairman has zero tolerance for interruptions. There'll be no interruptions, there'll be no communicating between anyone in the audience and either the witness or members of this committee. If there is, I'm going to immediately pause the hearing. You'll be removed by my good friends here in blue. You will also be banned from coming back here for the next 12 months. We respect the First Amendment here. There's all kinds of places you can communicate outside of this room, but we're doing America's business here, and it's important that we focus on it, that we're efficient, we're always short of time, so we ask everyone to respect that. If you don't, there's consequences.
(03:22)
So with that, Madam Chairman, did you have anything to add to that, or Ranking Member?
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (03:30):
I certainly support making sure that this hearing can be done in an orderly way that allows the witness to testify and allows members of the committee to ask their questions. So I support the chairman's efforts.
Senator James Risch (03:46):
Well, thank you very much. And with that, I'm going to make an opening statement. I will then refer to the ranking member to make an opening statement. We then have some distinguished colleagues to introduce. You got time to sit through our opening statements or do you want to do your introduction? I know you both have important things. You have to do your choice.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Let our colleagues go, Mr. Chairman, if I may speak. Let our colleagues go. Don't do that to them.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (04:20):
It's not that we want you out of here, but-
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Can we go?
Senator James Risch (04:23):
Shelley, you go ahead.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Thank you.
Senator James Risch (04:26):
Go.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Thank you Chair Risch and Ranking Member Shaheen for welcoming me to the committee, and I want to thank my good friend Elise Stefanik for honoring me today to have the privilege to introduce her before this distinguished committee. And I also want to say what a privilege it is to share the podium with my friend, Tom Cotton. Congratulations also to both of you and your positions on this committee. It is truly an honor to be here to introduce someone who I admire greatly.
(04:51)
The job she has been selected to carry out for President Trump is not an easy one, but it is extremely important. In its early formation, it was believed that the United Nations required US leadership in both its creation and in the actual business of the organization to prevent conflict and to advance freedom. But lately, when many of us look at the United Nations, this body that is meant to advance values of peace and freedom and human dignity, we don't see those American values reflected. We see rampant anti-Semitism against the world's only Jewish state as it faces attacks from all directions. We see oppression and aggressive autocrats celebrated and elevated to leadership positions. We see China, Russia, and Iran empowered at this organization to advance their values, not the values of peace and freedom that Americans stand for.
(05:47)
It is clear that the need to reestablish US leadership at this broken institution, that we need to do that. I cannot think of anyone more qualified or more ready to fulfill that role than my friend, Elise Stefanik. I've known Elise for several years during her career in public service, and I am excited to highlight her qualifications for this important role for which she has been nominated.
(06:12)
As a member of the House of Representatives, she has shown remarkable leadership. As a member of both the Armed Services and Intelligence Committee, she's shown an exceptional command of national security issues. Elise understands the dangerous world and the growing threats that our country faces, and she has the strength and the skill to reassert US leadership on the world stage, a world stage that needs moral clarity and leadership now more than ever.
(06:41)
Elise has shown that moral clarity by exposing… She has shown her moral clarity by exposing anti-Semitism on our college campuses. She has shown that moral clarity by posting on social media every single day about the innocent hostages taken by Hamas during the horrific attacks of October the 7th more than 450 days later.
(07:08)
The United Nations is a tough place. Well, Elise is from New York, but Elise has never backed down from a challenge. At the time of her first congressional election, she was the youngest woman ever elected to the Congress in the United States history. She went on to become the youngest woman ever to serve in elected House leadership. And she will confidently and skillfully execute for President Trump and for all of the American people at the United Nations.
(07:36)
Additionally, on a personal level, Elise is a good mother. You can see her son, Sam, back here, and she's such a good mother that they have Legos on the hold, ready to go. A great wife, a great daughter, and a wonderful friend. Her steady hand and genuine caring nature, combined with her fierce intellect, will bring exactly that person that President Trump and our nation needs at the United Nations. I look forward to voting to support her when I have the chance, and I thank all of you for the opportunity to have her before you today. Thank you.
Senator James Risch (08:09):
Thank you very much, Senator Capito. Well said. Senator Cotton.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Mr. Chairman, Senator Shaheen, colleagues, it's my honor to join Senator Capito today in introducing my friend and colleague, Elise Stefanik as the nominee for ambassador to the United Nations. Elise has an outstanding record of fighting for America's interests at home and abroad, and I urge members of this committee to confirm her swiftly, and hopefully unanimously.
(08:34)
The United Nations today has many problems. Chief among them are communist Chinese influence and incessant targeting of Israel. From weeding out anti-Semitism to opposing harmful Chinese and Russian policies, the next UN ambassador must help restore sanity to the United Nations. And I can think of no better person for this role than Elise.In Congress, she has unapologetically stood up to our adversaries and will do the same at the United Nations.
(09:04)
As a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Intelligence Committee, Elise understands the stakes of our competition with Communist China. She helped stand up the China Task Force in the House, which later became the bipartisan Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. She also led comprehensive legislation to deter China and strengthen the United States. I've had the privilege of partnering with Elise on several of these bills, including one to ban Chinese-owned tutoring companies at our Department of Defense and another to counter Chinese drones in America.
(09:40)
I'm also confident in Elise's ability to stand up for Israel against the United Nations' often blatant anti-Semitism. She is long advocated for billions of dollars for Israeli capabilities, like the life-saving Iron Dome and critical anti-tunneling technology. Her questioning of college presidents in defense of Jewish students set off shockwaves around higher education, resulting in the resignation of the Harvard and University of Pennsylvania presidents. She's also been a tireless advocate for hostages taken by Hamas.
(10:15)
Elise has dedicated her career to public service. She started out working in the Bush White House before joining Congress to serve the people of northern New York. To her constituents, she's best known for working across the aisle to improve the lives of New Yorkers. At the UN, I know that she will continue to put Americans first. I commend President Trump for this nomination and I'm grateful to Elise for once again answering the call of duty.
(10:41)
I'd also like to thank her family who steadfast support has led her to this moment. Elise and her husband Matt are parents to their three-year-old son, Sam, who is apparently departing at this very moment. I'm sure that one day, Sam will look at this moment and Elise's future service with much to be proud of. Even if today, like my boys, he thinks it's mostly boring politics stuff.
(11:08)
So today, I'm here to happily and proudly offer my strong support to this dedicated public servant and American patriot, our next ambassador to the United Nations, Elise Stefanik. She's the right person for the job and I encourage all of my colleagues on the committee and in the Senate to process her nomination promptly and unanimously. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Senator Shaheen.
Senator James Risch (11:32):
Well, thank you Senator Cotton, and again, well said. So both of you, I know you've got things that you've got to attend to and we appreciate you coming to the committee and helping us out.
(11:49)
Well, Representative Stefanik, welcome to our committee. You'll find us kind and generous most of the time, and we look forward to hearing from you. Senator Shaheen and I are going to make a few remarks and then we'll yield to you and hear what you have to say.
(12:08)
First of all, let me start by saying there is great difficulty at the United Nations today, and I'm confident President Trump's nominee can help bring much needed change. This is widely recognized by people here up on the Hill. Senator Cotton, Senator Capito both made reference to it. I know you're well aware of it. One of the unfortunate things, and maybe this hearing will help, is the vast majority, vast majority of the American people do not recognize the deterioration that has happened at the United Nations and how it has strayed from its original purposes. There is great difficulty there.
(12:47)
I think that we need significant change, as threats from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran continue to grow. Representative Stefanik, your position will be at the heart of the US efforts to stand up to the authoritarian axis that seeks to undermine the United States at every turn and to ensure our partners and allies are also doing their part. I know you're up to that task. The UN was founded to be a force for peace and stability in the world, an admirable goal. It's not working.
(13:25)
Since its founding, the United States has helped shape the UN and has supported it in dollars, lots and lots and lots of dollars, and in spirit. But today the United States remains the largest funder of the UN system. We pay 22% of the regular budget and we pay 25% of the peacekeeping budget. And what have the American people gotten for these investments? They have chaos, complete dysfunction at the UN, and a warped sense of right and wrong. In place of needed reform, the US is constantly asked to give more to the UN, but over time, the organization has drifted farther away from American values, putting American national security in jeopardy.
(14:18)
Representative Stefanik, I know that President Trump has nominated you to the UN because he knows you're not afraid to stand up for the American people, ensure that taxpayer dollars are truly putting America first, and push back against the real problems, constant problems that plague the United Nations. As the UN has expanded its mission, the amount of conflict, waste, fraud, and abuse has grown. And the UN Security Council, which is charged with maintaining international peace, security, consensus and partnership on the many issues world faces has become a fantasy critical.
(14:57)
Issues that demand the Council's attention fall to the wayside. Accountability for Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, China's grotesque human rights abuses, genocide in the Sudan, regime change in Syria all go unaddressed by what is supposed to be the leading international organization to resolve these conflicts. As the authoritarian axis grows and competes against democratic nations, the UN will descend back into the paralysis that has marked the Cold War if it continues on its course, which it has no indication it is changing.
(15:35)
To make matters worse, our adversaries have weaponized the UN against Americans and Democratic interests. Prior to the fall of Assad, Putin used the security council to block any action to hold the Assad regime accountable for its crimes against humanity. China has used its malign influence to block attempts to discuss the Chinese government-sponsored genocide against the Uyghurs. And they have blocked our ally, Taiwan, from fully participating in the UN. China also manipulates the UN personnel system, which we all know, and they've used it to install Chinese diplomats into the UN bureaucracy that only serve China's goals and interests.
(16:20)
There is a deep, deep anti-Israel bias within the United Nations that has only grown stronger since Hamas' horrendous unprovoked attack against Israel on October 7th. This sentiment was spearheaded by the UN Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, which had numerous employees participate in October 7th terrorist attacks and allows its schools and facilities to be used by Hamas. Remember, these are US tax dollars that partially help fund UNRWA. For years, I have led my colleagues on legislation to end the US contributions to this anti-Semitic organization which openly employs terrorists. UNRWA must go.
(17:06)
What I've just described is not what the American people want out of their taxpayer dollars. Our contributions should serve America's interests first, and I know you will bring that message to the United Nations' system loud and clear. Representative Stefanik, I believe it is reasonable to evaluate every UN agency to determine if what they are doing is directly beneficial to America and hold them account until the answer is a resounding yes. Anything less should not be tolerated. If these agencies cannot be changed, and, at this point, the US should seriously examine if further contributions, and indeed participation in the UN, is even beneficial to the American people. I'm interested to hear your plans for change at the UN and I look forward to seeing the tremendous work I know that you will do for our country and to make the world a safer place for future generations. Thank you.
(18:07)
Senator Shaheen.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (18:09):
Well, thank you Mr. Chairman and welcome Congresswoman Stefanik. Welcome to your family who's with you today as well.
(18:16)
Now, whether fighting the spread of infectious diseases or stemming the flow of fentanyl that kills Americans, combating transnational crime that costs Americans billions of dollars, negotiating political settlements to dangerous conflicts, the work of the United Nations directly affects Americans all across this country. We benefit from UN peacekeeping missions that would otherwise fall to the American military. We are better off because of efforts to stabilize societies and provide life-saving assistance in places like Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine.
(18:50)
And we don't just do this out of the goodness of our hearts. We fund these efforts because they make Americans, as Secretary Rubio said in his hearing, safer, stronger, and more prosperous. Equally important, if we don't do it, our adversaries and competitors will.
(19:09)
Representative Stefanik, welcome, again, to this committee. Congratulations on your nomination to be US ambassador to the United Nations. From working in the Bush administration on the Domestic Policy Council to being the youngest woman elected to Congress, you have strong credentials and the relevant experience for this role. But today, I'd really like to hear your vision for the United States at the United Nations. I've certainly taken note of the skepticism in the United Nations expressed by others in the incoming administration, and also expressed by your introducers today and Chairman Risch.
(19:48)
In the past, you have voted to defund the United Nations and its specialized agencies. Certainly I would agree that the United Nations is an imperfect body, but the UN is also a force multiplier of American taxpayer money. US disengagement is something our adversaries want, especially Russia and China. At his hearing last week, Secretary Rubio said, "China is our most potent and dangerous adversary, and Beijing's contribution to the UN is almost seven times what it was two decades ago." China's had great success increasing the number of nationals employed at the UN. And so when we cut back, they are ready and very eager to fill that void.
(20:34)
Under the first Trump administration, the US withdrew from UNESCO, an agency that among many things, combats anti-Semitism and establishes international technology standards that affect our industries. When we stepped back, Beijing stepped in and is now UNESCO's largest financial contributors. So I'm really interested in your thoughts on how the US can compete with China across every United Nations agency.
(21:02)
One agency at the UN that I think is particularly important is the UN Population Fund, or UNFPA. Globally, one in every five girls is married before reaching age 18. Too many girls in too many countries, as you know very well, face female genital mutilation and forced child marriage. UNFPA provides critical reproductive and maternal care. It reaches three times as many countries as our bilateral family planning program. And in some areas like Darfur and Kordofan, it is the main provider of life-saving reproductive health supplies. Things like childbirth delivery kits that reduce infection for women giving birth outside clinical settings. I believe its work is irreplaceable.
(21:52)
Now, if confirmed, I hope we can work together to advance United States' interests at the UN, because when the United States takes a leadership role at the UN, Americans and people around the world are better off.
(22:05)
Thank you Mr. Chairman. I welcome the testimony of Congresswoman Stefanik and hearing her views.
Senator James Risch (22:13):
Thank you so much, Senator Shaheen. And Representative Stefanik, the floor is yours.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (22:19):
Chairman Risch, Ranking Member Shaheen distinguished members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear today. I would also like to thank the senators from both sides of the aisle who met with me over the past several weeks. It is the honor of my lifetime to earn President Trump's nomination to serve in his cabinet as US Ambassador to the United Nations. If confirmed, I stand ready to implement President Trump's mandate from the American people to deliver America first, peace through strength, national security leadership on the world stage.
(22:51)
Before I'd begin, I'd like to personally recognize my family. We all know in public office that we would not have the opportunity to serve were it not for the support of our loved ones. I'd like to begin with my mom, dad, and brother, Melanie, Ken, and Maddie. My dad was here with me today, and my mom and brother are watching closely from upstate New York. There is no question that I would not be here without their lifetime of unconditional love, support, and encouragement. And for that I am forever grateful.
(23:20)
I also want to thank my incredibly supportive husband, Matt, who is also here. And of course, most importantly, our pride and joy, our three-year-old son, Sam, who made his debut in the US Senate. He's comfortable on the House side. It's new in the Senate, so thank you for the warm welcome. Sam is by far our greatest blessing. Of all the titles I have held, Congresswoman, Chairwoman, representative or Ambassador, if confirmed, my most important title will always be Mom.
(23:46)
I appear before you today as a daughter, sister, wife, mother, Congresswoman, a patriotic upstate New Yorker, and a proud American. I believe deeply in the American dream because I've had the opportunity to live it. I was born and raised in upstate New York, the cradle of the American Revolution. I grew up in a small business family where my parents instilled in me the importance of hard work, ingenuity, and grit. I was blessed to be the first member of my immediate family to have the opportunity to graduate from college. I graduated from Harvard with honors and then worked at the White House in the West Wing on the Domestic Policy Council and in the Chief of Staff's office. After nearly a decade working in public policy in Washington, I returned home to work in my family's small business and decided to run for Congress.
(24:33)
In 2014, I was elected to Congress making history as the youngest woman ever elected at the time. In Congress, I have fought tirelessly for the hardworking families of New York's 21st district, delivering significant bipartisan results for my constituents. I was elected by my colleagues to serve as the House Republican Conference Chair, becoming the highest ranking woman in Congress at the time, and the youngest woman of either party to serve in top elected House leadership. And over the last decade, I have served on the House Armed Services Committee, the Intelligence Committee, the House Education and Workforce Committee, and I'm proud to be the longest serving woman on both the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees. On these national security Committees, I have legislated on a number of critical issues ranging from military readiness, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, quantum computing and cyber security, to missile defense. I have worked to enhance American intelligence capabilities, strengthen our alliances and partnerships, and deter our adversaries. On the education committee, I have been the leader in combating anti-Semitism in higher education. My oversight work led to the most viewed testimony in the history of Congress. This hearing with university presidents was heard around the world and viewed billions of times, because it exposed the anti-Semitic rot in colleges and universities and was a watershed moment in American higher education. When discussing this nomination with President Trump, the President shared with me that he sees great promise in the United Nations if it focuses on its founding mission of international peace and security. President Trump has long advocated for peace and no new wars. He delivered the Abraham Accords, the largest step to regional peace in the Middle East in a quarter-century. If confirmed, I will work to ensure that our mission to the United Nation serves the interest of the American people and represents President Trump's America first, peace through strength foreign policy.
(26:34)
As the world faces crisis after crisis, with hostages, including Americans, still held in Hamas's captivity, to national challenges ranging from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, it has never been more critical for the United States to lead with strength and moral clarity. This is especially important regarding our most precious ally, Israel, who faced the bloodiest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust on October 7th, 2023.
(27:02)
As a member of Congress, I also understand deeply that we must be good stewards of US taxpayer dollars. The US is the largest contributor to the UN by far. Our tax dollars should not be complicit in propping up entities that are counter to American interests, anti-Semitic, or engaging in fraud, corruption, or terrorism. We must invest in programs to strengthen our national security and deliver results. To increase the efficacy of UN programs, we must drive reform. If confirmed, I will be the first UN ambassador in over two decades to come directly from Congress, and I have deep respect and understanding of the oversight and appropriations role of the legislative branch. And I look forward to using my strong House and Senate relationships to deliver these much needed reforms.
(27:50)
We are truly at a critical point in history. The world must be reminded of the key mission of the United Nations and America's role as its formative leader. Following the devastation, carnage, and Holocaust of World War II, the world was desperate for peace, stability, human rights and dignity, and world order. As outlined in Article 1, Chapter I of the UN Charter, the purpose of the United Nations is to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations based on the shared respect for the principle of equal rights, solve international problems, and harmonize the actions of nations in the attainment of common ends. The UN has not lived up to this founding mission and we must demand better. It is imperative to ensure strong American leadership at the United Nations. I share President Trump's vision of a UN reformed by strong America first, peace through strength, and return to this founding mission of promoting peace and security around the world.
(28:47)
In closing, I will forever be grateful to my constituents in New York's 21st district for giving me the opportunity to serve them as their voice at the highest levels of Congress. 10 years ago, upstate and north country voters took a chance on a young first-time unknown candidate who very few believed could win. So I just want to thank the hard-working families, small businesses, farms, law enforcement officers, military families, veterans, seniors, so many with whom I've had worked so closely to deliver results on behalf of our communities. Thank you especially to my extraordinarily dedicated staff, in both the district and in Washington offices, for serving tirelessly for the past decade. If confirmed, my family and are excited for this next chapter to serve on President Trump's cabinet in this role. And I commit to the American people that I will work my very hardest in the coming years to lead with moral clarity and American values.
(29:40)
Thank you, and I look forward to your questions.
Senator James Risch (29:44):
Thank you very much, Congressman. We appreciate those remarks. And what we're going to do now is we're going to do a round of questions. We're going to do five-minute questions. The ranking member and I have discussed that and agreed to that. That doesn't mean it's going to end it. We're going to attempt to do another five-minute round for those who are anxious to have more questions answered. So with that, let me start.
(30:12)
First of all, I was impressed to hear what President Trump has always insisted on and has certainly talked to us about, and that is the fact that the founding mission of the UN is such a bright and brilliant light. The difficulty is the execution of their mission bears no resemblance to what their original mission was, which is really unfortunate. And we have, in the past, and I hope in the future, rely more and more on doing bilateral and multilateral agreements with other countries without the United Nations, and to perform
Senator James Risch (31:00):
… some of the things that the United Nations is attempting to do ourselves, we're the United States of America, we can do anything and we certainly can perform those functions. The best example I can give you is the Abraham Accords. The Abraham Accords are probably going to be looked at in history as a turning point in the Middle East. It was done under President Trump last time. It was President Trump's administration who was the leading force on this and the United Nations had absolutely nothing to do with it, and it is a great success in the Middle East or a place where you see very few great successes. So, we can do these things.
(31:42)
We put a tremendous amount of money into the United Nations to do things that we can do. For instance, feeding folks. We do a lot of it ourselves through USAID, but we do a lot through the UN with… In doing that, the UN has hired, for instance, UNRWA to do it -- an organization I don't want anything to do with. I don't want any connection to UNRWA, and yet here we are working with them. So, I think there's a lot of things that we can do to start with that will ratchet down the number of people that are clogging the New York Streets up there with employees from other places and make it a mission it's our own. Your thoughts?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (32:26):
Thank you Chairman Risch. I wanted to point out, and I'm glad you referenced the Abraham Accords. I think we can look to the success of our bilateral relationships and various multilateral partnerships and build on that within the UN. For example, we have the Abraham Accords Caucus in the Congress. I think we should consider starting an Abraham Accords Caucus within the United Nations to build on President's success, delivering that historic results, the greatest breakthrough for normalization in the Middle East in over a quarter of a century. I do share your commitment, Chairman Risch, to being good stewards of US taxpayer dollars and ensuring all of our investments to any foreign policy strategy, and this goes hand in hand what Secretary Rubio testified, represents our American interest. Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger and does it make America more prosperous?
(33:18)
So I hope to work effectively with this committee, our oversight members and our appropriators, to ensure that we deliver reform and ensure that each dollar is going to strengthen our national security. I think we can look to the programs that are successes, which typically have strong American leadership and voluntary funding. One example is the World Food Program, which has significant bipartisan support on this committee in both chambers of Congress and it's supported by the American people. And oftentimes the most successful agencies within the UN, they have transparency, accountability standards and are led either with strong American leadership or allied countries. So that's a bit of feedback to your question.
Senator James Risch (33:58):
Well, thank you. I appreciate that. Just very quickly, one of the things that is really concerning me in recent years is we keep getting outvoted at the UN and it turns out that every country has one vote. Then when you look around and you look at these countries that are voting against us, you find out that you got the Chinese in there spreading money throughout their government, to individuals in their government, to projects in this dinky little countries and they buy their vote. This is a real problem and it's a kind of thing that gets us to the point where we can't even get a resolution that condemns Russia for their invasion of Ukraine in absolute violation of the foundations of the United Nations. And when the Secretary General comes to see me, I always crank on them and say, "Look, you guys can't even get a resolution condemning this. What are you doing for us? How are you making this work?" And I get a word salad in response. Your thoughts on this problem with the Chinese buying off these smaller countries?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (35:05):
It is no question Chairman Risch that the CCP has made significant inroads. This is a long-term strategy that they have at the United Nations and we need to have strong American leadership working with our allies to push back on this. As you pointed out, every country, no matter what its size gets one vote. I believe we need to have a strategy to push back, particularly on the CCP's inroads within the global South and even within the Western Hemisphere. I think we need to build on our, as you said, bilateral partnerships and make sure they understand the importance of a two-way partnership with the United States. I also think that the personnel strategy of the CCP has been of particular concern within the UN.
Senator James Risch (35:45):
Really.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (35:46):
China has made inroads in placing CCP leaders and Chinese diplomats in positions as head of various sub-UN agencies, but also at the most junior level. So, we need to have a human capital strategy working with our allies to push back on that.
Senator James Risch (36:03):
I appreciate your thoughts in that regard and I certainly have no objection to countries having a vote. What bothers me is that the corruption and the fraud when the Chinese buy off that vote with money is just flat wrong. Thank you for your thoughts. Senator Shaheen.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (36:18):
Thank you again, Congresswoman Stefanik. Welcome and thank you for your willingness to continue to serve this country and for your past service in the house. Well, I think we would all agree that the UN is not perfect. It is a force multiplier for the US and it's a prime example of global burden sharing in times of crisis. I was pleased to see that the Trump administration will maintain this position, US ambassador to the United Nations as a cabinet-level position. Now, you've talked a little bit about this already in your responses, but how will you make sure that the work of the is understood to help advance US interests around the world? And more important, how can you help convince members of Congress who are skeptics that our contributions and leadership in UN agencies must continue in order to prevent China, Russia, Iran, and other US adversaries from assuming these roles?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (37:18):
Thank you so much Ranking Member Shaheen. I appreciated our opportunity to visit ahead of time. I will start with your question related to how we convince the American people and elected officials of the importance of investments. I think as I pointed out to Chairman Risch doing a review of all of our dollars going into various UN agencies and looking at what are most effective. Typically, UNICEF is another example in addition to World Food Program. We voluntarily commit, it maintains bipartisan support and it delivered significant, significant results for millions around the globe and it strengthens our national security.
(37:55)
So when it comes to those key questions, does it make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous? I believe those are examples of programs that do. I clearly think there are certain programs that are not meeting the mission of the UN, the founding principles. UNRWA is an example and we will likely have a policy disagreement upon that, but I think we need to roll our sleeves up, deliver reforms, and make sure that our dollars are going to programs within the UN that work that have a basis in the rule of law, that have a basis in transparency and accountability and strengthen our national security in our partnerships.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (38:31):
Well, thank you. I would point out that right now we're not funding UNRWA.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (38:35):
Absolutely. And I voted to defund UNRWA.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (38:40):
One of the things I talked about in my opening statement was UNFPA, so the opportunity to provide family planning, maternal healthcare, midwife training, interventions to halt child marriage to address the practice of female genital mutilation and to help ensure healthy families. Will you commit to personally reviewing UNFPA's work before the administration makes any decision about invoking the Kemp-Kasten law?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (39:09):
Yes, if confirmed, I am committed to doing a review, as I said, across the UN programs but specifically UNFPA. I think it's very important that we do a full review as the president announced the executive order today as well regarding all of foreign aid, and I would make sure that we are being good stewards of US taxpayer dollars. I do want to point out I have a very strong record when it comes to standing up for women's health issues, particularly addressing maternal mortality rates, addressing pre and postnatal care, addressing infant malnutrition. And I think that is very important and you have my commitment to do that review if confirmed.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (39:49):
Well, thank you. I appreciate your record on that and I think it's very important to remind everyone that women make up half of the world's population and we need to do what we can to ensure that their health is also protected. In April, you said that Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine constituted genocide, April of 2022. You called for the delivery of security assistance to Ukraine. At the UN we've seen inconsistent support for Ukraine. We've seen greater support on initiatives to support Ukraine and less support on initiatives to hold Russia accountable. If confirmed, can you talk about how you might use your role as UN ambassador to address and punish Russia's ongoing attempted genocide in Ukraine?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (40:37):
I support President Trump's commitment to bringing this war to a resolution to stop the killing. And he campaigned on that issue and he feels very deeply and I support that and I believe it falls squarely in line with the founding mission of the United Nations to bring international peace and security. If you look at my record over the course of my time on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Intelligence Committee, I have a very strong record when it comes to deterring Russia, pushing back on Russia, including during President Trump's term, voting for defensive lethal aid to Ukraine. I believe peace through strength is our strongest deterrence and I'm very proud that during President Trump's first term, it was the only president where Putin did not invade another country because of that strong peace through strength leadership and the rebuilding that we passed through the National Defense Authorization Act and President Trump signed into law. So I think my effort will be supporting President Trump's mission to bring that to a resolution and to deter Russia in the long term.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (41:39):
And so how do we hold Russia accountable for some of the human rights abuses that have happened in Ukraine for their destruction of infrastructure in the country, for the lives that are lost? Clearly this is a war that is only Vladimir Putin's initiative that has started. So, are there things we can do at the UN that will hold Russia accountable?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (42:05):
Certainly it's going to be important to support President Trump's approach with his special envoy to address and bring that to a resolution. I'll work with the National Security Council and my colleagues in the cabinet who sit in the national security spaces to use this position at the United Nations to support his strategy and give him maximum flexibility to bring this to a resolution.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (42:29):
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator James Risch (42:30):
Thank you. Senator Ricketts.
Senator Pete Ricketts (42:32):
Thank you Mr. Chairman. Congressman Stefanik, welcome to the committee and thank you very much for stopping by my office so we can have a chance to talk before this committee. I really appreciate your service to our country and look forward to the strong credentials you bring to the table to be our UN ambassador. Winston Churchill said that the UN was set up not to get us to heaven, but only to save us from hell. And we've talked about the corruption that's going on there, the mismanagement, the rot and so forth. And you've mentioned already this concept that we have to have reform there. That's going to be very important. We've also talked about how much American taxpayers put into the UN $18 billion a year. To put that in perspective, in 2022, that was more than 185 other member nations combined.
(43:26)
Chairman Risch mentioned what the 22% of their overall budget most recently and so forth. So we invest a lot there. We've talked about these reforms. Do you believe that we can leverage the money that we're putting into the UN to drive the reform? So for example, can we say to the UN, "Hey, we're going to put money into these programs if for example, they establish some of the transparency you were talking about and if you don't do that, we're pulling our money out." Is that one of the ways that we can drive reforms?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (43:55):
Absolutely, and I believe we have to. We owe that to American taxpayers to ensure that all of our dollars and investment represent our values and answer the key questions of does it make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous? So, that is really important to me as an elected official currently representing. I understand we have to be good stewards of US taxpayer dollars, so I think that is a key tool for us to demand greater reforms and transparency.
Senator Pete Ricketts (44:21):
Great. One of the other things that we've also talked about as well is how Communist China has used the UN to push its interests and the chairman laid out some of the problems with what Communist China is doing. What can we do to be able to get more US leadership into these different committees to kind of combat that?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (44:42):
We need to have a strategy, and this came up in virtually every conversation with senators from both sides of the aisle, and it needs to be a long-term strategy working closely with our allies and our partners both at the most junior levels and at the more senior levels within the UN. We need to make sure that we're running candidates either American or allied nations in the elections process for key leadership posts within the UN system. We need to pay particular attention, I believe, to the technical organizations, whether it's telecommunications, whether it's civil aviation, and another way is we need to ensure Taiwan has maximum meaningful participation in international organizations. I also believe it's important to ensure that the language, because we have seen China trying to insert their specific language, which is counter to our values. We need to have very strong Mandarin expertise and really keep a close eye on that as well in all the documents and statements coming out of the UN system writ large.
Senator Pete Ricketts (45:46):
So do you have specific plans to be able to start recruiting more Americans or Allied Nations people into the UN to be able to do it? And I'm going to add onto that because if you go back to I think between 2009 and 2021, the Communist China has increased its employment of its nationals in the UN by 85%. So it's not just about leadership of different agencies, but it's also about how many people just worked there in the UN that of course we'd be naive to think that they're not driving communist China's agenda through the UN whatever role they have. So can you talk a little about the strategy for getting more people leadership, but also how do we recruit more Americans or other allied people just to do the work of the regular UN?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (46:34):
I think we have to have a mission to recruit at the most junior levels to work their way up into the system. I also think we need to have a strategy working with Secretary Rubio to ensure that we have the highest caliber, which we do of course, in terms of those that are serving at the USUN mission and also provide that expertise of challenges within the Indo PACOM region. I think that is very important and I intend to also have opportunities to partner with, whether it's higher education institutions, whether it's private sector, whether it's opportunities in each of your states or each of house members districts for ideas that we can help address this long-term personnel challenge.
Senator Pete Ricketts (47:11):
Yeah, I think that's going to be a key thing for us to be able to reach out and find new ways to be able to recruit people in because if we don't have our people in the UN, we're just leaving it open to communist China to be able to do what they're doing and this is one of the ways they're trying to displace us as the world power, as Xi Jinping has laid out very clearly that he wants to do. So, I look forward to potentially another round of questioning. So thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator James Risch (47:36):
Thank you very much, Senator Ricketts. Senator Coons.
Senator Chris Coons (47:37):
Thank you Mr. Chairman and thank you Congresswoman for your willingness to continue serving. My welcome to your family, to Matt and to Sam who I hope will get to enjoy some of this hearing in person. And I enjoyed our conversation and look forward to working with you. I'll just continue briefly on the conversation you were just having with Senator Ricketts. I think our global network of alliances and partnerships and our values are critical to our strengths, stability, prosperity, our security, and we've got a global network of allies. China does not. They have nervous neighbors, they have client states, they use coercion, but they do not have genuine allies as we do. And so they have made a concerted effort to use the UN system to advance their interests, both their different idea and standards for human rights. We believe in an individual right to Liberty. They talk about collective rights. We have different standards. We want 6G to be built out on US and Western friendly standards. They want their standards. So I couldn't agree with you more that fighting for leadership of technical organizations. In the previous Trump administration, I worked closely with his PTO director to make sure that the World Intellectual Property Organization wasn't run by a PRC national and the ITU as we spoke about. So, I think it's critical. We do have a strategy. I worked closely with Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield on this as the chair of the appropriating subcommittee. Senator Graham and I worked well together with her to increase funding for junior professional officers, to increase funding for the USUN mission. If confirmed, will you commit to continuing this work to make sure that Americans and American-friendly leaders compete for and succeed at leading the technical organizations of the UN and compete for and succeed at staffing the junior levels of the UN?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (49:34):
Yes. Thank you, Senator Coons, and I enjoyed our discussion. This is one of my top priorities and you're seeing it. It came up in, as I mentioned, every single conversation. I think the success story of successfully having a candidate defeat China's candidate into Intellectual Property Organization, that is a model that we need to continue to use in these other technical organizations, and that is there is bipartisan support. As Tom Cotton mentioned in his opening statement, I was one of the founding members of the China Task Force, which of course led to the setting up of the Bipartisan China Select Committee. So there's bipartisan interest and I also support your approach of strengthening and building on our strong alliances, whether it is AUKUS, whether it is building on the relationships within the Quad, whether it's ASEAN, we have an opportunity to build on those organizations I think as partnered within the UN system.
Senator Chris Coons (50:27):
Chairman Risch referenced the sometimes frustrating dysfunction of the UN Security Council. The fact that both Russia and China have used it to block accountability measures. The General Assembly did pass an overwhelming resolution condemning Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, but we couldn't get it through the Security Council. The Security Council did in September unanimously pass because of American leadership, a resolution continuing sanctions, visa bans an arms embargo for Sudan. So it is not completely without merit, but one of the things that Biden administration advanced was UN Security Council reform to broaden its membership as you referenced, to include the global south and to try and move the Security Council more into a functional body. What are your views on what you should do to continue that agenda?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (51:18):
Certainly when it comes to UN Security Council reform, it is very complex. It is very challenging with both Russia and China and the veto on the P5. I would want to work with this committee and of course, the president primarily on any proposals for UN Security Council reform. In my opening statement when I was referencing reforms, I was mostly talking about ensuring that all of our taxpayer dollars are going to UN entities that function very well, but I am open to having conversations about how to make it work better. I think we need to have a broader strategy reaching out to countries within the global south where China's made significant inroads. They've done it by building ports, they've done it through telecom. It's really been a whole of government approach, and it's obviously not the UN alone. It's working with Secretary Rubio, it's working with USAID, working with USTR and significant economic investments that are happening in various other countries.
Senator Chris Coons (52:12):
Don't forget the DFC. President Trump signed the BUILD Act into law in his first term. The Development Finance Corporation is a critical tool in our toolkit. Before I conclude, I just want to raise my profound concern about an executive order signed yesterday by President Trump that puts a 90-day pause on all development assistance without clarifying the scope of that. Does that include our contributions to UNICEF and the World Food Program, which I think you would recognize, you did recognize, led by Americans brought bipartisan support? Part of the key mission of the UN, to promote stability and security by feeding hungry people and bringing stability.
(52:51)
Does that include USAID's support to Ukraine's energy grid as Putin continues to hammer civilians through attacks on the energy grid? AID's support for getting energy back online in the midst of winter in Ukraine is pretty critical. Does it include Jordan, a sea of stability in a whole area of chaos? Will development assistance be frozen for 90 days to Ukraine, to our development partnership in the Philippines and the Luzon quarter to compete with China's influence in the region to Jordan? I hope we can work together to get some clarity and I hope where there are obvious partnerships that do advance American national interests, that they will move forward quickly.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (53:34):
Thank you. Thank you. Senator Coons.
Senator James Risch (53:35):
Thank you. Senator McCormick.
Senator Dave McCormick (53:39):
Congresswoman, it's good to see you again. My wife Dean and I have known you for I think more than 20 years, so I'm thrilled that President nominated you for this important role. Forgive my voice. I think I've been celebrating making America great again a little too much. As we discussed when we met in my office, I'm deeply troubled by the virulent anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias at the United Nations. And since Hamas's brutal massacre on October 7th, the Jewish community in Pennsylvania and across our country has seen an explosion in hate. As you know, this is not theoretical for me and for Dean, and we live in Squirrel Hill in Pittsburgh where we had the Tree of Life tragedy and a painful reminder of where that hate can lead.
(54:27)
In Congress you've done an incredible job of pushing back against anti-Semitism in our nation's institutions. You exposed the presidents of the three leading universities for their lack of moral clarity, and I was one of the first to call for the firing of the President of UPenn because of the tough questioning that you forced her and other presidents to leave office. I'm confident you can bring that same fire and effectiveness and leadership to the UN. And let me start by asking how you'll fight back against antisemitism and bias against Israel within the UN. Hamas terrorists have been operating with impunity from UNRWA facilities and UNRWA employees even participated in the massacre on October 7th. So beyond funding, how will you work with our allies to end UNRWA's mandate and shift legitimate humanitarian functions to other UN organs or trusted NGOs?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (55:25):
Thank you so much, Senator McCormick, and thank you for your leadership combating antisemitism. I know it's important to the American people and it's important to Pennsylvanians and something that I am deeply committed to doing in this role. It's one of the reasons why in my conversation with President Trump, I was interested in this position because if you look at the antisemitic rot within the United Nations, there are more resolutions targeting Israel than any other country, any other crisis combined. And we have significant national security councils, the antisemitism, whether it's UN women failing to condemn Hamas's terrorist attack and terrorist regime against innocent civilian women using rape and targeting women, specifically taking them hostage. I am overjoyed that those three young women hostages were returned home. We need to stay committed to ensuring every hostage is brought home. I've met with many hostage families.
(56:22)
This position, we need to be a voice of moral clarity on the UN Security Council and at the United Nations at large for the world to hear the importance of standing with Israel, and I intend to do that. This year will mark the 50th year since the disgraceful Zionism is racism resolution at the United Nations. And at the time our US Ambassador, Daniel Patrick Moynihan spoke out strongly against that disgraceful resolution. That is the type of leadership that I hope to bring if confirmed to the United Nations. And President Trump has a tremendous record when it comes to standing with Israel, whether it's the Abraham Accords, whether it's his commitment to combating antisemitism or recognizing Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel. This is a strong, strong record, and I hope to do that at the UN if confirmed.
Senator Dave McCormick (57:14):
Thank you. As is already noted, the Chinese Communist Party has a deliberate strategy to use the UN Human Rights Council and other parts of the UN system to propagate its false narrative on human rights and legitimize its authoritarian agenda. How will you push back on the CCP's attempts to co-opt international institutions like the UN to undermine US interest?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (57:40):
Thank you. As you can see, there's quite a theme here with many senators raising this deep concern about CCP's inroads and China's inroads broadly in international organizations. I think it goes back to working with our partners and allies, making sure that we are strengthening those relationships, that we are ensuring that we have a strategy to ensure that the CCP is not able to make inroads at the most senior levels of these technical organizations and of agencies across the UN writ large. This was another of my top priorities that I expressed in each and every meeting with all of the senators from both sides of the aisle.
Senator Dave McCormick (58:16):
Thank you. And I'll try to squeeze in one last question. I was so glad that President Trump withdrew from the UN Climate Accords last night. How will you advocate for American energy dominance and an all of the above approach to energy security at the UN?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (58:33):
Again, I want to make sure that we're representing American values, American interest. I am the United States Ambassador if confirmed to the United Nations, and that means supporting strong American energy dominance and not giving a free pass to the biggest polluters like China in the world when we have the cleanest water, the cleanest air, and the best record when it comes to an all of the above energy approach. Moving back to the successful policies of President Trump in his first term, when not only was America Energy Independent, we were energy dominant. So that is my commitment.
Senator Dave McCormick (59:10):
Thank you.
Senator James Risch (59:11):
Thank you, Senator McCormick. Senator Kaine.
Senator Tim Kaine (59:11):
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And congratulations, Representative Stefanik for the nomination. I really appreciated the meeting that we had in our office. You and I have some political differences of course, but we talked that day about items on which we agree. We had some on which we disagree, and we had a couple of others where you said your position is one that President Trump doesn't agree with, and I liked that candor, and I liked the fact that we had a good exchange. I'm grappling with that and some of the partisan comments you've made in the past. An article that I'd like to put in the record, National Public Radio article, how the replacement theory went mainstream on the political right for May of 2022. On Monday morning, Stefanik tweeted, "Democrats desperately want wide open borders and mass amnesty for illegals, allowing them to vote." I'd like to put that in the record.
Senator James Risch (59:58):
Without objection, it will be included.
Senator Tim Kaine (59:59):
Now, that was a campaign tweet and I can separate campaign rhetoric from governing rhetoric. I don't view things like that as disqualifying. They do raise questions, but at least we had a good meeting. We talked about important issues and shared ideas. I'm going to say something here that I wish I could have said at an Armed Services Committee hearing, but we had an enclosed session. All of the Trump nominees who come before the committees on which I sit have agreed to meet with me, save one, the Secretary of Defense nominee, Pete Hegseth. He's written that he thinks Democrats are evil. He's written that he thinks Democrats are the adversary, and he refused to meet with any Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, save the Chairman. Save the Chairman. Yesterday in a closed hearing, we were asked to forward his nomination to the floor even though it had not been pending to the Committee for sufficient time.
(01:00:50)
My colleagues asked, "Hey, why would we give a waiver to someone who wouldn't even agree to meet with us? That that nominee would disrespect Democrats?" Okay, that's fine. But I didn't think my committee colleagues on the Armed Services Committee would've disrespected us. And I'll just say to all of my Republican colleagues here, if there is ever a nominee by any president who refuses to come meet with you when you're on the Committee of Jurisdiction overseeing that nominee, I will publicly raise hell on your behalf.
(01:01:19)
Nominees should meet with the committees just as Representative Stefanik did. And Representative Stefanik, while I have a question about some of the campaign rhetoric, I'm not going to ask you about it because that's in the past. I do appreciate the fact that you were courteous, informed, civil and candid in the meeting with me. I told you I had two concerns, engagement and the Western Hemisphere. You've convinced me that you were nominated for this position not to disengage, but to engage, and I appreciate that. In fact, you wanted this position and you wouldn't have wanted it otherwise and that's great. On the Western Hemisphere, you're going to be working with the Secretary of State we approved unanimously yesterday, our colleague
Senator Tim Kaine (01:02:00):
… Senator Rubio. Senator Rubio talked at some length about a number of topics on the Americas the other day, and I want to ask you about one that is particularly challenging right now, and that's Haiti.
(01:02:11)
The situation in Haiti is a disaster, you know that, you've been on these committees overseeing American national security, and you know that issues like Haiti create immigration challenges and all kinds of other challenges that are bad on the humanitarian front and can cause problems for allies like the Dominican Republican, can cause problems for us. We now have a security operation in Haiti, being led by Kenyans with the assistance of other nations, with the financial support and assistance the United States. Senator Rubio talked at some length here last week about how important it was that we stay engaged on that. I'd like to know what your thought would be, should you be confirmed at the UN, for what the US can do to try to help Haitians find a next chapter that is a peaceful one.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:02:58):
Yes. Thank you, Senator Kane. Appreciate the opportunity to sit down with you. I know we serve on the National Endowment for Democracy together, and there's been significant bipartisan results delivered through that program, funded by Congress. I wanted to just point out, I stand strongly for border security, and that was what the tweet you referenced was related to, and I would point out that in the sector that I represent, the Swanton Sector, there was a border patrol officer killed in the last 24 hours.
Senator Tim Kaine (01:03:27):
Are there any Democratic senators that you think are for open border and mass amnesty for illegal undocumented-
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:03:34):
Well, I would point out that Democratic think tanks and rhetorics have talked about-
Senator Tim Kaine (01:03:38):
I'm asking about senators, any Democratic senators you would level that charge against?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:03:42):
I think there are Democrat senators who have supported open borders. What I was doing is clarifying, when you pointed out a headline from an article-
Senator Tim Kaine (01:03:50):
Not a headline, a quote of yours.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:03:52):
… what the… Which was related to border security, and we just had an overwhelming popular vote for President Trump where border security was top of the mind.
Senator Tim Kaine (01:04:01):
Well-
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:04:01):
I think it's important to note, I do stand by my [inaudible 01:04:05] standing up for strong borders, and the American people overwhelmingly support that. Related to your question related to Haiti-
Senator Tim Kaine (01:04:12):
My time is over, so let me just conclude and say this, when I've been on this committee and in the Senate, I was part of a bipartisan deal that put $46 billion of border security on the table that the House of Republican majority killed, and another deal that put $25 billion of border security on the table in 2018 that President Trump killed, and I was just part of a bipartisan deal in the last year that was significant about bipartisan border security and the border that President Trump killed. The notion that Democratic senators are for open borders and allowing illegal aliens to vote is a fantasy, and so I really appreciate the opportunity to meet with you, but now I have questions about if you'd fall for a fantasy, I'm going to have to ponder that. And I yield back, Mr. Chair.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:04:56):
I do want to address that, Chairman Risch, if you give me the latitude to do so. We are very proud that on the House side, we passed H.R. 2, the most significant border security package, that Chuck Schumer failed to bring up in the Senate. That would return to the effective policies of President Trump, and again, the American people voted loudly and clearly when it came to securing our borders and the failures of the past four years. I'm not going to apologize for my commitment to securing the border when I represent a significant part of the US major sector, the Swanton Sector, we've had a skyrocketing of illegals crossing there.
(01:05:33)
On the issue of Haiti, which I think is important and it is a bipartisan concern, obviously it's a humanitarian significant challenge in our hemisphere. Working with Secretary Rubio, we need to have a strategy. I'm deeply concerned. It is very complex, there is no simple solution, and that is an area where we need to continue to have discussions with the committees of oversight. I'm very concerned on the intelligence committee briefings I've received about the crisis in Haiti, so I look to work with Secretary Rubio to support his commitment to the Western Hemisphere, specifically the complexities of the humanitarian challenges within Haiti.
Senator James Risch (01:06:09):
Senator Hagerty.
Senator Hagerty (01:06:11):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Congresswoman Stefanik, I just want to congratulate you for being here. I'm very pleased to see your nomination to be the next United States ambassador to the United Nations, and I look forward to working with you very closely.
(01:06:26)
Before I get into specific questions, I'd like to just ask you a very broad one in terms of what your vision is for the US mission to the United Nations, in terms of our posture at the outset going in, and then where you'd like to see it four years later.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:06:39):
Thank you so much, Senator Hagerty. It is great to have worked with you over the past few years, and your expertise, both having served as an ambassador in the first Trump administration and your incredible work in the US Senate on this committee. My vision is making sure that we're supporting President Trump's America First Peace Through Strength agenda, that we are good stewards of US taxpayer dollars, and that we return to the founding mission of the United Nations, which is international peace and security, very much aligned with President Trump's commitment to peace and no new wars.
(01:07:09)
I think there are reform opportunities that we need to work with. This committee, hearing after hearing with various ambassadors, have talked about reforms. I want to roll up our sleeves and get it done. Demanding transparency and accountability, actually having the answers of where each taxpayer dollar goes within the UN, which, as Chairman Risch has referenced in previous hearings, we have not gotten the answer to because there's not that amount of transparency. Standing with Israel is critically important, particularly as there are hostages still being kept today by Hamas, pushing back on the CCP, and then strengthening our partnerships and allies, working with Secretary Rubio to make sure that his reform vision for the State Depart, that, as he said in his hearing, this is not about reforming, it is about improving over the long-term, we want to improve to deliver results.
Senator Hagerty (01:07:56):
Well, I appreciate that very much and look forward to working with you in multiple respects to make that happen. One of those areas will be through our commission to modernize and reform the State Department-
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:08:08):
Exactly.
Senator Hagerty (01:08:09):
… that I look forward to working with Senator Coons as we co-chair that effort.
(01:08:14)
Let's get to a couple of specifics. Senator McCormick touched on this, I'd like to drill a little bit deeper into UNRWA. This is a particularly problematic organization in my view, long before the October 7th Hamas massacre took place. I've been calling for the United States to cease funding UNRWA to send a very strong message. It's been well-documented that UNRWA's textbooks teach children to glorify the murder of Jews. Hamas employs UNRWA facilities, they build their own tunnels and facilities underneath them. UNRWA employees even actively participated in the massacre on October the 7th of 2023.
(01:08:50)
In January 2021, the Trump administration announced that less than 5% of people registered as refugees with UNRWA actually met the internationally recognized criteria for refugee status. That demonstrates that UNRWA is a fundamental mechanism through which this Israeli-Palestinian conflict is perpetuated. President Trump rightfully stopped sending US taxpayer funds to UNRWA. President Biden decided to reinstate funding without insisting on significant reform, and I was quite disappointed by that. Congress was correct, I believe, in defunding UNRWA last year. I believe the prohibition should be permanent.
(01:09:23)
My question for you is, how do you think you should deal with UNRWA? How do you think we should address US taxpayer funds having gone to an organization like that, that has been directly complicit in terrorism in the October 7th 2023 attacks?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:09:38):
We should never tolerate any US taxpayer funds going towards terrorism. As in my question with the Ranking Members Shaheen, I was one of the members that voted to defund UNRWA, I was one of the leaders in standing for that important appropriations vote, which there is a bipartisan consensus on with significant members, Republicans, as well as some Democrats, who voted to defund it. I think we can look to organizations within the UN system, such as UNHCR, such as the World Food Program, working with USAID, which are proven organizations, they still need reform efforts and modernization, but don't have the terrorist ties that UNRWA had, particularly that were exposed during the October 7th Hamas attack against Israel, whether it was Hamas's leader, Sinwar, carrying an UNRWA teacher's passport, or whether it was the UNRWA office above a Hamas data center, or individuals within UNRWA who participated in the terrorist attack against Israel on October 7th. So that, I fully support, the President's commitment to defunding, and I'm proud to have voted for that in the Congress.
Senator Hagerty (01:10:45):
Great. Well, I have several more questions, but I just want to touch on one last one very quickly, and that has to do with accountability at the World Health Organization. If you take into consideration concerns around the COVID Pandemic, what happened there, the WHO role there, President Trump, I believe, rightly withdrew us from supporting and funding WHO, President Biden put us back into that, into being a funder, in fact, the largest funder, $1.3 billion so far to that organization from the United States taxpayers. What are your thoughts on the accountability that we've received so far, and where would you like to take that? Thanks.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:11:17):
I support President Trump's decision to walk away from WHO. WHO failed on a global stage in the COVID pandemic for all the world to see, and instead spewed CCP talking points that I believe led to not only false information, but dangerous and deadly information across the globe. We cannot tolerate entities that are taken over by CCP propaganda, so I strongly support, President Trump knows when to engage and knows when to walk away, he was right in his decision to walk away from WHO, and I support that.
Senator Hagerty (01:11:54):
I was pleased to see that action yesterday as well. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator James Risch (01:11:55):
Thank you. Senator Booker, you're up.
Senator Booker (01:11:58):
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. It's good to see you, and I thank you for the time that you gave me in a very hurried inaugural weekend.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:12:06):
Yes.
Senator Booker (01:12:06):
It was amazing that we were able to fit that in .and I want to echo some of my Senate colleagues who just said you are very informed and seem to be extraordinarily committed to this task and this goal, and I'm grateful for that. I want to jump in on some of the things we talked about right away.
(01:12:22)
I'm so grateful for Senator Kane bringing up Haiti and the importance for us to come up with some bipartisan foreign policy agenda or strategy to deal with that crisis there. I want to bring attention to the conflict in Sudan, which has created the largest and fastest growing humanitarian crisis in the world. We see, right now, tens of millions of people in need of assistance. The humanitarian crisis, from hunger and malnutrition, all the way to political destabilization in neighboring nations like Egypt, which are seeing this extraordinary overflow of urgencies as a result of the immigration and displaced people that are landing in that country. Deeply concerned about recent reporting from the New York Times stating that the SAF has used chemical weapons on at least two occasions, and I am really believing that we are lacking the pressure on a lot of our allies and other nations that are involved in this conflict.
(01:13:24)
And so, this is a real time for, and as I talked about now, Secretary of State Rubio, about really aligning a diplomatic strategy in trying to bring about an end to this conflict, which will not be solved ultimately through the use of military conflict and needs a diplomatic solution. And so, for now, in the short-term, the need to protect civilians is paramount, and this is an issue where, obviously, should you be confirmed, you can lead, and I think, in my opinion, one of the things that it's been lacking from is just a general prioritization. So first and foremost, will you commit to prioritizing Sudan in an end to this horrific humanitarian crisis and politically destabilizing reality we see now?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:14:11):
Yes, absolutely, and I think that's one of the great responsibilities of this role is prioritization of what we speak out against on the world stage at the United Nations. And I'm grateful for this committee's bipartisan work on the Sudan Accountability Act, the special envoy position is very important, and raising the awareness within the public of how significant this humanitarian crisis is.
Senator Booker (01:14:35):
And the challenge we have is there's implicated nations in supplying arms to this conflict, I'm wondering if you have some thoughts about how you could use your position to try to bring about an end of the cooperative parties that are fueling the conflict?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:14:50):
Absolutely. We will have to have strong conversations led by the President and Secretary Rubio with the UAE, the Egyptians, the Saudis, and that will be critical. I'm not going to get ahead of the Secretary of State and the President, but certainly will be supporting them at the USUN mission to do so.
Senator Booker (01:15:10):
Okay. And then, just the ideas of refugee assistance in the area and some of the specific, as we talked about, some of the specific UN agencies that really are the lead in providing that. And it's concerning to me, and I heard Senator Coons point this out, this idea of pausing some of this aid at this time for three months could have a cataclysmic impact, not just on the humanitarian crisis, but also on the stability of some of our allies in that region, specifically from the Chad-Sudan border to Egypt as well, some of the life-saving work done by UNHCR, World Food Program, and more. And I'm just wondering if you could share with the committee some of your thoughts about how to navigate the urgent importance of these UN agencies and their ongoing work.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:16:00):
I think, again, World Food Program is a very successful program, it's results-focused, its significant voluntary funding piece is a testament to that and the significant bipartisan support, and it is beneficial to America, from a national security perspective, but also from an agricultural perspective, from an agribusiness manufacturing perspective as well and American workforce perspective. So I think we need to look at all of our programs, do an assessment of do they answer the questions of does it make America stronger, safer, more prosperous, that should be our guiding light, and America First Peace Through Strength. And I am very committed to ensuring that all the USUN programs, that we do that assessment, and where America leads, I think we're going to come out on top in terms of the efficacy.
Senator Booker (01:16:44):
And I'll just say in conclusion, because my time is up, the challenge we often have is we're reactive to crises, that if investments were made early on in the stability of nations, we could have done much better. In many ways, with this global power contest between us and the Chinese, we allow them to get advantages from our lack of even engagement or focus. The continent of Africa is the future in terms of humanity, one out of every four people on the planet Earth will be from the African continent by 2050. It seems that the Russians and the Chinese understand that, because they're playing a large and significant, I would say, a profoundly disrupting force there.
(01:17:23)
And so, having a person in the position in which you're nominated for, who is focused on the continent, who is engaged and making sure that we, as the United States, protect our interests, things that make us safe, strong and prosperous, and understand that as we look to the future, we have to be in now in helping to avert not only the crises that often begin to destabilize regions and cause fertile ground for terrorism and government overthrows, but also start to develop the bonds of trust and partnership that are necessary for long-term prosperity for us and many of the extraordinary nations who want to ally with us and not the Chinese.
(01:18:02)
Mr. Chairman, thank you.
Senator James Risch (01:18:03):
Thank you, Senator Booker. Senator Curtis.
Senator Curtis (01:18:05):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Members, great to be here. Representative Stefanik, I enjoy calling you that, at least for now, I feel like I have a little bit of advantage over so many, having served with you in the House, and bring nothing but good comments about your service there and favorable impressions of your work there. Also enjoyed serving with you on the first China Task Force, and appreciate your work in protecting Taiwan and protecting Israel.
(01:18:36)
To talk just a little bit about Taiwan first and China first, UN resolution 2758 shifted recognition of China at the UN from Republic of China to the People's Republic of China, but didn't really address Taiwan and their status and their sovereignty. China has been since working to reinterpret the resolution to reassert sovereignty over Taiwan, and particularly in international organizations. One example of this that jumps out is International Civil Aviation Organization. They've implied Taiwan is part of China in a press release, and this was most noticeably evident during a viral World Health Organization interview at the height of COVID-19, when a Hong Kong journalist asked about Taiwan's pandemic response, the official avoided the question about Taiwan, stating, "We've already talked about China and all parts of China," implying Taiwan was part of China.
(01:19:35)
I think the American taxpayers, I think you and I would agree on this, should not be subsidizing the salaries of people who undermine America's allies, so can we talk specifically about how we counter China's influence in the UN, specifically ensuring that Taiwan gets fair treatment as it comes to China, and there's a lot of rural organizations that Taiwan can belong to, and would love to just hear your thoughts on that.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:20:02):
Yes, thank you so much. It's great to see you on this side of the Capitol now, Senator Curtis, it was a real privilege to serve with you for many years in the House. You and I have worked extensively on this issue, both setting up the China Task Force, which led to the bipartisan Select China Committee. As I mentioned in some of the previous questions, I am committed to making sure that Taiwan has the most maximum meaningful participation within the UN system, as it should in all international organizations. We have to be vigilant, both in the long-term and the short-term, to make sure that China is not able to make significant inroads with the CCP in international organizations. I also want to point out that I have a record on this issue legislatively. Over the past decade, I have voted consistently in support of defensive aid to Taiwan. I believe deeply in deterrence to avoid war in the Indo-Pacific, and you can look at whether it was the last major vote we took on that defensive aid package, I voted in support of it.
Senator Curtis (01:21:00):
Yeah, thank you, and would love to help you in those efforts. I think it's very important for the US and for our taxpayers. I sponsored a bill over in the House that would actually require the State Department to rank the agencies in the UN by order of importance, and you can see, on one hand, we have the Security Council, where it's important for us to have a veto vote, and then UNRWA. Yet, the State Department insists that these are all equal and all important in the US interest. I understand the President plans to defund some of these, can you give me a sense, from your perspective, how you begin to, with your team, limited resources, figure out which of these agencies are actually important and in the best interest of the United States and which ones we need to address?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:21:45):
Thank you. We want to do a full assessment of all the UN sub-agencies and making sure that every dollar goes to support our American interest. As the US Ambassador, I believe that is my responsibility, to stand up and support the American people and President Trump's America First Peace Through Strength. In terms of our assessment as this confirmation process, for example, the UN Security Council is in a different position than UNRWA, which I think should be at the bottom of the list, and I have voted to defund UNRWA and we've discussed that extensively today. But I am interested in that bill and in seeing the outcome of that bill, I would like to see a ranking, and we want to do that assessment, working with Secretary Rubio and working with President Trump and the National Security Council, to make sure that the programs we're funding represent our values.
Senator Curtis (01:22:33):
Sometimes back home, you hear the calls to defund United Nations, and it's more nuanced than that. And so, to the extent that we can better clarify which of these agencies are helpful and in the US interest and which are not, I think would be terrific.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:22:48):
And I think connecting it to the American people directly. For example, take the World Food Program, connecting that to our American farmers, I have a very agricultural district, that's important, to make that connectivity to the American people, who are very interested in where their taxpayer dollars are going, as they should be.
Senator Curtis (01:23:04):
Yeah. Thank you very much. I yield my time.
Senator James Risch (01:23:06):
Thank you, Senator Curtis. Senator Murphy.
Senator Murphy (01:23:09):
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Thank you very much, Representative, for your commitment to the country and your willingness to serve. I deeply appreciate the work that you have done to combat anti-Semitism. I appreciate your commitment to bring that work to the United Nations. I think it is a cancer, both domestically and internationally. You and I worked together over the last year and a half to dramatically increase funding for the not-for-profit security grant program that sends money to synagogues and Jewish community centers to invest in security upgrades. I'm heartbroken that we need to do that, but it is an important moment to support those communities. I agree that it's a problem, you look in front of the UN, it is also a problem, as you have raised, domestically, both on the right and the left. I think anti-Semitism work is best when we call out what's happening on both sides of the aisle. What do you think of Elon Musk, perhaps the President's most visible advisor, doing two Heil Hitler salutes last night at the President's televised rally?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:24:23):
No, Elon Musk did not do those salutes. I was not at the rally, but I can tell you I've been at many rallies with Elon Musk who loves to cheer when President Trump says we need to send our US space program to Mars. Elon Musk is a visionary, I'm looking forward to his work in DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, and look forward to looking how we can be more efficient and effective. But that is simply not the case, and to say so is… The American people are smart, they see through it, they support Elon Musk. We are proud to be the country of such successful entrepreneurs, that is one of our greatest strengths as Americans.
Senator Murphy (01:25:00):
Let me share with you what a few Americans have said about it. Evan Kilgore, a right-wing political commentator, wrote on X, "Holy crap. Did Elon Musk just Heil Hitler at the Trump inauguration rally? This is incredible. We are so back." Andrew Torba, who's the founder of the right-wing Christian Nationalist social platform, Gab, said, "Incredible things are happening," as he amplified the visual. The Proud Boys chapter in Ohio posted the clip on a Telegram channel with the text, "Heil Trump." A chapter of the white nationalist group, White Lives Matter, posted it on Telegram, "Thanks for hearing us, Elon. The white flame will rise again." I could keep going. Over and over last night, white supremacist groups and neo-Nazi groups in this country rallied around that visual. Does it concern you that those elements of the neo-Nazi and white supremacist element in the United States believe that what they saw last night was a neo-Nazi salute?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:26:10):
What concerns me is these are the questions you believe are most important to ask to the UN ambassador. I have a very strong record when it comes to combating anti-Semitism. We just had a historic election where President Trump earned historic support from American voters because of his strong leadership combating anti-Semitism, which has been a scourge across the country, skyrocketing since October 7th. So I intend to bring moral clarity to this position, and continue to speak out as a voice, as a beacon of light, condemning anti-Semitism at the United Nations, which is representative of President Trump's record and President Trump's promises that he made on the campaign trail.
Senator Murphy (01:26:53):
You are right, these are the questions I choose to ask because I think that your work and the administration's work on anti-Semitism only comes with real impact and credibility if it holds both right and left accountable. I simply don't believe that if a member of the Squad made that same gesture last night that there wouldn't be commentary from you and others. So I want to make sure that our work has credibility, and credibility comes with calling anti-Semitism and anti-Semitism behavior out when it comes from both the right and the left.
(01:27:28)
Let me just turn to one issue that has come up several times and ask you for a quick response. The decision to leave the WHO I think is a mistake, but I think you would agree that we are going to need to still find a way to play a role internationally in global public health standards. We do not want to let the Chinese essentially set those rules for us, because ultimately, pandemics will find a way to us. Can you commit to this committee, notwithstanding the decision to leave the WHO, that you're going to make sure we find a way to have impact on the global stage when it comes to global public health rules?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:28:08):
I support President Trump's decision to leave WHO, I have a record of that, but yes, I think we need to be the leader in terms of global health. I think that's very important, and there are programs within the UN that are very committed to global health. We are the leader when it comes to global health, we need to absolutely continue to be so.
Senator Murphy (01:28:23):
Great. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator James Risch (01:28:26):
Thank you very much. Next up, we have Senator Cornyn, you're up next. Oops, I'm sorry, Senator Scott, I'm sorry. You were here at the gavel. Thank you.
Senator Scott (01:28:37):
Thank you, Chairman. First, congratulations on your appointment to be ambassador to the UN. President Trump made a choice in nominating you, you are the perfect person to carry out his America First policies on the world stage and defend our best interests. Representative Stefanik, the United States helped fund the United Nations, and the goal was always a forum for the world's governments, especially the great powers, to be able to establish and keep peace if possible. This is clearly not what the UN is today. It has been, in many of our eyes, just a complete failure, so what are your thoughts?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:29:12):
I think that the UN has not lived up to its founding mission of international peace and security, and that was, when I discussed this potential role with President Trump, he said there is great potential if it returned to that founding mission. If you look at the anti-Semitism and the amount of resolutions targeting Israel, that is not meeting the mission of international peace and security. So I also think, being good stewards of US taxpayer dollars, looking at the organizations within the UN system that work, that function, that are results-based, that are transparent, accountable, and the American people support them, that they support our national security strategy versus their parts within the UN that I'm deeply concerned about that I think are very in need of reform.
Senator Scott (01:29:54):
Thank you. If we get onto Israel, the UN has a long history of disproportionately targeting Israel with resolutions, inquiries and sanctions, specifically agenda item seven, which mandates the discussion of alleged Israeli human rights abuses at every session. This agenda item is unique to Israel and is not applied to any other nation, like China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, who all have documented severe human rights abuses. Given that US funding indirectly supports investigations and resolutions that single out Israel, what is your plan to increase transparency and accountability in the allocation of UN resources and American taxpayer dollars?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:30:34):
I think this is a key question that I want to work with this committee. The chairman has spoken extensively in various hearings about the importance to know where every dollar goes within the UN system, and that is my commitment to do so, to deliver that transparency and accountability as part of this process, assessing all of our UN programs, our funding, to see if they're effective and if they are supportive of American values. And then, if they're not, then we need to have serious conversations with our appropriators.
Senator Scott (01:31:02):
Thank you. Many UN member states with barbaric human rights records are quick to criticize Israel, while avoiding scrutiny for their own bad behavior, how do you plan to hold them accountable?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:31:12):
I think holding them accountable with our voice is very important, speaking out. That was one of the lessons in the committee hearing with higher education with the colleges and universities, when you speak out with moral clarity, the world and the American people listen. We need to ensure we have that moral clarity with our US ambassador to the United Nations every single day.
Senator Scott (01:31:34):
In recent years, there have been calls to withdraw or reduce US funding to UN agencies that are clearly anti-US, anti-West, and support the hostile states that use the UN for themselves and against us. What actions are available to you to make clear that the United States will no longer accept being treated this way at an international organization we largely fund?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:31:53):
I think President Trump is the strongest commander-in-chief in terms of he knows when to negotiate and he knows when to walk away, when organizations are counter to our national security or counter to American interest, whether it's the WHO or whether it is other organizations within the UN system, like UNRWA, and I hope to support his leadership in this role.
Senator Scott (01:32:16):
So I look forward to your tenure at the UN, I assume you'll be there Trump's entire term. At the end, what would you consider to be your success? What would you hope to say you accomplished in your four years?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:32:31):
I would hope to accomplish support of President Trump's America First Peace Through Strength. I would also hope to accomplish significant reforms, to demand results and efficacy of every dollar that goes to the UN. For decades, this committee, on a bipartisan basis, has talked about the importance of reform. We need to get that done. I think it fits squarely with this Department of Government Efficiency and one of the major issues that the President campaigned upon. And I also want
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:33:00):
Want to make sure that every U.S. taxpayer dollar goes to support making America stronger, safer and more prosperous, working directly with the Secretary of State to do so. And President Trump campaigned on peace and no new wars. He is the president of peace and no new wars. I also think we have a unique opportunity, for example, to build on the success of the Abraham Accords in his second term, and I hope to support that in this role.
Speaker 3 (01:33:28):
Thank you. You're going to do a great job. Thank you, Chairman.
Senator Ricketts (01:33:30):
Senator Rosen.
Senator Rosen (01:33:32):
Well, thank you Senator Ricketts for filling in for Chairman Risch and Ranking Member Shaheen for holding this hearing today. And thank you Congresswoman Stefanik for your decade of service in the House, for volunteering to serve our country in this new role. I enjoyed working with you and we were on the House-based Science and Technology Committee. I want to congratulate you again on your nomination. And I do really appreciate your comments today about how you'll tackle anti-Israel bias at the UN, which of course I'm also extremely concerned about, but it's precisely because of that bias that I believe we must lean in to leadership at the UN, not diminish our role.
(01:34:11)
And as you and I discussed last week, if we're not at the table, our seat will be taken by someone who does not share our values and does not defend our allies. And so I'm going to move on to some other questions that haven't been asked, and I'm going to move on to Lebanon because there's a lot going on and the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 states there should be no armed presence in Southern Lebanon other than the Lebanese Armed Forces. UNIFIL is charged with monitoring and enforcing this resolution, but instead of disarming, Hezbollah has expanded its military presence, stockpiled weapons, constructed tunnels, often outmatching UNIFIL peacekeepers who are not mandated for broad offensive actions, especially against a terrorist group like Hezbollah.
(01:34:59)
Even in the wake of Israel's degrading of Hezbollah forces and the LAF moving into Southern Lebanon, it is clear that something has to change. UNIFIL must support the effort if more of these achievements are to be sustained. So Congresswoman Stefanik, how can the U.S. ensure that UN Security Council resolution 1701 is fully enforced and how will you work within the UN system to ensure that UNIFIL can play a significant support role in maintaining security in Lebanon?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:35:28):
Thank you, Senator Rosen. It's a very important question. I'm glad you raised it. UNIFIL has not met its mission. It has failed as we've seen the digging of the tunnels, as we've seen tens of thousands of rockets from Hezbollah into Israel and we've had tens of thousands of Israeli families who have had to leave their homes in Northern Israel because of the rockets. We need to ensure that UNIFIL is a peacekeeping mission that we need to do an assessment of. It has failed in its mission and we're going to have to have a strategy moving forward. I do think this is an opportunity with the effective operations of Israel against Hezbollah and Hamas leadership to continue to build on that success, to not have these regime of terror continue to grow in those regions.
Senator Rosen (01:36:18):
Well, thank you. I look forward to working with you on that. And staying in the region, I want to focus on Syria for a moment because the UN Security Council also has an opportunity to play a critical role in supporting Syria's political transition following the fall of Assad's brutal regime. The U.S. had previously supported UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which provided a road map for an inclusive non-sectarian Syrian government. But this resolution was passed nearly a decade ago and a lot has changed in the last 10 years. So what do you think the role of Security Council Resolution 2254 should play in Syria's future? If it is outdated, I know you'll take a look and review it. Do you have an opinion about what might need to change or how we respond that to recent developments?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:37:08):
I think it's a starting point that we need to look at. Obviously this is a significant change within the region, within the Middle East with the Assad regime, which I condemned consistently during my time in Congress, the brutality, the human rights, the chemical weapons used against the Syrian people. We need to be cautious and judicious with the new leadership in Syria. We cannot allow it to be a den of terror against its own people. So I would view that as a starting point as we discuss this on the National Security Council and as the president makes his decisions for the best approach when it comes to our approach to Syria.
Senator Rosen (01:37:45):
Being sure that we deliver that humanitarian aid that we need. I want to finish my last few seconds talking about UNESCO and artificial intelligence. So the field of artificial intelligence rapidly evolving, again critical. We have a seat at the table to develop shared AI standards, guardrails, best practices. UNESCO has become an important forum for global conversations around the ethical development and use of AI and produce the first ever global standards on AI ethics in November of 2021. We know China's made a concerted effort to increase its engagement with standard setting bodies including UNESCO. And do you agree that Chinese influences in international AI standards pose national security risk for the United States, and how would you go about working on artificial intelligence standards?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:38:33):
Yes, I'm deeply concerned about China's standards within the AI framework. I think we need to win the AI race. This is an issue that I've worked extensively on a bipartisan basis on the House Armed Services Committee. I help stand up the joint AI center within DoD. We need to work with the private sector as well to unleash our AI capabilities to be the world leader and work with partners. I think this is a real opportunity to work with partners and allies around the world to make sure that our standards based upon the ethical use of AI, that that is the approach. When it comes to UNESCO, this will be a decision at the presidential level, but certainly I understand the importance of U.S. leadership when it comes to AI and global standard setting.
Senator Rosen (01:39:12):
Thank you. Thank you, Chair.
Senator Ricketts (01:39:15):
Senator Cornyn. We'll go to you now.
Senator Cornyn (01:39:18):
Ms. Stefanik, as you pointed out, the United Nations has a long and shameful history with regard to its treatment of our ally Israel, and you alluded and I think quite appropriately to the Daniel Patrick Moynihan statement about the 1975 resolution basically calling Zionism a form of racism. And I think history has remembered that as a Moynihan moment and I look forward to many Stefanik moments during your tenure there at the United Nations. I'm pleased to support your nomination. I have a couple of questions. One about Iranian nuclear aspirations and the other about Russia. First, let me start with Russia.
(01:40:03)
We know that Mr. Putin does not honor any obligations of the Russian Federation dating back to 1994 with the Budapest Memorandum where he said they would protect Ukrainian sovereignty in exchange for relinquishing their nuclear weapons. More recently, he's not only engaged in an unprovoked and barbaric attack against Ukraine in violation of that very agreement, but also engaged in a de facto annexation of Belarus. What do you think our policy should be in dealing with Mr. Putin? My view is that he is not going to stop as long as he feels like he has an opportunity to reestablish the Russian Empire, something he has said he aspires to do. What do you think our national policy with regard to Mr. Putin should be and his territorial aspirations?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:41:07):
Sure, so I can point to my record. I have been very strong in support of our deterrence efforts through the National Defense Authorization Act that we've passed on a bipartisan basis. I would point to President Trump's success in his first term. As I pointed out, he's the only modern president where Putin did not invade another country, and that's because of the strong leadership that President Trump brings every day. We did not see that with our previous president in President Joe Biden, and I think the catastrophic withdrawal led to this cascading of weakness around the globe. And of course one of the after effects was Russia's decision to invade Ukraine.
(01:41:47)
I think the president needs to have maximum flexibility to bring this resolution to an end, a peaceful resolution, stopping the killing, stopping the bloodshed. He campaigned on this issue and certainly Secretary Rubio testified extensively on this issue as well. So I want to support his commitment to do so through his special envoy and his decisions as president.
Senator Cornyn (01:42:09):
It seems like the Biden administration has tried to use diplomacy without the credible threat at least of the use of force. Do you think diplomacy works without deterrence?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:42:24):
I think you need to have deterrence. I think deterrence is key. You're talking to a member who's been on the House Armed Services Committee, who's served on the House Intelligence Committee. I think deterrence is our strongest way to ensure that we have peace. I've been proud to help rebuild our U.S. military in the first term of President Trump when he signed the National Defense Authorization Act in my district at Fort Drum. So I'm a deep believer in deterrence. Diplomacy is very important as well, and that's one of the reasons why I think it's important that this position, served at the cabinet level, and I'm honored that the president nominated me to be in his cabinet in this position.
Senator Cornyn (01:42:59):
As you know, because you have a record dealing with the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, adopted as part of that deal, the Iranian nuclear deal in 2015 was a snapback sanctions if Iran violated the agreement, which it is clearly done time and time again. President Trump sought to initiate those snapback sanctions in August of 2020, but it was not successful at the time. In 2023, you signed a bipartisan letter, as you'll recall, to the British, French and German leaders urging them to immediately initiate the snapback mechanism. How important do you think it is that that snapback occur and what threat is there to the region and to world peace of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:43:54):
Oh, it's the most significant threat to world peace and specifically to the region, and I have a long record on this issue. I think it will be an important tool to consider in the president's tools kit as he pushes back on Iran. If you look at the success in his first term of the maximum pressure campaign on Iran, we had the Iranian regime, he had the Iranian regime at its weakest point, and what we have seen with the hundreds of billions of dollars sent to Iran during the last president is you have an emboldened Hamas who committed the bloodiest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust on October 7th. You had an emboldened Hezbollah, which luckily successfully Israel has continued to eradicate the terrorists of both Hamas and Hezbollah, and that's funded by Iran. So it has a cascading effect across the region. One of the greatest breakthroughs to push back on Iran is the Abraham Accords and building upon that success, also using our energy policy and President Trump was a visionary in this space, understanding that energy policy is national security around the world.
Senator Cornyn (01:45:00):
Thank you.
Senator Ricketts (01:45:03):
Senator Van Hollen.
Senator Van Hollen (01:45:04):
Thank you Mr. Chairman, Representative Stefanik. It was good to meet with you the other day. We discussed many of the important issues you will face at the United Nations. and I was pleased to hear you say that despite your voting record in the House, you support funding for the United Nations and most of its agencies. And we agreed that U.S. disengagement from the United Nations would simply cede lots of territory to our adversaries. Sadly, President Trump's decision to leave the World Health Organization will do just that. I believe it will make us less safe. Viruses don't respect national boundaries. Also, much false information has been spread about UNRWA this morning.
(01:45:56)
I simply urge all my colleagues to go read the U.S. intelligence assessment of UNRWA, an organization that Cindy McCain, the head of the World Food Program, has described as "indispensable". One issue that you will immediately face at the UN are discussions and resolutions regarding the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, and I associate myself with Senator Rosen's comments about the importance of enforcing you UN Security Resolution 1701 along with other UN security council resolutions. Like you, I've met with the hostage families, many of them, and I commend President Trump and Special Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff for the role they played in finally securing the agreement to release the hostages and enter into a ceasefire. It's essential that they achieve its full implementation.
(01:46:52)
I'd like to discuss your views about what people refer to as the day after in Gaza and beyond. President Trump has an opportunity to bring some light at the end of a very dark tunnel we find ourselves in, the latest chapter being the horrific Hamas attacks of October 7th. The president has said he wants to bring long-term peace and security to the region. Clearly, Hamas can have no role in that future, but long-term peace must include security, self-determination, and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians alike. When we talked in my office, you agreed that we should stand up and protect universal human rights and human rights and self-determination for all people, including both Israelis and Palestinians. And I'd just like to hear you today say that that's your view.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:47:45):
To put that view in the context of the day after question, I think President Trump is uniquely positioned at this very challenging moment to bring peace to the region, to eradicate terrorists of Hamas and Hezbollah, to protect Israel's national security. If you look at the failures, we've given billions of dollars and this is just the bilateral aid to the Palestinians and it has been abused by Hamas.
Senator Van Hollen (01:48:12):
Representative Stefanik, it was a very simple question. I just asking you if you agree with the statement that in order to achieve long-term peace and stability in the Middle East, that we have to secure the human rights and rights of self-determination for both Israelis and Palestinians. That's a yes or no.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:48:30):
I support human rights for all and I think it's a disgrace that Hamas and Hezbollah have stripped human rights of the Palestinian people and we need to ensure that we are standing up for human rights and Israel is standing up for human rights. It is a beacon of human rights in the region.
Senator Van Hollen (01:48:49):
We agree with that. I asked you in my office also about whether Palestinians have the right of self-determination. My understanding was you said yes, you have a different answer today.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:49:03):
That was not the direct question that we discussed. I said the Palestinian people-
Senator Van Hollen (01:49:06):
Do you believe the Palestinians have the right of self-determination?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:49:08):
I believe the Palestinian people deserve so much better than the failures that they've had from terrorist leadership-
Senator Van Hollen (01:49:14):
We agree on that. It's a pretty simple question.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:49:16):
And I believe we need-
Senator Van Hollen (01:49:17):
I take it-
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:49:17):
Piece in the region. Of course, they deserve human rights. I want to ensure that number one, we bring the hostages home. I want to ensure-,
Senator Van Hollen (01:49:25):
So do all of us. Representative Stefanik, let me just ask you, I have 30 seconds left. I'm rarely surprised by answers in my office, but I did ask you whether you subscribe to the views of Finance Minister Smotrich whom I-
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:49:40):
Of who? I'm sorry, Finance-
Senator Van Hollen (01:49:41):
Smotrich. This is the Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich and the former National Security Minister Ben-Gavir, who believed that Israel has a biblical right to the entire West Bank. And in that conversation you told me that yes, you shared that view. Is that your view today?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:49:59):
Yes.
Senator Van Hollen (01:50:00):
Okay. I think when it comes to this very difficult issue, if the president is going to succeed at bringing peace and stability to the Middle East, we're going to have to look at the UN Security Council resolutions, not just the ones on Lebanon, which we should enforce, but other security council resolutions, and it's going to be very difficult to achieve that if you continue to hold the view that you just expressed, which is a view that was not held by the founders of the state of Israel who were secular Zionists, not religious Zionists. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Ricketts (01:50:40):
Thank you, Senator Van Hollen. From the great state of Montana, Senator Daines.
Senator Daines (01:50:45):
Chairman, thank you. Also Ms. Stefanik, congratulations to your nomination and thank you for being here today. I'm very pleased to see President Trump placing such a strong emphasis on this very important position of Ambassador to the United Nations. It's important for the United States to be active at the table of the UN, to protect and advance U.S. interests. It's hard to imagine that the United Nations, which was born out of the tragedy of the Holocaust, would become a significant voice, an instrument of antiSemitism. That is exactly what's happened. Not only has the UN General Assembly has condemned Israel's right to defend itself and demanded Israel end unlawful presence in occupied Palestinian territory, but it's also attempted to recognize Palestine as a state and programs such as UNRWA have actively assisted terrorists.
(01:51:52)
I remember being in the Hezbollah terror tunnels in late August of '23, seeing what was planned. In fact, if you walk down with IDF soldiers to see spray paint in Arabic on our way to Jerusalem, and little did we know when we were touring those Hezbollah terror tunnels in Northern Israel between Israel and Lebanon, that weeks later, the worst terror attack in Israel's history would occur October 7th, 2023. Congresswoman Stefanik, if confirmed, you'll have to be a stalwart advocate for U.S. interests. And by the way, I could not be more pleased with President Trump's moral clarity on these difficult issues as it relates to what's happening in Israel. Secretary Rubio, great to see him sworn in today.
(01:52:44)
You as being our next Ambassador of the United Nations, Ambassador Huckabee nominated for Israel, this will be a great team that has moral clarity on these difficult issues. You'll be a stalwart advocate for our interest among an organization that continually advocates against American values despite existing only because the United States' financial contributions to its budget. Congresswoman Stefanik, the UN has had no greater demonstration of their ineffectiveness than it's failure to prevent Iran from advocating their nuclear weapons program. In your opinion, how could the United States as a member of the Security Council encourage the UN to take actions to curb the advancements of Iran's nuclear program?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:53:37):
I think this is related to the question by Senator Cornyn consideration of snapback sanctions continuing to be a strong voice pushing back against Iran, supporting the president's maximum pressure campaign, which was so successful in the first term that we will see a continuation of in this term. And I think that is also the critical step to take to stop the axis of terror in the region as Iran is the number one funder of Hamas and Hezbollah and the Houthis, which is destabilizing the region. I also think building on the success of the Abraham Accords, I mentioned this earlier in the hearing, we have an Abraham Accords caucus here, starting an Abraham's Accords caucus in the United Nations with countries who understand the importance of bringing peace and normalization to the region.
Senator Daines (01:54:31):
I remember that visit in late August, my last trip to Israel since the attacks, but meeting with Bibi Netanyahu, the optimism coming off the Abraham Accords with possibly restoring normalized relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, there was great hope and optimism. Of course, shattered, shattered, not by the Israelis, but by this horrible terror attack by Hamas. A number of my colleagues have asked about your plans for changing the staffing dynamics and putting forward more U.S. candidates for postings. Congresswoman, I'm very supportive of this, but how do you plan to push back against individuals like the Secretary General who lowered flags to half staff for the butcher of Tehran, their late president?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:55:22):
We're going to push back with strong moral clarity. We're going to push back with President Trump's America first, peace through strength as the United States' Ambassador at the United Nations and the number one funder, we are going to push back strongly and clearly.
Senator Daines (01:55:35):
I appreciate your moral clarity, your strong leadership, your 10 years in the U.S. House. Pleased to serve with you on the Hill, and you'll be a great ambassador to the United Nations. Thank you.
Senator Risch (01:55:49):
Thank you very much. Senator Barrasso.
Senator Barrasso (01:55:51):
Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. Congresswoman Stefanik, congratulations. I believe you're going to be terrific. A couple of things I wanted to talk to you about. Just Israel has continually been subjected to biased resolutions and politically motivated investigations at the United Nations. The UN so-called Human Rights Council has a standing agenda item, and that standing agenda item is called item number 7, and it exclusively targets Israel. It makes it the only member of the UN, the only member state singled out in this manner. The council consistently devotes excessive time, I think time at all is excessive, in criticizing Israel while often overlooking the atrocities in countries like Iran, like Syria.
(01:56:37)
2024 alone, the UN General Assembly adopted 17 different resolutions against Israel, compared to only six against the whole rest of the world. I mean, it's astonishing that this is going on the UN. So what are your views on item 7 and what steps would you think to do in terms of removal of this from the permanent agenda?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:56:58):
We need to work to remove it from the permanent agenda. This is counter to our national security interest. It's counter to our values, and this is emblematic of the antisemitic rot that is pervasive within the UN system. I'm a big believer in transparency. We saw over the course of exposing, frankly, the failed leadership at college campuses the importance of providing a spotlight when there is a lack of moral clarity because the American people strongly support the US- Israel relationship. They understand the moral case and the importance of Israel and how we should not be funding or supporting or giving any platform, frankly, like this standing agenda item.
Senator Barrasso (01:57:43):
Are there things you have in mind in terms of how we can pay greater attention to the true human rights situations that are taking place in Iran, in Syria and have the UN be forceful at all?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:57:55):
Yes, we should have. When previous U.S. ambassadors chaired the security council for their month, human rights was on the agenda item. I want to make sure that that continues to be a priority, speaking out on human rights issues, which there is significant bipartisan records of both sides of the aisle coming together to really raise the awareness and speak with that moral leadership from the United States of America on these humanitarian crises and speaking up for human rights.
Senator Barrasso (01:58:21):
You've answered a number of questions about China today, and this is a question I want to ask you. I asked the same question to Senator Rubio the other day, because I think China continues to have an unfair advantage due to the definition, the definition of China being the status listed as a developing nation as opposed to second largest economy in the world. To me, it's not a developing nation, which has huge advantages as a result of that in terms of funding and ability to borrow money and others in the world stage. So do you believe that China is a "developing" nation, and what's your plan to ensure that China is no longer able to exploit what I believe is an inaccurate label currently at the UN?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:59:03):
No, and they have exploited not only that inaccurate label, but they are the greatest perpetrators of intellectual property theft. They are the most significant national security challenge. I think generationally this will be the greatest challenge that my generation faces, and I think that we have an opportunity because if you look at the bipartisan focus and concern on ensuring that we not only meet this challenge, but that our values, we continue to strengthen our partnerships and allies around the globe, I think we have an opportunity to deliver real bipartisan results in this space.
Senator Barrasso (01:59:39):
You, I think used the words accountability, transparency. I know that's the way you acted in Congress, will do in this. The U.S. contributes what, 22% of the UN total budget right now. How are you going to ensure that that financial burden at the UN are actually shared more equitably in accordance with current economic realities?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (01:59:57):
Well, first of all, working directly with members of the House and the Senate with our oversight members and specifically the appropriators is very important. I think, as I discussed, doing an assessment of all of our funds ensuring that we're being good stewards of U.S. taxpayer dollars, that we're looking at results-based entities within the UN system, organizations that support American interest, America first, peace through strength and working with our national security team to do so. I want to provide this committee with full transparency about where every dollar is going within the UN system, which frankly this committee has not gotten before, and we deserve that as good stewards of U.S. taxpayer dollars.
Senator Barrasso (02:00:35):
I believe at one time heard you say, "We are the nation of the United States, not the United Nations." And how are you going to preserve and protect American sovereignty within the UN?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:00:45):
I deeply support American sovereignty, and I know that I'm going there to be, if confirmed, the ambassador of the United States to the United Nations and not the other way around, and I will always stand up for American values.
Senator Barrasso (02:00:58):
Thank you. Congratulations. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Risch (02:01:01):
Thank you, Senator Barrasso. Senator Lee, thank you for joining us. The floor is yours.
Senator Lee (02:01:05):
Thank you very much. Good to be back on the committee. Representative Stefanik, congratulations on your nomination. To start off with, I'll say that I've made no secret about the fact that I've got a healthy degree of skepticism about the United Nations. In fact, I've introduced a bill to defund it. But I believe you're properly equipped and prepared to handle the challenges within the United Nations between now and whenever we might have the wisdom to defund it, should that occur, and look forward to working with you on that and on your efforts to reform it from within during your time should you be confirmed. Now, the United States is one out of 193 member states belonging to the United Nations. In this setting, the U.S. will obviously need to engage with allies and bring about any needful proper reforms within the UN. Who do you consider our best allies within the UN system?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:02:12):
The Brits are a very important ally in the Security Council. Israel is a key ally. I think we need to continue to make inroads with developing countries within South America and Africa. It is important to build on the success. China has had a significant effort to try to peal off those votes in the General Assembly. So I think we need to approach it that every country has one vote, and I know that as a House member, no matter what your district is, you have one vote. We need to build up and build our coalitions. Japan is obviously a key ally, Australia is a key ally, but on the P5, the Brits, we share so many values and are incredibly important. French are also an important ally as well. And then Israel. Israel is a huge priority for me and making sure that the rest of the world knows that the US stands strongly with Israel.
Senator Lee (02:03:00):
And how would you describe the attitude of the United Nations as a whole toward Israel?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:03:05):
I would say it's antisemitic.
Senator Lee (02:03:07):
Antisemitic, my thoughts exactly. And that is a problem given the U.S. relationship with Israel. It's a problem that the United Nations takes such a hostile approach. It's also concerning that within the United Nations Security Council, we have people who, let's just say, don't share our interests, who have veto power. How does that limit our ability to affect significant change within the United Nations?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:03:35):
It's a significant challenge. It's a challenge that the ambassador, and if confirmed, we will face every day with China and Russia's veto on the P5. And it's a challenge that we're going to need to continue addressing. It is important to speak out and stand up for American values and be a voice representing the United States of America at the Security Council. But it's a challenge.
Senator Lee (02:03:58):
The International Criminal Court
Senator Lee (02:04:00):
… maintains a liaison office at the UN headquarters in New York, and as you're aware, the US granted the UN what it refers to as an "inviolable" headquarters district in 1947. The UN and the ICC also maintain a negotiated relationship agreement that obligates them to cooperate and exchange information.
(02:04:22)
But of course, as you know, that the US is not a party to the ICC and with very good reason. I hope we never ratify that. In light of this, what are your thoughts on the cooperative relationship between the UN and the ICC? And would you support a negotiation of the United Nations headquarters agreement to clarify that the UN shouldn't be housing other international organizations to which the US is not a party, particularly those organizations that take positions hostile to the interest of the United States?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:04:55):
Well, thank you for the question, Senator. I have a significant record pushing back on the ICC it is… First of all, we are not party to it. It is target US service members as well as targeting Israel, and we just passed on the House side important legislation pushing back on the ICC's disgraceful anti-Semitism.
(02:05:13)
I want to take a look at what you just proposed. I'm open to assessing that and I want to work with our oversight members to do so. I do think it's important to make sure that no US taxpayer dollars, that there is any connection to that because it is counter to our values.
Senator Lee (02:05:28):
And therein lies one of the problems. We are the largest donor nation to the United Nations. We also are in a situation in which most of the money that we contribute is voluntary, not mandatory. Nobody else comes close to what we dole out, and yet many of our interests are contravened by things that the UN or has been doing, has been inclined to do, and that creates a problem.
(02:05:55)
The problem has compounded further by virtue of how a lot of this money makes its way to the UN. We put something in the neighborhood of about $20 billion a year in there. And so we can say, "We don't want our money going to X, Y or Z."
(02:06:12)
But it all gets put into a large balloon and what we might take out here, they might use somewhere else, and so we're still funding a lot of things that are hostile to our interests. So, would you support tailored funding cuts, and if so, how would you bring about those cuts to make sure that it doesn't just come out in the wash somewhere else?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:06:34):
Yes, I would support tailored cuts. I want to work with our appropriators specifically on how we can be most effective and judicious in making those cuts. But it goes back to one of my main goals if confirmed to this position as being good stewards of US taxpayer dollars and representing American values.
Senator Lee (02:06:52):
Great. Thank you very much. I see my time's expired.
Senator James Risch (02:06:57):
Thank you, Senator Lee. Thank you for your view on the ICC. There's a lot of us share the same view. Any court that wants to be a court has to know right from wrong, and for the ICC to proclaim some kind of moral equivalency between Israel and Hamas is ridiculous. They can't have any kind of standing in a judiciary or legal system with that kind of a view, so thank you for your view in that regard. Senator Schatz.
Senator Pete Ricketts (02:07:31):
Thank you, Chairman. Ms. Stefanik, nice to see you again. Thanks for taking the time. Speaking of every country having a vote, we had a pretty constructive conversation about the Pacific Island Nations with which we've I think made some progress in terms of engagement, but it's a mixed bag because of the PRC influence, and I'd just like to hear you say in public what we discussed in private, which is that it is important that we remain engaged in all these little nations, which are sovereigns and all do have a vote at the UN for strategic purposes.
(02:08:09)
When we talk about the Asia-Pacific region, we tend to talk about South Asia, East Asia, very little about the countries that occupy the Pacific Ocean and I'm wondering if you can talk about that.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:08:22):
Yes, absolutely. And considering the importance of the region, all regions are important, but the threat of a rising China in the region, it's increasingly critical that the US continue to strengthen our partnerships, our diplomatic outreach to all countries big and small within INDOPACOM. And it is a commitment to do so within the Pacific Islands that you and I discussed and it's deeply tied to your state's national security as you know.
Senator Pete Ricketts (02:08:47):
Sure is. There are two theories of the case around how to use the UN to counter PRC influence, and I think you and I are on the same page as it relates to what to do next. My own judgment, and then you can tell me if you agree with this, is that to the degree and extent that we want to engage in muscular diplomacy, muscular foreign policy, muscular defense policy, it is not actually in our interest to recede away from all these UN bodies, and obviously Senator Lee and I probably disagree about the UN itself and some of the policies that it's made. But I think that we would be cutting off our nose to spite our face if we just go away from these international convenings.
(02:09:42)
And so because China is not going away, they're trying to run the meetings and to the extent that we withdraw, I know WHO is a done deal. I know Paris is a done deal, fair enough, elections and consequences and all of that, but I am worried that we're going to just get out of the room and then relegate ourselves to observer status, and then wonder why we're losing the battle in the room. And I just want to know if you are committed to staying in those rooms to fighting for American priorities and values rather than taking your marbles and going home.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:10:15):
I think it's very important that we stay in those rooms, particularly the technical organizations like telecommunications, intellectual property, civil aviation. There was a discussion earlier about artificial intelligence. We need to lead with our standards and our values and frankly, the world is looking for us to lead, and that's an important tool in our national security toolkit.
(02:10:35)
And I look forward to working with Secretary Rubio and his strong record of being a strong voice in the US senate now that he's confirmed as Secretary of State. So certainly, there will be policy disagreements. I support the president's decision, but we need to push back in the short term and long-term against the CCP's inroads and we need to do so with people as well, both at the lowest level, the starting entry levels within the UN system, but also the senior level and heads of these sub-UN agencies.
Senator Pete Ricketts (02:11:05):
Thank you for that. I know Senator Coons may have covered this a little bit. I understand there's a 90-day pause on all aid, and again, elections and consequences, like every president comes in and pauses all pending regulations and all the rest of it, but some of this is going to have material consequences pretty quickly, and we don't have 90 days when it comes to our military partnerships. People don't have 90 days when it comes to humanitarian assistance, and I'm just wondering how we navigate through the absolute prerogative that a president has to set their own policy course versus 90 days could be too long for some communities and countries.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:11:51):
Thank you for the question. I support the president's executive action. I think it's important that we be strong voices for the American taxpayer and ensure that all of our investments go to specific results, strengthening our national security, making America strong, safe, and prosperous, and bringing peace through strength.
(02:12:10)
If confirmed, I will work within the National Security Council and with the president and Secretary of State to ensure that we have the strong tools that we need within the United Nations to work with Secretary Rubio on our broader national security strategy that the president has laid out for the American people.
Senator Pete Ricketts (02:12:27):
I guess what I'm trying to figure out is can we agree that 90 days may be too long, and that if confirmed you're going to try to figure out where to turn the spigot back on. Because right now, this is a blanket freeze, and I presume some of the things that are frozen are going to get unfrozen. It'd be better if we could unfreeze some of these things in 20 days rather than 90 because there are real geopolitical consequences to freezing all aid for three months.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:12:52):
Thank you, Senator Schatz. I do support the president's executive order. We will work on the National Security Council to make sure that all the tools that are needed to protect our national security and the diplomatic piece is an important part of that when it comes to the UN. I have confidence that the president's going to make sure that we have the tools we need to protect our national security.
Senator Pete Ricketts (02:13:11):
I liked your answer to the previous question better, but thank you very much.
Senator James Risch (02:13:14):
Senator Schatz, actually, you raise a good point. When you do a blanket executive order like that, sometimes the law of unintended consequences takes over. Having said that, every one of these executive orders can be amended, and we have a history of amending them, both sides, over years. So, I am not as concerned about that, but it is a valid and legitimate point. Thank you so much. Senator Cruz, you're up.
Speaker 4 (02:13:43):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Congresswoman, congratulations on your nomination. You're going to be terrific. I want to go back to a topic you discussed with Senator Cornyn. I want to focus on Iran's push to build a nuclear arsenal, which poses I think the most immediate and acute threat to American national security.
(02:14:04)
When the ayatollah chants, "Death to America," he means it, and I believe he would absolutely detonate a nuclear weapon over an American city if he could. The Trump administration got Iran's nuclear program in a box and kept it there.
(02:14:22)
President Trump withdrew from the catastrophic Obama-Iran nuclear deal in 2018. He imposed maximum pressure in 2019. He invoked the UN snapback mechanism in the UN Security Council resolution 2231 to reimpose international sanctions in 2020. For that entire time, Iran was deterred from making significant advances on their nuclear program. They did not even enrich uranium above 5% or cascade advanced centrifuges.
(02:14:57)
Starting in November 2020, the Iranian regime gambled that it could start rushing to a nuclear arsenal and the incoming Biden administration would let them. Unfortunately, that proved correct. In November, the regime approved a new law calling for major nuclear advances. In January, they started enriching at 20% at Fordow, the underground enrichment bunker built into a mountain that the Obama-Iran nuclear deal left open. The incoming Biden administration responded with appeasement. In February, immediately after being inaugurated, they rushed to the UN to rescind President Trump's snapback, again allowing international sanctions to expire. For the next four years, the administration continually dismantled pressure the regime and refused to impose sanctions.
(02:15:57)
We know the result today, the ayatollah has achieved a nuclear breakout time of zero. We now face the very real possibility of an Iranian nuclear arsenal. I do not believe that this is a threat the US can tolerate, and I'm confident that both the president and Secretary of State Rubio agree.
(02:16:21)
I ask Secretary of State Rubio whether he intends to go to the United Nations and again trigger the snapback mechanism as a part of his written testimony to this committee. Here was Secretary Rubio's response, "I believe it is in our national security interest for the UN Security Council to snap back the sanctions that were suspended under the JCPOA. I will execute the president's guidance and work with our allies to ensure that snapback takes place." First, do you agree with Secretary Rubio's assessment that it is in the national security interest of the United States to snap back those sanctions?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:17:01):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (02:17:02):
Talk about how you would execute a strategy to do so, either unilaterally or working with allies.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:17:11):
That will be a strategy that I developed with the National Security Council in tandem with Secretary Rubio and President Trump to work with our allies within the United Nations within the Security Council, and there are allies that are already considering this and looking at it, and that has been publicly reported, but obviously pushing back on Iran is a top priority. It was a success during President Trump's first term, and we've seen the catastrophic results in loss of life during the previous four years when you have had an emboldened Iran that has led to directly the October 7th terrorist attack against Israel and Hezbollah firing tens of thousands of rockets against Israeli civilians.
Speaker 4 (02:17:54):
Let's move to another topic. You and I talked about the deep rot in the United Nations when it comes to supporting terrorism against American and our allies, especially Israel. As you discussed with Senator McCormick, UNRWA has for decades provided material support for Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza.
(02:18:13)
The World Health Organization has also been deeply complicit in the use of hospitals by Hamas for terrorist activities including for the holding of hostages. The complicity of these organizations deepened after October 7th, the Biden administration embraced UNRWA and the World Health Organization. Congress prohibited the Biden administration from funding UNRWA, but the administration officials circumvented that prohibition by using UNRWA infrastructure.
(02:18:41)
Yesterday, the president rightly and immediately withdrew our participation from them. I think that was a critical first step, but the next step is to enable American citizens to hold these organizations accountable. We currently have a very odd legal environment where these organizations enjoy more sovereign immunity than states and thus are shielded from accountability.
(02:19:03)
Last Congress, I introduced the Liable Act and was joined by four current members of this committee, including as well as Secretary of State Rubio. The bill will allow American victims of terrorism and their family to sue international organizations that support terrorism against this. I will soon reintroduce it in this Congress. What is your understanding of the role these organizations have played in facilitating terrorism against Americans, Israelis and our allies?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:19:31):
Well, there were individuals in UNRWA who participated, who executed and committed terrorist acts against Israel on October 7th. Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, carried an UNRWA passport. You had a Hamas data center under UNRWA headquarters, so the rot is deep. Congress made the right decision.
(02:19:52)
I was proud to be one of the leaders when it came to defunding UNRWA, and I am committed to holding them accountable and working with the US Senate and the US House and the president if that legislation passes.
Speaker 4 (02:20:04):
Terrific. Thank you.
Senator James Risch (02:20:05):
Thank you, Senator Cruz. Senator Duckworth.
Speaker 5 (02:20:09):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Congresswoman Stefanik, it's good to see you again. When we met last week, we talked about your strategy for jumping in and getting up to speed among the many career diplomats at the United Nations. What can you say here today about how you'll tackle that problem set of facing people who've been there for a long time and who may have long-established relationships and experience at the UN headquarters?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:20:29):
I think it's very important to build on their significant experience. Right now, there is the transition happening. If confirmed, I hope to dig in and gain their expertise, particularly the regional expertise that many of the officials within the State Department serving at the USUN mission.
(02:20:45)
It's very important, particularly in the technical aspects and some of the technical organizations and some of the regional challenges within the UN system. Typically, the deputy permanent rep is a career, although presidentially appointed, and I will support the president's nominee, but our hope is that that will bring career expertise from within the State Department and an understanding of the UN system.
Speaker 5 (02:21:08):
Will you commit to proactively engaging the rotating members of the security council and investing time particularly in relationships throughout those who represent the global south?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:21:17):
Yes. That is very important. It was an issue that you and I discussed, Senator, and was actually asked in previous parts of this hearing. It's incredibly important. If you look at China's inroads in the global south, it's one of the greatest challenges that we face when you look at the UN voting habits of various countries. So we need to build upon our regional organizations and push back on Chinese influence in that region and that starts with engagement.
Speaker 5 (02:21:44):
Thank you. Shifting gears to Southeast Asia, the crisis in Myanmar feels like it is only escalating as the years pass, since the Tatmadaw took control in 2021. Millions of people are internally displaced and there are hundreds of thousands of Karen displaced in Thailand and nearly a million Rohingya displaced into Bangladesh.
(02:22:03)
Although, we've had UN Security Council resolution 2669 since 2022, ASEAN's Five Points Consensus since 2021 and increasing sanctions targeting the military junta, there is no sign to an end in sight for this crisis. It's also created a ripe environment for criminal activity with cyber scam centers engaging in human trafficking and enriching themselves by targeting people with fraud.
(02:22:26)
This has a major economic impact including on people here in the United States who find themselves targeted. If confirmed as UN ambassador, what ideas would you have to get after some of the challenges that make up this really complex case? I'm not asking you to single handedly solve the conflict, but can you touch on how you would work with regional bodies like ASEAN, especially under the Malaysian chairmanship year, or Thailand, our longest treaty ally of the United States, or the Philippines where we have a security alliance, UN sub agencies or other entities to break through the stalemate we the world find ourselves in when it comes to Myanmar?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:23:01):
Yes. Thank you so much for the question. This needs to be among the top priorities when it comes to standing up with human rights, and I'm grateful for the Congress and the Senate for having such a bipartisan record when it comes to standing up for human rights. I hope to return that to a top priority when the US has the opportunity to chair the security council.
(02:23:19)
And I think building on these regional organizations like ASEAN is very important. I myself led a delegation with House Armed Services Committee Colleagues, House Intelligence Colleagues. We went to Thailand.
(02:23:32)
We have gone to other ASEAN countries on that visit and working with them, within the region, because it's so important to the security in the region and the values that we strongly support in the region. You point out Thailand as our longest ally, oldest ally in the region. That's a very important relationship, and you have my commitment to continue to build on that.
(02:23:54)
And I also think ASEAN, in this particular human rights challenge that you pointed out, but I think we ought to build on these international organizations like AUKUS, the Quad writ large within the UN, because I think that helps continue to expand our ability to deliver diplomatic results.
Speaker 5 (02:24:11):
Thank you. I very much look forward to working with you in your new position. Congratulations.
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:24:15):
Thank you, Senator Duckworth.
Speaker 5 (02:24:16):
I yield back, Chairman.
Senator James Risch (02:24:17):
Thank you. Thank you, Senator Duckworth. Senator Shaheen.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (02:24:20):
Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. I had a couple of more follow-up questions. Let me also though, first recognize Congressman Joe Wilson, who I'm sure is here in support of Congresswoman Stefanik. So nice to have representation from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Thank you.
(02:24:39)
Congresswoman, the UN Security Council recently renewed the mandate for EURFOR Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina through November of 2025. It's been a constant challenge and I worry that the UN-backed peacekeeping mission is needed now more than ever, perhaps in greater force because of the Republic of Srpska leader, Milorad Dodik, who is sanctioned by the US, and he continues his successionist threats. So if confirmed, will you commit to building consensus for maintaining that peacekeeping mission in the long term?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:25:14):
Yes.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (02:25:16):
Thank you. Another area that I'm concerned about is the work of the international organization on Migration and the UN Refugee Agency, which is supporting thousands of displaced from the Russian Occupied Territory. We know we have about 7 million Ukrainian refugees globally, 3.6 million internally displaced in Ukraine.
(02:25:40)
Moldova, which is sandwiched between Ukraine and has significant Russian influence, hosts refugees that are equivalent to 5% of its population. It's dependent on humanitarian support especially. So if confirmed, will you continue to support these critical humanitarian operations in Ukraine and Moldova?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:26:04):
I think it is important that we take a look at all of our UN entities and all of our UN agencies to make sure that they deliver results and represent our values, and I want to work with the National Security Council and Secretary Rubio to do an assessment, make sure that it's results focused and get back to you once we do that. But I want to work with Marco on that.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (02:26:23):
Good. Well, that's fair, and I think it's in our interest to help ensure that those countries who are impacted by the fallout from the conflict have the support to be able to withstand Russian influence so that they don't also fall as the result of conflict.
(02:26:48)
Let me also register my support for the UNIFIL mission. Again, I think it's one that we need to examine and see how we ensure that they continue to be a strong bulwark against Hezbollah and what's happening in Lebanon. But we need to ensure that there is somebody there to address the peacekeeping that needs to continue now as the result of. Lebanon has actually made some real progress in getting a president in place and a Prime minister who are outside of the influence of Hezbollah. I think anything we can do to ensure that continues is really important. With that said, I also want to go back to Syria because you talked a little bit about the concern about HTS and what they will continue to do in Syria has come up in the questioning. The fall of Assad probably dealt as big a blow to Iran and Russia as anything that's happened in the Middle East in recent years.
(02:27:55)
And I think it's important for us to think about how we fill that vacuum, because if we don't or if those people who support freedom support the opportunity for self-determination for the Syrian people, then we know that Iran and Russia and other players will come back in to the region. So can you talk a little bit about how you think we can ensure that humanitarian aid continues to get through into Syria and that the UN can engage to ensure that we don't have our adversaries filling that vacuum?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:28:33):
I'm deeply concerned about our adversaries filling that vacuum. I also think that it's important that we continue to ensure that there is not another reign frankly of terror against the Syrian people. It's a very complex, there are open questions, and I want to work with Secretary Rubio and President Trump to ensure we have a real verification process. To go back to Reagan, trust but verify. I think that's really, really important before I make any commitments here today, and certainly I'm not going to get ahead of the president. There is no question that Assad's fall is a major blow to Iran and it is an opportunity in the region for people that have been human rights abuse, have been slaughtered by the Assad regime, the use of chemical weapons, and that's over the course while I've been in Congress as we've pushed back.
(02:29:28)
And I credit President Trump for his effective military response to when Assad used chemical weapons. I will commit to this committee that I'm going to work with the National Security Council, but we'll support the president's approach in a very unique and this moment in time where there's real opportunity, but we want to make sure that there's not terror.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (02:29:52):
I appreciate that and I look forward to working with you. And again, I think time is of the essence here, and we don't have a lot of time to look at what the options are before our adversaries move in. Thank you.
Senator James Risch (02:30:06):
Thank you. Good point, Senator Shaheen. Anything else for the good of the order?
Senator Lee (02:30:10):
One very brief follow up.
Senator James Risch (02:30:11):
One very brief follow up, Senator.
Senator Lee (02:30:15):
Just wanted to ask you, what do you see as your most important lever or levers within the United Nations should you be confirmed as our ambassador to the UN? What are your most important levers to wield authority to bring about reform?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:30:31):
I think our vote on the Security Council and the fact that we are the biggest funder. We need to stand up for our values, American values, at the United Nations. And I said earlier in my testimony, if confirmed, I will represent the United States. That is the responsibility and that is what I'm hoping to do, but it's the UN Security Council vote as well as our funding and the transparency and accountability that should come along with our funding.
Senator Lee (02:30:58):
Great. Thank you so much. Thank you, Chairman.
Senator James Risch (02:31:00):
Thank you, Senator Lee. Senator Duckworth, you had a follow up?
Speaker 5 (02:31:01):
Yes. Thank you. Just one question, Congressman Stefanik, it's really about the rights of persons with disabilities and people with disabilities around the world. I think the United States is in a very unique position to lead, and I think this is a place where you can work with other nations at the United Nations when it comes to issues that persons with disabilities face around the world, discrimination and the like.
(02:31:21)
We still are dealing with unexploded ordinances from the Vietnam War and places like Laos and Vietnam and Cambodia. Have you thought a little bit about what work you would do when it comes for the issue of persons with disabilities in your role as our UN ambassador?
The Honarable Elise M. Stefanik (02:31:36):
Absolutely, Senator, and I thank you for your leadership on this issue working with so many senators across the aisle. I think it's a very important way that America can lead when it comes to human rights and human dignity. And I hope to bring that leadership and I know that Secretary Rubio during his testimony committed to that as well from the State Department approach. So I hope to be of strong partner in doing so.
Speaker 5 (02:31:59):
Thank you. I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
Senator James Risch (02:32:00):
Thank you very much. At this point, I am going to order the letters of support and matters related thereto regarding Congressman Stefanik into the record. They will be placed in the record. I'm going to leave the record open until 5:00 PM. tomorrow evening in case there are questions for the record from members of the committee.
(02:32:21)
So with that, our thanks to you. Thank you for spending the time with us here today and unless there's anything else for the good of the order, Committee is adjourned.