Senator John Kerry (D-MA), incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has announced that the committee will start hearings on the confirmation of President-elect Obama’s nominee, Sen. Hillary Clinton, for Secretary of State, on Tuesday, January 13. Susan Rice, the nominee for United Nations Ambassador, will begin her confirmation process on January 15.
These two positions will greatly influence America’s foreign policy, and not just the conflicts on which Enough works. The confirmation hearings will be an important time for members of Congress to represent their constituents’ views and press these nominees on the issues they believe to be top foreign policy priorities. With the economic crises understandably getting immense attention, it is all the more important that that issues of genocide and mass atrocities taking place in Sudan, Congo, and elsewhere not be ignored.
Take Urgent Action: Call your Senator now and make sure they represent you. Tell them to ask questions about Sudan and Congo in confirmation hearings and to ensure these conflicts are made a top priority from day one. If your Senator serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, it is especially important that you call and mobilize others in your community to do the same. For more information on these nominees’ records, visit the handy profiles from our friends at the Genocide Intervention Network.