Almost a dozen U.S. ambassadors to Latin America and the Caribbean are still not in place
The latest holdup came in May when Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., placed a “blanket hold” on all the nominees for Latin America and the Caribbean after President Joe Biden lifted some restrictions on Cuba.
Sept. 16, 2022, 6:05 AM CDT
By Carmen Sesin
Almost two years after President Joe Biden stepped into office, nearly a dozen ambassadors to key countries in the Western Hemisphere are still not in place, with eight nominees having their confirmation hearings put on hold by a Republican senator — all during a pivotal time in the region.
Ambassadorial nominees to Nicaragua, Brazil, Panama, Uruguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, El Salvador and the Organization of American States have been nominated but their confirmations are being held up by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla.
Biden recently nominated an ambassador to Ecuador and has yet to nominate ambassadors to the Dominican Republic, as well as Colombia — the strongest ally of the United States in the region which recently elected its first leftist president. Chile’s ambassador was recently confirmed after the position was vacant for close to four years.
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The latest holdup came in mid-May when Scott placed the “blanket hold” on all the nominees for Latin America and the Caribbean after Biden lifted some restrictions placed on Cuba by former President Donald Trump. The lifted restrictions included some on travel, as well as the amount of remittances that can be sent from the U.S. Scott called the move “an idiotic attempt to return to Obama’s failed appeasement policies.”
More:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/almost-dozen-us-ambassadors-latin-america-caribbean-are-still-not-plac-rcna47746
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