Senator Collins’ Statement on Confirmation of Antony Blinken as Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senator Susan Collins issued a statement following her vote to confirm Antony Blinken as Secretary of State.  Mr. Blinken was confirmed by a vote of 78-22.

“Although I have disagreed with Mr. Blinken on some important foreign policy issues, he is clearly qualified to lead America’s State Department, and it is important for President Biden to have his national security and foreign policy team in place as soon as possible.

“I look forward to working with Mr. Blinken on a number of important issues, such as confronting the challenges posed by the Chinese Communist Party, protecting the United States’ security commitments to Israel, and ending the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen. I also share his commitment to ensuring Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon, and I welcome his future engagement with Congress on addressing Iran’s ballistic missile threats and malign influence in the Middle East.”

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