Rosen Supports White House Decision to Designate North Korea a State Sponsor of Terrorism, Calls for Appointment of Diplomats to State Department

Statement

Today, Congresswoman Jacky Rosen (NV-03), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, called on the Trump administration to appoint a seasoned diplomat at the State Department to coordinate sanctions policy In April, Congresswoman Rosen voted to designate North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism and also condemned North Korea's development of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Earlier this month, Rosen joined 26 other members in sending a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urging him to appoint a Coordinator for Sanctions Policy.

"The White House's decision to designate North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism is a measure I have voted for and support," said Rosen. "This is a step in the right direction, but this Administration still hasn't taken many necessary actions to hold North Korea accountable for its dangerous activities. North Korea is a serious threat that requires a strong and calculated response, and the recent decision to eliminate the Coordinator for Sanctions Policy office at the State Department undercuts those efforts. If we're going to be effective, then we must have capable policy experts and a diplomatic corps who can implement sanctions and execute our foreign policies. I urge this Administration to reverse course and appoint a seasoned diplomat to coordinate and enforce Congressionally-mandated sanctions on bad state actors who pose a threat to our national and global security."

Read text of the letter here or below:

BACKGROUND: Congresswoman Rosen has fought to ensure that the U.S. military, intelligence agencies, and diplomatic corps are fully prepared to protect Americans from North Korean aggression and to hold the Kim regime accountable for its malicious activities. Earlier this year, Rosen joined 69 of her colleagues in urging President Trump to adopt a strong, strategic, and steady policy toward North Korea, including imposing and enforcing sanctions, enhancing diplomatic efforts, strengthening alliance in East Asia, nominating personnel to critical State Department positions, and maintaining a message of strong deterrence based on U.S. presence on the Korean peninsula. Congresswoman Rosen is a co-sponsor of the North Korea Intelligence Enhancement Act, H.R. 2175, which would require the Director of National Intelligence to establish an "integration cell" within the US intelligence community to streamline and synchronize the collection and dissemination of intelligence on North Korea.

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