Executive Session

Floor Speech

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Mr. PETERS. Madam President, I rise to oppose the nomination of CIA Director Mike Pompeo to be the Secretary of State.

I voted against confirming Mike Pompeo to be the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency because he lacked the experience and the qualifications for the position. His time at the CIA has done nothing to ensure me that he now has the capabilities to lead the State Department.

As a Member of the House of Representatives, Mike Pompeo made repeated discriminatory remarks about Muslim Americans. He has argued that the Muslim American leaders have a ``special obligation'' to denounce terrorist attacks, and he has falsely claimed that they have failed to do that. I am proud to represent dynamic Muslim and Arab- American communities in Michigan. I have seen that these patriotic communities are often the first to denounce senseless acts of violence that pervert the Islamic faith.

Mike Pompeo also has close ties to a group that is a Southern Poverty Law Center ``designated hate group'' because of its anti-Muslim rhetoric and conspiracy theories. I seriously question the judgment of an elected official who would work with such a group, and I do not believe it shows the type of character required in an individual who is nominated to be our country's top diplomat. How can someone with this attitude work effectively with our allies and partners in the Middle East? I don't think he can.

Mr. Pompeo has also supported bringing back waterboarding and other torture measures that do nothing to keep America safe and go against our Nation's core values. We now have a President who has said that he believes that torture ``absolutely'' works.

We can do better than this. America is better than this. I voted to ban the use of waterboarding and other so-called enhanced interrogation measures because they do not work, and in fact, they violate basic human rights, undermine our Nation's counterterrorism missions, and place our own servicemembers at risk.

Confirming a Secretary of State that has condoned torture is just another step in our Nation's current retreat from being what President Ronald Reagan called ``a shining city on the hill.''

I am concerned that Mike Pompeo will also continue the United States' retreat from a leadership role in addressing climate change--an existential moral and economic issue that will impact our planet for generations to come. Director Pompeo has criticized the Paris climate agreement and has made statements that contradict the overwhelming scientific events on climate change.

Our Nation faces serious global challenges: Russian aggression, North Korea's nuclear weapons program, instability in the Middle East, and China's ongoing efforts to expand their power and influence. The world is looking to the United States for leadership. This is a time when skill and experienced diplomacy is essential to advance our interests and our values on the world stage. I do not believe that Director Pompeo has the necessary experience, diplomatic skills, and values required to be the Secretary of State. I will oppose his nomination this afternoon.

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