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Floor Speech

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Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to support Elizabeth Bagley's nomination to serve as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Federative Republic of Brazil.

Elizabeth brings to this position significant experience in diplomacy, law, and foreign affairs. Over the course of her incredible career, she has served our country as Ambassador to Portugal, as a senior adviser to multiple Secretaries of State, and as congressional liaison to the Helsinki Accords and the Camp David Treaties.

At the State Department, she was the first person to serve as the Special Representative for Global Partnerships, an office which worked to advance foreign policy priorities through private sector engagement. She has a background in international law and shared that expertise with the students at Georgetown University Law Center. Through her years advising key leaders like Madeleine Albright, Hillary Clinton, and John Kerry, Elizabeth gained the experience needed to represent our country on the world stage.

We all know about the key role Ambassadors play in diplomacy. U.S. and broader democratic efforts suffer when we do not have an Ambassador in place--someone to officially represent the U.S. Government, to lead our Foreign Service Officers abroad, and to strengthen diplomatic ties with other nations.

This is particularly true of Brazil, a country that is home to a U.S. Embassy, four consulates, a branch office, and decades of partnership. More than 40,000 students, teachers, and professionals have participated in exchanges between the United States and Brazil. The United States is Brazil's second largest trading partner, and our governments and law enforcement agencies work closely together to combat money laundering, arms trafficking, and human trafficking.

To manage the many challenges facing the world today--food shortages from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, rising temperatures and extreme weather events, continuing recovery from the pandemic, and China's growing influence around the world, we need capable Ambassadors in place to share democratic values and secure America's place in the world. Time and time again, Elizabeth Bagley has proven herself to be the kind of leader who is up for the task.

Don't take it just from me. Elizabeth has been awarded the Secretary of State's Distinguished Honor Award, given for those who have made significant contributions to the Agency's mission, and the Portuguese Government has conferred upon her the Grand Cross of Prince Henry the Navigator, Portugal's highest civilian honor.

I am proud to say I will be voting for Elizabeth Bagley as Ambassador to Brazil, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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