Republican Sen. J.D. Vance blocked more than two dozen of Biden's ambassador nominees for months, grilling them about how they handled LGBT and DEI issues, according to leaked memos.
Vance, who is currently the Republican vice presidential nominee, asked the ambassador candidates topical questions about DEI, gender ideology and their stance on other LGBT topics. according to Vance used the questionnaire to hold up confirmations for more than 30 diplomats deployed to Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, according to a copy of the memo obtained by The Washington Post.
“Many of our allies, and the people of countries with which we seek to build stronger relationships, hold traditional Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu values,” Vance's memo read. “How would you explain to them what it would mean in their countries for the United States to advance the human rights of LGBTQ people, if confirmed?”
The Washington Post said the survey showed career diplomats were willing to downplay Vance without crossing the administration's stance on LGBT rights. (Related: Experts say J.D. Vance's nomination as vice presidential candidate is likely the final nail in the coffin for the Republican Party's forever war wing)
Leaked: Apparently a leaked memo claims JD Vance is so against wokeism that he froze dozens of ambassador nominations because of their views on gender equality and DEI. Hard to believe.
To achieve this, Vance asked future ambassadors to increase the number of… pic.twitter.com/7y4gbIFJzs
— Ian Miles Chong (@stillgray) July 20, 2024
In the memo, Vance urged aspiring diplomats to consider how they would address specific aspects of the State Department's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) strategic plan.
Vance asked about the goals to “assess resources for workplace gender identity disorder and gender transition care for employees and their dependents” and to “increase gender-neutral restrooms and locker rooms in overseas facilities.” according to In the DEIA plan.
Ambassador Stephanie S. Sullivan, Biden's nominee for special envoy to the African Union, expressed anger after Vance criticized her as a conscious advocate for a “progressive social agenda” on gender identity, The Washington Post reported. The ambassador nominee oversaw an embassy that flew the Pride flag.
According to the Daily Caller, several Republican senators took issue with comments Sullivan made in a 2020 video in which he spoke about “systemic racism” in the United States regarding the Fourth of July. In April 2023, several Senate Democrats pushed for a unanimous consent vote to nominate Sullivan to be the U.S. representative to the African Union.
According to The Washington Post, Vance's efforts to block nominations have resulted in a hold on more than 30 potential ambassadors to Senate-confirmed State Department posts, forcing the ruling party to vote on political appointees individually, rather than moving forward with the nominations by unanimous consent vote.
After more than a year of repeated discussions with the State Department about the questionnaires and holds, Vance eventually lifted most of the more than 30 holds in April, according to The Washington Post.
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