III 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 453 

Honoring the Employees of the Department of State and the United States 

Agency for International Development, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 12, 2019 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. CARDIN, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. COONS, Mr. 

UDALL, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. KAINE, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MERKLEY, and Mr. 

BOOKER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the Employees of the Department of State and 

the United States Agency for International Development, 

and for other purposes. 

Whereas more than 81,000 people serve as employees of the 

Department of State and the United States Agency for 

International Development, including locally employed 

staff, protecting and advancing national security, freedom, democracy, development, and free markets, for the 

benefit of the people of the United States and the international community; 

Whereas employees of the Department of State and the 

United States Agency for International Development together represent the United States in maintaining diplomatic relations in over 250 posts in 180 countries around 


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•SRES 453 IS 

the world, including in many inhospitable and dangerous 

regions; 

Whereas employees of the Department of State and the 

United States Agency for International Development promote American values and interests at home and abroad 

through their work and actions, promoting the safety and 

freedom of all Americans; 

Whereas employees of the Department of State and the 

United States Agency for International Development are 

a central component of our defense against international 

terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; 

Whereas employees of the Department of State and the 

United States Agency for International Development 

work to preserve peace and freedom and promote economic prosperity and mutual understanding around the 

world; 

Whereas employees of the Department of State and the 

United States Agency for International Development 

daily work to reduce poverty, end hunger and malnutrition, fight disease, combat international crime and illegal 

drugs, and address environmental degradation; 

Whereas employees of the Department of State and the 

United States Agency for International Development 

daily work to promote economic development, commercial 

enterprises, economic prosperity, and United States job 

and trade promotion; 

Whereas employees of the Department of State and the 

United States Agency for International Development 

daily work to promote American ideals and values, 

human rights, freedom, gender equality, and democracy; 


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•SRES 453 IS 

Whereas employees of the Department of State and the 

United States Agency for International Development 

daily work to provide emergency and humanitarian assistance aid to respond to crises around the globe; 

Whereas there are almost 50,000 local employees at posts 

that aid and support the work of the United States and 

the Department of State around the world; 

Whereas at least 250 United States citizen employees, as well 

as family members, and many more locally employed 

staff, of the Department of State and the United States 

Agency for International Development have made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their Nation; 

Whereas employees of the Department of State and the 

United States Agency for International Development personify the virtues of patriotism, sacrifice, service, and 

duty; 

Whereas the families of employees of the Department of 

State and the United States Agency for International Development make important and significant sacrifices for 

the United States; 

Whereas multiple career Foreign Service and civil service employees of the Department of State upheld their oaths to 

defend the Constitution, uphold the law, and provide testimony in response to lawful subpoenas from congressional oversight hearings, risking their careers and personal safety for service to their nation; 

Whereas these courageous employees of the Department of 

State, individuals who have served the Nation with distinction and represent our Nation’s finest, include Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, a distinguished career public servant who dedicated 33 years of her life as a ForVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:36 Dec 12, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR453.IS SR453

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eign Service Officer; Ambassador William Taylor, a diplomat who started his 50-year public service as a West 

Point cadet and served in every Administration since 

1985; George Kent a career foreign service officer with 

multiple postings throughout the Department since 1992; 

Jennifer Williams, a 13-year veteran of the Foreign Service who has served overseas in Beirut and Jamaica, managed the United States Government’s humanitarian assistance program for Syrian refugees from 2011 to 2014, 

and, most recently, has served as the Vice President’s assistant on European and Russian affairs since April 

2019; Ambassador David Hale, who has served around 

the world for more than three decades with the Department, including as Ambassador to Pakistan, Lebanon 

and Jordan, and in his current role as Under Secretary 

of State for Political Affairs; David Holmes, who joined 

the foreign service in 2002 and was awarded the William 

Rivkin award for Constructive Dissent in 2014; Peter Michael McKinley, whose career in the foreign service 

spanned more than 35 years and included service as ambassador to Peru, Colombia, Afghanistan, and Brazil, 

and Senior Adviser to Secretary Mike Pompeo; Philip 

Reeker, a 27-year veteran of the foreign service, including as acting assistant secretary of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs; Catherine M. Croft, who has 

served as a special advisor for Ukraine in the State Department and on the National Security Council staff; and 

Christopher Anderson, a foreign service officer since 

2005, who served at the United States Embassy in Kyiv 

from 2014 to 2017 and as the special adviser for Ukraine 

negotiations from August 2017 to July 2019; and 

Whereas the Department of State has represented to Congress that ‘‘no employee has faced any adverse action by 


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•SRES 453 IS 

the Department for testimony before Congress’’ and committed that ‘‘the Department will not discipline any Department employee for appearing before Congress in response to a subpoena’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) honors the employees of the Department of 

3 State and the United States Agency for Inter4 national Development; 

5 (2) calls on the people of the United States to 

6 reflect on the service and sacrifice of employees of 

7 the Department of State and the United States 

8 Agency for International Development, wherever 

9 they serve, past, present, and future; 

10 (3) thanks the local employees for their aid and 

11 support in the mission of the Department of State 

12 and the United States Agency for International De13 velopment; 

14 (4) expresses the deep appreciation of a grate15 ful Nation to the employees of the Department of 

16 State and the United States Agency for Inter17 national Development who each and every day cou18 rageously and publicly stand up for their country 

19 and defend the Constitution, including those who 

20 have provided testimony to Congress in response to 

21 lawful subpoenas; 


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1 (5) urges the Department to fully and faithfully 

2 implement all its stated commitment to assist em3 ployees called to testify before Congress with the 

4 cost of legal fees; and 

5 (6) calls on the Department to ensure that no 

6 personnel will face any retaliatory action, adverse 

7 personnel action, or other negative consequence for 

8 testifying or providing requested information to Con9 gress, and emphasizes that any reprisal for testi10 fying before Congress would be a violation of law. 

Æ 


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