Republicans in the Senate Blocked Ambassador
Office of the Press Secretary
December 12, 2011
Today a partisan group of Republicans in the Senate blocked our Ambassador to El Salvador from returning to her job, choosing instead to play politics with America’s national interests.
Ambassador Aponte has served our nation with distinction over the past year, accumulating an impressive list of accomplishments that included negotiating a Partnership for Growth between the United States and El Salvador that is critical to our economic and national security interests in the region. Ambassador Aponte’s leadership on behalf of the United States has earned her the respect of all sides in El Salvador, and the trust of leaders in the United States from across the political spectrum and diverse communities.
Today’s filibuster is one more example of the type of political posturing and partisanship the American people are tired of seeing in Washington. Now is not the time for playing politics, it’s time for Congress to do the right thing for the American people. Whether it’s allowing up or down votes on our representatives to the Western Hemisphere, allowing consumers to have someone looking out for their interests, or extending and expanding the payroll tax cut for the middle class, Republicans in Congress need to stop thinking about the next election and start putting the best interests of the American people first.”