“As the son of a Foreign Service Officer, I know firsthand the immense impact our diplomats have on furthering U.S. interests and values abroad.

Across the world and here at home, the members of our State Department work on the frontlines of diplomacy and foreign policy. I appreciate Deputy Secretary Sullivan taking the time to provide us with an update on current issues, in addition to the needs of the Department.  It’s crucial that the State Department has the resources it needs to fulfill its diplomatic mission around the world. I will continue working to ensure our State Department is fully equipped to represent the United States abroad.”

Senator Van Hollen is the co-founder of the Senate Foreign Service Caucus

“If you want to be peaceful here, if you want to preserve our way of life, you better be involved over there. The only thing I can tell you after 15 years of being at war, we are never going to win this war all of us staying over here.

And the best and brightest among us are not just our soldiers, it’s the people in the State Department and the NGOs who go and represent American values without carrying a gun.”