Biden's deputy secretary of state nominee OK'd by Senate committee
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved moving Wendy Sherman's nomination to the full Senate, with some Democrats and Republicans who had disagreed with her on the Iran deal voting to confirm her anyway.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted in favor of US President Joe Biden’s nominee for deputy secretary of state Thursday. Wendy Sherman’s nomination will next move to a full Senate vote, though that could be delayed amid criticism of her work on the Iran nuclear deal.
Sherman was the United States’ lead negotiator for the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement while serving as undersecretary of State for political affairs under President Barack Obama. The agreement removed international sanctions on Iran in exchange for the Islamic Republic scaling back its nuclear program. In 2018, US President Donald Trump removed the United States from the deal, alleging that Iran was still seeking to build a nuclear weapon, and reimposed harsh sanctions. Iran is no longer in compliance with the deal.
Sherman’s work on the agreement was a topic of discussion by her supporters and critics during Thursday’s Senate hearing. Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, the top Republican on the committee, said Sherman did not fulfill her constitutionally duty to inform and consult the Senate on the Iran deal. “I’ve seen really a lack of appreciation for the role of Congress in foreign policy making,” said Risch, who voted against her.
Risch said Sherman held certain aspects of the deal from Congress during the negotiations. “I remember asking her about provisions in the agreement that we could not see. They were secret,” he said. “I have the same security clearance that she does, being No. 2 on the intelligence committee.”
