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Stefanik vows to keep the U.S. engaged at U.N. to counter China

7 12
22.01.2025

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) assured skeptical Senate Democrats during her confirmation hearing as President Trump's pick for U.N. ambassador that she is committed to engaging in the United Nations, saying it’s a priority venue to challenge China’s push for dominance on the global stage.

Stefanik, the former Republican Conference Chair, is likely to get bipartisan support in a vote on the Senate floor, said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and added that the Republican congresswoman did a “good job.”

“I don’t agree with her on everything, but I thought she was strong and clear about what her values are,” Shaheen said.

Even as she criticized the global body as infected with "antisemitic rot" against Israel, Stefanik pledged to rally America’s conventional allies, build coalitions among smaller countries and push for leadership and staffing positions in key agencies to box out China and its supporters.

“They are the most significant national security challenge, I think generationally,” Stefanik said, referring to China. “This will be the greatest challenge that my generation faces,” she said, adding that standing alongside Israel “is a huge priority for me."

Democrats nodded in accession over the threat from China, demonstrating that some areas of bipartisan agreement remain, even as partisanship deepens among lawmakers on foreign policy — historically an area where Republicans and Democrats seek to project a united front on the global stage.

But a rash of executive actions signed by Trump on Monday night raised alarm among Democrats that the U.S. was already abdicating its role to China — withdrawing from the World Health Organization and pausing all U.S. development assistance for three months pending reviews.

“Can we agree that 90 days may be too long and that, if confirmed, you're going to try to figure out where to........

© The Hill