Levin, Meijer Introduce Legislation to Improve Transparency in Political Ambassador Nominations

Statement

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, Congressmen Andy Levin (MI-09) and Peter Meijer (MI-03), members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced the Bolstering the Effectiveness, Success, and Transparency of (BEST) Ambassadors Act, a bipartisan bill that would improve disclosures around nominations of political ambassadors to ensure they are successful.

"Concerns over the influence of political contributions in the ambassador appointment process are bipartisan," said Congressman Levin. "By adding commonsense requirements--such as disclosing additional campaign contributions made by them or a family member and a statement on their knowledge of the country where they'll serve--we can chart a new course in our country's foreign representation and ensure competent, qualified people are on the job representing the American people.

"The United States' practice of appointing ambassadors is far from the global standard, and we must start prioritizing relevant qualifications when considering individuals for these key roles," said Congressman Meijer. "I am proud to help lead this effort to ensure our nation's top foreign representatives are well-qualified, not just appointed in return for political favor. Americans deserve transparent and effective leaders."

The BEST Ambassadors Act:

Requires the President, when nominating an ambassador, to disclose whether a career member of the Foreign Service is available to fill the post and to describe the extent to which their political nominee is uniquely qualified to serve;
Directs individuals nominated to serve as ambassadors who are not members of the Foreign Service to include in their statement to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the source and extent of their knowledge and understanding of the history, culture, economic and political institutions, and interests of the people of the relevant country, and their level of familiarity with the country's principal language or dialect; and
Mandates that such nominees report campaign contributions made by them or their immediate family in the past 10 years, that the Secretary of State publish this report and each nominee's Certificate of Competency online, and that the President certify that any campaign contributions played no role in the nomination.

The BEST Ambassadors Act is endorsed by the American Foreign Service Association.

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