Serrano Criticizes Failure to Confirm Aponte

Congressman Serrano reacted to the Senate's failure to confirm Ambassador Mari Carmen Aponte as Ambassador to El Salvador this week, saying that it confirmed his suspicions that Senate Republicans prefer to play politics to doing the nation's business.

"Ambassador Aponte's rejection in the Senate by a Republican filibuster marks a new low in their treatment of well-qualified nominees," said Serrano. "Ambassador Aponte has been serving for the last year in that position with great distinction; she has support from all sides in El Salvador; and yet she has still found her nomination under attack for spurious reasons. Now her nomination has been rejected for purely political reasons. That is unfair and wrong.

"In my opinion, our nation's relationship with Latin America has been deeply damaged by the Senate Republicans' action. The people in Latin America are seeing Republicans putting their electoral strategies ahead of a positive relationship with a region of the world with which we should be seeking closer ties. That's a sad statement.

"It is also a sad return to the days when certain Senators, through their sheer obstinacy, would dictate hard-right policies toward Latin America, despite a consensus that centrist policies were preferable. We should not impose our political views on Latin America through policies or through nominations. We must extend a neutral hand of friendship to the region.

"Ambassador Aponte should rest assured that she was well-qualified and just got caught up in the inappropriate politicization of the nomination process. I extend my gratitude to her for her service and look forward to working with her in another capacity in the near future."

Source