Nations. Well show you as much of this hearing as we can until the house comes back into session at noon eastern. Mr. Menendez i find the Staggering Amount of time away from post troubling and an abdication of leadership. If confirmed, you would be serving alongside some of the most experienced, seasoned and sometimes ruthless diplomats from all over the world. Were confronting myriad challenges in the world today, including multiplying conflicts, Climate Change, Nuclear Proliferation that cut across borders, which the United States cannot meet alone. While the u. N. And its subsidiary bodies are far from perfect institution, they have the power to facilitate remarkable achievements and leverage partnerships. If you are confirmed, i hope you address the following priorities. First, we must actively seek so balance chinas influence. This administrations pullback from the u. N. Risks enabling china to fill the vacuum by ceding diplomatic ground. China is eager to undermine u. N. Human rights mechanisms and impose chinas authoritarian world view. Second, the u. S. I should say the u. N. Must be fair and appropriately condemn human rights abuses and atrocities and stop politically motivated resolutions. One of the persistent weaknesses of the United Nations system has been the bias and ugly approach toward israel. You must use your voice to end and combat these efforts. Third, the United States must pay our arears. The u. N. Is in a financial crisis in part due to u. S. Shortfalls. For peacekeeping alone, we are 776 million in arears. These arears have accrued in just the last three years from the u. S. Paying only 25 of peacekeeping costs instead what have we actually owed, 28 . Last week the state department issued its own report detailing that the u. S. Refusal to pay its arears has, quote, this is the state department speaking, diminished our ability to pursue u. S. Priorities rerks deuce u. S. Ability to promote oversight and accountability at the u. N. , reduce standing to promote the candidacy of qualified u. S. Citizens to assume Senior Management roles at the u. N. , and impaired the ability of peacekeeping missions to operate, closed quote. Fourth, United States must stop seeking to restrict access to sexual and Reproductive Health and human rights that improve the lives of women, girls and communities around the world. Most recently, the u. S. Egregiously threatened to veto a u. N. Security Council Resolution for survivors of genderbased violence over reference to survivors access to sexual and Reproductive Health care. That is appalling. Finally, the u. S. Must work to shore up the u. N. s humanitarian response system, which is under extraordinary stress. We must do so not merely because it is the right thing to do, but because it is profoundly in our National Interest to do so. The United States shares the burden with less risk when we address devastating humanitarian crisises through the United Nations. Our National Security is strengthened when we are at the table at the u. N. And the u. N. Is more effective with American Leadership and values on display. So i look forward to your testimony today on these pressing issues. Thank you, senator. Now we will turn to ambassador craft. Welcome. Thank you for being willing to undertake this important engagement on behalf of the people of the United States. The floor is yours. Ms. Craft thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to appear here today. It is the singular honor to sit before you as President Trumps nominee to serve as u. S. Ambassador to the United Nations. A special word of thanks, of course, to my kentucky senators, leader mcconnell and senator paul, for their kind words, as well as their encouragement, wisdom and support throughout my tenure in ottawa. I would like to express my gratitude to President Trump, Vice President pence, secretary pompeo, ambassador lighthizer and Mission Canada for the trust they have shown me as we have worked together to strengthen our bonds with canada and the canadian people. I appear before you today excited at the prospect of representing the United States at the u. N. , but also saddened at the thought of leaving my many superb colleagues and counterparts across the northern border. Mr. Chairman, i am blessed with the most loving and supporting family imaginable. My husband, joe, our family, ron, eliott, j. W. Molly, ryan lauren, kyle, mia, stu, jane and wyatt. My siblings, mark and their spouses, elizabeth, my sister, mica, and her husband, bruce. And five of the shining stars, five out of 11 in our life, we have jake, kingsley, holland, lockland, windsor and our friend, fifi. When the president asked me to consider moving to new york to serve as our nations permanent representative to the United Nations, i turned to the people behind me to ask for their guidance and to god for his. If confirmed, i would assume this position knowing that just like the Toronto Raptors and the kentucky wildcats, i will have a very deep bench. I would also assume this position with cleareyed humility. I have much to learn about the United Nations, a fact i first encountered in 2007 when i served as the alternate delegate to the u. N. General sameably and saw firsthand the complexity of multilateral diplomacy at this unique institution. I learned then that making progress at the u. N. Requires constant attention to relationships, a knack for knowing the bottom line, and the belief in incremental but determined steps forward. Ultimately i would not have accepted the president s nomination for this position if i was not certain i was ready for the task at hand. Like the president , i have had the honor to serve. I believe the United Nations is a Vital Institution that is at its best when free nations jointly contribute to its missions around the world. I was born and raised on a working farm were all where all living things were valued and treated with kindness. We were that family with a few oneeyed cats and threelegged dogs. We treasured and we protected the land and all those who worked it and walked it. My parents instilled in me a respect for people of all means, occupations, origins and circumstances. If confirmed, those are the values that will animate my work at the u. N. , as they have throughout my personal and my professional life. And if confirmed, i will carry with me the respect as i engage all of my 192 counterparts. I will also carry with me several key priorities ive already had the opportunity to discuss with many of you on the committee. Most notably the United States must continue the drumbeat of reform at the u. N. Of course, the issue of reform has been something of a mantra for members of both parties on this committee and for good reason. The u. N. System has grown quickly, its activities have expanded and its ambitions at times have gotten ahead of accountability. Waste and overlap remain problems. Conduct issues, including sexual exploitation, continue to surface. Hiring practices are often too opaque and backroom deals for appointments and contracts continue. None of that is acceptable and my voice on these matters will be heard whenever and wherever these issues arise. The United Nations needs Greater Transparency and u. S. Taxpayers deserve it. Reform makes the United Nations stronger, not weaker. The second priority i will take to new york is a focus on expanding the pool of Resources Available to the u. N. s humanitarian network. And pushing its agencies to maximize the impact of those resources on the ground. Where needs are the greatest. There are numerous crises from sudan to yemen to syria, and there are new crises that we did not foresee a few years ago, such as the four million venezuelans that have fled eir country in search of safety and sustenance. The United States has long been the world leader in supporting humanitarian aid, spending more than 8 billion a year through usaid and International Organizations such as unicef and the world food program. But i also believe other responsible nations can and must do more to contribute their fair share, and i will make this point very firm and frequently. Again, the u. N. Is stronger, not weaker, when more of its members are invested in the success of its most important work. Finally, im a believer in the power of publicprivate partnerships to unlock opportunity and spur development. If confirmed, i will take new york a Broad Network of relationships i believe can fuel new partnerships and expand those with proven track records. Among my areas of strong interest for displaced populations are strength being strengthening Prenatal Care Services for women, imprombinging the quality of Early Childhood education, and increasing the attentive challenges to elder care. The numbers are colossal. The needs are urgent. And we have a moral and practical obligation to work with other countries to address these crises. While bolstering humanitarian efforts will be a top priority for me, theres another issue of Global Nature that i would like to briefly address. I understand that some members of this committee have raised questions about where i stand on Climate Change. And though i have spoken to many of you individually about this issue, i would like to repeat my thoughts here publicly. Climate change needs to be addressed, as it poses real risk to our planet. Human behavior has contributed to the changing climate. Let there be no doubt. I will take this matter seriously and if confirmed i will be an advocate for all countries to do their part in addressing Climate Change. This does not mean, in my view, that the United States should empir imperil american jobs or our economy as a whole by assuming an outsized burden on behalf of the rest of the world. However, it does mean that we should promote the creativity and innovation that have made the United States a leader in tackling the challenges of our environment. And while safeguarding our nations economic wellbeing. Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, i believe that the United States must maintain its central leadership role at the United Nations as it should, and i say this for several reasons. First, when the u. N. Performs, it advances key american objectives, including the promotion of peace and security. Second, without u. S. Leadership, our partners and allies would be vulnerable to bad actors at the u. N. This is particularly true in the case of israel. Which is the subject of unrelenting bias and hostility in u. N. Venues. The United States will never accept such bias and if confirmed i commit to seizing every opportunity to shine a light on this conduct, call it what it is, and demand that these outrageous practices finally come to an end. Finally, i believe the United States must remain vigilant in constraining effort business our strategic competitors to gain influence at our expense. I speak in particular about russia and china, two nations united roaches to the states. If confirmed, i will miss no opportunity to draw attention to maligned influence at the u. N. , to distinguish American Leadership from the corrosive, underhanded conduct of those nations, and to reinforce the values, our values, that were central to the u. N. s founding. Mr. Chairman, the United States has been met with many recent successes at the u. N. , from historic sanctions against north korea to renewed boldness and speaking out against rogue actors. There are successes that im eager to build upon and i look forward to working with this committee and benefiting from its collective wisdom and experience. If given the honor to sit behind the namepleat that reads United States nameplay the that reads United States, you have nameplate, you that reads the United States, you i will have that an unwavering commitment to universal human rights and human freedom. Thank you to all of you for welcoming me here today and i look forward to your questions. Thank you, ambassador. Certainly good words, well received. We hope that, as you take this position, that you will particularly follow through on the reform and cost cutting that is needed there. Many, many people have talked about it, but little gets done. Mr. Richmond i have confidence that mr. Risch i have confidence that youre up to the job. When you go there, i hope youll take that message from this committee. With that, were going to go to a round of fiveminute questions, based upon the arrival and going back and forth between the minority and majority party. With that, ill turn it over to senator menendez. Mr. Menendez thank you. As i said to you in private and i have raised here in public, i have a concern about excessive absences from post. You gave me your commitment in private but for the record here, do you commit to providing complete records of all of the time you spent away from post, including cables approving your leave and your official calendars . Ms. Craft yes, senator, i do commit to providing you with all the information necessary. Men thank you very much. And i mr. Menendez thank you very much. And i appreciate the information youve provided but there are a number of discrepancies. From october 23 of 2017 to june 19 of 2019, we have that you were away more than 300 days away from the post. Its an extraordinary number absences. The red describes each day that you were away from post. That arch 21 to may 13 in short period of time, you were out 45 of 54 days from the post. Now, there are trips listed as official travel. But some of those trips that you listed as official travel you right toed treated while being home in kentucky. And there is additional travel that you appear to have taken that is not reflected in the information you provided. For example, there are several instances where you posted social media meanings from places other than messages from places other than canada, although there is no record of you traveling. Did you ever travel away from post without requesting approval . Ms. Craft no, sir. We requested approval in advance of my travel and were in full compliance with my travel. Mr. Menendez you always requested and always received approval for your travel . Ms. Craft yes, sir. Mr. Menendez so there may be explanations for all of these but the bottom line is without the full recorded we cant evaluate. I would urge you as well as the state department to provide these records so we can move forward with your nomination. Let me ask you this. Lay out briefly for me the most pressing issues the United Nations faces, as well as areas where you believe the United States should leverage the United Nations in pursuit of our Foreign Policy priorities. Ms. Craft thank you, senator, for that question. And thank you for this conversation that we were able to have yesterday afternoon. I see pressing issues as any issue that involves innocent people throughout the u. N. System, throughout the world, that are being abused, that are having human rights abuses. I think its very important that who would have ever thought that today wed have so many crises in venezuela, in yemen, in syria, and its so important that we look after our human rights issues. Because then that in turn is going to be humanitarian issues. So in my opinion, i look at every issue when it involves an innocent civilian as a crises. Mr. Menendez i appreciate your response in terms of humanitarian issues. And i would share those with you. But, i would expect someone who is a nominee to be the u. N. Bam does ambassador in response to that question to talk about, for example, the challenges of north korea aggression and Nuclear Proliferation. The challenges in libya, destabilized libya. The challenges of chinas growing influence and ongoing threats from iran. The challenges of venezuela. Those are minimally some of the hot spots in the world right now. So, when i ask about the most pressing issues, and i certainly embrace the humanitarian issues, but these are the types of issues youll be called upon as the United States ambassador at the u. N. To be dealing with. Let me ask you this. What u. N. Functions would be describe as being of the greatest value to the United States . Ms. Craft senator, thank you. I believe that the Security Council is going to be providing the greatest assistance to the u. S. In calling out bad actors and in highlighting anyone that demonstrates antiisrael bias. Or antisemitism. And i also reiterate that the Security Councils going to be an area that c