Mr. Nathan al kpapder sales, with the rank and status of the ambassador at large. Mr. George edward glass. And mr. Carl c. Rich to be assistant secretary of state for counselor affairs. I want to welcome the nominees, their families to this committee, congratulate them on their selection by the president and thank you for your willingness to serve, i also want to note that we have congressman rooney here supporting commissioner gingrich. Congressman rooney was the ambassador to the holy c. During the commissioners term. Well introduce two of our witnesses, the senior senator from oregon, senator ron widen, an esteemed member of this committee and senator portman from ohio. Were pleased to have you here today. Mr. Chairman, thank you for your courtesy, as senator portman knows, were right in the middle of debating tax reform, i know a topic of great interest to me here. And im trying to help out chairman hatch. So i will make this a filibuster free opportunity, mr. Chairman and it is a great privilege to be able to introduce a longtime friend, George Edward glass. Mr. Glass has been nominated to serve as our next ambassador to portland. Im glad that the president has presented more nominees to the senate because we all know that having a confirmed ambassador makes a world of difference in the challenges that emerge. Knowing mr. Glass as i do, i am confidence that as all of you get to know him better, you are going to report him favorably to the senate floor. As he is going to tell you. George glass is an oregonian through and through. Like me, he is a duck. And he has continued to be vovds with the university, with the community, as he has been recognized as a pillar of portlands finance real estate and tech communities. They play a live line in reaching out to our community and those that have really found it hard to Access Health care, hes been a trustee to the Oregon Health and skings university, a former president of the university of Oregon Alumni Association and also a member of the catholic Business Leaders association. I just feel very strongly that as you look to portugal and to that part of the world, we are going to need people who demonstrated a track record of stepping up, being involved in their community, someone with expertise in a variety of areas, not just his chosen profession of finance, but health care in his background at the Oregon HealthSciences Center and i believe that as you get to know him, you will come to the conclusion that i have, that george glass has values shared by americans and by those countries he seeks to serve, portugal and i very much appreciate my colleagues going out of order to extend this courtesy to me and my guess is chairman hatch probably is grateful to you all as well as we try to keep matters proceeding in the finance committee. So thank you very much mr. Chairman, i very much look forward to the committee getting to know mr. Glass as i have, i think youll come to the same judgment as i have, he will serve and reflect great credit on this committee. As long as youre taking a look at Corporate Tax reform, i urge you to get out of here and get back to the task at hand. I will join my colleague in a minute back down on the tax reform front but i want to be here to welcome this distinguished group of nominees and thank you for your willingness to serve, to mr. Rich and mr. Glass, mr. Glass, youve just gotten a nice accolade from someone who will help you not just in this committee, but in the vote on the floor. To calista gingrich, thank you for serving, you could have no better person behind you performing as ambassador to the holy c. Finally nathan sales. Mr. Chairman, hes from ohio. You wouldnt have guessed it. Did i tell you hes from ohio . Were very proud of him, hes in front of this committee to be the next coordinator to the state department so a vital position of National Security that needs to be filled as soon as possible. We need hon protecting the homeland but also combatting the threat of global terrorism. So were pleased to have you here. Did i mention hes from ohio. Canton, ohio to be specific. Also i tended ohios miami university. He then for some reason headed south and went to duke law school. Following law school, he did clerk for the honorable david dd. Sintel. And he served in the office of legal policy, and as Deputy Assistant for policy during the george w. Bush administration where i also served. There he focused on intelligence, information sharing, terrorist travel, at dhs, he drafted critical legislation to improve the security of our visa waiver program, something that the chairman has had a role in. In the past few years, nathan returned to the private sector and academia as associate professor of law, he teaches in National Security law and Counter Terrorism law among other areas, so hes perfectly qualified for this position. So i look forward to supporting nathan sales as our next coordinator of National Security. Because of his strong record and because of his lifelong record in the security of our country. I hope my colleagues will quickly fill this position with this capable candidate for coordinator of National Security. Again, thank you for that. Now as great as it is to have nominees from oregon and ohio. I certainly appreciate the fact that i have the privilege of introducing our nominee from the state of wisconsin. I also have the honor of introducing my fellow wisconsinite. Craig w calista was born in the state of wisconsin. She graduated from white hall Memorial High School as valedictorian, attended college in iowa where she was a regents scholar and respect honors gradua graduate. He became a member of congressman gundersons personal staff. After 18 years of service, calista left capitol hill to found gingrich production, a multimedia production company. Shes been the president and ceo of gingrich production. Calista also works to support many charitable causes through her role at the gingrich foundation. Calista is a lifelong catholic, she has sung for 21 years in the choir at the National Shrine of Immaculate Conception here in washington. Calista hosts nine days that changed the world, about john paul ii. Calistas interest in john paul ii is fitting giving her nomination. President reagans friendship with Pope John Paul ii led to reestablish formal relationships with the holy c. In 1984. And helped negotiate the fall of the soviet union. Since then the pope and calista have coordinated on a wide range of issues. Calistas understanding of the Catholic Church make her an ideal candidate to be ambassador to the holy c. Mr. Rich is a highly regarded Pennsylvania Attorney and current acting chief of staff in immigration services. He was previously the field office of American Services in seoul south korea. A Senior Administration official in washington, d. C. For over a decade and former Foreign Services offer, mr. Rich is an expert on the responsibilities of managing affairs worldwide. I would like to introduce my colleague senator murphy. We have actually a good full house of members here, so im going to defer my opening remarks, thank all of you for your service, mr. Sales and i had a chance to sit down and have a very productive conversation yesterday, im very glad for your testimony and for ugh us to engage in a dialogue. The order will be ms. Gingrich, mr. Sales, mr. Rich. Chairman johnson, Ranking Member murphy and distinguished members on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. In addition i want to express my gratitude of secretary of state Rex Tillerson for supporting my nomination. It is a special honor to be introduced by chairman johnson from my home state of wisconsin, thank you. I am also here with the full support of my husband newt. We both have those who represent the American People abroad. I look forward to working closely with the members and staff of this committee. Like the United States, the holy see is active on a global steal. Scale. It is engaged on every continent to advance religious freedom and human rights, to fight terrorism and violence, to combat Human Trafficking, to prevent the spread of diseases like ebola and hiv aids and to seek Peaceful Solutions to crises around the world. Those who serve in the state department are known the world over for their patriotism and dedication, the professional staff at the u. S. Embassy to the holy see exemplifies these traits. They work tirelessly to advance our countrys global reach. The embassy team did an extraordinary job preparing for and hosting the president on his visit to the vatican in may. During that visit President Trump and pope francis highlighted shared concerns including the protection of Christian Communities in the middle east. Pope francis has poweredfully called upon people the vatican and its organizations play an active role to troubled areas around the globe, from venezuela to south siudan to th democratic republic of the congo, democracies that support Peaceful Solutions benefits the United States. The Catholic Church is a global network, operating 25 of the Worlds Health care facilities. And ministering to millions in every corner of the world. As global leaders, the United States and the vatican must continue to work closely to advance our shared values of Human Dignity and freedom. This can only happen if we maintain and build upon a Strong Foundation of trust and mute m wam mutual communication. If confirmed, i will continue this dialogue that is so important for the people of the United States and the world. I understand how the holy see and the United States can Work Together. I produced a film called nine days that changed the world. It chronicled Pope John Paul iis pilgrimage to poland. Producing this film required substantial work with Key Church Leaders and other experts in the United States, poland, and the vatican. This film has been well received by the Catholic Church. And is used in religious Education Programs throughout the United States. Most importantly, this film is a powerful example of the invaluable role the vatican plays in international affairs. Recently, i produced another documentary film entitled divine mercy, these projects have given me the opportunity to build relationships with many church leaders, clergy and religious scholars. These experiences have instilled in me the highest respect for the holy see. A deep appreciation for the responsibility of this post and confidence that the United States vatican bilateral relationship is a force for good and one that cannot be ignored. As a lifelong catholic, business owner, documentary filmmaker, author and foreign Public Servant i am profoundly humbled to be asked to serve my country. If confirmed i will work tirelessly to improve relations between the United States and the vatican and the holy see. I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have. Thank you. Thank you mrs. Gingrich. Our next nominee, mr. Sales. Thank you, chairman johnson, thank you Ranking Member murphy and members of the committee for holding this hearing today. Its an honor to be here with you this morning. Let me start by introducing my family, my wife margaret, and my daughters anna and kate. My parents alex and marsha are here, they came out from ohio and i would also like to acknowledge my fatherinlaw and motherinlaw who are in boston and couldnt be with us today. My thanks to senator portman for his introduction. I also want to express my gratitude to President Trump and secretary tillerson for putting me forward for this important position. It if confirmed, i will work hard to pay back the trust and confidence they have shown in me. In 2001, i was a young lawyer at the justice department. I had been fired to work on Administrative Law issues, it was the middle of august 2001. Three weeks later was 9 11. I still vividly recall the chilling rumors that flew that morning. Car bomb at the state department, fires on the national mall. Another hijacked plane headed for the capitol. Some of those rumors turned out to be false alarms, but the reality was bad enough. My job and the job of everybody at the justice department, everybody in the administration, everybody in congress now shifted to one fundamental and overriding priority, preventing another assault on our home land. 9 11 wasnt just an attack on our citizens and on our landmarks, it was an attack on our very way of life, our democracy, our commitment to the rule of law and venn ration of our liberty. Just as importantly to do so in a way that maintained faith with our fundamental values as americans, our basic natural values. We couldnt allow our fundamental values to become a casualty of war. I took that commitment with me to Homeland Security a few years later. At dhs, i learned the importance of working with our allies around the world to confront the specter of terrorism. I learned first hand that our because of our shared values. Before she became a lawyer, my wife earned a masters degree at Georgetown School of Foreign Service and many of her classmates went on to serve at the state department. Getting to know them, i have developed a deep appreciation for their extensive knowledge, their commitment to the mission and the sacrifices they have made to our country. It will be a privilege to serve alongside them if i am confirmed. I started with my family and i would like to end there too. I come from a long line of patriots, my father was a navy officer during the tumultuous conflict with north korea. My grand father was an infantry captain. He earned a bronze star for valor and a purple heart. It will be a great honor if im concerned to continue their legacy at state. Thank you mr. Chairman, members of the committee, i look forward to your questions. I appreciate you introduce your family. To mr. Glass, if you have members of your family here please introduce them and then we look forward to your testimony. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member carden and members of the committee. It is with great humility and honor that i appear before you today. If confirmed im committed to focusing all my energies to i would like to introduce my family. My wife mary, whos sitting here with me, who came out from oregon and i would also like to acknowledge my three sons and their wives who are supporting me from afar. My olde esest gorden and his wi live in japan. And my second oldest is expecting our first grandchild and our youngest, andrew who is in the throws of his very first job just after graduating from college. I would also like to acknowledge my mother and stepfather and marys parents and lastly i would like to thank my father who is here in spirit and its courage and wisdom that brings me strength every day. Portugal is amongst our oldest and most reliable allies, the history of our two nations has always been one of Mutual Respect and support. Portugal was the if confirmed i also look forward to working with the outstanding personnel that currently serve our country in liz ben. The presence of 1. 5 million portugueseamericans living in the United States make the relationship between our two countries one of three focal points of foreign policy. This relationship has allowed us to turn to portugal in every peacekeeping mission since the end of the cold war. If confirmed it will be my job to lead portugal to enhance this economic relationship. The republic of portugal was hit especially hard by the 2008 recession, where a financial package was adopted in 2011. Mary and i were in portugal for an extended trip in 2012. At that time unemployment rates were over 15 and they were double that for young adults. What we witnessed on that trip endeared us to the people of portugal for life, even with the economic backdrop, theyer with focused on the same values we hold here in america, god, family and hard work will enable one to succeed. Portugal is now in the midst of a remarkable economic recovery. The United States is portugals number one trading partner and the fifth largest trading partner overall. 24 resecuurgence of bilateral te in the shipment of natural gas. This is an exciting time to engage in commerce between our two countries, lisben is now ranked one of the hottest start up countries in the eu. I i will specifically partner with portuguese businesses. If confirmed, i cant wait to join the 200 strong at mission lisben to hel