the clerk: nomination, department of state, karen erika donfried of the district of columbia to be an assistant secretary. mr. schumer: i send the cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: cloture motion. we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 333, karen erika donfried of the district of columbia to be an assistant secretary of state, european affairs and eurasian affairs, signed by 18 senators as follows -- mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. all opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar 324. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. all

karen donfried's nomination which is a testament to the biden administration's effort to rebuild the transatlantic relationship which was significantly damaged by the last administration. i know that dr. donfried's knowledge and experience including previously the senior director for european affairs at the national security council will serve the country well as we seek to renew that transatlantic relationship. these are issues dealing with russia, turkey, belarus, our support for ukraine. i hear all the time these speeches about the support for these countries. wouldn't it be nice to have the person -- forget about nice. isn't it critical to have the person that can be promoting that view? monica medina to be the assistant secretary for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs. i am convinced that she is imminently qualified, including the time she spent as principal deputy in the department of commerce and in a variety of leadership roles focused on ocean conservation and environmental policy and science. likewise, i'm pleased to support ambassador marie kather

the clerk: nomination, department of state, karen erika donfried, of the district of columbia, to be assistant secretary of state. the presiding officer: the senator from massachusetts. mr. markey: mr. president, i'd like to speak in support of mr. mr. monica medina. i have known monica for more than 30 years and can say without a doubt she is the most qualified candidate to fill this position. she has worked for decades across multiple administrations on issues of environmental law and policy. she understands well the interconnected world we live in and knows that u.s. foreign policy goes not necessarily beyond the water's edge but throughout the world where universal threats and the solutions lie. monica is a proven public servant through and through. over the years she's fought for what matters most. during her time at the defense department she worked to end discripple knittive practices against women in the military. after her time at d.o.d., she continued the track record of fighting for what's most important by calling out the connection between illegal wire life trafficking a