Van Hollen Statement in Support of Linda Thomas-Greenfield to Serve as United States Ambassador to the United Nations

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding his vote to confirm Linda Thomas-Greenfield to Serve as United States Ambassador to the United Nations:

“Today, I was proud to vote in support of Linda Thomas-Greenfield’s confirmation to serve as our United States Ambassador to the United Nations. Our next U.N. Ambassador will inherit the monumental task of restoring our standing and influence at the United Nations after four years of isolation and division, in which the United States retreated from key U.N. bodies and our leadership role in promoting democracy, freedom, human rights, and the rule of law. There is no person better suited to undertake this task than Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield. 

“In a Foreign Service career spanning more than three decades, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield served with distinction both in Washington, D.C. and around the globe—including as the Director General of the Foreign Service and in a posting at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations that she will now lead.

“As Co-Chair of the Senate Foreign Service Caucus, I am proud to see President Biden select a career Foreign Service Officer to represent the United States at the United Nations. For four years, too many members of the Foreign Service have been maligned, demeaned, and marginalized by the people entrusted to lead them. The selection of a career Foreign Service Officer to represent the United States at the United Nations marks a sharp turn away from that shameful chapter.

“I look forward to partnering with Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield as we take on the difficult work of rebuilding our alliances and investing in diplomacy.”