Florida Senator Marco Rubio continues to hold up the nomination of President Obama’s nominee to be ambassador to Mexico and now, after months of delay, 19 fellow Latino lawmakers are calling on Rubio to allow a full vote by the U.S. Senate, in a vote Roberta Jacobson, current Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere and chief Obama Administration negotiator with the Cuban government to re-establish diplomatic relations, is easily expected to pass and win confirmation.
Due to the Senate’s unique rules, considerable deference is given to individual senators on nominations and pieces of legislation. Meaning in a body of 100 senators, Rubio alone, for whatever reason, can stall Jacobson’s nomination indefinitely.
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman U.S. Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) and others in the caucus released a statement that read “while I understand Sen. Rubio has his own political ambitions to serve, there is absolutely no justification for holding up the nomination of a qualified woman as Ambassador to Mexico. It’s time for Sen. Rubio to get out of the way and allow Jacobson’s nomination to be considered by the full Senate before the end of the year.”
Though Jacobson has already received the endorsement of the full Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio, one of the most outspoken critics of the Obama Administration’s Cuba rapprochement policy has refused to allow a vote due to his opposition.
Sanchez and other Latino lawmakers, at a time of increased tension over terrorism concerns, expressed frustration regarding the potential national security concerns saying “as you know, the United States and Mexico share a 2,000 mile long border and at a time when American faces dire threats from abroad, it is critical that we continue to build on the invaluable security partnership between our two nations.”
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