{"id":165222,"date":"2021-02-23T16:56:05","date_gmt":"2021-02-23T21:56:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=165222"},"modified":"2021-02-23T17:29:01","modified_gmt":"2021-02-23T22:29:01","slug":"bidens-pick-for-un-ambassador-confirmed-as-position-elevated-to-cabinet-level","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-pick-for-un-ambassador-confirmed-as-position-elevated-to-cabinet-level\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden\u2019s Pick For UN Ambassador Confirmed As Position Elevated To Cabinet-Level"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbidens-pick-for-un-ambassador-confirmed-as-position-elevated-to-cabinet-level%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=165222&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Linda-Thomas-Greenfield.jpg?w=1200&#038;h=800&#038;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p>On Tuesday, the Senate confirmed President Joe Biden\u2019s nominee to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.<\/p>\n<p>As The Washington Post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/senate-united-nations-biden-thomas-greenfield\/2021\/02\/23\/08bed6f4-7600-11eb-8115-9ad5e9c02117_story.html\">reports<\/a>, \u201cthe upper chamber took an initial step, voting 78 to 20 to elevate Linda Thomas-Greenfield to ambassador status,\u201d followed by \u201ca second vote to make her \u2018representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations&#8217;\u201d by a vote of 78 to 21.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">78-21: Senate confirms Linda Thomas-Greenfield to be US Representative to United Nations General Assembly, the second part of her US Ambassador to the UN nomination. Earlier today, she was confirmed as US Ambassador to UN and US Representative in UN Security Council 78-20. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EixiXRumUr\">pic.twitter.com\/EixiXRumUr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CraigCaplan\/status\/1364319515849408512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 23, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/joe-biden-national-security-united-nations-5977679957d3e8151505f6ed75b23486\">announced<\/a> in November that he would elevate the position to Cabinet-level after the Trump administration had <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/e9464e14a2d34333a324978597844206\">downgraded<\/a> the role in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas-Greenfield, 68, has said the United States would have a more active role in the United Nations following former President Donald Trump\u2019s \u201cAmerica First\u201d philosophy. She <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/01\/27\/politics\/linda-thomas-greenfield-united-nations-ambassador-confirmation\/index.html\">said<\/a> the previous administration weakened international alliances by withdrawing from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). At the same time, she said China worked \u201cacross the UN system to drive an authoritarian agenda that stands in opposition to the founding values of the institution \u2013 American values.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTheir success depends on our continued withdrawal,\u201d Thomas-Greenfield continued. \u201cThat will not happen on my watch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Politico <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2021\/01\/27\/biden-united-nations-nominee-china-462909\">describes<\/a> Thomas-Greenfield as \u201ca 35-year veteran of the Foreign Service and one of the most prominent Black diplomats in Washington\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2021\/01\/27\/biden-united-nations-nominee-china-462909\">that<\/a> \u201chas served in State Department postings from Pakistan to Switzerland to Jamaica.\u201d According to the outlet, \u201cshe has served as ambassador to Liberia, assistant secretary of State for African affairs, and as the State Department\u2019s top human resources official.\u201d Thomas-Greenfield retired from the department in 2017 after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/01\/27\/politics\/linda-thomas-greenfield-united-nations-ambassador-confirmation\/index.html\">reportedly<\/a> being pushed out by the Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p>A native of Baker, Louisiana, Thomas-Greenfield attended a segregated high school before becoming one of the first black women to graduate from Louisiana State University in 1974. She has been praised for her \u201cGumbo Diplomacy,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theadvocate.com\/baton_rouge\/news\/politics\/article_2b29cab8-73b8-11eb-a09d-0f72abc864a5.html\">described<\/a> by the Baton Rouge Advocate as using \u201cSouth Louisiana\u2019s food culture of communal cooking in the kitchen followed by long hours of conversation at the table to relax the often tradition-bound diplomats.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Serving as a diplomat in the Foreign Service, I rarely had all the ingredients to make the perfect gumbo.<\/p>\n<p>But across four continents, my goal was always the same: bring people together and connect by breaking down barriers and finding common ground.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XXLdSjkpAU\">https:\/\/t.co\/XXLdSjkpAU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Linda Thomas-Greenfield (@LindaT_G) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LindaT_G\/status\/1348010680012726272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 9, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWherever I was posted around the world, I\u2019d invite people of different backgrounds and beliefs to help me make a roux, and chop onions for the holy trinity and make homemade gumbo,\u201d Thomas-Greenfield <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lsureveille.com\/news\/lsu-alumna-to-serve-as-biden-s-u-n-ambassador\/article_aa9c1b84-3e8e-11eb-8cbd-67536905a171.html\">explained<\/a> after accepting the nomination.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was my way of breaking down barriers, connecting with people, and starting to see each other on a human level \u2013 a bit of lagniappe is what we say in Louisiana,\u201d she added, referring to a creole word meaning an unexpected gift.<\/p>\n<p>During her confirmation hearing last month, some Republicans had expressed concern that Thomas-Greenfield would be soft on China. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas spotlighted a speech Thomas-Greenfield delivered less than two years ago at Savannah State University, a historically black college. The event was funded by the Confucius Institute, a Chinese government foundation that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ciuscenter.org\/\">seeks<\/a> to \u201cadvance global education and cross-cultural understanding\u201d through partnerships with colleges and universities in other countries.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The US needs a representative at the UN who comprehends the diplomatic, economic, technological, military, &#038; moral dimensions of the most serious global challenge we face\u2014the Communist regime in China as well as one who is clear-eyed about other threats to our Republic &#038; allies.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Senator Bill Hagerty (@SenatorHagerty) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenatorHagerty\/status\/1364292682349240323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 23, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Last year, the Trump administration <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/beijing-education-asia-virus-outbreak-east-asia-cb9e0e116da2424140db0190d4b0b073\">designated<\/a> the Confucius Institute U.S. Center as a foreign mission of China\u2019s communist-led government, accusing the country of using the program to spread propaganda to students in America.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis speech is cheerleading for the Chinese Communist Party,\u201d Sen. Cruz <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/president-biden-takes-office\/2021\/01\/27\/961252767\/bidens-pick-for-u-n-ambassador-faces-tough-questioning-for-past-remarks-on-china\">said<\/a> during the hearing.<\/p>\n<p>Cruz alleged that Thomas-Greenfield had not criticized China during her address and sounded too friendly toward one of America\u2019s most significant strategic adversaries.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Team Biden&#8217;s pick for United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield:<\/p>\n<p>\u274cDelivered a paid speech at a Confucius Institute.<\/p>\n<p>\u274cDelivered remarks praising Beijing\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative.<\/p>\n<p>\u274cSaid she did not see the U.S. as competing with China for influence in Africa.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenTedCruz\/status\/1357349964985339906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 4, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>At the hearing, Thomas-Greenfield <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theadvocate.com\/baton_rouge\/news\/politics\/article_2b29cab8-73b8-11eb-a09d-0f72abc864a5.html\">said<\/a> she disagreed with Cruz\u2019s interpretation of her words, but regretted accepting the invitation to speak and \u201ccame away from the experience frankly alarmed at the way the Confucius Institute were engaging with the black community in Georgia.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt reminded me of what I\u2019d seen in Africa, the Chinese government going after those in need with fewer resources,\u201d she testified.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2021\/02\/02\/cruz-delays-thomas-greenfield-vote-465285\">According<\/a> to Politico, Cruz wanted \u201cto bring attention to what he sees as President Joe Biden\u2019s nominees taking a more conciliatory approach to Beijing than the Trump administration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As The Advocate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theadvocate.com\/baton_rouge\/news\/politics\/article_2b29cab8-73b8-11eb-a09d-0f72abc864a5.html\">reported<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>Members of the Senate committee said that during the past four years, as the Trump administration backed away from the United Nations, the Chinese had stepped forward. One of the most striking examples of America\u2019s diminished leadership came when the body refused to support economic sanctions for Iran.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cThe Chinese Communist Party is attempting to reshape the UN to serve the needs of the party,\u201d said Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho. He also gave Thomas-Greenfield a pass on the speech. \u201cI can tell you that there isn\u2019t a person sitting in this room that hasn\u2019t given a speech that they don\u2019t wish they had back.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cSenator, if I\u2019m confirmed, I commit to working with this committee to counter China at the UN, to fight against all efforts by the Chinese government to add harmful language to the UN resolutions, and to resist China\u2019s efforts to overfill key UN positions with Chinese citizens,\u201d Thomas-Greenfield replied.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The Advocate went on to report that Thomas-Greenfield\u2019s husband, Lafayette Greenfield, also worked at the State Department, as does their daughter, Lindsay Jamila Greenfield.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen America shows up, when we are consistent and persistent, when we exert our influence in accordance to our values, the United Nations can be an indispensable institution for advancing peace, security and our collective well-being,\u201d Thomas-Greenfield has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/president-biden-takes-office\/2021\/01\/27\/961252767\/bidens-pick-for-u-n-ambassador-faces-tough-questioning-for-past-remarks-on-china\">said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf instead we walk away from the table and allow others to fill the void, the global community suffers and so do American interests.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><em>member<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Tuesday, the Senate confirmed President Joe Biden\u2019s nominee to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. As The Washington Post reports, \u201cthe upper chamber took an initial &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2274068,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Linda-Thomas-Greenfield.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Biden\u2019s Pick For UN Ambassador Confirmed As Position Elevated To Cabinet-Level","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-165222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Linda-Thomas-Greenfield.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Biden\u2019s Pick For UN Ambassador Confirmed As Position Elevated To Cabinet-Level","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165222"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165222\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2274068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}