Democratic Senator Says He'll Put a Hold on Trump’s State Department Nominations

The Hawaiian lawmaker is acting in protest of recent talk about potentially dismantling USAID, he says.

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) speaks during a hearing in Washington on May 2, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said Monday that he will place a hold on President Donald Trump’s State Department nominees following a recent flurry of activity in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Schatz, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he'd put a “blanket hold” on the State Department picks in protest of recent talk about potentially dismantling USAID.