Senators close in on deal on Mexico ambassador nominee
Senators are increasingly optimistic they’ll be able to break a months-long stalemate on President Obama’s nominee for ambassador to Mexico, perhaps within hours.
“We were talking about that on the floor with Sen. [Marco] Rubio [R-Fla.] and Sen. [Bob] Corker [R-Tenn.] and Sen. [Jeff] Flake [R-Ariz.], and I think they’re continuing to negotiate and I’m hopeful that we’ll have a breakthrough, maybe as early as this afternoon,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told The Hill on Tuesday.
{mosads}Roberta Jacobson’s nomination has been in limbo for months because of broader objections to Obama’s foreign policy.
Though Jacobson, who is currently the assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs, has gotten bipartisan support, she’s also faced pushback over her role in reopening relations with Cuba.
Flake said he’s also hopeful senators will be able to get a deal to move the nomination before they leave town for a weeklong recess.
Asked whether he thought senators could get movement on the nomination Tuesday afternoon, Flake told The Hill, “I think so.”
The potential breakthrough comes amid reports that Rubio could be close to lifting his hold. But a Rubio spokesman said Tuesday afternoon that he is still holding the nomination.
Rubio helped block the Senate from taking up Jacobson’s nomination earlier this year.
Asked about the status of Jacobson’s nomination, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said Tuesday, “There have been some recent discussions that we hope will bear fruit.”
— Updated at 4 p.m.
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