The Senate Homeland Security Committee voted to advance the nomination of Alejandro Mayorkas as secretary of homeland security, teeing up a full Senate vote on his confirmation.
The committee voted 7 to 4 to send his nomination to the Senate floor on Tuesday, with one additional vote against the nomination cast by proxy. GOP Senators Ron Johnson, James Lankford, Rick Scott, Josh Hawley and Rand Paul voted against advancing Mayorkas to a full Senate vote.
Mayorkas testified before the committee last week.
Johnson led the charge among those registering their opposition, voicing concerns over a 2015 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) inspector general’s report that found Mayorkas pushed for the approval of applications for a program for wealthy immigrant investors on the behalf of well-connected Democrats when he served as director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
“My preference would have been not to air this dirty laundry publicly. I would have hoped that President Biden would have had better sense to nominate and carry forth with the nomination,” the outgoing chairman stated. He later added, “I’ve had a good working relationship with Mr. Mayorkas as deputy secretary of DHS and hope to work with him in good faith if he is confirmed as secretary. I simply cannot support his nomination and I would urge members not to as well.”
GOP Senators Rob Portman and Mitt Romney expressed their concern with regard to the 2015 report, but ultimately voted in favor of pushing his nomination through to the upper chamber.
“We’ve just endured a president over four years, who I will say generously, had a relaxed relationship with the truth. And I think we want the highest level of integrity in positions of government,” Romney remarked, noting that Mayorkas’ acknowledged his errors in a private conversation and vowed to learn from them.
“This is a tough one,” Portman conceded. Ultimately, the Senator from Ohio reasoned that Mayorkas’ fate was already sealed. “He’s going to be confirmed. The question is how quickly is he going to be in place,” he told his colleagues, noting the importance of putting a secretary at the helm of DHS in the aftermath of the Solar Winds cyberattack.
Soon-to-be Democratic Chairman Gary Peters urged colleagues to “expedite” Mayorkas’ confirmation “as much as possible.”
“In fact, every day that this confirmation process is delayed, places the American people and our national security risk from threats posed by domestic terrorism, from cyber-attacks and the ongoing pandemic and so much more,” Peters said.
Senators wished Portman well following his announcement that he will retire from the Senate in 2022. Then Romney interjected with a laugh, “Don’t be too concerned about him leaving, because he’s just organizing his campaign for president.”
The Oregon Health Authority on Monday reported 435 new confirmed or presumptive coronavirus cases and two more deaths as cases and hospitalizations continued a slow downward trend.
The case count marks the lowest tally for a single day since late October even as the state diagnosed its third case of the more-contagious variant of the coronavirus. The first two patients had no known travel history, suggesting the virus is likely circulating within the state.
However, the health authority said the third case, a Washington County patient, has traveled outside the country during the exposure period; it did not specify where.
Where the new cases are by county: Baker (1), Benton (4), Clackamas (46), Columbia (1), Coos (11), Crook (1), Deschutes (21), Douglas (12), Harney (1), Hood River (1), Jackson (25), Josephine (10), Lake (4), Lane (36), Lincoln (5), Linn (7), Marion (48), Morrow (1), Multnomah (105), Polk (6), Tillamook (1), Umatilla (20), Union (3), Wasco (6), Washington (50) and Yamhill (9).
New deaths: Oregon’s 1,881st death linked to coronavirus is an 81-year-old Linn County man who tested positive Dec. 20 and died Jan. 23 at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center.
The 1,882nd fatality is a 90-year-old Yamhill County woman who tested positive Jan.14 and died Jan. 23 at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center.
Each person had underlying health conditions or state officials were working to determine if the person had underlying medical conditions.
The prevalence of infections: On Monday, the state reported 1,878 new positive tests out of 37,602 tests performed, equaling a 5% positivity rate.
Who got infected: New confirmed or presumed infections grew among the following age groups: 0-9 (83); 10-19 (200); 20-29 (377); 30-39 (267); 40-49 (251); 50-59 (219); 60-69 (171); 70-79 (104); 80 and older (77).
Who’s in the hospital: The state reported 320 Oregonians with confirmed coronavirus infections were in the hospital Monday, 10 more than Sunday. Of those, 75 coronavirus patients were in intensive care units, five fewer than Sunday.
Vaccines administered: Oregon has administered 308,051 doses out of 492,450 received, more than 62% of its supply.
Since it began: Oregon has reported 138,587 confirmed or presumed infections and 1,882 deaths, among the lowest totals in the nation. To date, the state has reported 3,081,394 lab reports from tests.
— Kale Williams; kwilliams@oregonian.com; 503-294-4048; @sfkale
New Jersey health officials on Sunday reported another 4,613 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 17 additional deaths as predictive models from the state suggest we’ve hit the peak of the second wave of the pandemic.
Gov. Phil Murphy announced the latest figures on social media.
They came the same day new predictive models from the state Department of Health showed Sunday could be the peak of the state’s second wave of the pandemic.
The scenarios show there could be 5,467 new cases and 3,796 people hospitalized as of Sunday under a moderate prediction (there were 3,186 people hospitalized as of Saturday). But as many as 6,833 new positive tests and 4,745 hospitalizations could also play out on the same day under the worst-case scenario.
The moderate model shows a steeper decline in cases and hospitalizations over the coming months with the potential for around 500 new cases a day and about 375 people being treated in hospitals by the end of June.
Under the worst-case modeling scenario, however, the decline in cases and hospitalizations would be much slower. That model forecasts the state could still have 4,706 daily cases and 3,268 patients hospitalized by the end of June. Both forecasts predict a bump in cases and hospitalizations in the coming days.
Much could depend on how quickly New Jersey receives and distributes vaccine doses.
Murphy has said he wants to have 70% of the state’s eligible population — nearly 5 million people — vaccinated by May.
Health officials, meanwhile, announced Friday the first two cases of the highly-contagious COVID-19 variant first identified in the U.K. have been discovered in the Garden State.
Scientists have said the mutation is up to 70% more contagious. But there is no evidence yet it is more deadly or more resistant to vaccines. New Jersey joins at least 20 states where the strain has been confirmed. The first case identified is from an Ocean County man in his 60s and the other is a child who was traveling to northern New Jersey.
NJ Residents Deaths by Month and Year 2015-2020
The pandemic has killed at least 20,951 people in the state since the first COVID-19 death in March.
Deaths from the coronavirus in New Jersey surpassed what is typically recorded for heart disease and cancer, the two leading killers year after year. On Dec. 31, the state’s official coronavirus toll reached 19,042 confirmed and probable deaths in a pandemic that devastated during the spring, then exploded again in the fall and winter in a second wave that is still roiling.
That exceeded the usual annual deaths produced by cancer, which killed nearly 16,200 people a year from 2014 to 2019, according to Department of Health data. It also exceeded that of heart disease, which claimed more than 18,650 lives on average over those six years.
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage
VACCINATIONS
The number of vaccine doses administered has pushed past 500,000, according to the state’s dashboard tracking vaccinations, which showed 524,865 as of Sunday afternoon. Of those, 459,635 were the first of two doses people will receive.
New Jersey has received 989,900 doses from the federal government, according to a running tally from the CDC.
The state hit a high of 31,859 doses administered in a single day Jan. 20, based on the most current data.
All six of the coronavirus vaccine mega-sites have opened throughout New Jersey to serve as vaccination hubs.
New Jersey has faced criticism for having a slower rollout than dozens of other states as it continues to deal with a second wave of the pandemic, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The state has been doling out doses in phases. And even though officials last week greatly expanded vaccine eligibility, demand remains greater than supply, and residents are scrambling for scarce appointments. More than 4 million New Jersey residents are now eligible.
Officials stress that the state is depending on the federal government for its supply and is receiving only 100,000 doses a week, though New Jersey has the capacity for 470,000 a day.
Murphy on Saturday said the federal government has not provided additional doses that were promised.
HOSPITALIZATIONS
The 3,186 patients hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases across New Jersey’s hospitals as of Saturday night included 590 in critical or intensive care (18 fewer than the previous night), with 376 on ventilators (53 fewer).
There were 74 fewer people hospitalized Saturday compared to the previous night.
There were also 397 COVID-19 patients discharged Saturday, according to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard.
The governor has said any hospitalizations over 5,000 patients would likely trigger new rounds of restrictions. But the number of people being hospitalized has mostly ticked down slowly in recent days after hitting a more than seven-month high of 3,873 people on Dec. 22.
SCHOOL CASES
At least 597 students and staff in 121 school districts in New Jersey have caught COVID-19 through in-school outbreaks, according to the latest update from state health officials.
That’s an increase of 10 districts and 40 cases from the previous weekly report. There are now confirmed in-school outbreaks in all 21 counties, though the state does not identify the individual school districts.
Bergen County has the most outbreaks (26) and cases (115). The county also has the most confirmed cases overall with 55,349 as of Wednesday.
Those numbers do not include students or staff believed to have been infected outside school or cases that can’t be confirmed as in-school outbreaks. Though the numbers keep rising every week, Murphy has said the school outbreak statistics remain below what state officials were expecting when schools reopened for in-person classes.
New Jersey defines school outbreaks as cases where contact tracers determined two or more students or school staff caught or transmitted COVID-19 in the classroom or during academic activities at school.
AGE BREAKDOWN
Broken down by age, those 30 to 49 years old make up the largest percentage of New Jersey residents who have caught the virus (31.2%), followed by those 50-64 (23.7%), 18-29 (19.3%), 65-79 (11.1%), 5-17 (7.5%), 80 and older (5.4%), and 0-4 (1.6%).
On average, the virus has been more deadly for older residents, especially those with preexisting conditions. Nearly half the state’s COVID-19 deaths have been among residents 80 and older (47%), followed by those 65-79 (33%), 50-64 (15.6%), 30-49 (4%), 18-29 (0.4%), 5-17 (0%), and 0-4 (0%).
At least 7,668 of the state’s COVID-19 deaths have been among residents and staff members at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. That number has been rising again at a steeper rate in recent months, with deaths at the state’s nursing homes nearly tripling in December.
There are currently active outbreaks at 431 facilities, resulting in 7,054 active cases among residents and 7,619 among staffers.
GLOBAL NUMBERS
As of Sunday morning, there were more than 98.86 million positive COVID-19 tests across the world, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. More than 2.12 million people have died from coronavirus-related complications.
The U.S. has reported the most cases, at more than 25 million, and the most deaths, at more than 417,500.
NJ Advance Media Staff Writer Riley Yates contributed to this report.
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com
Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com.
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — Both New York City and New York state have run completely dry of covid vaccines with the next shipment not expected until early next week.
The news comes as more and more hospitals cancel vaccination appointments with no new appointments scheduled through Monday.
15 vaccine centers have also closed.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is blaming the now-former Trump administration for opening up too many categories of eligibility, without increasing supply.
“It should have been opened as you had allocation. Anyway, that is not what we did, it’s not what they did. And now you have a period of confusion and anxiety because you’re trying to hit seven million people at 250,000 a week,” Cuomo said.
Another quarter-million doses will arrive in time for next week, but state officials say that’s far from enough.
Some have suggested using second doses, which are in storage, as first doses.
During a visit to a COVID-19 vaccine pop-up site at a NYCHA complex in Brooklyn Saturday, Cuomo said that would only be possible with collaboration from the federal government.
“The reason why the federal government has to agree is because they have to agree that they’re then going to send you enough second doses in the future. Otherwise, you want them giving people first dosages and then you don’t have a second dosage for them,” Cuomo said.
Health experts say administering the second dose of the vaccine within the timeframe outlined by federal guidelines is critical to ensuring long-term protection.
So far more than one million people in the state have gotten their first dose of the vaccine.
At a Friday briefing, Cuomo said deliveries of the week six allocations, about 250,400 doses, are on the way, but those deliveries “are delivered by the federal government by various means and they arrive at different times throughout the week.”
The state is able to administer about 80,000 doses per day and could easily do 100,000 per day, Cuomo said.
“The moment the vaccines arrive, our goal is to get them in arms as soon as possible. 250,400 doses per week is not enough,” Cuomo said.
COVID NEWS | Dr. Fauci’s message to MTA workers: Get vaccinated
MORE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 COVERAGE
Positive COVID-19 cases by zip code – New York City
New York City COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker
New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Find out if you are eligible and where you can go to get your vaccine Do you have coronavirus symptoms? Where to get tested in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut WATCH: Eyewitness to a Pandemic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on coronavirus
President Biden’s promise to bring the U.S. back to the global stage is being delayed — at least by a few days — in the Senate, where his nominee for secretary of State, Antony BlinkenAntony BlinkenState Dept. to review Trump admin’s decision to label Houthis a terrorist organization Overnight Defense: Austin takes helm at Pentagon | COVID-19 briefing part of Day 1 agenda | Outrage over images of National Guard troops in parking garage Senate confirms Austin to lead Pentagon under Biden MORE, is in confirmation limbo.
Some Senate Democrats have criticized the delay, arguing the Senate should already have had a vote on his confirmation.
“The secretary of State is fourth in the line of succession. Leaving that office vacant is irresponsible,” Sen. Robert MenendezRobert (Bob) MenendezSenate presses Biden’s pick for secretary of State on Iran, China, Russia and Yemen Year-end deal creates American Latino, women’s history museums Lawmakers call for including creation of Latino, women’s history museums in year-end spending deal MORE (D-N.J.), the incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in floor remarks on Thursday.
The White House on Friday appeared to downplay the delay while thanking the Senate for confirming Biden’s pick for the Pentagon.
“I know that our Secretary of State is just about to get confirmed, or so Sen. [Mitch] McConnell [R-Ky.] tells us,” White House press secretary Jen PsakiJen PsakiBiden under pressure to deliver more COVID-19 shots Biden, Trudeau agree to meet next month Democrats seek answers on impact of Russian cyberattack on Justice Department, Courts MORE said.
It’s been a chaotic few weeks in the Senate, where the power shifted Wednesday when three new Democratic senators were sworn in — including the two who won runoff elections in Georgia earlier this month — along with Vice President Harris.
Harris will cast the tie-breaking vote in the 50-50 Senate, giving Democrats the majority.
But Democrats and Republicans have not agreed on organization rules for the Senate, meaning Republicans still have majorities on some committees.
Battles over the election also contributed to a slow pace on nominations.
The Senate did confirm Biden’s pick as his director of national intelligence, Avril HainesAvril HainesBiden DHS, Intel picks stress need to prioritize cybersecurity after SolarWinds hack Biden Intel chief nominee Avril Haines pledges public report on QAnon threat Former Trump intel chief Coats introduces Biden nominee Haines at hearing MORE, on Thursday. On Friday, it confirmed Secretary of Defense Lloyd AustinLloyd AustinTrump impeachment trial to begin week of Feb. 8 Trump DHS chief argues for swift confirmation of Biden pick amid Hawley hold Overnight Defense: Austin takes helm at Pentagon | COVID-19 briefing part of Day 1 agenda | Outrage over images of National Guard troops in parking garage MORE.
Blinken could be confirmed early next week, and Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) said there should be a strong bipartisan interest in confirming him.
Monday is the earliest a confirmation vote can happen, according to a Republican Senate aide, who said Risch is working to achieve unanimous consent from members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to allow the confirmation vote to proceed.
If unanimous consent is not reached, the full committee would vote Monday evening on whether to send Blinken’s confirmation to the Senate floor for a vote.
Another reason Blinken’s nomination has been delayed is that committee members are working to review his answers to at least 780 questions submitted by lawmakers. Blinken also took part in a nearly five-hour hearing on Tuesday.
In comparison, 550 written questions were submitted to former President TrumpDonald TrumpMcCarthy says he told Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene he disagreed with her impeachment articles against Biden Biden, Trudeau agree to meet next month Trump planned to oust acting AG to overturn Georgia election results: report MORE’s last secretary of State, Mike PompeoMike PompeoState Dept. to review Trump admin’s decision to label Houthis a terrorist organization VOA reinstates White House reporter reassigned after questioning Pompeo Jilani: China ‘sending clear message’ to Biden officials with sanctions that opposition could lead to ‘future pay cut’ MORE. Trump’s first nominee, Rex TillersonRex Wayne TillersonTillerson: ‘We squandered the best opportunity we had on North Korea’ State Department sets up new bureau for cybersecurity and emerging technologies Lawmakers express concern about lack of young people in federal workforce MORE, was given 715.
Secretaries of State John KerryJohn KerryParis Agreement: Biden’s chance to restore international standing Kerry promises Europeans Biden will seek to make up time on climate action OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Biden recommits US to Paris climate accord | Biden nixes Keystone XL permit, halts Arctic refuge leasing | Interior secretary rescinds wilderness protection order before leaving office MORE and Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonTexas Supreme Court rejects Alex Jones request to toss lawsuits from Sandy Hook parents Paris Agreement: Biden’s chance to restore international standing Samantha Power’s Herculean task: Turning a screw with a rubber screwdriver MORE, who both served in the Obama administration, had to answer 291 and 498 questions, respectively.
The Republican aide defended the number of questions.
“The chairman does not like to ask questions just to ask questions, they were all substantive, at least the questions that we submitted,” the aide said.
The aide added that the committee is on pace to move Blinken’s nomination faster than Tillerson’s. He was confirmed nearly three weeks after his marathon hearing before the committee.
“Risch supports unprecedented actions, including a [unanimous consent] agreement that would bypass regular order of the committee,” the Republican aide said of Blinken’s confirmation.
Absent a confirmed secretary, the State Department is being run by director of the Foreign Service Institute Daniel Smith.
James Dobbins, a senior fellow with the RAND Corporation and who has served as assistant secretary of state for Europe, said the delay on Blinken’s confirmation vote is not “extraordinary at this point, but if it lingered for a few more days, it would become unusual.”
“The secretary of State is the face of American diplomacy and the person to whom the people who are responsible for the diplomacy of other countries turn to,” he said.
“I think it delays the normalization of relations between the United States and its allies. Also it can delay dealing with, probably not the most urgent problems, but pressing problems with adversaries and other countries as well,” he added.
Foreign diplomats are eager to engage with Blinken, the Biden administration and their senior staff, after months of a strict no-contact policy between the transition team and foreign governments.
“Obviously there’s a little bit of excitement in capitals, and people wanting to talk to people, and it further delays that,” said one European diplomat, who asked to remain anonymous to speak candidly.
“It is what it is – it’s just another few days, after a couple of months of not being able to engage with the President of the United States team.”
Despite not having his full team in place, Biden is pushing forward on signing a stack of executive orders that include reversing foreign policy actions by the Trump administration.
This includes rejoining the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Climate Agreement, steps welcomed by U.S. allies.
“WHO is a family of nations and we are all glad that the United States is staying in the family,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization said during the first meeting with Anthony FauciAnthony FauciOvernight Health Care — Fauci: Lack of facts ‘likely’ cost lives in coronavirus fight | CDC changes COVID-19 vaccine guidance to allow rare mixing of Pfizer, Moderna shots | Senate chaos threatens to slow Biden’s agenda Fauci infuriated by threats to family Poll: Plurality of voters say coronavirus vaccine rollout slower than expected MORE, Biden’s envoy to the WHO.
Biden is relying on his national security council to engage with close U.S. allies over pressing issues related to Russia, North Korea, Iran and China.
Jake SullivanJake SullivanWhite House: It will be ‘a bit of time’ before Biden’s first foreign trip Biden national security adviser holds introductory calls with foreign counterparts Biden to nix border wall, ‘Muslim ban’ on first day in office MORE, Biden’s national security adviser, held separate introductory calls with senior national security officials from France, Germany and the United Kingdom discussing issues related to China, Iran and Russia.
Sullivan also held a call with the secretary general of Japan’s national security secretariat. Their conversation focused on challenges from COVID-19, China and North Korea.
One of the most urgent matters that Blinken is expected to address if confirmed is working with Congress to extend the New START nuclear treaty with Russia. It expires Feb. 5.
The treaty imposes limits on each country’s nuclear weapons arsenal and allows for inspections on both sides to verify compliance.
White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters Thursday that the president wants to extend the treaty for five years, an announcement that Russia welcomed.
Blinken, in his confirmation hearing, noted the treaty as one of the first orders of business he would come to the Senate to work on extending.
“What I can tell you is that I know we will be coming to you very quickly, almost immediately to discuss that,” he said.
Fox Business Flash top headlines are here. Check out what’s clicking on FoxBusiness.com.
Legal sales of recreational marijuana in Arizona started on Friday, a once-unthinkable step in the former conservative stronghold that joins 14 other states that have broadly legalized pot.
The state Health Services Department on Friday announced it had approved 86 licenses in nine of the state’s 15 counties under provisions of the marijuana legalization measure passed by voters in November. Most of the licenses went to existing medical marijuana dispensaries that can start selling pot right away.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
“It’s an exciting step for those that want to participate in that program,” said Dr. Cara Christ, Arizona’s state health director, on Friday.
Under the terms of Proposition 207, people 21 and older can grow their own plants and legally possess up to an ounce (28 grams) of marijuana or a smaller quantity of “concentrates” such as hashish. Possession of between 1 ounce and 2.5 ounces (70 grams) is a petty offense carrying a maximum $300 fine.
The march toward decriminalization in the Sun Belt state was long. Approval of the legalization measure came four years after Arizona voters narrowly defeated a similar proposal, although medical marijuana has been legal in the state since 2010.
The initiative faced stiff opposition from Republican Gov. Doug Ducey and GOP leaders in the state Legislature, but 60% of the state’s voters in the November election approved it.
The vote on marijuana reflected larger trends at play during the historic election that saw Democrat Joe Biden flip the longtime Republican state where political giants include five-term conservative senator Barry Goldwater and the late GOP Sen. John McCain.
DEAL OFFERS MORE BANKING SERVICES FOR CALIFORNIA POT FIRMS
Changing demographics, including a fast-growing Latino population and a flood of new residents, have made the state friendlier to Democrats.
The recreational pot measure was backed by advocates for the legal marijuana industry and criminal justice reform advocates who argued that the state’s harsh marijuana laws were out of step with the nation. Arizona was the only state in the country that still allowed a felony charge for first-time possession of small amounts of marijuana, although most cases were prosecuted as lower-level misdemeanors.
MARIJUANA STOCKS BOOM WITH NEW HOPES FOR LEGALIZATION AS DEMOCRATS TAKE POWER
The vast majority of the licenses issued Friday were in Maricopa County, the state’s largest county that’s home to Phoenix and its suburbs. Other counties with dispensaries now allowed to sell recreational pot are Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Pima, Pinal, Yavapai and Yuma counties.
Voters in New Jersey, South Dakota and Montana also approved making possession of recreational marijuana legal last November.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS
Arizona prosecutors dropped thousands of marijuana possession cases after the measure was approved. Possession in the state technically became legal when the election results were certified on Nov. 30 but there was no authorized way to purchase it without a medical marijuana card.
Voters in November dealt another blow to Republicans in control of the state’s power levers when they approved a new tax on high earners to boost education funding, a move that came after years of GOP tax cuts and the underfunding of public schools.
The State Department said Friday it will review an eleventh-hour decision by the Trump administration to label the Houthi rebels in Yemen a foreign terrorist organization.
The quick decision to launch a review of the last-minute move under then-Secretary of State Mike PompeoMike PompeoState Dept. to review Trump admin’s decision to label Houthis a terrorist organization VOA reinstates White House reporter reassigned after questioning Pompeo Jilani: China ‘sending clear message’ to Biden officials with sanctions that opposition could lead to ‘future pay cut’ MORE comes after critics said the designation could exacerbate a dire humanitarian crisis in Yemen by hindering the distribution of aid in areas the Houthis control.
“Ansarallah, sometimes known as the Houthis, bears significant responsibility for the humanitarian catastrophe and insecurity in Yemen. We strongly believe that Ansarallah needs to change its behavior,” a State Department spokesperson told The Hill.
“At the same time, we must also ensure that we are not impeding the provision of humanitarian assistance. As noted by Secretary-Designate Blinken, the State Department has initiated a review of Ansarallah’s terrorist designations,” the spokesperson added, referring to Antony BlinkenAntony BlinkenNew Israeli envoy arrives in Washington, turning page on Trump era What Biden’s Cabinet picks mean for the hardest-hit US industry The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden takes office, calls for end to ‘uncivil war’ MORE, President Biden’s pick to helm the State Department.
Incoming Biden administration officials had sounded the alarm about the designation and indicated that the Trump-era move could be reversed soon after inauguration.
Blinken, who the Biden administration hopes will be confirmed in the coming days, told senators during his confirmation hearing this week that he would push to review the designation “immediately.”
He said his “deep concern about the designation that was made is that at least on its surface it seems to achieve nothing particularly practical in advancing the efforts against the Houthis and to bring them back to the negotiating table, while making it even more difficult than it already is to provide humanitarian assistance to people who desperately need it.”
The State Department spokesperson told The Hill that it will “not publicly discuss or comment on internal deliberations regarding that review; however, with the humanitarian crisis in Yemen we are working as fast as we can to conduct the review and make a determination.”
Yemen’s years-long civil war between the Houthis, which have ties to Iran, and the government backed by Saudi Arabia — a key U.S. ally — has plunged the country into one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history. Thousands of civilians have been killed in the fighting, and a famine has spread across all corners of the country.
Pompeo instituted the designation on his way out of office in a signal of the U.S.’s support for the operations against the Houthis. However, health experts warned that the label could impede the delivery of aid to civilians in Houthi-held areas by humanitarian groups who would cut back help to avoid running afoul of the sanctions.
Pompeo said in his announcement that the United States was “planning to put in place measures to reduce their impact on certain humanitarian activity and imports into Yemen.”
“We have expressed our readiness to work with relevant officials at the United Nations, with international and non-governmental organizations, and other international donors to address these implications,” he said, though criticism continued.
“This is coming at the absolute most difficult time when over 16 million Yemeni women, children and men are living in severe and worsening food insecurity,” Michelle Nunn, CEO of CARE USA, an international nongovernmental organization focusing on combating global poverty and world hunger, told The Hill this week.
“This particular designation is tantamount to a cease-and-desist order for the humanitarian response in northern Yemen and its impacts will lead to more despair and lives lost across the whole of the country.”
Blinken told senators Tuesday that Biden plans on ending U.S. support for the Saudi offensive in Yemen, chiefly over humanitarian concerns.
“The president-elect has made clear that we will end our support for the military campaign led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen,” he said.
“But I want [to] make clear, I think we have to be in close contact with Saudi Arabia, with our partner there. We need to be very clear about what we are doing, why we are doing something and talk it through,” he added. “But the main point is that for reasons that we have discussed we believe that continuing that support is not the national interest.”
