WASHINGTON—Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) introduced his former staffer, Joel Rayburn, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, and Ambassador Michael DeSombre, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing.
Remarks as prepared for delivery:
Chairman Risch and Ranking Member Shaheen, thank you for holding this important nominations hearing.
I am honored to introduce two exceptionally qualified nominees this morning, my good friends—
Joel Rayburn, President Trump’s nominee to be Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, and
Ambassador Michael DeSombre, President Trump’s nominee to be Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
Let me first turn to Joel.
Joel Rayburn’s nomination comes at a pivotal time for the United States in the Middle East and North Africa.
While there are many challenges in the region—including Iran and Hamas, Hezbollah, and other foreign terrorists organizations that Iran sponsors—our Nation also has enormous opportunities to strengthen our relationships with key Allies and partners, as the President’s trip to Middle East this week has powerfully illustrated.
At this critical juncture, I believe no one is better qualified to be the Assistant Secretary of State responsible for this region than Joel Rayburn.
As an avid historian who has served in a variety of leadership roles related to the Middle East, Joel is an expert in the region’s culture, its history, and the many other factors that will determine the success of our policy there.
Joel is a proud military veteran who has shown he is committed to public service on behalf of our great Nation.
After graduating from West Point in 1992, Joel went on to serve as an artillery and intelligence officer in the U.S. Army for over 26 years.
During his distinguished military career, Joel was deployed to the Middle East multiple times, giving him the opportunity to hone his knowledge of the region and its languages as well as his diplomatic skills.
From 2007 to 2011, for example, Joel worked for General David Petraeus as a strategic intelligence advisor in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In President Trump’s first term, Joel served on the National Security Council as Senior Director for Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.
Joel served then as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Levant Affairs and, concurrently, as Special Envoy for Syria from 2018 to 2021—roles that he used to improve U.S. policy for dealing with the repressive regime of then-Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
More recently, Joel served on my Senate staff as my advisor for Middle Eastern affairs—and I was able to see firsthand just why the military and the White House trusted him so much.
Joel’s sound advice, borne from his lifetime of focus on the region, helped me immensely—as I know it will help the State Department and the people of the United States.
More important, I saw Joel as a wonderful father—someone with the heart and humility to pay it forward to the next generation through selfless public service.
Joel could not be better qualified to be the next Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs and I urge my colleagues on this Committee to move quickly on his nomination.
Let me now turn to another colleague and friend, Ambassador Michael DeSombre.
I am excited that President Trump tapped Michael as his nominee to be the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
Michael and I both served as U.S. Ambassadors in Asia during President Trump’s first term.
The Trump Administration rightly identifies the Indo-Pacific as a top priority for U.S. foreign policy.
This region contains 4.3 billion people—about 60 percent of the world’s population—and is responsible for almost two-thirds of global maritime trade.
The region is also home both to some of America’s closest Allies and partners, as well as to many of our most serious threats.
If confirmed, Michael will be at the forefront of U.S. efforts to address the significant challenges in the region while also pursuing tremendous opportunities critical to our economic prosperity and national security.
As someone who has worked in East Asia as both a businessman and a diplomat, I speak from experience when I say Michael is the right person for this role.
Building on his education at Stanford and Harvard in economics, law, and East Asian Studies, Michael’s significant experience in the region makes him exceptionally qualified for this role.
As a business leader in Asia, Michael advised multinational corporations on complex cross-border transactions and worked issues related to U.S. national security.
And as a philanthropist, Michael led initiatives focused on the education, healthcare, and protection of kids that benefitted tens of thousands of children in the region.
In addition to his success as a businessman and philanthropist in Asia, Michael is also a successful diplomat.
As U.S. Ambassador to Thailand during President Trump’s first term, Michael used his business background and skillset to create mutual economic opportunities that brought the American and Thai economies closer together.
In all, Michael has spent more than two decades of his life in Asia.
He speaks Mandarin fluently, and also is familiar with the Korean and Japanese languages.
If confirmed, Michael will once again use his experience and knowledge to strengthen our diplomatic relationships and advance our nation’s interests in the region.
Mr. Chairman, thank you again for the opportunity to introduce my friends and former colleagues, Joel Rayburn and Michael DeSombre, and I encourage this Committee to support their nominations.
Thank you for your time this morning.
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