Hillary Clinton's Confirmation Hearing

January 2009

In just four days, hundreds of U.S. ONE members helped convince senators on the Foreign Relations Committee to make global poverty a focus of Hillary Clinton's confirmation hearing to become Secretary of State, sending a strong signal that this should be a key priority for the Obama Administration.

Overview

President-elect Barack Obama nominated Senator Hillary Clinton to be his Secretary of State on December 1, 2008, and on Tuesday, January 13, 2009, she appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for her confirmation hearing.

Like the President-elect (who went "On the Record" with his campaign promise to double foreign assistance if elected), Senator Clinton was a strong ally in the struggle against global poverty and disease during her time in the Senate as well as on the presidential campaign trail. This hearing gave her the opportunity to underscore the importance of proven, cost-effective development assistance including global education, malaria prevention and treatment, sustainable agriculture, and other critical development programs. Her words came at an important moment, with the United States facing greater budget constraints due to the recession.

To emphasize the importance of fighting global poverty and preventable diseases, hundreds of U.S. ONE members in 15 states called to urge their senators on the Foreign Relations Committee to ask Hillary Clinton questions about global poverty during the hearing.

Some of the senators didn't even get a chance, because Secretary-designate Clinton answered their questions in her opening statement. She emphasized that the plight of the poor is "not marginal to our foreign policy but integral to accomplishing our goals." In the subsequent question-and-answer period, ten out of fifteen of the Foreign Relations Committee senators raised issues related to ONE priorities, including poverty alleviation, US aid reform, HIV/AIDS, education, and child and maternal health.

In addition to letting us know that Secretary-designate Clinton pre-empted their questions in her opening statement, several senators submitted more than 20 additional questions, on topics including malaria, global education and agriculture, "for the record" and to be answered by the Secretary-designate later.

This strong emphasis on development issues at Secretary-designate Clinton's confirmation hearing set a strong standard for an Obama Administration focus on supporting proven, effective and affordable solutions to global poverty.

Campaign Milestones

  • Dec 1 2008

    Obama Appoints Clinton as Secretary of State

    President-elect Barack Obama announces his appointment of Hillary Clinton as the Secretary of State for his administration.

  • Jan 9 2009

    Hundreds of ONE Members Call

    With just two business days until the hearing, ONE asks members in 15 states to call and urge their senators on the Foreign Relations Committee to ask specific questions about global poverty. Hundreds of ONE members respond.

  • Jan 13 2009

    10 out of 15 Senators Pose ONE-related Questions

    During Hillary Clinton's confirmation hearing, 10 out of 15 senators pose questions or comments on ONE issues, making global poverty and preventable disease a major focus of the hearing. Nearly all the senators submit additional relevant questions "for the record."

  • Jan 22 2009

    Hillary Clinton Arrives at the State Department

    During her remarks, she comments on the Obama Administration’s plans for global development, emphasizing that "defense, diplomacy and development" will be the "three legs of the stool of American foreign policy."

Quick Facts

  • 10 out of 15

    10 out of the 15 senators on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (including Corker, Boxer, Voinovich, Nelson, Cardin, Menendez, Isakson, Casey, and Barasso) posed verbal questions on development issues during the hearing.

  • Issues at the hearing

    Questions and comments from the members of the Foreign Relations Committee highlighted subjects including U.S. aid reform, disease, and the global food crisis, among others – all issues ONE members requested in their phone calls to these senators.

  • 20 additional questions

    Senators informed ONE that they submitted more questions on topics including malaria, global education and agriculture, "for the record" to be answered by the Secretary-designate later.

Policy News

Impact

  • Hillary Clinton's Confirmation Hearing

    1 Jan. 2009

    Hillary Clinton's strong and consistent statements on global poverty and preventable diseases, along with the attention these issues received from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, bode well for anti-poverty programs under the Obama Administration.
    MORE