{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/press-releases/merkley-and-wyden-urge-senate-leaders-to-vote-on-nomination-for-us-ambassador-to-timor-leste", "Merkley and Wyden Urge Senate Leaders to Vote on Nomination for U.S. Ambassador to Timor-Leste", "2014-11-06", "2014", "2014-11", "Democrat", "House", "OR", "Jeff Merkley", "M001176", "www.merkley.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Merkley and Wyden Urge Senate Leaders to Vote on Nomination for U.S. Ambassador to Timor-Leste \n\t\n\t\t Help for Oregonian detained in Timor-Leste is hindered by lack of Ambassador \n\t\n\t\n\tThursday, November 6, 2014\n\t\n\tWASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today wrote to Senate leaders Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell to urge them to schedule a vote this month, on the nomination of Karen Stanton to be the U.S. Ambassador to Timor-Leste. This request is based on the case of Dr. Stacey Addison, an Oregon veterinarian who has been detained and imprisoned in Timor-Leste awaiting an investigation that could take a year or more.\r\n \r\n\u201cWe appreciate the resolve the U.S. Embassy in Timor-Leste has shown in supporting Dr. Addison and communicating with our offices.\u00a0 We also know that any embassy\u2019s ability to speak directly to the most senior foreign officials is limited in the absence of a U.S. Ambassador,\u201d wrote the Senators. \u201cDr. Addison\u2019s case highlights the real costs of our inability to confirm ambassadorial nominees and we urge you to schedule votes on Ms. Stanton\u2019s nomination and the other qualified nominees awaiting their turn.\u201d\r\n \r\nThe offices of Senator\u2019s Merkley and Wyden have been in contact with the State Department about Dr. Addison\u2019s case and are working to do everything they can to assist Dr. Addison and her family to bring this terrible situation to a quick and positive resolution.\r\nText of the letter follows:\r\nNovember 6, 2014\r\nThe Honorable Harry Reid\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\r\nMajority Leader\r\nUnited States Senate\r\nWashington, DC 20510\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\r\nThe Honorable Mitch McConnell\r\nMinority Leader\r\nUnited States Senate\r\nWashington, DC 20510\r\nDear Majority Leader Reid and Minority Leader McConnell:\r\nWe write to bring the case of Dr. Stacey Addison to your attention as a real example of how the Senate\u2019s failure to confirm qualified diplomatic nominees limits our ability to help Americans abroad.\u00a0 When the Senate returns on November 12, we urge you to schedule votes on the many qualified ambassadorial nominees who have been waiting, including the nomination of Karen Stanton to be the U.S. Ambassador to Timor-Leste.\u00a0\r\nDr. Addison is a resident of Portland, Oregon and a veterinarian who decided to spend a year traveling the world and volunteering.\u00a0 In early September, she crossed from Indonesia into Timor-Leste and split a private taxi to Dili, the Timorese capitol.\u00a0 The taxi already had a passenger, which press reports say is common for Timor-Leste.\u00a0 When the driver stopped to allow the other passenger to pick up a package, Timorese police raided the car and arrested everybody.\u00a0 Dr. Addison learned only later that the package contained illicit drugs.\u00a0\r\nThe Timorese authorities initially jailed Dr. Addison for five days and, though she was not charged with any crime, they confiscated her passport upon releasing her.\u00a0 Without her passport, she has remained effectively imprisoned in Timor-Leste awaiting an investigation that could take a year or more.\u00a0 Worse, in a dramatic and unexpected turn of events, Timorese authorities rearrested Dr. Addison last week and committed her to the women\u2019s prison at Gleno, where she remains.\u00a0 We have been told that she could remain there, held without charge, for the duration of the Timorese government\u2019s investigation.\u00a0\r\nWe appreciate the resolve the U.S. Embassy in Timor-Leste has shown in supporting Dr. Addison and communicating with our offices.\u00a0 We also know that any embassy\u2019s ability to speak directly to the most senior foreign officials is limited in the absence of a U.S. Ambassador.\u00a0 What Dr. Addison\u2019s case needs now is strong leadership in Dili.\u00a0 As Secretary of State John Kerry wrote in July, \u201c[w]e simply cannot lead if we are not represented.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0\r\nIn July 2013, the President nominated Karen Stanton, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, to serve as America\u2019s Ambassador to Timor-Leste.\u00a0 Ms. Stanton\u2019s nomination is neither controversial nor partisan; she has served her country honorably for more than 25 years, in places like Beijing and Islamabad, and as director of the State Department\u2019s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.\u00a0 She was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on January 15, 2014, without any objection.\u00a0 Despite all of this, her nomination has been pending for more than 460 days.\u00a0\r\nWe share your belief that the United States Senate is at its best when serving as a forum for deliberation and debate.\u00a0 We also hope you share our belief that the entire country suffers when partisan or ideological disagreement prevents the Senate from confirming qualified, noncontroversial nominees.\u00a0 Dr. Addison\u2019s case highlights the real costs of our inability to confirm ambassadorial nominees and we urge you to schedule votes on Ms. Stanton\u2019s nomination and the other qualified nominees awaiting their turn.\u00a0\r\nSincerely,\r\nJeffrey A. Merkley\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ron Wyden\r\nUnited States Senator\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 United States Senator\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n     \n\t\n \n\t\n    \n    \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t  \n    \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n      \n    \n    \n    \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/press-releases/merkley-and-wyden-urge-senate-leaders-to-vote-on-nomination-for-us-ambassador-to-timor-leste"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6215220093727112, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}