US President Donald Trump is about to get his top Africa official installed at the State Department after a long vacancy. Senate aides told Semafor that the body is expected to vote on Frank Garcia’s confirmation to be Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs soon after the two-week April recess.
The development is significant because of how few US ambassadorships remain unfilled across Africa during a period of uncertainty over trade with the continent and lack of development structures following Trump’s shuttering of USAID.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 16-6 last month to advance Garcia’s nomination, with four Democrats voting in favor of Trump’s pick despite high partisan tensions in Washington. The Navy veteran and longtime Republican congressional aide will replace a succession of interim officials, most recently Nick Checker, a former CIA analyst who has served as senior bureau official.
Garcia, during his March 5 nomination hearing, said US Africa policy had “emphasized aid and dependency” for too long and pledged to instead prioritize trade, investment, and protecting “core US national interests.”
