WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a longtime advocate for Senate reform, released the following statement on the Senate's confirmation of Roberta Jacobson as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. Udall has pressed repeatedly for a vote on Jacobson's long-stalled nomination to fill the position, which has been vacant for nearly a year largely due to a few senators' objections to her role in the Obama administration's Cuba policy.
 
"Roberta Jacobson is one the most qualified people ever nominated to be ambassador to Mexico. Her nomination was approved with bipartisan support by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in part due to her years of dedicated service at the State Department working to open up opportunities for Americans throughout Latin America, improve relations across the hemisphere, and end the failed embargo in Cuba. Her confirmation is critical to New Mexico. We share a cultural heritage with Mexico, which also is our most important trade partner ' over 36,000 jobs in my state depend on trade with our neighbor to the south. We also are partners on border security and on reforms to fight international human and drug trafficking.
 
"Roberta Jacobson's confirmation is a very welcome step, but it shouldn't have taken nearly a year for the Senate to do its job. We should be focused on ensuring the government is working for the American people ' not scoring political points. Presidential nominations deserve careful consideration, hearings, and a timely vote."