Have a question?

This is not an official government website.

civilianWITHDRAWN

Joel Rayburn To Be Assistant Secretary Of State For Near Eastern Affairs

PN25-45

Joel Rayburn, of Oklahoma, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Near Eastern Affairs), vice Barbara A. Leaf, resigned.

Received: February 11, 2025; February 11, 2025
Authority: October 27, 2025; October 27, 2025
Last Action: October 27, 2025; October 27, 2025

1Nominees

6Actions

0Hearings

1Committees

Progress

Received

Committee

Hearing

Result

Nominees

1 nominee

Action History

FloorOctober 27, 2025

Received message of withdrawal of nomination from the President.

CalendarsOctober 22, 2025

Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar No. 487. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond to requests to appear and testify before any duly constituted committee of the Senate.

CommitteeOctober 22, 2025

Reported by Senator Risch, Committee on Foreign Relations, without recommendation without printed report.

CommitteeOctober 22, 2025

Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported without recommendation.

CommitteeMay 15, 2025

Committee on Foreign Relations. Hearings held.

civilianWITHDRAWN

Joel Rayburn To Be Assistant Secretary Of State For Near Eastern Affairs

PN25-45

Joel Rayburn, of Oklahoma, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Near Eastern Affairs), vice Barbara A. Leaf, resigned.

Received: February 11, 2025; February 11, 2025
Authority: October 27, 2025; October 27, 2025
Last Action: October 27, 2025; October 27, 2025

1Nominees

6Actions

0Hearings

1Committees

Progress

Received

Committee

Hearing

Result

Nominees

1 nominee

Committees & Meetings

1 committee · 3 meetings

Committees

1 total

Committee on Foreign RelationsSenate

Committee Meetings

3 meetings related to this nomination

Senate

Meeting

Scheduled

Business meeting to consider S.2960, to develop economic tools to deter aggression by the People's Republic of China against Taiwan, S.2130, to make improvements to the AUKUS partnership, S.2424, to require a report of, and a strategy to combat, arms sales of the Government of the People's Republic of China, S.1744, to amend the Arms Export Control Act to include Taiwan among the list of recipient countries with respect to which shorter certification and reporting periods apply and to expedite licensing for allies transferring military equipment to Taiwan, S.2626, to strengthen the leadership role of the United States at the Inter-American Development Bank, S.2146, to require the United States Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund to advocate for increased transparency with respect to exchange rate policies of the People's Republic of China, S.2950, to require the Secretary of State and relevant executive branch agencies to address international scam compounds defrauding people in the United States, to hold significant transnational criminal organizations accountable, S.2550, to provide for international cooperation to secure critical mineral supply chains, S.1854, to require the imposition of sanctions with respect to political and economic elites in Haiti, S.2657, to impose sanctions relating to the support of the People's Republic of China for the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, S.2018, to modify certain limitations and exclusions regarding defense articles and requirements regarding security assistance and sales with respect to the Republic of Cyprus, S.799, to establish and implement a multi-year Legal Gold and Mining Partnership Strategy to reduce the negative environmental and social impacts of illicit gold mining in the Western Hemisphere, S.2684, to support countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that maintain official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, to counter efforts by the People's Republic of China to coerce or pressure governments into breaking such ties, to deepen coordination with Taiwan on diplomatic, development, and economic engagement in the Western Hemisphere, S.2224, to amend the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019 to provide that the United States, in its role as a member of any international organizations, should oppose any attempts by the People's Republic of China to resolve Taiwan's status by distorting the decisions, language, policies, or procedures of any such organization, S.2918, to amend the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act to improve the implementation of the seizure of Russian sovereign assets for the benefit of Ukraine, S.1000, to establish an Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs, S.Res.409, recognizing the 74th anniversary of the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Philippines and the strong bilateral security alliance between our two nations in the wake of escalating aggression and political lawfare by the People's Republic of China in the South China Sea, S.2978, to provide for the designation of the Russian Federation as a state sponsor of terrorism, and S.Res.226, condemning the Government of the People's Republic of China for engaging in transnational repression, and the nominations of Joel Rayburn, of Oklahoma, to be an Assistant Secretary (Near Eastern Affairs), and Andrew Veprek, of Louisiana, to be an Assistant Secretary (Population, Refugees, and Migration), both of the Department of State.

Committee on Foreign RelationsCapitol (Senate side), 116Oct 22, 2025 at 1:30 PM

Business meeting to consider S.1397, to require the Secretary of State to establish a quantum cooperation program to enhance international cooperation in quantum information science, S.1463, to allow the Secretary of the Interior to enter into memoranda of understanding for the purpose of scientific and technical cooperation in the mapping of critical minerals and rare earth elements, S.1478, to provide the United States Government with additional tools to deter state and non-state actors from wrongfully detaining United States nationals for political leverage, S.1579, to provide for the treatment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) as international organizations for purposes of the International Organizations Immunities Act, S.1731, to require the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense to develop a strategy in response to the global basing intentions of the People's Republic of China, S.1780, to provide for congressional oversight of security assistance to Mexico, S.1801, to facilitate the development of a whole-of-government strategy for nuclear cooperation and nuclear exports, S.Res.227, condemning Hamas for its premeditated, coordinated, and brutal terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023, against Israel and demanding that Hamas immediately release all remaining hostages and return them to safety, S.1900, to require the Secretary of the Treasury to pursue more equitable treatment of Taiwan at the international financial institutions, S.1883, to require the executive branch to develop a whole-of-government strategy to disrupt growing cooperation among the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which are the foremost adversaries of the United States, and mitigate the risks posed to the United States, and the nominations of Joel Rayburn, of Oklahoma, to be an Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs, Chris Pratt, of Utah, to be an Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs, and Michael DeSombre, of Illinois, to be an Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, all of the Department of State.

Senate

Meeting

Scheduled

Business meeting to consider the nominations of Caleb Orr, of Texas, to be an Assistant Secretary (Economic and Business Affairs), Kenneth Howery, of Texas, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark, Callista Gingrich, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador to the Principality of Liechtenstein, Somers Farkas, of New York, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Malta, Leandro Rizzuto, of Florida, to be Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the Organization of American States, with the rank of Ambassador, all of the Department of State; to be immediately followed by a hearing to examine the nominations of Joel Rayburn, of Oklahoma, to be an Assistant Secretary (Near Eastern Affairs), Chris Pratt, of Utah, to be an Assistant Secretary (Political-Military Affairs), and Michael DeSombre, of Illinois, to be an Assistant Secretary (East Asian and Pacific Affairs), all of the Department of State.

Committee on Foreign Relations

Action History

FloorOctober 27, 2025

Received message of withdrawal of nomination from the President.

CalendarsOctober 22, 2025

Placed on Senate Executive Calendar. Calendar No. 487. Subject to nominee's commitment to respond to requests to appear and testify before any duly constituted committee of the Senate.

CommitteeOctober 22, 2025

Reported by Senator Risch, Committee on Foreign Relations, without recommendation without printed report.

CommitteeOctober 22, 2025

Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported without recommendation.

CommitteeMay 15, 2025

Committee on Foreign Relations. Hearings held.

Related Nominations

This nomination is part of a batch. PN25-45 has 56 parts total.

Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services

PN25-1