US Senators Brian Schatz of Hawaiʻi joined a half-dozen colleagues in writing to President Donald Trump, urging him to nominate leaders to fill more than 100 senior State Department positions.

Sen. Schatz said the positions are currently unfilled, but are critical to an effective US foreign policy.

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“We need a fully staffed and funded State Department to protect US interests and values abroad,” the senators wrote. “These vacancies threaten to undermine our leadership on many of the national security crises we face today. The United States cannot conduct diplomacy without diplomats, and the Senate cannot advise and consent on appointments until we have qualified nominees to consider.”

Others that accompanied Rep. Schatz in sending the letter were: Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).

The full text of the letter follows: