The Senate Foreign Relations Committee met to consider the nominations of Lou Rinaldi to be ambassador to Uruguay, Arthur Fisher to be ambassador to Austria, Roman Pipko to be ambassador to Estonia, Stacy Feinberg to be ambassador to Luxembourg, and Nicholas “Nick” Merrick to be ambassador to the Czech Republic. The committee did not take any votes at the hearing; the record was left open until close of business on June 13 for members to submit additional materials and questions for the record.

Why it matters: Ambassadors serve as the chief U.S. representatives in each country and can shape cooperation on defense, trade and investment, energy security and law enforcement. Senators used the hearing to press nominees on issues the administration has prioritized: increased NATO defense spending, countering Chinese influence in Europe, energy-supply resilience and bilateral commercial ties.

Each nominee presented personal and professional backgrounds and described priorities for their prospective posts. Lou Rinaldi, the nominee for Uruguay, emphasized economic ties and public security, saying that if confirmed he would “advance the interest of the United States by focusing on three key areas: enhancing economic ties between our two nations, providing public security in our hemisphere, and working with Uruguay to support democracy and human rights.” Rinaldi noted that the United States buys over 70% of Uruguay’s services exports, which he put at an estimated value of $1.7 billion.

Roman Pipko, the nominee for Estonia and a refugee to the United States, framed Estonia as a model on defense and cyber cooperation. He noted Estonia’s decision to commit what he described as about 5.4% of GDP to defense and said that, if confirmed, he would work with Estonia and U.S. partners to press other NATO allies to increase defense spending. Pipko told senators: “We have to stand firm, very firm, but we have to be creative in order to avoid another crisis.”

Nicholas Merrick, the nominee to the Czech Republic, discussed energy and defense cooperation. Merrick noted Czechia’s shift away from Russian gas toward western-sourced liquefied natural gas and confirmed U.S. company participation in new nuclear projects, saying it is his understanding that Westinghouse will have a role in new plant construction. He also cited the Czech purchase of Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft in a transaction he described as roughly $5 billion as an example of Czech military modernization.

Stacy Feinberg, the nominee to Luxembourg introduced by Rep. Byron Donalds, emphasized commercial and technology ties and warned of Chinese influence in Europe. Feinberg described China as “a bad actor” whose “intentions are nefarious,” and said European partners — including Luxembourg — need assistance with investment screening and protecting intellectual property.

Arthur Fisher, the nominee to Austria, said he would prioritize the safety of U.S. citizens abroad and commercial ties while respecting Austria’s policy of neutrality. He pointed to existing cooperation such as the Vermont National Guard state partnership program and described Austria as a “trustworthy and reliable security partner.”

Senators pressed nominees with country-specific and regional questions. Committee members repeatedly raised NATO burden-sharing and deterrence, citing Russia’s actions in Europe and the need for allies to increase defense spending; senators also questioned how nominees would counter Chinese economic and technological influence in partner countries. Energy security and U.S. commercial opportunities were prominent in exchanges with the Czech and Uruguayan nominees.

No formal committee action or confirmation votes were taken at the hearing. Chairman Steve Daines asked unanimous consent to include letters of support in the record and notified senators that the committee record would remain open until close of business on June 13 for submission of additional materials and questions for the record. The hearing was then adjourned.

Background and next steps: The hearing was the committee’s consideration stage for five ambassadorial nominations. Any committee vote to report nominations to the full Senate would occur at a later meeting; the committee left the record open to receive further materials and written questions.