More than a year after President Trump nominated David Schenker (photo) to be the assistant secretary of state for the Near East, the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee finally voted May 2 to approve him. He must still be voted on by the full Senate. The post has been vacant since Trump took office two years and four months ago. It is the senior post in the government dealing full-time with the region. Schenker has been with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in recent years.
