Amy Gutmann confirmed next US ambassador to Germany

The United States Senate on Tuesday confirmed Amy Gutmann, President Joe Biden's nominee for ambassador to Germany, close to six months after her nomination. 

Voting largely along party lines, 54 senators voted in favor of the nomination and 42 against. Four senators did not vote. 

Almost every Republican voted against Gutmann, who has served as the president of the University of Pennsylvania since 2004.

The 72-year-old with German-Jewish roots still has to be sworn in before taking office. She will be the first woman to hold the US ambassador's post in Berlin.

The high-profile representation had been led by chargés d'affaires since former President Donald Trump's nominee Richard Grenell resigned two years after he took over the post in May 2018.

Republicans oppose nomination

Biden had nominated Gutmann for an ambassadorship in Berlin last summer, but the confirmation petered out due to a blockade by the Republicans in the Senate.

Some Republicans voiced objections to her nomination because the University of Pennsylvania had appointed Biden to a professorship after he completed eight years as US vice president.

The White House argued that, as an expert in political philosophy, Gutmann was eminently qualified.

Others raised concerns over donations to the university from China. Gutmann refuted that by maintaining that less than 1% of the school's donations came from donors in China, adding that the school accepts no funds that may compromise its values.

Tensions in Europe

Gutmann's confirmation comes at a time when the US and Germany are dealing with the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this week, several senators, including some Republicans who voted against Gutmann’s nomination, attended a dinner with Olaf Scholz, Germany's new chancellor.

During Scholz's visit to Washington, he and Biden stressed the importance of averting war in Europe. 

see/fb (dpa, Reuters)