Washington (SD) – The U.S. Senate has approved Larry Edward Andre Jr. to be the next US Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Somalia.

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz had for months refused to allow quick confirmation on diplomatic nominations to protest the Biden administration’s policy on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, announced on Saturday that a deal that Cruz’s legislation imposing sanctions would be debated and voted on by mid-January.

Ambassador Larry Edward Andre Jr. will replace Donald Yamamoto, who has been in office since October 2018.

US President Joe Biden appointed Larry André Jr. in April, he is a long-time diplomat at the State House.

André previously served as US Ambassador to Djibouti from November 2017 to January, 2021, and served as US Ambassador to Mauritania from 2014 to 2017.

André is married to Salma Rahman, who also works in international affairs for the United States Government, and has a son, Ruhiyyih Rahman André.