Federal Spotlight: Branstad confirmed as Ambassador to China

The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s appointment to become U.S. ambassador to China. The vote was 82-13. The strong bipartisan vote indicates confidence that Branstad will perform well in his new role. As ambassador, he will face many immediate challenges including threats from North Korea, trade, human rights, South China Sea disputes and intellectual property theft. Branstad will undergo a few weeks of training and is expected to be in China by the beginning of next month. The governor resigned on Wednesday and Kim Reynolds was sworn in as Iowa’s first female governor.  Read more from The Gazette.