Biden’s Special Envoys Are About to Get Less Special

  • New special envoys will require Senate approval after Jan. 3
  • State Department already has 53 special envoys by one count
Joe Biden and John Kerry as they attend a meeting at COP26 in Glasgow, on Nov. 1, 2021.Photographer: Kevin Lamarque/AFP/Getty Images
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State Department special envoys are about to get less special.

President Joe Biden’s administration is rushing to fill posts for special envoys and representatives ahead of a Jan. 3 deadline after which most such candidates will be required to get Senate confirmation. That rule, passed quietly in 2021, closes a loophole that let successive administrations circumvent the lengthy wait time that has plagued ambassadorial nominees.