WASHINGTON, April 26 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement after voting against Mike Pompeo to be secretary of state:

“Today I voted against Mike Pompeo’s nomination for secretary of state because we need someone who will be a check on President Trump’s bellicose nature, not an encourager. After 17 years of war in Afghanistan, 15 in Iraq and decades of huge military budgets, we need a secretary of state who will help bring the nations of the world together in diplomatic efforts to prevent war, not someone who supports never-ending wars. We need a secretary of state who will stand up for people of all faiths, sexual orientations and genders, not someone who opposes women’s rights and LGBTQ rights and who promotes religious bigotry. And we need a secretary of state who will address the crisis of climate change, not stymie action on one of the world’s most serious security threats. For all these reasons, Mike Pompeo is absolutely the wrong choice to serve as the United States’ top diplomat.”