The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) has issued a statement strongly supporting Leandro Rizzuto to be the U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS).

President Donald Trump in December nominated Rizzuto, a former Conair executive and consul to Bermuda, to be OAS ambassador.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee began its confirmation hearing for Rizzuto on Thursday.

"Lee Rizzuto is a patriot, a proven executive, and a public servant deeply committed to the values of American leadership," AFPI CEO and President Greg Sindelar said in a statement on Thursday.

"His combination of international business leadership and diplomatic service gives him the judgment and experience necessary to represent U.S. interests in a region facing serious challenges."

Joshua Treviño, AFPI's senior adviser to the president and senior fellow for the Western Hemisphere Initiative, said Rizzuto was "the right person" for the OAS position.

"The Organization of American States has strayed too far, too often, from its founding purpose: to strengthen peace and security, safeguard democracy, and protect the sovereignty of its member states," Treviño said. "Lee Rizzuto is the right person to help realign that organization with its founding mission."

AFPI added that Rizzuto's nomination comes at a pivotal time for U.S. foreign policy in the Americas, as the region faces mounting external threats, democratic erosion, and growing influence from adversarial powers like China.

The OAS is the premier multilateral forum in the Western Hemisphere. Its members are the countries from North, South, and Central America, the Caribbean, and Canada.

The U.S. Mission on the OAS website states that the organization's basic objectives are to strengthen peace and security; promote the effective exercise of representative democracy and respect for human rights; ensure the peaceful settlement of disputes among members; provide for common action in the event of aggression; seek solutions to political, juridical, and economic problems that may arise; and promote, by cooperative action, economic, social, educational, scientific, and cultural development.

"Should I be confirmed, I would approach this role with a clear mission: to advance American interests, defend our values, and ensure that our engagement in our hemisphere is strategic, accountable, and focused on achieving results for the American people," Rizzuto said in his opening statement at the hearing.

"This is a moment that calls for clarity — not compromise. As Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio has said, a stable and prosperous Western Hemisphere is crucial to advancing President Trump's strategic priorities."

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