Yesterday former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the new U.S. ambassador to China. Earlier, he was approved unanimously by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to advance his nomination to the full Senate for the final vote.
Gov. Branstad holds the record for the nation’s longest-serving governor. He received an award for his service at the National Governors Association (NGA) 2017 Winter Meeting.
Gov. Branstad first served as Iowa governor from 1983 to 1999. He then took office in 2011 and was re-elected in 2014. Gov. Branstad served as the 1989-1990 chair of NGA. Since 2013, he has served on the NGA Executive Committee, the bipartisan nine-member leadership committee that guides the association’s activities. He has also served on the Council of Governors, which advises the federal government on homeland security issues, since 2011. Last summer, Gov. Branstad and his wife, Chris, hosted the 2016 NGA Summer Meeting in Des Moines.
NGA congratulates Gov. Branstad on his new role and thanks him for his dedication and commitment to improve Iowans’ lives.
