Senate confirms Waltz as UN ambassador after months of delay
by Patricia Zengerle reuters · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Waltz, as U.N. ambassador on Friday.
- Waltz's confirmation comes in time for the U.N. General Assembly next week, though his actual role remains unclear.
WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Waltz, as ambassador to the U.N. on Friday, filling the last major position in the Republican's administration.
The tally was 47-43 in the 100-member chamber, largely along party lines. Democratic Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Mark Kelly of Arizona and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire voted with Republicans in favor of Waltz, and one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul, joined Democrats in voting no.
Ten senators did not vote.
Trump ousted Waltz, a retired Green Beret and former Republican lawmaker from Florida, as national security adviser on May 1 and named Secretary of State Marco Rubio as his interim replacement. Rubio still holds the position.
Waltz had been blamed, and criticized by Democrats, for accidentally adding the editor of The Atlantic magazine to a private discussion on the Signal messaging app describing details of an imminent bombing campaign in Yemen. The Atlantic subsequently reported on the internal discussions about the strikes.
The U.S. has not had an ambassador to the U.N. since Trump began his second term on Jan. 20. Trump withdrew his first nominee, Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, from consideration in March as Republicans sought to maintain their slim majority in the House of Representatives in order to advance the president's "America First" agenda.
Waltz was confirmed just in time for next week's U.N. General Assembly gathering of world leaders in New York. However, it was not exactly sure what his official role there would be. The Senate vote was for his confirmation as ambassador to the world body and the representative on the Security Council, but not its representative at the assembly.
"We are ready to receive his credentials as soon as the U.S. side is ready," U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
At his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Waltz said that the U.N. needs reform and Washington must have a strong voice to counter China, adding that he was "confident we can make the U.N. great again," echoing the slogan of Trump's political movement.
Contributing: Michelle Nichols
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