Mike Waltz Clears Key Hurdle To Serve As Trump’s UN Ambassador

Former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz’s nomination to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) cleared a key procedural hurdle Thursday morning.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee favorably reported Waltz’s nomination out of committee largely along party lines during a vote of 12 to 10. Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who frequently breaks with his party on foreign policy issues, was the lone GOP lawmaker to oppose advancing Waltz’s nomination.

Waltz’s nomination now heads to the Senate floor where the former national security advisor is expected to cruise to a successful confirmation vote.

Paul hammered Waltz over his more hawkish foreign policy views during his confirmation hearing on July 15. The Kentucky Republican criticized Waltz’ for attempting to keep 8,000 service members in Afghanistan while a member of the House.

“The idea that Congress should be involved with declaring war is sort of passé. It’s old-fashioned,” Paul said during the fiery exchange with Waltz. “But when it comes to ending a war, you voted with Liz Cheney and the others to say that the president couldn’t end the war.”

Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the lead Democrat on the foreign relations panel, supported Waltz’s nomination after cutting a deal with the Trump administration to release foreign aid funding. Shaheen, who decided not to seek reelection in 2026, said in a statement following the vote that she secured commitments from the administration to deliver $75 million in medical and food assistance funding to Haiti and Nigeria.

“I disagree with Mike Waltz on some issues, including his use of unclassified systems to coordinate sensitive discussions,” Shaheen said in a statement. “However, I recognize that Mr. Waltz represents a moderating force with a distinguished record of military service and an extensive background in national security policymaking.”