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 [former Republican Wyoming Rep.] 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.”
Waltz won the support of Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch who praised his prior foreign policy experience and his commitment to reform the UN.
“Your pragmatism and patriotism are sorely needed in New York because, as you know, there is a lot of rot at the UN,” Risch told Waltz during the confirmation hearing. “Antisemitism and anti-American sentiments are on the rise, as is the influence of China and Russia.”
Trump nominated Waltz to the UN role in May after reports circulated that he would leave his national security position. The former Florida congressman reportedly struggled to work collaboratively with other White House officials and his standing with the president reportedly took a hit following his role in the leaking of classified information on the messaging platform Signal.
Trump originally nominated Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik to the cushy UN job. However, the president pulled her nomination following concerns that her resignation from the House of Representatives would jeopardize Speaker Mike Johnson’s ability to pass legislation with razor-thin margins.
Stefanik is expected to challenge Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul in 2026 and is likely to clear the Republican field. A potential primary clash ended Wednesday after Republican New York Rep. Mike Lawler chose to pass on a run for governor.
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