Mike Waltz confirmed as UN ambassador ahead of Trump General Assembly speech

Mainstream media outlets such as ABC News, the Associated Press, and NBC News all but promised the former national security adviser would not be in place in time for the UNGA.

By Adam Kredo, The Washington Free Beacon

The Senate on Friday confirmed former national security adviser and congressman Mike Waltz as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in a 47-43 vote, with Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) as the sole GOP member to vote against.

Democratic Sens. John Fetterman (Pa.), Mark Kelly (Ariz.), and Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.) joined Republicans to advance Waltz’s nomination.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) on Thursday evening filed cloture on Waltz’s nomination, setting up a vote to end debate and proceed to a roll-call vote on the nomination itself.

While Senate procedure requires cabinet-level nominees to wait 30 hours between a cloture filing and cloture vote, positions that fall beneath the cabinet level—like U.N. ambassador—only require a two-hour waiting period.

The confirmation comes just days before President Donald Trump’s scheduled speech before the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) and after a period of uncertainty over whether Waltz would be confirmed before the summit in New York City begins next week.

Mainstream media outlets such as ABC News, the Associated Press, and NBC News all but promised the former national security adviser would not be in place in time for the UNGA.

While Senate Republicans have recently begun voting on executive branch nominees in groups—a practice that saw 48 nominees confirmed at once on Thursday—opposition to Waltz from one member of the GOP in particular prevented Thune from including Waltz in a tranche.

Paul voted against Waltz’s nomination in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in July and did so again on Wednesday.

Opposition from Paul has not been the only obstacle in the way of confirming Waltz.

Democrats—all but one of whom opposed Waltz in the Foreign Relations Committee—sent his nomination back to the committee after citing procedural errors in the July vote, part of a broader Democratic effort to block Trump’s picks.

Sen. Jim Risch (R., Idaho), who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, bashed Democrats for playing politics ahead of a contentious UNGA that will focus heavily on Palestinian statehood and other issues counter to U.S. interests.

“Senate Democrats’ extension of their blockade on President Trump’s nominations is a deterrent to bipartisan committee work and has hurt America’s standing on the world stage,” Risch said on Wednesday.

“Republicans are getting the Senate back to work, and I’m confident Mr. Waltz will be in place in the coming weeks.”

In addition to the Palestinian statehood issue—which the Trump administration vehemently opposes—the UNGA will address Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza as the international body continues to chastise the Jewish state for fighting terrorism.

Topics like “gender equality” and climate change will also be on the docket.

Political commentator and radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday noted the significance of Waltz’s potential absence as the United States prepares for the U.N. summit.

“It is in the interest of the United States to have our Ambassador to the U.N. seated for UNGA,” Hewitt said.

“What Democrats are doing is shameful, and adversely impacts the interests of every American. Michael Waltz will get there eventually but not getting him there on time for UNGA would be another indication that Democrats have zero interest in governing in the best interests of all Americans.”

Trump himself is slated to speak before the UNGA on Tuesday of next week, and until Friday, political machinations from Democrats and Paul looked like they might have prevented the president’s pick for U.N. ambassador from joining him.