After a nine-month void, the United States Senate has finally confirmed Mike Waltz as the US Ambassador to the United Nations, NBC News reported.
The 47-43 vote on Friday brings to a close a protracted ordeal, restoring a permanent US representative just in time for the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York.
In a rare bipartisan show of support for a Trump administration pick, Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) crossed the aisle to vote for Waltz. The only Republican to break ranks was Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).
Waltz, 51, was tapped by President Donald Trump for the UN post in May after serving as the White House national security advisor since the start of the administration.
This came after President Trump's initial pick, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), was withdrawn amid concerns that her departure would further threaten the GOP's already fragile House majority.
Waltz’s time as National Security Adviser was followed by a brief period "on thin ice" with Trump, as he came under fire after mistakenly adding Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, to a Signal chat discussing an imminent US bombing of Yemen.
Initially, Waltz claimed he didn’t know how Goldberg had gained access to the group. However, in a Fox News interview, he accepted “full responsibility,” acknowledging that he had created the chat. Trump had considered firing Waltz, but ultimately refrained from doing so, hoping to avoid giving political opponents an easy win and to preserve a sense of stability, in contrast to the chaotic personnel changes of his first term. He eventually nominated him for the position of UN Ambassador.
During his confirmation hearing, Waltz, a former six-term congressman, underscored the necessity of serious reform at the UN.
Specifically, he pledged to review US funding to the organization and vowed to fight relentlessly against the rampant antisemitism within the institution.
Waltz takes over from career Ambassador Dorothy Shea, who held the seat in an acting capacity. The confirmation came several days before Trump himself is set to address the UN General Assembly next Tuesday.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)