President Donald Trump nominated MAGA-centric U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) for the position of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations on November 20, 2024. (Stefanik was the first Member of Congress to endorse Trump for his 2024 campaign and earlier served on his Impeachment Defense Team.)
While almost all of Trump’s top level nominations passed through Senate hearings to confirmation — Hegseth, Bondi, Rubio, Noem, Bessent, Gabbard, Patel, Kennedy, et al — Stefanik’s nomination has not advanced.
The Hill reported on Saturday that “Frustrations are growing as Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (R-NY) wait to be confirmed as ambassador to the United Nations could stretch until April due to the House’s ultra-slim majority.”
I am honored for this morning’s bipartisan vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee supporting my nomination as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. I will continue to work through the Senate confirmation process to bring President Trump’s America First peace through… pic.twitter.com/75hfi3QMl8
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) January 30, 2025
Stefanik plays a vital role among House Republicans as GOP legislators, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), try to cement Trump’s agenda — as evidenced on Tuesday when the House passed Johnson’s budget resolution by a whisker, 217-215.
Note: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) was the only Republican to vote against it.
While Republican Senators including Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) say the Senate is ready to move on Stefanik’s nomination — “She’s teed up,” he said — others including Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) are applauding her “MVP” role on the GOP team.
[Multiple sources say she won’t leave the House until April, after the special elections to replace Florida’s former Reps. Michael Waltz (now Trump’s National Security Advisor) and Rep. Matt Gaetz, who was Trump’s first choice as Attorney General.]
Daines said of Stefanik, “We need her to pitch [and] to play shortstop right now.”
Note: Several Democrats voted against Stefanik in January, in part as a protest against the Trump administration’s pause on foreign aid. Those objecting included Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), who noted that at her hearing Stefanik endorsed Israeli officials’ views that Israel has a “biblical right” to the entire West Bank.
Merkley said: “This viewpoint perpetuates a cycle of war and hate and is exactly the wrong approach for us to have an enduring peace and stability.”