


Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (R-NY) nomination to serve as President Donald Trump‘s ambassador to the United Nations has been pulled, according to a prominent GOP senator.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch (R-ID) told the Washington Examiner on Thursday that he was notified by the White House by phone that a vote on her nomination would no longer happen.
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When asked what the White House said, Risch told the Washington Examiner, “That they were pulling her nomination.”
Pressed by another reporter to confirm again, Risch said, “Yes. I was informed that just minutes ago.”
Reports began circulating on Thursday, six days before Stefanik’s nomination hearing was set to move forward, that there is pressure for her to back off from the U.N. ambassador position due to the small majority Republicans hold in the House. According to CBS News, there were discussions Thursday morning for her to pull the nomination from consideration as early as Thursday.
This wouldn’t be the first time a member of Congress was no longer considered for an administration position. Former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his nomination amid the dramatics surrounding an Ethics Committee report on his alleged behavior while in office.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House and Republican leadership for comment.
“Only reason why I could see it being pulled is because of the tight majority in the House, but also Gov. Hochul has been dragging her feet for months to call a special election, and they want to have that tax bill passed by Memorial Day,” a GOP strategist with close ties to the White House told the Washington Examiner.
Republicans and Trump have long been concerned that the thin margins in the House would affect how quickly the GOP is able to enact his agenda, particularly as a handful of conservatives tend to detract from the party over things like government spending and the debt ceiling. With the vacancies and recent deaths, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) can only afford to lose two votes on any given measure to pass it along party lines.
GOP lawmakers and allies are already concerned about the special elections in Florida to replace Gaetz and national security adviser Mike Waltz, as the Republican candidates are being significantly outpaced in fundraising by millions of dollars and only winning in preelection polls by a few points. Both Gaetz and Waltz won reelection in those seats by 30 percentage points each.
Republicans have also faced significant defeats in the first state legislative races after the GOP trifecta took effect on Jan. 20. Red seats in Pennsylvania, New York, and Iowa flipped blue in recent races, with House Democratic leaders pointing to this as a sign that “Republicans are on the run.”
“In places where Republicans should not simply be winning, but winning easily, and it’s because there is an energized Democratic base, and swing voters, along with independents, are abandoning Republicans in droves all across America,” Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said Thursday. “That’s why Republicans are actually spending millions of dollars in two districts in Florida that Donald Trump won by north of 30 points.”
REPUBLICANS FRET ABOUT FLORIDA SPECIAL ELECTION IN WALTZ DISTRICT
Timing is key, as Republicans are working to pass a budget reconciliation through the reconciliation process that calls for millions in cuts. Senate Republicans are increasing the pressure on their House counterparts, particularly when it comes to the debt ceiling and other policies as they work to negotiate a compromised budget resolution.
Margins will be significantly important heading into tight votes on things such as a budget resolution, and it has been proven in recent weeks that attendance does matter. If Democrats are successful in flipping one of the Florida special election districts, and Democrats maintain their two vacant seats, Johnson will have a one-seat majority.
Mabinty Quarshie contributed to this report.