President Donald Trump’s monthslong saga to fill his remaining Cabinet post of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations may soon be over.
Nominee Mike Waltz is set to receive his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday before the Foreign Affairs Committee, more than two months after he was picked for the role.
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Waltz’s reentry into the spotlight is expected to dredge up controversy, as Democrats prepare to pepper him on the Signalgate scandal, which led to his removal as Trump’s national security adviser after he mistakenly added a reporter to a group chat detailing sensitive military plans.
The hearing will mark the first opportunity for Democrats on the panel to grill Waltz about the national security blunder and his judgment to serve as a presidential Cabinet member, albeit in a lesser-profile role.
“I expect he will be asked that many times,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) said.
Republicans, fully anticipating Democrats’ questioning on the subject, expressed no concerns about Waltz’s ability to weather the criticism.
“Be honest, it’s easier,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) said. “Or you don’t have to remember what you said. Whatever happened, happened. Let him — clearly somebody made a mistake, right?”
The committee’s chairman, Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), declined to comment.
With a 53-47 majority and only needing 50 votes, Senate Republicans won’t require the help of Democrats to confirm Waltz, who is not expected to face major hurdles.
Still, Democrats say they also want to hear Waltz’s positions on several other issues tied to the job, including the administration’s foreign aid cuts and commitment to U.S. support for the U.N. and Ukraine in its continued fight against Russia. Actions taken by Trump and administration officials have given Democrats heartburn over what they say jeopardizes America’s “commitment to the international community.”
Trump has a rocky relationship with the U.N., including his withdrawal of U.S. support for some of its affiliated organizations. He has been critical of U.S. funding for the international body and said it represents a disproportionate share compared to other countries.
In some instances, Democrats see more pressing issues than the Signalgate debacle that’s long been out of the headlines.
“I’m more interested right now in our cut in funding for PEPFAR,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) said, referencing the Bush-era global AIDS program that Trump seeks to cut by $400 million of its $6 billion budget.
Duckworth, a combat veteran, said those and other foreign aid cuts “are going to threaten American interests abroad and also put Americans in jeopardy.”
The panel’s top Democrat, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), cited plans to ask about U.S. support for the U.N. and Ukraine. Coons foreshadowed discussions on combating China via the U.N., Waltz’s record as national security adviser, and how the nominee envisions “projecting America’s values and interests.”
SENATE GOP SADDLED WITH SIGNALGATE AS WALTZ PLUCKED TO FILL LAST CABINET POST
Waltz is seeking to serve a role Trump had initially intended for Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), whose nomination he withdrew in March over concerns about a drawn-out process by New York Democrats to replace her in a chamber in which Republicans have few votes to spare. Stefanik has all but confirmed she plans to run for New York governor against Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) in 2026, but she has yet to make an announcement.
Not all of the attention on Tuesday will be focused on Waltz. Two other ambassador nominees will testify alongside him: John Arrigo to be the U.S. ambassador to Portugal and Christine Toretti to be U.S. ambassador to Sweden.