The Senate confirmed Mike Waltz, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (UN) on Friday afternoon.
The upper chamber approved Waltz’s confirmation in a near party-line vote of 47 to 43, just in time for the UN General Assembly gathering in New York City which is slated to start Sept. 23. The confirmation also fills the final vacancy in Trump’s cabinet — almost eight months into the president’s second term.
The only Republican to vote against Waltz was Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul. Meanwhile, three Democrats, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Mark Kelly of Arizona, crossed the aisle to confirm Waltz.
Waltz’s confirmation comes amid Russia’s refusal to end the war in Ukraine, escalating tensions between China and Taiwan and ongoing negotiations to end the war between Israel and Hamas.
Waltz was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 24, but was one of numerous nominees to be sent back to committee in early September due to Democrats’ complaints over the initial panel votes. He again passed the committee’s muster on Wednesday, with Shaheen, the panel’s top Democrat, voting yes, and only one Republican, Paul, voting no.
The nominee told Senators during his committee hearing that the UN needs “major” reform adding that there’s also “good and meaningful work to be done.” Waltz also told Shaheen it was “absolutely critical” for the U.S. to play a role to combat China’s growing influence.
Waltz became entangled in controversy during his just over three-month tenure as national security advisor after adding Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic and longtime Trump critic, to an 18-person group chat on the messaging app Signal in March 2025. The messages, published by the outlet, were discussing pending strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a later statement the president “continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.”
The president nominated Waltz to be the U.S. ambassador to the UN on May 1, the same day he departed his post as national security advisor. Waltz was Trump’s second nominee to represent the country in the UN, following Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, whose nomination was withdrawn by the White House in late March.
Waltz is a former U.S. Army Special Forces colonel, popularly known as a Green Beret, and represented Florida’s 6th congressional district in the House from 2019 to 2025.
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