Senate Republicans slow-walk Elise Stefanik's confirmation to be U.N. ambassador

WASHINGTON — The Senate is deliberately slow-walking Rep. Elise Stefanik’s nomination to be President Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, with several Republicans publicly and privately blaming the delay in confirming her on the White House’s concern over their party’s historically slim majority in the House.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who said Republicans are taking cues from the White House on the timing and sequencing of nominations, believes Stefanik is being held up because the White House is being mindful of the tough political dynamic in the House.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has almost zero room for error to advance Trump’s agenda. With Stefanik still in office, Republicans have just a three-vote margin over Democrats.

There’s also uncertainty over when Stefanik’s House seat will be filled, given that she hails from New York, a state with a Democratic governor who is allowed to set the date for a special election.

“We’re kind of taking our direction from the White House in terms of who they want to move and when,” Thune told NBC News. “But my assumption is it probably has to do with the majority, the margin they have in the House right now.

“We’ve got a pretty full pipeline, so it’s not like we’re short of nominees to get across the finish line, but, you know, obviously it’s an important position, and she had a big vote to come out the committee, and we want to get her done as soon as we can,” he added.

A spokesman for the speaker’s office said Johnson believes “the timing for Rep. Stefanik’s confirmation is a matter for the White House and the Senate to resolve and that he will be supportive of their approach.”

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, “Elise Stefanik is a great ally to President Trump, and we look forward to her serving as the Ambassador to the United Nations.”

Johnson is aiming to pass a budget resolution before the end of this month, which is the first step to kick off the complex reconciliation process that Republicans are trying to use to pass a massive tax-energy-defense-border bill. Reconciliation is a fast-track budget process that allows senators to get around the 60-vote threshold in the chamber, advancing bills with only simple majorities.

Once Stefanik leaves Congress, the new House makeup will be 217 Republicans and 215 Democrats, meaning Johnson can’t afford to lose a single Republican on party-line votes. And on any given day, a Republican lawmaker’s unexpected absence could tip the balance of power in the House, leading to a chaotic situation.

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So having Stefanik, a reliable vote for Republican leadership, remain in the House gives Johnson a little extra breathing room, especially as Republicans try to pass a budget blueprint over the next few weeks. Republicans aren’t likely to move to the next stage of the reconciliation process until the spring, after two of the other current GOP vacancies in the House are already filled.

In a statement to NBC News, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., praised Stefanik as a “real team player.”

“Elise will be an exceptional U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and has been a real team player helping President Trump and the House Majority while simultaneously transitioning to the USUN office,” Scalise said.

The delay in confirming Stefanik for the key foreign policy post has frustrated her, and she has privately complained to colleagues that it’s taking longer than expected, according to several GOP sources with direct knowledge of the situation.

Asked Thursday when she’ll be confirmed, Stefanik told NBC News, “Soon.”

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Stefanik’s nomination by voice vote on Jan. 30. Other nominees who moved through their respective committees after her — such as Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Trump’s pick to lead the Small Business Administration, Kelly Loeffler — have already had Senate floor action, while Stefanik’s nomination has lingered.

Two of Stefanik’s other House colleagues who were nominated for Trump administration jobs have already left Congress. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., resigned in November, almost immediately after Trump chose him to be attorney general; he dropped out of consideration for the spot not long after. And Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., Trump’s national security adviser, resigned after the inauguration on Jan. 20.

Special elections for those seats are scheduled for April 1. It’s less clear, however, when Stefanik will get a replacement. The Legislature proposed a bill that would have allowed New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, to keep the seat vacant for months, but the proposal has been withdrawn.