Trump Heads To The UN Next Week. Will He Have His UN Ambassador?

President Donald Trump is heading to the United Nations next week for a monumental foreign policy speech to world leaders, and unless the Republican-led U.S. Senate goes into hyperdrive, he’ll do it with a Biden administration official as his UN ambassador.

Trump nominated former congressman Mike Waltz to represent the United States at the United Nations nearly four months ago, and his nomination passed out of committee — for the second time — on Wednesday morning, leaving only a full senate vote between Waltz and confirmation. But with a packed legislative schedule and a wall of obstruction from Senate Democrats, many doubt the vote will take place in time to have him ready to go.

If Waltz isn’t confirmed, Trump’s speech will be carried out with Dorothy Shea, who was nominated by President Joe Biden and confirmed last summer, as the acting ambassador. Jason Miller, one of Trump’s closest advisors outside of the White House, says that should be unacceptable, and Republicans should make his confirmation top priority.

“Schumer and the Democrats have intentionally obstructed Senate action on the president’s nominees, the majority leader has the power to keep the Senate in session to assure that Mike Waltz and the president’s team is seated at the United Nations ahead of next week’s meeting of the General Assembly — and he should do so,” Miller told The Daily Wire.

Asked about the Waltz nomination, the White House reiterated the urgency to have his team in place.

“President Trump has been clear that he wants all of his nominees confirmed as quickly as possible,” a White House official told The Daily Wire.

Republican Majority Leader John Thune’s office wouldn’t comment specifically on efforts to confirm Waltz by Monday, but said it shares Trump’s urgency.

“Not only do we share the White House’s goal of confirming the president’s team as quickly as possible, we’ve demonstrated it — confirming the Cabinet at the fastest pace in 20 years and recently breaking the Democrats’ historic nominations blockade, which will allow us to begin clearing the mounting backlog,” a spokeswoman for Thune said.

Thune has implemented plans to break the Democrat blockade. His procedural change allows for an unlimited number of federal nominations to be approved “en bloc” — simultaneously — so long as they were not judicial or cabinet-level positions.

READ MORE: Senate Republicans Implement Plan To Push Through Federal Nominees As Shutdown Looms

But this doesn’t apply for the United Nations post, the most prominent unfilled cabinet post in the Trump administration. It was originally slated to be filled by New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who stepped aside during the confirmation process to return to Congress and bolster the Republican majority. Waltz was tapped by Trump in May after a stint as the president’s top foreign policy advisor in the White House.

Trump’s appearance comes as he works to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, as well as an end to Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza. Trump has been a juggernaut on the world stage, and has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work to negotiate the end of conflicts around the world.

READ MORE: Pax Trumpana: Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize Resume

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has taken the lead on the United Nations ahead of the general assembly. Rubio blocked Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas from entering the country, in anticipation of a push for Palestinian statehood at the gathering of world leaders.

Republicans almost certainly have the votes the confirm Waltz when the vote takes place. His nomination was delayed by Democrats, who managed to get Waltz and a handful of other nominees sent back to committee. He was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee despite a “no” vote from Republican senator Rand Paul.

Waltz has pledged to “Make the UN Great Again,” if confirmed.