President Trump’s pick to be Navy secretary is headed toward a confirmation vote on the Senate floor following his Thursday approval in the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The nomination of Richard V. Spencer, a financier and former Marine aviator, was rushed to a committee vote by the chairman, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and then immediately sent to the chamber floor after being approved in a voice vote.
The committee approval moves the Trump administration a step closer to appointing the top civilian Navy leader as the service attempts to shore up its depleted forces and prepare for a build-up to a much larger fleet under Trump.
Spencer has never held a Pentagon or Capitol Hill post but still sailed through his confirmation hearing before Armed Services on Tuesday.
He was a helicopter pilot for several years in the Marine Corps before embarking on a 36-year career in finance, and is now managing director of Fall Creek Management, a consulting company in Wyoming.
