A key Senate panel on Tuesday approved President Trump’s nominee to represent the United States at the United Nations.
Gov. Nikki Haley, R-S.C., received all but two votes on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, setting her up for an easy confirmation when the full Senate votes on her nomination. That showing was an improvement over Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson’s party-line showing in Monday’s vote.
She won support after breaking with President Trump on the question of whether to threaten funding cuts for the United Nations, to the satisfaction of Democratic senators, and saying that Trump’s national security team would need to “educate” him on issues where he currently holds heterodox views.
“Once the president-elect gets to hear from his national security team, I think what he says after that will be most important,” Haley said during her confirmation hearing. “And I think those are the focuses that we’re going to have with the National Security Council in making sure that we educate and inform him of what we know, inform him of strategies, and go along with whatever decision he decides to make.”
Sen. Bob Corker, who chairs the committee, highlighted those remarks in his statement at the meeting to approve her nomination. “I believe she knows the United Nations needs reform and change,” he said. “We have a right to demand value for our money. I think our nominee has said she will demand that.”
Sen. Chris Murphy, the Connecticut Democrat who pressed Haley to oppose GOP efforts to use funding cuts as a lever to influence other countries’ voting records, cited her answers to his questions as the reason for his decision to vote for her. But the discomfort of voting for a member of Trump’s foreign policy team, given liberal voters’ dislike for him and concern about Russian cyberattacks against the Democratic party, was apparent in his statement.
“I know Gov. Haley recognizes the important national security and humanitarian implications of a strong U.S. presence on this international stage,” Murphy said. “However, I continue to be concerned by the vast discrepancies between President Trump and his nominees, including Gov. Haley, on issues like torture, discrimination, and support for our critical alliances around the world. I voted for Gov. Haley today in the hope that she will stand up to President Trump whenever necessary.”
Not every Democrat was satisfied that she’s ready for the job. “She did not convince me that she understands and embraces the foreign policy principles that the United States has championed over the past seventy years to serve effectively as U.S. smbassador to the United Nations,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said Tuesday. “The position of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations requires a high level of expertise on international affairs, not someone who will be learning on the job.”
Corker argued that Haley’s tenure as governor has prepared her for the new posting. “Having run a state government, she has dealt with tough management and budgetary issues,” he said. “I believe that experience will serve her well, and I strongly support her nomination.”
