Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Monday the Senate will vote this week on Mike Pompeo’s nomination to become the next secretary of state.
“It’s hard to imagine a better nominee for this position at this moment, than Mike Pompeo,” McConnell said on the Senate floor Monday. “I look forward to upholding the tradition of this body and voting to confirm him this week.”
The announcement signals he will not yield to the decision of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is set to reject Pompeo late Monday thanks in part to the opposition of fellow Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. McConnell can bring Pompeo’s nomination to the Senate floor no matter how the committee votes.
Three red-state Democrats have announced they will vote for Pompeo on the Senate floor, virtually guaranteeing his confirmation as long as Paul remains the only GOP opponent. They are Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, and Joe Donnelly of Indiana.
McConnell praised Pompeo’s job heading the CIA and said Pompeo is “uniquely qualified” to help reinvigorate the nation’s foreign service.
