Thursday, 4 November 2021 (YJC)_ Day after blocking Democrats from fast-tracking diplomat-turned-banker’s nomination, Republicans forgo their objections, allowing Nides to be confirmed via voice vote.
The Senate confirmed former deputy assistant secretary of state and longtime Democratic party operative Thomas Nides to be the Biden administration’s ambassador to Israel Wednesday, after a drawn-out nomination process that some feared could continue to drag on.
Nides was confirmed in a voice vote on the Senate floor after Republicans lifted their objections to the nomination. A day earlier, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) prevented Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ) from fast-tracking the confirmation process via unanimous consent vote.
On Thursday evening, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) brought the nomination once again to the Senate floor and it passed overwhelmingly in a voice vote. There was no immediate word on why GOP lawmakers chose to change course.
US President Joe Biden formally tapped Nides for the position in June, and while the 60-year-old wasn’t seen as a controversial candidate, the nomination — along with dozens of others — became another victim of Washington’s partisan politics, with Democrats accusing Republicans of prolonging the process.
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