Mike Waltz, President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, will face questioning from lawmakers Tuesday for the first time since he was ousted as national security adviser in the weeks after he mistakenly added a journalist to a private Signal chat used to discuss sensitive military plans.
The former Republican congressman is set to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing, with Mr. Trump looking to fill his remaining Cabinet position after months of delay, including the withdrawal of the previous nominee.
The hearing will provide senators with the first opportunity to grill Mr. Waltz over revelations in March that he added The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on an unclassified messaging app that was used to discuss planning for strikes on Houthi militants in Yemen.
Mr. Waltz took responsibility even as criticism mounted against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who shared the sensitive plans in the chat that included several other high-level national security officials. Mr. Hegseth shared the same information in another Signal chat that included family, but Mr. Trump has made clear Mr. Hegseth has his support.
Mr. Waltz was removed as national security adviser in May — replaced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio — and nominated for the U.N. role.
Mr. Trump praised Mr. Waltz in the announcement, saying, “From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation’s Interests first.”
United Nations is facing major changes
If confirmed, Mr. Waltz would be coming to the U.N. at a moment of great change. The world body is reeling from Mr. Trump’s decision to slash foreign assistance — affecting its humanitarian aid agencies — and it anticipates U.S. funding cuts to the U.N. annual budget.
Under an “America First” foreign policy realignment, the White House has asserted that “some of the U.N.’s agencies and bodies have drifted” from their founding mission and “act contrary to the interests of the United States while attacking our allies and propagating anti-Semitism.”
With America being the largest United Nations donor, cutting U.S. funding to the U.N. budget would greatly impair operations.
Facing financial instability, the U.N. has spent months shedding jobs and consolidating projects while beginning to tackle long-delayed reforms. The U.N. is also facing growing frustration over what critics describe as a lack of efficiency and power in delivering on its mandate to end conflict and prevent wars.
John Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. who was also national security adviser during Mr. Trump’s first term, was critical of the current state of the U.N.
“It’s probably in the worst shape it’s been in since it was founded,” Mr. Bolton, now an outspoken Mr. Trump critic, recently told The Associated Press.
Waltz has been meeting with senators
Mr. Waltz spent the last several weeks meeting with Democrats and Republicans on the Foreign Affairs committee.
Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth said Monday that she and Mr. Waltz discussed a wide range of issues, including whether the Trump administration would use the U.N. to strengthen alliances and combat Chinese influence.
“I asked him questions about Signalgate,’ but I also talked to him about how we are going to sway other nations within the United Nations to our side, in light of how much influence the PRC is having on other nations,” the Illinois senator said, using an acronym for the People’s Republic of China.
Even with Democratic opposition, Mr. Waltz only needs a majority in the 53-47 Senate, which Republicans control.
“He’ll be fine. Mike won’t have any issues,” said Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. “I mean, the Democrats are gonna do their thing. Whatever. Mike’s used to taking incoming fire.”
It is unclear how Mr. Waltz would approach the job. Mr. Trump’s first nominee, Rep. Elise Stefanik, had built a track record in Congress of criticising the U.N. She vowed during her confirmation hearing in January to combat what she called antisemitism at the world body and lead a review of U.S. funding.
She was expected to be confirmed, but Mr. Trump abruptly withdrew her nomination in March, citing risks to the GOP’s historically slim House majority.
At the time, the loss of a mere handful of seats could have swung the House majority to Democrats and derailed their recently successful efforts to enact Mr. Trump’s sweeping agenda.
Waltz is still on the White House payroll
Mr. Waltz, whose Florida House seat was filled during a special election earlier this year, has spent the last few months on the White House payroll despite being removed as national security adviser. The latest list of White House salaries, current as of July 1, includes Mr. Waltz earning an annual salary of $195,200.
A White House official, granted anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said Mr. Waltz stayed on to “ensure a smooth and successful transition given the extreme importance of the role of NSA.”
Mr. Waltz was the first Green Beret elected to the House and easily won re-election for a fourth term in November before Mr. Trump asked him to join the administration.
Published – July 15, 2025 12:35 pm IST
