US Senate panel narrowly approves Mike Waltz's nomination for UN ambassador

Former national security adviser has pledged to 'make the UN great again'

Former national security adviser Mike Waltz. Reuters

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday narrowly approved Mike Waltz, President Donald Trump’s nominee for United Nations envoy, advancing his confirmation to the full Senate.

The committee voted 12-10 in favour of Mr Waltz, who served as Mr Trump's national security adviser before being ousted in May during a scandal involving a Signal group chat between top aides and a journalist.

There was no immediate word on when the full 100-member Senate might vote on the nomination.

In a recent post on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump urged senators to remain in Washington over the summer to vote on his nominees.

Last week during his hearing, Mr Waltz pledged to pursue sweeping reforms at the United Nations, vowing to “make the UN great again” echoing one of Mr Trump’s signature slogans.

During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Mr Waltz criticised the global body for what he called a bloated bureaucracy, anti-American bias, and a record of inefficiencies in conflict prevention.

He vowed to target “waste, fraud, and abuse endemic to the UN system.”

Mr Waltz, a retired Army Green Beret and former Republican congressman from Florida, is among the last of Trump’s high-profile nominees awaiting likely Senate confirmation.