The White House intends to withdraw Representative Elise Stefanik’s nomination to serve as the US ambassador to the United Nations, according to Republican Senator Jim Risch of Idaho.
Risch, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he had just been informed about the Trump administration’s decision “moments ago” when speaking with reporters on Thursday.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request to comment.
Stefanik’s nomination had threatened an already-slim Republican majority in the House, as the party moves to advance President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda on taxes, energy and immigration.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has little room for error and frequently faces opposition from several hard-line conservative members. Republicans hold 218 seats in the chamber to Democrats’ 213.
Keeping Stefanik, 40, in the House would preserve a consistently loyal Trump vote. She has been an ardent supporter of the president in Congress, including during a stint in House leadership.
Replacing her in the chamber would have taken several months. New York law requires the special election to take place within 90 days of a House member resigning. That potentially could have left the seat vacant into the summer. Stefanik won her seat by a wide margin in 2024. A Democrat hasn’t held that seat since 2015.
Mike Waltz, a former House member, already departed Congress to serve as National Security Advisor. Former Representative Matt Gaetz also departed Congress after briefly being nominated to serve as US attorney general. Elections to replace them are scheduled for April 1.
Stefanik’s devotion to Trump has a long public track record. She was among the 147 House Republicans who voted against certifying then President-elect Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory over Trump. She was the first House member to endorse Trump in this third White House bid, and was even a contender earlier this year to be Trump’s vice presidential running mate.
