By Olivia Beavers, Meridith McGraw and Katy Stech Ferek
WASHINGTON—The White House is pulling the nomination of Rep. Elise Stefanik for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, President Trump said, a remarkable acknowledgment that Republicans can’t afford to lose her vote in Congress.
Trump said on Truth Social that he asked Stefanik, “as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress” to help pass his agenda, rather than leave the House, which would trigger a special election in her Republican-leaning upstate New York district. “With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat,” he said.
Stefanik gave up her role in GOP House leadership in preparation to take the U.N. role. She has been one of Trump’s closest allies and top cheerleaders in Congress, and her withdrawal on Thursday shocked Washington. Her confirmation vote—and her planned resignation from the House—had been held up as Republicans looked to first fill other vacancies in their ranks.
A senior White House official said Stefanik’s seat would have been vacant for most of the year before a special election, and there was a sense of urgency in getting Trump’s agenda enacted. The official said expected debt ceiling and budget votes were going to be tough already because of slim margins in the House, and Republicans couldn’t afford to make things harder on themselves.
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