Updated January 21, 2025 at 16:21 PM ET
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Who: Elise Stefanik
Nominated for: U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
You might know her from: As a member of the House of Representatives, Stefanik was a key defender of Trump during the first impeachment proceedings against him. More recently, she became known for her sharp questioning of several university presidents over what she described as antisemitism.
More about Stefanik:
- Elected to the House of Representatives in 2014 at 30, the youngest woman elected to Congress at that time.
- She was a moderate Republican, who moved to the right, aligning herself with Trump.
What this role does: The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. is a high-profile diplomatic post that is a Cabinet position in some administrations. Ambassadors negotiate resolutions and speak on behalf of the U.S. in the world body.
What happened at the hearing:
When she was elected in 2014 to represent New York's 21st congressional district, Elise Stefanik was the youngest woman elected to Congress at the time. She had been seen as a moderate conservative, working for then-President George W. Bush and Rep. Paul Ryan. And she was critical of Donald Trump when the leaked Access Hollywood tape came out in 2016, saying Trump made "inappropriate, offensive comments."
Stefanik stepped into the limelight in 2019, vigorously defending Trump during his first term from charges that he was withholding military aid to Ukraine for political reasons — an issue at the heart of his first impeachment. Trump praised her appearances in the impeachment proceedings, calling her a "new Republican star." She later replaced Trump critic Liz Cheney as the chair of the House Republican Conference — the fourth-ranking position in House Republican leadership.
In 2024, Stefanik made headlines again by grilling the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard and MIT over what she described as antisemitism on college campuses amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Stefanik is a strong supporter of Israel and its decision to cut off communication with and ban the U.N. agency that aids Palestinians, UNRWA, from operating in Israel.
On Tuesday, Stefanik faced senators' questions in a confirmation hearing about the kind of U.N. ambassador she will be.
"I think we need to roll our sleeves up, deliver reforms and make sure that our dollars are going to programs within the U.N. that work, that have a basis in the rule of law, that have a basis in transparency and accountability and strength in our national security, in our partnerships," she said.
Even before Stefanik appeared at her confirmation hearing, President Trump signed an executive order pulling the U.S. out of the World Health Organization. At the hearing, Stefanik defended Trump's first foreign policy steps and told the panel the Trump administration will review all funding at U.N. agencies.
"Our tax dollars should not be complicit in propping up entities that are counter to American interests, anti-Semitic or engaging in fraud, corruption or terrorism," she said.
If confirmed, she said she would work to counter China's influence at the U.N. and defend Israel. She sided with far-right Israeli politicians who claim Israel has a biblical right to the West Bank, the occupied Palestinian territory.
Democrats at the hearing, like Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, raised concerns about Trump's initial foreign policy moves — taking the U.S. out of the Paris Climate accord and the WHO. Van Hollen said these actions will only cede ground to U.S. adversaries in the United Nations.
"Sadly, President Trump's decision to leave the World Health Organization will do just that — it will make us less safe," he said. "Viruses don't respect national boundaries.
The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. is not always a Cabinet position. Often Republican administrations downgrade the post. However, Trump bucked that trend and kept the job as a Cabinet official during his first term, when he named former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for the role.
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