Overview

• The Senate Foreign Relations Committee convened on July 15 to review Waltz’s nomination as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations following his removal as national security adviser in May.
• Democratic senators focused their questions on ‘Signalgate,’ highlighting Waltz’s March error of adding a journalist to an unclassified Signal group chat discussing a planned Yemen strike.
• Waltz defended his conduct by taking responsibility for creating the chat and asserting that no classified information was exchanged, citing administration guidance endorsing encrypted messaging.
• Two Pentagon investigations—the inspector general’s office and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations—are ongoing to assess the security implications of the Signal chat incident.
• With Republicans holding a 53–47 majority and needing only 50 votes for approval, party-line backing all but guarantees Waltz’s confirmation in the full Senate.