Overview
- All 12 Republicans on the Foreign Relations Committee voted to advance Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, with Democrats Jeanne Shaheen and Jacky Rosen joining them.
- Eight Democrats opposed the nomination, pointing to Kaploun’s partisan post–Oct. 7 remarks, including criticisms of Democrats in a 2024 Mishpacha interview.
- Mainstream Jewish organizations, including the ADL, Jewish Federations of North America, the Conference of Presidents, and the AJC, urged the Senate to confirm him quickly.
- Kaploun, a Chabad rabbi and Miami-based businessman who served as a 2024 Trump campaign surrogate, told senators he would center his approach on education.
- The State Department role, last held by Deborah Lipstadt, now moves to a closely divided Senate for a final confirmation vote.