Overview

• On July 15, Waltz appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to answer questions about the March incident in which he added a journalist to a private Signal chat on Yemen strike plans.
• He defended his use of the encrypted messaging app by citing CISA guidance authorizing Signal for senior officials and asserted that no classified information was exchanged.
• Democratic senators including Cory Booker and Chris Coons pressed him on his decision-making and leadership, with some describing the hearing as expected to be “brutal.”
• Republicans, holding a 53–47 Senate majority, maintained that he needs only a simple majority for confirmation and voiced confidence in his qualifications.
• The UN ambassador post has been unfilled for six months following Elise Stefanik’s withdrawn nomination, making Waltz’s likely confirmation the administration’s final Cabinet-level appointment.