March 27 (UPI) — President Donald Trump has withdrawn his nomination of Rep. Elise Stefanik for United States ambassador to the U.N. because he said he needs her vote in the House of Representatives.
“As we advance our America-first agenda, it is essential that we maintain every Republican seat in Congress,” Trump said Thursday in a Truth Social post.
“We must be unified to accomplish our mission, and Elise Stefanik has been a vital part of our efforts from the beginning,” Trump said.
He added: “I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest allies, to remain in Congress to help me deliver historic tax cuts, great jobs, record economic growth, a secure border, energy dominance, peace through strength and much more so we can make America great again.
“With a very tight [House] majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat.”
Stefanik, R-N.Y., has represented upstate New York’s 21st District in the House since 2015.
The district had Democratic Party representatives at least since 2000 before Stefanik won the seat during the 2014 general election.
The GOP has a five-seat majority in the House, 218 to the Democratic Party’s 213.
The GOP-led Senate has withheld consideration of her U.N. ambassadorship nomination for the past two months to ensure her congressional seat’s support for Trump’s legislative agenda, CNBC reported.
Stefanik’s nomination as U.N. ambassador was Trump’s first nomination after being sworn in Jan. 20, and the Senate was expected to vote on it in April, The New York Times reported.
Stefanik recently had posted remembrances of her time in Congress on social media in anticipation of her pending confirmation.
The GOP seeks to fill two current House seat vacancies in Florida, one after former Rep. Mike Waltz resigned to become national security adviser.
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz resigned his seat after being nominated for U.S. attorney general, but he withdrew under pressure. Trump then nominated Pam Bondi, who was conformed.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said the GOP has a “numbers problem” in the House of Representatives.
“Donald Trump won the Elise Stefanik district by 21 points in November 2024,” Jeffries said in a prepared statement. “He withdrew her nomination to be U.N. ambassador because the extremists are afraid they will lose the special election to replace her.”
He said the “Republican agenda is extremely unpopular” and is “crashing the economy in real time. House Republicans are running scared. What happened to their so-called mandate?”
