The U.S. is getting a new ambassador to Israel following a recent vote on the floor of the Senate in which the presidential nominee for that role was confirmed thanks to Democrats.
On the question of confirming former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew for the position, 53 Senators voted in favor, while 43 were against Lew. The final vote was mostly along party lines, though GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Rand Paul (Ky.) backed Lew. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) praised the progress on Lew’s nomination for ambassador in a statement on X (Twitter). “The Senate has just confirmed Jack Lew as the next Ambassador to Israel. He has a distinguished record of public service and as a strong ally of Israel, and his confirmation will help send a powerful message of support to Israel,” Schumer said online.
Though the size of the majority has at times limited the ability for progress on major ambitions, President Joe Biden will have seen Democratic control of the Senate for the entirety of his current term of office, which — among other ramifications — has consistently boosted the prospects in the chamber for his nominees who need Senate approval. And the results have frequently been close, showcasing the role of that Democratic majority. With just 55 votes in favor, the Senate recently confirmed an individual named Matthew James Maddox to serve as a federal judge in Maryland, for instance.
The House and Senate also have major funding questions with which to grapple in coming weeks. The House, newly under the leadership of far-right Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), has recently been kicking around a proposal that would aid Israel… by undercutting funding for the Internal Revenue Service, which in lessening the ability of that agency to manage the enforcement of tax requirements could impose a significant setback on the government’s financial condition. Overall funding for the federal government is also set to run out within mere weeks (in the middle of this month) absent new action.
