Hours after President Donald Trump pulled her nomination to become U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) reacted by saying it was about “stepping up as a team.”
During an interview on Thursday evening, Stefanik pinned the decision on a “combination” of “the New York corruption” in the special election process and the House GOP’s narrow majority.
“This is about stepping up as a team, and I am doing that as a leader to ensure that we can take hold of this mandate and deliver these historic results,” Stefanik said on Fox News.
Stefanik, who spoke with host and former Trump spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany, mentioned budget reconciliation legislation with which the GOP aims to fulfill Trump’s domestic agenda priorities.
Although she testified in a confirmation hearing and advanced out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee back in January, Stefanik never got a final vote on the Senate floor.
Her nomination got held up as New York Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul was reportedly expected to slow-walk a special election and the House GOP grappled with a slim majority.
There are 218 Republicans and 213 Democrats in the House. Two special elections to fill GOP-won seats are set for next week in Florida. Two other vacancies are from Democrats who recently died.
Earlier on Thursday, Trump announced on Truth Social that he asked Stefanik to remain in Congress to help him deliver his “America First Agenda” on tax cuts, border security, energy, and more.
“With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat,” Trump said, adding that there are “others that can do a good job at the United Nations.”
Also in his social media post, Trump mentioned that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was “thrilled” with the decision and he said Stefanik would “rejoin the House Leadership Team.”
Stefanik previously served as House GOP Conference chair, a role now held by Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI). Johnson said he would invite Stefanik back to the leadership team, but did not specify a position.
In her interview, Stefanik insisted there was “good news” because “the American people will be hearing a lot more from me” as she no longer has limitations associated with a pending confirmation.
Stefanik also teased what comes next, saying she “looked forward to continuing to hold higher education accountable for their failures, as well as all of my work … in the national security space.”
