Trump Moves to Fill US Diplomatic Void With 74 Envoys

By Staff, Agencies

The US Senate confirmed 74 of President Donald Trump’s nominees on Friday, filling a batch of ambassadorial and senior State Department posts that had remained vacant for months.

The appointments include 11 ambassadors to countries such as Australia, Norway and Brazil, along with five other ambassador-rank positions and six assistant secretaries of state, including officials responsible for West Asia and North Africa, Europe and the Western Hemisphere.

The package passed 51-47, with Republicans supporting it and Democrats and independents opposing it.

The confirmations begin to address an unusually deep diplomatic staffing crisis in Washington. More than 100 ambassadorial posts—around half of the US posts worldwide—have remained vacant since Trump ordered the recall of nearly 30 career diplomats in December, in addition to roughly 80 positions that were already unfilled.

The recall broke with a century of precedent. Senate Democrats said no administration had taken such action since Congress established the modern Foreign Service, warning that the move left US missions without leadership while rivals gained ground.

The American Foreign Service Association likewise argued that recalling diplomats without cause signaled that political loyalty was being placed above experience and institutional knowledge.

The diplomats were given only 90 days to find new positions within the department, despite a limited number of senior openings.

Among the controversial picks, Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez was confirmed as ambassador to Brazil despite scrutiny over allegations that he traded support for a Trump-backed redistricting map for the post, which he denied. He will resign his state House seat on August 21.

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania state senator Douglas Mastriano was confirmed as ambassador to Slovakia despite his involvement in Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Mastriano attended the rally preceding the January 6 Capitol riot, was later subpoenaed by the House committee investigating the attack and questioned by the FBI.

In Brazil, however, Perez’s appointment faces an immediate obstacle, as Brasilia has withheld the formal diplomatic approval needed for him to assume the post.

The dispute escalated in July after Brazil denied visas to Assistant Secretary of State Riley Barnes and a deputy over plans to visit Brasilia days before the October election. Brasilia accused them of seeking to cast doubt on the electoral system and interfere in its political process, prompting Washington to revoke the Brazilian ambassador’s US visa.