Archive · 8 Aug 2026
Senate confirms Trump nominees, filling diplomatic corps gaps
The Senate is a group of people in the United States government that approves important jobs.
On Friday, it said yes to a big list of 74 people for government jobs.
These jobs include ambassadors, who are like the country's representatives in other nations.
The new ambassadors include people going to Australia, Norway, and Brazil.
The vote was 51 to 47, and it mostly followed party lines.
Republicans voted for the nominees, while Democrats and independents voted against them.
This fills some empty jobs, but more than 100 ambassador positions are still open.
President Trump had asked many career diplomats chosen by the old government to leave.
One new ambassador to Brazil, Daniel Perez, may have trouble starting his job.
Brazil has not approved him, and the United States took away the visa of Brazil's ambassador in Washington.
The US Senate confirmed 74 of President Donald Trump's nominees in a 51-47 party-line vote on Friday.
The confirmed list includes 11 ambassadors to foreign nations, five ambassador-rank nominees, and six assistant secretary of state picks.
Confirmed envoys include David Brat to Australia, Michael Kavoukjian to Norway, and Daniel Perez to Brazil.
The confirmations fill only a fraction of more than 100 vacant ambassadorial positions after Trump recalled career diplomats appointed by Joe Biden.
The US revoked the visa of Brazil's ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti after Brazil withheld approval of Perez, escalating a rift with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
- Who
- The US Senate, President Donald Trump, and nominees including David Brat, Michael Kavoukjian, and Daniel Perez, plus Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti.
- What
- The Senate confirmed 74 Trump nominees, filling ambassador and State Department posts that had been open for months.
- When
- Friday, August 7.
- Where
- Washington, D.C., United States.
- Why
- To fill vacant diplomatic roles after Trump recalled career diplomats appointed by former President Joe Biden.
Proponents
Opponents
Senate confirmation vote
Proponents
Republicans voted to confirm the 74 nominations, backing the president's picks to fill key diplomatic posts.
Opponents
Democrats and independents who caucus with them voted against the list, which passed 51-47 along party lines.
US-Brazil visa dispute
Proponents
The US revoked the visa of Brazil's ambassador in Washington after Brazil withheld approval of Perez and denied visas to two American diplomats.
Opponents
Brazil has held up formal approval of Perez amid a diplomatic spat with Washington, a rift the visa move escalated.
- Vote result
- 51-47, along party lines, approving 74 nominations
- Confirmations
- 11 ambassadors, 5 ambassador-rank nominees, 6 assistant secretaries of state
- Vacant ambassador posts
- More than 100
- Ambassador to Australia
- David Brat
- Ambassador to Norway
- Michael Kavoukjian
- Ambassador to Brazil
- Daniel Perez
- Date
- August 7
- Location
- Washington, D.C.