Sen. Pat Roberts says Gov. Sam Brownback will be approved by a Senate committee for a role in the Trump Administration, WIBW reports.
“The committee will approve our Governor. Sam was just back in Washington here yesterday and the day before talking to the President about prison reform. In talking to him
and talking to some people that may have concerns, I think we’re going to get him a vote. I hope that happens very quickly,” Kansas’ senior Senator said.
Roberts didn’t list a specific timeline. He said the Senate could change rules to keep things moving, though there are no formal proposals for tighter deadlines on cloture motions.
“I look forward to a committee vote. I look forward to a vote on the floor,” Roberts said. “I hope we can get that done as soon as possible.”
President Trump formally re-nominated Brownback for an ambassador to religious liberty earlier this week. Originally nominated in July, the clock ran out on the nomination at the end of 2017 when Senate Democrats refused to roll over Brownback’s nomination into 2018.
The Kansas Governor begins the confirmation process fresh, meaning he’ll appear before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He’ll need a majority of the committee’s approval so his nomination can be forwarded for consideration by the full Senate.
In the meantime, Brownback said he will not resign his post as Kansas Governor until he is confirmed. One survey of former state department nominees found that the time between nomination and confirmation for sub-cabinet state department posts found that the time varied greatly from 8 days to 358 days. The average nominee was confirmed in three months.
Right now, there are no hearings scheduled in the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.