White House pulls Stefanik’s UN ambassador nomination amid concern over narrow Republican House majority

By Sarah Ferris, Kevin Liptak and Betsy Klein, CNN

(CNN) — The White House on Thursday pulled Rep. Elise Stefanik’s nomination to be US ambassador to the United Nations amid concerns over slim margins in the US House of Representatives, keeping one of Trump’s most vocal allies in Congress.

President Donald Trump declared he was withdrawing the nomination, which had already languished for months, to help preserve the House GOP’s razor-thin majority – critical, he said, to enacting his agenda.

The White House’s sudden decision to pull GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik’s nomination for a Cabinet spot has scrambled plans across Capitol Hill.

Speaker Mike Johnson was quick to say that he will find a leadership role for the congresswoman, but it is not yet clear what that will be after the 10-year House veteran had forfeited her hard-fought leadership spot in order to join the administration.

Some of the congresswoman’s colleagues had anticipated her departure in the coming weeks. One House GOP leader had planned a farewell toast for Stefanik in the Capitol next week, according to a person familiar with the plans.

The decision stunned some members of House GOP leadership, as well as members of the New York delegation, who were deep in conversations about that special election, according to multiple people familiar with the decision.

The president said he didn’t want to “take a chance” on Stefanik’s open seat in northern New York, which heavily favored Republicans.

“The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations. Therefore, Elise will stay in Congress, rejoin the House Leadership Team, and continue to fight for our amazing American People,” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform.

It’s a significant turn for Stefanik, who had taken part in at least one Cabinet meeting and had been taking part in events in her district that local media outlets had billed as a “farewell tour.” While she was sworn in for the 119th Congress, she has had bare bones staffing and no major role on any House committees.

Multiple House Republicans said they were caught off guard by the decision and noted that Johnson and his leadership team have so far had little difficulty maneuvering tough votes on the floor, according to three people familiar with internal discussions.

Stefanik said she is “proud to be a team player,” during an interview with Fox News Thursday evening.

In a statement, Speaker Mike Johnson thanked Stefanik for agreeing to remain in the House and vowed to create a new place for her on his leadership team.

“It is well known Republicans have a razor-thin House majority, and Elise’s agreement to withdraw her nomination will allow us to keep one of the toughest, most resolute members of our Conference in place to help drive forward President Trump’s America First policies,” Johnson wrote. “I will invite her to return to the leadership table immediately.”

But it’s not yet clear where she will fit in the House GOP leadership team. Stefanik gave up her post as the No. 3 House Republican to GOP Rep. Lisa McClain, and a source familiar with McClain’s thinking said she is not resigning from her position.

Asked about the White House’s decision to pull the nomination because of tight margins in the House, GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski said, “They just realized that now?”

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Jim Risch said earlier Thursday he had been informed that Stefanik’s nomination would be withdrawn by the White House.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday that Stefanik “would have been a good UN ambassador” but acknowledged the House’s slim margin.

“I think there’s some political realities that they’re grappling with in the House right now and every vote counts,” Thune said.

Trump announced that he had chosen Stefanik, a New York congresswoman and longtime ally, as his pick for the Cabinet role days after the November 2024 election.

The narrow majority has routinely created headaches for Johnson in bringing bills to the floor and poses a threat to congressional GOP plans to pass a sweeping package focused on tax cuts that could be Trump’s signature legislative achievement – if Republicans can stay unified to pass it without support from Democrats.

Currently, Republicans hold 218 seats to Democrats’ 213 and there are four vacancies. Under the current breakdown, Republicans can only afford to have two defections and still pass a bill on a party-line vote.

There are two special elections set for Tuesday to fill vacant seats previously held by Republicans, but even after those elections, the GOP House majority will remain narrow.

Democrats quickly seized on Trump’s admission that Republicans did not want to take a chance with the New York special election, even if they privately acknowledged that the seat was highly unlikely to flip.

“Republicans are running scared. What happened to their so-called mandate?” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries asked in a statement.

And the House Democrats’ leadership-aligned super PAC suggested Republicans are nervous about the midterms.

“House Republicans are in a full-blown panic over their razor-thin majority, worrying about holding on to a seat that Trump won by 21%. They know they’re screwed in 2026,” Katarina Flicker, spokeswoman for House Majority PAC, wrote in a statement.

This headline and story have been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Manu Raju, Ted Barrett, Annie Grayer, Alayna Treene and Kit Maher contributed to this report.

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