The Senate confirmed former Rep. John Ratcliffe (R., Texas) as CIA director in a 74-25 vote on Thursday, making him President Donald Trump's second nominee to be approved.
Twenty-one Democrats joined all Republicans in backing Ratcliffe, who served as director of national intelligence from May 2020 until Trump left office in January 2021. Senate majority whip John Barrasso (R., Wyo.) praised Ratcliffe as "undeniably qualified for the job," saying that the Trump appointee will "lead the CIA without bias, and with the safety of the American people being his priority."
Ratcliffe, testifying last week before the Senate Intelligence Committee, pledged to focus on "setting and communicating priorities and demanding relentless execution." Ratcliffe emphasized his commitment to global intelligence gathering, vowing to "collect intelligence—especially human intelligence—in every corner of the globe, no matter how dark or difficult."
Ratcliffe’s confirmation "should have been done two days ago," Barrasso said, noting that "Democrats unnecessarily delayed this important vote."
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said he opposed Ratcliffe due to his concerns that Ratcliffe "will be unable to stand up to people like Donald Trump and Tulsi Gabbard, who are known to falsify intelligence."
Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly (Ariz.), however, expressed confidence in Ratcliffe’s qualifications. "I think he’s qualified for the job. He’s a serious guy and he’s got the background," Kelly said following Ratcliffe’s initial confirmation hearing. "I’ve got confidence he’ll do a good job."
Thursday’s vote comes after the Senate unanimously confirmed Marco Rubio as secretary of state within hours of Trump's inauguration. Pete Hegseth, Trump’s appointee for secretary of defense, cleared a procedural hurdle Thursday afternoon to advance his confirmation for a final Senate vote on Friday.